High School DxD: Sons of Satan

Time had lost all meaning in the dark room.

The faint, melancholic notes of Chopin's Prelude in E Minor Op. 28 No. 4 played softly from the old gramophone in the corner.

Its haunting melody filled the silence, graceful and cold, echoing around the stone walls of the chamber.

The only light in the room came from a single floating fireball, small, flickering, and steady, casting long shadows across the blood-slicked stone floor.

Marius hung from the ceiling, half-naked and broken.

Chains dug deep into his wrists and ankles, suspending him just enough that his feet couldn't touch the ground.

His arms trembled from exhaustion, muscles twitching weakly, his head slumped forward, blood dripping freely from his nose and mouth, and his face was barely recognizable, swollen, discolored, one eye swollen shut, the other bloodshot and unfocused.

Burns and lacerations marred his pale skin, deep cuts, blistered welts, and small cauterized holes dotted his chest and back, painted with the cruel signature of Arthur's merciless torture.

He let out a muffled, guttural moan as another punch struck him squarely in the gut.

Arthur's bloodied fist remained clenched as he slowly exhaled.

His chest rose and fell steadily, the strain of repetition starting to weigh on his arms.

"Number 312. Wick Johnson. Age 52. Local veterinarian."

He muttered coldly, landing another strike.

Marius spasmed violently, choking on his gag.

Arthur continued with his onslaught.

"Number 313. Max Burner. Age 32. Mailman."

*Painful Groans*

"Number 314. Isaac Lowe. Age 11. A child."

*Muffled Screams*

"Number 315. Carl Potts. Age 69. Retired police officer."

*Intense Spasms*

After some time, Arthur's breathing was heavier now from the sheer physical exertion.

He stepped back, flexing his fingers, his knuckles covered in dried blood and flayed skin.

He turned toward the trolley nearby, where his tools gleamed dimly in the firelight.

The once-clear holy water bucket was now tinted dark red, blood swirling lazily within it.

Arthur dipped his bruised knuckles into the bucket with a faint hiss as the holy water reacted to the cursed blood on his skin.

The mixture bubbled faintly, sizzling against his flesh, but he felt nothing.

He held his fist into the water for a moment, watching his reflection distort, before pulling his hand out slowly.

He grabbed a towel and began wiping the blood from his face and hands in silence.

The instruments on the trolley, pliers, branding rods, crosses, stakes, hammers, and more, were already stained. 

The air reeked of iron, holy oil, and burnt flesh.

Arthur walked slowly over to a small wooden chair and sat down.

His eyes never left the broken figure dangling before him.

He took in a long, controlled breath.

"…This won't stop, you know."

His voice was calm.

Marius slowly raised his battered face, one eye barely able to focus.

Even in his dazed state, Arthur could see Marius' madness… and something else.

Fear.

Arthur stood up again.

"No matter how much you curse me, beg me, cry, or even piss yourself. I won't stop."

He said, walking forward.

He stood just a few inches from Marius now, staring directly into his swollen, bloodied face.

"I will keep going until your debt is paid. Every soul you stole. Every life you extinguished."

Marius made a faint noise, whether a laugh, a moan, or a plea, it was unclear.

Arthur reached into the folds of his coat and pulled out a thick, black folder.

Marius's eyes widened.

Arthur flipped it open casually.

"You see, my friend Cao Cao brought some fascinating documents when he abducted you."

He began turning the pages, each one rustling softly.

"Detailed communications with the Old Satan Faction. Plans of a coup against your father and the Tepes faction. Strategic outlines for extracting one of Valerie Tepes' three Holy Grails for their own use. And this… oh, this one's a favorite…"

Arthur flipped a few more pages.

"A project for the resurrection of Evil Dragons and transforming the entire Tepes army into unkillable super soldiers, intended to wipe out humanity and challenge the major pantheons for supremacy."

Marius clenched his teeth behind the gag, eyes darting between the pages and Arthur.

Arthur stopped and tilted his head.

"Honestly, it's all so… cliché."

He muttered, closing the folder with a sharp snap.

"Evil plans, mass destruction, family betrayals, world domination. Very uninspired."

He tossed the folder to the side.

Arthur stepped closer, his voice turning colder.

"But there are two things I care about."

He raised a finger slowly.

"One. You orchestrated the massacre of my hometown."

He raised another finger.

"Two. You and your scum tricked a dhampir child… Gasper Vladi… into sacrificing himself under the promise of saving his sister. A promise you never intended to keep."

Marius' breath hitched.

Arthur turned and walked toward the trolley.

He picked up a pair of rusted, black-iron pliers, their teeth already stained crimson.

The fireball above flickered as if reacting to his growing fury.

Arthur raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

The gag-chain around Marius's jaw uncoiled like a serpent and slithered back into the ceiling, leaving his mouth exposed.

Marius panted heavily, blood oozing from his cracked lips.

He coughed violently, some of it splattering onto the floor.

Arthur stood before him with the pliers in hand.

"Care to explain, Marius?"

His voice was calm again.

"Depending on your answer, I might even consider granting you mercy."

For a moment, silence.

Then… a slow, raspy chuckle escaped Marius' throat.

The chuckle grew into a laugh, raw, bitter, and deranged, a laugh that carried through the room like a sickness.

"You… you think... t-that matters? You think that... you can beat redemption out of me, mongrel?"

Marius spat blood on the floor. 

His eye widened with manic glee.

"You can torture me... Burn me... Rip me apart... But it won't change what happened... You can't unspill blood..."

His voice cracked with joyless madness.

"And let me tell you… The screams of those worthless insects… were music to my ears... I'd do it again... and again... Every... Single... Day... Just to hear their screams of despair..."

Arthur didn't move.

"And that brat Gasper?"

Marius smirked, broken teeth bloodied.

"My only regret… was not being there to see his pathetic little face when he realized... we were never going to free his sister!"

He started laughing again.

"I bet he cried like a little girl-"

In an instant, Arthur's hand snapped up and seized Marius by the jaw, forcing it open.

Marius watched as Arthur's pupils turned to slits.

"You know what? This was supposed to be an act of justice, but screw justice." 

He said in cold fury. 

He shoved the pliers into Marius' mouth and gripped one of his fangs tightly.

Marius tried to jerk away, but the chains snapped taut and held him fast.

Arthur's grip tightened.

"And screw you, asshole."

*YANK.*

Marius screamed in sheer pain.

The fireball above flared violently as the gramophone clicked into a new song.

*Beethoven's Für Elise*

Arthur tossed the bloody fang to the ground.

"Number 401. Samantha. Age 9. Orphan."

And without a word, he reached in for the next fang.

DxD

Inside a meeting room at a luxury hotel, a circular wooden table stood as the centerpiece, covered in neatly stacked files and a few cups of tea.

Gathered around were the members of C×C.

Siegfried leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, as he idly observed the others.

Jeanne sat beside him, her posture straight, expression calm but attentive.

Across from them, Dulio whistled a low tune under his breath, spinning a pen between his fingers.

Connla rested his chin on one hand, lazily tapping the table with the other.

Cao Cao sat quietly, fingers interlaced as he leaned forward, expression sharp as ever.

Heracles was slouched slightly, his massive arms crossed, occasionally cracking his knuckles out of boredom.

Georg flipped through a collection of documents with his usual focused intensity.

Lavinia, seated between Connla and the empty chair reserved for Arthur, sipped tea with a slightly distant look.

A moment passed in comfortable silence until Heracles tilted his head and looked toward the empty seat.

"So… where's the bossman? Didn't he call this meeting?"

Lavinia perked up, blinking as she gently set her cup down.

"He said he was doing some handiwork. Didn't explain to me much about what he's been doing."

She answered softly, brushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear.

Heracles shrugged.

"Long as he shows up."

Just then, the large double doors creaked open, and Arthur stepped in.

His coat was freshly worn, his red hair slightly damp, and there was a small, almost imperceptible smear of blood on the cuff of his left sleeve.

He adjusted the collar of his shirt and walked with the same calm, steady pace as always.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had to take care of something unimportant."

Arthur said, his voice steady but faintly tired.

Arthur made his way to the seat next to Lavinia and sat down.

She glanced at him, briefly catching the subtle scent of iron on him, but said nothing.

"Alright, let's make this meeting quick and short."

Arthur said simply.

"We'll start with Lavinia and Jeanne."

Lavinia nodded and pulled out a small folder from her side of the table, placing it in the center.

"We finalized the agreement with the Carmilla Faction. They've accepted our terms to share resources and intel with us. They're officially our allies now."

She reported. 

Arthur nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. At least they see reason."

He looked toward Siegfried and Heracles.

Siegfried leaned forward slightly.

"We finished relocating the dhampirs and the kidnapped humans we rescued. We also pulled a few human families out of a few remote areas that were terrorized by the Tepes Faction."

Siegfried looked at Arthur.

"Also, one of the dhampirs asked to meet you, Arthur. No idea why, but she said it was important. Helped us out a bit during the relocation, too."

Arthur nodded slowly.

"I'll think about it."

Then he turned to Dulio.

"Dulio, how's the thing that I asked you about?"

Dulio smirked, leaning back and folding his arms behind his head.

"The Church is nearly finished rebuilding your hometown. The structures are intact, and water systems and electricity have been installed. It'll be ready to house the relocated dhampirs and human children in about a week or so. Also, security barriers have been installed. Even the old chapel's been rebuilt."

Arthur was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Thank you."

Dulio shrugged, still grinning.

"Come on, I'm your senior. This is the least I could do."

Arthur chuckled lightly.

"I'll remember that when I get in trouble next time."

Everyone shared a small laugh.

Arthur then turned to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao sat up, pushing a few sheets toward the center.

"Georg and I swept through the western forests near the ruined Tepes Castle. Found a few vampire scouts and two Devils spying on us during the massacre. All of them were tied to the Khaos Brigade."

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Did you get anything useful?"

Georg answered without looking up.

"Some scraps. No full documents, but enough to confirm they're trying to retrieve Valerie Tepes, or more specifically, her Sephiroth Graal."

Jeanne's brow furrowed.

"That's… dangerous."

Arthur nodded slowly, his expression grave.

"We'll tighten our security around Valerie, just to make sure that she and the three Grails won't fall into their hands."

Connla spoke next, shifting forward.

"Speaking of Miss Valerie, how is she?"

Arthur's gaze softened just a bit.

"She's stable. Still bedridden, but healing. Hopefully, she'll recover after a week or two."

Lavinia raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly, arms folded.

"Must be nice spending all your time tending to a pretty girl while the rest of us were busy."

She said with a small pout. 

Arthur blinked.

"Lav... I'm not trying to actively get into her pants, you know."

She looked him in the eyes and sighed.

"I know... I know you're helping her recover. Still… I'm trying to get used to this."

Arthur gave her a tired look.

"Look, I-

Jeanne loudly cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"Can we continue with the meeting, please?"

Arthur blushed a bit as he fake coughed.

"Right, sorry."

He took a breath and looked around at everyone.

"You've all done great work, team. We're making progress. Real progress. We've saved a lot of innocent people. We've secured allies. And we made the Tepes faction pay for their crimes in full."

He paused, face hardening.

"But from this point onward, we're going to be noticed. There'll be reactions. The enemy will try to destabilize what we've built, and other pantheons will try to rope us into their cause."

He looked around the table.

"So starting tonight, let's take this week off. Enjoy the peace while it lasts. Because soon…"

Arthur stood up.

"…there will be no rest."

Everyone nodded in quiet understanding.

Heracles grinned and stood up.

"Okay then. How about we celebrate our first real victory together? Drinks, food, games… maybe even get Georg drunk enough to dance the Macarena."

Georg raised an eyebrow without emotion.

"Unlikely."

Jeanne smiled softly.

"Still worth trying."

Cao Cao gave a rare smirk.

"We'll need this kind of break."

As they began casually discussing where to go and what to do, Dulio quietly stood up and walked past them, heading for the door.

"Nah, I'll pass. You guys enjoy."

"Wait, you're leaving? You're always finding dumb excuses just to hang out with us."

Siegfried asked, surprised.

Dulio waved casually.

"Don't worry, I'll try to catch up. I've just gotta go and run a few errands."

Arthur's eyes flicked toward Dulio, and for a brief second, their gazes met.

Dulio gave him a faint, knowing look, and Arthur's eyes narrowed.

He nodded, almost as if understanding Dulio's intentions.

"Try to make it quick, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be back before you miss me."

Dulio grinned, stepping out of the room.

"See you later, losers."

The door closed behind him.

Heracles blinked.

"Okay… that was weird."

Siegfried muttered.

"Very."

But Connla clapped his hands.

"Well, I still vote we celebrate."

"Hell yeah! Let's go find a place with a lot of meat and some strong alcohol."

Heracles agreed. 

As the team began filing out, chatting and joking, Arthur stood in place for a moment longer, staring at the door Dulio had walked through.

(You'd better know what you're doing, Dulio.)

DxD

At the heart of the Vatican lay the Council Chambers, its walls were adorned with tapestries, saints, and the angelic figures watching over mankind.

The murmur of conversation filled the chamber as the high-ranking members of the Vatican's council spoke quietly, debating political moves, theological rulings, and minor disputes between branches of the faith.

Then, the last to enter, the Head Councilman, walked briskly through the tall oak doors.

His ceremonial robes flowed behind him, and the room turned to acknowledge him.

"Ah, you've arrived at last. We were just about to wonder where you were. What's the emergency?"

One of the older men said. 

The Head Councilman blinked, adjusting the golden spectacles on his face.

"Emergency? What are you talking about?"

The chatter quieted instantly.

"You issued the summons, did you not?"

Another asked, frowning.

"I most certainly did not. Who ordered this?"

The Head Councilman said sharply, looking around. 

Confusion rippled through the room like a wave.

One by one, the councilmen turned to each other, whispering, asking the same question.

"Who called this meeting?"

"I received the summons with your seal."

"So did I."

"I assumed it was an emergy."

"If it's not you, then who could it be?"

A moment of silence followed.

"I did."

All heads snapped upward.

Suspended effortlessly near the golden dome of the chamber, floating among the sacred murals, was a figure in a white overcoat that drifted gently in the air currents, and golden locks of hair.

His face was cast in shadow at first, but as he descended into view, the flickering candlelight revealed him.

Dulio Gesualdo.

His face held no smile nor cheerful act, just cold, implacable calm.

"Dulio Gesualdo. What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

The Head Councilman barked, rising from his seat. 

Dulio landed gently on the white marble floor with the faintest sound, hands behind his back.

No reply.

"Answer, boy! Who gave you authority to summon the full Council?"

Another cardinal snapped. 

Dulio finally raised his head slightly.

"Do you all remember what I said last time?"

The room stilled.

His voice was like wind before the storm.

"About what would happen if any of you fucked around with my junior, or anyone close to him?"

A low hum gathered around his figure.

A ring of clouds circling him turned dark grey, twisting into a storm cloud.

Before anyone could respond, Dulio raised one hand and snapped his fingers.

A thunderous crack echoed and the heavy oak doors slammed shut behind him, the iron bolts locking into place.

The stained-glass windows, once glowing with soft light from the sun, suddenly shimmered and shifted, changing shape, color, and content.

No longer did they show saints and angels.

Now they showed the charred remains of a once-peaceful town.

Burned homes, broken streets, blood-soaked claws, and among them, dead bodies covered in ash and blood.

The chamber darkened as the sun was shut out entirely, and the holy candles flickered once… then died, one by one.

Darkness swallowed the room.

A roar of wind spiraled down from above, extinguishing every light, shaking the relics, and sending many of the elderly councilmen reeling back in fear.

Some cried out.

Some clutched crosses.

Some tried to whisper prayers through trembling lips.

And then—

A pair of glowing green eyes opened in the dark.

Dulio's voice, cold as steel, rang out.

"Turns out, I've just found out who recalled the exorcists from a town in Europe."

His boots echoed as he walked forward through the dark chamber, slow and heavy.

"An entire town… wiped out. Men, women, elderly, children, and orphans were slaughtered."

He stopped, looking toward the center of the circle.

"And none of you sent help."

"W-We don't know what you're talking about!"

One of the cardinals stammered, stepping back.

"Preposterous! You're accusing the Church Council of dereliction?! You have no right to speak of us in such manner!"

Another shouted. 

"Someone is feeding you lies!"

"We never-!"

"Silence."

Dulio said quietly, cutting them off.

Lightning crackled around his arms, illuminating his face in terrifying clarity.

"I read the deployment logs. I traced the orders myself. The signature belonged to this very chamber. The recall was authorized."

He stepped closer to the table, where the elders began to back away.

"You left them to die."

An old man fell to his knees, shaking.

"We-we had to redirect forces for other important matters! That town you speak of is under no threat! You have to understand that we are understaffed at the moment!"

"You left them unguarded. You left children to burn. You abandoned Arthur's people. The very same innocent people that the Church has sworn to protect!"

Dulio thundered, the room shaking with the sheer force of his divine pressure.

A cardinal tried to stand firm, pointing a trembling finger.

"This is that boy's doing, isn't it! He's twisted your mind! He brainwashed you with Devil magic, did he?!"

Dulio paused… then gave a hollow, exhausted sigh.

His hand rose slowly.

Storm clouds gathered into his palm, and cracks of lightning rippled around him, arching toward the ceiling and burning away the edges of holy scripture on the walls.

"So it's like that, huh… Trying to play the blame game."

He murmured, as though tired of the conversation.

He lifted both arms.

Crackling energy surged around him, swallowing the hall in waves of blue light.

The very marble beneath his feet began to split and crack as the storm gathered in intensity.

"Oh well. I've already gotten my answer."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Now you're all gonna die."

"W-WAIT!"

"GESUALDO, PLEASE!"

"We are the Holy Council of-!"

"See you all in Hell, you old prunes."

Dulio's eyes gleamed like divine judgment as the lightning reached its peak.

And then everything went blank.

DxD

Hello readers!

Need more Power Stones, please.

Thank you, everyone, and see you later!