Chapter 37:
– Silas –
I blinked several times, trying to get my eyes to adjust, but the darkness refused to let up. It was so black I could not see a single star anywhere overhead. For a second, I wondered if there was even a sky above us. My senses felt all messed up, but eventually I could make out a massive stone ceiling high above—so impossibly far away it almost gave me vertigo just looking at it. The thing must have been hundreds of miles up, stretching endlessly in every direction.
There was no way any of this was real, but here we were.
Taylor and Rebecca had been yanked into this place with me.
Which was not good.
I never expected Rebecca to get pulled in as one of my System's assigned Partners.
Taylor was a cape—she was the freaking main character—she could handle herself. But Rebecca was just a normal girl, and knowing she was here on this spontaneous system mission made everything instantly feel more dangerous.
My protective instincts kicked in hard!
I glanced over at them, my eyes still straining to make out details in the gloomy dark. Taylor was standing right next to me, her arms crossed and head tilted back as she tried to figure out just what the hell we were looking at. Rebecca stood a few steps away, squinting up at the impossible ceiling. Despite the weirdness of the situation, neither of them looked like they were about to freak out. Instead, they both looked more focused than scared, which helped settle my own nerves about the situation.
I shuffled closer, reaching out and gently touching Rebecca's shoulder to make sure she was really there. She turned and gave me a soft smile. "I'm alright... Silas..." she trailed off. Looking like she wanted to say more, but she paused.
"I promise I will keep you safe, Rebecca," I told her, glad she wasn't freaking out or spamming me with all kinds of questions about what was going on.
The ground beneath our feet was flat and cracked, a barren wasteland of lifeless rock stretching out in every direction. No plants. No wind. Just dead silence and a kind of dry, dusty smell that clung to everything. Rebecca crouched down and ran her fingers over the ground, her brow furrowing. "This place is dead. Like, really dead. Are we even on Earth?" she asked quietly, sounding more curious than afraid.
I decided I needed to do something useful. I drew in a deep breath and focused, letting the electric buzz build up in my chest. I let my magnetic power blend with the crackle of my electromaster side, just letting both powers play together until it felt like my whole body was humming. Then I raised my hand and called a spark of electricity right into my palm, watching it grow until the light stung my eyes. I tossed it upward, and it shot into the air above us.
I held it in place with my magnetic field, about thirty feet up, and let it hang there—a ball of pure electricity, sizzling and spitting light in every direction. The shadows scattered instantly, and for the first time since we landed in this hellhole, I could actually see the two girls clearly.
Rebecca let out a long breath, and I could see the tension leaving her shoulders as the light washed over her. Taylor just grinned at me, shaking her head and letting her arms drop to her sides. "That is so much better," Rebecca said, her eyes flicking from my face to the crackling ball of energy overhead.
"You always pull this kind of shit out of nowhere," Taylor said with a laugh. She looked around, turning in a slow circle as she examined the endless wasteland surrounding us. "Alright, now that we can see, does anyone have a clue where the hell we're supposed to go?"
Rebecca spun around too, taking in the emptiness. She frowned. "It's all the same in every direction. I don't even see any landmarks."
Taylor closed her eyes for a second, like she was focusing on something I could not sense. Then she pointed off to the left, her finger steady. "There are a ton of bugs that way. Far off—twenty, maybe thirty miles. But I can feel them, like a big swarm just sitting out there."
I stared at her, honestly impressed. "Since when can you sense bugs that far away? I didn't know your range was that crazy."
Taylor blushed, fiddling with her glasses. She looked shy for a second, which was rare for her. "It really should not be that far," she admitted. "Usually it is just a mile or so, but here it is like my power is cranked up to eleven. I do not know what is going on, but all the bugs feel off somehow. Like they are not real insects—just things pretending. And they don't feel right either."
Rebecca shrugged and nodded. "That makes sense. We are probably not even on Earth anymore..."
Once again, I was very surprised with how chill Rebecca was acting about all of this.
I snapped my fingers and summoned my motorcycle—the Black Ghost bike. The thing shimmered into existence right beside me, matte black and gleaming under the electric light I had left hovering above us. The seat was definitely not made for three, but I figured we could make it work if we squeezed in tight. I straddled the bike, settling in the middle so I could reach everything easily.
Taylor slid in right behind me, her lithe body pressed close. Her arms slipped around my waist, and I immediately felt her chest pressed up against my back. The warmth of her small, perky breasts through my shirt sent a pleasant shiver running down my spine, and I had to focus for a second just to keep my mind on track. Taylor did not say anything, but I could feel her breath on my neck, steady and warm.
The beautiful latina climbed on in front of me, scooting back so her hips were flush with my lap. The curve of her ass pressed right up against my crotch, and it took everything I had not to react in a way that would make things awkward at this moment. My jeans felt tighter than they should have, and I just reminded myself that I had just spent all night going wild with Vicky and Amy. I should be able to keep it together.
Right? Right!
Neither Rebecca nor Taylor said anything, though I saw a sly grin twitch at the corners of Rebecca's mouth as she shifted a little, getting comfortable. Her hands rested on my thighs, her fingers splaying out as if she liked the feel of me pressed up behind her. Taylor, meanwhile, leaned in even closer, her arms around my waist growing tighter. She nuzzled her face into my shoulder and let out a quiet sigh, as if being squished up like this was secretly exactly what she wanted.
I reached forward, sliding my arms around Rebecca's waist, careful not to press in too hard. My hands closed around the cold metal handlebars. The Black Ghost silently rumbled beneath us, hovering an inch off the ground at first, then rising smoothly up until we hovered a few feet in the air.
Rebecca shivered when my arms brushed her sides, but she settled in quickly. I gave the throttle a twist, and we shot forward. The barren wasteland stretched endlessly on all sides, the massive stone ceiling above us never seemed to get any closer or farther as we flew. The whole place felt like a dead, hollow world.
The glowing ball of electricity floated overhead, keeping pace as we sped through the empty wasteland. I kept one hand tight on the throttle, the other gripping Rebecca's waist, while Taylor pressed even closer to my back and continued calling out directions. The only thing keeping the pitch-black nothingness from swallowing us was that steady, crackling light. Without it, we probably would have missed what was waiting up ahead.
Suddenly, the electric glow revealed shapes on the cracked ground. I squinted, feeling my heartbeat speed up as figures started moving—first shadows, then the details came into focus.
A dozen women, all absolutely stunning in a way that made them look almost unreal. Their faces were sharp and beautiful, skin impossibly perfect. Some had hair that shimmered like spun silver, others with locks as dark as midnight. But all of them had wild, hateful expressions—and they each had jet black bat wings sprouting from their backs, spreading wide as they launched themselves straight at us!
They had been lying in wait, pressed low to the ground like a pack of hunting animals, and the second our light touched them they exploded upward!
My mind screamed this was a trap, and I jerked the handlebars hard, sending the Ghost Bike into a tight turn to dodge.
"What the fuck!" Taylor yelled, her voice cutting through the roar of the wind. I swerved again, feeling the bike tilt and vibrate as magic projectiles shot through the air all around us—bolts of blue fire, jagged spears of energy, and swirling clouds of dark mist. Some of it fizzled out before it reached us, but a few came so close I could feel the hair on my arms stand up.
"Stop attacking us!" Taylor screamed back at them.
One of the winged creatures swooped right at us to scream something in a language I could not even begin to recognize. The others joined in, howling out angry words as they kept coming. It was like being chased by a gang of supermodel demons. Or sexy devil women.
Huh, why did that sound so familiar to me?
I jerked the Ghost Bike up higher, feeling Rebecca pressed tight against me.
"I think they're speaking very ancient Latin!" she called out, barely flinching as a spell whizzed right past her head. "It's supposed to be a dead language!"
"Obviously it isn't! I have no idea what they're saying but it sounds like they're cursing us out!" Taylor clung even tighter to me, her arms locking around my waist and her voice pitching up with panic and disbelief. "Are these fucking demons?" she yelled right in my ear, her breath hot and shaky. She was so close behind me I could feel her heart racing through her chest. "Also… Why are demons so fucking hot? That is not fair! They should be ugly!"
Rebecca twisted her body to glare at the oncoming enemies. Her hair whipped into my face, but I barely noticed with all the chaos happening around us. "Why are they so fucking hostile is the real question," Rebecca shot back, watching as the demon women darted through the air and started hurling even more magic at us.
Taylor let out a sound that was half laugh, half desperate scream. "Because they are fucking demons!" She dug her fingers into my sides so hard I was sure she was going to leave marks. "Silas, kill them already! They are not going to stop chasing us!"
"It is kind of hard to do that when I am driving the ghost bike!" I shouted, yanking the handlebars to the side. The whole bike jolted as I barely dodged another blast of angry spellfire from the demon women as they shrieked at us in Latin.
Everything was happening way too fast. I could not tell if the pounding in my chest was shock, adrenaline, or the fact that I was sandwiched between two gorgeous women while being chased by a swarm of deadly, sexy demon women. What the fuck was going on here? This was supposed to be a quest? My system hadn't even told us what to do yet, after dropping us here!
I did not really want to kill a bunch of gorgeous women, even if they were definitely demons, but it was getting way too close for comfort. Taylor did not have any bugs to fight with, Rebecca was just an ordinary girl, and I could feel the tension rising as the demon horde swooped in closer with every second.
Grinding my teeth, I dropped the Ghost Bike lower, bringing us in for a rough landing on the cracked, barren ground. The tires kicked up a little cloud of pale dust as I braked, then I jumped off the seat, barely waiting for Rebecca and Taylor to scramble off behind me. Taylor landed on shaky legs, but Rebecca seemed to land perfectly balanced. They were both sticking close to my side as I moved between them and the oncoming group of pissed demon women.
My regular clothes vanished, replaced by my black nightingale armor. I left the cowl off so I could see clearly. I flexed my fingers and let lightning dance between them. Blue-white sparks arced and snapped from my palms, so bright they made the demons pause in midair.
"Stay behind me," I said, my voice low but steady, as I squared my shoulders and raised my hands, ready to unleash hell on our attackers. They paused in the air and looked genuinely shocked, like they had not expected a real fight from us until now.
Before I could let loose with my thunder, something completely insane happened.
A golden blur suddenly streaked across the horizon, a streak of light moving so fast I could barely process it! One second it was a distant glint, the next it was tearing across the wasteland at impossible speed!
It hit with a deafening sonic boom that ripped through the air, making my ears ring and sending a shockwave through the ground. Taylor screamed, stumbling back as the blur zipped past all three of us, moving too fast to track. I flinched, shielding my face with one arm as wind and energy washed over us.
When I looked up again, the golden blur had stopped dead in the middle of the demon horde. Shining so bright I could barely make out a humanoid shape.
The demon women barely had time to shriek before they exploded into piles of ash, every single one of them disintegrating where they hovered. Their ashes scattered on the wind, gone in an instant.
I let my hands drop, the lightning flickering out as I watched the carnage with wide eyes. "Well, shit," I muttered, feeling both disappointment and relief. "That was kind of a waste..."
"Holy fuck..." Taylor mumbled.
"Whatever this thing is, don't piss it off..." Rebecca added.
The blinding golden light finally faded away from the figure standing in front of us, leaving my electric orb as the only thing keeping the shadows at bay. The light from the orb caught the stranger perfectly. I saw her face first—absolutely gorgeous, the kind of heart-shaped beauty that looked too perfect to be real. Her lips were full and soft, her eyes huge and bright blue, but what really caught me was the expression of calm on her face, like nothing in this hellscape could ever bother her.
Long, golden hair spilled down her back in perfect waves. It looked soft as silk, and there was a weird inner glow to it, like sunlight trapped in every strand. She wore shining golden armor that hugged her curves, every plate and detail looking like it had been hand-forged by some divine blacksmith just for her.
And behind her—holy shit, there were twelve massive, pristine white wings. The sight actually made my breath hitch. She looked like a goddess, or at the very least, an archangel straight out of a wet dream and a church painting at the same time.
My mind spun, trying to process it. I knew who this was!
Was this actually Gabriel from high school DxD!?
Were we actually in the underworld of DxD? That meant those beautiful women trying to kill us were devils.
Why the hell was Gabriel here—killing devils?
A terrifying thought hit me... Wow, my Heroic System really outdid itself for this mission.
I think this was in the middle of the Great War in DxD. THE ANGELS VERSUS DEVILS VERSUS FALLEN ANGELS.
Gabriel did not even flap her wings as she floated towards us. She just drifted, feet barely touching the ground until her steel-armored golden boots finally made contact with the barren stone. There was not a speck of dust on her despite the ashes everywhere, and when she smiled, it was soft and warm—way too peaceful for someone who just wiped out a horde of sexy demons in the blink of an eye.
She spoke first, and her voice was music, a gentle melody of ancient Latin. The words were smooth and inviting, and even though I could not understand the meaning, the tone alone told us she meant no harm. The difference was obvious compared to the shrieking devil women.
Taylor stepped up a bit and raised her voice. "I am sorry, but we cannot understand you," she called out, her tone nervous but respectful. Damn right she was respectful after what we just saw.
Gabriel's eyes brightened with understanding. She smiled even softer and, as she opened her mouth again, her words morphed mid-sentence from ancient Latin to perfect, fluent English. "OH? Can you understand me now? What language is this? It is so complex and amazing? I had no idea humans had developed a language quite like this! It is amazing, we should start speaking it in heaven! It's so much more practical than Latin! A-B-C-D-E-F-G—" she started to sing with her musical voice, but was cut off.
Rebecca let out a surprised little nervous sounding laugh and asked, "Wait, you can suddenly speak English now?"
"Of course. My Father has blessed all His angelic children with the gift of tongues. We can understand and speak any mortal language just by hearing a few words!"
Rebecca turned her head and gave me a wide-eyed look after Gabriel finished speaking. She bit her lip hard as she leaned close to me and whispered, "Silas, where did your system send us...?"
I shuffled my feet, feeling awkward as I tried to give her a straight answer. I kept my voice low, not sure if Gabriel would hear. "Honestly? I think we're in another world's version of hell. And if I am not totally losing my mind, that is the Archangel Gabriel standing right in front of us..." I whispered.
I shot another quick look at Gabriel, half-expecting her to react, but she just stood there looking completely serene and patient, waiting for us to finish our huddle like she had all the time in the universe. Maybe she really could not hear us? Or was she polite enough to give us privacy?
I was hoping for the latter at the very least.
I turned back to Gabriel and gave her a small, respectful bow. She was supposed to be one of the most overpowered beings in any version of the DxD story, and what we just saw her do backed that up—she might have been moving at the speed of light when she wiped out that whole group of devils...
HOLY SHIT was all I could say to that! How do you even fight against that kind of speed and power? None of the Endbringers back home would last more than a few seconds against her!
"Thank you for coming to assist us," I said, trying to keep my tone as genuine as possible. I felt a weird mix of awe and anxiety as I met her bright blue eyes.
Taylor stepped forward, her voice a little shaky as she echoed, "Yeah, thank you so much. That was... unreal."
Rebecca was way more stiff about it, but she managed a quick nod and a soft, "Thanks." Her hands were clenched at her sides, but she held her ground, facing Gabriel head-on.
Gabriel's face lit up in pure happiness at our gratitude. She tilted her head to the side in this almost playful way, and she started firing off questions. "What are three humans doing in the underworld?" she asked, genuine curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "And where did you get those clothes? I have never seen anything like them before! Your language too—so strange, but beautiful. I have never heard anything quite like it! And what's that large black device behind you three? Why does it only have two wheels? It looks fun, can I try riding it!?"
She was very enthusiastic.
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a little awkward under her attention. "I can't really answer any of that," I admitted, not wanting to give her the whole heroic gamer-system-isekai speech. "All I can say is, we were sent here for a reason, and we are here to do good."
That answer seemed to be more than enough for Gabriel. She jumped on the spot, her wings fluttering with excitement, and clapped her hands together like she was hearing great news. "Oh! If my FATHER sent the three of you here, that is all you needed to say!" she cheered, completely misunderstanding my answer but looking so happy I did not have the heart to correct her.
Because yeah... Her father. God... Or Big G, himself, was probably still alive in this universe—if we really were in the middle of the great war.
Gabriel looked us over with that same serene smile and folded her wings in, the white feathers shifting softly behind her armor. "We have a forward operating base for the war effort a couple of miles from here," she explained, her tone warm but full of concern. "My angelic brothers and sisters are there. It will be much safer for you to come back with me, rather than wandering around out here in the open. The underworld is dangerous even for us angels."
Rebecca pressed closer to my side. I glanced at her and at Taylor, and without a word we all silently agreed. Taylor gave me a quick nod.
"That sounds like a really good idea," I told Gabriel, giving her a small but genuine smile. "We'd love to see the base. I mean, it's not every day you get invited to hang out with actual angels!"
Taylor gave a quick, nervous laugh and added, "Honestly, anywhere is better than this place. Let's go."
Gabriel smiled, clearly pleased by our answer. "That's good. We should get moving soon," she said, her gaze flicking toward the horizon like she was expecting trouble at any second. "I heard reports that the demon lord Beelzebub was spotted around here recently. I was actually scouring the area for him when I sensed those disgusting devils trying to attack three human souls!"
Taylor went rigid at my side, her eyes wide with shock. She stared off into the distance and quietly repeated, "Beelzebub… Beelzebub…" like she was working through her memory. Her mother had been a literature teacher after all. Suddenly, it clicked for her. She stepped forward, voice shaky but urgent, and called out, "Excuse me, Miss—uh, Archangel Gabriel? Does Beelzebub have the power to control a whole bunch of insects?"
Gabriel's serene expression finally broke, and for the first time I saw a faint grimace cross her face. "Indeed he does," Gabriel answered, her voice colder than before. "Beelzebub is infamous for his mastery over insects, vermin, and plagues. His power has cost us a lot of lies in the most vile and gruesome ways!"
Taylor's face went pale as she lifted her arm and pointed out toward the horizon, her hand trembling a little. "There is a massive swarm over there," she said. "I can feel it. It's like billions of powerful and weird bugs all being pulled in the same direction, moving as one. And it feels… wrong."
Gabriel's eyes widened in honest surprise. "You can sense the location of a demon lord so precisely?" she asked, her voice warm with sudden admiration. "Truly, our Father has sent us a remarkable human in our time of need." She smiled kindly and nodded to Taylor. "Thank you for that information, Taylor Hebert. You may have just given us a real advantage!"
Taylor flushed, stammering as she stared back at Gabriel. "You… you know my name???"
Gabriel nodded without missing a beat. "Of course. All I have to do is look upon a human soul to know their true name. That is one of the gifts given to every angel." Then she turned her radiant gaze to me and Rebecca, her smile gentle but knowing. "It is wonderful to make your acquaintance as well, Silas Thorn. And you as well, Rebecca Costa-Brown."
...It took a couple seconds for the last name Gabriel just rattled off to register—even in my enhanced mind.
WHAT. THE. FUCK!
"Uh oh..." I heard Taylor suddenly say.
Rebecca Brown... Rebecca Costa-Brown...?
Am I an idiot for not noticing before? But why the fuck would Alexandria of all people have been attending Winslow High School with Taylor and I all this time!? And she and I had flirted together.
A lot.
She was snarky and fun, and a great friend in general not just to Taylor but also me. I had been very attracted to her.
And I still was...? Even with this crazy revelation. I just... needed time to process it.
Rebecca let go of my arm, her fingers sliding away a little too quickly, and she stumbled back a couple steps. Her face was twisted in pure panic, her dark eyes searching mine as if hoping for forgiveness before she even spoke. She started stammering, her voice barely above a whisper. "Silas, I'm so sorry—I never meant to keep this from you, I swear. I should have told you, but I was scared, and I didn't know how, and—"
Her words tripped over each other, all desperate and raw, and I could see that this was the real her. There was no mask, not the invincible Alexandria, just Rebecca. Her lips trembled as she kept trying to explain, her hands twisting in front of her as if she wanted to reach out but was too nervous to try.
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us in two long strides. Rebecca's eyes widened, her breath catching. Before she could launch into another apology, I gently reached out and placed my finger on her lips, shushing her. She froze at my touch, her eyes big and shining in the weird electric light, her skin soft beneath my finger. "It's okay," I whispered, my voice quiet but steady. "We can talk about this later. I promise. Right now, we have bigger things to deal with."
Rebecca blinked at me, swallowing hard, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. She nodded quickly, and I let my hand fall away. For a second—I almost leaned in and kissed her—but now was not the time…
I gave her a look that said everything I could not put into words. "Let's just follow Gabriel and figure out how to survive this place first," I told her gently, my tone leaving no room for argument.
She took a shaky breath and nodded again.
I turned my head and looked at Taylor, catching her trying to act busy with her own clothes. She would not meet my eyes, just kept tugging at her shirt and shifting her weight from foot to foot, her cheeks flushed with guilt.
It was obvious from the way she was acting that she had known about Rebecca's real identity the entire time, and she had not said a word to me. That stung a little. Out of all the people in the world, Taylor was the one who said she wanted to be my partner when it came to fighting crime in Brockton. And of course, we were a bit more than just friends as well from the multiple times we'd kissed...
I understood that she probably had her reasons—maybe Rebecca had made her promise, maybe she thought she was protecting me. Taylor just kept fiddling with her sleeve, her fingers trembling, avoiding my gaze like it physically hurt.
I let out a long, silent breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. Now was not the time to blow up at her, not with Gabriel standing a few feet away and the threat of Beelzebub still out there. But I knew we were all going to have a very long, very honest talk once we got somewhere safer.
XXX
The truth comes out… And also DxD during the great war!