The sky above Britannia stretched wide and silver, a veil of pale mist curling over endless green hills. Beneath it, five figures stood upon a lonely ridge — out of place, out of time, and very aware of it.
The air here was thick.
Not merely with air, but something heavier, older — magicules.
The invisible particles brushed against their skin like sparks of heat, every breath tasting of raw energy and ancient storms.
Rias Gremory tilted her head back, crimson hair stirring in the wind. "The density…" she murmured, her eyes narrowing. "At least four times what we have back home."
Sona Shitori adjusted her glasses, the lenses catching the dim light. "Four, perhaps five. Enough that even standing still strengthens the aura. Just coming here from Earth feels amazing."
Behind them, Akeno — all soft smiles and storm-dark eyes — traced a finger through the air, drawing faint sigils of black lightning that fizzed and vanished. "Mmm. It's intoxicating, isn't it? Like breathing liquid power."
"Feels heavy," Koneko muttered. The white-haired girl crouched low, her tail twitching as if tasting the pressure.
Sona nodded absently. She was already analyzing the data her magic lenses fed her — air composition, leyline flows, the gravitational drag of magical saturation.
They had arrived twelve hours ago. Twenty-four hours since Lucian had teleported from Earth.
And finding traces after twelve hours was proving difficult.
Sona folded her arms. "If he tried to return, that'll surely lead us to him."
Rias's crimson gaze softened for a moment — worry, irritation, something she didn't name. "We'll find him. Let's try looking around the city."
Akeno smirked faintly. "Or we could enjoy the city and let Sona find her always-missing friend."
Rias shot her a look that was half glare, half exhaustion. "Akeno."
"Just kidding," Akeno replied sweetly, clasping her hands behind her back.
The city below — Liones, according to the crude maps they'd acquired — looked peaceful enough. Cobblestone streets, tiled rooftops, banners fluttering with the lion crest of Liones. But even from here, Rias could feel the sanctified pulse of the city's heart. Holy energy. Sharp, radiant, and hostile.
"Not friendly territory," Sona murmured.
"Never is," Rias replied, descending the slope.
---
The streets of Liones were quieter than they'd expected. People bustled about their lives, but every few corners stood armored figures — men in gleaming silver plate with swords that shimmered faintly with divine enchantments. Holy Knights.
At first, the Devils drew only curious glances. A foreign noblewoman and her attendants, perhaps. But as they walked deeper into the city and the aura of their demonic magic began to bleed through, the glances sharpened.
Whispers rose like insects.
Demon.
Witch.
Omen.
Koneko's tail flicked, her golden eyes narrowing. "They're staring."
"Let them," Rias said. "We'll find an inn, ask about travelers. Someone must have seen a man matching Lucian's description."
They didn't make it three more streets.
A shout cut through the air.
"By order of the Holy Knights of Liones — halt!"
A dozen armored men closed in from both ends of the street, their leader bearing a silver crest shaped like twin wings. His sword blazed with sanctified runes.
"You reek of demonic magic," he barked. "State your allegiance! To which Demon Clan do you serve?"
Rias blinked, faintly amused. "Demon… clan?"
Akeno's lips curved. "My, my. They're perceptive."
Sona stepped forward, hands raised slightly in a gesture of peace. "We are not your enemies. We're travelers, displaced by—"
"Silence, witch!" the knight spat. "No lies will save you. Bind them!"
At his command, holy chains of light erupted from their blades, coiling through the air toward the group.
Rias sighed softly. "So much for diplomacy."
The chains struck — and shattered.
A crimson aura flared around her, heat rippling across the cobblestones. Her Power of Destruction pulsed like a living thing, devouring light itself. The knights recoiled as their weapons corroded midair, edges dissolving into red dust.
Sona moved beside her, fingers flicking in precise patterns.
Ice bloomed — not the fragile frost of winter, but dense geometric shards, mana-crystals that froze magicules within them. The knights' movements slowed to a crawl, limbs encased in transparent blue cages.
The remaining few swung wildly, shouting prayers that cracked under their own echoes.
Rias raised her hand.
"Amplify."
A surge answered. Her Unique Skill, Amplifier, twisted her Power of Destruction until the air itself bent, magnifying each flicker into a storm. The ground buckled, cobblestones liquefying into crimson ash.
The fight ended before it began.
Armor clattered empty onto the street. The survivors dropped to their knees, trembling.
Sona exhaled, lowering her hand. "That was excessive."
"They attacked first," Rias said simply, eyes still glowing faintly red. "Besides, they'll live. Probably."
Koneko kicked one of the fallen helmets aside. "They called us demons. Not wrong, technically."
Sona adjusted her glasses, the analytical gleam returning. "No — they said Demon Clan. Which means—"
Her words died as the air rippled.
A shimmering barrier rose around them, massive as a cathedral dome. Runic chains of light traced through the air, anchoring into the ground. The cage pulsed once — then constricted.
"What now?" Akeno hissed, glancing upward.
Sona's expression darkened. "A sealing formation. Complex… and powerful. It's feeding on us."
Indeed, they could all feel it — the faint tug at their cores as the barrier siphoned magicules from their bodies, growing brighter with every breath.
The sky shimmered, and a woman in violet robes descended, her long golden hair whipping around her like a banner. Vivian, apprentice of Merlin.
Behind her, riding a black wyvern, came a man with pale eyes and armor the color of tarnished silver — Hendrickson, Great Holy Knight.
"Demons," he said coldly, his voice echoing through the barrier. "By the order of Liones, you are to be contained and studied. Resist, and you will be purified."
Akeno chuckled under her breath. "Purified. How charming."
Rias glanced at the cage walls — intricate runes feeding on their power, exactly as Sona said. "This spell… it's clever. The stronger we are, the stronger it becomes."
"Then we'll make it stronger than it can handle," Sona replied, her tone calm but eyes sharp.
Rias turned to her, a slow grin spreading. "I like the way you think."
Sona closed her eyes briefly. Her Unique Skill, Scholar's Edition, activated — data streaming across her vision in spectral blue. She studied Rias's energy signature: the pattern, the harmonic ratio, the amplification curve — and copied it.
The knowledge settled into her mind like liquid fire.
Rias felt it instantly — the resonance. Their powers mirrored, twin tides rising in tandem.
"Amplify," Sona whispered.
"Amplify," Rias echoed.
The world burned.
The crimson of destruction and the indigo of calculation merged, spiraling into a single devastating pulse. The barrier screamed, its runes fracturing under the pressure. Vivian cried out, struggling to reinforce the spell, but it was too late.
With a sound like shattering glass, the cage exploded outward, waves of distorted light racing through the streets. Buildings cracked, banners tore free, and for a heartbeat the entire city held its breath.
When the dust cleared, the five Devils stood untouched amid the ruin.
The wyvern crashed to the ground, Vivian clutching her staff in shock.
Hendrickson dismounted — slow and deliberate — his pale eyes glimmering with awe rather than fury.
"I see," he murmured. "So the legends were true. The Demon Clan lives still."
Rias straightened, her aura dimming. "We are not demons."
He regarded her with curiosity. "Then what are you?"
Sona stepped forward, her composure unshaken. "Devils. A different order entirely. And we have no quarrel with you, Knight."
His lips curled faintly. "Perhaps. But tell me — if you are not demons, then how can you use demonic energy? You should know of demons… I wish to meet them."
The request hung in the charged air like blasphemy.
Rias's expression turned wary. Akeno tilted her head, intrigued. Koneko's hand drifted toward her gauntlet.
But Sona… only smiled.
"And what would you offer in exchange?" she asked.
"Anything," Hendrickson said. "We are preparing for war — against gods, perhaps even the Demon King himself. To wield darkness is to survive the light."
Sona folded her arms. "Then stop pointing your weapons at us."
Vivian bristled. "You dare—"
"Vivian," Hendrickson said softly, without looking at her. "Stand down."
His gaze stayed on Sona, weighing her words. Then, slowly, he raised his hand. The remnants of the cage dissolved, the few knights around them lowered their weapons.
"There," he said. "A gesture of goodwill. Now — teach me."
Sona inclined her head, concealing her satisfaction. "We can do better than that. I can grant you a ritual — one capable of summoning demons from the Abyss. But such power comes with… risk."
Hendrickson's eyes gleamed. "Risk is the tax of greatness."
Behind Sona, Rias frowned slightly but said nothing. She knew that tone — the one her friend used when playing a longer game.
Sona's mind was already moving three steps ahead. He's dangerous. Ambitious. Perfect bait.
The summoning ritual she'd offer would not bind demons, but provoke them. With luck, Hendrickson's own greed would destroy him long before he became a problem.
Of course, Sona herself had a plan — once the demons arrived, she could negotiate with them easily. Devils and demons had maintained ties for quite some time, after all.
And Hendrickson, for his part, was smiling for the same reason. Fools. They'll hand me the keys to power themselves.
A wind swept through the broken street, carrying dust and faint echoes of prayer.
Two predators, cloaked in civility, regarded each other across the ruins — each thinking they'd found their advantage.
Rias glanced skyward, her crimson hair catching the dying light. "Britannia's full of surprises."
Sona adjusted her glasses, eyes unreadable. "Then we'll adapt."
Somewhere beyond the clouds, thunder rolled — not of storms, but of worlds grinding against each other.
The devils had come to Britannia.
And Britannia, unknowingly, had just invited hell to dinner.
A/n: This side story should have been longer and like a full 3-5 chapter stuff but than I realised it's kinda too early for something like that, so if you think I'm pacing it fast... I am.
Any 7DS waifu you guys wanna see other than Merlin?