/Musical muse for writing this chapter was Hans Zimmer's "Am I Not Merciful?"/
{Prologue: A-Name}
"Who sent you," an unforgiving baritone growled with dictatorial authority. Its owner a being coated in a darkened void blacker than the night sky hovered over the wounded form of a prisoner. It was sniffing the air hungrily now for any signs of deceit. In the corner of the beaten prey's peripheral lay dozens corpses littered askew across a once peaceful pasture. Each one mangled in an impossible way with their faces frozen in a time of indescribable anguish.
"I walk the divine path MONSTER! I shall not be broken!" he spat.
"Divine path?" the voice questioned calmly despite the burning village of innocents off in the distance. "Who's path? Rome has been our ally for centuries, the Dwarves even longer, and the Bloodsuckers know better."
"Foolish animal. Institutions of the mortal realm have no authority over the divine."
"The fool here is you Messenger. If you master really wanted to kill me he would have sent an elite battalion. Not a ragtag group of ill equipped zealots."
"Your lies pour from your accursed mouth like the blood from my wounds MONSTER."
"Really? Well, if so…Human. How is it I do not sense a single ounce of silver in your possession?" The interrogator places a shadowy appendage lined with claws of steel on the man's chest.
"Heresy! I walk the blessed path! I fear no…GUACK!" The echo of ribs slowly being pulverized occupied the silent night. The enshrouded predator only applied enough pressure to maim, not kill.
"Enough. I want a name. A. NAME."
"GUA-Gr!&%!&!" The human's balaclava hinted hues of crimson as the beast made him suffer for his barbaric transgressions.
"Speak murder," the figure eased off a little.
"G-GRUAK-EMOORIE!"
"Gremory?" The avenger reapplied the squeeze, "You sure?
"Y-YES!" the man's eyes practically popped out his head like a stress toy from the added weight while blood mixed with the tears leaking from his eyes.
"Gremory is the name of the one of the remaining 34 Pillars of Hell." More paw pressure is administer, "Try again."
"N-NO! SH-E-E'S AN A-A-N-N-NGEL."
"Angel? What color were her wings? OI, ANSWER ME."
"It matters not MONSTER. For she will smite these in HIS honor and only the faithful will rise agaGUUAACK!" claws dug into their prey bypassing plates of steel and kevlar lining to lacerate flesh and bone with innate ease. One last harrowing cry evaporated into the night till only feigned silence remained. Not a creature dare stir in the outlining woods, not when the miasma of blood was still fresh. None would be so foolish.
The clouds parted and an out of season hunters moon illuminated the true scope of the savagery. The spring meadow was a scar of its former self now caked in layers of red and lacerations of earth. The mayflowers wilted from the tainted watering while the burning village's avenger stood at the epicenter of the devastation in contemplation.
"Gremory," A flash of lustrous fangs honed for downing the most monstrous of prey shown through the muzzle shrouded in an absolute black. The interrogator's steely gold eyes wander up to the moon and softened ever so slightly at a memory, "Rias…."