AN: The story follows the Manga but also contains elements from the dubbed Anime. It takes place before the Aomori Arc (After Chapter 73).

This particular version of the DCU isn't exactly based on any animated or comics continuity but it's my own interpretation, So some characters and events might be depicted a little differently.

And finally, this fic is rated M for language and...obvious reasons.

Batman and all related characters are owned by DC Entertainment, Blue Exorcist/Ao no Exorcist is owned by Kazue Kato.

CHAPTER 01: The Three

Father Shiro Fujitomo entered the living room to see two ten year old boys eyeing the TV with wide eyes and intensity but each displaying different range of emotions. One had the look of excitement, wonder and had a big open smile while the other displayed shock and apprehension. He sat down next to the younger of his two adopted son while the older one was still standing next to the screen, bobbing on the heels of his feet with his fists pumped.

"What are you guys watching there?" The priest asked.

Rin, the older one, looked back and pointed excitedly at the screen.

"It's the Justice League, dad! They saved the world!"

Shiro shifted his eyes towards the TV, it was a news broadcast cluttered with bold headlines and hashtags like "ALIEN MENACE DEFEATED", "OUR WORLD SAVED" and "THE DAWN OF THE SUPERHERO AGE?". The footage, a combination taken from both news camera and eyewitness phone camera, showed seven strangely dressed individuals fighting god knows what and each displaying an array of mind-blowing abilities!

Shiro was already aware of what was happening in the U.S, how could he not? It was all the media spoke of these past few hours and he couldn't help but frown. These superpowered people have now become a media circus while exorcists like himself go unappreciated by the public who have dismissed them as charlatans, an outlook that the True Cross Order would like to keep rather than draw attention to themselves. Still he inwardly grimaced, as the world was scary enough with the demons from Gehenna crossing over but now it had aliens and these 'superheroes' to deal with.

"They look kinda scary, daddy." muttered Yukio, his younger son.

Rin huffed and rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Only you would think that, Yukio! You'd even think a slice of bread would look scary! I mean, how could you be afraid of Superman and the Flash!?" Rin exclaimed, turning back and gesturing to the screen.

Yukio glared behind Rin and Shiro adjusted his glasses with a knowing look. Unknown to Rin, Yukio was already training to be an exorcist like his father and has since shown an amazing aptitude. From his experience and what he had learnt, one can't say there was no reason behind his fears.

"I...I wanna join 'em! I wanna codename and a cool costume like theirs. And I want superpowers so I can kick bad guy ass and save people!" Rin proclaimed, getting fired up.

Shiro chuckled at Rin's desire for superpowers. "If only you knew, kid…"He thought. He leaned towards Rin and placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"You don't need a costume, a silly name or superpowers to be a hero. Just do the right thing, help the helpless and fight for their safety even at the cost of your own. Remember what I said before? That I want you to grow up to be the kind of cool guy who helps others and impresses the pretty girls?"

Rin looked back at his adopted father and nodded with a smile.

"And speaking of pretty, Holy cow! Check out the babe in the red top and star panties!" Exclaimed Shiro, his cheeks growing pink, as he lecherously drooled towards the one called Wonder Woman.

Yukio rolled his eyes at his father's antics and looked at Rin who's fists are still held up, smile wide as ever and eyes burning with anticipation of the kind of person he would become.

"SHIT! I'M SO LATE!"

Fifteen year old Rin Okumura exclaimed as he hurried down the path towards the Exorcism Cram school, stumbling half way and nearly loosing his grip of his precious Koma sword.

"Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!" He muttered, hauling himself towards the familiar building.

"I'M HERE!" He declared loudly as he slid open the classroom door.

His classmates have already gathered including Nemu Takara who was hanging out at the back minding his own business as usual. One of his classmates, a young dark haired girl, turned towards him from her textbook as one of her trademark oval eyebrows twitched in irritation.

"We can see that." said Izumo Kamiki icily.

"Yo Okumura!" waved a boy with pink hair. His name was Renzo Shima.

"Hello Okumura." smiled Konekomaru Miwa, a short bald boy with red glasses.

"Tardy as ever I see." said Ryuji Suguro or simply 'Bon' to his friends. He was easily identifiable with his ear piercings and his small goatee. He used to have a blond stripe running vertically across his hair but since becoming Levin Light's apprentice, he had it shaved. He was looking crossly at Rin with his arms folded.

"Shut yer face! I got held up with a classroom assignment with Godain and then I had to run halfway across the academy!" Fired back Rin.

Ryuji slammed his fist on his desk and glared angrily back.

"You idiot! Why run all the way here when you could've just used your key!?"

Rin's eyes widened, his throat went dry and his lips was stretched into a thin line. He couldn't believe he forgot that all students in the Cram school were given special keys that allows them to access the classroom from any door in the academy! Rin felt ten times smaller and a gust of wind blew.

"Poor Okumura..." said Renzo shaking his head.

"We will pray that your next birth will be more merciful." said Konekomaru as he joined his palms.

Rin tried desperately to come up with a counter-attack, no way was he going to let Suguro get away with that! Those thoughts were halted when he noticed Shiemi Moriyama, a pretty young girl with shoulder length blond hair and a kind disposition, sitting at her desk looking preoccupied with her reading. She was the only one among his friends who hasn't greeted him yet...or chose not to greet him?

"Um, Hey Shiemi." He tried getting her attention, waving lamely.

She gasped softly, her cheeks reddening and her eyes slightly trailed towards him.

"O-oh, hello Rin." She mumbled then turned back to her books. She kept her head down so no one can see her red face.

Rin gulped and realized that things were still awkward between them since he sort of confessed his feelings to her.

"What's with them?" whispered Izumo to the other male Exwires.

The boys looked on curiously and were beginning to wonder if this had anything to do with Rin's 'intentions' that was forcibly revealed to them back in the bathhouse incident.

Rin was beginning to sweat and knew that he just had change the subject or divert the attention elsewhere or else he would never live through this day! Luckily, at that moment his power of observation was awakened and he noticed that there was one person missing from the class!

"By the way, where is Yukio?" he asked looking at the teacher's desk.

This also brought back Shiemi's attention, the awkwardness now forgotten.

"That's right! We've been waiting for Yuki-chan for the past hour. I hope he's alright."

"Yeah, there was supposed to be a quiz today and after all the studying I did, I'm gonna be majorly pissed if that's not the case!" said Ryuji

Rin of course forgot about the quiz and the thought of getting away scot-free with his brother's absence made him grin gleefully and slide towards the teacher's desk.

"Oh ho! Looks like I'm not the only tardy one! How could anyone blame poor me when the great almighty four-eyes couldn't even bother to show up to..."

Rin was interrupted by a sudden puff of pink smoke exploding near the desk, causing him to fall down in surprise. The smoke dissipated to reveal an individual that exudes flamboyancy. His face is framed with dark blue hair and a pointed goatee, he was decked in a white top hat, suit and cape, complimented by purple gloves and dark pink buttons and undershirt. He also wields an umbrella, same purple/white color combo, but has what looks like ice cream scoops for the base.

"Guten Tag!" He sings while giving a stylish bow.

"Mephisto!? What the hell are you doing here!?"

Mephisto gave a sideways glance at Rin, who was still on the floor, and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"My dear boy, please pick yourself up before addressing others, it's only common courtesy. To answer your eloquent question, I'm here to inform you all that Mister Okumura won't be handling your lessons today, as well as any teacher for that matter."

Rin's classmates, who were already standing up since the arrival of the Academy's headmaster, looked at each other in confusion. After picking himself up Rin decided to ask the obvious question.

"Um, why? Is everything alright?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know? But alright, I'll tell!" said Mephisto with glee. Rin figured he was going to tell them anyway.

"We are expecting a delivery of three special artifacts to transported to the Academy's Deep Keep. Supposedly, these items can summon a trio of high level demons so we are amping up security and sort of calling 'all hands on deck'. Mister Okumura of course will among those overseeing the transfer."

"Excuse me, but wouldn't it be better if the three items were stored in separate locations?" asked Ryuji.

"Excellent question, Mister Suguro! After all, we did just that with the left and right eyes of the Impure king so it makes sense, right?" complimented Mephisto but then continued.

"But the fact is bringing the items together wouldn't be enough, it's how you use them that's the key and that ritual has been forgotten in time. Nobody really knows the method of how to use them for summoning. Besides, after what happened in Kyoto, the Grigori is a bit wary of entrusting anything to the Myodha now."

Konekomaru noticed that Bon's fist clinched at that last bit mentioned by the headmaster. The Myodha sect already had a dodgy reputation with the public but he had no idea that the Grigori was beginning to doubt them as well. It was a tense subject and so decided to change the subject by asking his own question.

"If that is the case then why all the extra security in the first place?"

"Well believe it or not, these items are highly sought after in the black market. We were surprised ourselves that someone found them and, more so, donated them to us." Mephisto replied.

Rin was frankly getting restless and found the whole topic boring.

"So then, no class today? No quiz?" he asked.

Mephisto flashed Rin an annoyed look for spoiling the mood and then sighed.

"Yes, I suppose."

Without Hesitation, Rin grabbed Kurikara and was about to make a mad dash out of the classroom when Mephisto halted him in his tracks.

"Hold it!"

Rin slowly turned around to see the headmaster sporting a wild grin and a glint in his eyes that filled Rin with a sudden dread.

"Did you just say...'Quiz'?"

On the other side of the world where the sun hasn't yet risen lies the city of Gotham. With its history as well as its fusion of medieval and art deco motifs, some would say that the city has a personality of its own. But there is of course its reputable dark side with its corruption, organized crime and dangerous lunatics. However, on nights like these, that darkness was cut by a beacon of light that gave hope to its citizens. The beacon carried the emblem of a certain caped crusader and its point of origin was at the rooftop of GCPD headquarters where Commissioner James Gordon awaited his arrival.

"Jim."

Gordon turned towards the deep voice, not as startled as he used to be during the early days of their partnership. Out of the shadows he emerged, decked in his usual full gray armor contrasted by the black gauntlets, boots, cape, cowl and bat emblem on his chest. His cowl and cape were shaped as his namesake and on his eyes were white glowing lenses which frightened people. Soundlessly, Gordon handed him a police file which he pulled from inside his trench coat.

"Third one this month, just as nasty as the others."

Batman flipped through the file, particularly studying the crime scene photos. As the other crime scenes suggested, the murders seemed ritualistic: bodies bound and anchored over a strange glyph, eyes gouged out, slashed at the throat and vital arteries for slow bleeding and two stab wounds on opposite sides of the abdomen. The victims this time was a family of three, the younger one appeared to be in his early teens or maybe even younger which made Batman narrow his eyes and brought his blood to a boil.

"Still no known connection between the victims?"

"Aside that they're all from middle to working class families, not a damn thing. I had CSI comb over the place and like before they didn't find anything worth noting. For a bunch of fanatical nut-jobs, they cover their tracks well."

"No offense to your team but I'd like to give the place a once over. If there was indeed a congression, one them must have slipped up and that'll be all I need to find them." said the Dark Knight as he handed the file back to Gordon who then slipped it back into his trench coat.

"None taken and I was hoping you'd say that. In the meantime, there's something else you should know about. Two nights ago, a cargo truck belonging to Lux Pharmaceuticals was raided."

Batman was familiar with the company. Lux Pharmaceuticals as well as their sister company in LA, Lux Aeronautics, are subsidiaries of a global conglomerate known as the Bright Future Foundation who have interests in a variety of sectors. He had been approached multiple times by their reps from both subsidiaries and parent company as Bruce Wayne usually in hopes of a partnership or even a merger. He had done small businesses and collaborations with them but nothing with strong commitments. His research told him that the group were extremely secretive and dubious in nature, there were already rumors about a missing airship and an incident with one of their resorts.

"According to the driver, a bunch of men made off with a hold full of not only prescription drugs but experimental ones as well and get this: they were apparently led by some guy in a weird suit who used a gun to freeze the wheels solid."

"Victor Fries." Batman stated darkly.

Gordon nodded and moved to turn off the batsignal, his back turned to him.

"You and I know that theft of prescription drugs isn't exactly his MO so we inquired about the experimental ones but Lux is being pretty tight lipped about it."

"I'll look in to it. For now, I'll prioritize on our mystery cult. I don't want any more innocent lives lost."

"Wouldn't have it any other..." Gordon turned around to see that the caped crusader had already vanished. Being used to his disappearing acts at this point, he simply sighed and lit a cigarette.

Although he knew about the True Cross Academy's Deep Keep and it's magical barrier, this is actually the first time Yukio Okumura has been inside it. It was much different compared to the one in Kyoto which was rooted in mysticism and traditions, here it was more like a high tech vault with it's security cameras and laser sensors. It was huge and separated into small rooms and used a combination of demon summoning and technology as security, Yukio had to admit that Saburota Todo did a good job with it's design.

Yukio frowned and pushed his glasses up in habit. Thinking about Todo brought about bad memories, particularly when something happened to his own eyes. As far as Yukio knew, He and Rin were both the sons of Satan but it was Rin who inherited their father's powers which left him, for the most part, human. This was put into question after his last encounter with Todo which prompted him to discover that he had some kind of power inside him but it would only activate if he was in mortal danger. The whole situation brought such terror and conflicted feelings within him that it took all his emotional strenght to keep himself together.

"Hey, yer gonna get wrinkles and gray hair early if you keep frowning like that."

Yukio turned towards Shura Kirigakure, a curvaceous woman wearing only a bikini top, denim shorts, open jacket, stockings and boots to conceal her body. The other definable trait of hers was her wild red mane with gold tips tied in a ponytail, full lips and a kind of red marking on her torso. She's friend/colleague who was a pupil of his adopted father and a woman who annoyed him to no end. She had a bored and nonchalant expression on her face.

"I'm just worried about the security protocols, that's all. I mean these are the sacred items of Calythos, Uthool and Nyorlath; from what I've read they're extremely sought after and dangerous."

Shura rolled her eyes, pursed her big lips like she always does and folded her arms behind her head.

"Ugh, First of, I don't know why we're even here in the first place, the items are safe and this seems like such a waste of time and secondly, cut the bull! You've been acting screwy since coming back from Shimane, what's really bothering you?"

Yukio gulped, last thing he wanted was for anyone to find out what he had being doing to himself in the quarantined area of the campus town. Shura had a tendency to tease and nag him to death and had no idea how she would react. Luckily a person approached and asked for his name, unknowingly rescuing him.

"Yes, My name is Okumura." He stated while Shura looked annoyed and grumbled silently about him side stepping.

The person, a man with short black hair wearing a meister uniform, bowed politely. From his demure, Yukio assumed he that he's a senior rank, at least second class.

"It's an honor. I'm Rikiya Shibata, the new director of the Deep Keep after Todo-san's, um, departure. I've heard you're very familiar with the Impure King incident. If it's all right with you, I'd like your opinion about the security systems I've personally implemented."

With that, Rikiya gave Yukio a small tour of the Deep Keep while Shura hovered behind, yawning occasionally. In the room with the three items, Yukio noticed that they were placed on erected pedestals which were spaced in a triangular pattern, each pedestal was adorned with runes and a small magic circle drawn on the top. Rikiya explained that the pedestals were designed in such a way that any attempt to move the objects from their place would result in a complete lock down and summon certain demons to act as sentries, the only way to prevent this was direct authorization from the Grigori themselves. In the case with the left eye of the Impure King, Saburota Todo abused his authority as director to gain access to it, this current system would prevent such a situation.

Twenty minutes later everyone exited the Deep Keep and were now back on academy grounds. Yukio was actually impressed with what he had been shown and felt confident in Rikiya's designs, he turned towards Shura and noticed that she was staring intently at one of the trees nearby.

"Shura-san? Oi Shura-san!" He called which made her glance back.

"Something wrong? Now you're the one acting screwy."

Shura put her hands on her hips and grinned devilishly, making Yukio grimace and regret his words.

"Are you worrying about me Yuki-chan? Daaaw! that's so cute!" She teased and then began to violently pull his cheeks.

"Lookie at Yookie-Pookie worrying like a big brother!" She cooed.

"Grrrrr! C-Cut it out!"

While the two were busy with their antics, an individual slipped down the tree that Shura was staring at and quickly sneaked away before they noticed him. His name was Kouru Yamasaki, a senior student with a whispered unsavory reputation particularly with the opposite sex. He had gotten into trouble before attending True Cross but his father always bailed him out with a stern warning. This time, he knew he had to be careful with his urges but the desire for her was almost maddening and he didn't know why.

Of course with the way she dressed and her bust size, any straight male like him would want to bang her but she didn't look like she was worth the trouble. He tried approaching her a few days ago, tried his usual smooth-talk routine to get her to lower her guard but unlike his previous victims, she was older, more worldly and looked dangerous. Needless say, she shot him down pretty hard. He would normally just move on to more suitable targets like some of the girls attending the academy but for some reason, she dominated his thoughts and made his body ache in frustration and desperate need.

Those thoughts already brought an uncomfortable tightness in his groin and he knew if he didn't take of it it was only going get worse. After dashing into the boys restroom and locking himself in one the stalls, he relieved his member from its confines and put himself to work. As his stroking increased, he felt a funny soreness on his head like tiny holes opening and he could have sworn he heard an inhuman hiss among his labored breathing.

If it wasn't for the relief he felt afterwards, he would've been a little scared.

Rikiya Shibata stepped into the room which was abuzz with so much activity an hour earlier but is now still. The three sought after objects: a red jar, silver wheel and green bell stood on their suspended pedestals. Being the new director of the Deep Keep meant disabling the security cameras and other devices was child's play but as he explained to the other meisters, it was next to impossible to remove them from those pedestals without proper authorization but that's where the true nature of his designs come in play: he had no intention of removing the objects from their location, in fact he needed them just where they are.

"I'd better hurry." he muttered as he opened his jacket fished out some materials.

He first used the chalk to draw a magic circle around the pedestals, it was unlike most circles and had symbols that were known to a few. What the other Order members didn't realize was that the triangular position of the pedestals was built accordingly to their correct placement within the circle and that they also functioned as a magic amplifier which was needed for the ritual. He then placed the incense inside the crimson jar and lit them. Finally, with the hammer in his hand, he began to recite the incantation. His instructions were very specific and being a fully trained Tamer and Aria helped him memorize the words and symbols. After the second verse, he spun the silver wheel seven times then after the last verse, he finally rang the green bell.

At first nothing seemed to have happened but then the air kicked up and a swirling mass of black energy began to form at the center of the artifacts, the spheroid grew large in size and three figures emerged from within. The mass of black energy suddenly dissipated leaving the three figures at the center of the circle. They were all lanky in stature: the one in the center was the tallest of the three and had a sharp bald head, his eyes were sunken black shadows and there were deep entwined circular cracks all around his skin. The one to his left was also bald but with more squarish features and large round ears and eyes so large they almost filled his face. The last one was shorter with wild eyes, large pointed ears and sported bushy eyebrows and a mohawk.

"Aw Fuck! Not these forms again!" The tallest one exclaimed.

"Quit your whining Abnegazar! No magic in the universe is gonna fix your ugly ass!" The one with large eyes sneered prompting Abnegazar to turn around and get in his face.

"Wanna run that by me again, Ghast!?" Abnegazar growled.

"If you ask me, you both look like shit!" cackled the short one with the mohawk.

The strange figures began to bicker and shove each other. Rikiya couldn't believe his eyes: These were the Demons Three? The Demons of ancient legend who once ruled everything before there were words? They were acting like college children. He quickly composed himself and cough to get their attention, when that didn't work he coughed louder which prompted the three to stop turn towards him with irritated looks.

"Excuse me, I believe Neron-san and I had a deal and I upheld my end of the bargain, I expect him uphold his."

Abnegazar marched aggressively towards Rikiya who stepped back in fear.

"I don't like your tone, human!" The demon snarled, his pitch black eyes narrowed dangerously as he raise his fist causing Rikiya to jump back with his arms raised defensively. Seeing the reaction made Abnegazar grin and relax his arm.

"Heh, made you flinch. Relax, it's better you talk to the boss man himself. Ready bros?"

The other two demon brothers nodded and together, the three pointed their palms at what looked like nothing until beams of light shot out of them and converged at the area. The point where the beams met created a portal, Rikiya recognized it as a Gehenna Gate, and after a while a large figure stepped through.

To say he was imposing was an understatement, his body was clad in a light silver armor contrasted with gauntlets, shoulder plates, boots and a long cape that were all green. The breast plate was also made of the same green metal but had a gold section that housed a glass orb in the center, the breast plate dipped towards a belt and slash that were also the same color. Neron himself has a chiseled face, pointed ears like any high-level demon and long blonde hair but what made him frightening was the glowing green eyes and sinister grin.

"Abnegazar, Ghast, Rath, it's good to see you again." He gestured towards the three with a voice that sent chills to Rikiya's bones.

Neron turned to Rikiya, his grin even wider.

"And you too as well, Rikiya Shibata. You have done well and it's only fair I honor our agreement. In fact, you should getting a phone call right about...now."

On que a ring tone began to sound off which surprised Rikiya. He was hesitant and anxious, his mind buzzing with possibilities but then kept his resolve and answered his phone, his voice shaky.

"Mr. Shibata? this is Doctor Koga speaking. Something astonishing has happened! We were running the routine tests on Mrs. Shibata when we noticed that her tumors had disappeared..."

There was nothing more that needed to be heard, the rest of the doctor's words seemed to trail off as Rikiya's mind was reeling in shock. The harrowing years of dealing with his beloved wife's cancer tested his faith and his resolve of being an Exorcist. He was respected among his peers for his skills in doing "The lord's good work" but it all felt like a sick joke when his love, with all her innocence, was cursed with an unwinnable battle. This past month, her condition had advanced to stage 4 and her inevitable end filled him with despair. He was on the verge of being broken until Neron approached him, promising him the impossible, telling him that his powers over reality were virtually limitless and all he asked in return was the arrangements Rikiya made today.

Rikiya could only mumble small response dumbly and his eyes grew moist when the doctor put his wife on the line. He kept their conversation brief and hung up, his emotions beginning to well up as he bowed suddenly towards Neron.

"T-thank you, Neron-sama. Y-you don't know what this means to me..."

The three lanky demons rolled their eyes. Neron also displayed a look of apathy.

"Please spare me your emotional prattle. This was simply business and now it is done, plain and simple. Now go be with your loved one." The large demon said, waving his hand in dismissal.

Rikiya didn't need to be told twice. As he made his way out the vault, he called back to them.

"Thank you again. I won't forget this!"

With Rikiya no longer in their presence, Abnegazar turn towards Neron with a toothy smile.

"He's gonna die on the way there, isn't he?" He asked with glee.

Neron answered with a condescending smirk.

"And his wife will soon follow, overwhelmed by her immense grief. Life is truly unfair isn't it?" said Neron, his chilling voice laced with mock pity.

The four demons laughed. Neron had control over reality as long as a deal was made but he is not known as the Lord of Lies for nothing. After all, the devoted couple were more useful to him dead than alive, or rather their souls were.

"Now to business, I want the three of you to spread out across the academy. You are to look for Rin Okumura but do NOT engage with him! Only observe and report. Remember Ancient Ones, this is Samael's domain so I need eyes and ears everywhere."

The three demon felt offended. They were overlords many millennias ago and were among the eldest beings in Gehenna so they didn't like being told what to do. But with majority of their powers stripped away and the fact that Neron and Samael (aka Mephisto) currently outclassed them, they felt they had no choice in the matter.

"Don't tell me we were only summoned to act as your doorway and dick around! Call us old fashioned but we're more the 'Bringers of Chaos' kinda guys." Abnegazar groaned.

"Patience, Ancient One. Stick to the plan and the three of you will not only reclaim your rightful places in Gehenna but exact revenge over the one who enslaved you."

The three demons felt satisfied at that and smiled devilishly at each other. They waited a long time for vengeance and can afford to wait a little longer. Ghast then decided to speak up.

"Say, Lord Neron? Dunno if it's my imagination or anything but I sense something around here. It feels like a..."

"A Klasmon. Yes, I sense it too." interrupted Neron as he caressed his chin in interest.

The imposing demon paused and pondered for a while.

"Interesting. VERY Interesting. If I play my cards just right, I believe today can very productive." he mused.

He awoke feeling severe discomfort and the cold wind rushing at his face. He was groggy at first but the pricking negative sensations forced him into consciousness and made him aware that his arms and feet were bound to something moving extremely fast. Looking to his side, he could see the small buildings whizzing past him and the black metal his body was tied against. When he looked in front of him, he could see the road and a brick wall fast approaching him.

His adrenaline immediately kicked in. His eyes became saucers, his heart rate shot up and he screamed as he was just a moment away from being smashed into the structure.

The black metal thing suddenly screeched to a halt, stopping mere inches from the brick wall. He gasped in relief, his body broke out in sweat and he felt his pants become soil. He heard a mechanical door open and a tall, dark figure stepped into view.

"Harry Cogman..." The Dark Knight addressed.

Harry swore to himself as he recollected how he and his gang got into a tussle with the Batman after he engaged them and now Harry finds himself strapped to the front of the famous Batmobile with the bat shaped visage looming over him threateningly.

"I know you and your buddies were recently hired to provide protection for the Church of Xayona. Tell me everything you know about them!"

Harry bit his tongue at this. How could the Bat have possibly known that? Him and the others barely referred the church by name. He decided to play it cool and feign ignorance.

"What church? I have no idea what you're talking about! You've been hanging out with way too many Arkham loonies and it's starting to go to your..."

The Batman seemed to ignore him and began typing on his gauntlet. Without warning, the Batmobile suddenly jerked into action and reversed at high speed, bringing out another long scream from Harry. The armored vehicle raced around the block, dangerously swerving towards lampposts and other obstacles which brought more panic to Harry. The Batmobile spun around to a halt but just when Harry was about to relax, it shot off towards the same wall at high speed and screeched to halt, the forward momentum dying just as the wall touched Harry.

"YOU'RE CRAZY, MAN!" Harry cried out, his voice hoarse from the screaming.

"There's a 0.6 second latency between this controller and the car. Lie to me again and I'll maybe trigger the brakes a few milliseconds later."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT! YOU DON'T KILL! THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT YOU!"

"I'd wager that you'd survive...albeit painfully."

The Dark Knight smirked as his hand hovered above the controls.

"What do say, Harry? Are you a betting man?" he asked darkly.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'll spill! I don't know much about them, I didn't even know they existed until a friend of mine contacted me saying they needed guys to watch over their safehouse and they pay well!"

"How many safehouses are there?"

"I don't know! I've only been in two of 'em and they've already been cased by the cops so there's no way they're going back there. Their deacon normally contacts us saying where they're holding their next mass."

This information piqued Batman's interest so he decided to grill for more. He pushed the heel of his boot against Harry's stomach and glared at him menacingly.

"Who is this deacon? I want a name!"

"I don't know! I never seen him and neither have his followers! They say he's never shown his face! They call him Blackfire! Blackfire! That's all I know! I swear!"

A ringtone interrupted the interrogation, prompting Batman to search Harry's pockets and extract a phone. The display highlighted a message notification, the number was unknown and all was written was an address.

"What's happening at 921 Snyder Lane?"

the Dark Knight's question made Harry's throat go dry and his eyes widen in realization.

"That's all I need to know." said Batman, delivered a well placed punch that knocked Harry out cold.

Rin groaned, he had just been through the most exhausting and brutal session the Cram School put him through yet. Who knew that Mephisto was a big fan of Japanese style Quiz and Game shows? The headmaster, enjoying his role of being a host a bit too much, transported them all to his mansion where his servants quickly set up a stage as well as podiums for the "contestants". Rin was fast at the buzzer but could only answer some of the questions, it was bad enough he forgot to study but he also had to endure painful and humiliating "punishments" for every question wrong. His friends fared better than him of course since they studied but each got a few answers wrong and had their share of punishments which from this day forward they would rather not talk about (Although Renzo boldly claimed he would burn Izumo's ordeal into his memory). The only one who got away was Takara who Mephisto declared "eliminated" after the puppet fell asleep. Rin was sure the lucky bastard was faking it.

Then came the Lightning round, then came the bonus round; Rin thought it would never end!

In the end to the surprise of everyone, it was Shiemi who got the most points and for the grand prize, Mephisto awarded her a rare Honey-Honey Sisters musical key-chain while everyone else each got the consolation prize in the form of an Amazon Gift card.

"WHAT THE HELL!? THESE PRIZES STINK!" was his exact reaction at the time but Shiemi appeared to genuinely happy with the key-chain, bowing and saying she would treasure it forever.

Finally, Mephisto transported them back to the classroom and the young Exwires decided to disperse, having had enough for the day. And so using Kurikara as a walking stick, Rin trudged toward the towards the old dormitory where he and his brother were staying.

"Rin!" called out a voice.

Rin smiled seeing Kuro bound towards him.

"Hey, buddy. You Hungry?" Rin asked as he bent down to pet his Cat Sidhe familiar.

"Yes! I've been waiting a lot longer than usual! What took you so long!?"

"Hehe. Relax, I'll make something for you at the dorm. You wouldn't believe the things I had to..."

Rin paused as he noticed someone walking on the other side of the hedge.

"Hey, isn't that Shura?" he wondered.

It was. He was about to call out for her but his voice froze as he saw someone tackle her to the ground.

Shura couldn't believe she let her guard down like that, her mind was still reeling as she felt the person's hand clamp her mouth. It was only when she heard the sound of unzipping did she finally regain herself and was about to throw him off.

"GET OFF HER!"

Kouru barely avoided the blade swiped at him and quickly scrambled off his prey. Looking back, he was shocked seeing the sword wielding boy bathe in blue flames, two stationery flames were atop his forehead looking like horns, his ears pointed and fangs bared.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Rin snarled.

The sight shook Kouru to his core and his voice froze.

"ANSWER ME!" snapped Rin.

Shura noticed Kouru's reaction to Rin and figured that the boy somehow must've got a temptaint if he was able to perceive Rin's demonic form. Then she noticed the eyes opening on the boy's forehead and the inhuman hiss coming from his throat. She recognized those eyes! She never thought she would see them again. Standing up, she recited her usual incantation and pulled her demon sword from the mark on her chest.

"Devour the Seven Princesses...Slay the serpent!"

Rin looked back to see Shura up and in a battle stance with her sword. He was concerned about her well being and didn't expect her to shrug off being assaulted like that like it was nothing.

"Gotta say kid, you have some balls. Let's see how you are without 'em!" Shura said with a sneer.

That was enough to send Kouru running away.

"Hey! Get back here!" called Rin as he gave chase.

"Rin! Wait for me!"called Kuro as he bounded after him.

Shura blinked and then gave chase as well. Not too far ahead of them was Yukio just passing the gates of his dorm, only to jump out of the way to avoid Kouru. He looked on in confusion as his brother, Kuro and Shura dashed by him.

"Rin? Kuro? Shura-san? What the hell?"

High above all of them, four certain demons hovered observing the chase.

"Well that escalated quickly!" laughed Rath.

Neron couldn't help but let out a sinister chuckle, the noise sent a shiver down all three spines of the demon brothers. Neron seemed to have that effect on humans and demons alike.

"Excellent! This going much better than I expected!"

Immediately, a scheme formed in the demon's mind. It would require a bit of coordination but the resources he had under his command wouldn't dare disappoint him.

The pursuit brought Kouru to the quarantined area of the campus town. The area was still unoccupied after the Impure King incident and often times, students would sneak in for all kinds of mischief but for Kouru it seemed like a good place to hide.

Kouru was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up. He looked back startled and froze looking at the large blonde person with glowing green eyes.

"W-Who are you?" Kouru let out.

"You have something we need, boy. Try to co-operate with us, would you?"

With an outstretched palm, Neron opened a Gehenna Gate and promptly tossed Kouru into it just as Rin arrived behind him, surprised with seeing whole thing.

"Ah, Rin Okumura." Neron greeted with a sense of finality.

Rin's eyes widened. He wondered who was this strange person with the armor and the green cape.

"Err, Do I know you?"

Neron turned around so Rin could get a good look at him. He raised his arms and flames burst in his palms as well as around his body, similar to Rin's flames. But the flames wasn't what surprised Rin the most, it was the color.

"Green Flames!?" he thought in shock.

A flaming broadsword materialized in front of Neron, the Lord of Lies had a look of seriousness as he grasped the hilt of his sword.

"No. You don't." the demon responded.

With that, the demon charged and unleashed a green flaming slash which Rin instinctively parried with Kurikara. The force of the slash was powerful enough to send Rin hurtling through the air and smash through the brick wall of a building. Neron waited and looked at where Rin crashed through until violent blue flames erupted and collapsed part of the already broken wall. Rin emerged from within, fangs bared, flames burning and Kurikara clutched firmly in his hands.

"Whoever you are...you have now officially, PISSED ME OFF!" he growled.

Neron finally grinned as his own green flames erupted, as if he wouldn't have it any other way.

TBC