Part 1

[I still think this is too early, Vallian. A few more months of proper training would give you the skills in magic you might need to-]

"I don't have months, Albion. You heard what grandfather said, if I don't start showing results then mother will...you know."

[Of course I know, I was there. But getting yourself killed will only exacerbate a problem that already exists, not solve it.]

Vallian Lucifer fought back a scowl at the Dragon's words, continuing to fight the howling gale that threatened to pick her up and toss her down the mountainside if she let her attention slip, rotating and flexing the metallic wings affixed to her back in a constant dance that left precious little time to consider her words.

"Neither will just sitting back and doing nothing. It's a choice between two equally awful paths and I, personally, want to take the one that actually has a chance—however slim—of succeeding. Besides, I thought you wanted to end up in yet another deathmatch against your rival?"

[Not if it results in our defeat and humiliation without so much as managing to scratch my eternal foe. And if half the rumors are true then we march to fight a very experienced and very uncaring warrior that wouldn't hold back even if you weren't my host.]

A grim frown appeared on Vallian's face, hidden by a steel helm that gleamed with immaculate metalworking and enchantments. The rest of her body was similarly covered and armored, ornate plate armor that shifted and flexed like a second skin while thick and insulated clothing kept her body heat trapped within.

A necessary precaution even for a Devil, given the harshness of the environment she now attempted to navigate through.

Her quarry had last been seen in a distant mountain range of the Underworld, so far removed from most civilizations that it hadn't even been given a name, only a set of coordinates that she had spent the last day or so scouring for any sign of her prey.

It wasn't easy. This part of the Underworld actually had a fairly steady supply of rainfall courtesy of lingering spells and energies of some kind of Cryptid beast that had either lived or perished in the region, the mountainous peaks of the area cold and windy enough that the terrain was in a constant state of blizzard.

Cold enough that even a durable Supernatural creature like herself could freeze to death in short order if precautions weren't taken.

But this unnamed area was where this generation's Red Dragon Emperor had chosen to reside after nearly three years of constant battles up and down the length of the Underworld, as well as quite a number of other Pantheon's territory. Not a bad decision, seeing as he'd managed to make no shortage of enemies during that time.

…

Issei Hyoudou. A simple Human given one of the strongest Longinus to ever exist. More to the point, a Human that, somewhere along the line, had developed a serious grudge against everything Supernatural.

Gaining power at an unprecedented rate the Longinus wielder had gone after foe after foe, each one more powerful than the last in a gradually increasing list of conquests...in more meanings than one.

While he didn't always kill the opponents he defeated the female ones were notorious for being subjected to his...advances.

Not only was he a battle junkie but the Red Dragon Emperor also had a libido to match his bloodlust. Part of the reason he had left most of the known parts of the Underworld was that quite a few of his past 'trophies' had been friends, spouses or family of powerful individuals that had been willing to band together in order to hunt him down.

To their no doubt great displeasure Hyoudou was no fool simply because he sought battle. The Human had merely up and left the surveyed territories for almost a year now, leaving any and all attempts to find him stymied or simply too expensive of an undertaking to pursue.

…

So what was Vallian Lucifer, heir to one of the most prestigious bloodlines of the Underworld, doing seeking out such a man?

He was the ultimate prize, a trophy of one kind or another that she could make use of to fulfill her ambitions and fondest wish.

Her family life was...not particularly healthy. At all. Her mother had been a famous and powerful magician until her father—the latest of the Lucifer line—had kidnapped and raped her, the woman eventually giving birth to Vallian and, despite the fact that she was in what could be charitably described as adverse conditions, raised her as best she could despite the fact that she was well within her rights to despise her very existence.

And now it was Vallian's turn to respond in kind, to save her mother from a fate she didn't deserve in the slightest. Her grandfather, Rizevim Lucifer, was the real power of the current Lucifer line...the one who pulled the strings of the family and could make her father dance to his tune with naught but an errant look. And he had recently began pushing for Vallian's mother to give birth to more heirs, even going so far as to suggest that Vallian herself should become a breeder, for no immediately apparent or obvious reason other than the old Devil was cruelty incarnate.

...But the society of Devils was as simple as it was convoluted. Power was the ultimate deciding factor of ones worth. While that power could come in many forms it was undeniably the bedrock of what governed their people as a whole. If she proved herself through some kind of trial or adventure that she could hold her own against those higher up the food chain...she could conceivably make her family back off.

And what greater prize than the famed Red Dragon Emperor that had escaped capture and execution for so long, the one diametrically opposed to her very existence as the White Dragon Empress?

[If you will insist on this foolishness then at least exercise the proper caution when enacting it.]

"I'm not stupid, Albion."

[That remains to be seen…]

Growling under her breath the girl kept her silence, dissipating the Longinus's wings as she came in for a landing just a short distance away from one of the taller peaks, the collection of towering mountains looking like the jaw of some incomprehensibly powerful God baring its teeth.

"So can you sense him? I've got nothing and it's too windy to smell and too snowy to see."

[Nothing. But then again it's entirely possible that Hyoudou isn't here right now. A short jaunt beyond the range of these mountains is by no means out of the question.]

Grunting in frustration at the entirely possible scenario Vallian began gazing around the spires of rock, picking out key locations as she stated, "In that case I'm going to ward this entire damn area. If he walks by then we'll notice him."

[Very well. But exercise caution when placing them, if our quarry senses that one skilled in magic is observing his movements the element of surprise will almost certainly be lost.]

"What are you, my overprotective maid?"

Vallian's grumble was met with a huff from the disembodied Dragon.

[It certainly feels that way sometimes.]

"So that's him, huh?"

[Indeed...that is our rival.]

"...Why is he so damn tall? And what's up with his body?"

[As a Human his body would not be naturally acclimated to Draconic magic, or powerful enough to withstand the strain of using such a powerful gear. It's entirely possible he had to sacrifice parts of his original form to the Welsh Dragon inside in order to obtain the power he has.]

Vallian narrowed her eyes from within her helmet, muttering, "Makes me glad I was born a half-Devil."

The target of her observations had clearly gone a bit overboard in his attempts to handle the powers gifted by the Boosted Gear. What she guessed to be almost 2.3 meters of muscled form sat cross-legged in the snow, back straight and hands on his knees as Hyoudou drew in a single breath maybe one every two minutes or so.

...The strange parts not typical to most humanoid Supernatural species consisted of a crimson and ridged tail that trailed behind his body, at least as long as he was tall while tanned skin was unevenly sprinkled with dull red scales that seamlessly meshed with his flesh, ears pointed slightly while golden horns lightly curled from the crown of his skull.

"Not exactly the raging lunatic and battle-junkie I thought he would be...what's up with this meditative old man on the mountain technique?"

[Little else to do in a secluded place like this, I imagine...are you certain you're hidden?]

"Of course I am! Do you have to question everything I say or do?"

[When the alternative means defeat and death—or worse—then, yes, I do. Or do you think our quarry is the type that does not play with his food before eating it?]

Inwardly grumbling at her Dragon's valid assessment Vallian instead continued to observe her target with a watchful eye, carefully and slowly shifting into a more comfortable spot within a pile of rocks as she settled in to wait, continuing her vigil while trying to suss out if the meditation period was simply for passing time or a means of obtaining greater power. There were hints of some kind of subtle energy fluctuation every now and again, certainly...but nothing she or Albion could properly put their collective fingers on.

Resisting the urge to sigh the young girl felt her eyes travel downwards-

-and snapped them back to their original position, cheeks flushed slightly as she kept her gaze affixed on the male's body above his hips.

She was still relatively young by Devil standards—Hellfire, even by Human standards she was a teenager—but knew enough to know what a dick looked like...and to understand that the one attached to Hyoudou's groin was a most impressive specimen, one that—if she failed—she wasn't entirely sure could fit inside of her.

"Hmph...as if I would fail."

[Do me a favor and do not repeatedly dwell on the sight of a male's phallus when you should instead be considering ways to best eliminate this foe of ours. This will be a difficult battle without your hormones clouding your mind.]

"Yes, yes...focusing now."

Shaking her head in exasperation at Albion's constant nagging Vallia turned her attention back to their target of observation-

-and almost jumped in surprise as he was on the move, going from sitting to standing in a liquid-smooth motion as a selection of what looked to be animal furs were tossed around his body, seemingly unconcerned with the cold that was surely freezing his skin into solid sheets of ice.

[And here it begins...remain on guard, Vallian.]

"Right, don't need to tell me twice."

Waiting a few seconds until she was sure that Hyoudou was walking away with his back turned to her the half-Devil silently left her hiding spot, pacing after the male with careful and deliberate motions, ensuring she was hidden by some kind of terrain at all times.

Not that he seemed to ever look behind him, tail waving languidly through the air as he strolled through the mountains, the journey lasting for twenty minutes before Vallian saw him turn a corner, disappearing into a slightly sloped cave that lead downwards to the heart of the mountains, the White Dragon Empress lightly letting out a breath of tension.

"All right, here it is...the ambush sight."

[Shall we reconnoiter the entrance more closely? I don't sense any traps but not all snares are magical in nature.]

"I will, no telling what kind of-"

WHAM!

Static filled Vallian's brain, a titanic impact sending waves of blackness through her head as Albion began shouting something that she didn't really understand and mostly just added unnecessary noise to the whole process.

Thankfully instincts were on top of things, a shout of [Divide!] halving her impressive momentum and allowing her to get her feet beneath her, Divine Dividing's metallic wings snapping outwards and putting a halt to the crazed tumble she'd been sent into.

Shaking her head—and ignoring the wave of dizziness the action caused—the young warrior focused on the towering man that had sent her flying a good fifty meters away, glaring at his unimpressed expression as he stalked forward without a seeming care in the world.

"Is this how you greet all your guests?"

"Only the uninvited ones."

The powerful, smooth baritone with traces of an Eastern accent carried easily across the distance, Vallian cracking her neck as she matched her opponent's walk, fingers angrily twitching as they instinctively wanted to reach for the sword at her waist.

{Well isn't this quite the surprise? My dearest rival, offering up a whelp of an opponent for mine to devour? They do not seem like much, fancy armor notwithstanding.}

The rumbling, tectonic voice that echoed across the landscape seemed to emanate from an emerald gem located in Hyoudou's right arm, embedded deeply within flesh like a leech as Albion retorted, [Still one to speak boldly despite not being aware of the entire situation. How like you, Ddraig.]

"And you just got lucky, catching me off guard like that!"

Briefly annoyed at how her helmet altered her voice into one of neutrality—mostly to help hide her identity as a Lucifer when masquerading as a mercenary—Vallian nonetheless came to a halt barely five meters away from her foe, the towering Red Dragon Emperor matching her position as he gazed down at her, slitted and emerald orbs burning with an inner fire as he cocked his head.

"Were you hired by one of those weaklings to finally take me down? I admit that the White Dragon Emperor is certainly one of the proper few for the job...but you're weak, unsuited for the job and certainly not of any particular threat to us. Especially not if a single one of my blows sent you this far away."

Temper flaring and half-tempted to tell the condescending bastard that she was the heir to the Lucifer line—just to see what his reaction would be—Vallian instead purposefully grabbed the hilt of her blade, coldly remarking, "That so? Care to try your luck at this, 'not a particular threat', then? I bet I'll manage to surprise you, asshole."

[Vallian, deliberately provoking one who could easily end your life-]

"We're well past that, Albion. Besides, do you honestly think they'll just let us go if we turned around and left?"

[...No. Very well, but proceed with extreme caution.]

The mental and lightning-swift conversation took place in enough time for Hyoudou to narrow his eyes, lightly remarking, "With that sort of an attitude? Yes...I think I will try my luck."

{Hmph. All bark and no bite in this one, I wager.}

Feeling her anger and indignation at their pompous and overly dismissive attitudes Vallian unsheathed her sword, a claymore that looked almost humorous given its relative size to her smaller frame but was wielded with deft ease, her lips peeling back from pearly white teeth as she snarled, "Then show me what you've got, asshole! I'll be bringing your head back on a platter by the time this is over!"

An angry rumble emanated from the male and Dragon spirit, fists clenching as he took a single step towards her with clear intent to kill-

[Divide!]

-And with a flexing of her Sacred Gear's power she suddenly appeared halfway between their previous distances, already leaping into the air with her sword swinging towards Issei's neck, fully prepared to part it from his shoulders.

CLANG!

Clicking her tongue in frustration Vallian rotated her body away from the man's retaliatory strike, a straight punch that caused the air to tug at her form in its wake. The bastard had manifested his Sacred Gear as a crimson and spiked gauntlet around his right arm, blocking her sword strike and ruining her chance at putting him in his place from the word go.

"Hmph. I'll give you points for actually being smart enough to not fight me directly. You'll need trickery and guile to have a prayer of defeating me, runt."

Fingers clasped over her sword's hilt creaked with enough force to deform cheap steel, the half-Devil raising her blade point first towards the smirking male as she took a deep breath...and charged with a burst of speed that was incredibly impressive for one her age.

The Boosted Gear spread its golden claws wide, aiming to no doubt eviscerate her by slipping into the narrow gaps of her armor, the White Dragon Empress grinning savagely at such an obvious ploy as she shifted her body slightly...and a spray of sparks lit the air, her armor catching the edge of the assault and spinning her in a tight circle, sword coming down on his unprotected back-

SCREECH!

-except she had forgotten about his crimson tail, the appendage grabbing the blade and stopping it dead, the weapon groaning slightly as the sinuous muscle began to tighten around the tempered steel before Vallian hastily straightened the sword out, allowing it to scrape free of the hold with another screech of metal on scales.

"Heh, was that your plan? Where's your tail, runt? An ally to watch your back?"

Holding her blade steady the half-Devil coldly stated, "I don't need one. Infernus!"

Her flame spell covered the hardy steel with a haze of white and blue flames, the snow around her body melting to droplets of water as the duo once more crouched low, facing the other as Hyoudou condescendingly smirked at her, Vallian gritting her teeth hard enough that her jaw hurt.

A push of her athletic legs sent her rocketing towards Hyoudou once more, aiming to pierce him right through the heart as his Boosted Gear moved to slap aside the pointed tip-

[Divide!]

-and this time she took away his speed, limb moving just a fraction slower than necessary that he only corrected at the last possible moment, Vallian's superheated blade carving a bloody furrow through his side as she skidded to a halt, grinning in triumph at drawing first blood.

She especially savored Hyoudou's shocked expression, lightly exploring the bloody and steaming slice with his unarmored fingers.

"Well? Where'd that confidant attitude go, asshole~?"

Unable to resist taunting her foe the half-Devil met the blank gaze of Issei as he neutrally stared at her...and with a frenzied shout charged with insane force, Vallian genuinely caught off guard by the speed displayed before barely managing to twist herself out of the way, his bulk still clipping her shoulder and sending her sprawling.

Only a swift roll to her feet kept her alive, Hyoudou sending a powerful haymaker towards her head that, armor or not, absolutely would have done bad things to her skull and neck.

Acting on instinct she sent a beam of pulsating Demonic energy towards the charging Red Dragon Emperor, the lance of destructive force doing little to actually injure him but it allowed her to backpedal as he forced himself through the deluge, staring hatefully at her as she tried to think of a good move to pull.

[The answer is simple, Vallian. You need to make use of Balance Breaker, he's too powerful to otherwise engage.]

"...Dammit. I hate it that you're right. Bastard still hasn't even tried to use his own Gear's powers yet."

Setting aside her stinging pride the half-Devil instead closed her eyes, gathering Albion's power deep within her body...and shouted, "BALANCE BREAKER: SCALE MAIL!"

A surge of overwhelming strength inundated her body, transforming into an additional protective layer of glowing white and blue armor in the shape of a Humanoid Dragon, Vallian meeting Hyoudou's charge head-on...and despite the fact that it rattled her to do so she matched his punch with one of her own, hissing, "Go ahead and keep underestimating me...I dare you!"

Hauling back her free arm she gathered a ball of compressed Demonic energy within it, launched it at her opponent and right before it made contact she once more made use of Sacred Gear's powers.

[Divide!]

Hyoudou's defense was rendered even more ineffective as her blow landed true, an explosion of force sending the male bouncing several meters away before he landed in a crouch, brown hair waving in the wind as his skin steamed and burned from where she had struck, Vallian raising her sword in a mocking salute as she droned, "Well, runt? Is that the best you can do? Charge around and throw punches?"

For a moment the pair locked hateful gazes...and Hyoudou grinned unrepentantly.

"Breaking you is going to fun, little rat. Ddraig, enough fucking around...let's show our self-proclaimed equal how out of their element they really are."

{About time! I was getting bored of seeing you get pushed about like some hapless hatchling. Say goodbye to your host, Albion...their time is up.}

The half-Devil had a thing or two to say about that particular statement...and a deafening roar escaped Hyoudou's throat, a shout that accompanied a sudden outpouring of such raw power that she could feel it like a physical sensation, as if an ocean had suddenly fallen on her head.

"W-what? What just-"

[Vallian, RUN! We miscalculated, you need to rethink this battle and how to win it!]

For a precious few seconds the young girl could only stare at her foe, the man's scales growing more prominent as teeth sharpened themselves into visible fangs, a suffocating and near-blinding haze of emerald energy emanating from where his heart would be, the organ thudding and pounding with a tangible beat as her hands began to shake, the Boosted Gear gleaming like a second sun as Hyoudou offered her a mocking, feral grin.

"I think I'm going to see what's beneath that mask now...after I rip your head off."

She didn't waste any more time, turning tail and making use of her Balance Breaker's newfound speed and power to run as fast as she could-

WHAM!

-and much like her first time being attacked by the Red Dragon Emperor she didn't even see the blow that sent her tumbling.

Except she was fairly certain that this one cracked a rib, her armor and breastplate creaking ominously under the strain of the hit, body bouncing uncontrollably before she managed to orient herself properly.

[Keep moving, don't stop or he'll-]

{BOOST!}

Vallian's eyes widened as Hyoudou landed in front of her, the swell of power rising to utterly absurd levels as he raised his gauntlet in her direction, a pulsating orb of emerald energy coalescing within the spiked gauntlet...before being launched in her direction.

[Divide!]

A desperate, last-ditch usage of her Sacred Gear shrank the annihilating orb slightly-

-and then it hit, her vision going black for a moment as heat washed over her, lungs emptied of air as, once the world stopped spinning, the half-Devil weakly regained her feet, trying to focus through the swirling landscape around her.

"Shit...that one really...left a mark..."

Coughing out a weak rasp Vallian became distantly aware that her skin felt unduly warm, shaking her head despite the nausea accompanying it so that she could focus.

The bad news? Her Scale Mail had mostly been melted off from where it had taken whatever that attack was head on. The good news? It had served its purpose and she was still alive, dissipating the additional protection before it could continue to leak molten goop onto her more plain set of protective wear.

"Well aren't you the tough one? I honestly thought that would kill you, given how much of a runt you are."

Locking her jaw Vallian couldn't help the brief trill of mounting fear that swept through her body at Hyoudou's irreverent words, stalking through the molten and smoking landscape as if it was no more strenuous than a morning jog.

Not that she let that show in her words, turning to face her foe as she retorted, "Guess I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?"

"That you are. I'm fairly curious as to what you look like underneath that helmet, actually...consider it a victory of sorts that you've piqued my interest to this extent, whelp."

Snarling in renewed fury as she tried to think of a way to turn the seemingly insurmountable odds facing her the half-Devil was caught completely off guard as the man practically teleported in front of her, the gust of wind marking his passage dousing most of the remaining flames as a powerful hand wrapped around her neck, bodily lifting her off the ground as she felt her eyes widen, fingers digging into his wrist in a vain search for pressure points or soft tissues that she could exploit, legs fruitlessly kicking a broad chest and flanks that might as well have been carved from steel, her attempt to land a blow to his groin stopped cold as the crimson tail restrained her lower half.

"Now let's get a good look at you..."

The bloody gauntlet latched itself around her helmet with unyielding strength, pulling up on the armor as Vallian locked a cry of pain behind her teeth, for a brief moment genuinely worried that he was about to actually rip her head off...and then the helm gave, enchantments recognizing that they were doing more harm than good as they cancelled themselves, allowing the article to come off in the Red Dragon Emperor's hand, revealing the face beneath it as the male stilled, emerald eyes widening at the face beneath.

The first thing he noticed were the eyes. Bright, piercing blue orbs that reminded him of a bird of prey's, all sharpness and predatory intent. Next was the hair. Glorious, billowing waves of silver that fell to just below her knees, no longer magically restrained by the helmet and fiercely snapping in the wind of the mountains.

And framed by these two striking features were noble, feminine looks of unparalleled beauty, still in the throes of youthfulness yet already sculpting the stunning woman that would come to fruition in later years.

It began as a low chuckle, eventually erupting into full-blown laughter as Hyoudou leered at the defiant girl held aloft in his grasp.

"To think that our eternal rival was actually a lovely woman of unbelievable beauty..."

A hot, drooling tongue traced itself perversely over Vallian's flawless, pale skin as the half-Devil shuddered at the sensation.

"I think I'm going to enjoy breaking you in..."