Watching his back fading away from view, Adelina didn't know what to think before she felt the knot forming in her chest tighten until it was unbearable. It wasn't a feeling that was painful or intrusive, but one that was born from melancholy and familiarity. Making it all the more noticeable as a gasp escaped her lips.

Her arm subconsciously reached forward, trying to grasp out for that which she had assumed for the longest time had been unattainable.

"M-My Lord," she stuttered in a daze, the tears that had welled up in her eyes gradually trickling down her face yet she unaware of it.

She could still remember the day that she had first met him. The Hero who would put an end to the Civil War that had split apart the Underworld and ruined the lives of many simply seeking to live a life without starving.

She had been one of them.

A child who had been powerless to stop the death of her father and could only uselessly cower behind the leg of her mother.

She held no illusions about what would have had happened if the Young Lord hadn't shown up back then. Death or slavery would have had been the only outcomes, and they weren't something she wanted to think about now that she had grown strong enough to ward away her oppressors.

That back slowly fading away from view didn't possess the malevolence it did then, nor did it possess the sheer aura of power that suffused the air around it with a suffocating pressure, but nonetheless it was the same. The very back that had once stood up for her and her townsfolk in the name of Marbas, Demon of the Seventy-Two Pillars.

She sniffled, the calm neutrality she had always been secretly mindful of breaking away to reveal a girl who hadn't moved on from the days she still cherished in the past. The simplicity of a single moment defined by a brief lull in a tumultuous time.

A child swinging a wooden sword, the mentor who watched silently while resting his back on a tree, and the third wheel that would often interrupt the tranquility of a peaceful silence.

The days gone, and the memories held dear, she could still recall them vividly.

And this was why she then promptly gave chase without hesitation.

You were there when I needed you the most.

Her expression was frantic, trying desperately to keep that back in view yet failing to do so since he was already too far ahead.

She had been frozen, unable to react, as those words had played in her head.

The Duty of a Lord, a Guardian Nobility of the Seventy-Two Pillars.

And now she was paying for it.

Her lips pursed together, the strain in her legs building as she forced them harder.

Not this time. Not again.

He had left her in the Lands of Marbas, giving her only the shortest of goodbyes and instructions, not knowing that she had seen through him since the beginning.

Her feet dug into the ground, the asphalt beneath reverberating as her heels punctured the surface in bursts of magical energy.

Goodbyes were symbols of parting. Something said only in times of departure. It was why she had understood that Lord Marbas wouldn't be coming back at that time in the Civil War. For he had said 'goodbye,' rather than 'see you soon.'

He had left her.

This was the truth that she was forced to acknowledge due to her own inability.

Well, not anymore.

Things weren't the same. She was stronger now, able to fight for herself and let her own power do the talking.

As such, she wouldn't allow herself to be left behind again.

Therefore, she kept pushing forward, zephyrs running across her face and scattering her long hair in the wind. In her anxiety, she was even neglecting to notice the effect her movements were having on the civilians on the road-side. Or to be rather frank, she probably didn't care at this point anyway.

She was a blur that most normal people could hardly see let alone distinguish. From the moment people noticed something, it would only be the cracks and holes left behind on the ground. That and the breeze that pushed with the strength of a gale force.

An Ultimate-Class Devil's movement speed wasn't to be underestimated, but could it compare to a Demon's or a God's?

To Adelina's dismay, Lord Marbas was still moving even faster and without any effects on those around him.

She gritted her teeth, unwilling to fall behind.

Her only goal was to stand by his side. To fight his foes and eliminate all who would oppose him.

If it was the duty of a Lord to protect his people, then it was the duty of a subject to lighten the Lord's burdens.

She tried even harder, going to the extent were a reddish hue was beginning to crawl across her skin in her exertion.

It was just a little bit more. Just a couple more meters to keep that distant back in view. Even if she couldn't catch up, she could still follow him by seeing exactly what path he took.

Only, if it wasn't for a pale-blue thread of light wrapping around her ankle and draining her energy.

Almost immediately, the back she had been so desperate to keep in view vanished with her reduction in speed.

No, NO!

She nearly snarled, a hand seeming to move at god-speed and drawing the hilt of her blade in a practiced motion.

A face paled as a result.

"Wait, no stop!" A voice yelled, but an acute rage had erupted inside her, shifting her vision red.

It only took a single thought for her body to propel itself against a wall, her knees bending as a flash of murderous intent suffused her form. Even the edge of her blade seemed to glow in an ominous red hue as she kicked off from the wall, a flash of silver striking towards the one who dared impede her.

"Big Sis Adelina, STOP!"

It was the desperation and familiarity in that voice that halted her sword and poured a bucket of cold water over her anger.

Only a short distance away, Sona stood with her peerage; the panic on her expression yet to subside as Adelina registered what she had just been about to do and promptly withdrew her sword from Saji Genshirou's neck.

"Fuck," Saji cursed in relief, falling to the ground on his but and staring fearfully at Adelina's imposing glare.

It was true that Adelina had stopped, but she was far from appeased. In fact, the frustration she was currently feeling was almost unbearable to the point where her impression of Sona's latest addition to her peerage became an eyesore.

A shiver ran down Saji's back before his mind caught up with him and he promptly retreated to where Sona stood; his Sacred Gear containing the Prison Dragon Vritra which he had tethered to Adelina's leg, long since removed. After all, he had a distinct feeling that if he had maintained it for any longer, his future prospect would be rather grim. More so when he registered the way Sona had addressed Adelina.

"Uhm, you can have your energy back if you like?" Saji was quick to make amends.

Vritra's Sacred Gear had an ability called Absorption Line that allowed for the formation of a beam of light that could absorb power from opponents. Alternatively, the absorbed power could be transferred based on where Saji set up the next tether point.

Adelina simply nodded wordlessly, letting Saji send out a line of energy that promptly attached to her arm.

Gradually, the energy she had lost was returning to her, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"Sorry," Sona apologized, bowing her head as she drew closer. "It was my fault for asking Saji to intercept you."

Yet, Sona couldn't be fully blamed for her actions. With the speed Adelina was running at and the pandemonium she was leaving behind in her wake, it looked more like she was a part of the attacking group in Kuoh than an ally. It was only when Saji had managed to slow Adelina down enough that Sona was able to instantly recognize her as the Big Sister who often came to the Sitri household in her youth.

The very same woman she had grown to respect, and if not for her being her elder sister's Knight, would have had been her first choice for her own Knight.

Adelina remained silent, her anger abating. Sona was a soft spot for her as she had known the young Sitri Heiress since Sona had been a little toddler still gurgling while playing with her toys. To be fair, when Adelina looked back at the commotion she had left behind in her running, she couldn't blame Sona. And yet she couldn't erase her grievances entirely either. Therefore, her resentment aimed itself at Saji who felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Still, with the situation coming to a stand-still, Sona sighed in relief.

Her body though was nonetheless exhausted from her earlier maneuver of activating the magic seal left behind by her elder sister. It was supposed to have had sent her and her peerage back to house Sitri in the Underworld where she had left her trump card hidden for the past few years, but it simply sent them out of Kuoh instead.

Granted, this was the best outcome she could have had hoped for due to lacking sufficient magical energy at the time. The question now was what she was going to do.

Already, she and her peerage had escorted away any students left behind in Kuoh and had placed misdirection wards around the vicinity to keep any humans from currently entering Kuoh Academy's battlefield.

The only problem was that due to their prompt exit from Kuoh, she had no idea about the current situation transpiring within. Thus, when Sona had seen what seemed like enemy reinforcements heading towards Kuoh, she didn't hesitate to make a calculation that would allow Saji's Absorption Line to land.

Adelina shook her head to Sona's apology and instead asked the only question in her mind.

"Did you see another individual pass ahead?" She inquired, her hands subconsciously balling into fists.

However, the confusion on Sona's face was all Adelina needed to confirm an answer. Unlike her, Lord Marbas didn't leave behind any visible traces of his movements, let alone the speed he was running at was too great for even High-Class Devils to follow.

The urge to run after him again slowly crept up in Adelina's mind as the energy she had lost began to stabilize within her.

It was then that Sona furrowed her brows and glanced down towards her magic crest in thought. Thereafter, she sent a steady stream of energy into it and spoke.

"Rias? Can you hear me?" She tried to communicate.

There was static on the other end, but it didn't dissuade Sona from trying further.

"I'm currently outside of Kuoh, what's going on in there?"

Static continued to play into her ear, the sound transmitting out from her magic crest into the surroundings. Adelina was impatient to leave, but she couldn't do so just yet with Saji still transferring her energy back to her.

Sona waited a bit longer for a response, and eventually one came in a panicked voice.

"S-Sona?" Rias replied before cutting in and out. "Damn it, Gasper, Issei!" she cursed. "Koneko go help them!"

"Are you alright Rias? What's happening?" Sona shook her head. "No, more than that, where are you?"

Static was Sona's answer for a moment before only a garbled message came in reply.

'Vali Lucifer' and 'School Gym' were the only distinct words able to be made out.

Sona's expression turned grim. Even from where she stood, she could see the sheer number of enemies currently sieging Kuoh. With how inexperienced her current peerage was, it would be too dangerous to break in and aid Rias without help.

As such, her gaze landed flatly on Adelina who understood what was being implied but was consciously avoiding it.

"Big Sis Adelina," Sona insisted, causing Adelina's brow to twitch and mouth to curve into a frown.

And yet her Lord's teachings remained in her memory.

It's not wrong to help others.

But was it wrong of her to want to help her Lord more?

She wanted to refuse even if the request came from little Sona but she quickly came to a realization.

Her Lord had already disappeared from her gaze, making it impossible to predict exactly where he would go, but the thing was,

She knew the general location.

Inside Kuoh Academy.

She didn't exactly have a particular destination in mind when she reached Kuoh, so it probably wouldn't hurt to allow Sona to lead her on the campus grounds. She may even get lucky and find her Lord on the way.

Two birds with one stone.

"Fine," Adelina relented, but was unwilling to remain where she was any longer. With a flick of her wrist, her sword severed Vritra's Absorption Line before re-sheathing itself. "Lead the way."

Sona's expression immediately brightened. Having grown up with Adelina constantly around her during business trips from the Lands of Marbas, she was keenly aware of how overpowered Adelina was in combat. It wasn't that she was adept at advanced magic or combat, but the simplicity of her strikes coupled with the speed of her draw made it almost impossible for an opponent to react.

Before any magic could be invoked, Adelina's blade would already be resting beneath the opponent's neck. Before any attack could be executed, the attacker could already be dead.

Adelina was a nameless and low-class Devil at the time of the Underworld's Civil War. As such, her last name of Swiftblade didn't come without reason. It had been a moniker that had naturally stuck itself onto her name due to the number of enemies she had defeated on missions and in Rating Games.

Sona's admiration wasn't unfounded, and as such, with Adelina's support, she confidently led her peerage back through Kuoh Academy's gates.

The effects of the Forbidden Balor View were still apparent, but it would seem that the degree of the effect was lessened, probably due to Rias's intervention. Gasper Vladi was the owner of the Forbidden Balor View and from what little information Sona had gleamed from Rias's response, she understood that Gasper was no longer in the enemy's hands.

"T-There's so many of them," Tsubaki noted while looking up at the sky.

Sona paused briefly at Tsubaki's words and glanced in the specified direction.

She swallowed, beads of perspiration forming on her brows.

The entire sky was covered with hostile Fallen Angels and Devils.

No matter how she looked at it, there was no way she and her peerage would have had been able to make a difference with her numbers.

Of those currently present, only Adelina was left unshaken, for she had seen such numbers of enemies before at the height of the Underworld Civil War.

More than anything, the reason why she didn't fear the enemy's numbers or grew concerned was due to one fact.

Lord Marbas was in the vicinity.

And that was all that mattered.

He the protector and Hero of the Underworld.

The Last Demon.

With him near, what did she have to fear other than her own inability to stand beside him?

"They are of no concern," Adelina said absently, shocking Sona and her entire peerage with her nonchalance.

It was like she was talking about rotten cabbage heads rather than enemies with how easily she was dismissing them.

"P-President," Saji whispered to Sona as Adelina moved ahead. "How strong is she?"

Saji could still recall his life flashing before his eyes as Adelina's blade had descended too fast for him to react.

Sona didn't reply for a moment, but when she did, there was a trace of veneration in her tone.

"Adelina Swiftblade is an Ultimate-Class Devil born in the time of the Underworld's Civil War. I'm not sure if she had participated in the historic battle of Kalinse Plains, but she is already strong enough to single-handedly win my Elder Sister's Rating Games."

Saji was still confused with Sona's answer. To begin with, he wasn't too experienced in regards to Rating Games in the first place.

"So, is that strong?" He inquired.

Sona simply nodded. "More than you could imagine."

That being said, Sona pushed forward with vigour and immediately led Adelina and the others towards Kuoh Academy's gym.

Already she could hear sounds of explosions and the creaking of metal being impacted by a large force.

Suddenly, the school's gym exploded outwards, shards of wood and glass shooting towards the sky along with trails of smoke and embers.

"Vali!"

A comet of red ascended towards the sky, a spear striking towards the pale white glow of a radiant moon above.

The Twin Heavenly Dragons.

Albion, the White Dragon Emperor of Supremacy.

And Ddraig, The Red Dragon Emperor of Domination.

The Dragons feared by Angel, Fallen, and Devil alike.

Sealed away by God in the two Longinus, Divine Dividing and Boosted Gear, they met in battle once more in their respective armoured hosts.

Balance Breaker, the evolved form of a Sacred Gear.

A red armoured Knight, and a white armoured Knight collided in the air. Draconic wings of pale-blue light and emerald green clashing in the air, generating shockwaves that exuded outwards.

Issei grunted, blood dripping down from his face as he glared at Vali in anger and resentment.

It was just moments before that he and the others had already done it. They had rescued Gasper and were moments away from releasing the effects of the Forbidden Balor View before Vali intervened.

'It's still too early,' Vali had simply said before attacking.

Gasper was currently rendered unconscious, making him unable to dispel the effects of his Sacred Gear even after Issei had offered his blood.

"Why?!" Issei yelled in outrage.

Vali didn't even bother answering and instead, struck out with a fist, sending Issei back to the ground.

The air began to sizzle, the sudden heat at Vali's back forcing him to shift his attention.

"Divide."

The words were cold and monotone, the light energy of Durandal's blade dissipating by half in Vali's palm; the halved energy absorbed into Vali's wings.

Xenovia clicked her tongue, glaring at Vali from the ground. The one thing about being human was that she currently didn't have the ability to fly. Therefore, launching projectiles was the best she could currently do.

In a crater, the visor over Issei's face steadily crumbled away as the ring Azazel had granted him to allow him access to his balance breaker began to show signs of breaking. Cracks lined its surface, and pieces of it were already chipping off. He didn't have much longer to maintain his current strength.

Rias was the one most concerned at the moment. She could see from where she was that her brother was surrounded entirely by enemies, and even if she had heard stories of her brother's strength, she couldn't help but grow concerned.

Her lips pursed together, the magic in her hands already taking form as she and Akeno took aim at Vali.

Still, looking from how effective Xenovia's own attack was, Rias didn't have much confidence that her own attack would follow through.

It was then that the steady sound of footsteps echoed over the gymnasium's polished hard-wood floor.

A long sword then appeared from the smoke, one whose length nearly reached two meters.

She was a figure-head in the Lands of Marbas.

A woman of stunning beauty and repute.

Adelina Swiftblade.

Behind her appeared Sona and her peerage who immediately moved to Rias's side.

Vali payed no attention to them however. His gaze was focused on Adelina alone. From her he could feel a sort of formless pressure that caused him to be on edge. Even Albion within the Divine Dividing expressed its weariness. There was just something about Adelina's stance that caused a trace of uncertainty to appear in Albion's being as if he was seeing an enemy of Dragon kind.

Yet how was that possible?

The blade in Adelina's hands was no Dragon Slaying Sword, yet for one reason or another, Albion was getting the impression of a Dragon Slayer. Not from her person, but by the technique she was unconsciously emulating.

"Be careful," Rias warned as she stared at Adelina with hope. "His name is Vali Lucifer, possessor of the Sacred Gear Divine Dividing. One of the Two Heavenly Dragons."

Adelina stiffened for a moment, but quickly calmed herself down as her eyes narrowed.

Believe in the words once spoken.

For they were that which she had always revered as the truth.

The efforts of her work.

The fruits of her labour.

And the technique of her sword.

"A Dragon? What difference does that make?" She said aloofly, her blade drawing itself from her sheath as she took a stance and grinned derisively.

"Because in the end, Dragons are just larger swallows."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From where Shirou stood from atop one of Kuoh Academy's buildings, he could see the exact situation of the battlefield.

Sirzechs was currently surrounded and being attacked on all sides, while Azazel, Gabriel, and Michael were in a similar situation.

It was only Serafall who was different.

It wasn't that she wasn't being attacked, but the Fallen Angels and other Devils around her couldn't attack at all. There was a blizzard like shell currently surrounding her, and she was just standing there unmoving, a blankness in her gaze that he had never once seen before. It was a far cry from the jovial, if rather serious Serafall he had known in the Underworld's Civil War. Of course, there were also changes to her attire, but the magical girl outfit she was wearing wasn't something he wanted to currently think about.

Concerned as he was however, he had to look at things from a broader perspective. Out of the leaders currently fighting, it was Serafall who appeared the safest. Moreover, he could sense a peculiarity about the energy Serafall was releasing. It was almost eerily similar to the one he had released as Marbas.

"That's because it is," a voice answered in his head. "The seal of Marbas carries traces of my presence, the fact that you shared it with another means that there would be traces left behind. Only from what it appears like, she's only accessing it for the first time now."

"Then she'll be safe?" He wanted to verify.

"Of that there's no doubt unless someone exceedingly strong attacks her."

Hearing those words, Shirou settled his emotions down and focused. The reason he had rushed to Kuoh Academy at his fastest speed without waiting for Adelina was because any time wasted could mean the death of another. If he had the ability to arrive faster, then there was no reason for him to hold back when lives were at stake.

Thus, he arrived in Kuoh just a few moments ago; sighing in relief when he realized that the Khaos Brigade was only attacking Sirzechs and the others rather than those affected by the Forbidden Balor View.

Still, his attention shifted towards Michael and Gabriel.

It was those two that started everything related to the Hero Marbas. Without them giving up a portion of their Divine Light, then he would have had never been able to return to the past, put an end to the Civil War, and re-assimilate the power God had lost.

The him of this moment, carried the strength of God who had ventured forth to the Valley of Revelations in the Underworld with the Evil within him serving as the direct anti-thesis. He was a collection of powers not meant to exist in co-existence yet doing so anyway in the medium of a human whose inner world was an armory.

A trinity of three.

The prime number of the Saints and the Holy Spirit.

A God.

A Demon.

And a mortal.

His being encompassed them all, the duty he now bore with those titles, greater than any weight that could ever be placed on his shoulders.

For what he embodied was no longer about representing any faction.

Instead, it was the Religion.

The Pantheon.

Mortal, God, and Demon, the three aspects of the bible speaking of the Heavens, the Earth, and the Underworld.

He wasn't joking when he said it was his duty to protect those in the Peace Talks. God wouldn't allow his sons and daughters to die before him, and the Hero Marbas wouldn't tolerate the Devils dying either.

His own principals and ideals similarly wouldn't allow it.

He stood up on his feet, power suffusing his form.

The time to act was at hand.

This entire attack had to end. For there was something to be seen from the greater picture. The truth in what these meaningless struggles between the Factions represented outside of Christianity and Protestantism shown to him through God's eyes.

And this was something realized first not by Shirou, but by another who he had met lingering outside of Kuoh. A son who had been led astray, but had returned, bringing with him an army of supporters.

An Angel of the Stars.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Azazel could see that there was something wrong with Michael and Gabriel from the moment the fighting began. It was why even though he had suspicions about Vali for the meeting, he had still allowed Vali to leave his side because right now, Michael and Gabriel needed his help more.

They were struggling, the spears of light that they were forming in their hands glowing only with a dull luster as compared to the brilliance of his own, and Azazel was a Fallen Angel. An Angel who had cast himself away from Heaven, his light forever dimmed.

Azazel frowned, hovering near Michael and Gabriel and releasing several dozen spears of light out at the surrounding Fallen Angels attacking them. Fortunately, the Devils in the Khaos Brigade were too preoccupied with Sirzechs and Serafall to bolster the Fallen Angels numbers.

With his current strength right now, it was just enough to defend Michael and Gabriel.

"You seem weak, Michael," Azazel stated while beating his wings and falling back next to Michael and Gabriel's side. "You too Gabriel."

"Circumstances had led us into this state," Michael smiled wryly, trying his best to prevent the enemy from isolating them.

Gabriel pouted at the side. "If I had full strength then this wouldn't be so difficult," she sulked.

Michael kept silent, but he wouldn't regret the decision he had made, and neither would Gabriel.

The two stretched out their wings before halos of pure white circled around them and expanded, repelling the Fallen Angels nearby.

Michael took in a heavy breath, his arms stretching forward and controlling the halos to spin and attack.

"Well shit," Azazel said in response to Michael's words. "If this is your weakened state, then how strong were you originally?"

Michael as the commander of the Heavens had been to important to deploy on the battlefield during the Great War. As such, he had been considered more of a strategist than a fighter.

Michael only laughed in response, but he knew his energy wouldn't hold up, and the Fallen Angels attacking were only growing more and more courageous as time passed. Generally, they wouldn't have had been a problem for Michael and Gabriel, but in their weakened state, the sheer number of them were a large headache.

Finally, Michael slipped in his control, allowing a dozen Fallen Angels to attack near them at the same time that Azazel had pressed forward for an attack.

Gabriel immediately intervened, sending waves of Holy Light that decimated the attackers, only by doing so, she and Michael had separated from Azazel who was promptly surrounded.

Azazel cursed. To be truthful, it was almost impossible for him to both attack and defend.

Left with no other choice, he pulled out a tiny spear from his magical storage.

It was golden in colour, and looked more like a stake if anything, but it was more than that. It was something known as an Artificial Sacred Gear created by Azazel's own hands.

The Downfall Dragon Spear.

Within it carried the Soul of a Dragon.

Fafnir, the Lord of Glittering Gold, and one of the Five Great Dragon Kings.

To be honest, Azazel didn't want to use it unless it was necessary as for one it was still in development, and two it was his trump card. Revealing it now would reduce its significance in the future, yet he had no choice if he wanted to save Michael and Gabriel.

Gritting his teeth, it took him a moment to come to a decision, and in that time, Michael and Gabriel had become hard pressed.

Attacks rained down on them from all directions and Gabriel was straining to maintain the shield of light she had around them. Michael himself was pale faced, yet still maintaining his attacks. However, he was no longer able to fully push the Fallen Angels back.

The Divine Light of Angels was their -->>

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