Bellerophon/History

Happy Birthday, Now Get to Work
Ancalagon was born in 1389 in Corinth to an unnamed human woman.

When he was six years old, in 1395, the city fell to the Ottomans and his mother was killed during the siege, leaving him alone to fend for himself. After a brief period of time in which he resorted to thievery to survive he was confronted by the city guards that imprisoned him in the city's prison cells, however it wasn't long before a greedy guard was bribed and Ancalagon was bought off as a slave to work at the harbour.

In 1403 the city was recaptured by the Byzantines of the Despotate of the Morea, and he was conscripted in the army whose aim was to restore the Hexamilion wall across the Isthmus of Corinth, in order to keep the Turks away from the Peloponnese peninsula.

Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier
While in the army Ancalagon quickly showed his talent as a warrior, managing to defeat some of the best soldiers the Byzantines had to offer despite his young age.

By the time the Hexamilion Wall was rebuilt In 1415, Ancalagon had grown to fame due to his incredible abilities, having being marked as undefeatable by anyone. However, while the corinthian people meant it in jest, he knew that that remark wasn't far from the truth.

Growing up and training in the army he quickly came to realize that his physical abilities were beyond anyone else's, forcing himself to hold back in order to blend in and not be ousted as a monster by the Corinthian population.

A Feast of Crows
As soon as the campaign ended Ancalagon was approached by a Priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church, who invited the warrior to follow him to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, under the guise of armed escort with the intention of introducing him to the Archbishop of Constantinople. Unfortunately the group was ambushed on the road by a group of Fallen Angels who had sensed an abnormal presence. The entire expedition was massacred with the exception of Ancalagon, who managed to fend them off despite the opponents clear superiority in regards to numbers and weaponry.

Snippets from their conversation however allowed him to piece together the identity of his attackers and the reason for the ambush. Having learnt that a high-ranking Priest wanted him dead for what he was and informed the Fallen Angels accordingly, he set off towards Constantinople in search of the Archbishop.

Once there he was quickly apprehended by uniformed soldiers who called themselves "Exorcists" and led to a walled-off building where he was told that he'd meet the Archbishop in secret, as the Cathedral was too conspicuous. However as soon as they entered the group immediately attacked Ancalagon, calling him an abomination that deserved to vanish from the face of creation. Despite yet again fighting against magical weaponry, he still prevailed and after taking the exorcists equipment he left the city in disguise with the intention of fleeing from his pursuers.

After quickly joining a military group in an effort to blend in Ancalagon set off North towards the Carpathian mountain range, finally arriving at Castle Bran in early 1417. It wasn't long before he began to notice abnormal things, even by his standards, which left him extremely paranoid and diffident, such as the ability to speak a language he'd never heard before, see in the dark and smell better than anyone else, and feel otherworldly presences.

One night Ancalagon's camp was yet again attacked by Fallen Angels, that he only managed to strike down by using the Light Sword he took at Constantinople all that time ago.

Alone once again he quickly set off towards the closest town but he run into a hooded figure in the woods, which introduced herself as Ioana, a local Witch. Having sensed his presence she quickly ushered him inside her cottage, where she revealed the reason for his supernatural abilities: being a half-Dragon, specifically the son of the Dragon King Vritra.

From Transylvania with Love
Ancalagon began his apprenticeship under the witch Ioana, receiving instructions in the arts of Alchemy, Elemental Magic, Spirit Magic, Summoning Magic, Rune Symbols and Transformation Magic, together with Supernatural History and Creatures.

In the spring of 1425, while he was out hunting game, the cottage was attacked and, once he returned, Ancalagon saw Ioana's dead body with puncture marks on the side of her neck. Overcome by rage he set out with the intention of tracking down the vampires responsible and exact revenge. After following their magical trail for a few days he finally reached their lair, a decrepit cemetery that currently housed the vampires underneath the catacombs. After using his magical knowledge to animate bone golems as helpers, Ancalagon immediately proceeded to flood the caves with the intention of forcing the undead outside and fight him at the mouth of the cave. After massacring the entire cabal in a rage, children included, he decided to quickly leave the area and travel with the intention finding a direction for his life.

Death of a Dragon and The Great Sage Equal of Heaven
Ancalagon travelled along the Silk Road towards the far East, occasionally working as a mercenary and supernatural exterminator, while seeking to further his instruction in the magical arts.

In 1439, after sensing a powerful and familiar presence, he witnessed the Prison Dragon Vritra flying in the distance, headed towards the Himalayas. Determined to meet and question his supposed "father" in regards to his disappearance, Ancalagon made haste towards the snowy peaks.

Once there however he was met with the sight of a slain Vritra underneath a triumphant Indra, who recognised Ancalagon's presence and called him out to speak. After learning that his draconic father was blocking the Himalayan rivers and causing a draught throughout the entirety of India, Indra told him that he'll be watching his progress from now on, as half-Dragons were extremely rare and usually born to weaker members of the Dragon race, him being the first to be born to such a powerful Dragon, making him "bound to be interesting". Before departing with Vritra's carcass, the King of Gods gifted the Greek warrior with the Dragon's stinger, declaring himself curious as to what he would do with it, and told him to travel to Mount Sumeru and to look for "a monkey".

After almost a year passed since he spoke to Indra, Ancalagon finally reached the peak of Mount Sumeru and found the "monkey" the Hindu deity spoke of. Introducing himself as Sun Wukong, the monkey-looking Buddha asked for Ancalagon's purpose and, when the warrior said that Indra sent him, he told him that his was not a purpose but something he was told to do by another. Despite this, the former Yōkai allowed the half-Dragon to remain in the temple until he found his purpose in life, eventually teaching him advanced combat techniques, how to meditate and use senjutsu, how to make and dispel various barriers and runes and more. After years spent at the temple with the Yōkai-turned-Buddha and occasionally the Dragon King Yu Long, who instructed him in his more draconic abilities, Ancalagon decided that his goal would be to claim his father's title.

From the Lowest Dungeon to the Highest Peak
Recognising that his power was insufficient he decided to find some use for Vritra's massive stinger and set off towards his old home. When he reached Greece in 1462 he quickly found a ship that could transport him to his final destination, the island of Lemnos.

As soon as he set foot on the island he felt a huge aura which lead him to where he hoped to find the God of Blacksmiths Hephaestus. After he climbed the volcano he soon found himself in the presence of the God he sought, who identified him as the descendant of the Greek Hero Bellerophontes, making him distantly related to the Greek "God of the Sea", Poseidon. Presenting him the Dragon's tail and requesting an armor and weapon worthy of a God. Hephaestus agreed but only if Ancalagon could succeed in his request: to prove his worth and bring him a Titan's blood.

Although shocked by the request the Greek warrior ended up agreeing to the God's demand. After giving him a dagger capable of slicing a Titan's skin, an urn to collect the blood and a mantle that could hide his presence from the sentries, he used his power to send Ancalagon to the only place where he could find a Titan: Tartarus itself. Once Ancalagon reached the gates he quickly concluded that stealth would be the only course of action possible to him. In order to slip past the Hecatonchires that stood guard over the entrance he needed to exercise caution and proceed slowly, something he could only accomplish thanks to Sun Wukong's lessons in meditation.

After timeless efforts Ancalagon managed to infiltrate Tartaros proper and begun his search for the Titan's, which concluded when he laid eyes on the restrained form of the Titan of the Harvest: Kronos.

After going underneath the chained, sleeping Titan, Ancalagon quickly pulled out the urn Hephaestus gave him and sliced the entities skin, drawing blood. After having filled the urn and placed it in an alternate dimension he saw that his arms and face were slick with blood, which he thoughtlessly licked.

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's a...Dragon!!!
Beginning to feel hot and nauseous, while bursting with energy at the same time, he quickly made his way towards the exit, uncaring if anyone or anything saw him. Just before reaching the gates he finally collapsed and begun convulsing, while his body became wreathed in power. Before the Hecatonchires reached him his body begun to quiver and rip apart, with light shining from the cracks, until his new form burst forth from inside. After thrashing against the restraints thrown against him, and ripping them apart with little trouble, he knocked the sentries aside, killing one, and took flight in the skies of the Underworld, soaring above several cities before ripping a hole in the space-time fabric and departing to the Dimensional Gap.

Once there his power began to fluctuate wildly and he went into a deep slumber, until such a time as when his power would stabilise. It didn't take long before the two other occupants of the Dimensional Gap took notice of him, curious as to where a being as powerful as him emerged from without them noticing sooner. During his slumber Ophis would often find itself resting on Ancalagon's body because the Great Red tended to avoid the area, thus making it mostly silent.

After more than a century of slumber Ancalagon finally awoke and took stock of the situation, speaking with Ophis in order to fill in the gaps in his disjointed memory. In 1613 Ancalagon finally emerged from the Dimensional Gap in his humanoid form, deciding to go back to Lemnos to fulfil his part of the bargain in exchange for having his requested gear delivered to him.

The Witcher
Although surprised to find him still alive despite all the time that passed, Hephaestus quickly identified his as a fellow God, theorising that the Titan's blood must have reacted with his body because of his ancestry.

Nevertheless, he proceeded to forge him a new sword, which he named Dragonfang, and armored suit from the carcass of Vritra, quenching the blade in Kronos's blood to cool it down, thus giving it both God- and Dragon-slaying abilities.

Having decided to wander the world yet again in an effort to reconnect with humanity after his long absence, Ancalagon packed his things and teleported towards Western Europe, which he always wanted to visit but couldn't because he was being pursued by the Church.

Once he reached England under the cover of his cloak he quickly set off towards an area close by where he smelled a previously unknown odour, arriving at a small village by the name of Appletreewick. After speaking with the townsfolk he concluded that the recent events that surrounded the town, mostly unexplained deaths, were the work of a supernatural creature that nested nearby.

After resting for the night at the local inn he quickly set off towards the most likely place where he could find the responsible entity: the limestone gorge known as Troller's Gill. Before even arriving he was met with the pungent smell of sulphur, no doubt signifying the nature of the accused. The assailant made itself known as Barghest.

Quickly summoning Dragonfang, Ancalagon made swift work of the spectral hound and after collecting whatever ingredients he could from the corpse of the beast he made his way towards the town, without noticing that he was being watched.

As soon as he reached the town he was accosted by a man who thanked him for his work and invited him to his home a little ways outside town for the night. Ancalagon however sensed that this person was a wizard, and coupled with the gem on his sword shining from the malicious intent he decided to humuor him. As soon as they left the borders of the countryside the man cast a sleep spell on the Dragon God who, feeling terribly amused, decided to play along to see what the warlock planned.

David vs Goliath: Goliath wins
After "waking" up he was subjected to the warlock monologuing about his plans for the town and how much pain he'd inflict on the wanderer, before the door to the hovel exploded in splinters and an armored figure came inside. The garments leaving no doubt to his identity, the exorcist immediately lunged at the magician with the intent of killing him. While the two figures traded blows and spells respectively, Ancalagon watched with a keen eye for the outcome of the fight.

Having seen enough Ancalagon snapped his binds before piercing the spellcaster's heart with a spear of eldritch power while casting a sleep spell on the slack-jawed exorcist. He immediately began looking through the mage's library for Grimoires on Black magic and the likes, immediately finding a few behind a shoddy concealment rune.

After a few hours of study however he was interrupted by a wide magical circle that suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, from which a blonde-haired man with a nobleman’s attire emerged, with an aura that screamed Devil.

As soon as he saw the magician he was contracted with dead on the ground and a hooded man staring at him with nonchalance, his face immediately became cold and dispassionate. After introducing himself as Bedeze Abaddon he coldly inquired as to the reason for the warlocks death, receiving no response other than a shrug.

Having lost whatever patience he had, the Devil surreptitiously summoned a barrier around the hovel before attacking the unknown killer with low-level spells. Dodging the assault the Dragon switched the cloak for his new armor, which he dubbed "Godslayer Armor", before leaping at the surprised Devil, who had by now recognised the power of the armored figure and began using his Power of Hole to redirect the enemy's magic back at him.

The effort was for naught however as the warrior quickly covered the distance while distracting the Devil with weak blasts of fire, stabbing him in the leg with Dragonfang. The now downed opponent with his face contorted by pain and fear began pleading for his life, which Ancalagon acquiescenced in exchange for the knowledge he'd have imparted to the dark mage and the specifics on his Power of Hole. Having gotten what he wanted he let the snivelling man leave before removing the sleep magic from the exorcist and tampering with his memory, making him believe to have killed the warlock by himself.

Penumbra
After changing into his cloak Ancalagon left the town on foot, headed North, before a holy presence made itself known to him.

Having guessed that this was in response to the relatively powerful Devil he dealt with earlier, Ancalagon decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach out of curiosity. He waited patiently over a rock by the side of the road, letting the other entity scout out the hovel. After a while a figure with ten jet-black wings emerged from the house, looking around before spotting his masked visage staring at her.

Calmly making her way over to him, the figure revealed herself as a slim but curvaceous young woman, with long, dark blue colored hair and golden eyes. Introducing herself as Penemue she immediately asked him what had happened in this place, to which Ancalagon responded that he didn't know. Smiling knowingly and pointing out the still lingering traces of blood in his footprints, Penemue amusedly asked him if he was sure.

Chuckling at his blunder and commenting that he must've gotten rusty without practice, Ancalagon gave her an overview of what happened, omitting all the details of his actions, and asked he in turn what she would do now. Having felt no deceit from his words but still disbelieving over the fact that a powerless human got the best of a Devil, Penemue asked for his name but only received a smile in return before the masked figure began fading backwards, breaking down into cubes.

Penemue immediately left the area to report about the event at the Grigori HQ, while thinking about how she couldn't feel anything from that person.

Pearl Harbor
Having sorted out his business in England and being unwilling to remain so close to where he first encountered the Cadre, Ancalagon decided to head towards the Scandinavian peninsula. Rematerialising close to the coast of France, he made his way on foot towards his objective, reaching a harbour in the Jutland Peninsula in the year 1664.

After sailing for a while on Neck infested waters his boat was finally sunk by the emerging form of the Dragon King Midgardsormr, who appeared to be in the process of waking up.

While standing atop the large body of water, Ancalagon smirked while pointing out that the water serpent sank his vessel, wondering what he should do about it. After staring at him for a few moments the serpent identified him as a fellow Dragon and asked what the masked figure was doing in his domain, quickly tensing his body for a fight.

Having decided to test out his new equipment and see what it could do, Ancalagon suggested a fight between the two Dragons to settle the dispute. Quickly switching to his Godslayer Armor and summoning Dragonfang, Ancalagon leaped towards the Dragon King while flinging elemental spells at him as a distraction.

Countering the Dragon's fire breath with his own black fire, but only partially, he landed on the Dragon with the intention of chipping away at him with his sword but Midgardsormr shook him off before biting him. In an attempt to make the other Dragon release him Ancalagon wreathed his body in cursed black fire, forcing the opponent to let go or burn his mouth to ash.

The fight went on for a few more minutes but ended quickly after the Black Swordsman willed his blade to "awaken", transforming it into a newer, more powerful form before plunging it into Midgardsormr's body. In pain for the Dragon-slaying blade that was stabbed into his side, the Dragon King decide to pull back and observe his adversary, who levitated above water.

Declaring that he fight was over, since neither of them could unleash their full power without attracting the attention of many vengeful deities, Ancalagon reequipped his Cloak of the Revenant and bid the other Dragon a good day, saying that they should fight again in the future in a no holds barred match to decide who would win. After agreeing Midgardsormr submerged himself yet again with the intention of sleeping his wounds away, but not before telepathically warning his father Loki and Odin of what happened.

The Land of Snow
Deciding to fly all the way to the Scandinavian coast, Ancalagon pondered on what approach he should take next, being sure that at least one deity saw him fight the Dragon King, albeit while still keeping his face concealed. Having decided that walking would probably be perceived as the least threatening behaviour to adopt in foreign land, Ancalagon made his way towards the closest concentration of magical energy, which was a couple dozen kilometers away.

Trying to get a better idea of what he was going up against he concentrated on the magical signature and recognised traces of divinity in it, leading him to believe that a Valkyrie dwelled close by. Having decided that hiding would serve no purpose now that his fight with Midgardsormr probably alerted the entire Norse Pantheon, Ancalagon made his way over to the Valkyrie.

After a few hours of dredging through the snow he came upon the Norse warrior, which seemed to have been waiting for him for some time, if the amount of snow on her shoulders was any indication. Making his movements deliberately noisy he carefully approached the equally covered figure, jokingly commenting that she was stealing his look but receiving no response. Before he could react the Norse warrior lunged at him and planted a fist in his gut, throwing him back through a tree. Winded from the punch he barely brought up his sword in time for the Valkyrie to smash against him, with the intent to bisect him at the waist.

As soon as the Norse woman got into casting position, giving him a breather, he reequipped his armor and began casting a firestorm spell with the intent of pushing back the woman.

After questioning her on the reasons for the unprovoked attack and receiving no response, Ancalagon concluded that he'd have to beat the answers out of her. The two immediately began trading blows and spells alike, surprising him more and more that she could keep up with him, estimating her to be at least a High-level Dragon, probably more. Determining that at his current power he'd be unable to win the fight in a timely manner, if at all, he awakened his sword and swung Bloodrust at the ground, creating a wide fissure under the Valkyrie.

Having been caught by surprise at the loss of her footing she was unprepared for the black swordsman's leap, who cleared the distance before slicing her pole weapon and hitting her head with the flat of his blade, knocking her down and forming a crater on the ground. Before she could regain her bearings she found the enemy's greatsword pointed at the back of her neck.

Stating that this was her last chance, Ancalagon yet again asked what her purpose was and why she attacked him like that. A couple of moments passed before she told him that she was sent by Odin to follow him for as long as he stayed in Scandinavia and make sure he didn't cause any trouble, receiving a disbelieving stare in response. Muttering to himself, he removed the blade from her neck and began to walk towards the nearest town, uncaring of what happened to her.

Several years passed in which Ancalagon travelled all throughout the peninsula in search of interesting things, and all of them in the company of Göndul. While their relationship was frosty in the beginning it gradually got better, to the point where they begun trading lessons in combat and magic alike: she taught him Norse magic and he taught her bits and pieces of several magic schools he researched throughout the years.

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita...
In year 1676 Ancalagon finally decided to move on and visit a new place, satisfied with what he had learned in his time here. After bidding his Norse friend goodbye and promising to return one day, he teleported to his new destination: the Underworld.

Bad memories of his time in Tartarus kept him away from here before but now he felt it necessary to confront his personal demons. Rematerialising close to a forest, he decided to explore the shadowy woods in search of a hideout should he need one later on.

As he walked through the woods he sensed abnormally powerful signatures and concluded that this must be one of the famous Familiar forests. Given that a familiar could prove useful in the future, as a pet if nothing else, he began walking in earnest while keeping his senses primed for the most interesting ones. After a while he dodged sideways just as a black and purple blur shot past him, disappearing in the forest ahead. Smelling the scent of Dragon he began jogging while tracking the little animal.

Feeling it about to take another pass at him he grabbed the cape just as a purple bolt whizzed past his head, throwing the cloth in the Dragon's trajectory only to see the little being dodge it and fly away. By now Ancalagon decided that that Dragon would be his no matter what and accepted the creatures challenge with an excited grin. After an hour of running after each other he decided that a more heavy-handed approach would be necessary, even though it would probably attract the attention of every sensor in a dozen kilometers radius. As soon as he felt the diminutive blur initiating another one of its bombing runs he summoned a blue cylindrical barrier a hundred feet across on his position, trapping them inside. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before someone came checking Ancalagon lunged at the vanishing form of his prey, grabbing it by the tail and keeping it suspended while chuckling in relief, before dodging a point blank blast of purple fire.

Flipping over the little Dragon while dispelling the barrier he looked it in the eyes, noting that they were the same color as his own, before the diminutive form licked his hand. Taking that as a sign of approval he placed a small rune on the back of its head to act as a summoning anchor before placing the small animal on his shoulder, feeling it drape itself over it.

The Three Musketeers
Immediately he noticed a presence prodding his own and getting closer. Cursing himself for having lost his awareness while chasing the newly dubbed Moeru, Ancalagon quickly sent the small Dragon away from the area while he prepared to confront the owner of the draconic aura.

As his cloak proved mostly useless against the Sleeping Dragon Midgardsormr, Ancalagon decided to confront the individual that was closing in on him with his Godslayer Armor already on and Bloodrust resting against his shoulder.

The dark purple form landed, creating a tremor upon impact, before standing up at about 15 meters tall with yellow horns. Introducing himself as Tannin, former Dragon King, he asked what what his name was, to which Ancalagon responded that he hadn't decided yet but he would tell him if he managed to defeat him.

Grinning in anticipation at the offered challenged, Tannin put himself in ready position and began studying his adversary, something that Ancalagon quickly mimicked. After staring at each other for minutes they quickly lunged at each other with flame breaths ready in their mouth, clashing with red and black fire.

After a while their fight was interrupted by the arrival of a blue western Dragon that immediately engaged both while shouting angrily at them for disturbing her peaceful rest. Concluding that this was the Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat, Ancalagon joyfully declared this to be a three way battle from now on, with Tannin enthusiastically agreeing.

Eventually the fight ended after what seemed like hours, with the three Dragons laying down on the grass to recuperate. Having shifted to her humanoid form Tiamat finally asked who he was, to which he finally responded by giving them his name and claim to be Vritra's son. Having suspected this they merely acknowledged the claim, before Tannin departed saying that it had been a pleasure fighting him.

A scant few seconds passed after he left before Ancalagon gave Tiamat the reason for his visit in her apparent domain, summoning Moeru as proof of his word to her. Giving him a sly smile she stood up before telling him that he'd do well to visit her again, walking away swaying her hips. Smiling in response and telling her that he'd definitely do that, Ancalagon rose up and departed in the opposite direction while wearing a smile on his face and the Cloak of the Revenant on his body.

The Land of the Rising Sun
In the year 1823 Ancalagon finally reappeared in the human world, after having visited the entire Underworld, including the Realm of the Dead, Limbo, Purgatory, Malebolge and the river Cocytus, plus many other dimensions including the one housing the Hindu deities. Apparently when Indra said that half-Dragons were interesting he didn't know the half of it, but Shiva didn't seem all that surprised so he either knew about it already or had an even more impressive poker-face than he gave him credit for.

Deciding to visit the Far East, Ancalagon opted to start from the land of Japan. Arriving to the city of Kyoto he quickly found that cutpurses were a thing even on the other side of the planet. Having felt the presence of a leyline under the city he deduced that there must be Yōkai around and began sniffing the air for their location. Once he located them he made his way over there while evading the armed forces that patrolled the city.

Sensing a barrier he deduced that he was in the right place and entered without bothering to bypass it. Soon after he was approached by a squad of Karasu-Tengu that demanded what his business was in the Yōkai capital, to which he responded by saying that he was but a wanderer that came to visit the land.

Not believing him they made to arrest him, claiming that they would bring him to the Leader of their faction in Kyoto and that he would render judgement on whether he was lying or not. Amused he decided to follow their lead.

Walking through the city he quickly attracted the attention of many Yōkai, especially female ones to which he flirtatiously winked now and then. Once at the palace he was swiftly brought in the presence of the the leader of their faction, who turned out to be an old Tengu. Taking his measure of him, Ancalagon quickly concluded that this must be one of the Great Yōkai that are said to rival Ultimate-class Devils in power.

Sitting down the way Sun Wukong taught him so many time ago he inclined his head to the old crow before him, who had yet to say anything. After a staring contest that lasted for a few minutes the Yōkai eventually commented on Ancalagon's impressive control with senjutsu, to which he smirked saying that he had a good teacher. After dismissing the guards, much to their protests, the old man finally asked his reason for entering into his city. Stating that he had planned to visit this land for a while but never actually got around to it, Ancalagon asked if there are any places that he should definitely visit.

After a game of shōgi and several more hours of discussion, the two parted ways for the night. having no actual need for sleep, Ancalagon equipped his cloak and left the city headed towards the closest temple outside of Kyoto to continue his journey.

After leaving the confines of the city he finally decided to confront his stalker, who turned out to be a child. The shrouded form asked him to bring her with, to which Ancalagon snorted. Feeling in a good mood he decided to ask the girl to provide him a good reason for bringing him with him. The girl quickly told him that she could hunt, to which he responded by saying that he didn't need to eat. Her offers to train him in senjutsu were also met with failure.

Having almost given up she offered her help as a guide and company for the journey, which interested him. He finally said she could come but only if she told him why. As she began to speak a man showed up on the road, human, quickly making his way over to them. The young girl hid behind Ancalagon's frame and he quickly understood that the reason just showed up.

Putting on what passed for a welcoming smile he greeted the man, remarking on the weather. The other person stilled for a moment to process those words before he saw the child and began glaring. Claiming that the girl was his he demanded her back, before Ancalagon turned around ignoring him and asked the diminutive form to explain the situation. She went on telling him that she was a slave in all but name, with the other man denying it and telling him to move or else. Extremely amused at his blustering, Ancalagon made a face and gestured for the man to come and get it, to which he obliged.

Pulling out a strange contraption of wood and metal, the man pointed it at him before fire propelled a sphere of metal at him. Being caught by surprise by the unknown attack, Ancalagon barely dodged the bullet before covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye, grabbing the man's face and slamming it down in the ground, killing him. Ignoring the cries of the girl he picked up the weapon the man used, inspected it and put it away in his requip space before setting the corpse on fire and leaving, telling the girl to either follow or not. In the following years they travelled all of Japan, visiting shrines and training. As the girl was actually a Nekoshō with black hair and yellow eyes, Ancalagon decided to change her name into Umbra (ウンブラ ) on the grounds that her previous life was over and that she had a penchant for trying to sneak up on him, although never actually succeeding.

Their relationship over the years became the father-daughter type, with Umbra having decided to follow him through his travels around China, after Japan was thoroughly explored. Eventually she decided to go back to Japan and settle down in Tokyo, something Ancalagon wasn't too enthusiastic about but understood. Kissing her forehead and hugging, they finally parted ways after exchanging a pair of platinum rings with an inscription that he had acquired some time before.

There's always a bigger fish
In the year 1883 Ancalagon took to travelling again, having decided to head south and explore the islands in the Pacific Ocean, starting with Indonesia. After reaching Vietnam he felt a powerful draconic signature headed his way and he swiftly summoned his gear, preparing for the worst.

In front of him landed a red armored form with green jewels claiming to be Belzard, the strongest Red Dragon Emperor. Sneering at the posturing he told the other man to either fight him or leave, to which he obliged. They quickly began trading blows while Ancalagon used a telepathic link to meet with Draig, who seemed surprised by the intrusion and at the fact that such a powerful Dragon missed his notice for so long.

Outside the fight kicked up a notch when the human began firing blasts of energy and the Dragon responded with his own arsenal, while trying to bind the enemy down with his Umbrakinesis. Trading insults for a while the confrontation finally devolved into a deathmatch when the Boosted Gear user began to chant and Ancalagon removed his armor, beginning to power-up. While the human finally entered Juggernaut Drive, Ancalagon unveiled his new form: a partial transformation which allowed him to reach Heavenly Dragon-class and fight on par with his now insane opponent. When the fight resumed the collision between their fists sent tremors in the air and quaked the land. They soon began to fly higher and higher, still trading blows and spells while they moved away from their original fighting ground. Eventually they grappled and smashed down on an island in what he assumed to be Indonesia.

Having decided that the fight had gone on for too long he determined to end it now by using his full power. Flying quickly into the air he began the process of powering up, surrounding himself into a coccon of Anti-Magic Aura just in case his opponent thought of interrupting him. As soon as he began to channel his power the earth started shaking and the sky darkening with thunderclouds. Feeling a blast smashing into his barrier to no effect he began cackling maliciously but it soon turned into a scream of pain when his skin and plates began quivering and then ripping themselves apart. By now the sky was completely dark, save for the thunderbolts that crisscrossed it and the volcanic island underneath them being ready to erupt. Unknown to the two combatants, many factions turned their eyes on their fight when they sensed the menacing power spike.

Finally his power spiked one last time and his humanoid body exploded in a burst of light that engulfed the entire surrounding area. When the glare subsided it revealed the mastodontic figure of a black Dragon, with armored wings, a double-stinger at the tip of the tail and blue tribal designs all over his back. No words were spared as he dive-bombed directly at the Boosted Gear wielder while coating his head with an Anti-Magic barrier to stop the Longinus Smasher headed his way. Despite dodging the first swipe from the black Dragon, the smaller fighter was unable to evade the bladed stinger headed his way. With his right limbs amputated he couldn't escape from the Dragon God, who grabbed his frame in his claws only to smash him down onto the volcano, destroying the island and finally causing the mountain to erupt, submerging them in ash and lava.

Seeing as the fight was over but unnerved at the scale of the damage they had caused, Ancalagon swiped his clawed hand and tore a hole into reality, headed for the Dimensional Gap to think about his next approach.

The Second Dragon God
During his time inside the Dimensional Gap Ancalagon trained extensively to better control his power in his true form, while also developing an alternate version of his Dragonoid form that used his divine powers instead. Although Ophis, who now sported a decidedly different form, liked to spend her time over his body while he was meditating, he noted that she left the Gap much more often than she used to. Whenever they talked Ophis seemed to bring up her desire for silence much more often too, until he finally asked her what she was aiming for.

As soon as she told him of her creation, named Khaos Brigade, and the members that composed it he stilled, before bluntly telling her that she was the most naive person he ever met and warning her that her "subordinates" would make her pay for it. Smiling, she told him that it was impossible and he let the matter drop, for now.

The next time he was alone he ripped a hole in reality and entered the Underworld, intending to find out these associates of hers to make his stance on the matter known. Letting his senses extend over as great an area as possible, and uncaringly alerting almost the entire underworld of his presence, he quickly zeroed in on the biggest demonic power outside the main cities.

Flying there at top speed he smashed on the ground violently, reducing half of the castle nearby to rubble. Calling out the Super-Devil to talk, unless he wanted to die now, Ancalagon waited for a scant few moments before the man teleported outside. Without giving him a chance to talk, Ancalagon ensnared the Devil into his shadows and brought him to eye level, telling him that he knows what his plans for Ophis are and that he would destroy him if they ever come to pass. Backhanding the offending worm through the castle walls, Ancalagon forcefully took off making the building topple over itself.

After flying away from the place he headed towards the Familiar forest to clear his head but noticed the presence of another Super-Devil below him, who was reaching his position by using his bat-like wings. Slowing down and allowing the man to reach him, Ancalagon took a deep breath to calm down and keep his mercurial temper in check.

Once the Devil reached him, one with crimson hair and blue-green eyes, he decided to hover in place while waiting for him to speak. After saying that he was unaware of the existence of a being such as him, the Devil introduced himself as Sirzechs Lucifer and politely asked for his name, albeit with a strained face. Telling him that he need not know his name, but that he could refer to himself as the Second Dragon God, Ancalagon inquired as to what he wanted, warning him that his patience was running thin. Sirzechs asked for his intentions before Ancalagon growled at him, telling him that it was none of his business and that he'd do well to leave before he was made to. Seeing as remaining here would only attract more Devils, Ancalagon created a portal for the Dimensional Gap and slipped inside, but not before glaring at the Satan over his shoulder. Once arrived, as he was still fuming, he decided to blow some steam by letting his powers run wild, irradiating the entire area with Anti-Magic waves.

After calming down he entered a deep slumber that lasted for many years. He slowly woke up to find his familiar, Moeru, taking a nap with her head on Ophis's legs, who once again was resting on his stomach. After a few moments she asked him why she felt him flare his power like that before going to sleep, earning a grunt before he told her that he had one of "those days". Not understanding the expression Ophis simply nodded along.

A few moments later she felt the body she was resting on shrinking and evaporating, leaving Ancalagon in his depowered form floating close to her and Moeru, before placing his hands on her shoulders. Suddenly he asked her where he should travel next, and she told him to go where he had never went yet. Being a toss-up between the American continent and the African one, Ophis chose America for him on the grounds that he never mentioned going to the continent ever since he heard of its discovery so long ago.

With his mind made he spent some more time with Ophis, just talking, before setting out by teleporting towards the northern part with the intention of descending. Once there he decided to visit the closest city before a blizzard covered everything in snow, making it extremely difficult for him to see where he was going. Channelling his senjutsu to navigate the storm he barely dodged in time the tail of the creature that snuck up on him. Deploying a barrier to keep the snow away he got his first look at the enemy being, identifying it as a Manticore. Summoning his blade with a grin on his face, the warrior beckoned the beast to come to him. Looking out for the tail, as soon as the beast lunged he dodged to the side while slashing out with Dragonfang at the right paw, slicing it off and earning him a shriek of pain from the animal. Driven by rage the beast tried again to bite him while trying to corner him with its stinger, which was promptly cut off. Finally he decided to end their dance by impaling the roof of the Manticore's mouth, ending its suffering.

After taking a few of its teeth and incinerating the animal he set off towards the closest concentration of humans he could find. Once there he saw something he didn't expect, carriages without horses that were still capable of moving without any magic involved. Dumbfounded he observed them and the people inside, trying to garner as much information on the novel contraptions without appearing as a fool. Once satisfied he went to a local tavern and ordered something to fill his stomach, as soon as he began eating his steak a melodious voice asked if the booth was free to sit in. Although he had sensed the presence of an Angel nearby he had hoped that he'd be left alone but no such luck.

Beauty and the Beast
Sitting down in front of him Ancalagon saw a beautiful blonde woman with curly blonde hair, voluptuous figure and a truly angelic smile on her face. He wasn't the only one to notice but a quick application of magic forced the other patrons to concentrate on something else. Turning back to the blonde, who still hadn't stopped smiling, he cleaned his mouth before taking a guess at her identity, claiming that with that much power she could only be Gabriel, and seeing her face light up he must've guessed right.

Introducing himself he asked what the Seraph was doing here on Earth, and specifically across from him. She told him that she was in the area when she suddenly felt a powerful presence appearing nearby and she decided to investigate, which led to him. Feeling playful he asked for her conclusions, to which she adopted a thinking pose before answering that she felt him as a neutral being, who was both light and dark but who kept most of his persona hidden, even from himself.

Smirking, but not acknowledging whether her analysis was correct or not, he decided to tell her that he planned on travelling this continent for a while, seeing as he had never done so before and he was curious. Smiling she told him that she too wanted to go on an adventure but her duties wouldn't let her. Jokingly he told her that he wouldn't mind the company but only if she asked her Father for permission. Her smile faltering a bit she responded that she would before taking her leave.

Quirking his eyebrow at the Angel's behaviour he paid for the meal with some currency that he had appropriated before asking the bartender what the best method for travelling south was. Having decided to spend the night here, as the blizzard was still going on outside, Ancalagon headed for the "bus stop" with the intention of trying out one of these vehicles he was so curious about, only to see a very familiar blonde head waiting for him outside the door.

Giving him a childlike smile Gabriel went on to explain that she was allowed to travel with him but that she'd have to go back if her presence was required. Not having expected her being actually allowed he stared for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, commenting that it's been a while since he travelled with someone. Jumping on the large vehicle, the couple began speaking of nothing and everything for hours before they noticed that everyone had already left and the driver asked them where they were planning to dismount. Deciding that this city was as good a place as any to kickstart their journey, Ancalagon and Gabriel dismounted the bus and started walking around the city, taking in the sights.

Ancalagon concluded that it was very nice to travel again with someone, and Gabriel in particular. She had this presence to her that made his whole life feel lighter somehow. He suspected it must be because of her angelic status but maybe it was just her personality and carefree demeanour, but either way he found himself not caring one bit. They spent the following years like this, travelling from place to place, meeting new people and learning their customs. The spiritual life of the Native Americans was interesting although they themselves didn't follow it so much anymore, which was a shame. If there was one thing he didn't like about the technological progression humanity went through was the "death" of all these small cultures in favour of a massive globalised one.

Eventually they crossed the border and entered the southern part of the American continent, intent on traversing the vast Amazonian jungle and maybe meeting a few of the local tribes. During their travels they found themselves more often than not sleeping together in the same tent, although nothing ever happened as Ancalagon knew not to push that way unless he wanted to either alienate her or worse, make her fall, while Gabriel seemed to regard him as a great friend of hers and nothing more.

Deal with the Devil
One night before going to sleep he felt a distinct feeling originating from his ring, the one he gave Umbra more than a century and a half ago. Telling Gabriel that he'd be back soon and to wait for him he teleported close to where he felt the ring's matching pair and saw a sight he'd never imagined. Right in front of his eyes a spit copy of his foster daughter was running in tears from a literal army of Devils. Deciding to trust his instincts he quickly formed a small bullet at the tip of his index and middle fingers, shooting it right through a Devil's head and attracting everyone's attention in the process.

Gesturing to the Nekoshō to get behind him, to which she reluctantly agreed with a wide-eyed expression, he turned fully towards the Devils and asked them to convince him not to kill them all. Although still angry at the death of their companion they also recognised the power of the individual in front of them, opting for diplomacy instead of force. They told him that they were tracking a fugitive that killed her master and his entire peerage after going insane from using senjutsu.

Being a nearly unrivalled master of the art he had his doubts such a thing would happen and asked the girl behind him what her version was, to which she answered in a trembling voice that she killed her master because he was going to experiment on her little sister and she couldn't let that happen. Feeling that both sides were telling him the truth he decided, on the grounds of his ties towards Umbra, to tell the Devils that he would be dealing the appropriate punishment himself and that they should take what they could get. Feeling insulted they resumed their approach, malicious intent filling the air, causing him to sigh before generating six spheres of light and shooting them around the Devils. Before they could reach them he activated the barrier spell, Red Lightning Formation, which caused six beams of red light to shoot towards the sky before the actual barrier emerged from the ground, boxing them in.

Then he switched from his cloak to the armor and initiated his inexorable approach, which ended with him destroying the opposition with just his fists and kicks, all the while insulting their ability and calling them worthless in several languages, to better get the point across. Once everyone was on the ground he made sure not to have killed someone by accident before he grabbed the Nekoshō and took her to Kyoto, where she could take a breather for a while without Devils breathing down her neck.

Immediately upon arriving she jumped away from him, asking what he wanted with her, to which he pointedly looked at her ring before asking her if she knew what that was. At her uncomprehending expression he responded that that particular ring was his gift to his foster daughter Umbra and that her having it, along with looking like a spit copy of her, means that she is a descendant of hers and that was reason enough for him. Calming down slightly the Nekoshō introduced herself as Kuroka and asked him if he would save his little sister too, which she had to leave behind.

Telling her that he'd make sure she wouldn't die, but nothing more than that, they parted ways. Kuroka heading fast towards the Yōkai side of the city and Ancalagon going back to Gabriel to explain the situation. Understanding where he came from she told him that she knew he was a good man deep down, earning a playful shove. Agreeing to meet here again in a week Ancalagon travelled back to the ruined mansion where Kuroka told him she used to reside in with her sister.

Tracking the small Yōkai with a mixture of scent and senjutsu, Ancalagon finally arrived at the building where her fate would be decided. Infiltrating it easily with the Cloak of the Revenant he quickly found out that there was a hearing going on to determine the child's fate. When a recess was called he decided to persuade the judge in charge, which coincidentally was the same Super-Devil he met all those years ago.

"Who i am is not important. My message is."

- Ancalagon to Sirzechs Lucifer

Sneaking up on him from behind, Ancalagon greeted the Devil while sitting on a balcony nearby, making him jump slightly at the voice. Turning around Sirzechs saw the hooded figure and summoned up his power of destruction asking who he was and what he wanted. Telling that it wouldn't be a smart idea to dispose of the child, he asked the Satan if he truly didn't have a better idea. Still unnerved by the fact that someone with no apparent presence could sneak up on him, Sirzechs responded that he had a plan. Inclining his head the stranger broke up into cubes and disappeared, only to reappear on the ceiling of the room where the child, Shirone, would be judged. None being the wiser the hearing proceeded until the judge decided that he would be taking care of the Nekoshō personally.

Curious he followed undetected until it was revealed that his little sister, Rias Gremory, would be taking her into her own Peerage with an Evil Piece. Making sure that Sirzechs could see him one last time before leaving, Ancalagon teleported back to Kuroka and told her what transpired. With relief flooding her voice, she hugged his midsection and thanked him for looking out for her little sister, hoping that Rias would be a better master than her own. Telling her to go to Mount Sumeru and drop his name to an old monkey if she had nothing better to do, Ancalagon bade her good luck before rising in the air and flying away, looking forward to concluding his unexpectedly pleasant trip with the female Seraph.

Since there was plenty of time left yet he decided to take the scenic route and fly over the islands on the Pacific Ocean on his way to South America. As soon as Gabriel arrived they immediately resumed their trip through the Amazon Forest. A couple years later, when they finally reached the tip of Patagonia and embraced each other, Ancalagon decided to give Gabriel a gift to commemorate the splendid trip. Telling her to turn around and close her eyes, he placed  a pendant  around her neck that he had crafted during their travel, made from the teeth of the Manticore he slew before meeting her, while keeping its twin himself.

Smiling and giving him a peck on the cheek Gabriel invited him to a tour of Vatican City with her, and since such an occasion would hardly return Ancalagon accepted the offer in good faith. After reaching the Holy place they began their tour undisturbed, given who the woman was. They even met Dulio Gesualdo, someone who was fast-tracked to becoming the strongest exorcist, Vasco Strada and Griselda Quarta, two of the strongest exorcists currently alive.

The Ancient Land
After parting ways Ancalagon decided to visit the land of Egypt, specifically the old structures like the Pyramids. Having arrived after dusk he decided to head straight away to the pyramids and enter them under the cover of the night. Careful not to be seen he infiltrated the old structure, looking for hidden rooms or magic sources and soon enough he detected the presence of both.

Homing in he used his Dematerialization Space Migration to arrive into place, only to find himself face to face with a Sphinx. The mythological beast immediately woke up and stared at him, while hejokingly asked if they still asked riddles to visitors.

""I never was, am always to be, No one ever saw me, nor ever will And yet I am the confidence of all To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.""

- The Sphinx to Ancalagon. After posing the riddle it sat back on its haunches, waiting for Ancalagon to either answer, give up or fight. He also sat down and repeated the riddle to himself, pondering its meaning. Eventually he told the beast that the answer was "tomorrow", at which the Sphinx nodded.

Leaving the animal be he took one of the corridors, following it's winding nature farther and farther from the chamber from which he had begun, and proceeding more and more downward with each step he took. Eventually, after what must've been hours, Ancalagon reached a large room with a pedestral in its center, and atop of it what seemed to be a book. Wary of traps, Ancalagon began channelling his senjutsu to study the chamber, finding several spears and runes on the walls, ceiling and floor, leaving the pedestral in the middle of a minefield of traps.

Deciding to risk it he used his telekinesis to reach for the book but as soon as he lifted it the corridor behind him started shaking furiously, almost as if an avalanche of gravel was released from the top of the stairs with the intent of blocking him here. Summoning a basic barrier around himself to stop the flow of rock from reaching him, together with the spears and runes, Ancalagon sat down and began to read what he discovered to his delight to be the original Book of the Dead. Having lost his sense of time while immersed in the book, Ancalagon had stopped reading when he reached a section he couldn't decipher, no matter how many translation matrixes he used.Having concluded that there was some kind of magic involved here he began to scan the tome, until he found what he was looking for. A composit magical circle, whose parts lay hidden in different pages, that prevented mortals from reading past that point.

Seeing as this was as good a time as any to unveil his newest transformation, Ancalagon put the book back on the pedestral before taking a step back and being enveloped by what looked like black and gold dust. Once the dust settled Ancalagon emerged as a massive and powerfully built humanoid, clad in black smoke that was continuously blown off from his form. He has long ram-like horns that twisted in the symbol for infinity and eyes that burned with a fierce inner light, shrowding the area around him in shadows and sucking out all ambient sound. Taking back the book he saw that the second part was now clear as day for him to read.

Once he terminated the Tome and felt rinvigorated from all the knowledge that was added to his ever-expanding mind, Ancalagon was ready to discard his Demigod state when a vision struck him: a white haired girl, a crucifix, a black feather and a red gauntlet with green gems...

Once the vision ended he reverted to his depowered form and tried to make sense of what he had seen. Given his ability to control time it wasn't farfetched to consider those visions a premonition. He recognised the white girl as Shirone, and that gauntlet was definitely teh Boosted Gear, but he had no idea where either of those things were at the moment. While the girl was interesing because she was one of the last of her race and a member of Rias Gremory's Peerage, it was the Sacred Gear that would attract the most attention from other supernatural beings.

What even is this Place?
Just as he was about to leave the chamber via teleportation his necklace began to act up. Knowing what it meant he left intending to find out what Gabriel wanted. He reformed and found her alone on a balcony in the Vatican, with a sad expression on her face, which immediately brightened when she saw him appearing, telling him that he had perfect timing and embracing him. Not feeling like telling her just how he knew when to appear, he put his chin on her head and asked what got her so down.

Apparently a child of the Church, a nun with a Sacred Gear to be specific, had to be banished for healing a Devil because of her kindness. She told him that she was worried about her being picked up by Fallen Angels, after going to Japan all alone. Immediately he thought of his vision, specifically the crucifix and black feather, and offered Gabriel to check up on the girl for her, in order to make sure she was alright.

Her face melting into a warm smile, Gabriel reached up to him and kissed his cheek, telling him that he really was a nice person. After telling him where the girl, Asia Argento, was going to she embraced him again, thanking him from the bottom of her heart for his help. Not used to these displays, Ancalagon got flustered and replied that hed be back quickly with news as soon as he learned of what was going on. Teleporting to Kuoh Town in Japan before he made a fool of himself he immediately dove into a lake outside town to calm down.

Once he was done he decide to scout out the place before the nun arrived, while keeping a close eye for the Devil signatures he felt at the edge of his senses. After finding a nice apartment to occupy for the moment he donned his Cloak of the Revenant, just to make sure, and left towards the Devils currently living in this town, intent on finding out what kind of beings they were. To his surprise he recognised two of them immediately: Rias Gremory and Shirone. Now convinced thet his vision was indeed a premonition, Ancalagon went towards the Church in order to check its condition, as it was the most likely place for Asia to go to, only to sense numerous Fallen Angel signatures, albeit extremely weak ones.

Not liking the situation one bit, he decided to go back his apartment when he sniffed a Dragon's presence, and a weak one at that, here in Kuoh. Surreptitiously summoning his familiar Moeru, he wasted no time in instructing it to track down the dragon. Once they arrived in place he found that the presence actually came from a kid, a dying kid with the Boosted Gear at that. Just as he was about to approach and heal the human a red sigil appeared, from which a familiar figure emerged, and soon began to chant something before pushing what looked like a bunch of chess pieces inside him.

Promptly unsettled by what he had just witnessed, he decided to sleep it off and figure it out tomorrow. At dawn he woke up and left for the train station, intent on catching the nun as soon as she arrived but also to make sure that no other being was there to monitor her arrival, as that could tip him off to some greater plot and unfortunately that seemed to be exactly the case. As soon as the very young nun dismounted a disguised Fallen Angel began to follow her at a distance, making him sigh.

Deciding to see how the situation would evolve he stalked the nun while keeping an eye on the poorly disguised fallen. Who she thought she was fooling was beyond him at this point, as she wans't even trying to suppress her presence. When they reached a nearby park things got more interesting when the boy he could have sworn died yesterday night in that precise spot met up with the nun. His baffling reached previously unknown limits when the Fallen decided to brazenly reveal herself in what was clearly a Devil-held city, right in front of a Devil who apparently she had killed the night before.

Once she was done mocking him the woman left flying in direction of the dilapidated church with Asia in tow. After summoning Moeru and telling her to stalk the boy and report what his master decided to do, Ancalagon left in the direction of the holy place intent on finding out what the Fallen Angels had planned.

A Night to Remember
Ancalagon managed to effortlessyly infiltrate the old building and overhear their plan to extract the Sacred Gear from the nun come midnight, while the child was sitting on a bench witha crestfallen expression on her face, looking like someone who gave up on life and was waiting to die. Having heard enough he swiftly accelerated through the Aisle of the church, planted a tracking rune on the nun and disappeared without anyone seeing anything, which was pretty sad in his opinion.

Once he regrouped with Moeru and learned that the Devil in charge wouldn't step in he teleported into the heart of the Vatican looking for Gabriel, who however was not here. Unwilling to go to Heaven for this he instead sought out the Exorcists from his last visit, finding Vasco Strada. After telling him what was happening and making him promise to report this to Gabriel immediately, Ancalagon left his familiar in Vasco's company and returned to Kuoh.

Once there he decided to reurn to his apartment and wait for midnight, or until the rune he placed on the nun gave a signal. Just before midnight his familiar Moeru came back with Gabriel's message: bring back Asia to the Vatican. Grinning he equipped his armor and sword before calmly leaving the apartment, likely for the last time. Once he reached the church though he began sensing signs of battle between the Fallen Angels and the Devils, who seemed to be advancing towards the ritual chamber while another group was mopping up outside.

Sprinting towards the church with his sword drawn, helmet on and mantle fluttering in the wind, Ancalagon decided to forgo all subtlety and smash through walls and opposition alike on his way to Asia. Once he reached the inner sanctum he let loose his Umbrakinesis, binding everyone to the floor while he sprinted up the stairs, catching the brunette Fallen Angel's face with his gauntlet and smashing it into the wall, causing her head to explode in a shower of blood.

Before anyone gathered their wits he summoned a Blue Flame Formation around the crucifix while he worked to take the wide-eyed nun down, whispering to her that God heard her prayers and sent him to save her, causing her to cry. While this was happening the devils, now released from the shadows, finished the fight and approached the barrier, together with Rias Gremory and another unknown girl.

The boy who died yesterday, Issei Hyōdō, began screaming Asia's name before punching the barrier and igniting his hand, that luckily for him was protected by the Boosted Gear's gauntled. Telling them all to calm down, Ancalagon simply told Rias that "someone high enough in the food chain" wanted Asia back in the Vatican. Hearing this Rias acknowledged his explanation with a nod, but Issei wouldn't hear it. Exasperated he telepatically greeted Draig, who recognised him before asking him if he was here to kill his host, which he denied and told him not to reveal his true identity to them yet. Before leaving he stared at the Youkai for a moment before shaking his head and saying aloud that she really looked nothing like her sister, making her eyes widen and Rias's narrow.

Forming a black Dragon Gate underneath themselves, Ancalagon and Asia left the premises only to reappear in front of Vasco Strada and Gabriel, who immediately sighed in relief before Gabriel greeted the nun, telling her that she'd be bringing her back with her now. Giving Ancalagon a warm embrace she left with the still shell-shocked little girl in tow.

Let's get down to business...
After getting his business sorted out Ancalagon decided to go to the familiar forest and spend some time with Tiamat, who over the course of the years bacame a good friend of his, even though he never told or shown her his actual powers. After parting ways with her he decided to take a walk throughout the forest and think about what to do next when he detected Zatouji, the wannabe-Familiar Master that guided the yound devils in search of the most suitable familiars, and the Gremory group.

Having nothing better to do he decided to follow them and see what happened. Apparently their trip was for naught as the person who needed the familiar, Issei, failed miserably at finding a suitable one. At least he got the opportunity to better study the group, and Shirone in particular, confirming that she truly wasn't using youjutsu or senjutsu, not even passively. Making up his mind he decided to go visit Rias tomorrow in order to explain what happened the other day and maybe find out why a Nekoshou wasn't using her natural weapons.

When he finally felt ready for it, Ancalagon reappeared into Kuoh Town and headed towards the Academy, even though he sensed an abnormally powerful presence inside the ORC, around Satan-class if he had to give an estimate. Deciding to explore the grounds better while he waited for that presence to leave, Ancalagon found out that the other group in the academy was lead by a Sona Sitri, and if Tiamat wasn't wrong that meant that the sisters of two Satans attended school in the same town. The potential for disaster was definitely there, all the more reason for him to hang around.

Once he felt the presence leave he teleported just outside the club, bypassed the sensing wards in place and knocked at the door. After waiting for a while, no doubt to figure out why no one sensed anything, the door opened to find a blonde kid behind it. With a guarded expression the blonde asked what he wanted, and Ancalagon replied that an audience with person in charge of this territory would be nice, giving a grin. Staring at me in askance for a moment, the teen finally moved from the door and admitted him entry to the building, announcing his presence to Rias.

Finally entering the room he found Rias Gremory with the raven-haired woman beside her. Greeting her Ancalagon wasted no time by explaining that he was here to give her a better explanation of what happened the other night at the church. With a look of realisation she identified him as the Black Swordsman from the other night, to which he nodded before telling her that he was sent as an agent in order to retrieve the nun from the Fallen Angels and bring her back to the Vatican unharmed, advising her to tell that kid with the Boosted Gear that she is safe for his peace of mind.

After receiving a nod of acknowledgement Ancalagon, still with his hood on, told her that his next question was a personal matter for him, and proceeded to ask her how Shirone was doing. Watching her eyes imperceptibly widen before narrowing, Ancalagon immediately sensed the power increase coming from the red-head, the tensing of the other girl's frame, the blonde pulling out a sword and the stillness of the girl in question behind him.

Pulling up his hands in the universal sign of peace he explained to them that he wanted to reassure himself that her master was better than Kuroka's. Seeing the uncomprehending expression on her face though made him stop, before asking what they were told of the incident. Receiving a blank expression from Rias he decided to try his luck with the petite girl behind him by slowly rising from his seat and crouching in front of her. By this point the King too had risen, ready to protect her servants from the Hooded Man if necessary, but he had no intention of doing anything of the sort, instead repeating the question to the wide-eyed Nekoshou.

After a moment of silence she quietly responded, almost whispering, that her sister went insane because of senjutsu and massacred her King and peerage both before fleeing. Turning around to Rias he asked if she too heard the same thing, and seeing her not he released a sigh before standing up and speaking to her again."Well, the bad news is that Kuroka DID kill her King and Peerage, marking herself as a Stray. The good news is that the reason for her doing it is vastly different from the official stance."

- Ancalagon to Shirone Before leaving he commented that the likelihood of a Nekoshou going insane from senjutsu usage is about the same as a Devil developing a Halo. Laughing at his own joke he told a shell-shocked Youkai that if she wanted to learn senjutsu she could ask him for help before he left the city. Before teleporting away he tipped his head at everyone and then broke up into cubes.

As soon as he reached his apartment, which he decided to finally get around and buying it, he decided to remove his cloak, as it would make it impossible for the girl to track him down, and draw a supression seal on his body, since consciously suppressing it for weeks on end would be tiresome.

...to Defeat...the Phenex!
The following morning he got up from bed and immediately noticed the Familiar staring at him from the window before blasting off, presumably to its Master. Now either nothing would happen, he'd be attacked, he'd be summoned to the ORC and "forced" to speak of what he knew, or he'd be visited by Shirone asking for training. Deciding to get some breakfast instead of waiting around for them to decide, Ancalagon went to a nearby café and ordered something to eat while he waited.

Roughly half an hour later he pulled on the hood just as a small white haired girl plopped down on the seat in front of him, silently watching her hands and not saying anything. Pushing a brioche her way, he decided to wait until she built up some courage and asked her question. After nibbling the treat away the Youkai finally decided to look him in the eye and told him that their peerage was to fight in a Rating Game in a little more than a week, and the result of it would decide if Rias would marry someone or not, and from her tone he gathered that this someone was hardly a good choice for her Master. Finally she asked him to train her in senjutsu for the match and, after explaining that in so little time he could only teach her the basics, Ancalagon and Shirone, or rather Koneko, left for the Familiar forest. Once there Ancalagon reequipped his training robes, revealing his face to Koneko and introducing himself as Ancalagon. Giving the girl more appropriate training garments the two began their long training session, where Ancalagon not only taught her how to use senjutsu safely, which came naturally to her, but also advanced combat techniques and the theory of using her inner energies to achieve a variety of effects, such as generating flames or forming an invisible aura around her body that can extend the range and force of her physical attacks.

After the timeframe given to her was almost up, the two of them returned to Rias in order to meet up with Rias and train team formations. When the two of them emerged, Ancalagon with his hood on, they found Issei in the middle of a sad excuse for a sword fight. Giving a pained groan at the display, Ancalagon approached Rias with Koneko in tow and announced that the girl was now capable of using basic senjutsu, before asking if he could stick around for a while.

Giving him a nod she took Koneko to another training ground to ascertain her progress, while Ancalagon remained behind with Akeno as a spectator. Since watching the Red Dragon Emperor get his ass kicked was only entertaining for a few minutes, Ancalagon decided to strike out a conversation with the raven-haired teen beside him.

Asking what her position in their peerage was, he learned that Akeno was the [Queen] and that her usual position was magical support and bombardment. His interest piqued Ancalagon launched himself into a very enjoyable and thorough discussion with the girl, which ended at dinner time with him teaching her tips and tricks to make her skills more efficient. When Rias called her he promised them he'd show up tomorrow to demonstrate to her what he meant by increased efficiency. Smiling with a flirtatious face, which by now he considered her default expression, Akeno left for dinner with her friends while he returned to the Dimensional Gap to spend some time with Ophis.

The next day Ancalagon reappeared close to the Gremory's mansion only to find both Rias and Akeno conversing together by the entrance. As soon as they noticed him they stopped speaking and turned his way. Making his way closer to them he greeted them with a nod and asked Rias if she planned to attend their "lessons", to which she responded that she wanted to see if Akeno really found a magician as skilled as she made him out to be. Grinning at the intellectual challenge, the trio began to discuss various things related to the arcane until lunch time came, and Rias invited him to attend.

After lunch Rias and Akeno retired in order to study possible strategies to employ against Riser Phenex, who must've been her husband-to-be, Ancalagon decided to check up on Koneko, who was beating up Issei without any effort. While Issei was busy Ancalagon decided to speak to Draig about his new host, among other things. When Issei was done he decided to step in and continue the girls training for the rest of the day.

During dinner they resumed their discussion on magic, with him throwing in some ideas on how to defeat a Phenex without resorting to Holy weapons or materials. Before retiring for the night Rias decided to approach him alone on the balcony, while wearing a very thin nightgown, with the intent of offering him a place in her peerage. Knowing that it would be impossible anyway, both because he was simply too strong and a God, he respectfully declined and was pleased to see that the girl didn't push the argument.

After the first time he got them, his ability to perceive someone's Fate had increased to the point where he could get a general direction of it even without entering his Demigod state, although it was extremely vague. Focusing on Rias and her Peerage he sensed that the future of this group was bound to be very interesting and decided to make Rias an offer: allow him to become her contract magician, with the condition that either of them could break the contract if they so wished at any time. Rias stared at him with a clouded gaze before Ancalagon told her to think about it with her [Queen] and give him an answer by tomorrow at midday.

Nodding slowly, Rias made to leave before she witnessed his form break up into small cubes and disappear. Although he was sure that his knowledge of the arcane tempted her, he also knew that his misteriousness would be detrimental to her acceptance. The next day, which was when their match wa supposed to start, Ancalagon showed up at midday in front of the mansion only to see both Rias and Akeno waiting for him. Walking up to them, they had a little stare contest before Rias declared that she would only agree to the contract if he'd show them his face. Reluctantly he pulled down his hood and was pleased to notice the positive response from them.

They shook hands and he followed them inside to meet with her peerage, only for Issei to start crying and cursing at the sight of him. Perplexed he looked to the others, before Koneko told him that he was a pervert who dreamed of having a harem and considered him a natural enemy because of it, making him chuckle before telling Issei not to worry as everyone here was far too young for him anyway.

How to Crash a Wedding in 5 simple steps
Knowing that a Rating Game could last for many hours on average, Ancalagon decided to look around the town until the group came back. Just as he was about to conclude his patrol of the city he felt a burst of demonic energy at the ORC and he decided to go there and take stock of the situation, even though that annoyingly powerful presence was there too.

Once there he saw an open window with Akeno staring outside with a broken expression on her face, leading him to believe that the fight didn't go so well. Letting her see him, Ancalagon jumped and landed silently on the windowstill, only to see that everyone else was more or less in the same condition, minus Issei who looked almost worse than the night he died and Rias who, while unharmed, was staring into nothing while crying.

Entering the room his eyes finally landed on the powerful presence, recognising her as Grayfia Lucifuge, Sirzechs wife and [Queen]. Removing his hood he decided to at least make himself somewhat useful and revitalise the contenders. Approaching each one of them he patted their back, using his senjutsu, which made them perk up at the sudden energy within them.

After concluding his rounds he calmly walked to stand beside Grayfia, who had watched him like a hawk, and quietly told her that he was Rias' new pact magician before asking her what had happened at the Rating Game. He quietly listened to her account, frowning at several points in her narrative, before asking her if she could show him where the toilet was with a pointed look, which she caught before escorting him out of the room.

As soon as they closed the door behind them he placed a silencing rune on the door to prevent the occupants from overhearing them. Turning back to the siver-haired woman he immediately asked if Sirzechs already had a plan B in the works, otherwise he'd have to improvise himself to help Rias out. When Grayfia asked him why he would even care, as their contract would not change in the least, he summoned up a picture of Rias' crushed face and pointed out his many reasons for helping out, such as his reputation taking a hit if his first contractor committed suicide, dealing with a permanently depressed person would suck, helping her would be the act of a good samaritan, his opposition to arranged marriages, her being in his debt...

Staring at his uncovered face Grayfia seemed to mull over something, if the unfocused expression was anything to go by, while he unabashedly took in the sight of the admittedly beautiful woman in front of him before she regained her senses. Finally she spoke up and told him that a plan was in the making and that it hinged on Issei, making him ask if it involved the kid crashing the wedding cerimony and challenging Riser to a 1vs1 fight, receiving a nod in response which made him grin.

After a while they re-entered the room and Grayfia announced that they should begin preparing while Ancalagon took care of Issei, who was still out of it. Seeing Rias finally get up and kiss his forehead before murmuring something in his ear, he immediately understood that those two have somehow bondd over such a small period of time. After the group left with Grayfia, Ancalagon took Issei to his house and put a compulsion spell on his parents to keep them away until tomorrow.