45 Chapter 45: Night talk

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

Also, chapter 43 and 44 have been reworked.

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Knockbridge-

"What is the meaning of this!" The goddess exclaimed in anger as she glared at the armored figure of Vritra. The latter came in between her and the soul of Sétante, pointing the modified Gae Bolga spear at her throat.

"Don't you dare touch this man's soul, impostor."

"What?" The woman's eyes widened a fraction before turning into a frown as she snarled at him. "What sort of idiocy is this? You dare call me a fake? What gives you the nerve for such an accusation?" She brought her godly power and saturated the land in a deadly aura, turning it even more barren than before. Vritra's previous burning black flames slowly began to lose their power. "Be careful with your words, dragon, your existence is on the verge of my domain, no longer are you protected by the Christian God's blessing of his Sacred Gears."

Her words were hostile but Vritra didn't flinch. "You are not Badb." Accused Vritra.

"Oho~" The accusation amused the Goddess, she smirked which put the dragon on the edge. Her face, clothes, and everything resembled Badb, but she wasn't her. "Why would you say that? I know you can feel my domain, especially with your current state, no one other than the Goddess of death can wield such a power."

"I am at a loss on how you can control the domain which is not yours, but do not take me for a fool. I may not know your motives, but I can sense your lies from far away."

"Fufufu, a dragon who can sense falsehoods… do not make me laugh. You are no entity of justice and righteousness, we all know what kind of being you truly are, Vritra." Her finger touched the pointed tip of the spear, without it piercing her flesh, but to Vritra's disbelief, it did not even leave a mark! "You accuse me of lying, while your own words are as false as they come. Tell me… '' Using just the tip of her finger, she pushed the spear back slightly. "How did you really find out about me not being Badb?"

She stopped pretending and the deadly aura she carried changed to her true self, one filled with blood and violence; as if he had fallen in the middle of a brutal battle between armies. The phantom sounds of metal clashing and cries of war resonated around him.

"Arrogance!"

[Delete Field!]

A small dome expanded outwards of the armor and covered the Goddess, the spear she was previously pushing back was now back at her throat. A frown came on her features as she continued to glare at the dragon.

"Are you truly preparing for a fight? You may have fooled the Curruid but I know the truth! You are barely holding on. The remaining energy from the demi god's blood enhanced by [Sephiroth Graal] has long run out; you are running on fumes right now. You may display the power of your past self, but it's just a ruse. At any moment, that energy will be gone and you won't be able to sustain your current form without killing the boy."

She was right, he had attained and held on to his current level of power due to the power of Cu Chulainn's blood, enhanced by the [Sephiroth Graal] piece. Even if he had kept the portion he passed on to Raynare then it wouldn't have done much different, as he needed a lot more to battle a god. Not to mention, when he was still alive, unlike Ddraig and Albion; Vritra couldn't just slaughter every deity that faced him. The fact remained that he was the weakest Dragon King, his versatility may have given him the edge but against strong foes, it wouldn't matter much.

Vritra couldn't battle her, he couldn't risk his host's life anymore, he knew that…

But this woman didn't.

"Yes, I acknowledge your words," She smirked, but not for long as the spear grew closer to her neck. "But whether I can battle you or not, is outside your choice. My partner and I have already decided to lay down our lives here. We are conscious of our ineptitude to kill you, but…" He brought out his wings with black flames burning on his other hand. "...we can still wound you enough for one of your enemies to come and finish the job."

Taking out a page from Hachiman's book, he really hoped that his bluff went through. He was beginning to siphon Hachiman's reserves to maintain the gears and it was depleting at a rapid pace.

"..."

They were both at a standstill.

Each sizing up the other, one deciphering the words of the other, while the next continued to put up a false display of prowess.

"I believe you both have done enough damage on my land." Both Goddess and Dragon were caught by surprise by the voice of another person stepping in, breaking the standstill.

""You!"" Both Vritra and the Goddess recognized the newest addition, but both for different reasons.

Since Vritra was sharing Hachiman's soul, he could scour his host's very recent memories and saw how the young boy met this person while prowling the village.

It was that elderly woman who made Hachiman promise to give Sétante a second chance.

But the Goddess knew her under a different identity.

"So you finally show your face, you damned witch!"

'Witch?' Vritra's mind worked in overdrive as millions and billions of faces and names from different eras both ancient and present, flashed in his head. He put away all those who did not possess any relation to this village and its local legend. And a single name stood out.

"The immortal witch, Scáthach…" He muttered, the tension growing as this was not an opponent he could contend against, even in his prime. She was considered powerful, even among other god killers. "Who are you intending to help?"

The old granny laughed and shook her head in amusement. "I am on no one's side, ya stupid lizard. I just want both of you to get out of here and I'll be taking the boy's soul. Curruid or not, he deserves to be buried alongside his ancestors. The boy has suffered enough for two lifetimes." She then turned her attention toward Vritra. "Also, your little battle with the boy damaged the shield I put around my land, you may leave but the boy will remain to fix the damage done."

The Goddess grew agitated by the witch's nonchalant attitude. "You dare speak to me with that ton—Psht! Argh!" Out of nowhere, a high-pitched noise was heard before her shoulder was pierced, leaving behind a bloody hole.

'Fast!' Vritra was shaken to the core, he had barely seen the blur of a spear attacking the Goddess. 'I have only seen Albion display such speed in my life!'

"I have had enough of your ploy, Nemain. If it was Morrigan here instead of a part of her, then I would have been more cautious. But there seems to be some disagreement between you three sisters, I'm pretty sure I won't have to deal with her any time soon."

Now everything became clear to Vritra. Nemain, the Goddess who personifies the frenzied havoc of war. 'So she is the one who has been trying to encroach on Scathack's land and Sétante's home. The boy must have mistaken her for Badb… no, Nemain herself was playing the role of her sister.' If it wasn't for the blessing Badb passed on to Hachiman back in Kuoh, then Vritra would have honestly mistaken Nemain as his ally, Badb.

But the three sisters were basically a single person, Morrigan, the Phantom Queen, and Goddess of Death. Why would the three identities which formed a single entity have conflicting goals than one another? 'And why does Nemain want Scáthach's territory?'

"That was just a warning, next time, I'll aim for the heart." The immortal witch said, her voice still sounding annoyed, as if killing a Goddess was a trivial thing.

Nemain retreated back, holding her wound while keeping a distance between her and Scáthach. 'If only those other two agreed with me… then all of this would have gone easier as Morrigan.' She knew her limits, and fighting this hag head-on was no different than commiting suicide. 'Badb and Macha will not help me, and they refuse to fuse back as Morrigan!'

She needed to retreat, revise her strategy and come up with another plan of attack. After all, her allies wouldn't take failure as an answer.

"This isn't the end!" A dark fog surrounded Nemain as she turned into a crow and flew away.

Vritra waited for her to be gone far enough to finally relax.

Thump

He fell onto his knees, panting and sweating like crazy. His [Balance breaker] vanished showing the face of Hachiman with red eyes, signifying that Vritra was still in control.

"Huff… Huff… Huff…" After who knows how long, the dragon had once again experienced the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion both physically and mentally. "Th-Thank you, I will forever remember your aid." He thanked her, she really helped him and Hachiman out of a precarious position.

"Humph, the great Black Dragon King, fallen to his knees after a little battle, you've grown weaker, Vritra. I remember hearing tales of you fighting against millions of Indra's golden army all by yourself. Yet here you are, not even standing after a single fight."

"I would argue otherwise, immortal witch. It was not I who was weak, but rather my opponent who was a true prodigy." He checked Hachiman's consciousness to see if there was any damage and sighed in relief as he found none. He spotted how a small stain of his madness curse had been growing on the boy. Now that he was back, this would no longer be an issue. "Were you honest with words, of taking the boy in?"

"Ha! You wish. No, I no longer take disciples, my daughter has been a pain on her own. Another brat is not something I wish to babysit."

"But then, why did yo—"

"—I am not finished! The boy will indeed come with me. But only because I want him to fix the damage he caused to the shield AND to make sure he doesn't sully the name of my disciple by waving that spear around like a toy. You barely handled the weapon yourself, despite being an ancient dragon."

"Aye, I am truly in your debt… " He offered his thanks and respect to the lady by bowing down. "Before I leave, there was someone else with Hachiman…"

Scáthach sighed in annoyance.

"Yes, yes that crow, I remember. She'll be just fine, the energy you've passed on to her saved her life and healed her up… though you may have given her a bit too much." She said, not explaining further.

"Pardon?"

Pa!

"Stop wasting your time and leave already!" Vritra got hit by her walking cane to the face. He smiled at her antics, Hachiman was going to be in safe hands. He retreated back into the confines of his soul and the Sacred Gear, calling back Hachiman to take control of his body.

His eyes closed as the last word he heard was…

"Honestly, stupid kids, always causing me trouble. You're lucky that I happen to have a soft spot for people like you. Besides, you should worry more about yourself, your little fight here was witnessed by the Ouroboros Dragon itself… I can only delay her arrival for so long before she starts to get annoyed."

'Curses!'

{Break}

-Kuoh, Mountainous region-

(Few days later)

Akeno was thirsty.

It was the middle of the night and they were on their last day before the Riser fight.

Everyone trained hard. Rias didn't really need to work on her powers as she had been doing that for years, so she and Sona continued to study past rating games. Which of course annoyed Rias a bit since she wanted to hang out with her Queen and servants rather than stay cooped up in the library for days.

Kiba had gotten better at fighting with his regular spar against Sona's peerage members. Koneko was still practicing her senjutsu abilities, but without a true master, she had a much harder time advancing than others. Azazel did mention that he would find a solution to her problem.

Issei and Saji have been hanging around more frequently, they truly become friends, with Saji learning about what Issei and Asia did for him. The two boys also brought Gasper along with them, Akeno didn't bother mentioning his gender and let them think that he was a girl.

She couldn't wait to crush their dreams or maybe get a camera and have Gasper flash them~

Akeno, alongside Tsubaki, had indeed trained their other capabilities outside their magic. To be honest, she really sucked at close quarters combat. Even with Koneko's help, she struggled immensely to hold up her own.

So she concentrated on her other attributes, her speed to be more precise. That was one of the few things she was good at aside from spell casting. In the end, her main strategy ended up being to evade and attack.

"I miss him…" Of course, her biggest struggle during this whole training week was not being with Hachiman. Her calls weren't going through and she even tried to sneakily teleport to him but found out that something was blocking her!

She sighed in frustration.

'Guess there is nothing I can do aside from waiting… Maybe I'll shock that Yakitori to dust to relieve some of my stress.'

As she headed downstairs to the kitchen, Akeno spotted a dimly lit room. "Oh? Looks like someone is awake." The Fallen we are soon greeted by the familiar sight of a redhead wearing glasses.

"Ara? You're awake?"

Her buchou's voice came from the living room. When Akeno looked, there she was sitting on the sofa, in her undergarments.

"Oh my Rias, you're still awake so late at night?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I thought I might as well get some further reading done. This is a good opportunity, why don't we have a talk?"

The tealight on the table nearby brought a faint glow to the room. Devils could see at night, even if there was no light. Thanks to that, they were able to train even at night; which she found amusing on how much Hachiman would get jealous and salty of that attribute. So, this candle was more for appearance than anything.

"Well then, don't mind if I do."

She sat right next to Rias, squishing up against her like she was a body pillow.

"Do you have to do that?" Rias said in annoyance but also blushing slightly. Even though she was in love with Hachiman, that didn't mean she wasn't–at some level–attracted to her Queen. Akeno had a body that was considered impressive even among the Fallens, it made her a bit jealous as well.

Akeno noticed Rias wearing glasses, something which she didn't need.

"Glasses, really?"

"Oh, this? It's just for looks. You know that it helps me think. Fufufu, this is proof that I have been in the human world for so long." She chuckled, playing a bit with her glasses.

On the table near the sofa were many papers of different drawn battle formations and plans that Rias came up with. It took into consideration many factors from Riser taking the front line, to equipping each of his peerage members with a phoenix tear.

'She must be worried.' Unconsciously, Akeno rested her head on Rias' shoulders, her gesture further flustering the devil.

Rias couldn't help but think how sinful Akeno's body was. It was times like this when she wasn't trying to attract Hachiman would she truly realize how she couldn't measure up to her Queen, looks-wise.

Though a certain fish-eyed boy would argue otherwise.

"To be honest, the only thing you will get by reading this is to have peace of mind. With me and everyone, we'll take care of Riser easily." Akeno said while making a sigh.

"You really think so?"

"It's not whether we are strong enough or not, cause we are. Rather, Riser is the problem."

"Hm?"

"The biggest problem is that our opponent is the Phoenix. But he is still a devil… we can't lose this fight. Even you alone can take him on."

Rias took out a page with the details of the mythical phoenix written on it in detail.

"A long time ago, the mystical beast, Phoenix, was looked upon by humans as a bird that governs life. It was so revered that it left its legend in many countries in the human world where it's told that the tears of the Phoenix can heal any wounds, and the blood that flows within its body can give eternal youth to those that drink it."

But the clan is different from the mystical beast Phoenix. They are the Devils that had the rank of Marquis, and were counted as one of the "72 pillars". The "Phoenix" from the Devils' side.

"The humans named the Devils' Phoenix as "Phenex" to distinguish it from the mystical beast Phoenix, however, the mystical beast Phoenix has the same ability as Riser's clan. —In other words, immortality. That's the opponent we must fight someone against."

This prompted Akeno to laugh a bit.

"Fufufu, such a grandiose description. This almost makes them sound invincible. Something we both know is false, they are just harder to kill."

"Yes, invincible, it's indeed a strong word for them, but at the same time, it's not completely false. Even if you attack them, their wounds will heal right away. Their flames burn bones to dust. Eight wins and two losses. This is the record that Riser has at the official "Rating Game". He fought ten times and won eight matches. He lost two of the matches on purpose as an act of kindness to one of the households he is close to. In reality, he won all of his matches. He has already become a candidate to obtain a title in the official game."

She felt Akeno's arms wrap around her neck, turning around, the former's face came close to hers… their foreheads touching each other.

"Why are you being so pessimistic all of a sudden? You were quite confident the first time that Yakitori came to the human world."

Rias needed a moment to get her bearings, while fighting off the smile of Riser's new nickname, as her Queen was suspiciously acting a bit too intimate with her.

"I just… felt something uneasy back when I heard that Riser was chosen as my fiancé. Yes, I think Otou-sama and the others chose him in case something like this were to happen. They chose him so I will have no choice but to marry him. Even if it becomes a match between households, they still think that there is no way for me to win. In chess, you would say they tricked me. A swindle." She let the papers fall down on the floor and avoided eye contact with Akeno. "Also because when Hachiman is not here… I don't feel like I'm in control anymore, I feel like I'll mess up and you all will have to pay the price. I… I don't want that to happen."

There was also the matter of her parent's belief, that no matter how strong she became, they kept thinking that there was no way that their daughter could beat an immortal. It really put her down when she invested so much time in her training. Even her brother was up to date with her current abilities, yet her parents still didn't think that it was enough. 'Am I really that much of a weakling in their eyes? Or is their sense of power scaling skewed due to Onii-sama?'

"When the Rating Game became popular, the ones who climbed up the most were the House of the Phoenix. There weren't that many battles among Devils until the game was introduced. In a game where the [King] also participates, the strength of Phoenix became clearer. The House of Phenex is the leading group among the strongest class. —Immortal. Devils realized how terrifying this power was for the first time." She was becoming more and more nervous. "Maybe I'm just overestimating myself, how can I beat a member of the House of Phenex? This was a mistake, I shouldn'thavegottensoaheadofmydel—mphf!" Her incessant blabbering got cut off by another pair of lips!

'What in the name of Lucifer!!!??'

A chaste kiss, one that barely lasted a second before ending.

"Wha-what was that!?" Rias jumped away from the couch and scurried backward like she had just come close to a holy object. "W-W-Why did you do that!?"

Meanwhile, Akeno just giggled further at Rias' reaction.

"That's not funny! That was my first kiss! I was planning to give it to—" She was cut off mid-speech, realizing what she was about to bring up something that they haven't touched yet since that night.

"—To Hachiman, right?" Akeno said with a tilt of her head, finishing her sentences.

"..." Rias didn't say anything. Her anger evaporated and was replaced by shame as she looked downwards, still feeling guilty about her desires.

"You know… Hachiman is strange. For as long as I remember, he always had this calm and mature disposition that never suited his age, like older than he seemed. I remember at the time I still used to call him Hikima, and that sometimes it would feel like I was talking to my father."

True, even Rias felt the same when she first met Hachiman but she didn't voice it out at first, fearing that it might sour her previously unstable relationship with Hachiman. But then, after years of living with him… she kinda got used to his attitude.

"But he is not always calm and sometimes… he can be overwhelmed. He would start to overthink simple stuff, overanalyze and begin muttering like a broken record; just like you, Rias. And whenever that happened, the best solution I discovered was to shut him up is with a kiss~" She left the sofa and crawled towards Rias. The Gremory heiress had her instincts scream at her to run as if a ferocious predator was approaching her. "Both of you are so similar in some aspects, that it can be funny at times. You have the same bad habit of being pessimistic as times, you overthink simple things like him and how you're behaving tonight is a textbook example of him. So I just used the same method that works for him on you."

When she finished talking her face was once again close to Rias, the latter's face glowing atomic red from embarrassment.

"You like him," Akeno stated, not as a question but as a fact. "But you're scared of hurting me… or that he'll reject you. These possibilities terrify you more than your engagement with Riser. Am I right?"

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"Yes…" Rias whispered quietly. "I'm sorry."

Her answer made Akeno smile even more. The Gremory could be so adorable at times.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. Sometimes in life, you can't exactly choose with whom you'll fall in love. I won't blame you over such a natural thing." Especially when considering how sour the relationship between Hachiman and Rias was at the beginning. "The sad part is, Hachiman probably likes you romantically as well–even if he denies it — he loves you, Rias. And believe it or not, we agreed to have to you."

This time the redhead whipped her head upwards, gazing at her Queen's eyes, looking for the slightest trace of a lie in those violet orbs.

"I-Is th-that… true?" She sounded so hopeful in Akeno's opinion. The sadist part of her wanted to say no and watch her reaction, but she would never do that to her, especially to something this serious.

"Yes, he does. But knowing him, he'll never confess. The very idea of having two girls as his girlfriends is so alien and bizarre to him, that he forces himself to think that such a relationship would never work. I think that Hachiman wants you to move on and find someone else to love, without realizing that such an action would hurt both of you. He belittles himself so frequently that it can become frustrating at times. He doesn't think much of himself and even exudes some self-hate tendencies at times. Yet when he puts his mind and soul to accomplish something, in my eyes he becomes the most breathtaking person in the world… and I want him to realize that as well. Yet he still struggles to do so with you…"

Hope started to crumble inside her heart. If Hachiman didn't want her and even hoped that she would stop loving him… then…

"But I don't care about having multiple lovers," Akeno said suddenly, breaking Rias' out of her depressing thoughts. "You know I once said to him that if he doesn't make a move first, then I would do it instead?"

"Eh?" She was lost now, her face was marred with confusion as she looked at Akeno.

"Hachiman may not be brave enough to take you, but I am. I won't let any of you go and I'll make you both my lovers; whether you like it or not." A grin formed on her face, scaring Rias "It is not only the boys who can have a harem in the supernatural but the girls as well. And from now on, this is my harem and you both are in it."

It was a necessary decision to make for everyone to be happy.

Akeno knew her boyfriend better than anyone in this world, and she knew that waiting for him to accept Rias would take many years. So she'll make that choice for him, and give him that push that both he and Rias needed.

She didn't lie when she said that she loved both of them. Rias was a beautiful woman as well, and she had been teasing her for years. It was after she saw Rias sleeping naked next to Hachiman did she notice that she didn't feel angered or betrayed by that action. Instead… it made her want more of them. In the end, both of them were extremely important to her, Akeno couldn't imagine a life without them.

The Fallen hybrid made her point clear and nothing will change that.

She closed the distance once more and gave Rias something she needed the most at the moment

She hugged her.

"—!"

Akeno hugged her gently and started to pat her head, like a mother would do for a child.

"You want confidence, right? Okay, I will give you confidence. But now, you have to rest your body and mind. I will be with you until you feel like sleeping. Don't worry about the future, don't worry about Riser, and don't worry about your feelings. Everything will work out perfectly in the end, trust me."

And with that, the previously stressed Rias fell asleep in her Queen's embrace, feeling like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

…

What both girls didn't realize was that above the mansion, seated on the roof were Azazel and Tiamat; both listening to the conversation with their enhanced hearing and magic. Drinking some booze–smoking in Azazel case–they both shared a cup with a third person who had joined them for the night.

"Your daughter will be a fine woman, Fallen." Tiamat said as she drank her cup of sake in her human form, which took the appearance of a beautiful woman with straight and long beautiful pale blue hair, dark blue eyes that were slitted, a body that many would compare to a goddess and a cold atmosphere that radiated from her presence.

"Ha! She's right, that lass is a true Fallen! Maaaan, I should have invited her to the Gregory when I had the chance, she and Penemue would have gotten along quite well." Azazel said as made a toast to his best friend/brother.

Baraqiel meanwhile just sported a proud smile on his face. Looking up far in the distance, he couldn't help but remember his early years with his wife, Shuri.

"She is her mother's daughter after all."

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu and Fate are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.