Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.33

“Dragon Shot!”, Issei exclaimed as he punched the marble of demonic energy, the Boosts from the Boosted Gear flowing into the orb and turning it into a torrent of energy that blasted through the magic of his foes.

“Nice work, Issei!”, Tsubaki shouted as she swung her naginata down, slashing through a spell before forming a mirror that reflected the follow-up attacks back at their opponent.

“Hey, Issei! You look like you're struggling!”, Saji spoke with a grin as he whipped his arms outwards, unleashing a flurry of attacks from his Absorption Line and drained the energy from them.

Swinging out another tether and connecting it to Sona, his King nodded as the Sitri crest formed above them and a serpentine dragon roared from it, rising high into the air before coming down with a deafening crash upon the witches that were left around us.

“Should we help?”, Akeno whispered to Rias as the two of them along with Xenovia, Irina, Nero, Gasper, Asia, Koneko and the former Fallen trio watched the quartet take on the witches that were attacking them, Rias giggling as she shook her head.

“They felt a bit left out during the fight against Kokabiel so let them have their fun. Besides, we can rest and take it easy now.”

“I heard that, Rias,” Sona spoke with a frown as she looked at her friend, lowering her hand while Rias just grinned when the rest of Sona's peerage finished the battle.

“Hey, I'm just telling the truth. Anyway, you sure you got them all?”

“Pretty much,” Saji answered as he retracted his lines, Rias nodding as she and Sona began making their way back with their groups following after them.

“Exactly why were your Pawns, your Rook and your two Bishops here?”

“I told them they could come with as long as they stayed here. That and they get very easily bored.”

“So, you'd rather they cause some chaos here instead of doing so at your manor,” Sona said with a frown, shaking her head as Rias gave a sheepish smile before looking forward at where the sounds of battles were dying down.

“I can feel your anxiety, Rias, but rushing over will do nothing but tire you out. That and you felt Yuuto's demonic power flare a few moments ago so you know he's fine.”

“I do…but his definition of 'fine' is a lot more worrying than my definition.”

“You mean you're scared he's going to take it to the point that he's near death again?”, Issei asked with a grin, Rias giggling and nodding as they ran out onto the courtyard.

However as they did so, Rias' eyes widened and her demonic power flared, a burst of the Power of Destruction shooting upwards and deflecting the powerful explosion that came down upon them.

“What the hell?!”, Mittelt shouted as the group stopped, Rias and Sona narrowing their eyes as four figures landed in front of them. Three of them looked like they were the same age as the 3rd Years while the tallest one of the four looked to be in his mid-20s.

“Is this the group?”, The tall man asked, his Japanese styled uniform hidden under Greek-inspired armour, and the one with the black uniform and dark sunglasses nodded as the shadows on the ground below his feet darkened.

“That's them. Remember, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri are to be kept alive. The rest…do with as you please.”

“Don't mind if I do,” The only girl of the group murmured as she unsheathed her rapier, Xenovia and Irina immediately catching this as the girl smirked and shot towards Rias.

Transforming her scrunchy into a whip, Irina swung and wrapped the whip around the girl's arm, throwing her to the side before she along with Xenovia and Tsubaki rushed after her.

“Ohohoho~ Looks like they got some power, after all! All right! Who's going to face me, Heracles?!”, The tall man shouted with a grin and he was answered just as quickly as Koneko shot forward, Issei and Mittelt right behind her before the four of the rushed away as well.

“S-Should we be splitting up like this?”, The last of the group, a teenager with neat brown hair and wearing the same Greek-style armour as the man named Heracles, asked with a nervous glance as he watched the group readying themselves.

“No, but none of them will ever listen to me so let's not waste any more time. You're on defence, Perseus.”

“Got it, Connla,” The guy known as Perseus muttered as a round shield with the image of a Medusa's head on its front formed in his left hand while unsheathing his sword with his right, Rias and Sona narrowing their eyes as the shadows around the duo rose from the ground.

“Sona, Akeno and I are at long-range. Raynare, Kalawarna, Saji, the entire academy is enemy territory. Asia, Gasper, you two are on support.”

“G-Got it,” Asia nodded with a determined frown, Gasper doing the same before Saji stepped forward and uncoiled the lines around his wrists.

“Promotion: Knight,” The boy murmured before he vanished, reappearing beside them with his lines raised high. Bringing them down as Perseus stepped forward, Saji frowned as he watched the teen block his attack while sending out a blast of light.

Feeling water push him out of the way, he grimaced when the water the light touched solidified into stone, landing and rushing to the side as the boy fired another light blast before the shadows below Connla's feet erupted.

A storm of blades and spears shot out in every direction and Raynare snapped her fingers, a trio of light spears forming in front of her that she shot out and let explode with a potent burst of demonic power.

Yet, she knew it was not enough as the shadows merely fell to the ground before rejoining the larger shadow at Connla's feet, the girl stepping back as Rias held up her hand and unleashed a powerful blast of Power of Destruction at them.

Both of the attackers quickly hopped to the side to avoid the blast right as Saji hopped over it, placing his lines in the attack to absorb the energy from it before raising his hands to the attackers and firing blasts of demonic power at them.

Perseus swiftly turned and threw his shield at the first blast, letting it ricochet off of the others before spinning around and blocking the stab at his chest, grimacing when Kalawarna smirked and continued to push at him.

“Promotion: Queen,” Her body flared with demonic power as she pushed Perseus back, swiping her spear at his leg before stopping halfway and aiming for a cut at his neck.

Pushing the attack to the side while reforming his shield, Perseus flashed the eyes on it and Kalawarna leaned to the side as the light blast barely missed her, Sona bringing her arms out and creating a surge of water snakes that slithered across the ground towards Connla.

The shadow user narrowed his eyes behind his glasses while snapping his fingers repeatedly, his shadow expanding drastically and capturing Saji, Kalawarna, Raynare and Perseus inside of it.

The next moment, Saji quickly threw out his lines and flared the leftover demonic power from Rias, his lines turning and stabbing into the shadows before Connla looked a bit surprised when his shadow was destroyed.

“You may control shadows, but it's nothing when everything you do has energy in it,” Saji spoke with a grin as his Absorption Line absorbed the shadows they touched, restoring his stamina while Connla frowned as he glanced at Perseus and back to Rias.

“If you surrender, we promise that you will not be given death.”

“Guess we can't do this the easy way, huh Connla?”, Perseus spoke with a sigh, drawing everyone's attention while Sona and Rias narrowed their eyes when Connla nodded.

“…I suppose we can't. Balance Break! Night Reflection: Death Cross”, His words surprised them as shadows crawled up his body, taking the form of dark shadowy armour with sharp dark claws adorning his hands and feet.

“Balance Break! Caput-medusae and Mineralization Knight!”, Perseus chanted as he slammed his shield's edge onto the ground, the medusa head on it detaching and growing gigantic before it floated up and above Perseus' head.

“Sacred Gear wielders? Wait…you're with this Khaos Brigade, aren't you?”, Sona spoke with a knowing look, Connla just scoffing as Perseus smirked and stood ready in his stance.

A second later, their eyes snapped upwards as the air exploded, Rias' eyes wide as she stared at the hordes of witches and magicians coming through.

“Oh, that's not good.”

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'Considering that everyone knows this guy and is talking about another guy, he must be a big threat,' I thought with a frown as I stumbled to my feet, catching the eyes of the man who looked at me with a thin smirk.

“Yuuto Kiba, I've heard about you from Satanael.”

“Oh, so now Satanael's talked about me to you. Uh, can I ask who you are exactly?”

“My, my~ You speak to me and yet you do not know me. It appears that your leaders have done their utmost to hide the names of their enemies from the next generation, haven't you Sirzechs Lucifer?”

“We thought you dead. There was no reason for the next generation to know of our dark past and the ones who wish to bring it back,” Sirzechs' words just made me even more wary than I already was as the man chuckled and nodded.

“I suppose that is true. Yuuto Kiba, I am Euclid Lucifuge, younger brother to the radiant Grayfia Lucifuge and the vassal to the True Lucifer.”

'…Oh, that's some bullshit right there,' I know that Vali was supposed to be a descendant of Lucifer, but I didn't think he'd had a servant too.

“Well, shit.”

“And he is a man that's supposed to be dead. Last we heard of you, you were seen fighting in the Battle of Lucifaad.”

“Yes, but my death was…greatly exaggerated. I simply took advantage of the commotion to disappear along with my master. The devil known as Euclid Lucifuge died on that day, but with his death, the vassal of Luficer was born.”

“And let me guess, you're here to serve that guy?”

'That guy? That's strange. I thought he was Vali's servant so wouldn't Azazel…? There's another Lucifer, isn't there?'

“I am indeed. Lord Lucifer has asked me to make sure that Katerea's Ophis Snake is returned, but I have to admit that you absorbing it was not in our plans. Who knows what the future has in store for you? May I ask if you would care for a dance of death, young Knight?”, Euclid asked as he held his hand out to the side and I frowned as the man formed a blade out of ice.

“Well-”

“Sit down, Yuuto,” Sirzechs ordered, making me blink at the sharp tone in his voice as well the authoritative look in his eyes before I nodded and relaxed.

“Hmm, a shame, then. Well, if I cannot dance with him, then I'm afraid there is no reason for me to be here.”

“Do you believe we are simply going to let you leave?”, Michael asked with a frown as light spears formed around his body, but my eyes widened as the man chuckled and looked directly at me.

“You can attack me, but I'd rather you focus on Yuuto there. I fear he may not be awake for long.”

“What's that supposed-”, the words died at my lips as I felt all sensation fading from my body, a cold sensation flashing across my form before I fell and everything went black.

'Wha…what the hell?', I thought as I found myself standing on a grassy area like the one from my Balance Break, the flashing colours still above me in the sky while a figure stared at me.

The young girl's black eyes were empty of all emotions as she floated closer, her black hair flowing behind her like a curtain of darkness while reptilian slitted pupils stared me down like I was nothing.

Combined with the black gothic dress she had on as well as her slightly pointed ears and the sharp canines poking out from her upper lips, she would have looked like a cute cosplay for a gothic vampire.

That is…if it wasn't for the pair of large black dragon wings on her back and her lower body taking the form of a scaled black serpent.

“You…you ate my Snake,” Even her voice sounded godly and powerful as the air shook with every word, the pressure of her words making me grit my teeth as it felt as if they were stripping away every defence that I had.

“Uh, I…I assume that you're Ophis, then.”

“I am,” She answered and I wanted to take a step backwards when she got closer, but my entire body felt as if it was glued to the ground.

“You consumed something that was mine. You were not meant to. You were not ready.”

“Ready? I didn't want to be ready. I just needed the power.”

“And yet, you struggled. Now, your power is demonic, holy…draconic.”

“Wait, repeat that last one,” I spoke with a frown and Ophis tilted her head before a thin smile spread across her face.

“You took the power of Ophis, the Infinity Dragon God. It is to be expected that remnants of my powers stayed behind and merged with your Sacred Gear. Unlike the rest, you did not die.”

'Oh, so I could have died? Well, isn't that lovely, huh?', I thought with a groan, palming my face with both hands before looking up as Ophis was right in front of me and placed her hands on my chest.

“Yes, it feeds on you, watches you, learns from you.”

“Learns from me? Are we sure we're talking about a fragment of your power and not a stalk-”, I gagged as she slammed a palm into my chest, feeling her power surging through my body while my vision spun.

“You have my power. You may become more or you may fall apart. Only time will tell if you will be able to help me return to my silence,” I wanted to speak, but it felt as if something was coiling around my chest, the air fading from my lungs as Ophis' face twisted and I found myself staring into the ethereal violet eyes of a gargantuan dragon that let out a menacing growl.

“Endure or perish, Yuuto Kiba. Endure…or perish.”

“Gah!”

“Oh shit!”, I heard Issei's voice as I flew up, my body aching like I'd been on fire as sweat clung to my form and my hands trembled.

“Yuuto!”, I turned as I heard Rias' voice, looking over only for my eyes to widen at the cuts on her arms.

“You're okay. You're okay,” She whispered as she hugged me and I wrapped my arms around her while looking around to see the rest of the group also here.

“What happened?”

“Uh, according to Lord Sirzechs, you guys talked with this Euclid guy and then you just fainted. I think it was because you ate something called a…uh…”

“Why the hell did you eat an Ophis' Snake?!”, Rias shouted with a hiss and I blinked at that before giving an apologetic smile as I caught the glare in her eyes.

“I'm sorry, but my opponent was not one I would have been able to beat on my own.”

“…Hah, I want to be mad at you so much, but the relief that you're okay is calming me down.”

“You mean it's calming us down. I can't believe that you would try that when we just worked out the logistics of our relationship.”

“We're his beloveds, Xenovia. There's no need to use such formal terms,” Tsubaki spoke up and Xenovia shrugged before I smirked as I saw Issei and Saji slowly turning their heads to me.

“…Did she just say what I think she said?”

“She did, indeed.”

“You got a harem?”

“Against my will, yes.”

“You don't seem to mind,” Akeno spoke with a smile as she sat down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder and I smiled as I turned my head to kiss her head softly.

“I don't.”

“…Why in the hell are you so damn lucky?!”

A/N: And we're ending it off here~!! Did some talking with Euclid, showcased some new characters and Kiba met the fragment of Ophis inside of him. Also, it is a bit of an anti-climactic ending, but we're just setting things up.

Next chapter: Aftermath and Reveals.

Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!