"Now give an applause to our next guests, the Dancing-"
"Die."
"Oh Rosalita, luz de mi corazon-"
"I'm going to puke."
"I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle."
"Now we're talking." Zero lowered the remote control. She was sprawled out all over the couch in front of the living room's 85-inch TV screen: beside the bandages her only pieces of clothes were a sport bra and a pair of women's shorts. Five bottles of beer, four empty and one half-full, were lined up on the small table next to where her head was resting on the couch's arm.
"We're home!" Two called out as she opened the door and walked inside, followed by Three and Four. "Ah! Big Sis Zero! Are you drinking again? It's not healthy!"
"I'm bored our of my fucking mind here. Give me a break." She replied. "Can't go out without being babysitted, can't train and One blocked the adult channels. Getting smashed is the only thing that makes this tolerable. If you take away even that I'll snap and strangle someone."
"No need to go that far, Big Sister." Four sighed as Three slouched to the couch and sat down on the opposite side before falling asleep. "It's merely a rest period to make sure there are no complications, and it's almost over now. You hurt yourself for our sake, so let us take care of you now."
"That's right! We're all grown-ups now, no need to shoulder everything by yourself again." Two smiled to Zero as she sat down on the fluffy, soft carpet and rested her back against the couch.
Zero scoffed. "I was that kind of person? One thing that's going to change for sure."
"You were and still are the best big sister ever." Four declared with absolute conviction. Approaching the only space left on the couch she stopped when she realized it was occupied by Zero's sprawled leg. When the white-haired girl noticed her younger sister pausing with an awkward expression she rolled her eyes and pulled back her leg.
Smiling Four sat down all prim and proper - only to almost yelp when Zero straightened her leg again and rested it on the brunette's lap. With an embarrassed face, and a small smile, Four began watching the film together with her sisters.
"One and Five?" Zero asked a few minutes later.
"Shitori-san asked One to play a chess match and she accepted." Two answered. "Five, hear this, received a love letter and remained behind to meet the sender!"
"She thought it was the sempai she molested today." Four drily added.
"It's Five. Nothing new there." Zero's reply was utterly nonchalant, his sentiments on the matter expressed perfectly.
The blonde returned just as the credits began to play. "I'm back!" She cheerfully declared, a plastic bag hanging from her left hand. A sly smile spread on her lips when she saw the four girls gathered on the couch. "What a perfect set-up~! One?"
"She's not back yet." Zero replied, looking at her out of her peripheral vision. "So, another notch on your belt?"
"I wish." Five pouted sadly. "It was just a silly prank. Ah, how disappointing. That's why I made a detour to pick up the perfect cure for my wounded heart." From the bag she took out a few DVD cases and showed them to her sisters with a large grin. "Who want to try Japan's famous hentai together with me?"
"Porn? Just what I needed to improve my mood. Set it up." Zero set the leg previously dangling off the couch over the one still on Four's lap and crossed them.
"B-Big Sister Zero!" Four protested. Two was blushing but made no move to leave, while Three had woken up and seemed interested too. "Look, there are so many things wrong with that I don't even know where to-"
"Four." The white-haired girl interrupted her, eyes locked on the screen as Five inserted one DVD inside the player. "Shut up or leave."
"Uh..." Four wriggled her legs, but Zero showed no intention of moving her own legs. "Big Sister...can you move your le-"
"No."
"Uuuh..." The brown-haired girl mumbled some more as Five sat down on the carpet like Two and the video started. "I guess...I'll stay then. I have no other choice after all. It's, it's not like I am interested or anything..."
"Four."
"Shutting up now."
She did. But not for long.
"It doesn't fit! It can't possibly fit!" Four peeked between her fingers before yelping and closing her eyes again.
"Oh it fits. It fits alright." Five exclaimed in delight.
"Stretching capacity exceeds estimated elasticity of involved muscles. Possibly the result of extensive training through separated increasing stages or application of muscle relaxants. Sufficient lubrication to reduce friction to a minimum does seem to be another fundamental component." Three commented at a rapid pace. "What about contraction? Even just a little amount would invalidate the approach. Can training overcome that, or is it a specific biological quirk?"
"I'm home. Everyone, I-" One, after walking inside the room, stopped at the sight that greeted her and put a hand over her eyes. Her next words were uttered with a tone of barely restrained frustration. "I thought I blocked the adult channels."
Five waved a hand without turning around, an empty DVD case held between her fingers. "Don't worry, I used my allowance."
"And of course, your first thought was to watch it in the living room instead of the privacy of your own room." One glared at the blonde's back.
"Teh-he."
One sighed, reminding herself that was just how Five is. She spent a few seconds staring at the screen before denying it even happened and continuing with her planned speech. "This is not time for recreation. There are Fallen Angels in this city."
Like a switch that has been flicked all five Intoners stood up on their knees and turned to face One. Two, Three and Five had a serious and focused look on their faces, Four was sneering in disgust and Zero was baring her teeth. "Those fuckers found us already?" The white-haired girl snarled, a certain eagerness for violence mixed within the quickly mounting fury.
One shook her head. "I don't think so. We are not their objective." She began to walk away, the others standing up and following her. "I saw one of them, disguised as a student of another school, approaching one of Kuoh students under the pretest of a love confession. The wench's acting, while abysmal, was enough to deceive the boy."
"Disgusting Crows. Bats I can tolerate, there are always a few rats within a city, but this calls for pest control." Four and her sisters walked inside the elevator. As the doors closed and the metal box began to move down she addressed One. "Did you recognize the Kuoh student?"
"I believe you have heard of a certain Perverted Trio?"
Four balked at the news, while Five seemed honestly distraught. "The poor thing, we have to save him. They always show such honest appreciation for my beautiful breasts, it would make me sad if they stop."
"Does it matter?" Zero scoffed, nails pressing against the bandages covering her palms as she clenched her fists. "Crows never move alone. We follow the bitch, find where they live and murder them all. Easy as taking a piss."
"Of course Elder Sister. Before that, however, I think it would beneficial for us to capture and interrogate her." With a 'ping' the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The six sisters left the metal box and entered what looked like a laboratory in full activity. Men in white clothes and a metal mask over their heads stopped what they were doing and bowed at the group's passage.
"My ladies." One of them greeted the sisters, his more elaborated mask suggesting a position of importance. "How can we serve?"
One crossed her arms. "Have they arrived? The weapons we requested?"
"Yes, just now." The man led the sisters to a long table, a series of metal cases resting on its surface. "The seller is a mysterious fellow, never contacting us directly, but the merchandise is of the highest quality. He, or she I suppose, seems to have a predilection for weapons which are cursed or have a bloody history."
"It is irrelevant as long as they're effective. Where's mine?" After the man gestured to one specific case One approached it. With two quick flicks she unlocked the latches and opened the case.
"Ah yes." She smiled at the content. "This will do nicely."
Issei Hyodou was standing in the middle of the shopping district, looking as giddy as a schoolboy on his first date. Which, coincidentally, perfectly described his current situation: he was giddy, he was a schoolboy and he was waiting for a girl so that they could go on a date, the first one in his entire life so far.
Just yesterday a girl confessed to him. Her name was Yuuma Amano: she had long, shiny black hair and stunning violet eyes. What's more, she was drop dead gorgeous and had large breasts. In short, she was everything Issei looked for in a girlfriend.
For a guy like Issei, who was hated by the girls at his school for his perverted habits and whose sexual experiences so far were only with his right hand (some times, with his left), it was like a dream coming true. At first he actually thought it was a prank, or that Yuuma was forced to ask him out due to a penalty game, but after they agreed to meet on a school-free day for their first date and he introduced her to his friends to brag those doubts melt away like snow under the summer sun, replaced with the sort of blissful happiness that only people who were gifted with a miracle could experience. That was how important having a girlfriend was for the boy called Issei Hyodou.
He was so nervous about the date he brushed his teeth dozens of times since the previous night, he bought new clothes and even arrived at the meeting spot three hours ahead of the appointed time. While waiting he ended up counting the girls with glasses walking past in front of him.
His less than pure contemplations were brought to an end when someone addressed him. "Young boy, please take this." It was a short young woman wearing a red cosplay costume based on a bat. She had a stack of leaflets under one arm, and was holding out one of them to Issei with a smile.
"Uh, sure." Issei, unable to deny the request of a cute girl, took the leaflet. As the woman left to hand out more of those leaflets he looked at the one in his hand: it was an occult-looking thing with an anime-like magic circle and the sentence [Your dream will be granted!] written below. Honestly, it was either a scam or the advertisement for some weird cult thing.
He looked around for a trashcan to throw it away, but before he could do so he spotted Yuuma approaching and quickly stuffed it into his pocket.
"One?"
With a casual gesture the blonde girl tapped her left earring to activate the concealed transmitter and brought the cup in front of her lips to hide their movements. "What is it, Four?"
"The girl that gave a leaflet to Hyodou-san is not human, right? I can see them from here, they have the kind of magic circles Bats use on them."
"Most likely a familiar." From inside the bar she was sitting in One watched Hyodou and the disguised Fallen have a brief exchange before leaving. "I suppose that's one way to test the waters for new clients."
"New innocents to corrupt you mean. Are we letting it do so with impunity?" Four's tone was dripping with contempt as she observed the couple's movements through a spyglass from a nearby rooftop.
"Doing something now would result in the Devils searching for the culprit and possibly interfere with the operation." One replied. Then, after a few seconds she added: "Wait at least until we have captured our target."
"You know, I was thinking." Five entered the conversation. "What if she is planning nothing bad, and just wants some virgin dick? There are some people who are into that."
"I kind of, uh, agree with Five?" Two added while blending among the clients of the clothing store Issei and Yuuma were visiting. "I mean, they seem to be having fun..."
"It's an act! An act!" Four insisted. "The only interaction Crows have with humans is when they take advantage of them! You say sex, I say rape! As an ally of Justice I can't let it happen!"
"Immediately jumping to rape? Just what kind of scenarios were you fantasizing about Four?" Zero wondered.
"B-B-Big Sister Zero!" Four squealed. "I'm not thinking about obscene stuff, just considering the worst case scenario!"
"Right." The eldest Intoner replied. "So between death, torture and many other nasty things you consider rape the worst case scenario. I wonder what that says about your priorities?"
"Big Sis Zero's just being grumpy again Four." Two quickly reassured the brown-haired girl after she started sputtering in denial. "She doesn't mean it."
"Oh, but I agree with my lovely big sister." Five giggled while trying a bracelet. "Mmh, aren't you lovely? You pair perfectly with the dress I bought yesterday. I'm definitely taking you home with me."
"Well, excuse me for being less than thrilled at the idea of spending who knows how long just watching those two idiots going around doing vomit-inducing mushy stuff while smiling like retards." Sitting within the limo Zero switched to the camera of another drone, grimacing when the laptop's screen showed Yuuma giggling at something Issei said.
"When I am open, I am not open. When I am closed, I am not closed. ...What am I?" Three, who was sitting in front of Zero with another laptop, suddenly asked.
"A restaurant with an asshole manager." Zero immediately replied.
"Can we get back to the task at hand?" One tried very hard to not make it sound like she was pleading.
The date, in Issei's opinion, went rather well all things considered. He and Yuuma went to a clothing store, and then looked at decorations for their rooms. For lunch, they ate at a family restaurant just like how normal high school students would. She looked like she enjoyed it...at least, he thought she did. She pretty much had a smile on her face from start to finish.
As the evening approached they arrived at the fountain in the local park. It was like a romantic scene one would see in visual novels, especially with the sun setting over the horizon and painting the sky a lovely orange.
"It sure was fun today." Yuuma smiled at Issei while standing in front of the fountain. "Hey, Ise-kun."
"What is it, Yuuma-chan?" Issei eagerly replied, a hundred and more naughty possibilities running through his mind.
"There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?"
He didn't even hesitate, his heart beating so fast it felt like it was soon going to jump out of his chest. "W-What is the w-wish you want?"
Yuuma kept smiling. Then, as if it was the most natural thing she asked: "Will you die for me?"
"Bullseye."
"I'm going."
"Waste that fucker, One."
"Of course, Elder Sister."
"The short time I spent with you was fun. It was like playing house with a little child." Yuuma coldly purred, black feathery wings proudly displayed on her back.
With a loud humming sound a spear made of light appeared in the black-haired girl's right hand. "Alas, all things come to an end." She reared her arm back, aiming straight at Issei's heart, before hurling the spear with all her strength.
There was a whooshing sound, followed by a wet squelch. Hot, almost scalding blood splattered over Issei's body and face. A few drops ended on his lips, and he could taste the sweet, metallic taste. He wondered if that is how death tastes.
However... "It...doesn't hurt?" He looked down at himself, but saw no injuries. "What's goin-"
Yuuma screeched in agony. Looking up Issei saw her holding the bloody stump that was once her right hand, the fingers scattered around her feet in a puddle of blood. The fragments of the shattered light spear briefly hovered in the air before vanishing.
"Such arrogance. Thinking that you could toy with humans as you like." It took Issei a few seconds to recognize the approaching girl as One Song. She wasn't wearing the Kuoh uniform, but a white dress with long gloves that fully covered her arms, leggings and boots. Around her shoulders she also wore a small white cape with black fur linings and two small black pon-pons hanging on the front by strings.
The whooshing sound returned and One swept her right arm. The next instant she was holding what Issei could only describe as a giant metal ring with two bars crossing in the center, small cross-like decorations set at the four ends where the bars were connected with the ring.
"WHO?! WHO DARES!?" Yuuma screamed in animalistic fury. She glared at One with a look of pure hate. "You filthy human! You dare hurt me, a mighty Fallen Angel? Pathetic worms like you have no right to even lay their eyes on a superior being such as-"
"Silence beast. Dogs don't bark at their betters." One coldly interrupted Yuuma without even looking at her. Instead she moved forward until she was right in front of Issei. "Hyodou-san." She addressed the still stunned boy with a gentle but firm tone. "I would appreciate it if you were to keep your distance. What is about to happen here will be dangerous to one such as yourself."
"Don't ignore me!" Forming another light spear in her left hand Yuuma hurled it at One. "Die, you filthy worm!"
"As you can see." One nonchalantly commented while swinging her weapon behind her, shattering the spear without even looking at it. She slowly turned back to the Fallen, her eyes burning with a cold fury. "Filthy crows such as this one like to attack those who cannot protect themselves."
Snarling Yuuma flapped her wings and soared into the air, intending to bombard the bitch with light spears from a safe distance until she was reduced to a bloody smear on the ground.
One opened her mouth and hummed a single, wordless note. The sound had an otherworldly feeling to it, and Issei could almost sense it washing over his skin, a wet hotness that made every one of his nerves tingle.
It was the most beautiful thing Issei has ever heard.
The next instant One dashed forwards, moving so fast all Issei could see was a white blur, before jumping and slamming into Yuuma. There was a sound of breaking bones as they fell on the stone monument in the middle of the fountain, shattering it and splattering the water all around. The Fallen Angel coughed blood before One's left hand grabbed her hair and slammed her head down. The Intoner repeated the motion two times before letting go and standing up, the body of the concussed Yuuma laying in front of her.
"More trouble that she is worth of..." One grumbled under her breath while glaring at the wet parts of her clothes with annoyance.
Only then did she looked back at Issei, who has fallen on his butt in shock at the impossible feats he witnessed. "I don't...Yuuma-chan...but...Song-san, what is..."
"Issei Hyodou." One's tone demanded absolute attention. "You are, understandably, confused. But the truth is, you have been dragged into something that no normal person should be involved with. This is all you need to know."
She gestured to the prone form of Yuuma. "This creature isn't human. She used you for her own benefit. You heard what she said: for her, the whole date was a game. She toyed with your emotions and intended to kill you since the very beginning. This is the kind of creature she is."
With every word the fear in Issei's heart slowly vanished, replaced by nothingness and a feeling of hurt that made him felt as if Yuuma truly pierced him with a spear.
"However, you have nothing more to fear. I will make sure she and the rest of her ilk never threaten you and those you care about ever again." Grabbing one of Yuuma's leg One began to walk away, dragging the limp body behind her. "For your own sake, it's better you forget everything that happened today."
Issei watched her leave, too overwhelmed to do or say anything.
"You really did a number on her." Zero commented when One dropped Yuuma's body in front of the limo's open door. "Didn't you say you wanted to interrogate her?"
"As long as she can talk, the state of her body doesn't matter." One replied. "Three, stop the blood: I don't want it staining the car. Two, after Three is done tie and put the Fallen into the trunk."
Humming Three set to work, while Two retrieved the special restraining equipment from within the trunk. One looked around and frowned. "Where's Four?"
"I'm here! I'm here!" The brown-haired girl ran into view, stopping only when she was in front of One. "Sorry for the delay, it took more time than I thought."
One glanced down at the blood still dripping from the knuckles of Four's combat bracers. By the smell, she immediately identified it as not belonging to a human being.
That was all it took for her to decide to let it pass. "It's not big deal. Let's go."
"One. Problem." Three suddenly said.
"What kind of problem, Three?" One asked after putting back her chakram into its case. She was satisfied with the test run: the weapon was balanced, sharp enough to cut through bones without issues and it could destroy a Fallen Angel's light spear without getting even a single scratch in return. As a starting weapon it was perfect.
The purple-haired girl held up a metal cuff and Yuuma's handless arm. "It keeps sliding off. Not tight enough."
"That's the problem?" Zero snorted before looking around the small room. Seeing a locker she walked up to and opened it. "Let's see…Why do we have medieval torture-probably Five...This will do."
Returning with a small metal spike in her right hand Zero kneeled next to the Fallen's body and grabbed the stump with her left one.
Then she shoved the spike through what remained of the wrist. The pain woke up Yuuma, but her screams were quickly silenced by Four stomping on her face. "Shut up Crow! Don't distract Big Sister Zero!"
Holding the trashing limbs in a vice grip Zero pushed the spike until it was halfway through the wrist. She closed the handcuff under it and gave a tug to confirm it held. "There. Problem solved."
One pushed a button next to the door. The hidden mechanism came to life and pulled up the chain connecting both of Yuuma's handcuffs until her equally bound feet were dangling twenty centimeters about the ground.
"You-! Filthy-!" The Fallen shrieked, the pain and humiliation making hard for her to think. She tried to form a few light spears around her, for she was skilled enough she didn't need her hands to toss them. There was a zapping sound, and Yuuma screamed as her neck was suddenly overtaken with pain. It broke her concentration, and only when it subsided did she noticed there was a collar around her neck.
"Don't bother: that collar was designed to detect when you are about to use your Light powers and electrocute you when it happened." One calmly explained, Zero, Three and Four on her sides. "Fallen Angel. You will tell me your real name, why did you try to kill Issei Hyodou, where your base is and how many people it contains."
Yuuma spat at One, the spit landing on her face. Without breaking eye contact with the Fallen One took out a handkerchief and calmly cleaned her cheek. "Three, she's all yours. Four, when she decides to talk write down what she says."
"I understand, Big Sister One. I'll make sure she leaves nothing out." Four replied as One and Zero left the room and closed the soundproof door.
Meanwhile Three had moved behind Yuuma and was holding one of her wings, pushing back the feathers to gaze at the flesh below with an analytical look. "The wings of a Fallen Angel are a peculiar thing. As are those of an Angel and a Devil. It's not real flesh, but concentrated spiritual aura dense enough to create limbs. Why they exist? They're not aerodynamic, yet you can't fly without manifesting them. A foci to regulate the flying function and make it instinctual? Peculiar indeed."
"Don't touch me!" Yuuma trashed. "Don't touch me you-Aaaagh!"
Three stopped twisting the wing, watching the blood dripping from where her fingers sunk into the wing's membrane. "Simulation of regular body functions is impressive. This requires a more in-depth analysis."
Three reached to the side, opened a drawer and, much to Yuuma's growing horror, pulled out a surgical buzzsaw. The Fallen's protests were ignored as the purple-haired girl put on a set of googles, turned on the device and grabbed Yuuma's wing with her free hand.
"Wait Three!" The Intoner turned off the buzzsaw and looked at Four with a puzzled look. "That's not right!"
Yuuma sighed in relief, not noticing Four searching for something in another drawer. "So at least one of you has a minimum of common sense. Free me now and-guh!" The rest of her words were choked out by Four showing a mouth ball into her open mouth and fastening it behind the head.
"There." Four nodded in satisfaction, removing her gloves and dropping them in a trashcan. "You don't want her screams distracting you."
"Thank you Four." Three nodded in gratitude. "Music?"
"Sure." She moved in front of a piece of furniture with a DVD player and looked at the selection. "Bach...Mozart...Beethoven?"
There was a brief mutter of agreement before the buzzsaw was turned on again, following by a grinding sound and a muffled scream. Ignoring the last two Four put the DVD into the player and selected the right track.
As the notes of Ode to Joy filled the room Four took a step back and, with a beatific smile, began to mimic an orchestra conductor. "Aaah, yes. This is, without a doubt, one of the pinnacle of human culture! Just this melody alone cleanses me of the stress from all the eyesores I had to bear with today."
"Please stay still Lady Zero."
With a small pair of scissors the doctor removed the knot tying the bandages together. Holding up the white-haired woman's arm with one hand he dip the other one in a bowl filled with saline solution and gently rubbed it over the bandages to thoroughly soak them. Once that was done he began to slowly remove the gauze. "Impressive. Your wounds healed perfectly, not even scars or discolorations remained." He commented once Zero's pale, flawless skin was exposed. "An Intoner's recovery ability is truly remarkable."
"Yeah, yeah." Zero rolled her eyes with a scowl. "Hurry up, I don't have all night."
"I understand if you're impatient Elder Sister, but there is no need to rush." One said without looking up from the book she was reading.
"It wasn't you that had to walk around like a mummy for a month, One." The older Intoner shot back. "It hurt like a bitch at the start, and the bandages itched even more. You would had it worse."
One paused in the middle of turning a page, the thin sheet of paper held between thumb and index finger. "That... I cannot deny." She finished turning the page and continued reading.
Meanwhile the doctor removed the rest of the bandages. But just as he reached to the last patch, the one around Zero's head, he had his hands slapped away. "Don't bother." She scowled. "I hate looking at it anyway."
The man looked at One, but she just shook her head. He stepped back and bowed. "As you wish, Lady Zero."
Rolling her shoulders Zero approached the table with the weapon cases, heedless of her undressed state. Opening one she took out her own weapon: it was a medium sized, one-edged black cutlass, with a circular hand-guard open on one side and white decorations representing flowers, wings and the sun.
Holding the sword with her right hand Zero made a few practice swings before suddenly thrusting forward, as if impaling an invisible adversary through the heart. "A little gaudy for my tastes." She rested the edge on the table's border before violently jerking downward, the blade leaving behind a deep gouge. "But it will do."
One felt rolling her eyes was too undignified, so she settled to looking at her sister's back in disapproval. For all that she complained about Four and Five, Zero could be just as melodramatic and more when it strikes her fancy.
The elevator's doors opened, Four stepping out of it. "The Crow cawed a lot. Like you asked I wrote it all down."
One took the notebook Four was holding out to her, noting it had a lot of filled pages. "Can you sum it up? Just the relevant parts."
"Of course Big Sister One. The Crow is apparently a minor leader among her kind: she has three other Crow underlings and fifty human agents, all Exiled Exorcists. They all work for the Grigori." The brown-haired girl began. "Their marching orders were to come to Japan, take residence in the abandoned church on the town's outskirts and put Issei Hyodou under observation. Apparently he had a powerful but still dormant Sacred Gear inside him."
"Only observe? Why did she try to kill him then?"
"Their orders were updated a few days before: the probability that the Gear would awaken and drive its host insane was higher than expected, so immediate termination of the host was recommended."
One frowned. "...This makes no sense. Grigori collects Sacred Gears, and why would they care if an unrelated human goes mad because of its own? Unless…" She seemed to ponder something for a few seconds. "What else?"
"In a few days they're going to receive a new member: Asia Argento, an ex-nun from the Catholic Church. She has a Sacred Gear called Twilight Healing that can heal all wounds, but she was cast out by the Vatican when she accidentally healed a Bat." Four scoffed. "She made a mistake, true, but they should have just taught her how to not do it again instead of abandoning her. Clearly such disproportionate punishment has been wanted by those bigot Pigeons."
"All wounds? So it's not restricted by race? It must be quite powerful then." The blonde girl commented. "Why send her here, and not the Grigori's headquarters?"
"The Crow confessed she planned to take Argento's Sacred Gear as her own. She thought it would get her a promotion." The brown-haired girl scoffed in disdain.
"It could have. That's one more reason to stop it from ever happening again." One declared with absolute conviction. "They reside in the abandoned church... How they communicate among each other when not physically present?"
"Surprisingly they have smartphones, custom models with some spells woven into them. Don't worry, I had the Crow clear all the security checks." Four took out from her pocket a bloodstained cellphone sealed in a plastic bag and offered it to One. "Sorry for the blood Big Sister, I told Three to stop for a moment but she didn't listen to me."
"Nothing new there. Don't let it bother you." While taking the phone One noticed her sister's nails had doubled in length since the last time she saw. "Four, your nails-"
The brown-haired girl suddenly pulled back her hand, causing the phone to fall to the ground. Her face red she muttered a quick apology before leaving the room in all haste, likely to shut herself inside her bathroom and clip her nails until they were a normal length.
One looked at her sister's retreating back with a sorrowful gaze. It pained her to see Four handling her 'growing trait' so poorly, but there wasn't an easy solution - she couldn't tell her to stop using her hands. All she could do was boost Four's self-esteem by giving her important tasks that One knew she could accomplish without problems. Four was smart and meant well, but she was also poor at dealing with unforeseen circumstances: they caused her to panic and shut down - or lash out.
"An abandoned church, uh?" Zero mused, unfazed by Four's episode. "We close all doors and clear up the place?"
"That's the general idea." One looked at both the notebook and the cellphone. "Give me some time to write a convincing text that will make them all gather together."
"Do we have time for dinner? I'm famished."
"Today is Two's turn, right? If so she should have already started." It explained the blue-haired girl's disappearance when they returned home.
"I'm back!" Five sauntered into the underground facility, her arms full of shopping bags. "What did I miss?"
"Five." One greeted her sister before looking down at the bags with a frown. "Going by those brands, I am quite sure all that stuff is way over your allowance."
"Don't you worry." The taller blonde giggled and winked. "I persuaded the manager to give me a hefty discount."
"Did you blow him?" Zero asked.
"No, he turned out to be more of a back door guy."
"Ah! Did you tell him your age?"
"Right as he came!"
"...Can you, at least, not do this in front of me?" One pleaded as her oldest and younger sisters guffawed like idiots.
"You know, I am genuinely curious about something." A man with short white hair and red eyes suddenly said. He was wearing white clerical clothes with a grey jacket over them. Despite being dressed like a priest there was something in his eyes that belonged to a wild, rabid beast.
"And what would it be, Sellzen?" A middle-aged man, dressed in a trench coat and fedora hat, asked back in annoyance.
Freed gestured to the fifty and more people, himself included, assembled inside the abandoned church. Most of them were fellow Exiled Exorcists. "Why the fuck did the Boss Lady asked everyone to gather here? And for that matter, where the fuck is she?"
"If I knew I wouldn't be here." Dohnaseek shook his head. "Raynare was supposed to return after accomplishing her mission."
"Maybe she decided to 'extend' her date?" A voluptuous woman wearing a skimpy dress smiled lasciviously, the fingers of one hand playing with her long hair. "Give the boy a taste of paradise before ending his life?"
"No way! Raynare can't stand virgins!" A young blonde girl dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit laughed. "I bet she spent the last hours torturing him, and now she wants to show us the result!"
Freed looked way too much excited at Mittelt's theory, while Dohnaseek and Kalawarner grimaced: they had no problems killing if those were their orders, but straight-out torture wasn't really up their alley. And while Raynare loved to sometimes play with her prey, it was mostly physiological torture before ending it with one blow.
The large doors of the cathedral creaked open. "Fucking finally. Raynare, care to-" Dohnaseek turned towards the doors, but narrowed his eyes when he saw who just walked inside. "Who are you?"
One didn't reply, she merely walked forward until she was right in front of the first row of pews, her chakram hanging from her back. On her right side was Zero, dressed in revealing white clothes with a cape over her left arm, while on her left side was Four, the green military jacket hanging from her shoulders like a cape held up by a pair of aviator googles.
On Zero's right side were Three and Two: the purple-haired girl had a pair of large scissors in each hand, while the bluenette was armed with a large sword resembling an oversized kitchen knife, her upper body bare save for a blue bra.
Finally, on Four's left side was Five: the blonde has changed into a black jacket that ended at her waist, revealing golden shorts so small they were practically underwears, her arms and legs covered with golden-lined armor. On her back she carried a spear shaped like a cross.
When the last of her sisters was inside Two closed the doors. Without looking away from the people on the other side of the building, some of which were already pointing their weapons at her, One reached to the small pouch on her back and withdrew the phone they took from the Fallen Angel, holding it up for their opponents to see.
"That...it's Raynare's!" Kalawarner growled, a spear of light forming in her hand. "Where is she?"
"One leg is inside the freezer." Zero shrugged. "Dunno about the rest."
"So that's why. It wasn't Raynare that wrote that message." It was not a question, but a statement. Dohnaseek lifted the tip of his fedora, revealing dark blue eyes staring hard at the six sisters.
With a loud hum red light covered the doors and the windows, magically sealing them. "And now we're locked here with you." Dohnaseek continued after a brief look around. "I assume this is when, in your plans, we beg for mercy, right?"
"No. Your lives are forfeit, Crows." One replied dispassionately. Ignoring the look of hatred from the Fallen Angels she looked at the Exiled Exorcists. "All of you. I don't know your stories. What I do know, is that you're here because you lost faith in the Christian Church, its angels and a God that doesn't bother answering your prayers anymore. Some of you didn't have a choice...but let me ask you this."
She raised a hand before dramatically lowering it in the three Fallen Angels' direction. "Do you truly believe that Fallen Angels, just because they have being chased away like you, would treat you better? Do you truly believe that a creature kicked out of Heaven, the place where all virtuous men and woman are said to reside, for shaming its literal God-given duty would be able to sympathize with you? The answer is no!" She clenched her fist, her words oozing passion and charisma. "They cannot! Because they're not human! Like all supernatural creatures they look down at humanity! Consider us mere cattle! Right now you are but tools in their eyes, tools they will not hesitate to break and cast aside if it's convenient for them!"
"Oh fuck off! You bitch!" Mittelt sneered. "You kill Raynare, come here to preach like you're so damn important and talk shit about us as if we aren't even present! I'm gonna ram a spear up your ass, to keep company to the one already there!"
"Wait a minute!" Freed raised a hand to stop Mittelt. "I want to see where they're going with this shit. Hey you, the gal in white. Not the one dressed like a slut, the titless one. I get you don't like our Fallen friends here, but what about us humans?"
"Abandon the Grigori. Join us." One crossed her arms. "Together, we will create a world that belongs only to us humans."
"Refuse-" Zero rolled her neck. "And none of you will leave this place alive."
"A 'Do-or-Die' deal, uh? You know what, I have a better one." Freed grinned like a maniac, his tongue hanging out. "I'll join whatever it is you have going there if you let me fuck you into my personal cumdump. Pretty sweet deal, don't you think so?"
"Sure thing. Let me make a counter-offer though." Zero's smile had more in common with a shark than a human being. "I cut your arms, cut your legs and then keep you as my personal meat dildo. Interested?"
There was a brief moment of silence.
"...I think I'm in love." Freed chuckled before whipping out a gun and shooting at Zero.
The white-haired woman tilted her head, the projectile only ending up cutting part of the bandages around her face. "Do you always shoot the girls you confess to?" She drawled.
"You're the first, so maybe?" He laughed.
"Whatever." With her free hand Zero reached to the bandages. With a single pull she ripped them off, shaking her head before going back to glare at the white-haired man.
"The fuck?" Freed blinked in disbelief. "Is that a fucking flower?"
Where Zero's right eye should have been there was instead a flower growing out of her eyesocket: it had five pinkish petals, with in the center six filaments surrounding a style that ended in a ring.
"No wonder you were covering it!" Mittelt laughed in childish cruelty. "No one would want to come close to a freak like you otherwise!"
"Would you all shut up and start being serious?!" Kalawarner shouted. "Subdue them, they need to tell us what have they done with Raynare! Dohnaseek, tell-" She turned to her companion, but paused. Her next words were full of concern. "Dohnaseek?"
The male Fallen Angel was as pale as a corpse, all the blood drained from his face. He was staring with wide, panicked eyes at Zero's flower. "No! No!" His gaze switched to the other sisters, his body trembling more and more as realization sunk in. "This is not possible!"
"Dohnaseek, what's happening?"
"RUN!" He shouted, his voice desperate. "ALL OF YOU NEED TO RUN! NOW!"
"Run?" Mittelt was appalled. "They're just humans!"
"THEY'RE NOT HUMANS! THEY'RE INTONERS!"
"Too late numskulls!"
The six Intoners sang.
The sisters lit up in a bonfire of light and sound, each of their auras a different color: pink for Zero, white for One, blue for Two, purple for Three, green for Four and yellow for Five. The left eye of each sister shone like a miniature star, mysterious glyphs etching themselves inside their pupils while, save for Zero, skin flaked out of their foreheads to reveal roman numbers, each one corresponding to the girl's name.
It was power unlike anything those assembled have ever felt before: neither demonic nor holy, it washed over them with a sense of profound euphoria that seeped into their very souls. It was glorious, beautiful beyond belief: in a word, divine.
For Dohnaseek, it was the sound of his own death approaching. "ATTACK! ATTACK!"
He didn't know if the Exiled Exorcists heard him of if it was their own gut feeling acting up, but most of them took out their guns and fire at the sisters, each bullet made of Light energy Dohnaseek and the other Fallen Angels donated over the course of several days.
Six spherical barriers, each one a different color, came into existence in front of the six sisters and deflected the hail of projectiles. They then shattered, the shockwave making everyone stumble before Zero and the others, still encased in the otherworldly aura, soared through the air and crashed into the crowd of exorcists.
Zero landed on the shoulders of a tall man, pushing him on his knees even as her sword stabbed straight through his spine. She swept the weapon to the side, splattering blood over the chest and face on an unlucky fellow, before slowly standing up and turning to look at a still calm Freed, a cocky grin on her lips.
"Oh yeah. This is the hardest I've been in ages." He took out a sword hilt from his jacket and pushed a button, a blade of light coming out of it.
The next moment Zero and Freed's swords drew arcs in the air, cutting through a few people before clashing against each other in a shower of sparks and motes of light.
"Really? What about switching 'swords' then? That'd make things easier for me." Zero pushed, the white-haired man crumbling under the girl's superior strength.
But Freed was not considered a prodigy for nothing: disengaging immediately he ran around Zero while firing his gun. The Intoner's cutlass flashed through the air, deflecting all bullets before spinning around, slashing open the throat of the exorcist that tried to ambush her from behind.
Displaying superhuman agility Zero jumped through the crowd of exorcists in pursuit of Freed, her movements so graceful it was like she was instead flying. The more she killed the largest the grin on her face grew, until she was baring her teeth.
Baring them like a beast drunk on blood.
"What are you waiting for, an invitation? Kill them!" Kalawarner shouted before cursing when Three was upon her, the purple haired girl's sleepy expression betraying the swiftness and precision of her movements.
The Fallen Angels blocked the scissors with a Light spear. Three clenched her hands, severing the spear with the scissors' blades before stabbing them into Kalawarner. "You have nice hair." The Intoner whispered while moving closer to the other woman. "But features are all wrong. Too long, too angular. It's not cute, it's seductive. Dolls should be cute. I'll have to re-arrange your facial bones into something more appropriate. It will be good practice. Maybe I'll replace your skin too, natural one requires too much maintenance and doesn't last long."
"W-What are you talking about?! You crazy bitch!" Ignoring the pain in her chest Kalawarner swung her first at the Intoner.
"Armisael."
The next moment the Fallen Angel's limb halted in mid-motion, pain blossoming over dozens of points. Looking at it Kalawarner could see the light glancing off dozens of threads so thin they were almost invisible, the strings wrapped tightly around her arm and cutting through the flesh like razor-sharp blades. They were coming out of a golden ring floating in midair, runes of unknown design running within the edges.
Three's vocalization reached a crescendo, more threads coming out of the expanding ring and binding the exorcists that were coming to Kalawarner's help.
"Lady Kalawarner! Shit!" One of the exorcists surrounding Five cursed. "First Lady Raynare and now Lady Kalawarner! How dare you! I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to let you do as you please anymore!"
"Yeah! I can't die yet, not until I fulfill my dream of sleeping with Kalawarner!" Another exorcist boasted.
"I... I want Dohnaseek..." A third one admitted.
"What? This is a hell of a time to come out, man!"
"No need to feel embarrassed, while I prefer men I have absolutely nothing against people with different sexual orientations: men with men, women with women...truly, why should gender matters when it comes to feeling good?" Five was rubbing her thighs together, through that did nothing to weaken her stance. "Talking about feeling good! Hearing my sisters talking earlier made me so hot and bothered...it's a waterfall, really. You're still in time to surrender, so why don't you do that? The faster this battle ends, the sooner I can have the intelligent ones taking care of my little 'problem'. Both men and women are welcome!"
There were a few seconds of stunned silence following Five's little speech, not even the carnage going on around them being enough to snap the exorcists out of it. Many, especially the women, were outraged, some were flabbergasted and a few were seriously considering the blonde's offer.
Until a few bodies flew through the air, causing some of the exorcists to fall to the ground. One of them went towards Five, who stabbed it with her spear before raising the weapon above her head to blow off momentum.
"Sorry Five!" Two rushed into the scene and joined her hands together in apology, her sword held in a reverse grip. "I used too much strength. I swear I wasn't aiming at you...or anyone else."
"Don't worry your pretty little head, dear Two. This is no inconvenience at all." Five waved her hand in playful dismissal, heedless of the blood pouring down on her from the impaled body.
"What is wrong with you?!" One of the exorcists swung his sword at Two, but the blue-haired girl caught his wrist before it could connect.
There was a loud sound of bones snapping.
"I'm sorry!" Two hastily let go of the man, leaving him to nurse his broken wrist. "I had another strength growth recently and I'm not used to it yet. Please surrender, I don't want to hurt you!"
"You bitch!" Another exorcist moved towards Two, only for a sweep of Five's spear to remove his legs from below the knees.
"Two, I understand that you don't want to hurt people. It is indeed a regretful waste of tasty bodies." The blonde took position behind her sister, their backs facing each other. "But they made a choice-"
"And we must accept it." Two finished, recalling One's words. She sighed before raising her sword. "It doesn't mean I like it."
"I deeply regret the necessity of doing this." Four's sweeping kick sneaked below the exorcist's raised guard and slammed into his side. With a pirouette her elbow smashed into his chest, leaving him open for a flurry of blows to the face that knocked out a few teeth and sent him in the arms of Morpheus. "Why must we humans fight each other? Can't you see how pointless this battle is? It's so tragic!" Darting around her claws lashed out, tearing through flesh like a hot knife through butter.
"S-She's so fast!" An exorcist gaped.
"Is she truly human?" A second one wondered in fright.
"Don't lose your nerves! Keep going!"
"This is some serious shit!"
Using one of the exorcists as a springboard Four jumped above the crowd, the sudden barrage of Light spears skewering only the remaining men.
"Agh! You are so, so, so useless!" Mittelt whined in a childish voice while floating in the air.
"What a travesty, for humans to follow a beast's orders." Balancing herself on one of the defiled statutes Four glared at Mittelt, frowning as if forced to look at something especially vile. "To be betrayed by it, is only the natural conclusion."
"SHUT UP!" Screaming the young-looking Fallen Angel raised her hands, five Light spears forming around her. "You're just a lowly human!"
Mittelt lowered her arms, each spear shooting towards Four.
"Armaros!"
The Intoner jumped forward just as the spears were released, lips weaving together a haunting melody. Another golden ring appeared between them, the inside a dome of light upon which the spears shattered. It vanished just as Four passed through it, allowing her to take Mittelt by surprise and grab her face before the momentum and gravity pushed both back to the ground.
Four used the Fallen Angel's body to cushion the fall before sprinting forward, grinding the blonde's back against the ground all the while. The run ended at the opposite side of the church, where Four lifted Mittelt and slammed her against the altar.
"And so God created humankind in his image. Blessed them, and said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. You shall have domination over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth'." Four quoted, her hands a vice grip that held a groaning Mittelt in place. "The same God that made you gave humankind this planet, to use as we see fit. All that live here must obey us. Have you forgotten? Of course you did, you wouldn't be a Fallen Angel otherwise. Someone who betrayed their parent."
Four shifted her hold on Mittelt's head, until her clawed thumbs rested over the blonde's closed eyes.
"Someone who looks down on us humans."
Then, she started pushing.
"Someone who dares…who dares call Big Sister Zero a freak!" Four's features twisted into a ugly sneer of hate and sheer rage. Blood and other bodily fluids squirted around her thumbs as they sunk deeper and deeper, the blonde Fallen Angel thrashing around and wailing like a dying animal. "How dare you! How dare you! YOU'RE JUST AN ANIMAL! HOW DARE YOU!"
While his fellow Fallen Angels and Exorcist minions were being slaughtered Dohnaseek tried again and again to make a hole in one of the sealed doors, but to no avail. No matter how strongly she jammed the head of his Light spear against the door's surface, the spell interwoven into it prevented any sort of structural damage.
"You should give up." The fedora-wearing angel froze at the voice coming from behind him. "There are fifteen magicians supporting this spell around the church. If you were powerful enough to break through it would have happened already."
Slowly he turned around, coming face to face with One. The blonde girl was holding her chakram in a nonchalant way, her posture relaxed, yet the blood on her dress and the bodies lying behind her revealed it as a deception. "Although, I must confess a small curiosity." She continued, as if they were colleagues taking a break together. "Among your group, you are the only one who knows who we are and the degree of danger we pose. How so?"
"…One hundred years ago I was part of an Intoner extermination group." He replied after a few moments of silence, his eyes never once straying from One. "It was the most horrifying experience of my life. If participation after the first time wasn't completely voluntary I would have left the Grigori immediately." He gulped. "How…How it is possible? I have heard the current generation of Intoners has been eliminated one month ago!"
"I see. Well, I can confirm they certainly tried." One hand came up and brushed part of her hair behind her ear. Despite the casual gesture One's eyes were cold and hard like ice. "If I have to guess, Elder Sister caused enough of a mess that your superiors assumed we perished along the others. Or maybe they're keeping news of our survival hidden."
She shrugged. "Either way, I can't really let you go."
A desperate cry erupted from Dohnaseek's mouth. Brandishing his Light spear he shot towards One, his wings beating frantically as he reached his top speed.
The blonde Intoner chanted a single note before taking a step forward.
Dohnaseek crashed into the ground, blood spurting out from where his right arm, wing and leg has been severed from his body. "Y-Youuu…Fucking monster!" He hissed through gritted teeth, his remaining hand trying in vain to stop the bleeding.
One's foot roughly turned him on his back before slamming on his chest, pushing all the air out of his lungs. "Monster?" The blonde girl leaned down, her weight preventing Dohnaseek from breathing as she glared at him with barely restrained fury. "I saw you Angels, both Fallen and not, kill people and destroy their homes indiscriminately while pursuing us. Even children, whose sole crime was living close to us, were not spared! For the sake of killing us you wiped a whole town out of existence!" She hissed. "And you dare call me a monster?!"
Dohnaseek opened his mouth and tried to speak, but One grabbed the side of his face in a vice-like grip, her fingers keeping his jaw closed. "No. Shut up. I am done listening to the poor excuses of beasts like you. I wanted nothing more than to stay under the radar while Elder Sister healed and I worked on my projects, but you all forced my hand."
She violently swung her arm to the side, slamming the Fallen's head against the stone floor and stunning him.
"For all the troubles you caused me…Well, I think it's only appropriate that I search reparations." With a cruel grin One hooked her chakram to the back and spread her arms. "I wanted to try this anyway. Heed my call!"
The glyph within One's left eye appeared again. At the same time concentric rings of light containing otherworldly runes rose around them and formed a dome. "By the power of my Song…" The blonde girl raised her left hand over her heart, the fingers positioned as if grasping something. "I hereby forge a Pact in exchange for the life of this creature."
Dohnaseek's eyes widened in horrified understanding. "N-No! Torture me! Kill me! Anything but this!" He thrashed around, despair greater that he has ever felt in his life eclipsing everything else. "Anything but a Pact!"
"Spirits of the North and the South. Of the East and the West. Accept this life, and let it be reborn-"
With a grimace One's hand seemed to sink inside her chest before she pulled it out, revealing a glowing sphere of light held within her fingers. At the same time Dohnaseek's chest jerked towards the sphere, his screams reaching a new crescendo as an identical sphere came out of it and touched the one within the Intoner's hand.
"Within the ranks of the Watchers!"
Black energy seeped around the point where the two spheres touched each other, taking a flower-like form: it swallowed the sphere that came out of Dohnaseek's chest before sinking back into the one within the blonde girl's hand.
With a last unearthly scream the Fallen Angel's body scattered into motes of light. They briefly gravitated around One on an unseen wind, her face melting in relief as the sphere of light returned within her chest, before gathering above her into a sphere of red light. Rocks then appeared out of nowhere, fusing together until around One was a trio of stone golems, each one eight meters tall.
"Ah. Ahah. Ahahahah." Laughing eerily One walked to one of the golems and leaned on its legs, feeling the new soul and the link that now connected them beating within each of the constructs. "Such strength. Such power. You're perfect. My protector. My Watcher." Her lips split into a cruel smile. "My Abdiel."
"Wow! My superiors are in serious danger! So what's going to happen now!?" Freed asked with a pleased smile, absolutely unconcerned with the fate of the Fallen Angels and his fellow Exiled Exorcists.
"Now you die." Zero swung her sword to remove the blood from her latest kill before pointing it at Freed.
The albino exorcist hummed, giving a small nod before raising one finger. "One moment please."
He aimed his gun at one of the windows and began firing. After the tenth bullet failed to leave even a scratch he lowered his arm. "This place is sealed tighter than a nun's cunt, uh?"
"Yeah." Zero scoffed. "I don't care if-"
"Okay!" Freed let his weapons fall to the ground and clapped his hands." I accept!"
"-you resist or not, but…" Zero paused. "You what?"
"I accept your offer of new employment." He nodded. "Let's get along, new Boss Lady."
"Uh…sure." Zero lowered her sword, all the excitement from the anticipated murder gone. "Whatever. Fuck it, that was the goal all along I guess."
"Great! Talking about it, do we fuck now?"
Zero looked around at the ruined church, the floor full of dismembered bodies and puddles of blood. "Here?"
"I raped bitches in worse places." Freed shamelessly admitted. "Actually, all this blood and death hit many of my buttons."
"Well, they don't hit mine. So no." Zero rested her sword on her shoulder and began to walk in the opposite direction. "Wait until we're back home."
"Awww, come on!" Freed complained, quickly retrieving his weapons and putting them away before following after Zero. "Not even a quickie?"
She waved at the defeated exorcists, both dead and alive. "Take your pick."
"I can? Wait, this is my chance!" He left Zero's side and approached Three, who was checking a fainted Kalawarner's pupil. "Hey Purple!"
She slowly turned to look at him, a bored expression on her face.
"I'm on your side now." He then pointed at the Fallen Angel. "Can I fuck her? Just one blow is enough, I always wanted to have sex with an Angel. To me, it's like the best honor."
The purple-haired Intoner's expression didn't change. After a few seconds of silence she shrugged. "Go ahead. I planned to remove that part anyway."
"Gotta hurry then." Freed began to take off his pants, before noticing Three has yet to move. "You gonna watch?"
"This interests me. I'll gather first-hand data."
"Suit yourself."
Meanwhile Zero has reached One's location, with the blonde Intoner keeping watch over the other exorcists that surrendered. "I saw what you did." The white-haired woman began with a casual tone. "So it's true? Can we really make more Watchers with this Pact thing?"
"That's right." One nodded while looking at her hand, fingers slowly opening and closing. "The knowledge of how our powers work is mostly instinctual, but it's not wrong. Even if all of us already have one, increasing our options will be beneficial."
"All I ask is that they're easier to summon." Zero grimaced slightly.
"Big Sis Zero! Big Sis One!" Two and Four joined them. "Is it over?"
"Yes." One confirmed. "Prepare to leave in a short time, the Bats may decide to investigate. It's better to avoid them altogether. Three and Five?"
"Five has…uh." Two fidgeted. "The exorcists that surrendered to us, he took two aside and…"
"I can guess the rest." One drily interrupted her. "And Three?"
"There." Zero pointed behind her back with a thumb.
One looked in the direction indicated by her sister and immediately regretted it. Weren't those kind of things supposed to be done in private?!
Issei Hyodou stared at his vast collection of magazines, DVD and other items of questionable nature with a forlorn expression. Normally rubbing one off is enough to let him get over most negative feelings, but right now he felt like even that wouldn't help. It was, jarringly enough, a first in his life.
When he came back home, his clothes stained with Yuuma's blood, his parents freaked out, fussing over him to check for injuries and asking what happened. But what could he tell them? The truth was too unbelievable, and they would be able to see through any lie he could think of.
Thankfully his mother, after seeing his haunted face while he struggled to explain, gave up on the questioning. His parents obviously still wanted answers, but they were willing to wait until he was ready to tell them himself.
Issei would never take his parents for granted, ever again. He silently promised to himself he would make up with them one day for the scare he gave them.
Still, right now even he had troubles coming to terms with what happened being reality, no matter if the blood on his clothes was a very glaring proof. To say nothing about the amount that landed on his face: three showers, and he could still feel it.
He sighed. If not even his beloved porno were of any comfort what did that left him? More because of a lack of options that any real interest he took his cellphone and fell with his back on the bed. Opening the browser he went through his links: nothing…nothing…oh, they were still talking about that disaster in England. Something about a storm and an earthquake happening at the same time and completely devastating a region. The number of confirmed victims...has reached the six digits? Nasty.
"Gah!" Issei let go of the cellphone and sit up, hands slapping his cheeks strong enough to hurt. He focused on the pain and used it to clear his mind. When he removed his hands the usual perverted grin was back on his lips. "I don't get it! This is so confusing! But that's fine: all I have to do, is directly ask Song-san what's really going on!"
Pride's Grandeur
The chakram used by the Intoner, One.
Level 1
Though my stature is small, I assure you. I am the first. I am the just. And I shall not be found wanting.
Level 2
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Level 3
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Level 4
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