~Unexpected turn of events~

An hour or two later, elsewhere across Creation, Fury was sitting on a plateau overlooking the almost barren landscape and the sun setting behind the hills.

"Dreams more thrilling than reality." Fury said sarcastically before she stretched her arms wide and yawned a bit. "Had I known the New Pact would be so exciting, I would have let War separate my head from my neck then and there. Is it possible to die of boredom?"

Elsewhere at the same time…

"Hoho yeah, this is my jam!" Strife said in pure glee as he fired his two pistols, Redemption and Mercy and spun around repeatedly, killing the demons in droves before he landed on the ground.

"Sit still, I'm trying to shoot you!" A Legion Boltspitter shouted as he switched from regular machine gun bullets to fire combustible slugs at the masked gunslinger.

Strife sidestepped left to dodge one slag, then sidestepped to his right to dodge another slag before he grabbed the third one, immediately jumped in the air, spun around and threw it right on the Boltspitter's face. The demon didn't had the time to remove the slag as it exploded soon after, along with the demon's head in spray of blood, bone and brain while it's large, limp body crumpled on the ground. Without a moment of hesitation, Strife dashed on the demon's belly, jumped from it and made a swiss cheese out of one of the demons as he shot a hail of bullets airborne at it. Before it could fall lifelessly on the ground, Strife landed on the demon and bodysurfed forward, while at the same time unleashing another hail of bullets from his pistol, killing more demons by the dozens before he flipped backwards and tossed the demon's lifeless body that he surfed on forward before he landed gracefully on the ground. The moment after that, he conjured one of the Shadow Clones and stood back to back with it, and dozens upon dozens of demons were consumed in hail of bullets once again, this time killing them all in seconds. With every single demon eliminated, Strife's clone dissipated into nothingness, while the horseman himself sniffed the smoke out of the hot gun barrel from Redemption in satisfaction.

"Mm-mm, I love a sweet whiff of a gun smoke in the morning." Strife said as before he spun his guns briefly before sheathing them.

Back with Fury, she was approached by her faithful steed from behind her as he nudged her head.

"Rampage. Bored as I am? Or are you just lazy." Fury smiled a bit before she raised her hand and patted Rampage's snout affectionately. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd kill you just for something to do."

Then both Fury and Strife have heard the sound of a horn echoing and rumbling in the distant sky, something that only the horsemen can hear, a sound that signified that the Charred Council is summoning them.

"The call? Finally." Fury smirked a bit in relief as she immediately teleported back to the world of the Council.

"This should be good." Strife said as he too teleported away.

When Fury teleported back to the realm of the Council, she made her way to the portal leading to the heart of the world, where the Council themselves reside.

"Hey there sis." Someone called for her from behind, but Fury immediately recognized the overly chill, yet obnoxious voice.

"Strife." Fury said flatly.

"Come on, why don't you try to act like all sisters do for once? You know, all cutesy and skipping around your brother in happiness?" Strife teased as he walked next to her towards the portal.

"I'd be gleeful if I had a planet of demons to slay instead." Fury said bluntly before she smirked as she looked forward. "Or two." She said, finding the thought very pleasing.

"So that's a no." Strife shrugged before he also looked forward. "Well, let's see what the Council has for us in store this time."

"By all means, 'rider of the white horse'." Fury smirked as she deliberately teased her brother.

"Oh knock it off already! Now I know that you are trying to piss me off." Strife exclaimed in frustration, making Fury let out a muffled chuckle of amusement.

"Perhaps." Fury smirked as she looked forward.

"Seriously, my horse is anything but white, why is everyone insisting on that bullshit? Maybe I should just paint him white instead of racking my brain about it." Strife said before both he and Fury entered the portal.

When they emerged, they found themselves in the very volcanic chamber where the Council themselves reside before they started climbing the steps towards them.

"Fury! Strife! Approach us!" The second, horned head bellowed out.

"Got an itch that needs a scratch? Cause I'm certain you didn't invite us for some coffee." Strife said sarcastically.

"You are jesting, yet you speak true, white rider!" The middle head said.

"I am so gonna eat a bullet if I hear that one more time." Strife said to himself in frustration, while Fury smirked and let out another muffled chuckle of amusement.

"Obligatory jests aside, there is a matter that requires… delicate attention!" The third head said.

"Then why not send Strife only? He is after all the 'delicate one'." Fury smirked as she glanced from the Council to her brother.

"I am so flattered by your compliment sis that I think my bullets are melting in my pistols." Strife said sarcastically as he did a fake check on his two guns, Mercy and Redemption.

"The Seven Deadly Sins have been released, free of our prison to roam across the realms in close proximity to Earth!" The middle head bellowed out.

"The Seven Sins are free?" Fury said in legitimate surprise.

"How in the world is that possible? I thought they were supposed to be imprisoned, never to be set free. Like, ever." Strife asked in equal surprise as he sheathed his guns.

"We have only one answer to that question, horsemen!" The second, horned head said.

"The Balance between Order and Chaos is in greater jeopardy then originally realized. Death and War have informed us that Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God has emerged from the Dimensional Gap into this reality!" The middle head said.

"Ophis? Now that is making me legit worried." Strife said in unusually concerned tone. Fury couldn't help but share the sentiment, though she would never say it outloud, at least not in front of her brothers.

"With such a powerful entity roaming Creation again, she could be the only one responsible for releasing the Sins from their prison. And with the formation of the organization known as the Khaos Brigade, Ophis surely plans to use the Sins to bolster her forces!" The third head said.

"The Seven cannot be left unchecked. While the pale and the red are attending the matters in the Underworld to prevent humanity's downfall, it is up to you two horsemen and you alone to put a stop to their influence!" The second horned head said.

"But be warned that this will be no easy undertaking, because the Sins are now not only free, but empowered as well, no doubt by Ophis itself!" The middle head said.

"You do realize that it look all four of us to stop the Sins last time, right? If what you are saying is true and they have grown stronger, than you are basically sending us on a suicide mission." Strife said, not entirely convinced that he and Fury alone are suited for this specific task.

"I can handle those fools in my sleep! But when this task is complete, I demand that you grant me my rightful place leading the horsemen!" Fury said in frustration and arrogance as he pointed at the council.

"You really want to be on Death's bad side, do you?" Strife said in almost baffled done.

"If you would trade obedience for a title, then so be it. But never make a demand upon us, horseman! You depart immediately!" The middle head bellowed out in threatening tone before the flames on all three heads dissipated, signifying that the horsemen are dismissed. That said, Fury smirked in satisfaction at the opportunity to prove herself before she turned around and walked away.

"Whelp, Death is certainly not going to be happy when he hears this." Strife said to himself as he too turned around and followed his sister.

At the same time in the Underworld…

"What?! That is now how we agreed Death!" Sirzechs exclaimed in protest.

"You accepted your alliance with us devil king. And even if you didn't, you are still forbidden to use anymore humans as a livestock to replenish your numbers. As I've said before, we horsemen protect the Balance against those who seeks to threaten it, and that includes humankind as well. Your desire to 'swell your population' only deprives the Third Kingdom from raising champions of their own for the coming Apocalypse. Worse, you use the these potential human champions as means to rise above your stations in the devil hierarchy through battles that you call the Rating Games, as your sister proved when she forced that pervert into her service." Death said strictly.

Issei didn't take that kindly as he only groaned a bit in annoyance and frustration, he doesn't need a constant remark that he's a pervert, he himself is well aware of that, not to mention the entirety of the Kuoh Academy, especially the female students. Still he can't help but stick with him on that front, albeit inwardly.

"But Death-"

"No buts devil!" Death exclaimed Sirzechs in angry tone, making the three leaders flinch in fear. "You've already done enough damage to the Third Kingdom with your 'repopulation', claiming who knows how many individuals over the centuries, dead or otherwise. If you have a problem with that, then I can give you a swift solution." He growled a bit in a cold and strict tone while clutching onto his right scythe.

"So the only option we have is childbearing." Azazel said before he groaned slightly in annoyance. "Not something that anyone looks forward to."

"Your displeasure at the concept is not my concern fallen angel. Reproducing amongst your own kind shouldn't be a problem for you devils and fallen angels. As for you angels, well, I'm certain you can recruit more soldiers from the White City's ranks." Death said bluntly.

"Very well then. If it will appease the Council and their enforcers, then all other humans will remain untouched." Michael said seriously with closed eyes.

"They shouldn't have been touched in the first place angel. Had it been any other situation, you would not have drawn another breath by now due to your crimes." War said in dead serious tone.

"We are all aware of our transgressions horseman. And should the day of our judgment arrive, we will embrace it, whatever the light decides." Michael said seriously.

"Speak for yourself Michael." Azazel thought as he looked at the archangel annoyance, he certainly wasn't ready to die, not for a few millennia more.

"But the question yet remains. Although we are willing to cooperate in face of insurmountable odds, the question is… are you? Michael asked, still unsure if they will actually cooperate or they are just using them as puppets for their own ends. Azazel and Sirzechs picked up on that trail of thought and silently agreed with Michael as the three faction leaders looked at the Reaper. Death looked at Michael with his usual, icy stare, and knew almost immediately where he is going with that question as well.

"Hyoudou! Come here!" Death ordered sternly.

Issei flinched a bit at the strict command before he slowly walked towards the pale rider. When he was close enough, Death looked at Issei, his front facing the boy before he raised his hand in front of him. As soon as the Reaper started to conjure a certain blade from the ether, Issei felt a strong jolt of pain in his left arm.

"What the hell?" Issei thought in surprise as he clutched his left arm. Before he could think of anything further, Death summoned a holy sword in his hand in a flash of light and lifted the blade towards the ceiling for the sword to be on full display for Issei.

"This is Ascalon, the Dragon Slayer. Due to your abysmal strength, Michael decided to give you this weapon, so you can handle yourself better in a fight." Death said in his usual cold and blunt tone.

"Geez, no need to rub it in my face dude." Issei groaned a bit. As if he haven't been told that nugget of information over and over again and not just by Death.

"It is a fact that you will have to eventually accept boy. Only then will you know where to start improving yourself and push your strength and power to new heights." War said in his usual, serious tone.

Issei couldn't help but be rather surprised by War's wisdom. He sometimes forgets that for such a brutal and merciless warrior, he can be pretty insightful, something that he noticed when he was instructing the devils for the first three days before Death arrived, seven days prior to their fight with Riser in the Rating Game. With that knowledge, Issei frowned in determination and looked at Death.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Issei said as he glanced from War to the holy sword in Death's hand.

"You might want to prepare yourself if you plan on assimilating the sword into the gauntlet." Death said as he turned the sword horizontally for Issei to take. He didn't know exactly if that would be the case, at this point it was only a guess as Issei is nowhere near the swordsman as Kiba is.

"Assimilate it? Is that possible?" Issei asked in surprise as his eyes widened a bit.

[Of course. The sacred gear follows the wants of it's host, if that is what you desire it can be done.] Ddraig suddenly said in flashes of green light from Issei's gauntlet, drawing the boy's attention.

"Alright Ddraig, let's do it." Issei said in determination before he looked again at Ascalon.

[Very well. Focus all your thoughts on the Sacred Gear.] Ddraig instructed.

"Got it." Issei nodded before he gripped Ascalon with his left hand, allowing Death to let go of it.

[Now, synchronize your energy with the Holy Sword.] Ddraig instructed further.

When Issei did just that, thanks to Akeno's instructions on how to use his devil magic, the sword was engulfed with holy light before it started to shine brightly, illuminating the entire room in the process, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, including the horsemen as they squinted their eyes due to being in close proximity to the sword. When it died down, it was revealed that the sword fused with Boosted Gear, with only the blade of the holy sword sticking out of the gauntlet.

"Wow, incredible. It completely merged." Issei said in amazement as he checked the fused sword, while Death didn't waste a moment of time as he turned sideways and looked at the three faction leaders.

"Consider that a gesture of cooperation between us. Now, do we have an agreement?" Death asked in almost impatient voice. The three faction leaders exchanged a silent glances between each other for a few moments, silently confirming their answers in gazes alone before they all looked at the pale rider.

"We do." Sirzechs said seriously.

"Yup." Azazel answered nonchalantly.

"We are in agreement." Michael said seriously.

"About time. Now we can move on to more pressing matters." Death said simply.

"Well, now that that's done, I'm gonna go pay a visit to the Norse Gods. Although we might have you horsemen as allies now, I wouldn't like to go up against them." Azazel said as he walked towards the double doors.

"Why so, fallen angel? Are they as formidable as you imply them to be?" War asked curiously.

"About as formidable as the Olympian gods, if not more. Though I wouldn't want to know the difference firsthand." Azazel said seriously.

"I'm coming with you, I planned on investigating the Earth's pantheons anyway." Death inquired.

"Suit yourself, I'll be waiting for you outside." Azazel shrugged as he went outside.

"War, you stay her and ensure that they also sign the peace agreement, I'll see you back at in Rias' club room." Death said.

"Very well." War nodded to his brother, prompting the pale rider to make his way outside.

"Azazel." A voice suddenly transmitted from Azazel's small magic circle hovering near his left ear like an earphone.

"Shemhazai?" Azazel said curiously.

"You are not gonna believe what just happened here." Shemhazai said in curiously rattled voice.

"What is it?" Azazel asked curiously.

"Trust me, you gotta come and see this for yourself." Shemhazai urged.

"I'm on my way." Azazel said before the magic circle disappeared from his ear.

"That sounded important." Death suddenly interjected from behind Azazel. "Best to come along and see what it's about." He said inquisitively. Azazel sighed afterwards as he realized that the Reaper certainly wasn't asking to come along.

"If you insist." Azazel said before he conjured a magic circle below him and disappeared from the spot.

After a few moments, Azazel and Death emerged in a large office, and they were both surprised at Shemhazai's discovery to say the least.

"What?!" Death exclaimed in surprise.

"Vali?! You're… alive?!" Azazel exclaimed in shock.

"Guess even in death you get a second chance in life." Vali smirked as he folded his arms. But Death, expecting round two from the White Dragon Emperor, quickly grabbed his scythes, held them in reverse grip and crouched slightly, ready for a fight.

"Wait wait, please don't! Please, let me handle this." Azazel pleaded as he quickly stood between Vali and Death. After a few moments of dreadful silence, mostly fearing that Death would charge through the fallen angel and kill Vali again, fortunately for them, Death only stood upright and silently nodded to Azazel to proceed. Azazel sighed a bit in relief before he turned towards Vali, and in a rather uncharacteristic manner for someone like him, he loudly slapped Vali in the face, catching Shimhazai and even Death off guard by that act, along with the young man himself as he recoiled a bit from the slap, but was still on his feet.

"That was for challenging Death to a fight so blindly. Of all the beings in the universe, it had to be him. You battle crazy lunatic." Azazel scolded angrily. Given how he was beheaded hours ago, Vali can't really argue with his adoptive father as he only looked at him bitterly while rubbing his cheek. "Now, tell me how you came back to life. I thought I lost you for good when Death killed you." He asked in now less serious tone.

"I don't know exactly what happened, my mind has been a little hazy eversince I was resurrected. All that I remember, is that I was in this arena, fighting a giant monster with a golden skull. I managed to beat him, and the next thing I know, here I am, alive again." Vali explained as he folded his arms and looked down in thought.

"So even in death you managed to use the power of the White Dragon Emperor?" Azazel asked in curiosity and surprise.

"Yes. I was surprised as you are right now, but that helped me immensely to win that fight." Vali said seriously.

"The Gilded Arena." Death mused to himself.

"The what?" Azazel asked in slight confusion as he looked at Death since he heard what he said.

"A fighting pit in the Kingdom of the Dead. It is a place where a deceased soul receives a second chance in life, providing the challenger can defeat the Arena's champion. That's how Vali was brought back to life." Death explained.

"I had no idea such a place existed." Azazel said in realization.

"That being said…" Death said before he raised his right scythe and pointed the blade of the scythe at Vali, unnerving Azazel and even Vali, having seen how he was sorely outclassed by the Reaper and is not fond of dying again. "You will not get that chance again, because this time I'll take your soul along with your life."

"Please horseman, stay your hand. I guarantee you personally that he will not turn on us again, I'll make sure that he doesn't." Azazel pleaded.

"He betrayed us once fallen angel, I do not plan on letting him bide his time before doing it again." Death growled slightly as he was inches away from charging at Vali and killing him on the spot. At that point Azazel realized that pleading the Reaper for Vali's life will get him nowhere, especially since Vali indeed attacked Death out of the blue back at the angelic stronghold, so he will have to think of an alternative. After a few precious seconds of brainstorming, he came up with the idea.

"How about we make a bargain instead." Azazel said seriously, while Death raised his eyebrow curiously beneath his mask. "My hobby over the years has been the research on all kinds of Sacred Gears. Khaos Brigade is no doubt filled with various Sacred Gear users that we will face in days to come. If you let him live, I will tell you everything that I know about them. The list is pretty long, but I can give you a heads up on their abilities depending against what Sacred Gear we will face in battle."

Death was slightly conflicted on what to do at the moment. On one hand, he was rather tempted to kill Vali again on the spot and prevent another possible betrayal from his side. He is the White Dragon Emperor after all, and if his battle lust is taken into consideration, along with the fact that he will no doubt take a more careful approach to future battles after his defeat, he might become a greater threat in days to come. On the other hand, judging how he and War were basically fighting blindly against the corrupted dragon Vritra, surprised at every turn by its techniques, the knowledge of the abilities of other Sacred Gears they might go up against may prove to be valuable indeed. And after a few, silent, suspenseful moments of thinking, the Reaper came to a decision. Will he regret that decision in the future or not, only the Creator himself knows at this point.

"Very well. You better deliver on your knowledge about Sacred Gears." Death said as he stood upright and sheathed his scythes, much to Azazel's relief. "But if you can't keep Vali in line this time, if he betrays us again, I will have your life as well fallen angel, along with your souls." Death threatened in low, strict and cold tone, heavily emphasizing his sentence before he turned sideways and departed.

As ever, the horsemen have forged an uneasy alliance with the three factions, but that was something that the riders have long since gotten used to, and this treaty turned out to benefit them more than the devils, angels and fallen angels.

The next day in the afternoon, back in Rias' club on Earth…

"And so, starting from this day forward I have become the advisor for the Occult Research Club." Azazel smirked.

"Wait, you can't be serious." Rias asked accusingly with folded arms.

"Oh but I am, I asked Sirzechs and everything." Azazel said nonchalantly.

"Can't say that this arrangement was surprising." War said seriously.

"He told me that I should talk to Serafall's little sister about it." Azazel said before his face went serious a bit. "But because of her pawn's untimely demise by Death's hand, she told me that she didn't want to have anything to do with the Occult Research Club." He said, with Rias looking down on a floor with a sad and remorseful look on her face. "So I came with an agreement with Sirzechs that I can stay in this club without Sona's permission. After all, it is Zeoticus himself who is also the school's principal, so it is ultimately his permission that we needed."

"And why is that?" Death asked curiously.

"Let's be real here horsemen. Both of you might have turned the tide for Rias in ways no one can truly measure, even though it wasn't intentional, but with everything happening as of late I doubt you have the time to babysit these devils and take care of any threat to the Balance at the same time. So Sirzechs and I have agreed that I should do that job, but in return that I use my research of the Sacred Gears to help them properly develop their own." Azazel smirked a bit.

"And to give us a warning of the abilities of other Sacred Gears that might be used against us." Death added, just so he could see if Azazel had forgotten their little arrangement.

"Exactly, all the more reason for me to be here. So then, from now on you can all call me Mr. Azazel." Azazel said lightheartedly as he smirked and he pointed at himself.

"No." War said sternly.

"I think I'll pass." Death said in annoyance.

"Yeah, nothing personal dude, but that feels weird in my mouth." Issei said, about as perplexed as the riders.

"Enough of your laidback drivel Azazel, it is time that we move towards more pressing matters." Death said seriously.

"Alright then, listen up. As we have recently discovered, the Khaos Brigade is on the move. And with the Ouroboros Dragon in charge of that organization, we have to do everything we can to put a stop to their schemes, whatever they may be." Azazel said seriously.

"That goes without saying fallen angel." Death said in annoyance.

"The Underworld is in close proximity to the Third Kingdom, we have to discover as soon as possible if Ophis plans to attack the humans with the Khaos Brigade." War said seriously.

"I doubt they would do something as rash as that, especially now that the three factions, along with the Four Horsemen have allied with each other. But I doubt that's going to stop them from finding a solution to that problem, they might try to find another way to wreak havoc." Azazel said seriously before he smirked a bit and leaned his cheek on his right hand. "In the meantime, a rigorous training regimen for these devils is in order."

"Training?" Issei asked, not very thrilled at the prospect of another brutal training like the one he had to go through in preparation for the Rating Game against Riser, even though it went awry when the demons invaded.

"Although we now have the Horsemen of the Apocalypse as allies, don't expect them to hold your hands all the time, we simply can't afford you devils to slack off. That being said, all of you will have your own training regimen in days to come. And that's where I come in, I will help you improve your skills and powers and develop your Sacred Gears as much as I can." Azazel said before he looked at the young pervert. "Issei."

"Hmm?" Issei looked at Azazel curiously.

"I heard that you managed to unlock your Balance Breaker Form during the Rating Game against Riser. How long were you capable of holding it?" Azazel asked curiously.

"Well, about ten seconds, and that was after I gave away my left arm." Issei said unenthusiastically as he looked at his arm where his gauntlet usually forms.

"That's not good at all. Vali was capable of holding the Balance Breaker for a month, that's how far you are behind in terms of power. And as the Reaper proved, there are powers out there far greater than the White Dragon Emperor, despite not having the ability to divide people's power in half like Vali did, so you will have to start from scratch." Azazel said seriously, deliberately keeping them fact that Vali was alive, something that the devils don't need to know as of yet. "I am curious though. What is your goal in life? I know Vali's was the pursuit for power, but what is yours?"

"Why it's to become a harem king, of course!" Issei said excitedly as he pumped his right fist. Death and War grunted a bit in annoyance, while Akeno only giggled cutely as she expected that kind of answer from Issei.

"I see. Then why don't I teach you about women? After all, I'm the guy who's had hundreds of harems in the past." Azazel smirked a bit.

"Wait! S-s-seriously?!" Issei shouted in shock and disbelief. Hundreds of harems?! That means hundreds if not thousands of boobs to grope on or even boob sandwiches pressed on his head.

"As serious as I can be. You're a virgin, right?" Azazel asked while smirking in amusement.

"Y-yes!" Issei answered as he excitedly got to the table where Azazel was sitting.

"In that case, then we ought to find you a woman to make you a man. Groping the breasts of human women led to my fall from grace, so I don't compromise when it comes to being erotic." Azazel smirked as he only bolstered Issei's obviously lecherous thoughts about breasts.

Death and War now started to be really annoyed and frustrated at the topic at hand. Had it been any other time, the horsemen would have killed the fallen angel for even trespassing in the Third Kingdom, let alone have hundreds of harems like he described. And in all honesty, it was really tempting to do so here and now. But alas, his knowledge of the Sacred Gears is the only reason he is still breathing right now. And his statement also begs the question that the horsemen have repeatedly been asking themselves since they arrived on Earth. Why hasn't the Council informed them about all these events on Earth sooner? First the discovery of the devils on the said planet, then the fallen angels, angels and even demons, Michael and his reformation of Christian religion for his own ends, and now Azazel's statement over the centuries having hundreds of harems. They should have been informed of these events far, far sooner, then they would've acted and prevented all of this from ever happening. Now the horsemen have a feeling that the Council are hiding something from their enforcers, keeping them deliberately in the dark for reasons they are yet to discover.

"So that explains how the heads of Grigori became fallen angels, they were tempted by beautiful women. So the legends were true." Rias said in annoyance.

"We were so young back then. The temptation was too much for us virgins, so we embraced those women and became fallen angels in turn." Azazel shrugged as he smiled through Rias' annoyance.

"Wow. I suddenly feel a sense of kinship with you fallen angels." Issei smiled as he folded his hands and nodded in approval.

"Azazel!" War suddenly exclaimed in his booming voice, startling everyone in the room. "If you don't mind, spare us of your lecherous topics and brief us only with important information! After we leave, then feel free to humor the boy's lustful antics." War grunted in frustration and annoyance.

"Okay, fair enough." Azazel smirked a bit before he opened his eyes and looked at the riders. "How about this then? In three days there will be a conference of devils in the Underworld, all the big names with supposedly bright futures and all that will be present there."

"A conference?" Issei asked curiously.

"Yes, it will be a who's who of heirs to the old, established families. It's an old custom." Rias explained.

"The devil politics are not our concern Azazel." Death grunted a bit in annoyance.

"Would have been surprised if these guys are concerned for anything." Issei thought sarcastically as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the Reaper.

"Not really, neither it is for angels and fallen angels for that matter. But it is for the devils themselves because it is, as far as I've heard, a time where the seniors evaluate the next generation leaders, representatives of the individual houses, like Rias for the house of Gremory for example. And in those times that evaluation usually results in a competition between those leaders that are the Rating Games." Azazel explained. That was rather strange for War, as he thought that the Rating Games were only meant to settle a dispute between two devils, at least from what Grayfia explained to him prior to their bout with the traitor Riser.

"They are really going to hold the Rating Games with all this terrorist crap going on?" Issei asked in almost baffled tone.

"I myself endorse the idea. These will be deep, rich battles requiring tactics and strategy on the fly, a perfect opportunity for those lacking severely in practical fighting experience." Azazel said in slightly serious tone to the devils.

"We don't have time for games between devils, not when we have to deal with Ophis and the dragon's cornucopia of minions!" War exclaimed angrily.

"The Infinite Dragon God and her association aside, the only way they can truly gain experience in battle is if they taste it firsthand. Going easy on them in these 'games' by not fighting to the death will teach them nothing of the true dangers a battlefield can bring." Death said, but his words are not making the devils feel easy at all, especially Asia and Gasper.

"B-but… I don't want to fight to the death." Asia said in shake tony as she clutched onto Issei's back in fear.

"Me neither, I don't want to die, please don't send me out there to die!" Gasper cried out while shaking inside the box left and right.

"And it is certainly not a place for cowards." Death said in blunt, emotionless tone.

"Knock it off dude, Asia is not a coward!" Issei protested angrily.

"Then why is she clutching onto you? She is certainly not doing it out of comfort." Death pointed out harshly, his gaze still locked on the fallen angel.

"That might be true, but they are a far from ready for such bloody fights. If they were to go up against our enemies now, none of them would make it out alive." Azazel said seriously.

"Then see to it that they are ready when the time comes that they must enter the fray." Death said in his usual, cold tone before he turned sideways. "If that would be all, then we will take our leave."

Yup, things are definitely going to be difficult with the horsemen around. They wouldn't care even if these youngster were to fight Lucifer himself, they would still expect them to at least survive, let alone fight back.

The next day, Azazel, the ORC devils and the horsemen in their disguises made way to the train station of Kuoh Town.

"Umm, guys? The last train already left. Isn't that gonna be a problem?" Issei asked in confusion.

"Not at all. Follow me." Rias smiled before she lead the group. Soon enough, for some reason they all reached the corridor's dead end. But when Rias slid a strange card near the wall, it magically formed into a door and opened itself.

"A secret door?" Issei said in surprise.

"There's a hidden level underneath this station." Rias said before she entered the door, along with the rest of the group before they all stepped on the downward escalator.

"I was born and raised in this town, and yet I never even knew this existed." Issei said in slightly amazed tone.

"It is a route reserved exclusively for devils, normal humans would never find their way down here. There are actually quite a few secret places created for devils in this city, just like this one." Rias smiled as she continued to walk forward. Death and War on the other hand don't know how much of this blasphemy they can endure before they would just forget about any treaties they made with the three factions and go on a killing spree. Just how much were the riders missing out after all these centuries after the Great War? How much damage has been truly caused to the Third Kingdom? Have these despicable devils rooted themselves in this city so much that they practically own it at this point?

But their thoughts were interrupted when they heard a train zooming from the tunnel before it slowly, but surely stopped in a screeching halt, the doors opening for the group to enter.

"Whoah! Now that's what I call going in style!" Issei smiled brightly in amazement at how awesome the train looked.

"It's the Gremory family train. All aboard." Rias smiled before she entered the train, followed by the rest of the group.

After they were indeed all aboard, the train immediately departed from the station. But instead of traveling through the tunnels, they soon apparently flew in a purple void of a sort towards their destination. While Issei, Akeno, Asia, Gasper and Kiba took their seats in other wagons, Rias, Death, War and Azazel went in the VIP wagon, meant exclusively for the members of the Gremory family and individuals like gods, faction leaders and in this case, the Horseman of the Apocalypse.

"Remind me why did we had to take a train to the Underworld, when we could have used your teleportation magic to get there much quicker." Death said in slight annoyance.

"It's because it is necessary horseman. This train is legally sanctioned to cross the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. And all newcomers to my peerage, like Issei and Asia, have to take this formal route at least once, otherwise they would face the consequences of not doing so." Rias explained formally.

"So them being present in the three faction summit in the Underworld was a special occasion?" War asked curiously.

"It was. Since I had to be present there, due to my involvement in our fight against Kokabiel, my servants had to be present with me as well." Rias said formally.

"Plus, this gives us an opportunity to ready a little surprise for our newcomers." Azazel said with his usual smirk. The two riders silently looked at the fallen angel, confused, yet curious at the same time as to what Azazel had in mind for the young devils.

Half an hour later…

"We will soon arrive at the Gremory domain terminal."

That announcement drew the attention of the young devils as they looked through the window, and were rather surprised at what they saw, notably Issei and Asia.

"Holy crap! Is all of that…" Issei exclaimed in surprise and amazement as he saw row after row of tiny houses, divided by districts in shape of hexagons, squares, circles and other shapes.

"Yes, this all belongs to the house of Gremory." Akeno smiled as she too looked through the window.

"Unbelievable. It's so massive." Asia smiled in equal amazement.

"If you were to compare it to Japan, it would be the size of the main island." Kiba explained.

"No fucking way." Issei said to himself, now even more amazed with that information. He knew from the start that Rias' family live a luxurious life, but this is beyond anything he ever imagined.

But their moments of amazement were interrupted when the train abruptly stopped in it's tracks, with the devils losing their balance and bumping on the train window.

"The emergency break has been activated."

"How strange, I wonder why someone stopped the train." Akeno smiled, mostly due to the fact that her breasts collided with Issei's face, much to their delight, more so for Issei.

"Who knows, whatever happened I'm cool with it, we can even do it again." Issei smiled in lecherous bliss as he could feel her melons on his face, while Akeno only giggled cutely.

"Oww, my neck. Did we get into an accident?" Gasper whined in slight pain as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Suddenly the entire environment around the train shifted into purple void again, somehow ejecting Issei, Asia, Akeno, Gasper and Kiba out of the train. Not long after they were ejected, they found themselves lying on a floor in what looked like a narrow, barren canyon pass.

"Man, what happened? Where are we?" Issei asked as he slowly got up from the ground, followed by the other devils.

"A forced teleportation?" Kiba said in surprise.

"Be careful everyone, this could be an ambush." Akeno warned in a serious tone as she quickly surveyed her surroundings for anyone possibly hiding in the cliffs above.

Suddenly the earth trembled beneath the feet of the devils, alerting them as they felt that the seismic event was caused by a stomp of something very large. Soon enough, the creature emerged from the narrow canyon pass and it was revealed to be a massive, humanoid purple skinned, horned dragon.

"A dragon?!" Issei exclaimed in surprise and shock, feeling anxious as this dragon doesn't look friendly at all.

Before they knew it, the dragon's eyes glowed purple and breathed flames from his mouth. Fortunately the young devils quickly reacted as Issei scooped up Asia and dashed away from the flames, with Kiba doing the same with Gasper, while Akeno quickly took to the skies.

"Yup, this lizard is definitely not friendly." Issei frowned seriously.

"Where is president Rias?" Kiba asked as he looked around to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Azazel isn't here either." Gasper panicked as he was terrified at the sight of the massive dragon.

"Death and War are missing as well, we could sure use their help to beat this guy." Issei said seriously as he clenched his fist.

Realizing that they are left to their own devices, Akeno quickly changed into her shrine maiden uniform and readied herself for battle.

"Since Rias is not here, it is my duty to take the lead. Issei, focus on using your Sacred Gear to boost as much as you can. Kiba, distract the dragon away from Issei while he powers up. Asia and Gasper, stay on the sidelines and aid them in any way you can without putting yourselves in harm's way." Akeno instructed.

"You got it Akeno!" Issei, Kiba and Asia said in unison.

"Alright then, Boosted Gear!" Issei exclaimed as he formed the signature red gauntlet in his left arm.

[BOOST!]

As soon as Issei activated his Sacred Gear, the dragon's attention was immediately drawn to Issei.

"Uhh, guys? A little help here?" Issei said in panicked voice, but the aid quickly came as Akeno used her lightning to strike at the dragon, making it roar in apparent pain while it was stunned momentarily in place.

"Is it good for you as it is for me?" Akeno said, moaning in sadistic delight as she continued to channel her lightning, even licking her mouth at the apparent torture.

[BOOST!]

"Now's my chance. Sword Birth!" Kiba said as he plunged his sword into the ground, conjuring a magic circle around the dragon and many various swords erupted from the ground. But to Kiba's shock, the swords broke as soon as they tried to pierce the dragon's tough hide. The dragon went on the offensive as he roared loudly, negating Akeno's lightning and then used his tail to shatter the swords around the dragon. After that, he again spew a torrent of fire from his mouth, with Kiba barely having the time to dodge the flames thanks to his speed as a knight, otherwise he would have been incinerated on the spot.

"I see that this dragon will not go down that easy." Akeno frowned seriously at the severity of the situation, while the dragon again focused his attention on Issei and roared loudly again.

"Damn it. I'm still powerless, I haven't generated enough energy to take this thing down yet." Issei said as he clenched his fists, feeling yet again completely helpless which sickened him to the core.

Akeno then dragged her lightning in a horizontal arc through the ground to prevent the dragon from harming Issei. The giant reptile was again struck by lightning, but this time the dragon retaliated by breathing a torrent of fire on the priestess of thunder, forcing her to dodge the flames sideways. As he did, using his immense speed, Kiba appeared from a blur above the dragon's head and raised his sword above his head, ready to strike. The dragon anticipated his attack and extended his horns a bit and sharpened them, parrying Kiba's sword and pushing him back. Kiba did not stop there as he blurred again around the dragon and stubbornly tried to find a weak spot. But as he struck his sword one body part after another, all the while avoiding the dragon's blows, the giant reptile's hide was too thick to penetrate, and Kiba's Holy Eraser was shattered in the process. The dragon again breathed a torrent of fire on the young devil in his moments of shock. Kiba reacted too late as he indeed managed to avoid the flames, but they caught his back, making him scream as the searing pain coursed on his burned back and crumple on the ground.

"Kiba!" Asia shouted worryingly as she quickly ran to his side.

"No, out normal attacks don't have any effect, they haven't even scratched this dragon. Guess there's only one way we can win, but we need more time." Akeno thought seriously.

Meanwhile, Gasper continued to shake like a leaf at the sight of the monster, but the more he stood there, the more ashamed he was at himself for just standing by and doing nothing while his friends are being beaten out there by that reptilian giant.

"I have to do something. I got to." Gasper said, still shaken by the monster in front of him but trying his best to conquer his fears and help his friends. After a few moments of finally gathering his resolve, he frowned in determination. "Issei! Akeno!" The boy called out, drawing their attention.

[BOOST!]

"Please listen, I can fight too! I wanna be a man just like Issei is, I wanna be a brave warrior like those scary riders Death and War! I wanna make you all proud of me, and I wanna be worthy of you!" Gasper cried out as he slowly got up and walked towards the dragon, still trembling in fear, but doing his absolute best to dampen his fears and finally be of some use. "I will fight! I will do whatever it takes to protect my friends!"

"Gasper, move out of the way, it's too dangerous!" Akeno pleaded, but Gasper didn't listen as he was too focused on conquering his fears.

"I can do this! Watch me! I can be a man too!" Gasper shouted in determination he had never felt before as he activated his Balor View, completely freezing the dragon in place.

"Alright! Awesome work Gasper, you are the man!" Issei cheered as he gave the boy a thumbs up, but Gasper didn't listen as he used every ounce of willpower he had to keep his fears dampened and maintain his Balor View as long as feasibly possible.

"Issei!" Akeno called out from the sky, drawing the pervert's attention. "While Gasper is holding the dragon in place, I want you to boost yourself to the limit! While you do that, I will prepare my most powerful attack against that dragon! On my mark, transfer the power you generated to me!"

"Got it!" Issei nodded before he looked at the dragon and clenched his left gauntlet.

[BOOST!]

Then Akeno raised her hands in the sky, conjuring a yellow Gremory circle above her head and preparing her attack in the process. As she did, the storm clouds started to form in the sky, thunder rumbling in the clouds as a sign that Akeno is indeed planning on unleashing something very powerful. Issei continued to boost himself as much as his stamina would allow it, while Asia is healing Kiba's searing wounds that he received from the dragon's flames. Gasper continued to maintain the dragon in place, but unfortunately his resolve is starting to fail him the longer he stared into the terrifying monster, along with the Balow View as it started to crack like glass.

"Don't give up Gasper, just a little longer!" Issei shouted in encouraging tone.

[BOOST!]

Alas, despite Gasper holding the dragon in place longer than anyone would ever expect from an agoraphobic boy like him, ultimately the dragon was freed and the boy collapsed on the ground from exhaustion and fear. However, Gasper bought more than enough time for Issei and Akeno as they are now ready for action.

"Now!" Akeno shouted loudly.

"Boosted Gear Gift!" Issei shouted before he placed his hand on Akeno's shoulder.

[TRANSFER!]

All of the power that Issei accumulated was given to Akeno, enveloping her completely in green light, making her blush slightly and let out a loud, pleasurable moan. After the sudden, yet dramatic boost in power, Akeno composed herself and glared at the dragon, the sparks of lightning flickering in her eyes as her power was now multiplied manifold.

"Let's see if you can handle this dragon." Akeno frowned in utter determination. As the dragon was about to spew another torrent of fire from his mouth…

"HAAAAAAA!" Akeno screamed as she unleashed everything she got into a single, massive, powerful thunderbolt that roiled from the storm clouds above.

"Move!" Kiba shouted as he quickly scooped up Asia and Gasper and dashed as high as he was able, followed by Issei as he flew away in a panic.

The thunderbolt struck from above at the dragon with a resounding boom, making it roar in agony as it was completely consumed in the storm that Akeno unleashed before the thunderbolt imploded from the inside out, upheaving the ground below the dragon and disintegrating the canyon walls in a massive radius, sending strong winds and debris in every direction, forcing Kiba, Issei, Asia and Gasper to shield themselves from the aftershock of Akeno's attack. When the light finally died down, nothing but a giant smoke and a massive crater was left in her wake, with sparks of lightning flickering in the entirety of the crater for a short while before they eventually stopped.

"Way to go Akeno, you got him!" Issei cheered loudly, along with Kiba, Asia and Gasper.

However, their celebration was cut short as they noticed that Akeno looked completely spent, sweating profusely and barely having the capacity to breathe before she started to plummet down towards the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Akeno!" Issei shouted before he swooped down as fast as he could towards Akeno. Fortunately, he caught her before she could hit the ground, landing not long after, gently putting her down while holding the back of her head.

"Akeno. Are you alright?" Issei asked worryingly. After a few moments, Akeno started to twitch a bit, gritting her teeth as she struggled to fight through the fatigue, open her eyes and look at her savior.

"Yes… I am." Akeno smiled gently to Issei, her one eye partially opened before her face went serious a bit. "Did… did we get him?"

"Are you kidding? You obliterated that dude to kingdom come. After that badass attack, I don't think anyone could possibly…"

Issei was suddenly interrupted when they all heard a beastly growl coming from the cloud of smoke. Then, when the beast roared inside the smoke cloud and dispersed it, it was revealed that the dragon survived, looking a little damaged, but far from defeated.

"Oh you gotta be shitting me right now! Seriously?!" Issei shouted in shock, unable to believe that her most powerful attack barely did anything to the giant reptile.

"Issei, Akeno! Get out of there!" Kiba shouted in caution, but it was too late as the dragon already loomed above the two, readying his fire breath once more.

"No! Issei!" Asia cried out as she closed her eyes, unable to watch as Issei and Akeno were about to be incinerated.

"Okay stop! That will be enough!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted behind the dragon, prompting the giant reptile to indeed cease his attack while his eyes stopped to glow purple. When Issei and Akeno looked behind the dragon's feet, it was revealed that it was Azazel who called off the dragon, standing next to Rias and even Death and War.

"What the hell? You guys are here?" Issei said in surprise.

"We have been here from the start Hyoudou." Death said. Moments after they arrived, Kiba, Gasper and Asia landed near Issei and Akeno.

"Akeno, are you okay?" Rias asked worryingly as she quickly came to her best friend's side.

"I'll be fine. I just need a little rest… and I'll be as good a new." Akeno smiled gently, now recovered enough stamina to open both of her eyes slightly.

"A bold maneuver that you executed back there, but i wouldn't rely on that strategy again in the future. Because unlike the dragon that you fought, your enemies will not hold back against you, nor would they give you the time to execute a combined assault as prolonged as yours." War said seriously, while the dragon above him locked his gaze at incapacitated Akeno.

"Wait, he was holding back on us?! You're kidding, right?!" Issei said in shock. But when he noticed that War had that usual, serious look on his face, he felt stupid for even asking that question. "Don't answer that." He said bluntly.

"I have to say devil, I actually felt the punch behind your last attack. Had I not took it seriously back there, it might have done some damage." The dragon complemented.

"The dragon spoke?" Issei said in slight surprise.

"Thought I recognized you Ddraig." The dragon said.

[Yes, it's good to see you again Tannin.] Ddraig spoke from Issei's gauntlet in usual flashes of green light.

"And apparently you two know each other." Issei said as he looked at the dragon within in disapproval.

"Allow me to introduce you to the devil dragon Tannin, aka the Blaze Meteor Dragon, vassal to the former dragon emperor. He allowed himself to be turned into a devil for reasons I don't feel like going into now." Azazel said formally, but not so at the last sentence.

"A dragon turned into a devil? How is that possible?" War asked curiously as he looked at the fallen angel.

"You might as well tell me that there is a demon of Hell who turned into an angel of the White City." Death said sarcastically. It would seem that unlike those who serve the Dark Kingdom, the reincarnated devils don't undergo through any physical alterations in the process.

"Demon turned angel, now that scenario would have been hilarious." Azazel said as he chuckled a bit in amusement at the thought.

"Azazel, are you missing out on an important detail here?! I doubt this dude is no ordinary dragon since he packed some serious heat, even if he was holding back!" Issei protested angrily.

[First time that you are perceptive for something other than women's breasts partner.] Ddraig jested.

"Yeah, very funny Ddraig." Issei said in annoyance as he looked at the green gem, while Akeno couldn't help but giggle cutely while Rias smiled in amusement.

[Yes, Tannin is indeed no ordinary dragon if his title was of any indication. There were in fact six dragon kings in the past, and Tannin was one of them. But they reduced to five dragon kings when he turned himself into a devil. Despite that, among reborn devils, he is the ultimate-class.] Ddraig explained.

"Even Dragon Kings can turn into devils?! No way!" Issei said in disbelief, shocked that even the dragon kings were no exception to the conversion. And the part that confused him big time, as least from what he knew, dragons were extremely prideful beings, and he could only imagine how much pride the kings of the dragons had. For one to be converted into a devil was astonishing. He has no idea if he did that willingly or someone blackmailed or outright threatened him to convert, but at this point he can only guess.

"A dragon king at that. Interesting." Death said curiously to himself, his thoughts being his own as he looked at Tannin.

"Sirzechs asked if I could come help you youngsters with your training. Like the red rider said, although your strategy was adequate, it's rarely If ever reliable. That means that there is still much left to be desired from you children." Tannin said.

"I hope he didn't hurt you too badly. I'm so sorry, I never wanted to play a trick on you, I was against the ambush ploy from the beginning." Rias smiled sadly, feeling guilty of putting her precious servants in danger like that.

"Therein lies the problem Gremory." Death said seriously with folded arms, drawing her attention. "Your softness towards your servants is the reason why they are so weak. Otherwise they would have been much stronger back against Riser and his retinue had you been more strict with your training, and would have put up more of a fight against the dragon. There is no room for softness on the battlefield, for the enemies that you will face will not give you the same courtesy. Cease to rely on it or you will be struck down before you get a chance to fight."

"Can't help but agree with him. This fight has shown us what kind of training regimen you most needed, and all of you will be put through a ringer in days to come." Azazel smirked.

"Well, I certainly can't take you home all scraped up like that, so it's time for an obligatory bath." Rias smiled.

"Alright, now we're talking." Issei smiled brightly.

"Well, that would be all for today, see you in two days Tannin." Azazel smirked as he looked at the dragon. Tannin nodded silently before he took to the skies, his wings flapping so hard that it send strong winds at the devils below, but not strong enough to blow them all away.

"Can you walk Akeno?" Issei asked as he helped her up on her feet.

"Yes, I can. Thank you Issei." Akeno smiled. But as soon as she started walking, she immediately felt weak on her legs and tripped, but Issei caught her before she could fall down.

"Whoa, easy there. You are still drained after that attack." Issei said before he scooped her up bridal style, making her blush in embarrassment at the act. "Why don't I carry you to the baths? At least for a while until you recovered enough strength to walk."

"My my, you're quite a prince charming." Akeno said as she smiled and giggled cutely while putting a hand on her mouth.

"Come on Akeno, it's nothing, really." Issei chuckled nervously, but he couldn't help but look at Akeno's boobs. "Although, seeing her boobs this close makes me wanna bury my face in them and motorboat them like crazy!" He thought with a slightly lecherous look on her face.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind if you were to carry me, all the way to the baths even." Akeno smiled blissfully as she leaned her head on Issei's shoulder, making him blush a bit.

"Come on, you lovebirds, we're leaving without you." Azazel teased while Kiba and Asia stood next to him, the latter having a jealous look on her face, but she tries to move past that jealousy.

"Yeah yeah, we're coming." Issei groaned in annoyance as he made his way to them.

Rias can't help but frown sadly a bit at the sight, mostly at the fact that she wished War at least tried something similar like Issei with Akeno, no matter how ludicrous her thoughts might be. Before she could think further on the subject, Death already departed for reasons only known to the riders, while War made his way to Azazel and the devils, who already departed.

"War, wait." Rias said in almost timid voice. The rider stopped in his tracks, but his back still faced the Gremory princess. "Do you agree with what Death said? Was I really too lenient with my servants when it comes to training?" She asked, hopeful that War will give a less straight forward statement to her leniency, an intent that War almost immediately picked up on in her voice alone. Though this is War she is talking to and he is not really known for subtlety.

"Yes." War said simply, not even bothering to glance behind him before he continued to walk forward, having nothing else to say nor had any desire to do so. Rias couldn't help but look down with a conflicted look on her face. Has she really gotten too soft with her training her servants? No, of course she wasn't. She knew herself that she wants her servants to be as strong as possible, but not to overexert them to the point of no recovery.

Later that night, Azazel, Rias and the other devils indeed went to one of many luxurious baths of the Gremory family. It wasn't nowhere near as splendid and soothing as the hot springs, as they boast some of the best in the Underworld, it was still a bath nonetheless, where the devils can cleanse themselves of dirt, blood, pain and fatigue.

"No really, its fine, I can just go in later!" Gasper complained in embarrassment while Issei pulled him by his arm.

"Gasper, are you serious?! Why are you putting your towel around your chest like a girl?! You're a damn, flat as a board boy, what are you supposed to be embarrassed about?! It's honestly making me uncomfortable!" Issei said in frustration and disbelief.

"What, seriously? I never thought you'd notice me that way." Gasper said in slightly frightened and embarrassed tone.

"Dude, not even!" Issei exclaimed, disgusted that Gasper would even mention something as gay as that.

"Issei, you shouldn't be sexually harassing poor, sweet Gasper like that." Akeno suddenly teased with a cute smile in the baths above the two boys, where not only she was there, but Rias and Asia as well.

"Akeno?!" Issei said in shock and surprise when he looked up. "Whoah, the girl's bath is up there?!" He said. "That means a heaving heaven of hot hooters is just a few feet away?! This is better than good, it's great!" He thought in lecherous tone, really tempted to just bolt up there and join the boob party.

"And a bottle or three of saki and this bath would be paradise." Azazel smiled as he leaned back and relaxed without a care in the world.

"Say, Azazel. I've been meaning to ask you something." Issei asked as he sat down next to the fallen angel.

"What is it?" Azazel asked.

"About the horsemen. There are four of them in total, right? We have already seen that Death is an over the top edgelord and War is all super serious, but can you tell me something about the other two?" Issei asked curiously.

"If you think they are any easier to deal with if you were to meet them, then I'm afraid you are wrong. With their brother Strife perhaps, as he is known to be more easygoing than Death and War, but Fury, well, Fury is arguably worse than War in terms of recklessness and battle lust." Azazel smirked.

"Fury?" Issei asked curiously.

"Yes, the only female among the four. And trust me, she more than makes up for her name if you piss her off. On the battlefield she is arcane tempest incarnate, capable of obliterating hundreds if not thousands of demons or angels in a split second, and not just mere grunts or soldiers." Azazel smirked a bit before he looked at Issei. "So if you have any ideas about fondling her funbags, then forget it. You'd be dead if you utter the very thought to her or her brothers. And honestly, a man can't tell which one is the worst in dishing out punishment."

"Wow, talk about badass and scary at the same time." Issei said in amazement and fear, but that was quickly suppressed by his lecherous tendencies. "But still can't help but imagine how she looks like in person. Oh yeah, I bet she must be a total babe, a hardcore milf dominatrix who's into S&M and shit." He said with a lecherous look on her face as he imagined a red-haired masked woman in tight, leather suit, cracking her whip. Azazel couldn't help but laugh out loud in amusement.

"You sure are ambitions Issei." Azazel said before he looked at Issei with a slightly serious look on his face, much to the pervert's confusion. "Women's breasts are the reason that I fell from the grace of the White City, but Fury's funbags are off limits." He then slouched back and closed his eyed. "And if you value your life, then you should forget about it and just stick with Akeno's breasts, they are large enough to satisfy any man's lecherous needs." He then looked at Issei. "And speaking of Akeno."

"Huh?" Issei looked at Azazel curiously.

"Listen, you probably already know that she's a half fallen angel and half human. Her father, Baraquiel has been a good friend of mine for many years, which is why I'm also looking out for her. And to put it simply, Akeno went through a lot when she was child, to the point where the events of her past damaged her relationship with her own father." He said in unusually serious tone.

Issei remained silent as he remembered how down in the dumps Akeno was back then, which even now caused him pain inside at the memory. How he heard the resentment in her voice when she mentioned her father, how she was afraid, sad and distraught when Death casually revealed her heritage, afraid that Issei would hate her guts due to being murdered by a fallen angel Raynare weeks ago, which by proxy would make him resent all of the fallen angels, including Akeno. Although he openly stated that he cared about her, even then he knew there was more to it then what she told him about her past. And it would seem that Azazel has given him another piece of the puzzle.

"I need your word that you will actually take care of her, that you do not see her as just a pair of tits to suckle on whenever you get a hard on." Azazel said seriously.

"Come on, that's not true!" Issei protested.

"I still need to say it, because like I said, I care about her as much as Baraqiel does. So, can I leave Akeno to you or not?" Azazel asked seriously.

"I don't know exactly what you're getting on Azazel, but don't worry, that was the plan anyway. You have my word that I will take care of her and protect her even with my life if need be." Issei said as he clenched his fist in determination.

"That's good to hear." Azazel smiled. Issei certainly is a perverted idiot, but he's not a bad guy, and the fallen angel was glad to be right about that. "Now, I presume that she let you fondle her breasts, right?"

"Yes sir! With these two hands, my form was flawless." Issei said in almost comically militaristic voice.

"I see. And have you ever tweaked the girl's nipples like so?" Azazel said as he illustrated with his index finger.

"No, not yet sadly." Issei answered.

"So you still haven't poked her protrusions yet." Azazel said in slight disappointment before he smirked and looked at Issei again. "You can't just poke lightly either boy, you really gotta get in there. The feeling of your finger being enveloped by a funbag flesh is unparalleled."

"That can't be real. My finger buried in bosom?" Issei thought at the untold pleasure that may bring, but he denied that possibility almost immediately. "No, that can't be real, nipples aren't doorbells, you know!"

"Actually, in a way, they are. Because if you press them, they cry out." Azazel smirked. Now Issei can't help but imagine Akeno moaning loudly when he indeed pokes her nipples, which makes him bow his head down to the water, having a look on his face like he discovered a secret of the universe itself.

"I had no idea. I always thought that boobs were there to grope, suck and bury your face in. My world is brand new, limitless." Issei smiled with tear eyes at the realization.

"Well you're still just a kid, so you got ways to go. But never forget, that juggles have infinite potential!" Azazel said in encouraging tone.

"Thank you sir, I've already learned so much and I swear to you, I will continue my training. I want a poke a pink piñata right now!" Issei said in lecherous determination.

"Good! Never give up, I believe in you! You let those raw balloons know who's the boss!" Azazel encouraged further.

"Yes! I swear!" Issei shouted in increased determination with teary eyes.

"Are you done entertaining the pervert, fallen angel?" A stern voice suddenly interrupted them, drawing their attention. Issei was surprised to say the least when he noticed that it was War who arrived, with nothing but a big towel wrapped around his waist, having the usual, stern look on his face.

From above the men's bath, Akeno was surprised to see that the red rider arrived.

"Rias, you gotta see this." Akeno smiled as she looked at her friend.

"What is it?" Rias asked curiously before she looked down where Akeno was looking. Then she blushed intensely as, to her immense shock and surprise, War was there as well, standing in front of Azazel with nothing but his towel wrapped around his waist.

"Whoah, dude. You look completely different without your hood." Issei said in surprise.

"Leave us." War said strictly to Issei before he glanced at Azazel. Not feeling like arguing with the red rider, since he didn't look happy at all, Issei slowly got up and went towards Kiba and Gasper. "Why are we here Azazel? Is it really necessary to discuss the matter in this place?" He said in annoyance and frustration before he removed the towel around him and begrudgingly sat next to Azazel.

"Of course it is, but before we get into any serious business, why don't we sit back and relax for a while? It certainly is a balm for both body and soul after a hard day's work." Azazel said as he leaned back and relaxed.

"You could certainly work on your discipline and focus. Every minute we 'relax', someone across Creation takes advantage of the distraction to further his plot to threaten the Balance." War said seriously.

"Probably, but that is no excuse to stress out about it every second of our lives. There are times when all we need is to just sit back and relax our minds and bodies, to let out all of the frustration and find your equilibrium. Trust me, you will feel a tremendous difference inside once you learn how to chill." Azazel smirked as he looked at War.

"I already have my brother Strife telling me that repeatedly, I don't need you to be a constant reminder as well." War said in annoyance.

"My my, War is simply oozing with manliness, doesn't he Rias?" Akeno smiled as she had a thirsty look on her face.

But that was a fact that had no need to be voiced out as that was the very reason why Rias was so entranced by War's godlike body. Up until this point she didn't notice War's full facial features as it was mostly covered by his red hood, but only now she noticed his snow white, long hair and the hardened expression on his face. Those features can put any man to utter shame in terms of manliness, be it a human, devil, angel or even a god, at least in Rias' point of view. And aside from his prosthetic gauntlet, his bulky body was ridiculously defined, despite being marred in several places by scars earned over the eons of brutal battles in his quest to preserve the Balance. Every inch of his body was pure muscle, with not a shred of fat to be found. Rias then blushed even more as her eyes slowly lowered from War's rocky chest, to his chiseled abs until she reached the water that covered War's legs and hips. It was the sight that made Rias' hands move on their own, lowering down until she placed them on her thighs, dangerously close to her private area.

"Getting excited, are we?" Akeno teased as she whispered in Rias' ear, finally snapping her into reality as she flinched sideways in jumpscare.

"Akeno, you scared me." Rias said, while Akeno giggled cutely.

"It's so cute to see you so flustered like that." Akeno smiled before she looked down at War again with a look of desire on her face again. "Now I can see why you had your eyes on him, horseman or not."

"You better not have any funny ideas Akeno." Rias frowned in frustration.

"Who knows, maybe I do." Akeno smiled cutely with closed eyes.

"Oh yeah? And what about Issei? You two seems to be closer than usual." Rias protested.

"Perhaps. Issei can be a sweetheart, but I can't deny that War is such a man, in every sense of that word." Akeno said as she eyed at the rider again and couldn't help but blush a bit. She said that mostly to tease Rias, but as she scanned every inch of War's absurdly defined muscled body, along with his manly facial features and blue eyes, she can't help but be true to her words.

"Keep your eyes to yourself Akeno!" Rias exclaimed in jealously as she grabbed Akeno's hands in contest of strength.

"Don't be so stingy Rias, I have the right to at least marvel at the rare sight!" Akeno protested angrily.

"No, you don't!" Rias protested angrily as well.

But as the two devils tried to overpower each other, Akeno accidentally slipped on the marble near the edge leading down to men's area and lost her balance, falling backwards down in the water below, with Rias following suit. The two female devils splashed near War and Azazel, with the two men turning their heads left and squinting a bit so the water doesn't get in their eyes. When Rias and Akeno emerged from the water, as she tried to get her bearing, Rias' hand was clutching onto something large and soft underwater. When she looked at the battle scarred chest right in front of her, her face went redder than the color of her hair as she realized what she was clutching in her hand while slowly looking up until her eyes met with the horseman's.

War on the other hand was far from flustered, the feeling was actually quite the opposite for the red rider.

"I can feel where you placed that hand Gremory. You have until the count of three to remove it before I rip it from your shoulder, along with your head." War said in dead serious tone, the very look on his face screaming imminent demise. War had no need to start the countdown as Rias' face went from red to blue in a heartbeat before she quickly removed her hand and bolted upward and back to the pools above, along with Akeno.

"Smooth as ever War, smooth as ever!" Azazel said as he roared in laughter. War now really had enough of this pointless charade as he grunted in anger before he got up from the baths and went towards the exit, not even bothering to place a towel around his waist as he walked as naked as a newborn.

"After you are done with your 'relaxation', meet me in your office. I'll be waiting for you there." War grunted in anger as he marched outside.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." Azazel chuckled a bit in amusement.

Two hours later that night in Azazel's office…

"I spoke with Sirzechs concerning this devil conference in two days. It would appear that it is not the only event that will follow in days to come." Death said with folded arms.

"Yes. After this conference, there will be another reception in three weeks, and this time the devils will not be the only faction in attendance. Myself and the archangel Michael aside, the chief of the norse gods, Odin himself will also be present. Having the Aesir gods as our allies as well would do us all good against Ophis and the Khaos Brigade. There has been a word that the Olympian gods were interested in the alliance as well, but so far there hasn't been a word from their realm." Azazel said seriously.

"Are you saying that the three factions alone are not enough to withstand Ophis' army of renegades?" War asked curiously.

"Devils are not the only members of the Khaos Brigade horseman. Their organization consists of fallen angels and demon mercenaries as well, along with several angels and even humans descending from mythological heroes of old, each in possession of a Sacred Gear. And let us not forget the fact that they can be empowered by Ophis' snakes, if my fight with Katarea Leviathan is anything to go by." Azazel said seriously.

"This ragtag organization will not help Ophis in destroying the Third Kingdom, not with us on watch." War said seriously.

"That is why powers other than the Three Factions are interested in this alliance. The Khaos Brigade threatens all the mythologies and all the realms, which is why the likes of Odin and possibly Zeus are interested in joining our cause against them." Azazel said seriously.

"Zeus?" Death asked curiously.

"The King of the Olympian pantheon of Greek Mythology. As I've said, we are yet to receive a word from him, so until then, Odin will be the only one of the outside powers who will be in attendance." Azazel said seriously.

"So we are to stand by for three weeks and do nothing?" War said in frustration, not feeling thrilled of sitting around and waiting for calamity to come to him.

"Well, you are free to poke around the Underworld to find them, but for some reason the Khaos Brigade has been less active of late, and I doubt it could be solely because of Katarea Leviathan's defeat. Whatever the case, it will give us the time to prepare ourselves and further our goal to ally with other mythologies. And the more we have, the merrier. More importantly, depending on your priorities, it will give the time for Rias and her retinue to train themselves and get stronger." Azazel said seriously.

"Just because they are laying low for now, doesn't necessarily mean that we will have the luxury of peace in those three weeks Azazel. We might need the Gremory devils to rise to the occasion should we not be in one place or another." Death said.

"As of now, I'm afraid they would be useless to you. None of them are even close to being ready for real combat, as you may have seen when they fought against Tannin, so we can't afford to postpone their training." Azazel said before he smirked a bit. "After all, you did told me once that I see to it i ready the devils for the time when they must go into the thick of it, right? So that's what I plan to do, and three weeks should be enough for the devils to handle themselves in a fight properly."

"Should be?" War asked.

"Yes, because I can't guarantee how far they will improve with this training regimen. If everything goes smoothly, they will perform decently well on the battlefield, especially if Rias can learn to be both brain and brawn in a fight and draw out the full potential of other devils in her peerage. Which is something that I will also help out with." Azazel said seriously.

"Then see it done Azazel." Death said before he and War turned around and departed, leaving Azazel alone in his office.

The next day, the horsemen and the Gremory devils have arrived in front of a giant Gremory residence that appears like a mixture of a castle and a mansion.

"Holy balls! This is your home?!" Issei shouted in shock at the sight of the castle in front of him.

"Unbelievable. This is where your family lives?" Asia asked as she was just as awestruck as Issei at the sight.

"Indeed they do." Rias smiled proudly.

"It looks like a damn fortress that you see in movies and video games!" Issei said in shock and amazement, from his angle comparing their castle to the titanic dwarf hold gates in the mountains that he had seen in movies, minus the mountain part.

"I've seen bigger." War said bluntly. But just as Rias opened her mouth to say something…

"Don't humor him." Death grunted a bit to Rias before he walked towards the castle, along with the rest of the group. "I am curious though. If this is your home, then what of the place that we visited weeks ago when I first confronted your father and brother?"

"Oh, that was the place that we go over the weekends to relax." Rias smiled a bit as she looked at Death before glancing at her home in front of her. "This castle here is our true home, despite being crowded a bit."

"A bit?" Death asked sarcastically as he knew well that even for her, that was too modest.

Then both he, War and the other devils noticed a certain gray haired woman in maid outfit standing at the entrance, a woman that the riders recognized as Grayfia.

"Welcome back Lady Rias. Horsemen. We've been expecting you. Follow me inside." Grayfia said formally before she turned around and went inside, with the group behind her following the maid.

As the group walked through the hallway, from the left side the entire row of butlers were lined up and bowed respectfully in unison, while from the right a row of house maids were also lined up and bowed with the butlers in greetings to Rias and the devils. Though, they were unnerved when they saw not only Death, but War as well.

"Are those the Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

"Yes, two of them at that."

"This can't be."

"The Reaper is here."

"The red rider as well."

This was one of many sentences that both butlers and house maids whispered to each other, most heard by the riders and were rather annoyed with all the gossip. But they chose to ignore the devils and focused their attention on Grayfia.

Eventually, Grayfia lead the group inside the massive living room, where two certain devils were waiting.

"Hello Rias, good to see you." The brunette devil smiled.

"This chick is banging hot! I want one of those for my harem!" Issei thought lecherously as he eyed the brunette devil.

"Issei?" Rias said with a not so amused look on her face.

"Yes, here." Issei said quickly as she snapped him back to reality, but still looking at the brunette in front of him.

"Finding a carpet that match the drapes was a pain, please try not to drool on it while staring at my mother." Rias said as a matter-of-factly.

"Wait! Your mom?!" Issei exclaimed in shock.

"This is Rias' mother?" War said his brother curiously, while Death silently nodded. "For a moment I thought she was her older sister." He said as he looked back at the devil. Then again, upon closer observation, it could be that she used her devil magic to make her appear youthful and radiant, something the succubi of Hell practice with to make their usually demented forms alluring for any victim they have their eye on, like that repulsive harlot Lilith.

"Well this is a surprise, the Crimson Slayer giving such a nice compliment to a devil." The brunette devil that the riders know as Venelana giggled in amusement as she approached the group.

"It wasn't intentional." War said sternly.

"Now that is of no surprise. Welcome to our humble abode horsemen." Venelana smiled. Death rolled his eyes in annoyance as he now felt that a nauseating dose of brownnosing will follow those words. If he had a functional gut and wasn't wearing his executioner mask, he would have vomited on the carpet, let alone drool on it like Issei did moments ago.

"You are calling this fortress of a home humble?" Issei said in baffled tone, but Rias silently elbowed him, giving him a look that silently tell him to behave himself.

"We are hardly welcome anywhere across Creation devil, so don't try to give us a false pretense that we are a pleasant sight to you or your family." War said in accusing and frustrated tone.

"Well, given the current situation in the Underworld and of the pact that you made with the Three Great Powers, you won't be leaving the realm anytime soon, so we might as well accommodate you as much as we can." Venelana smiled.

"Assuming that you will be in your best behavior under our roof horsemen." A male devil suddenly interjected as he stood next to Venelana.

"Zeoticus." Death said dryly.

"You must be Rias' father, I take it?" War asked curiously.

Rias was rather surprised that War is actually addressing her by her name and not by her last name. But then again, it's probably for practical purposes as her parents are here as well, and the fact that it's not the first time he addressed her by her name, not really.

"Yes, I am Zeoticus Gremory, Sirzechs' and Rias' father. I would have said that it's a pleasure to meet you, but you would hardly believe that." Zeoticus smiled a bit.

"Hardly." War said bluntly.

"As presumed. All the same, my maids will show you to your quarters should you need some privacy. You are also free to join us at dinner that we will be having in a few hours." Zeoticus smiled.

"We have no need for sustenance devil, so private quarters only will suffice." Death said in usual cold and strict tone.

"Very well then. Grayfia, if you please." Zeoticus said in slightly serious tone.

"This way horsemen." Grayfia bowed formally to the riders before she showed them the way.

Later that night, while the devils were having a dinner, War and Death were staying in their room, both of them standing near the open window and waiting for Death's crow companion Dust to return from it's recon across the Gremory territory and beyond. After a while, they both noticed the crow's return as it squawked before it perched on Death's right arm, cawing again to the Reaper and relaying the information that only Death can understand.

"Here in the Underworld?" Death asked in surprise, with Dust squawking and bobbing his head forward in response.

"Brother?" War asked curiously.

"Apparently we have an unexpected visitor." Death said simply while Dust flew up on the rider's right shoulder and perched on it.

"A visitor? Who?" War asked curiously.

"You'll see when we meet him." Death said as he made his way out, followed by War.

Half an hour later, miles away from the Gremory castle, Dust flew high in the sky, leading Death and War while they followed the crow on horseback to the location of a certain someone that only Death knows as of now, deliberately keeping War in suspense, which frustrated the red rider as he hates being kept in the dark. The red rider then noticed a person in black standing in front of an unknown person. But to his surprise, even from very far away, he discovered who it was as the silhouette was unmistakable, along with the crazy amount of power emanating from him.

"Strife?" War said in surprise before he looked at Death. "He is the visitor you mentioned?"

"Yes, and we are about to find out why is he here to begin with." Death said as the two of them continued to ride towards their brother.

Meanwhile, Strife is having a sweet time with a voluptuous cat woman that are known as the nekomata, and this particular lady is sporting long black hair with split bangs, hazel-gold eyes with cat like pupils, along with cat ears to boot and not just one, but two cat tails wiggling about. And her attire consists of a black kimono, a yellow sash, a set of golden beads, and an ornately detailed headband. And her kimono is low enough that not only her shoulders are seen, but also her almost fully displayed breasts, which is a beautiful sight for the rider of shadow.

"Come on hotshot. All the action that we had up until now and you haven't even shown your face, which is rather rude. And don't say that your mouth counts because it doesn't, as insane of a kisser as you are." A cat woman said in annoyance as she tapped the mouth part of Strife's helmet while lying sideways on his chest like a housecat would on a television. She is well aware that he was the Horseman of the Apocalypse, but instead of being intimidated by that fact, it only turned her on greatly, to the point where she tried to make a brat or two with him, but the rider would have none of that. Doesn't mean she will stop trying though, she can only imagine how powerful their children would be with the insane combination of the powers of nekomata and a horseman.

"Sorry Kuroka, but I never revealed my face to anyone, not even to my brothers." Strife said before he eyed her melons that are almost about to burst from being so low. "Although, i have a feeling that you can be very persuasive." He said as he ran his finger down her left breast and on her cloth between her boobs, inches away for her breasts to be on full display. The nekomata only giggled in pleasure as she slowly moved her legs into cowgirl position and leaned her melons on Strife's chest.

"Oh I most definitely can be." Kuroka smirked seductively before she licked her lips in delight, her face inches away from the rider's mask. But they were both broken out of their passionate trances as they noticed a crow cawing and flying above them.

"Really? Goddamn it." Strife groaned in annoyance.

"I can eat that crow for you if it's that much of a nuisance. You know how it is with cats and birds." Kuroka smiled a bit as she winked playfully, clutched her right hand and bent it like a cat would her paw.

"If you eat that particular bird, you'd wish that you didn't even think of doing that." Strife said in unusually serious tone, at least to her as he moved Kuroka from him and got up, much to her surprise. But before she could voice out her frustration for that sudden interruption…

"Strife!" War called out as he and Death stopped galloping and spotted Strife standing on the rocks above.

"Ah, brothers! I am so touched that you paid me a visit." Strife said casually while Kuroka stood next to him.

"They are your brothers?" Kuroka asked curiously, having heard of the other horsemen, but first time seeing them in person.

"Yup, so that is your cue to let us talk in private." Strife said casually.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on leaving this party out." Kuroka smiled in playful defiance to the rider.

"Come on, be a good little kitten and leave us for a while. If you do, then you are later in for a little… extra." Strife said to her in almost a whisper in a playful tone as he scratched Kuroka behind her cat ears, making her purr and moan in pleasure.

"Now that sounds really tempting." Kuroka moaned as she rubbed her head on his hand like a house cat before she turned towards the rider. "You better deliver on that extra when you're done cowboy." She smiled playfully as she ran her index finger on his chest before leaving.

"Oh you bet I will." Strife chuckled in husky tone, making Kuroka giggle a bit before she departed, conjuring a portal in front of her before entering it, disappearing from the spot along with the portal itself. When she did, Strife jumped down and walked forward to greet his siblings, while Death and War dismounted their steeds and also walked towards their brother.

"Ever the womanizer Strife." War said bluntly.

"Can't be helped. It is the best thing ever next to killing things, helps break up the monotony by a landslide." Strife said nonchalantly.

"And when has 'killing things' ever been monotonous for you brother?" War asked bluntly.

"Got me there." Strife chuckled lightheartedly.

"What do you think you're doing in the Underworld Strife? Other than doing 'extras' with every female you can find." Death asked bluntly.

"The Council has given us a very important assignment." Strife said in more serious tone.

"Us?" Death asked curiously.

"Yeah, Fury and myself. Somehow the Seven Deadly Sins have escaped their jail and are now walking willy nilly across the realms." Strife said seriously.

"The Sins are free?! How is that possible?!" Death exclaimed in outrage.

"Your guess is as good as mine, thought the Council told us that Ophis is behind their liberation and made them stronger than they were before, for reasons only known to that dragon." Strife said seriously.

"What does Ophis plan to do with the Sins? They hold allegiance to now one, now even amongst themselves." War said in both curiosity and confusion.

"Whatever the scaly's plan may be, it's up to us to put a stop to it." Strife said in determination.

"And what about Fury? I presume she was eager to rise to the occasion." Death asked curiously.

"More than that Death, since she blatantly asked from the Council to be the leader of the Four Horsemen when it's all said and done." Strife said bluntly.

"She cannot be serious." War said, hardly surprising yet still irritating how Fury is even till this day gunning for that position.

"The Council can give her the title for all I care, but as far as I'm concerned, I am in command. And if she has a problem with that, then she can settle it with me." Death said in cold and grim tone.

"I concur." War nodded. If it ever came to that he would choose Death over Fury as the leader, despite caring for them both.

"Well, can't argue there. After all, out of the two of you, you are more level headed than Fury. She is way too reckless to keep her own head in check, let alone our heads." Strife said casually.

"Glad that the two of you are in agreement after all these eons." Death said in slightly surprised tone, all these centuries it has been nothing but constant bickering as to who will lead and who will follow. And even when Death gets the compliance of his siblings, it's mostly through a threat that he is more than capable of backing up, but always wishing in the back of his mind that that threat is never realized, like it did with War when he cut off his hand.

"Well, it had to happen eventually, as long as you don't use our tongues for raw materials." Strife jested, a remark that he remembered eons ago during the Abomination Crisis.

"You mind your attitude and your words with me brother and that won't be the case." Death said, more out of jest than it being a threat.

"Let us hope that Fury is suited to the task to defeat even one of the Sins, let alone seven of them." War said.

"I don't plan on leaving things to hope War. You will go with Strife and help them hunt down the Sins, while I remain with the Gremory devils and see what I can do about Ophis and the Khaos Brigade." Death instructed.

"Umm, actually they appointed me and Fury only to retrieve the Sins." Strife pointed out.

"They cannot be serious!" Death said in outrage.

"Apparently they are. They Council did say that…"

"To hell with the Council!" Death interrupted Strife angrily, surprising not only him, but War as well with the sudden outburst, albeit momentarily. "It took all four of us to subdue the Sins in the past, and now they are sending only the two of you against those now empowered abominations?! No, I will not allow you two to be slaughtered by the Sins, be it War or myself we will assist you in defeating them."

"I wish I could agree with you brother, but I can't." War said, drawing Death's attention. "The Council's orders aside, Ophis will prove to be a far greater threat to the Balance if we leave her to her own devices. And since we are yet to see the true magnitude of Ophis' power, right now for all we know, one of us will not be enough to even keep the Infinite Dragon God at bay, let alone defeat her in battle. You may not agree to this, but we are needed here. Both of us."

"Yeah, Fury and I got this. As long as those Sins don't team up, which is highly unlikely that they will, then we can handle them no problem. After all, they're not the only ones who got stronger after all these eons." Strife said casually as he spun Redemption in his right hand before he stopped when he finished his sentence.

"My plan still stands brothers. Like Azazel said, the Khaos Brigade has laid low for some reason, which gives us three weeks to hunt down and bring the Sins back before the faction reception can begin. I doubt we will be able to find all of the Sins in such a short time span, since they no doubt rooted themselves and are biding their time before they strike, but we will certainly find some of the Sins lurking about. And if the Underworld does get threatened by something far more than the three factions can handle, we will return to help them out. In the meantime, we commence with the hunt for the Sins." Death said stubbornly.

"You said yourself that we won't be guaranteed peace in those three weeks Death, that Ophis will most likely take advantage of our absence, the fact that it will be only one of us present. You and I will stay here while Fury and Strife handle the Sins alone. If it proves too much for them to handle, they can always call us for aid." War said seriously.

"No. You go along and help them. I will stay alone." Death ordered in cold and strict tone.

"No, I will remain here with you." War retorted, which only irritated the pale rider.

"You are going War." Death said in now threatening tone to his brother, emphasizing every word as he inched closer to War.

"No." War said in dead serious tone, not deterred by his brother's icy gaze at all.

But before they would start a brawl, they were both interrupted when Strife fired a loud shot towards the sky from his gun Redemption, drawing the attention of his brothers.

"And here I was complimenting you for being level headed." Strife said in annoyance before he sheathed Redemption. "Haven't you learned anything by now from threatening us of all people? War in particular defied your orders many times over as eons passed, it won't be any different this time around. Besides, he has a point, the two of you together would have a better chance against Ophis then one of you alone. So why don't we stop wasting time bickering with each other like we are in kindergarten and get on with things already?" He said as he too now started to be frustrated.

Death could feel every iota of his being burning in anger, his orange eyes glowing as the proof of that fact, but War and even Strife remain steadfast even against the most deadly of the horsemen. But Instead of growling, grumbling, cursing in an ancient language that not even Strife and War know of or outright attacking, he simply sighed deeply in frustration that his brothers were against him. So much for him being in command, there's no worth to it at this point. He can't really say that they don't obey him willingly at all over the eons, but albeit by concern or pride, or sometimes both, most of the time he has to force them to comply through a threat or two so he can handle a certain task alone. And yet War may be right, after all he said so himself that the next three weeks might be all the Khaos Brigade needs to continue their rampage. Ultimately, after long period of silence between brothers and much pondering, in the end Death gave up on the idea, not worth fighting his greatest allies over it, siblings that he trusts more than anyone and that he will most likely need in days to come.

"Fine." Death grunted in reluctance before he looked at Strife. "Do not drop your guard against them brother."

"Don't worry, I won't." Strife said as he placed his hand on Death's right shoulder. The pale rider only nodded silently before Strife turned around and summoned his steed Mayhem, the horse appearing from the ground in cloud of black and purple before he galloped and stopped In front of the rider. Strife then hopped on the saddle and rode towards the unknown.

Meanwhile in an unknown location, Fury, after successfully capturing the first Sin Envy with the talisman she acquired from her, she found the second Sin waiting to be subdued, a hulking heap of muscle, metal and burning fire, rage and hatred unbound called Wrath, immediately engaging him in combat after the Sin slaughtered a squadron of angels with barely any effort. And when she did, the horseman fought tooth and nail with Wrath, upheaving the ground beneath them and shattering the environment all around in a massive storm of blazing fire and crimson arcane, fighting in a rage that even the most ferocious of beasts can't match. But the Sin proved to be far more than what she bargained for as he started to beat her soundly. And in her blind rage over her inability to subdue the Sin, she forgot the fact that she was only feeding the brute with her frothing, uncontrollable anger, making it stronger in the process, being the embodiment of the said emotion after all. After hours of constant, brutal fighting, she was weakened enough to the point where she can barely stand, and out of mockery Wrath used one of the still intact angelic javelins to impale her in the stomach, lifting her above him.

"It's funny what you remember in between screams." Wrath said before he slammed Fury on the ground, making her cough out a chunk of blood. "It is no wonder why my siblings refer to you as the dumb one!" He then started to lift her up. "Yes, keep fighting, see how far that will take you!" He mocked as he laughed arrogantly.

"I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" Fury screamed in anger befitting her name before she clenched her trembling right hand and punched the blade of the javelin, breaking it before she fell on the ground.

"You think you're angry?" Wrath said before he tossed the broken javelin aside. "You barely scratched the surface."

But as the Sin continued to taunt her, Fury got up despite of the immense agony and fatigue she had to endure, but still got the blade of the javelin stuck on her stomach. Instead of pulling it out like any sane person would, she plunged the blade further inside her gut until the blade pierced her back, dangerously close to her spine. Wrath wished he could fight eternally with a vicious and rage-driven opponent like her, but unfortunately even the horsemen have their limits, something that disappointed him immensely as he lifted his sword above his head, ready to end this charade, fun as it was while it lasted.

"Then let me dig deep!" Fury shouted in seething anger before she dashed backwards and impaled the tip of the angelic blade right on Wrath's head just as the Sin was about to cleave her in two, catching the Sin by surprise that she was able to pull that off, which is usually impossible when the blade was so close to her spine. When she did, Fury crumpled on the ground as she used the last of her strength, while the flames that blazed through Wrath's thick armor started to weaken until they completely snuffed out, along with the Sin's life as his lifeless body slammed on the ground.

"What a pitiful way to die." Fury said to herself bitterly, barely able to breathe and stay conscious before she looked at her palm stained with her own blood. "The second sin… and I already lie bloodied and beaten on the ground. How pathetic I can be?" She said, feeling so pitiful and bitter at herself that she wasn't even half way done with her quest and was already dying on the ground in a small puddle of her own blood, while her vision was blurrier with every moment.

As Fury finally fell unconscious, mortally wounded from her battle with Wrath, suddenly a black and orange portal materialized beneath her, consuming her entirely before it disappeared, along with the black rider herself. But what could that entail? Does it mean that she has been taken captive by some demon? Or angel? Or another power that has taken interest in the rider due to recent events? That is the answer that only the rider herself will know, presuming that her captor will not finish the job in her wounded state.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but here's the new chapter. You'd think that it would be here alot sooner cause of the quarantine and stuff, but i've been playing ALOT of Total War Warhammer 2 in the last few weeks, so this chapter took longer to finish than it should have been. Plus i was really brainstorming where exactly to fit the Sins in the story, and it was then that i realized that the chapters are going to be tricker and tricker to write with all these plots that i piled up. So if the story takes longer than usual to update, it's either cause im playing games or taking my time to make quality chapters. I know that i'm behaving like my story is the pinnacle of storytelling, which is not, but i'm trying to make it as cohesive and entertaining as possible both for myself and the readers, so i apologize in advance, please don't come at me with torches and pitchforks :D

-Wacko12 did i though? *trollface*

-It is ON Thanks, appreciate it :)

-ghosthdead Thank you, glad you like it :)

-Gamelover41592 Thanks man, appreciate it. Vali dead? Nah, it must be your imagination :D

-DOOMRAIDER Umm, that's now how Lust works in Darksiders universe. Like Fury explained, Lust does not necessarily translate to sexual desires, and War certainly isn't driven by those types of desires, not by a longshot. It could be lust for power, prestige, position etc. Like with Fury when Lust almost tempted her to give in to her desire to be the leader of the horsemen, or with Usiel when he promised him the revival of the seventh legion, though omitting that they would most likely be back as undead, and that all of Heaven would be under his command. So yeah, i don't really see that happening, although the scene where War learned that Death betrayed his trust would definitely fit if they were to encounter Pride, since War did accuse Death of his pride several times in the Abomination Vault novel, as far as i remember, that he wanted to finish the task all alone instead of allowing his siblings to help him, even though it was reasonably personal.

Man, you read my mind on that bit :D

Yeah, i deliberately kept that bit aside for this chapter, so Death could pull off a dick move at the last minute before they sealed the deal, kinda like in DBZ abridged ep 30 part 3 where it went along the lines of "Hey, can we get 6 wishes instead of 3, so we dont do this shit again? we will only revive dead schmucks." "Unconventional, but due to the ease of these wishes, i will accomodate" "And a planet." "Oh that's just a dick move!" :D

-Lq840i i left out that bit for this chapter.

Yeah no kidding, a human mage Merlin Ambrosius (i think he's a human?) basically reverse engineered devil magic, which resulted in other magics in the world, like norse, fairy, black magic etc. which is insane. But even so, by themselves the humans are hardly a match for legions of Heaven and Hell, without the help of devils and other factions that is.

Not really, he trained for three weeks with Tannin (if you can call running away from him all the time training :P). For the record, its boob armor, not plot armor. Jk on the last bit, i know, i catch your drift :D

-Akakiru Yeah, i know, but that wasn't my point :D

-Rigald02 Yeah, a chill rider that also has an iching trigger finger :D

-Colshan Dust didn't sense that they are devils. He sensed abnormal powers from Kuoh Academy, but had no idea who those powers belong to, until Death realized that they belong to Rias and Akeno and at the time he was focused on them, so he kinda overlooked Sona and her crew at the time, something he admitted in chapter 8.

Of all the things in chapter 4, that's the only thing that got your attention? Okay, moving on.

-undead3 Thanks, it was difficult to pull off, but i somehow managed to make it work. Well it wasn't really all skill, remember that Death, along with the other horsemen have been given unimaginable power by the Council, so combining that with the prowess gained from countless grizzly battles over the eons in their duty to protect the Balance made the fight with Vali look like a walk in the park. But despite that, it doesn't make them invincible because as you may have seen against the original White Dragon Emperor and corrupted Vritra, they too can be beaten if they are not careful. If your point was that i didn't add the exclusion of factions reincarnating humans, i saved that for this chapter.

Yeah, it's kinda hard to disect the overall power of the horsemen in the games and how they work. In Darksiders 1 it's reasonable that War is scrub tier cause the Council stripped him of his power. In DS2, it is implied that the horsemen don't have their usual, unimaginable power all the time, that they only have that power if the mission is sanctioned by the Council. And in DS3, Fury has babysit power, even though the Council basically sent her to a chopping block since the Sins were also empowered by the Council themselves, which doesn't make sense? That part is rather confusing.

Either way, i don't plan on relying on the bullshittery that is power levels in this story, especially the anime power levels that sometimes make no sense at all and it gives me such a headache (im looking at you Dragon Ball Super). Besides, the characters in most of the stories are basically as strong as the story itself demands it, so that's why i'm trying not to bring up how strong the horsemen actually are, or Ophis, or Great Red etc., at least not on the spot with numbers and all. If i did, then it would make the story itself boring and predictable. But what i am going to say that the horsemen's true potential, in this story ofc, can only be unleashed if all seven seals are broken. Then they are truly unstoppable, Abyssal armor and all.

I dunno about that, it is not implied that Lucifer directly manipulated Corruption, he basically grabbed his popcorn and watched as Absalom is doing all the work. The concept of Corruption itself sounded really cool, but yeah, i think they messed up with it's narrative here and there.

-muddin2900 Thank you. Yup, that they did :)

-Chronos0305Yeah, that's what you get when you rush into battle without thinking how truly dangerous your opponent is. That was actually a great idea, which is why i added something similar to that in this chapter, but sadly no Koneko.

-Darkmaster10000000 Sorry to hear that.

-damianmartinez0920 Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Nah, i think the pairings are good. Issei can be a dumbass, but at the end of the day he's a genuine article. Besides, his harem has been drastically reduced to Akeno and Asia only, and possibly Irina but i am yet to see what i'll do about it, so can't leave the infamous grabbin dragon high and dry :D And thanks again, you stay safe and sound as well. Have a nice day :)

-EC3 I'm glad you love it, but sadly i won't be doing a sequel to that story anytime soon, definitely not before i finish with this one.

-DragonSlayer Pff, War is nothing like the prince of all Tsunderes, so that kind of relationship will never happen unfortunately. War is a stern, dedicated, dutybound soldier at heart, who has zero fucks given for anything but for his duty to the Council and the Balance. When it comes to relationships, its solely a brotherly tough love he has for his siblings, so he is not the type that will stop with everything he is doing because of some woman spreading his legs for him. Like that meme where Bulma's pussy must be so good she subdued a man who destroyed planets for fun :D

Thanks for all the faves, follows and reviews so far. Again, sorry it took this long, but i was just being careful not to get a burnout from writing this story, which usually results in a hiatus or outright discontinuation and i dont want to be one of those authors, nine hells of no to that. Hopefully the future chapters won't take as long to post as this one did. Have a nice day, stay home and all that and i shall see you in the next chapter :)