One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 22: Muramasa Gleaming in The Night

Quick reply to guest reviewers.

Anchit: Much appreciated for the offer, but I already got myself a beta-reader/editor/co-writer. And... your email address did not appear in the site. Try to add some spaces, marks etc., in order to make it appear in one way or another. Cheers!

"Not answering, huh? Alright, fuckboy. Let me show you something fun." Freed giggled as he drew out another sword.

No, it was more like the sword materialized in his other hand.

It was a single edged sword with a strange topaz gem embedded in the triangular protrusion of the blade near the hilt, the blade beige-silver in color while the pommel was standard.

Yuuto raised a brow at the extra sword. It shone a golden aura, the aura of a Holy Sword.

"Yeaaah, gawk at it, fuckface. Behold, Excalibur Rapidly! Better known as the Sword of the Heavenly Flare, heh. Guess what it can do, fuckboy? Wait, don't answer. You'll find out after I gut you like a fish."

Freed belligerently swung his swords into a wild stance, leaning forward like a predator ready to pounce.

Yuuto did not respond as he changed his stance, lowering his sword to his left, tilting it diagonally to the sidewalk.

Seeing the lack of reaction from his opponent, Freed's grin turned into a scowl. "Alright, if you want to play that game"

Surging Excalibur Rapidly, Freed's body glowed before he vanished on the spot.

Memories of his time under his sword instructor beckoned Yuuto when he held Muramasa. Okita Souji told him that the true strength of the blade did not rely solely on power, but technique as well.

Not only that, Black's stories of a samurai he fought was on a way higher level than he was at, able to cut Black into countless pieces in the span of a second. Yuuto spent most of his time in training camp replicating this samurai's technique under Black's supervision, using Black as a blade dummy.

He did not know why these memories came to him, but he chalked it to him holding a genuine samurai sword in his hands. Right now, Yuuto felt more samurai than knight, one that was scrounging for advice on how to wield it with great effect.

Fueled by memories and teachings of the wise and experienced, Yuuto sharpened his focus, more, more, and even more, yet he was so calm and intense as he felt the literal world slow in his wake. Yuuto could feel his vision growing crisper as Muramasa resonated with his aura, feeling inspired, like he could feel a brief moment of omnipotence.

When he spotted the glint of a glowing blade right before his eyes, Yuuto surged with power as the blade sliced above his head, hair replacing what was to be his eyes, as Yuuto swung.

The sound of wet liquid splashed along with a clatter of metal. Yuuto felt no resistance from his weapon.

He did not strike his mark, however, only grazed Freed's forearm. The madman actually pulled at the last moment before Muramasa completely sunk into his skin.

"Yeeeoooow?! Ow owowowowowow! It hurts!? It fucking hurts!"

Yuuto was able to hide his surprise at the sight of Freed pressing his grazed sword-arm in pure agony. Looking at Freed's reaction, the Knight could not help but wonder - was it really that painful?

It was only a scratch; Freed even dropped the Excalibur Destruction.

"You Nnnnnnnn, hisssss! What kind of made-in-China sword is that?! That fucking cursed sword ain't right, and this is me saying it!" Freed spoke as he gritted, hissing through his teeth.

Yuuto glanced at Freed's fingers of his grazed arm, seeing them twitch erratically. Freed flexed his arm, flicking his fingers as if trying to get them to work.

Whatever Muramasa did to him, it must be excruciating. Yuuto felt himself smiling a little. The him now could defeat both Irina and Xenovia combined. Hell, he might be able to beat Issei with Muramasa at his side.

Meanwhile, Freed was doing his damnest to make sure that his injured arm was still in a working condition. Despite the excruciating pain, it did not seem there was any poison or infection latched on his wound. Taking several deep breaths, Freed could feel his arm in the midst of pain.

"Alright, finally got it working again." Freed sighed in relief as he picked up the Excalibur Destruction.

"Nice of you to let me work out the pain, fuckboy. It really felt like you chopped my arm off, in case you're wondering."

Yuuto's smirk widened.

"Of course I would. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to test my new sword further." Yuuto cockily replied with growing confidence.

"Hoh. So you just got it? That's a first. Let me tell ya something. Once I'm done with you, I'm gonna take it. It's a bitch of a blade, but it'll be my bitch once I get it!"

Yuuto readied his stance, leaning forward with his legs bent at a right angle, sword held in both hands, the back of the blade facing down with the tip pointing at freed. It was a while since he used a stance learned from his sword instructor fully. He never bothered to fully implement his samurai techniques into his fighting style, he admitted he probably was more focused on power and raw speed over everything else.

Right now, however, he was holding a legendary katana. If he wanted to stop being left behind, he must return to his roots and start over - remember all of his training, and prove to Muramasa that he was worthy of her.

In short, this was him betting everything he was to break free from his past.

Freed giggled as he assumed another stance, Destruction swung behind him with Rapidly poised at the front.

"I'm no masochist, fuckboy! The me you're facing is now serious! Prepare to be carved like the bitch you are!"

Freed maniacally laughed as he swung Destruction, a burst of radiant energy digging through the concrete at Yuuto.

Yuuto dug Muramasa into the ground on instinct, guided by the feeling of omnipotence flowing in him, and slashed upwards, cutting the wave of energy in two before he swung behind him, clashing with Freed's Rapidly as they locked blades.

"Tch!" Freed failed his sneak attack. "How about this?!"

Freed broke off first and threw a volley of energy blasts at Yuuto, but Yuuto sheathed his katana - he cut down many of Destruction's energy waves with fast quick draws, his slashes much faster than Freed's bulky sword as the bisected energy waves diverged past Yuuto and struck the surrounding buildings and concrete street.

Compared to facing against Black's million clones swarming him, this was child's play.

Freed growled in frustration before he activated his Excalibur Rapidly again.

The rogue exorcist vanished, and Yuuto suddenly felt several attacks coming from multiple directions. Freed were firing destructive energy with his other Excalibur while circling around.

Freed's swordsmanship was erratic, wild, chaotic, just like him. He swings his sword like a deranged animal that just found a toy, yet his skill with the Excalibur might be more than Xenovia's.

Not only that, Freed surpassed Yuuto in movement speed which irritated the Knight. That was why Yuuto compensated with technique and his heightened senses, refusing to make the same mistake from his bout with the exorcist girls. He fended off many of the attacks, soon conjuring another sword, Holy Eraser, using improvised Nitoryu to attack and defend against the onslaught while blocking some of Freed's sword strikes that snuck in with the energy attacks.

Several exchanges between holy and demonic steel later, Yuuto soon realised that his Holy Eraser had been holding up better than he anticipated. While he took pride in his Sacred Gear, he was still well-aware that his creations were no match for a true holy sword like Excalibur.

[You might have to thank me for that, little master.]

Muramasa's voice rang in his head again.

[Truth to be told, I also did not anticipate this development, but it appears my presence and our contract had influenced the power of your Sacred Gear, enhancing your creations in the process.]

Huh - Yuuto could not help but smile inwardly; it was unexpected but very welcomed.

He focused back on his fight, all while implementing everything he had learned prior tonight.

Huh? You want to know why I suggest you try practicing technique?

Yuuto recalled Black's words in the training camp.

Look, there's a guy I know. Well, saw. He stood up against an incredibly strong guy. Like really strong. He's got the best techniques out there, a monster of a martial artist.

He blocked Freed's Destruction and ducked under rapidly, pivoting around his left foot and spun, swinging Holy Eraser.

The guy lost in the end, but that's not the point. The level gap between them is HUGE, but the point is he still stood up against the guy. Right now, you're small, kid. You need an edge if you want to take down the big guys. Otherwise, you won't make it to the big leagues in the long run, trust me.

Avoiding a graze on his cheek, Freed skipped back with his insane reflexes, landing meters away from Yuuto with frustration on his face.

"How the fuck are you keeping up with me?! You know what, screw this!" Freed cursed at him as he clapped the two swords together.

"Alright, I promised the old fart I wouldn't do this until phase two, but fuck him! You made this personal, so blame yourself if you want to curse at something!"

Freed cackled as the swords seemed to meld together, leaving only one sword in place.

Yuuto could not put the shape of the newly merged sword into words that well, but it was a crude mix of the two swords in comparison, the size averaged to fit Freed's needs. It was still big enough to be a two-handed sword as its holy aura glowed brighter.

Nonetheless, the Knight could feel the sheer power brimming from the fused sword - Muramasa, are you ready?

[I have always been; at least things have become more interesting now.]

The sword in Yuuto's hand leaked out more of its sinister aura - Yuuto feeling the empowerment as he held her and Holy Eraser for round two.

"Fun fact: the original Excalibur is a gestalt. Meaning, they work much better together, fuckboy!"

Freed left a trail of light, connected from where he stood and where he was now, right in front of Yuuto.

The fused blade fell, only to clash in the center of Yuuto's crossed blades. Freed grinned maniacally, his face close to Yuuto, and leaned forward, pressing down his weight while Yuuto stood strong, pushing back the Excalibur with Holy Eraser and Muramasa, the first eating away the holy energy before it grew enough to overwhelm him.

"Hah!" Freed threw a straight kick at Yuuto's gut, knocking him sliding across the street as he followed with a downward slash, firing a wave of holy energy.

Yuuto grimaced as Holy Eraser and Muramasa fended the wave of energy off.

However, when it dispersed, Freed was revealed thrusting his sword at Yuuto at his open front while his arms were spread open left and right.

The world slowed to a near standstill as Yuuto's training, instincts, and common sense screamed at him in that moment.

He quickly conjured the biggest sword he could think of that moment. He did not focus on the property, simply made it sturdy enough to stop the fused holy blade from reaching him.

The newly created demon sword appeared between the Excalibur and Yuuto's torso, blocking the holy sword, but as soon as the demon sword cracked, the Knight had already moved.

The demon sword shattered, but it impeded Freed's momentum enough for Yuuto to raise Muramasa and parry its trajectory, all while the Knight twisting his body as much as he could to veer the grinding blade past him, albeit the holy sword did nick his shoulder.

Yuuto then leapt several steps away, creating some distance and breathing room from Freed's onslaught. However, as soon as he stopped, the Knight grimaced as he clutched on his injured shoulder.

The holy sword already made contact, and it was burning like hell.

And the worst part, it was from a nick; Yuuto did not want to imagine the result that would arrive from impalement.

"Tsk, nearly paid you back for that cut." Freed clicked his tongue as he twirled his blade. "But I don't have all the time in the world to play around, so stop screwing with me and die already."

Freed could flee since he could outrun him, but it was pointless if they knew how to find him. If he left without killing the samurai-wannabe, he would lose his chance at stealth for good.

"Funny. I thought you do since you're here with me." Yuuto chided as he raised his weapons in a more defensive stance.

"Oh, playing coy? What's your stake in this anyway? Like I said to dragon boy earlier - since when are shitty devils cohorts with the Church losers? Are you here to keep the swords as loot?"

His words reminded Yuuto of a certain alien creature that did want them as loot. Black probably would beat him up if he did break the swords, but hopefully it wouldn't be too severe.

"No. I just want to get rid of them. I have a score to settle with those swords, like I said."

"Hah?" Freed quirked a wild brow. "You serious? Wait, you actually hate the gun, not the guy that pulled the trigger? Am I hearing you right? What did Holy swords do to you?" Freed narrowed his eyes at Yuuto.

"It is personal." Yuuto answered. "They took away those that were dear to me. I will not rest until I avenge them."

"Eh? How does that work? That kinda beef sounds dumb compared to dragon boy's. And he got shot in the gut personally by a proper citizen!"

Yuuto paused when he heard Freed's nonsense about Issei's past.

"Is it true? What you said about Issei"

Yuuto knew that Issei held similar animosity for the church, but he must know.

"Curious, fuckboy? Well, you're in for a ride. You see, looong ago, the suits barged into the kid's home and opened fire at him, well, his pets, but they shot the boy by accident. Then they beat the shit out of the mother which was hilariioooous!" Freed started cackling as he narrated. "You know what's funnier? You accused the innocent family to be satanists! I mean, I know I'm messed up, but just wow! The mother also tried to protect the nuke shooting dog and got gutted by a lightsaber. She also nearly kicked the bucket. You wanna know what happened next? The dog got so angry that he huffed and puffed and nuked them, incinerated twenty-six and counting. And that is not the cherry on top, oh boy."

Freed tightened his grip on the pommels the more he heard Freed's cackling.

"and what is so funny about that?" Yuuto asked, unable to hide the shock in his voice.

"Why, everything! The close calls, the backlash, all of it started because of a simple fuckup! Oh, I wanted to go to hell and laugh at their faces if I can for their sheer stupidity! They dun goofed in the worst way possible, and under the eyes of their lord!"

Yuuto was he could not put his feelings into words. He was more overwhelmed by the revelation more than anything. He could understand the motivation behind his friends' sacrifice, but for his friend's family to almost die because of unreason, it was beyond unforgivable. There was no valid excuse or just cause for this.

"Hahaha, hah oh, wait. I think I get your beef question, you part of any holy sword experiment?" Freed asked, his smirk widening at Yuuto. "There is one experiment I recall something about sacrificing a bunch of brats to the cauldron for something years ago. Think there's a survivor."

Yuuto's eyes widened for a brief second before rage flashed on his orbs.

Freed, meanwhile, was still ranting, "What was it called. Um, err. Yeah, Holy Sword Project! That one!"

"...How did you learn of that project?" Yuuto asked with an eerie calm.

"Oh, that's a funny story. Heard it from the guy that started it myself. It was great, the guy bragged about not getting caught for over ten years and counting."

The world stopped. Yuuto was alone, isolated with his thoughts in that one moment.

The project that robbed his childhood, his friends, his life - the one responsible for such atrocity had yet to be caught?

Multitude of thoughts and emotions swarmed in Yuuto's mind - confusion, anguish, rage; all sorts of negative emotions ran deep after the Knight digested Freed's revelation.

So much emotion flooded his thoughts that he failed to notice the demon sword resonating with his heart, pulsing in his wrist.

"So, which guy or gal did you lose there? Wait, don't answer. I'm gonna send you to them personally. Oh, and tell them the director sends his regards." Freed brandished his sword, giggling as he left a trail of holy light in his wake.

On the other hand, Yuuto did not respond, as he held his head down, his blonde bangs concealing his eyes.

The man that stole his friends and his faith was still free. The thought of such wickedness still left unpunished consumed him.

In a blink of an eye, Freed swung his fused Excalibur. Freed did not notice Yuuto dispersing Holy Eraser and sheathing his weapon in the interim.

Blood flew across the air and splattered the floor. The sound of flesh fell to the floor, light reflecting from two blades, one that was on the floor, another that was absorbing the street lights, darkening the surrounding air of the Knight.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Falling to his knees, Freed screeched in agonizing pain as he clutched the stump that was previously his sword arm dropped to the ground along with the fused holy sword.

Yuuto remained silent. Not a single drop of blood stained the blade of Muramasa as it gleamed the light of the moon ominously.

Yuuto turned around, Muramasa glowing an ominous aura as the crimson color slowly darkened his sclera.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! FUUUUUUCK! You fucker! Fuck you! Fuck fuck fuck you! Fuck you!"

Freed cursed Yuuto at the speed of a machine gun.

If a scratch felt like losing his arm, then the pain he felt now must be beyond current imagining.

"Tell me." Yuuto slowly approached Freed, looming over him as the blade of carnage gleamed under the moon.

"Who is the director of the Holy Sword Project?"

Yuuto demanded with cold indifference.

"Fuck you! Agh! Shiiiiiit! It huuurts!" Freed cursed as blood continued to spill from his bleeding stump, the crimson flow refusing to slow, constantly leaving his body, growing a puddle under him.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Freed bit on his sleeve and tore it off as he tied it around his stump, tightening it to stop the bleeding.

He was so focused on tending to his wounds that he didn't notice Yuuto's eyes turning completely red, the corruption of rage completed as Yuuto raised his sword below the moon.

"You can kiss my fucking ass for all I care-"

Freed stopped upon feeling something cold pass through his neck.

"Eh?"

Freed blinked. He suddenly felt a lot lighter. Why was he so lightheaded?

Wait, his vision was tilting. Now it was rolling left like he was watching television on a hamster wheel.

His head bumped into something wet, then hard.

He was covered in blood he could not feel his body oh, wait. There it was.

Why was it there and not below his neck?

It was the last thought Freed conjured before his vision faded to nothing, the last sight being his own headless body and the executioner behind it.

Rover ran down the streets, sniffing the air, with Issei, Xenovia following behind, after the trail of their wayward devil knight. They departed the moment Issei tried to find Yuuto to give him Rias' credit card to buy the good stuff.

"Buying dinner, he said." Issei grumbled as he inwardly berated himself - he should have known better than to let Yuuto out of his sight.

He was naive to think that a cold trail would deter the Knight from further pursuit.

"Do you think your friend could actually encounter Freed?" Irina asked, huffing behind him.

"Either he's desperate or dumb or he's got a trick up his sleeve." Issei vented his conjectures.

Rover stopped at a crossroad intersection as he sniffed the air, yipping before he paddled right.

"Wait, I can sense something" Xenovia said as she looked around.

"Sense what?"

Across the distance, a flash of golden light flared over the cover of buildings along with the sound of explosions whispered in the distance.

"...The crazy bastard actually did it." Issei would not let Yuuto go this night when he got his hands on him.

The group then proceeded to go to the source of the golden light and finally arrived at an empty street. However, upon arrival, they stopped on their track upon some gruesome sight, with Irina let out a gasp while covering her mouth in dread and Rover growled as if it was ready to attack at any given moment.

Before them was Yuuto, who stood over a headless corpse of Freed Sellzen, whose blood gushing out from the stump on his neck, covering the ground with a pool of blood.

Issei stared for a few more seconds, his head was still in the middle of processing - no, believing that Yuuto Kiba had murdered someone in such fashion.

"...Kiba?" Issei finally dared himself to call.

However, a few seconds of silence later, Yuuto simply walked over towards the fused sword and raised Muramasa.

"Wait-!"

Xenovia was about to stop Yuuto, when the latter thrusted Muramasa into the holy blade.

A surge of energy spiked up, its wave caused Issei and the rest to flinch as Muramasa's demonic energy attempted to pierce through the enchanted metal. The clash between two opposing elements resulted in a constant flux of energy that kept flaring, with Yuuto standing on its ground zero.

The flux of energy waves was not particularly strong to throw Issei off-balance, yet he could see lacerations and cuts began to form on Yuuto's forearms as the Knight did not stop his attempt in destroying the holy sword.

Before Issei could have gotten a little serious, the ground zero exploded.

Yuuto was launched into the air and crashed into a window, shards flying everywhere. Freed's corpse, severed head included, was flung across the street like a rolling rag doll, the pool of blood blown away, further staining the street red.

The holy sword, on the other hand, split in two - one Excalibur Destruction and another sword Issei did not recognize.

Dismissing his initial confusion, Issei and Rover went to check on Yuuto, with Irina and Xenovia went to tend the holy swords.

Xenovia sighed with joy and relief as she picked up her lost sword, no longer having to worry about Griselda's wrath for the time being.

Irina picked up the other sword by the hilt and inspected the blade.

"I think this is one of the stolen swords. Which one was it Nightmare? No Oh, it's the Sword of the Heavenly Flare!" Irina shouted upon identifying the blade.

Meanwhile, Issei had laid the unconscious Yuuto on the ground from the broken shop window - the Knight was still clutching the demon sword with his badly-injured hand.

"Yo. Kiba. Wakey wakey." Issei slapped the Knight's cheek three times to check for a response.

"Ughhh-ow?"

Yuuto flinched his eyes open upon feeling the fourth slap. He woke up from his prone position, only to wince and grimace when he finally registered the wounds covering his arms.

"W-what happened?"

"You tell me." Issei pointed at the two holy swords in the hands of the girls.

Issei's face turned stern when he then pointed at the unsightly ragdolled corpse of Freed, the body leaning sideways and the head staring at Yuuto with its dead eyes.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

The sight of Freed's severed head stirred Yuuto's memories and disgust, albeit they were dyed in blurry red when he recalled the final moments of his duel with the insane exorcist.

"...Muramasa?" Yuuto called.

Answering him, his katana glowed before it turned into the courtesan-looking woman.

"Well, well" the Tsukumogami mused at the sight around her. "I must confess, your first attempt to wield me fared better than I expected for someone of your age."

"...You gonna tell us what he did in this place?" Issei asked with a bemused tone.

"If you are referring to the insane one's gruesome death then yes. My wielder executed him in his rage... Rather flawlessly." Muramasa answered as she stared at the corpse in the distance.

Issei then returned his gaze to Yuuto with raised eyebrows, expecting something to say from the Knight.

"I" Yuuto closed his eyes as if in shame. "I only remembered fighting him until he started revealing more about you, and The Holy Sword Project."

"...Uh-huh." Issei was still not amused by the reply, "And you killed the only lead we had to the other holy swords?"

"I I'm sorry. I just I just saw red after that. I don't know why"

Issei then returned to Muramasa, "...Is it you?"

"My word, your accusation harms me but in a sense, I am partially to blame. However, the bulk of the fault lies with the wielder." Muramasa shook her head.

"I am the Demon Sword of Carnage, young dragon. Right now, I can not control my abilities. They now only respond to certain aspects of the wielder on instinct, like for example, rage. The more rage he feels, the more strength flows through him. However, if he gives in to the lust for blood for even an instant"

"So you mean he went berserk without knowing it and went ham on the guy, samurai style?" Issei summarizes her explanation.

"He didn't ask what I could do, to be fair. It is not something I can control as I am now. I only resonate and amplify what already exists currently. The only instance I can control my abilities is if I possess my wielder, which I did not."

Issei returned to regard Yuuto, who had digested Muramasa's words and hung his head in shame; the Knight learned that he was so weak that he ended up being controlled by his own sword instead of the other way around.

It was one of the most basic lessons in any weapon-wielding, and Yuuto had failed.

"So I still have much to learn." Yuuto sighed, digging his fingers into the concrete.

"You still fared well against the insane one. It was so exciting, to face two sevenths of the original in combat. The finest thrill I have had since a millennia." Muramasa cheerfully giggled.

Issei pursed his lips at the information. So basically, Yuuto screwed up big time and costed them a lot.

"You still killed the only shot we had at ending this." Issei sighed as he stood from his crouch position. "But there's no use crying over spilled milk now. At least we got something to work with." Issei looked at the other holy sword.

Issei had an idea what to do with it as he turned to Rover, seeing his dog sniffing the corpse. Issei frowned, knowing what Rover was doing.

"Rover. No. No." Issei immediately walked towards Rover. "Don't taste the homicidal maniac. Don't do it."

Rover gave a faint whine as it looked up at Issei, who gave it a look that demanded no argument. Soon, the dog huffed and allowed Issei to pick him up and walk away from the crime scene.

Everyone then regrouped, with Irina secured the Excalibur Rapidly on her back and Xenovia securing her lost sword.

"Alright, so our lead's dead, and we got back Blue's sword plus an unexpected bonus so what do we do now?" Issei asked.

"Nothing, really. We can only report what we have gone through to Sister Griselda and Father Galilei, and continue our investigation tomorrow" Xenovia then paused, "...Except the part when I lost my sword, of course."

"I thought lying is a sin for you folks." Issei reminded her with a teasing tone.

"It is not a lie if it didn't happen." Xenovia shamelessly argued with a straight lip.

Her stubbornness made Issei snort with an amused smile. Well, at least he had something over her just in case she decides to be dumb and annoying.

"Whatever floats your boat, Blue. Oh, and let's hit a joint before we get back. Kiba still owes us dinner. And we're gonna make sure you make up for it with your pockets."

Yuuto looked up from his depression.

"...Yes. Of course," Yuuto let himself smile, his spirits slightly elevated by his words. "I know a place where Rias likes to frequent on special occasions. You will find the food there to be sinfully delightful."

"Good, but first" Issei then glanced at Yuuto's arms. "We gotta deal with that. You girls got something for first aid?"

Issei woke up, exercised, showered, and had breakfast with his family and other occupants of the Hyoudou Residence.

Due to major progress yesterday, Issei could spend his days in school the normal way, though he might have to face the backlash of makeup work he missed the day prior though.

Rias and Akeno had to go to school early to deal with unfinished paperwork involving the Vatican occupying their lands.

Issei decided not to talk about yesterday with the girls in the house, brushing off their curiosity for now to avoid complications with a certain legendary sword that was living with Yuuto and the death of a certain Stray Exorcist.

The trip to the school, however, had some oddities. On their way to school, Issei noticed that every female student they saw were busy whispering and chatting with hushed tones. When some of their eyes landed on him, Issei felt they were looking at him with a hint of hesitation?

Issei glanced at the girls who left for school with him, hoping to gain some answers, only to receive heads shaking in negative.

Finally, when they arrived at school's premise, they were greeted by the sight of Rias and Akeno waiting for them; both of their faces were rather neutral.

"Good morning, everyone." Rias greeted them with an amicable smile, "Sorry to cut this short, but I need Ise to come with me and Akeno to the clubroom."

Issei blinked at the sudden summon, he then glanced at the girls - particularly at Tsubasa who silently asked what he had done this time, which he replied with his own clueless look.

"Uh Sure. Is something up?" Issei returned.

Rias tilted her head while giving a wry smirk, "Well, perhaps not you, but it's about Yuuto."

Issei raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of the Knight; he recalled that last night everything seemed to be fine as he and Yuuto bid farewell with the exorcists after a hearty dinner, promising to keep in touch with them tomorrow, departing with a healthy smile with Muramasa.

When Issei arrived in the clubroom, he found Yuuto already seated on a couch with bandages still wrapped around his lacerated arms. His katana was also leaning in a spare seat next to him, most likely giving Muramasa fair treatment.

The Knight gave Issei a wry smile, which gave Issei a bad vibe of what Rias wished to discuss.

Rias took her seat on her usual desk with Akeno faithfully standing next to her.

Rias began as she eyed both boys carefully. "To save us time, I will go straight to the point. Recently, there were new rumors floating around the school, ones revolving around Yuuto. Rumors I believe are connected to the events of yesterday."

Issei glanced at Yuuto and asked, "...What rumors?"

Rias simply turned to her Queen, "Akeno."

On cue, the said Queen fished out her cellphone to reveal a picture taken by third-person point of view; a picture of Yuuto walking with a raven-haired woman in a scantily-clad kimono.

"...How did you get that photo?" Issei asked as he sneaked a glance at the katana resting next to Yuuto.

"It was captured by one of the female students who is a member of Yuuto's fan club." Akeno provided, causing Issei to quirk an eyebrow at the nervous-looking Knight - he actually got a fan club?

The guy was actually unaware of his own fan club. That kind of person does deserve a fist in the face from every unpopular boy in school.

"...And that's not all." Rias spoke again; on cue, Akeno then navigated her cellphone screen to an online news website, revealing a headline.

"'Local news. Unknown man found headless in the market district, streets painted in blood. New serial killer on the loose?'" Akeno read the headline to the two.

""...Ah.""

Issei and Yuuto forgot about that part actually, more like they were too tired to think about the crime scene. Yuuto was sweating bullets now, avoiding eye contact with Rias.

Issei should have let Rover clean the evidence after all.

"And Yuuto since when did you have a katana?" Rias asked, eyeing the new weapon next to him.

The Knight winced at the question, as he anxiously darted repetitive gazes at the sword.

"I uh, got it on loan from a friend." Yuuto blurted out. It was not an exact lie though Black was more like an actual demon in this sense since he made a small deal with the little imp.

Issei wondered how much Yuuto would have to pay him in food for Muramasa though. Knowing Demon Swords, probably a noble-devil-sized fortune or two.

"...Really? A katana on loan?" Rias narrowed her gaze at her Knight.

"...Yes." Yuuto answered, sweating even more.

"And who might be the loaner?" Akeno asked, very curious.

"...Uhh Black?"

Rias and Akeno's eyes did not flinch or react, but their faces said it all.

"...I see. And what is the price you agreed on for the weapon?" Rias asked again.

Yuuto remained silent with 'guilt' written all over his face. Issei decided to have Yuuto spill the beans.

"Alright, alright. Quit tormenting the guy and get on with it. We don't have all day." Issei interrupted Rias' interrogation. "Kiba, just show them, it'll be easier."

The Knight held Issei's gaze for a second before he sighed, turning to the sword next to him, Yuuto placed his hand on the hilt, "...Come, Muramasa."

"...Muramasa?" Rias' ears perked at the name.

The sheathed katana radiated in a flash of light, startling the girls as they blocked the blinding light out of reflex.

However, they were stunned when they saw the same woman from the picture standing beside Yuuto once the light died down.

"Fufufu I already foresaw this outcome." The woman giggled with a hand covering her mouth, sitting on the spot next to the Knight while leaning on his shoulder.

Rias and Akeno stared at the stranger and blinked once - twice, until the former uttered, "...What the hell?"

"...President Rias. I uh This is Muramasa. She is uh, my sword for the time being." Yuuto sheepishly introduced his new partner.

"Yes, that Muramasa." Issei added for context.

"...The legendary sword of ancient Japan?" Rias asked with a very surprised tone as she stared at the woman.

"Yes, that one." Issei confirmed.

"Then why is it a woman?" Rias asked as she leaned forward a little, inspecting the woman.

"Apparently, she is a Youkai - a Tsukumogami. A youkai born from a demon sword" Issei rubbed his temple. "Originally, Black got the sword for me without knowing it, but there were complications so"

"Ultimately, I ended up in his hands. The abomination threatened to throw me into the ocean should I continue to 'act like a bitch,' according to his words." Muramasa finished Issei's explanation, leaving the two devil girls stunned.

A few moments later, Rias leaned back on her seat, running both hands on her face, her face screaming her struggle to understand the current situation to the best of her abilities.

"Okay Okay." She said with a deep sigh, before she regarded the two boys plus female youkai before her.

"...Let me try and shorten this into a synopsis. First, you got a demon sword from Black and it turned out Black accidentally bought the sword known as Muramasa? The famous Muramasa?"

"Yes." Issei and Yuuto nodded.

"You said Black bought it for Issei why didn't you keep the sword if he bought it for you?" Rias asked, looking at the human.

"A tragic accident. I tried to possess him and the dragon rejected me."

[Your fault. You came out of the blue without warning like a howling banshee, so I kicked you out.]

Ddraig interjected, giving his input aloud and leaving the room in contemplative silence.

"...Why did you try and possess me anyways?" Issei asked Muramasa.

"I was trying to possess the abomination, honestly. I was trapped in my own mind trying to make way through the sea of countless minds so many minds" Muramasa drifted off, her tone becoming that of horror when she reminisced. "It is an experience I wished to forget. And in the process, when I finally found a light to hold onto, I went to you when you touched me. I could not see at the time, so I must apologize for my unbecoming actions."

Yuuto and Issei stared at Muramasa, getting an idea of her struggle as a living sword.

"Now that you mention it, why were up for sale at some nameless market?" Issei asked.

Normally, a sword as legendary as her would not be up in the market unless under very special conditions.

"That is a story for another time. But I will say that I was sealed in the state due to my natal circumstances. I cannot walk around on my own since my maker imposed certain geasses on my being during my creation. 'Thou shalt not take independent action unless thine agree to serve a wielder of thy choice,' said my maker." Muramasa informed.

"I see So you are able to gain this form because of the contract you forged with Yuuto?" Akeno concluded.

"Indeed, and so far" Muramasa then snaked her arms around Yuuto's shoulder, embracing him rather sensually, "...It has been a very promising relationship."

The Knight cringed as he attempted to lean away from Muramasa's advances. The three in the room did not miss that.

"Okaaaay" Issei felt a sudden urge to tease the Knight but stifled it for now.

"...So you are now the wielder of the most infamous sword of Japan I am not sure whether I should be excited or worried." Rias frowned as she brushed her hair. "But returning to the topic Yuuto. Do not lie to me. Did you kill Freed Selzen? I know it cannot be Issei or the exorcists. Issei does not use swords, and Freed's corpse has traces of unfamiliar demonic energy, which I presume is from her."

"...I did." Yuuto could only hang his head lower in the face of the evidence she presented before him.

His answer left the two devils stunned in silence.

"...Yuuto." Rias started to tap her finger on her desk as her eyes turned into narrow slits. "I am not fond of saying this, but you have much to answer for. What you did violated much of protocol."

The Knight remained silent under the criticizing gaze of his King.

"If I may." Muramasa interjected, gaining the attention of the Heiress. "He is not in total blame. Due to my influence, his lust for vengeance gained strength and clouded his mind." Muramasa stated. "He has lost control over me the moment the insane one mentioned the involvement of the source of his tragedy. It spurred weakness in my wielder, a crack in the dam for the rage to take hold."

The Heiress remained silent as her eyes darted to and fro the sword and the wielder. She slowly parsed her words as she looked at Muramasa before she turned her attention to Issei.

"...And you. You allowed Yuuto to join your joint investigation?"

"Don't look at me. It is either 'drive him away and let him screw himself over' or 'let him join and keep an eye on him.' You really think he would just hang back and do nothing just because?" Issei pointed out.

Unable to argue, Rias dropped her face into her hands as she audibly groaned into her palms.

"...That simple hope is definitely naive of me. Hah, Issei, you may leave. I would like to have a word with Yuuto and his companion, and discuss his overdue penance. In private." Rias dropped her hands as she turned to Yuuto as a sinister glint glimmered in her eyes.

That was Issei's cue to leave Yuuto to his doom. Without a word, Issei immediately got up and booked towards the exit without looking back.

Yuuto only stared at Issei's retreating figure with a half-betrayed look; he expected Issei to at least wish him luck, but instead he left him to his fate.

Once the doors closed

"Yuuutooooo~"

Yuuto flinched as he slowly creaked his head back to Rias. He saw Rias smiling eerily as she raised a hand, a red magic circle hovering before her palm.

"It's time for your punishment. I can't have my Knight be this disobedient, right? It portrays me the image of a poor, careless King, and I can't have that. Let's see oh, how about a thousand spankings to start? I can always add more to your list later on."

Akeno giggled as she waved at Yuuto, sending him a thumbs-up. He turned to Muramasa - she slowly backed away from him with a sadistic smile full of expectations, leaving him to the sharks.

Yuuto's cries of agony went unheard in the soundproofed room.

"Yo, kid. Been a while."

Issei was greeted by the sight of Black sitting on Saji's prone body. The guy with the gecko arm decoration was face down. He did not seem to be moving.

"...Should I ask?" Issei pointed at Black's 'seat.'

"Go ahead. Had fun working him to the bone. Did you know the guy can't do a hundred pushups without dropping?" Black pointed at his seat.

"Oh, really?" Issei asked as he glanced at the prone Saji. "Saji, buddy, can you hear me?" He asked as he crouched down next to him.

In return, Saji only replied with a pitiful, long 'uuuuuugh'.

Issei nodded, "Good, you still have promise. Don't worry about the push-ups, the hardest part is the first few weeks. Your muscles will get used to it as long as you keep up with the routine." He finished with a soft pat on Saji's head, eliciting another grunt.

"Ahem."

Issei blinked and looked up to see Sona sitting on her desk, with Tsubaki standing faithfully next to her.

"Ah, hey Sona." Issei pursed his lips. "Quick question, am I getting paid for this?"

Sona's stern gaze grew even more serious at the question.

"You still owe me for those favors you requested prior." Sona reminded. "There is also the matter of a decapitated Freed Selzen. Do you know how much trouble we had when a stray exorcist ended on the news, found dead with a clean cut through his neck?"

"Err. I assume you could just hypnotize the news station?" Issei asked.

"It is completely pointless when it ends on the tabloids! Minds are easy, but erasing the internet is impossible even with magic!" Sona shouted at Issei with vented frustration.

"Oh well" Issei could not argue with that. "That one's not on me."

"I understand. You don't use swords. But that is still your responsibility, so your point is moot." Sona rejected.

"...Hah." Issei gave up. He truly felt like a debt slave at this point.

"Your report, please." Sona asked, moving on from their conversation.

"Alright, alright ohhh boy. Where do I start?" Issei rubbed his head as he orally recounted everything he learned from yesterday.

He started with the number of dead exorcists and how they began their trip following dead men trails. He continued with encountering fallen angels and they pointed him to a massage parlour where one priest paid sinful visits to before they found another lead after experiencing the wonders of massages.

He told them how they encountered Yuuto the second time, this time with Muramasa as his sword.

"Wait, Muramasa? That Muramasa?" Sona asked, pushing up her glasses.

"Yes, that Muramasa. The most infamous Legendary Sword of Japan. Japan's Demon Excalibur." Issei affirmed again. He still couldn't believe that Black bought the demon Excalibur from a random black marketplace - for cheap no less. Heck, he was still trying to get over the fact that Yuuto has it. The Knight owes him an awesome Demon Sword.

"...And you are telling us that the demon sword is the very same woman that Mr. Kiba was seen together in the rumors?"

"Yeah, but I am more surprised that there are no actual records of Muramasa being a Youkai Demon Sword. I mean, Black bought it by chance on the Black Market, and I don't know how it ended it there." Issei pointed at the smiling Black Dwarf.

"Lady Luck's wrapped around my pinkie, that's why." Black gloated as he wiggled his pinky.

The two Devils stared at Black, unable to digest the pure coincidence of obtaining a sword of such renown.

"...Moving on." Sona gestured to Issei to continue.

Issei sighed as he resumed his lengthy narration.

He recounted how Xenovia lost her sword due to a musical mix-up, and that he laughed at her.

After that, Issei returned home to cajole Rover to reclaim her sword. They found the corpse of the musician at an alley, and then they tracked the scent of blood with Rover as their bloodhound, starting from the sewers to an abandoned building of sorts, where they encountered Freed eating noodles with the stolen Excalibur Destruction leaning on the desk.

Issei left out the part where Freed knew about his past and moved on to Freed's escape. They gave chase until Freed killed his scent then Yuuto went rogue and found Freed somehow.

"...And that's how we found Freed with his head rolling on the ground. We're a bit too late to do anything about it and after that, we went home for the night." Issei finished his report.

"While forgetting to take care of the body." Sona added.

"Yeah, that too. We were tired, and lots of things happened, and we're not experienced in getting rid of murder evidence should've let Rover eat the corpse, but I'm afraid mom will scold me if Rover gets used to human flesh." Issei nodded.

Sona and Tsubaki pinched the bridge of their noses concurrently, both taking a deep breath.

"Alright. According to you, I cannot fully blame you for the work you put us through, but still, did you at least uncover Mr. Kiba's motives to murder Freed?"

"Turns out the katana is double-edged, ironically." Issei rubbed his head. "Like, if he lets his anger get the best of him, his mind 'gets clouded by rage' and all that. Like I said, that one's on Yuuto. How was I supposed to know what Muramasa can do?"

"Technically, pretty boy's sword is still on loan. So yeah, he gotta give her back after this is all over. With interest," Black chimed in while rubbing his fingers together.

"Right so yeah, that is everything. So, anything else?"

Sona sighed as she was processing the information Issei had reported. The Stu-Co president remained silent as she took a deep breath and exhaled all of her stress.

"Are you able to make further progress with your investigation?" Sona asked.

"Yep. Still got the address of that one exorcist. Also could use Rover to sniff out where Freed stashed the goods if we're lucky enough." Issei reminded.

She craned her head down in thought, at an angle where the ceiling light tinted her glasses and covered her eyes as she hummed in rumination.

"...Very well. Despite my misgivings, you did perform optimally, despite the unwanted murder." Sona nodded with a click of her tongue. "You may leave, Issei. I have to file an update for the Satans. Oh, and if you see Mr. Kiba again inform him that his torment will not end with Rias."

Issei did not retort, nodding when he spotted a sinister glint in her eyes.

Issei simply walked without offering a silent prayer for his friend. He dug his own grave anyways, and that was his to crawl out from.

"Ise!"

The moment Ise stepped out of the classroom, Tsubasa jumped at him as soon as he put his foot out the door, prompting him to catch her in his arms and twirl her a few times in his embrace.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, Tsu!" Issei laughed as she pressed her chin on his shoulder.

Several students were watching with the mixture of amusement and jealousy, the latter coming from Asia as she slightly pouted at the couple, particularly when they shared a quick peck on the lips.

"So, wanna talk about your quest over lunch?" Tsubasa asked.

"Yeah. Got a lot of things to say about that one." Issei glanced at Asia, who slowly nodded in return.

"Oh, before that, I want to ask you something It's about Kiba." Tsubasa lowered her tone into a whisper. "...Did he actually snag himself a girlfriend? I saw the picture, and damn, that was one helluva woman."

Issei stuttered, nearly breaking into giggles.

"Pffff, w-well they did get together."

In a funny way, that is.

"You can say, he picked her up on the spot." Issei sneaked a pun there just because it was hilarious - at least in his head.

Tsubasa raised a brow as his toning simulation.

Dismissing his hidden message, she patted Issei's cheek. "Well, tell me all about it later. I'm gonna check up on the Student Council first. See you at the usual spot."

"Aight. I'm gonna check on Koneko and Ravel." Issei replied.

She replied with a cheerful wink before she ran off down the hall.

"Um Mr. Ise?" Asia asked with her usual meek tone. "What are you talking about with Ms. Tsubasa?"

"I'll tell you later at lunch. Right now, Kiba is probably having the worst day of his life."

It was too bad Issei could not be there to see it. Actually, he could, but he had a feeling that Rias or Sona would drag him into Yuuto's torment for fun if he did.

"Then, shouldn't we see if Mr. Kiba is alright?" Asia - bless her heart, asked with genuine concern in her tone.

Issei shrugged in reply, "...Nah, he'll be fine. We can check up on him later if you want. Let's just go check on Koneko and Ravel first, shall we?"

Asia smiled lightly as she took Issei's offered hand.

"Oh, yes. Are you going to watch the Ball Tournament, Issei?" Asia asked with a sweet smile.

"...Ah." Issei forgot about that one. For some reason, he felt a creeping chill in his spine about that thing.

Sometime later, Issei was standing outside the fence surrounding the volleyball field amongst the cheering boys, the very horny male teenagers roaring their cheers at the sight of Rias and Sona in bloomers and white gym shirts.

The Ball Tournament of Kuoh Academy was an academy-exclusive event where the student body formed groups among their respective years to participate in various games and sports that involve the use of balls - soccer, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, baseball, etc.

Right now, Issei was watching the volleyball game between Sona with her Peerage against Rias and hers.

For some reason, Issei had a feeling that he should leave while he could oh, Kiba was there. The girls were cheering on Kiba, but Kiba's gait seemed off every time he took a step. Looked like whatever penance Rias dished still left its mark on him. It was subtle, but Issei could detect him wincing every now and then.

He wondered where Muramasa was he doubted she would agree to being stuffed in a locker for the duration.

He scanned around, and when he did not spot anything that might be Muramasa, Issei decided to dismiss the thought - as long as nobody caused or got into trouble, it was all good for now.

Saji was there beside Sona. He seemed to have recovered enough from Black's training montage. Asia was with Rias and Koneko, looking very sweet as always in how she tried to display fiery spirit.

Rias and Sona started ranting to each other on who will claim victory. Issei droned their long-winded speech out as before Rias started the game, throwing the volleyball up into the air, leaping high, and smacked it at Sona's side of the field.

"I'm hungry" Issei mumbled to himself as he looked up absent-mindedly, slipping his hands into his pockets to find some change to buy himself a snack or two. He fished out a couple of yen coins and sighed when he counted that he did not have enough to buy even a single loaf of bread.

Maybe he should have kept Rias' credit card to binge spend on some more stuff.

He did not bother to notice that Rias and Sona started using magic to cheat in the game as they subtly use their demonic powers to shoot the balls off their palms like cannons. Actually, he did start to hear them upping the game to superhuman levels, but to be honest, they were moving rather slow in his eyes.

Modern sports did not excite him anymore other than video games because they just seem so slow and they do not inspire him with ideas.

Time to ask the two perverts for some spare change.

He stood up and began to wander around, looking for his two classmates. Since it was those two perverts, Issei decided to check on some secluded spots where they would peep without worry, starting with the usual.

However, around the edge of the sports field, Issei found a familiar looking black tentacle sticking out from the bushes.

It only took a second for Issei to conclude that it had to be Black, who chose to spend time by watching the Ball Tournament and how his protege was doing from a safe distance.

Deciding to say a quick greeting, Issei approached the bushes, "Hey, Black. Enjoying the show?"

However, the boy's greeting was replied with silence, "...Black?"

That was strange Wait, could it be a chimera beast with tentacles? No, the school's defenses usually would alert the devils of intruders. Still, could not hurt to check.

Issei tentatively approached the bushes with furtive steps and slowly pulled the leaves and branches aside.

Black was there stuck in place. He was in stasis, with bread in hand, looking as if he was about to eat it but just stood there, captured in place like in a picture.

Issei frowned and proceeded to grab the creature by its head tentacle, picking him up to find the creature just hanging there like a doll.

"Black?" Issei called out while waving his hand in front of Black's face, hoping to get a reaction. The object in his hand was not a toy or anything like - it was real enough to be the real deal.

"Blaaaaack? You there, buddy?" Issei bobbed Black up and down.

The creature did not respond as he wiggled with the motion.

Raising a hand, Issei then began smacking the creature's cheek. Then he continued smacking his cheeks until they were red.

"...Huh." Issei then proceeded to straight punch Black's face, and much to his surprise, he still received no reaction, and proceeded to punch it again for a few more times.

Black's face looked funnier now, messed up as hell. Issei narrowed his eyes as he took his sandwich and ate it in front of Black, the ultimate bait, the test to see if Black was still there.

But Black still did not respond despite him taking the first bite.

Issei's chewing slowed to a stop as his amused smarmy smile fell.

"Ise?"

The boy blinked and turned to see Ravel in her gym clothes. Her sweat-caked skin indicated that she just finished her event.

"What are you doing there? Is that Mr. Black?" Ravel squinted her eyes at the deformed-looking creature dangling by Issei's grip. "...What have you done to him?"

"...This is not what it looks like." Issei replied while shaking Black's motionless body. "...He looks very what's the word"

Issei continued shaking Black up and down, left and right.

Black did not break his awkward pose even when bouncing.

"There's something wrong with him." Issei said as he tossed Black into the air, catching him by the tentacle. "I found him like this. I thought he was playing a prank on me but after stealing his food, I don't think so anymore." Issei took another bite of Black's bread, chewing in front of Ravel.

"Hm...?" Ravel squinted her eyes at Black. "I see"

Ravel started poking Black's cheek. She then poked him in the eye. Black did not even blink.

"...What's wrong with him?" Ravel asked as she poked him in the other eye.

"That's what I want to know. He's like stuck in time only he's not moving while we can." Issei said as he took three large bites out of his bread, filling his stomach.

"Anyway, let's just put him in the clubroom. We can discuss what to do with him after the Ball Tournament." Ravel suggested, "...And I believe some of your classmates are looking for you; something about needing a substitute for the next dodgeball game."

"What?" Issei stared at Ravel. "...Why? What happened?"

"You didn't see?" Ravel tilted her head. "Mr. Kiba was hit by a stray shot. Um, Lady Sitri lunged the ball and he misstepped." Ravel cryptically explained.

Turns out coming here was not a good idea after all.

"Fine. I'll drop Black in the clubroom real quick first."

Issei looked at Black for a moment. What the hell happened to his surrogate brother/mentor?

What about the other Blacks around Kuoh?

Omake

Across the world, in every corner, the rest of the dwarf mysterious being known as 'Black' paused.

The ones in the Hyoudou Mansion were stuck, the ones looting from garbage cans were stuck, the ones in each and every Grigori base and foundation were stuck doing various chores or in strange lazy postures as if they were frozen in time.

The Fallen Angels, aware of the existence of Black took notice of the creature stuck in place, some poking at it for a response while others were bewildered by the sudden pause on their beings.

Azazel was staring at Black that was stuck about to eat an apple.

"Yo, Big Bad. What's wrong with your midget selves?"

Azazel turned to the other person that arrived.

His form was the definition of the word, masculine, in its purest.

Muscles upon muscles rippled across his perfectly athletic form, packs of toned abs shining like diamonds, not a single ounce of excess meat besmirching his perfect symmetry from his long, strong arms and his thick, trunk legs of pure brawn.

He was a towering figure, tall enough to look down at Azazel literally.

His skin shone a platinum sheen, glistening with a shine that could not be defiled by the world. Only his face was white compared to the dominant platinum color, colored in, like he was wearing the color as a circular mask.

"I sense a disturbance." The platinum being twitched its head tentacle, his tone deep and stentorian. "As if quadrillions of thoughts were put on pause unable to answer."

"Is now really the time to quote famous references?" Azazel asked with light humor.

"References aside, I am quite serious." Platinum Sperm, the culmination of more than a hundred trillion Blacks, looked down on the puny Azazel. "They are silent as a graveyard. They're receiving my calls, but none of them are responding. Their thoughts are as still as their bodies." Platinum Sperm spoke with foreboding.

"Really?" Azazel walked towards the Black clone and picked him up by the tentacle. Azazel shot a glance at the Plat before he poked Black in the eye.

"Don't toy with 'me.'" Plat warned.

"Hey, just committing a diagnosis on the guy." Azazel said as he looked back at the Black and placed him back down. Azazel squatted at Black's eye level and stared into his eye for a moment.

"...He doesn't seem like he is stuck in time." Azazel muttered as he placed a finger on Black's neck. "He still has a pulse so Time manipulation is out and it isn't paralysis, muscles are quite loose, but the joints are rigid."

Azazel continued as he gave Black's arms and legs a few squeezes.

"As for health, I am not sure if it is a disease. Is every one of your little buddies on ice?" Azazel asked.

"Hmm. Only those that have not merged. Only the Blacks are inactive." Platinum Sperm answered.

"Well, then that's a problem" Azazel rubbed his head. "Don't know what can do this. There isn't anything that can work on so many of yous uh"

Azazel froze. He stiffened as his jaw lowered.

There's no way it could be that. It could not be

"I need to check on something." Azazel immediately ran out the door, leaving the big bad thing that could beat him to a pulp before he could catch on.

He really hoped it was not that. Otherwise, to the cage with Rover he goes, and he did not want to face the mother's rage.

And... There we go! It was quite a bitch for both me and Lord Vader to write this one, especially Yuuto vs Freed at the beginning, but anyway! Thoughts? Please review! Next chapter is already available on you-know-where.