Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.30

“That the Gremory heiress you like? Nice~ Oh, it looks like there are two other girls that like you too. Oh, my buddy is looking to be a playboy just like-!”

“Nope, nope! Azazel, shut up. Issei, Saji, follow,” was all I said as I pushed past the General, who snickered as he followed after me before I turned when I saw Issei and Saji looking hesitant.

“Uh, I don't think we're allowed to be near that guy.”

“Would you rather be here when everyone starts arguing again?”, I asked, watching as the two teenagers looked at each other before bowing to Sona who sighed.

“Very well. You two may go, but stay out of trouble.”

“We'll be with Yuuto, Prez. He'll keep us out of trouble.”

“No, he won't./ No, I won't,” Sona and I answered respectively, making me smirk as she shook her head before the four of us left the gym and began making our way to the sports field at the back of the school.

“Why are you here? Do you even have any family in school?”

“Yes, my former subordinates. I see every soldier of mine as family,” Azazel spoke with a scoff and I just stared at him while we walked.

“That's a lie. You just came to check out the Sacred Gears here, didn't you?”

“That was an added bonus. Speaking of Sacred Gears-”

“Wait until we're somewhere more quiet,” I spoke up, glancing at the teenagers we passed as we continued to walk towards the forested area of the fields that led to the Occult Research Club.

“Uh, Kiba, who is this again?”, Issei asked as I sat down and I turned to Azazel, who smirked while showing his wings and I was not surprised when both Issei and Saji jumped back with wide eyes.

“K-K-Kiba! There's a fucking Cadre here!”

“Not a Cadre, Issei. This is Azazel, Governer-General of the Grigori or their leader to put it more simple.”

“…Okay, so you're telling me that the boss of the guy who nearly killed us is now here…in front of us?”, Issei asked and I nodded as Azazel pulled his wings back with a smirk.

“Yep. Don't worry, he's about as harmless as a kitten since he's more focused on studying everything about Sacred Gears, which is also why you're here.”

“Yep, that's about it. So…you kids mind showing them off?”, He asked with an eager smile and Issei just blinked at his words while Saji narrowed his eyes.

“Uh-huh and what's in it for us?”

“How does 10k to each of you sound? Dollars, of course,” Azazel spoke with a smirk and I was not surprised when Saji was already standing beside him, typing in his bank details while Issei just looked at the two.

“Oh, and I'll throw in a meet-up with whatever star you want.”

“So, her name is Kaben Rider Pinky. She's like this awesome adult star, you know? Also, I will be taking the money.”

'Yep, expected that to happen,' I thought with a sigh as I shook my head, watching Azazel grinning like a kid while he transferred the money.

“You know, I'm glad to see you're still so easily bought.”

“Hey, no judging. I got dreams, alright? And one of those dreams involves winning $10 000 and getting a specific DVD collection signed by the start of them.

“I like this kid. He's got ambition.”

“You're encouraging him.”

“You're acting like it's a bad thing,” Azazel spoke with a smirk and I shrugged as I watched Issei typing in his details.

Still, I had to respect the two for focusing on their priorities as Issei was practically vibrating with excitement while Saji looked like he'd just won the lottery.

“Man, I like this guy!”, Saji spoke with an excited smile as he pocketed his phone while his partner in crime nodded before the two flexed their left arms and manifested their Sacred Gears.

“Excellent. Now, let this ol' researcher get a close-up look.”

'That would sound so weird in another context,' I thought with an amused smile as I stood back, watching Azazel looking between the Absorption Line and Boosted Gear while taking out a notepad from his jacket and writing on it.

“Fascinating. Both a Longinus and a Vritra Fragment so close together.”

“Do you know how many fragments there are?”, Saji asked and Azazel nodded as he turned Issei's hand to see the small gems on his palms.

“Four. There are Absorption Line, Blaze Black Flare, Shadow Prison and Delete Field. Each focuses on an aspect of Vritra's true power: Absorption, Curses, Shadow Manipulation and Power Cancellation. Many speculate that there are more than the four of them, but I have seen these rumoured Gears in action and they do not contain the draconic energy that those first four possess.”

“So, let's say someone were to find and combine all four, what would happen?”

“In theory? They'd essentially reconstruct the soul of Vritra and bring him back, but te only issue with that is that Vritra himself was an Evil Dragon before he was torn apart to form the Sacred Gears.”

“To put it more simple, you'd be forced to talk to a being whose hatred burned so deep that not even death could erase it, which means that you'd either have to subjugate him into a master-servant relationship or convince him enough to make it a partnership,” I explained and Saji frowned as Azazel nodded.

“True, but controlling a dragon like Vritra would be trying to chain a storm. At best, you'd ride the chaos and at worst…it eats your soul whole.”

“….Well, now am I glad I got the Boosted Gear,” Issei spoke with a smug smile and Saji just huffed as I chuckled before looking to Azazel to see him looking back at me.

“What?”

“…Well?”, He asked and I sighed as I lifted my left hand, concentrating a bit before creating a holy-demonic dagger with some slight struggle.

“A lot faster than before. You've perfected the ratio, then?”

“I'd like to think so. It is still requires two enchantments, but at least it's not the four that it was at first.”

“That's a massive improvement. Its make and durability look good as well,” He muttered as he created a light dagger, stabbing it at mine before he blinked while I smirked as the holy-demonic dagger shimmered and sucked out the energy from the light.

As it did so, the holy energy in the blade grew stronger and Azazel hummed as he twirled the dagger before throwing it up into the air as the energy combination in the dagger grew unstable and exploded.

“You made it explode the moment the energy stability in its core grew unstable, huh?”

“To make sure no one can take it from the one who created them unless I want someone else to take them.”

“I can see why you're the most versatile of your group, hmm?”, Azazel spoke with a chuckle and I shrugged with a smirk as Saji and Issei looked like they were lost at our discussion.

“Hey, Kiba. Is your Sacred Gear really that complicated?”, Issei asked and Azazel snorted at his question while I nodded.

“Kind of. Unlike your Boosted Gear where you can simply double your power every ten seconds or Saji's Absorption Line that allows him to grow stronger the longer he absorbs energy from others, my Sword Birth only allows me to create different kinds of swords for different scenarios, so I have to plan ahead and adapt constantly or I'm screwed,” I finished, flicking my hand to dissipate the fragments of the dagger while Issei blinked.

“I knew you have different swords, but I just thought those were just swords you had ahead of time.”

“Yeah, you don't just have a magic gauntlet that yells Boost every ten seconds and have to think to think for you.”

“Hey! I do think…just not when it's needed,” Issei spoke with a shrug and I chuckled as Saji rolled his eyes.

“Don't see yourself short there, Red. Instinct has its own genius especially when it comes to dragons. They respect guts more than brains.”

“That's why you're so interested in Issei?”, I asked and Azazel shrugged before responding.

“That and he's hosting one of the two Heavenly Dragons, though with how strong your generation is at this time and with how many different factions, pantheons and artifacts are gathered in Kuoh, fate most definitely has a big change planned for the future. Kokabiel is probably just the start of what's about to happen.”

“So, more guys like him are going to come knocking? Well, as if my life wasn't already a mess.”

“You just sold your dignity for $10k and the chance to meet an adult video star. Your life was already a mess,” Saji spoke with a smirk and Issei stuck his tongue at his friend in response while I hummed as I looked at the school.

“The town's about to become a battlefield, then. I guess I should start preparing on a few new swords.”

“Already got a few in mind?”, Azazel asked and I smirked as I felt the ideas slowly forming in my mind.

“One could say that.”

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“So…I'm guessing that this means you girls talked then. Also, why is Tsubaki here?”, I asked as I stood in the doorway to the living room, watching as Xenovia, Akeno, Tsubaki and Rias sat in a circle on the sofas while Rias nodded.

“W-Well, let's just say…”

“Tsubaki has a crush on you, too,” Akeno cut through with a smile and I blinked as I looked at the bespectacled girl who was too busy glaring at a giggling Akeno with a bright-red face to notice my gaze.

“She what?”, I asked, flattered and bewildered at the same time as I walked into the room and sat beside Rias while Tsubaki looked at me with a burning blush.

“I-It's not like that! Akeno is simply…exaggerating!”

“Oh? Am I? Because I clearly remember a certain someone saying and I quote, 'He's so handsome when he fights for others~'”, Akeno teased and I smiled as Tsubaki buried her face in her hands while Rias couldn't help her sly smile.

“Remind me again why I agreed to this?”

“Because we thought it was time we all talked and cleared the air.”

“Oh, so you ladies haven't talked with each other,” I murmured, sighing as all four of them shook their head before Rias reached up and turned my head to look at her.

“A polygamous relationship is something that I did expect when Akeno decided to start sleeping in our bed instead of her own.”

“It's still my bed.”

“When have I ever slept in my bed since our first kiss?”, She asked with a smile and I went to response before she giggled as I gave a slow nod.

“…I would like to retract my statement.”

“Good boy. Now, while you and I are in a relationship and Akeno is someone that I expected to join in later down the line, Xenovia and Tsubaki wanting to do the same is something that I did not expect. Therefore, in order for this to be fair to not only me but to them, you'll have to decide what goes from here on out.”

“In other words, do you wish for a monogamous relationship with Gremory or do you actually wish to have more than one woman?”, Xenovia clarified as she sat back, Akeno and Tsubaki looking on as I looked at each of the four ladies before palming my face.

“Urgh~ This is why I hate rom-coms.”

“That's a lie. You love the drama. You just hate having the drama pointed at you,” Rias spoke, giggling softly as I gave her a narrowed gaze before looking at the others.

“Okay, then. If this is how it's going to go, first order of business is that Rias is number 1. She and I have been together the longest and I do not want to push her to the side just because I have multiple girls interested in me now.”

“That is to be expected/ We kind of expected you would say that/ I'm quite fine with that,” Xenovia, Tsubaki and Akeno answered respectively while Rias looked pleased and smug at my words as she leaned her head on my shoulder.

“Secondly, if this is going to work, then this needs to be build on honesty, respect and equal ground. No backstabbing, no sabotage out of jealousy and no treating each other like competition.”

“Aw~ So I can't put a love potion in Tsubaki's food?”, Akeno asked with a pout and we all looked at her before I answered.

“No.”

“What if it's harmless?”

“Akeno, no.”

“You're kind of treating us like a king with his harem,” Rias spoke with a teasing smile as Tsubaki let out a relieved sigh and I shrugged as I leaned back.

“I don't want this to become like one of those ridiculous ecchi anime you like to watch where the guy just collects girls like trophies. I want you all to know that this is not just my choice but yours too.”

“Hmm, I can respect that. I do not wish to be another sword on your rack, Yuuto,” Xenovia spoke with a nod, ignoring Akeno's soft clapping as I looked at Tsubaki who smiled.

“I'm not one who chases affection easily. I prefer for things to be stable and logical, but…I fee like I could drop the stern mask now and again when I'm with you. So, I would like to try this.”

“Got it. To be honest, I'm not even sure I'm ready to say yes or no to anything beyond Rias yet, but since you all look like you're serious about wanting to be together, I'd like to try this out.”

“That's all we ask,” Rias whispered as she hugged my side, to which I smiled before I blinked as Xenovia sat down on the other side of me and wrapped my arm around her.

“…I see what you mean. This is quite comfortable.”

“I know, right?”, Akeno spoke with a giggle as she plopped down beside Rias and held my hand before we all rose an eyebrow as Tsubaki sat down on my lap.

“…There aren't any more available seats left?”

“…I take back what I said. Akeno isn't my biggest competition here.”

“Rias, no competition, remember?”

“I'm a competitive woman. It's who I am,” She spoke with a huff and I sighed before looking over to the door as it opened, Koneko and Mittelt walking in only to stop at the sight of us five sitting on the couch.

“…Asia~”, Mittelt began with a teasing smile and I groaned as the two turned and walked back out.

“Yuuto's giving your free hugs away~!”

“What?! Why~?!”, I heard Asia's panicked squeaks and sighed as I heard her getting closer before looking at the girls around me.

“You guys might want to get away before Asia decides to stop making muffins.”

“…Good point. Oh, I forgot to say. We've been invited to the Conference meeting tonight. You up for it?”, Rias asked and before I could answer, the door bust open this time, Asia practically ripping me from their grips before hugging me tightly with an adorable pout.

“My brother~! Mine!”

“…I'd be down for the meeting.”

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“Ah, glad to see you all made it,” Sirzechs spoke with a smile as Rias, Sona, Tsubaki, Akeno, Xenovia, Issei, Saji and I walked into the meeting hall of Kuoh Academy, to which Rias smiled while I looked at the other people gathered in the room.

'There's Grayfia, Michael, Irina with the surprising addition of Nero, Azazel…Okay, a new addition?', I thought as I stared at the man with the scruffy beard and black hair standing beside Azazel, his body covered in a dark cloak before I blinked as I found him glaring directly at me.

“Uh, Rias? Is that who I think it is?”

“If you're thinking that he's Akeno's dad Baraqiel…you would be correct,” She whispered back and I just nodded slowly before glancing at Akeno, who was looking anywhere but at the man giving her a regretful stare.

Okay, I'm fixing this right now.

“You come with me,” I spoke as I grabbed Akeno's hand and began walking around the table, ignoring her surprised grunt as I nodded to Michael before stopping in front of Azazel and Baraqiel.

“Hey, Az. Who's this?”

“Oh, this is Baraqiel, known as the Lightning of Father and this one's dad.”

“Oh, good. Okay, you two are going to talk this out right now. Come with me,” I said before I turned and began walking out of the room, Akeno trying to move to Rias only for the redhead to giggle and push her back.

“Yuuto, I do not want to do this right now.”

“Akeno, if you don't, this is just going to go on for longer,” I said as I walked into the room opposite of the meeting room, pushing both her and the still confused and cautious Baraqiel in before closing the door behind us.

“Alright, no more running and no more hiding. Say whatever it is that you've wanted to say to each other for years. I'm not here to play mediator, but I know what it's like to just let resentment eat at you for years. Just be honest.”

“This is stupid,” Akeno spoke with a frown as she walked to the window, to which I looked at Baraqiel who looked at me and gestured for him to begin.

“…I should have tried to say something a long time ago,” His voice was a lot deeper and rougher than I expected and I raised an eyebrow at his words before Akeno turned to him with a sharp glare.

“There's a lot of stuff you should have done. Let's start with showing up when Mom was murdered or perhaps when you abandoned me.”

“I didn't abandon you,” Baraqiel spoke quickly, but soon winced at his words as Akeno's glare intensified while I slowly shuffled to the side just in case she threw a holy lightning bolt at the guy.

“I mean, I did. I left, but not because I was ashamed of you. It was because every time I looked at you, all I saw was Shuri and the pain of losing her… it was unbearable.”

'Why do parents in anime always leave their kids somewhere else when the pain becomes too much?'

“So you ran away, huh? Left me to suffer alone.”

“I thought I was protecting you, Akeno, from the Grigori, from my enemies, from…from me. I thought if I stayed away and leave you be, you'd be safer and…and happie-”, he couldn't finish his sentence before a lightning bolt sliced through the air, but there was no explosion or shockwave as Baraqiel easily nullified it with one of his own.

“I waited!”, She shouted, throwing one bolt after the other and I watched Baraqiel take slow steps closer while blocking the lightning.

“I waited and cried and screamed hated myself because I thought I wasn't worth you coming back for me!”

“You were always worth it, Akeno,” He spoke as he reached forward, shattering her Gremory crest with one of his own bolts while ignoring her slapping him.

“I was the one who failed. I'm not asking for forgiveness, not now or ever, but I want to start again. I wish to know the beautiful woman my daughter grew up and even if all you want to do is scream at me, know that I will listen.”

“…Say her name,” Akeno said softly as she looked up at the man and Baraqiel looked at her before speaking.

“Shuri Himejima.”

“Say you loved her.”

“I loved her more than anything and anyone I have ever loved before…and I see her in you every day.”

“You idiot. You stupid, stupid old man,” She sobbed as she buried her face in his chest, punching him softly as he wrapped his arms around her with a teary-eyed chuckle while I decided that was my time to slip out.

However, I raised an eyebrow at the sight of Azazel waiting outside the door before shaking my head when I saw the curious eyes of Sirzechs, Rias and Serafall looking at me from the meeting room doorway.

“Everything good?”, He asked and I nodded as I closed the door, letting the father and daughter get some time to catch up.

“Not really, but at least, it's progress in the right direction.”

“Good. We'll take a few minutes to let them catch up and then get the meeting started.”

“In that case, you!”, I raised an eyebrow at Serafall's accusing tone when she pushed her way out of the room and did her best to stand chest to chest with me.

“You told on me with Aunty Vene.”

“You did that yourself, Lady Leviathan.”

“No, Sera-tan~! You have to say Sera-tan~!”

“…I refuse,” She looked affronted at my words as I walked in, but I smirked as Sirzechs grumbled while handing me a 10,000 yen note.

“I hate you.”

“Hey, it's all for the money.

A/N: Akeno and her dad have made up~!! No need to dedicate more time to that~!! Also, Saji hears whispers of the other Vritra fragments and the Harem is a-go~!!

Next chapter: Meeting and Attack!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~~!