Chapter 101:
– Haru –
I rubbed my jaw gingerly, wincing a bit as I glanced over at Naruko, my visibly furious girlfriend. She'd landed a pretty solid kick there. Her usually lovely red hair was rising, literally bristling like her mother's used to in the anime when she got angry. Her beautiful red fox tails stood on end, fluffing up threateningly, making her look both fierce and stunning at the same time.
Before things escalated further, my other girlfriend, Rias, quickly stepped between Naruko and me. "Now isn't the time to beat up our boyfriend, Naruko," Rias said firmly.
"He fucked my mom!" Naruko growled, those slitted red pupils of hers glaring daggers into me. I flinched slightly under that intense gaze, desperately wishing for the return of her usually soft, lovely purple eyes.
"Yes," Rias agreed, her voice annoyingly reasonable. "And that was definitely kind of shitty of him. But your mom is her own person, Naruko. You knew from the start Haru was a massive horndog for pretty red-haired girls when you started dating him! Honestly, what did you think was going to happen? Everyone else was 100% certain Haru and Kushina were eventually going to hook up. It was only a matter of time."
I coughed awkwardly, feeling my golden tails droop low along with my fox ears as embarrassment flooded through me.
"Everyone?" I muttered quietly, glancing at both of them with a pout. Did none of the girls in my harem really think I could control myself at all? Sure, I had a lot of women in my life—and admittedly, they joined quickly, sometimes leaving me overwhelmed—but I was genuinely trying my best here!
Rias seemed to finally calm Naruko down, whose eyes gradually returned to their normal vibrant purple, though her glare still shot straight at me, sharp and unmistakably annoyed.
"...I know," Naruko grumbled finally, sighing heavily. Her anger softened a bit, replaced by mild frustration and sadness. "I guess I expected it too. I just wanted a chance to have a proper relationship with my mom before things inevitably got…weird."
"Things in Haru's life are always going to be weird," Rias chuckled gently, wrapping Naruko into a comforting hug. "The best we can all do as his girlfriends is ride it out together."
Naruko hesitated only briefly before relaxing into the embrace, her fluffy tails wrapping gently around Rias in return. It was strangely sweet to witness, even if the source of their bonding was entirely my own fault.
Guilt still weighed heavily on me, but relief settled in as I realized I wasn't about to get pummeled by an angry fox-girl—at least, not right now. I took a cautious step forward, softly clearing my throat to remind Rias of our more pressing issue.
"We still have a rescue mission, remember? Naruto's boyfriend is in trouble!"
Rias snorted softly, while Naruko tilted her head, clearly confused. "Who?"
"Gasper," Rias explained. "He's been kidnapped!"
"Gaspers and Naruto? Hehe... That's actually pretty funny," Naruko admitted begrudgingly before her eyes widened with sudden realization at the rest of what I said. "Oh, is that why there's a bunch of weird people flying around outside your school? I honestly just thought you were hosting some magical devil cosplay party or something."
Rias pouted slightly, crossing her arms in mock offense. "Any cosplay party I host would be way better!"
Rescuing Gasper as quickly as possible was obviously crucial, so I urged Rias and Naruko to hurry. We sprinted down the long hallways of her occult building, following the faint trail of Gasper's scent. I had a sinking feeling they'd already taken him out of the building.
"By the way, Rias," I called over to her as we ran, "your building has asbestos."
She stumbled slightly, eyes widening in horror! "Oh no! Don't tell me that! That's like a month's worth of my anime and manga budget to fix if it's true!"
Considering the sheer size of this place, with dozens of rooms and hallways, her budget must've been seriously insane. But I decided not to tease her more. She looked genuinely worried about Gasper.
Bursting through the front doors, we skidded to a stop outside, confronted immediately by a group of cloaked henchmen from the Khaos Brigade.
"They're not frozen in time!" one shouted in surprise.
"Capture or kill them!" another yelled aggressively.
"Hey, those redheads are pretty," a particularly sleazy one added, his voice dripping with a nasty tone. "We should have some fun with them first."
Hearing that, my vision narrowed, rage flaring up hot and fast. These guys were as good as dead! My hand shot up, golden foxfire crackling at my fingertips, ready to obliterate them.
But before I could unleash it, Rias snarled ferociously, stepping forward. "Get the fuck outta our way!" she shouted, flinging her arm forward. A wave of her Power of Destruction surged out, erasing the terrorists completely along with a good chunk of the ground they had been standing on. Dust and smoke rose into the air, momentarily obscuring our vision.
Naruko gave an impressed whistle beside me. "Damn, princess, that was hardcore…" she smirked. Then her eyes flicked over to me and I could tell she suddenly remembered she was supposed to still be mad at me. She let out a sharp "hmph!" and glared. "I smell Gasper this way," she said, her voice clipped, and without waiting for us, she took off toward the main high school campus building.
We reached the main school building, skidding to a halt in front of the big double doors. I could feel the heavy enchantment pulsing across the entrance, some kind of magical lock, but honestly not much of a challenge for any of us. We were all above Ultimate Class.
Naruko clearly agreed. She just snarled and kicked the doors with a sharp, echoing boom.
The magic shattered, doors flying inward and slamming against the walls so hard they left cracks in the plaster.
Inside, a squad of exorcists in black uniforms blocked the hall. They were armed this time, their hands tight around those exorcist laser rifles. Their eyes went wide when they saw us. One of them stammered, "H-how did you get in?!"
They didn't wait for an answer. The air filled with the harsh whine of their weapons charging, then a barrage of searing white laser fire. Rias had to take cover behind a conjured magic shield, because those were HOLY lasers getting fired at her, but I didn't bother as the shots harmlessly splashed against me. Although I did cover my clothes with magicules so that they wouldn't get ruined.
Naruko didn't bother with cover either. As a nine-tailed fox, she was extremely durable.
She bared her fangs, snarled like a wild animal, and charged straight at them. I watched her, red hair whipping behind her, tails bristling and eyes burning with fury—though I had a sneaking suspicion most of that rage was still aimed at me.
She didn't use any jutsu, didn't even bother with actual technique. She just tore into the exorcists with her bare hands. Her fists crashed into them, claws extending from her fingertips, slashing through armor and sending bodies flying. Blood spattered across the walls as she took them down one by one.
Rias came up beside me, a smirk curling on her lips as she leaned in. "You know, Haru," she teased, poking me in the side, "if you want Naruko to stop being mad at you, you're going to have to rock her world with some fantastic sex later."
I choked on a laugh, watching Naruko punch a man so hard he bounced off the ceiling. "You think she'll let me get close without biting my head off?"
Rias grinned wider, her blue eyes practically sparkling as she gazed up at me playfully. "Oh, she'll definitely bite you…"
"Die you motherfucker!" Naruko screamed. Another exorcist screamed as Naruko hurled him down the hall, and I flinched, a shiver running up my spine that had nothing to do with the firefight…
…The deeper we pushed into the building, the more like a clown car it got. Reinforcements just kept pouring in, flooding the hallways from every direction. It was a goddamn mob—stray exorcists, Khaos Brigade thugs, and this time, not just humans. Fallen angels with black wings swooped through the halls, hurling spears of light.
And… I saw actual Yokai too. Even my own faction had traitors…
My own anger flared the second I saw them. Especially when one tengu with a large beak jabbed his spear at us, who was already covered in blood and practically vibrating with rage.
He locked eyes with me and spat out his obvious hate. "There he is—the false prince! Your mother is a disgrace, a scourge on Yokai kind! How dare she make it illegal for us to feast on humans! Why shouldn't we, when we are the superior beings! You will die here and I hope she weeps in regret over your corpse! Or what's left of it after I have a few nibbles!" he cawed at me.
I growled at the arrogance of this traitor. "Try me, birdbrain!" Monsters like these gave us all a bad name!
But Naruko wasn't gonna give him the chance. shot the tengu a glare that could peel paint off a wall. "No one gets to threaten my man but me!" she snarled, her claws glowing with blood-red chakra.
"Fine! I'll kill you first, nine-tails! All you Kitsune are worthless!"
The tengu tried to jab at her, but she just grabbed the spear with one hand, the wood splintering instantly under her grip, then shredded it to pieces. The yokai's face barely had time to register shock before Naruko's claws slashed up, and his head tumbled from his shoulders, blood spraying across her face and the nearby walls.
She licked her lips, a wild look in her eyes, her tails whipping behind her as if daring anyone else to try.
The fallen angels and the remaining Khaos Brigade thugs froze, eyes wide. One of them—a skinny exorcist who couldn't have been older than me—let out a strangled cry, backing away so fast he nearly tripped.
"What the fuck—" another stammered. "We didn't sign up for this shit!"
The panic was instant. Half the hall broke into a stampede, scrambling over each other to get away from Naruko, and from us.
"I hope you've got plenty of stamina left after shacking up with Kushina all night, Haru," Rias said with a snicker, glancing over at Naruko, who was strutting back toward us. Her outfit and arms were covered in smears of human, yokai, and fallen angel blood as she finished mopping up the last remnants of the Khaos Brigade still infesting the building. "...Because that girl seriously needs to get fucked…" Rias finished.
I rubbed the back of my head. "Did you really have to put it quite so crassly, Rias?"
She just grinned and laughed, flicking her crimson hair over her shoulder. "Absolutely. Someone's got to keep you honest. Now come on, let's go rescue Gasper. All of these assholes are dead now, anyway." Her blue eyes practically gleamed with vindication as she surveyed the carnage.
Naruko turned, catching the end of our exchange. She pouted, her red fox ears twitching on top of her head. "Rias, I can hear every word you're saying, you know!" she huffed, stomping her foot and shooting Rias a playful glare. "And I am not pent up," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just… felt like smashing some faces in today…"
Rias shrugged, giving her a smirk. "That's the definition of pent up. And that's ok. That's all just because you've never had Haru's cock in you yet. Trust me, once you do, you'll be purring instead of pouting. Or whatever types of noises fox girls make between the sheets…"
Naruko bristled, tails flaring out in embarrassment. "Rias!" she squeaked, her cheeks going red under the blood splatter.
"What does the fox say, Naruko?" Rias asked with another smirk.
"Oh my god, Rias!" Naruko groaned. "Why are all of Haru's girlfriends like this?" She threw her hands up in the air.
Rias shrugged at Naruko. "You should be asking yourself that."
I couldn't help but snort at that one.
Naruko shot me a look that was half warning.
I caught what Rias was doing right away. As we entered the office, I shot her a grateful look. She was being extra crass and teasing Naruko on purpose—anything to distract her and take the edge off her anger.
It was actually working. Naruko's glare had softened into embarrassment, and she kept sneaking me flustered little glances instead of the death stares from before.
…Sure, Naruko and I had fooled around, but we'd never crossed that line all the way, and now wasn't the time for those thoughts anyway.
The moment we crossed the heavily warded threshold, all the banter died. Then I saw Gasper, and my stomach dropped.
He was nailed to a cross in the center of the room, holes punched through his hands and feet. Blood dripped down, pooling on the polished floor. Some twisted device was strapped to his chest, glowing an ugly, sickly red. It kept his Balance Breaker forcibly activated, jolting pain through him—he was crying, whole body trembling with each electric shock.
"Buchou—it hurts…"
"Gasper!" Rias's voice was hurt and furious. I'd never seen her so angry.
Naruko looked like she was two seconds away from going feral.
Rias lifted her hand and blasted the cross apart, vaporizing wood and metal in a flash of demonic power. Gasper slumped forward, sobbing, and Rias caught him before he hit the floor. She cradled him, her hands gentle as she reached into her pocket dimension and pulled out a vial of phoenix tears.
"Hey, Gasper. Here, drink," she said, unscrewing the cap and pressing it to his lips. "You're safe. I've got you."
Gasper gulped down the potion between ragged breaths. I watched as the angry holes in his hands and feet closed up, the bleeding slowing to a trickle. He sagged into Rias's arms, clutching at her shirt, still crying but relief starting to show on his face.
Naruko knelt next to them. "You're alright now, Gasper. We're here. Nobody's gonna hurt you again, okay?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
Meanwhile, blue sparks of foxfire snapped across my arms, my fury rising with every second. Gasper was Rias's family, and—I liked to think we were friends too. He'd even started visiting the Fox Hole more often.
No one treated my friends, or my customers, like this and got away with it!
—
Naruko, Rias, and I smashed through the windows, not even bothering with subtlety, leaping off multiple floors and landing with a heavy thud right in the middle of the school grounds. Glass rained down around us, scattering across the grass and concrete.
Rias barely seemed to notice the landing. She just knelt there, clutching Gasper tight in her arms as he quietly sobbed against her shoulder. He was healed, but anyone could see this attack was going to leave a mark on him. Gasper had always been sensitive, and after what he'd just gone through, I could hardly blame him.
I gave the two of them a sympathetic look. "Hey, Gasper… you're safe now," I said softly. "We got you out. They're not going to touch you again."
Rias shot me a grateful look, brushing Gasper's hair out of his eyes. "Thank you, Haru," she murmured, her voice rough. "And you too, Naruko."
Naruko crouched next to them, her tails flicking in agitation, but she tried for a smirk. "Next time, try to take a buddy with you to the bathroom. You already dress like a girl, you might as well act like one.
Gasper let out a shaky laugh, still clinging to Rias. "I'll… try. No promises," he managed.
If he was capable of joking, he'd be alright…
I looked up. Above us, the sky was alive—full-blown battles raging in midair. Gabriel was there, living up to her words from earlier. She looked like the definition of an angel of justice as she soared overhead on twelve pure white wings, her golden sword blazing as she cut down Chaos Brigade terrorists left and right. They couldn't even keep up with her, her speed was insane. And if any of them actually managed to hit her with a spell, it just bounced harmlessly off her.
That's an archangel for you.
Honestly, these attackers were absolute idiots for trying this in the first place. Their only heavy hitters on the field were two ultimate-class devils, not even the super devils like Sirzechs, Ajuka, or maybe even Serafall. Add Gabriel, Michael, Azazel, and of course myself, and the Khaos Brigade never stood a chance.
I almost felt sorry for them. Almost.
Ok, I actually didn't. Fuck these guys.
Blue foxfire ignited underneath my feet, swirling and pulsing with power. Beside me, red flames flared beneath Naruko's feet as she tensed, ready to go. We shot up into the sky together, flying fast toward where the others were watching the rest of the fighting play out.
As we gained altitude, I glanced over at Naruko and gave her a small, genuine smile. "It's pretty damn amazing how fast you learned to fly. You're amazing, Naruko."
Naruko rolled her eyes and shot me the least fierce glare I'd seen from her all day. "Keep it up, Haru. After all this is over, you and I are going to have a serious talk."
I just smirked, letting the wind whip through my hair. "Of course. We can talk in private all you want."
I knew I was pushing my luck, but honestly, I was banking on the fact that Rias had softened Naruko up quite a bit. Instead of snapping back at me, Naruko just turned her head, the pink on her cheeks deepening as she looked away.
Hell yes, it was working.
Naruko and I soared up into the sky, weaving through smoke and falling shrapnel until we landed on a floating platform formed from swirling magic, right next to Ajuka, Sirzechs, and Michael. The three of them stood apart from the chaos in the skies. Not participating.
Far in the distance, Azazel and Serafall were throwing everything they had into wild magical duels with Katerea Leviathan and that other loser leader of the Old Satan Faction.
…I genuinely couldn't be bothered to remember his name.
Katerea, though? Even after all this time, I remembered her from my last life—she had that dangerous, crazy-hot vibe that just stuck in your mind. Even if I'd definitely never be crazy enough to stick my dick in it.
Above it all, Gabriel's golden sword was a streak of divine fire as she cut through Khaos Brigade grunts without even slowing down. It was honestly ridiculous—these idiots kept coming at her, completely failing to realize they had zero chance, no matter how many of them tried to swarm her.
I turned to Sirzechs and Michael, frowning. "Why aren't you three out there fighting? You could wipe the sky with these guys instantly. Same with you, Ajuka."
Naruko, hovering at my side, crossed her arms, looking just as curious. "Seriously. You're all basically gods. This would be over in like a second-dattebane."
Sirzechs let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
Michael offered a sad, understanding smile. "We aren't allowed to, Haru," Michael explained. "Sirzechs, Ajuka, and I are the keystones of our respective factions. If we use our full power here, other pantheons might see the opportunity and attack. We can only go all-out in the direst emergencies."
I grimaced. "That's fucked up. So even in a fight like this, you just have to stand back and watch?"
"We live in a fucked up world," Ajuka said bluntly.
Naruko snorted.
"Then how come Azazel is over there mixing it up with Katerea? You don't see him holding back," I asked.
Michael let out a long sigh and shook his head. "Because Azazel is Azazel—he does what he wants, and makes it everyone else's problem. It would be bad if he got hurt or killed though…" he glanced at me and Naruko.
"Say no more," I said, giving Michael a smirk. I had no problem smacking a bitch, and let's all be real—Katarea Leviathan was absolutely a bitch.
If I remembered correctly from the original timeline, at some point during this fight Azazel was going to fuck up spectacularly and get his entire arm permanently sliced off. Michael had just explained that it wasn't good for our factions to appear weakened, especially right after we'd barely secured our shaky peace agreement. That meant I was going to have to step in early and once again fuck up canon. Not that I'd ever had a problem with that, of course.
I turned my attention fully towards Katarea and Azazel. They were hovering roughly a kilometer away from us in the air. Both combatants had paused their fighting, hanging motionless and breathing heavily as they took a short break, each likely planning their next move. Even from this distance, I could see Azazel's familiar cocky grin and Katarea's furious glare.
Katarea's voice carried clearly through the skies. She was monologuing loudly enough for everyone to hear, her voice dripping with scorn. "Look at you, Azazel—pathetic, weak, and utterly worthless," she sneered. "You're a disgrace to all fallen angels. Once I've ripped your head off your miserable shoulders, I'll take pleasure in exterminating your entire disgusting race. And then every other supernatural race! After our victory, devils will rule this world, enslaving humanity and driving them back into the mud where they belong—as slaves beneath our feet!"
Azazel chuckled dryly, although even from here I could tell he was exhausted. "That's some bold talk from someone whose biggest achievement was failing to take over her own faction."
Katarea scowled at him. "Your worthless taunts won't change your fate, Azazel. Your head is mine!"
I shook my head slightly. Damn, this bitch really was a different brand of crazy, wasn't she?
Michael sighed deeply, sounding both tired and disgusted. "Every time she opens her mouth, it is very unpleasant..."
I couldn't agree more. It was definitely time for me to shut her up.
Blue foxfire ignited beneath my feet, roaring to life with a surge of power that tingled along my legs. The heat from my flames radiated up my calves, wrapping me in familiar warmth as I crouched slightly, preparing to launch myself forward at maximum velocity.
I blasted off the magical platform, rapidly accelerating through the sky towards Katarea, jets of intense sapphire flames streaming behind me. Katarea was so absorbed in her own monologue that she never even noticed my approach, her dark eyes locked solely on Azazel.
"…I'll ensure your kind never—"
I didn't let her finish. I exploded directly into her personal space, bringing up my right fist and pulling it back as far as possible. My knuckles blazed white-hot from the friction and intense heat of my speed, a fiery glow enveloping my entire hand.
Her eyes widened in sudden, stunned recognition, but it was already too late. "Wha—?"
"Shut the fuck up," I snarled as I slammed my fist squarely into the side of her cheek, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone and cartilage beneath my knuckles.
The impact sent shockwaves across the sky. The sheer force of my punch blasted Katarea backward, launching her violently through the air. Her scream of pain and surprise echoed loudly across the area as she hurtled downwards, smashing through clouds and tumbling helplessly toward the distant ground far below.
From behind me, Azazel let out a loud whistle of appreciation. "Damn, Haru!" he laughed breathlessly. "Remind me never to piss you off!"
"Too late for that," I said dryly.
"Awww…"
"ROOOOOaaaaaarrrrr!" In this distance, a 30 foot tall red nine-tailed fox had just jumped into the middle of Serafalls battle with the other evil devil.
XXX