Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.5

“Trace. On.” The moment I chanted that while sending a pulse of my demonic energy through the block of Tungsten in front of me, my eyes widened as it felt as I could see the entire inner structure of the block in full.

I could see where the impurities of the metal were, the density of the block as well as the fragile points of the block and what it was composed of.

'I see. Hehehe~ I understand it now.' I thought with an excited smirk as I lifted my free left hand, the Gremory crest appearing above it before I created a simple basic sword.

However, this one's blade had a more grayish-white colour compared to the usual grayish-black along with having streaks of red running along the middle section of the blade.

“Did you just copy it?” Rias asked and I turned to look at her shocked look before smirking as I nodded, dismissing the sword and calling my other blades one after another to make sure they all were made from the same metal.

Not surprisingly, they were indeed and I hummed as I dismissed them all before grunting as I stacked the dozen metal bars in my arms.

"Do you mind if I leave to see if I can't make a new alloy?"

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that you not only managed to copy a metal down to its imperfections, but then decided to also make a sword out of the metal copy?"

“If you want, we can talk about this.” I said while looking at the other girls, to which Akeno simply giggled while Koneko shrugged before I turned back as Rias let out a groan and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Just…hah, you can go and do your experiments.”

“Wonderful! Do you want to partake in them?” I asked and she looked at me with a narrowed stare before speaking.

“And why would you need me for your 'experiments'?” She asked with a dubious look and I simply rolled my eyes before answering.

“The more potent demonic energy is, the more trouble the enchantments have with redirecting it. Since you have the most potent demonic energy of our generation, if I can make the enchantments be able to redirect your energy, then any demonic energy weaker than that should be easy to do as well.”

“Not to mention, we were also going to go with him since we want to start training our…other abilities.” Akeno spoke up, Rias looking surprised to hear that as she looked at Koneko who nodded before smiling in anticipation as she looked at me.

“Then, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started!”

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“So, what exactly do I need to do?” Rias asked as I finished Tracing the other metal bars and I quickly spoke before Akeno could.

“Well, Akeno would be placed in the middle of five Lightning Rods that were placed into a pentagram formation, where she would then fire a lightning bolt at one rapier that would then be redirected to another until she was captured inside the lightning cage. However, if we did that to you, you would be trapped in a cage of corrosive energy. That or you would blow a hole through my room.” I answered, ignoring Akeno's disappointed pout as Rias nodded before being surprised as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Can you create a ball of the Power of Destruction in your hand?” I asked and while she did look confused, she did as I asked and lifted her left hand right before a ball of reddish-black energy formed above it, to which I wrinkled my nose slightly as a slightly acrid stench began to radiate from the corrosive energy eating away at the air around it.

'Trace On!' This time, I tried to do it non-verbally and smiled happily as the ability activated before I froze as Rias let out a soft moan the moment my demonic energy washed over her, but that was not why I was shocked.

No, I was shocked because as the energy flew over her, I could see every little detail of her body from the way her blood pumped through her to every droplet of sweat that stuck to her body.

I could see the small mole on her inner left thigh, where her every erogenous zone was from the ones she knew of and the ones she didn't even know she knew and most importantly…

'Nope! Clear your mind, Kiba!' I quickly cut off the energy as I felt my blood flowing south, taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of my nose with a frown before smiling and shaking my head as I saw the concern in Rias' eyes despite her flushed face and her heavy breathing.

“Are…are you two okay?” Akeno asked and I nodded as I stood up straight while taking another deep breath, Rias doing the same before I raised a hand and created the Gremory crest above it.

Slowly but surely, a longsword appeared floating in the air with the hilt above my hand, the sword itself made out of my newly created alloy that was a mixture of the best qualities of all twelve metals she had given me while a new dark cursive pattern ran along the outer edges of the sword.

The metal itself was more of a faded red with streaks of black and running along the outer edges of the sword was a cursive pattern that looked to be thorny vines.

'I really need to make a name for the new metal. ...Badassium! That's a good na-No, it is not. Hah, I guess I'll think about it later.' Taking a few steps back, I turned back to Rias and gestured for her to fire the blast in her hand at me, to which she looked a bit concerned before sending it softly at me.

“Really?”

“I don't want to hurt you!” She exclaimed as the ball of destruction slowly floated towards me, to which I smiled as I walked forward before surprising her as I stabbed the longsword into the orb and dispelled it.

However, it was not without a trade-off as half of the blade fell to the floor in ashes, to which I frowned slightly as I dismissed the rest of the sword with a hum.

“I'm guessing it's a work in progress, eh?” She asked and I nodded before smirking as I created another, this time shifting the pattern around slightly before looking at Akeno and Koneko as they spoke up.

“We're going to leave you two to do your own thing while we go train in my room.”

“Sure thing. Just make sure not to injure her too much, okay?!” Rias shouted at Akeno and I smiled in amusement while she looked exasperated as the other curvaceous young woman of the house simply giggled as Koneko answered with a nod and a thumbs-up.

“So, I should just fire these at you until you can make a blade that cancel them out?” She asked with a frown and I simply nodded as I held the sword out to the side, to which she created a ball of corrosive demonic energy in one hand before shooting it this time at a moderately fast speed.

This time, I watched in awe as her energy pierced deep into the blade while also shattering everything except for the hilt, making me blink as I slowly turned to see the sheepish smile on her face.

“Hehe~ Sorry~”

“…Why don't we go with your idea of sooting them slowly and work up from there?”

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Humming a random tune under my breath, I sat down on a bench outside the park where I had seen Issei being killed while taking my time in eating the ice cream cone in my grasp, my attention focused on every person that passed me as I was on the lookout for a certain person.

You see, since Sona had decided to take one of if not our heaviest hitter from the team, I had no choice but to fight dirty by taking away probably the best healer in the entire verse.

“Ah!” I blinked as I heard a voice to my side, looking over only to see a perky butt clad in plain white panties even as I stood up and walked over towards her.

“Oh, everything is everywhere.” I heard her whine before she looked at me with a surprised look as I knelt down next to her, a bright red blush appearing on her face as I picked up the few dresses she had while leaving her to pick up the delicates.

“So, may I know the name of the fair lady or is Maiden a good replacement?” I asked with a smirk as we stood up and she turned even redder than she was as she twiddled her thumbs before holding a hand out.

“A-A-Asia A-Argento.”

“Yuuto Kiba. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Argento. Are you perhaps with the church?”

“Y-Yes! I've been trying to find it, but I could not. D-Do you know where it is?” She asked before looking happy as I smiled and nodded.

“Of course, but the church is just an abandoned building and I would feel most terrible if I let a young woman such as yourself alone in it. Say, why don't you come with me to meet my employer and we'll see if she can't find anyone that will help you with fixing it up. How does that sound?”

“U-Um, I really should be heading to the church.” She answered and I nodded with a shrug.

“Of course, I just expected that a friend of mine would want to meet other people that they can also be friends with.” I said and felt a bit of a heartache as I saw the hopeful look in her eyes.

'It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause.'

“R-Really? I'm…I'm your friend?”

“Of course…unless you don't want to me?” I said hesitantly before smiling happily as she quickly nodded.

“Wonderful! Then, before we go, c-can I say something?”

“What is it?” She asked before her eyes widened as I flared out my wings for a split second, with me readying myself to knock her out as I pulled them back before my eyes widened as she looked at me with a confused look.

“W-What did you wish to show on your wings? Are they hurt?”

“No, I'm showing you that I'm a devil and I know the stories there are of us, but I didn't want you to find out later and feel like I manipulated you.”

“W-Well, I am a bit surprised, but I can feel you have no ill will, Mr. Yuuto, and you are my friend so why wouldn't I trust you?” She said with an innocent yet happy smile and I looked at her in shock before surprising her as I picked up her suitcase before wrapping an arm around her.

Nope, forget Issei. I found this cute girl and I'm keeping her for myself.

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“Oh, aren't you the cutest~?! I'm going to keep you and be your friend and we're going to have so much fun~! I'm going to…” I simply watched as a blushing Asia was being hugged and cooed at by a giddy Rias before turning my gaze towards a giggling Akeno and an amused Koneko.

“…Am I not supposed to be in trouble for bringing her here?”

“Do you want to be in trouble?” Akeno asked back and I slowly turned to where Rias was still having fun with Asia before shaking my head.

“Nope, I think this outcome is a good one.” The black-haired beauty simply rolled her eyes as I turned before I watched as Rias tapped Asia on the forehead right as she passed out, the redhead placing the blonde on the bench before looking at me with a frown.

“Before you ask, I did not go out looking for her. I was busy enjoying ice cream at the park and she fell over in front of me. I then helped her and…yeah, after that, I kind of lost track of what I needed to do.” The first part was a complete and utter lie while the second was mostly the truth with hints of lies.

I wasn't going to show her to the church, but after the cuteness that was her calling me a friend despite my being a devil, I definitely could not bring myself to take her to the church to get slaughtered like a pig.

“Hah, I can see that you're being honest, but this is a problem. What are we supposed to do with her?”

“ 'Excommunicated exorcists, priests and nuns are banished and sent out to repair a destroyed church in a far away country to prove that they still believe in their lord'. That was the first thing your mother taught us when we learned of the church, was it not?” I asked with a smirk and she caught on as she glanced at Asia and back at me.

“What makes you think that she would want to become a devil?”

“Because people with nothing left are grateful for the first hand that sticks out to help them. When I helped her repack her luggage bag, she only had a few dresses, a few pairs of underwear and some toiletries. Nothing else. This is either her last stop or her last attempt to try and rectify her sins with the guy above. So, I say we do what we do best as devils and we hold out a hand to show her a better life. That and she would agree instantly if you told her our peerage is more of a group of friends just hanging out instead of what it's actually supposed to be.”

“…Hah, fine, fine. I did detect an abnormal amount of magical energy inside of her so she would make a good Bishop regardless, but I see that you truly like having her around.”

“She reminds me of this one.” I said with my thumb pointing at Koneko before I quickly leaned my waist away right as she tried to elbow it, giving the white-haired girl a smirk as she glared at me.

“Lucky dodge.”

“Indeed, it was.”

“W-What happened?” Asia's voice drew my attention back towards her to see her sitting up with Rias sitting down besides her, the blonde excommunicated nun looking confused as the redhead smiled and placed her hands on Asia's.

“It's nothing to look so concerned about Asia. You were simply tired and needed a few minutes of rest, but before you go back to sleep again, I have an offer to you.”

“I-Is this about you all being devils? If it is, I-I don't mind if my friends are devils.” She said and Rias had a soft look on her face as she shook her head.

“I thank you for the assurance, Asia, but this is more about you. You see, while you're an ex-member of the church, most would think and protest that you are still with them. Thus, if we wish to avoid such trouble, I'm going to have to ask of you to become a devil or else, we can't stay friends.”

“W-Would I still be able to pray?” She asked and we all winced as Rias made a so-so gesture.

“You can, but it's not advised.”

“You'll get a headache that grows more and more painful the longer you keep praying.” I clarified and she looked at me before continuing to speak.

“W-Would we become closer friends if I do become a devil?”

“Whether you become a devil or not, I'll always be your friend no matter what.” I did feel bad for manipulating her feelings like this, but it's either I do this now and she gets to live or I take her to the church where she dies and it happens anyway.

This way just saves a lot of time.

“Hah, okay. I…I wish to become a devil.” She said as she turned back to Rias, who looked elated as she nodded before a scarlet red Bishop appeared in her hand.

“Wonderful and don't worry! It won't hurt a bit.” Rias spoke with a smile as she held the piece against her chest, to which my gaze was focused on the process as the Gremory crest appeared on Asia's chest as the Bishop piece sunk into her body before the crest shattered.

The change was immediate as I could feel the demonic energy radiating from her form, Asia looking surprised at the two bat-like wings fluttering daintily on her back before I smirked as a pair of silver rings coated in a light green glow appeared on her fingers.

“Is that…?” Akeno trailed off with a slight tone of shock as she saw the Sacred Gear, Rias looking just as shocked while Koneko's eyes widened for a brief moment before she forced her expression back to normal.

“Asia, do you possess a Sacred Gear?”

“What is that?” The blonde asked with a confused yet concerned look as I knelt in front of her while softly grasping her hands, rubbing my thumbs along the rings before an idea came to mind.

'Trace. O-!' Before I could even finish the chant, a gargling gasp escaped my lips as I was sent blasting across the room and into the wall, my eyes wide at the burning pain in my arms and legs as I slowly slid onto my backside.

“I'm -urgh! Ourgh! I'm good!” I coughed out as I sat against the wall, looking down at my hands only to stare in shock at the severe burns that covered them.

However, I looked up as footsteps drew closer and Asia knelt besides me with a panicked expression, looking back at my wounds only to see the burns fading away as if they were never there.

“…So, it's a healing-type. Also, what kind of idiotic move was that?!” Rias hissed at me and I winced at that as I went to stand up only for Koneko to catch me by the chest as I stumbled slightly.

“Um, my Sacred Gear forces your body to heal faster so you burned a lot of energy to shorten the process.” Asia answered as I looked at her and I gave a tired nod at that before wincing as Rias poked my chest.

“I thought that if I could scan it, I could perhaps help her learn more of it.”

“And did you learn more?” She asked before sighing as I gave an apologetic smile and shook my head.

“None at all. I was getting to that part, but then it felt as if there was something in them that…that rejected me.”

“That would make sense. Many people have tried to find out more of the Sacred Gears and many have failed seeing as they were all made by the man above.” She answered and I nodded before groaning as Rias grabbed me by the ear and pulled me down.

“However, that still doesn't excuse you for what you did. We're all going back home and you're going to your room.”

“For what?”

“For nearly killing yourself, that's what! Asia, you can come too so we can show you your new home.”

“O-Okay.” The new blonde devil nodded as she walked towards the circle we were on, Rias letting go of my ear with a huff and I smirked as she rolled her eyes before a final thought flashed through my mind as we teleported away.

'With Asia here, it's time to get rid of those damned Fallen and their exorcists.'

A/N: Another quick chapter and next chapter is our first combat situation!!

How will this Kiba fair? Will he persevere or will he be killed? We'll have to find out.

Also, don't worry as he likes Asia as more of a sister than a love interest since like I said, the harem is Akeno, Rias and Tsubaki and maybe one more person if I feel like it.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Another also, I know it feels like I'm sort of still following canon, but rest assured, next chapter is going to change it drastically. That I can guarantee…sort of.

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

Ba-Bye~!!