Angel Halo: Time of Judgement

by Spiritblade

An original story based on the H-game by Active Software. A supernatural tale of the sins of the father, love, lust, power and damnation. //STOP WORK ORDER ISSUE - EDITING AND UPGRADING IN PROGRESS//

10. The Eye of Iblis, Part 4

Chapter 5, Part 4: The Eye of Iblis - Among the ruins

Author's Note: This entire story is but a first draft. As a result, there will be glaring inconsistencies. I'll settle it with a better second draft, and include all the disclaimers needed to keep the lawyers off my back. Trust me.

This one has a familiar character(s) out of Chrono Crusade.

X X X X X X

Tsuki Restaurant residential level, Kyoto City, Japan, 23rd September 1999, Thursday, 0450 hrs

Saya Mikage rolled over in her futon, her eyes looking up at the stormy sky that she could see from her room window. The events of the day had made it difficult for her to fall into a peaceful slumber. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating her darkened room, before a deafening thunderclap deafened the inhabitants of the city. Saya winced before looking at the digital clock that rested a foot away from her futon.

It was 4:50 in the morning.

Makoto had come back 2 hours ago, long after she had closed shop for the day. She had almost screamed at him for leaving her alone to captain the ship, but something in his eyes had caused her fury to dissipate. There had been a deep weariness and sorrow in his eyes that frightened Saya, as it reminded her of the days after Makoto found out what had happened to Ruri. As much as she was frightened of what he would do to Sahaka, it was what he would do to himself that scared her more. The thought of her finding him in a pool of his own blood or vomit was the stuff of her nightmares.

Saya remembered the failed suicide attempt, and the horror at finding the blood spilling from her nephew's wrists almost cost her twenty years of her life. She had slapped him hard, then, and did the one thing that she had never done for so long - she broke down. She had not cried when life placed hard decisions before her elder sister and her. She had not cried when their parents died. She had not cried when her sister and her brother-in-law died.

But, then and there, at the thought of losing the only thing that was the only link to a past she cherished, she did. The scars were still there, would always be there, faint against his skin, a reminder of a time when her nephew's cherished hopes and dreams fell apart because of his cousin's selfish lust. It would have been so easy to pin the blame on Ruri, just like her schoolmates had done, but Saya had known Ruri ever since she was a child, and knew that the young daughter of the Hayase family had a good head on her shoulders.

But, whenever Saya looked at Ruri, she saw the younger version of her older sister. The poise, the proud, defiant tilt of her head, the challenging smile, the passion in her eyes...all of her attributes reminding the fiery woman of her own shortcomings. The fiery woman did dare say it out loud for fear of incurring her nephew's wrath, but she was glad that what had happened to Ruri happened. Makoto belonged to her, and no other...

Saya's eyes widened and she shot up in her futon. What in Kami-sama's name was wrong with her?

Ruri did not deserve what happened to her. And to think of her nephew in such a fashion was wrong! Wrong! The image of her almost kissing him caused the copper-haired woman to blush, and the memory of his breath on her skin caused her heart to race. What would it feel like, to really kiss him, to really hold him, to make him hers?

A soft, treacherous voice in her mind told her that it would be worth finding out. Saya shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the erotic images that was slowly taking shape in her mind. No matter how much she wished it, she was related to her nephew by blood, and by that bond alone was she forbidden to make her nephew her lover.

She stood up and headed for the kitchen, intending to make a hot drink to help her sleep. A brief stop-over at her nephew's room revealed that he was sleeping soundly. She slid the shoji door close before resting her head on the door-post. Her nephew had cried himself to sleep.

"One day, Makoto-chan, one day...you'll stop crying. I promise...for what it's worth. I promise..." she whispered softly into the quiet darkness of her home.

X X X X X X

Lilith's apartment, Kyoto City outskirts, Japan, 23rd September 1999, Thursday, 0450 hrs

She was not alone.

Hovering majestically over those mortals who had chosen to side with the Morningstar's rebellion, she could see dozens of her compatriots as they struggled to bring down the mighty King of the Tempest, Varpulis. She was clutching a flaming sword as she faced down one of Varpulis's bodyguards, whose blazing eyes spoke volumes of her daring to defy the will of the Almighty.

The plan to kill the mighty Varpulis had been planned for decades before it was undertaken. The King of the Tempest, even without his bodyguards, was a formidable adversary. His wings spread from horizon to horizon, and clad in a suit of armour formed out of solidified storm-clouds, and wielding a mighty whip that struck with the force of the very elements he ruled. Lilith saw that her leader, Duchess Asherel, as titanic as a mountain, her great wings covering entire plains under its shadow, was having a hard time against Varpulis.

Her otherwise perfect plan of attack had but one flaw: she had not expected Varpulis to have a retinue. That was so unlike the King of the Tempest, but it nevertheless made matters difficult for Duchess Asherel's followers. The only thing the Fallen had to their advantage were numbers.

And one glaring weakness.

Beneath them, the mortal flocks that had sided with the Fallen sang for them, praising them, giving them the power they needed to challenge their loyalist brothers and sisters. Over three dozen rebel angels stood protectively over them, launching bolts of flame and lightning at any loyalist angel that came within range and countering any Charm that would otherwise hurt them.

"Treacherous whore," the loyalist angel spat, "To think you would sink this low to kill one who is your better! What was it that the Morningstar offered that would have you turn on those you once called friend and family?"

Lilith smirked, readying her sword, "Mankind's adoration and..." dashing forward to bring her sword down on the other angel's sword, "God's destruction."

The other angel's eyes widened, and he screamed, "Blasphemous monster! I cannot believe that I once called you sister!"

"And I cannot believe that I have a fool for a brother who cannot see that he IS greater than the thing that God had asked us to abase ourselves before! I will NOT have it! I will sooner perish than be forced to my knees before Adam's children!"

"And so you force them to theirs, Lilith? You do to them what you will not do yourself?"

"And why not? What do they have that marks them as superior to us? Tell me...!" and their swords crashed again and again with the force of thunderbolts. The loyalist celestial could not answer.

"See! Nothing! Nothing at all! And you, Michael and everyone in the Holy Host simply bowed without asking WHY and for WHAT you were bowing to! We may have created humanity, Variel, but they were meant to stand by our side as our equals - not as our superiors! If you hate what is happening, then blame them! Had they not existed, than this war will never have happened!"

"BLASPHEMERS!!!" a voice roared out like thunder. Lilith glanced briefly to the source of the voice. What she saw caused her to grin. The armour of the Varpulis was rent in many places, and his face was drenched in blood. Variel was horrified by what he saw, and the female rebel angel took advantage of that fact to decapitate her adversary with a single stroke before hurling his body down to the earth, torn to ribbons.

Lilith's triumph was short-lived.

She barely had enough time to see Varpulis's whip slicing through the air with terrible force, its target evident. The King of the Tempest had but one chance to win - he had to take out the humans who provided the rebel angels with their power. Lilith felt her heart twist and harden, as the whip hit the ground with a force that caused it to shatter and the greenery for miles around to be blasted to oblivion in an explosion...

...as loud as the thunderclap that caused the sleeping devil to snap awake, her naked body drenched in sweat. Lilith's eyes darted about her small room warily, half-expecting servants of the Tyrant to materialise out of thin air and deliver a long-overdue sentence that He had levied upon all His rebellious servants. There was nothing there. Not one of the wards she had put in a five-block radius around her haven had been tripped.

Sweeping her legs off her bed, Lilith stood up and strode towards the window, swinging the blanket about her lithe frame as she did so. Lightning forked in the stormy skies above, a grim reminder to the female devil of that day thousands of years ago when the mighty Varpulis had been slain. The Grand Canyon in the American State of Nevada was the very site of the Battle of a Thousand Pyres, its caves and crevasses created when Duchess Asherel finally flung the corpse of the mighty seraph down.

It wouldn't be long before the same fate befell the Creator and His lapdogs.

Her eyes turned towards the folder that her brother had passed her yesterday. It contained summarised reports from Asamu's contacts in Interpol and several police departments in several major cities worldwide regarding children that had gone missing in the last five years. The number was staggering, to say the least. The few bodies that had been recovered by the police were nothing less than blood-stained, mutilated, defiled corpses, looker smaller in death than they had been in life.

From the pictures taken of the crime scene, the female devil could confirm that the blood rites had been carried out at the behest of one of her kind - one that had been utterly consumed by Torment. The rush of power and the satiation of Torment made the suppression of such rites virtually impossible amongst the Unholy Host. Lilith had tasted it but once to know that the transcendant feeling it brought was addictive, and she loathed to be a slave to anything but her ambitions.

But, it was clear that this Fallen had other plans outside of mere self-gratification. But what were they? The power it had amassed from so many sacrifices was considerable, and if it held a high rank in the Unholy Host, it would be able to cast a high-level Charm without needing to worry about a possible backlash. There were several possible scenarios to that end.

The first was that it would cast a Charm that would allow it to bring about a natural disaster like an earthquake or a typhoon. The second was one that would see an ancient beast remembered only in the legends of mankind set free. The third was one that would, if the rite was performed properly, could weaken the dimensional barriers. The fourth was that it was amassing power to confront a powerful enemy such as the awakening vampire Ancients.

Lilith paused. Could it be possible that the Rapture several months prior might be due that happening? Could it be possible that the Fallen that was responsible for those sacrifices was attempting to weaken the barriers that separated Hell from Earth? The sigils that blasted skywards in a spiral of ghostly flames that day were the exact same places where the Legion fortresses had once stood in a long, bygone age. It was from there that the armies of the Morningstar marched against their loyalist siblings. It was from there that those who had chosen to follow the First Angel defied the Creator.

And it willl be from there that the Fallen will reclaim their place in Heaven when their Prince walks the Earth in mortal flesh, breaking the chains that the Tyrant placed on him.

Another thunderclap shook the city.

No...it was far too early to jump to conclusions. For all she knew, it could be something else entirely. The only thing she could do was to rely on her brother to uncover the truth. If she so much as stuck out her head, she could very well find herself embroiled in the politics of the region's Infernal Court - something she could not afford at this point in time. The mission entrusted to her by the Pandaemonium Circle - the seven daughters of the Morningstar - was one that Lilith had no intention of failing. Thus, when she had run into Zaziel several weeks back, she had little choice but to silence him. The fact that she had killed one of the Ebon Legion's dogs without being implicated was an added bonus - and a reminder that she had better keep her eyes open.

If the Pandaemonium Circle found out that she had put the Chosen Avatar in danger, they were going to do more than make her scream.

Her cell-phone rang. When she answered, she found that it was her brother on the other end. And the words he said next caused the female devil to slam a fist against the wall in fury. Had the wards that prevented her from using her inhuman strength not been placed, it would have crumbled beneath the blow.

"There is an Ebon Legion Bloodguard in Kyoto. There have already been seven deaths tonight."

What else could go wrong?

X X X X X X

Sophia's apartment, Kyoto City, Japan, 23rd September 1999, Thursday, 0500 hrs

Something was not right.

That was the first thought to cross Sophia's mind when one of her owl spirit familiars had materialised in her room to inform her that someone - or something - had come to the city. The familiar shared what it had seen with its master, and the female angel saw the chilling image of an alleyway drenched in blood. Lying on the cold concrete were the torn bodies of three young men and two girls who, upon closer inspection, caused Sophia to choke back a scream of horror. She knew them - all of them.

The girls were Minase Yukiko and Serika Kuno. The three young men were Hazashi Arima, Kuro Hayashiba and Bob Arima, the older brother of Hazashi. All of them were Makoto's schoolmates. Minase, Hazashi and Kuro -- all of them were Makoto's classmates. By all that was holy, who - or rather, when she saw the injuries, what - had done this to them?

As is sensing the question, the familiar flew in closer, and Sophia's eyes widened. The fact that the injuries were caused by inhuman hands were evident. Not by blade or gun, but by a lethal combination of Charm and talon. A Black Spiral were-beast, perhaps? A vampire whose humanity was lost to the Beast? Or...wait, that smell...

It was faint, mingled in the thick scent of blood and semen, but it was a scent that she knew. It was the faintest scent of sulphur and corruption, mingled with the cloying scent of honey. It was a scent that would drive those capable of smelling it insane, as it whispered softly in the psyche of humanity of a temptation that can lead to a sweet, terrible ruin.

Sophia's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. There was no denying the fact what manner of creature had murdered her friends: a devil - but one who was closer to being a sadistic monster than the lustful tempters than made up more than half of the Adversary's servants. Suddenly, the familiar looked up, sensing someone - or something - approach. The owl spirit took to the air, masking its presence swiftly, before perching in the shadows of an abandoned building.

Two figures soon stepped into view moments later. The first person who stepped into the light caused Sophia's eyes to widen. So, Lilith did not come to Kyoto alone. Clad in white, as if having emerged from a cocktail reception, was Lilith's brother, Areil, one hand wreathed in flame, his expression grim as he gazed upon the bodies. His companion stepped into the light, sweeping the deserted alley with a gun.

She recognised the man almost immediately. She had seen his likeness in a picture frame in the office of her school nurse. The family resemblance between the both of them was unmistakable.

'Asamu Yuki? He's one of Lilith's retainers?'

"Damn it, Areil...we're too late," Asamu said as he lowered his gun, his features hardening at the slaughter he beheld.

"You can say that again. Lucifer's Throne...these pitiful bastards did not stand a chance," Areil said as he knelt down, before suddenly freezing, "Asamu..."

"Areil...? What's wrong?" the purple-haired man asked as he approached, freezing and turning pale the moment he saw the face of the victim Areil had been kneeling beside. Asamu proceeded to swear in three languages, before pulling his cellphone out, "I'm calling Shion."

"Wait..." Areil said, "Let's find out who did this before we call her."

It took them ten minutes to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and when they did, the answer made even Areil, a hardened veteran of a thousand battles, look shaken. Asamu was paler than a ghost. Sophia was trembling as memories from long ago returned.

An Ebon Legion Bloodguard. The embodiment of the Morningstar's sick determination to destroy and corrupt every beautiful thing he had once helped created in a bygone Age.

"What the fuck is an Ebon Legion psycho doing here? They're supposed to stick to shit-holes like Sudan, downtown Los Angeles and the Fifth Circle!" Asamu's voice was shaky with fright. No doubt, from his voice, Sophia knew that he had gone up against one of the Ebon Legion's killers and barely walked away. Even Areil was struggling to maintain his composure as he looked about the blood-drenched alley, half-expecting the Bloodguard to appear.

"My sister is not going to be happy," Areil said.

Asamu nodded, "You tell me! And what are we going to do with the bodies...?"

"Nothing we can do about them. If we make them disappear, it'd raise too many questions. When the police find these, they're going to pin the blame on my sister."

Sophia's eyes widened. Lilith was the Kiyamachi Slayer? She should have expected it.

"For now, it'd be best if we try to make it look like some mad were-beast from the Black Whirlwinds did it. If the region's Fallen Courts find out that we're here, they'll be asking questions I don't want to answer. We'll also have to deal with this monster before more people die."

"You've got my vote. And how, pray tell, are we going to do all that?"

Asamu smiled, and waved his one glowing hand, "Leave such things to me. You go get our back-up."

Sophia broke the link with her familiar. She knew enough to know that there was a monster far worse than Lilith and her brother put together on the loose in the city. But, Asamu Yuki had asked a good question: what was the Bloodguard doing in a place like Japan? There was no time to think about it. This monster had to be put down before more innocents perished.

X X X X X X

Angelic Fortress Ragnarok, an hour from the city of New York, USA, 23rd September 1999, Thursday afternoon, 1440 hrs

In all the years he had been part of the Steel Angel Court as one of its Oath-Sworn, never had Haru Glory ever thought what had happened two days ago had happened. His arms, and much of his body, were swathed in bandages, a testament to the ferocity of the battle between Heaven's loyalist factions. His black leather jacket hung over his muscular frame, and his sword, Rave, was plunged into the charred earth next to him. Running a hand through his silver hair, the young man looked at the storm dark clouds, and felt the weight of something ominous press down on his soul.

It was as if the whole world was waiting for something terrible to happen.

"There you are, Haru," a voice called out, "Laselle was looking for you."

He turned to see a girl walking up to him. She wore knee-high boots, a mini-skirt with a cross-belt where her gun-tonfas rested, and a sleeveless top beneath a red jacket. Her golden hair was dull, and her normally perky behaviour was gone. Standing next to her, in her high-heels and low-cut dress, was his other companion, Reyna. Her long, green hair fluttered in the wind as the girl walked over to him.

"What are you doing out of bed?" she scolded, "You took a worse beating than Musica and Melodia combined."

"Sorry," Haru said, "J-just trying to sort my thoughts out."

"Well, sort them out in bed!" Reyna looked at her friend's body and shivered, remembering how both she and Elie had panicked when they found him trapped beneath the rubble of what had been one of the gun-towers. Had it not been for his protective Charms, he would have died on impact.

"Not with Musica singing! You know how badly he sings!"

"No. More. Excuses," Reyna emphasised each word. Haru developed a sweatdrop and started backing away - a difficult task as he was sitting down and had one arm broken. He glanced sideways to his massive sword, and yelled in protest when Elie pulled it out of the ground and hopped several steps back.

Before Reyna could lay her hands, literally, on Haru, a familiar voice, heavy with urgency made them all freeze. Haru's sister, Cattleya Glory, shot out from the entrance Reyna and Elie had emerged from minutes earlier. Her hurried entrance and panicked expression soon caught the attention of those who were nearby. Cattleya was renowned for her ability to remain calm under fire, and the sight of her panicking did little to ease the already-frayed nerves of the angels and their mortal companions.

"Sis? What's wrong?" Haru asked, wincing briefly, as Reyna helped him up, "Are those assholes in Heaven sending in another host?"

"Worse. We've just got a message from Sieghart and Chuda. The situation in New York is worse than what Lady Mikhail had believed," Cattleya panted, "Our Church contact also just called in - and you wouldn't believe what she just told me."

"What is it?"

"The Church Inquisitorial kill-teams have found the exact location of the Avatar, and are moving in on her. Not only that, Neferiti confirms that the servants of Satan have also discovered her location, and are moving in on her. Cardinal Wesley's allies are fighting them off, but by the time they get to the Avatar, it would already be too late! Haru, they plan on killing her!"

And when Cattleya added that the city was the focal point for the confrontation of the world's mightiest monsters, Haru felt his blood run colder than when the armies of Heaven had attacked the Ragnarok just two days prior. And the sight of ten thousand of them circling the floating fortress had made even the angels of the breakaway faction turn pale. Had it not been for the potent defences of the fortress, the entire edifice would have been blasted from the sky.

"That does it. I've had enough," Haru said, his voice icy, "I'm going to see Leruel to get my wounds healed - and then I'm going to New York."

"Haru!" Reyna protested.

"You're injured, Glory," one of the angels said, "You'd best sit this one out."

"No way, ho say," Haru replied, his fierce glare making it clear to everyone that he was either walking there - or jumping off the Ragnarok with a parachute, "We've got to stop those Church wackos from doing the one mistake that will fuck Creation all the way to Doomsday. And what more, it would make those disgusting shits in Heaven think that they were right in abandoning Earth in the first place - and that I CANNOT stand! I'm going, and that's FINAL!"

"Damn it..." Reyna scowled, and looked to her friend for help, "Elie...!"

Elie shook her head, and the green-haired woman sighed in frustration, "Damn it, Glory. You're a troublemaker of the first degree!"

Haru grinned at her and Elie, before turning to face his compatriots, "What do you guys and girls say to a little trip down to New York? I heard that the pizza's excellent there."

X X X X X X

New York City, USA, 23rd September 1999, Thursday afternoon, 1440 hrs

The cultist fell to the ground in a splatter of blood as Lucia lowered her pistol. God damn it, just how many of these cultists are there? Ever since the quake turned the city into a war-zone, they had been crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Lucia, Natashia, Faia, Io, Nial and Sheik made one of the six teams that were combing the city looking for the Avatar. Cardinal Wesley had called in earlier, informing them that the Avatar was in New York, and he had it from an excellent source that his compatriots from the Vatican and the servants of the Fallen also knew. Now, the question was who would reach her first.

If such a thing was possible in this city-turned-battleground. The Masquerade was practically out the window, and the city's supernatural denizens were not about to pull their punches when their lives - or un-lives, in the case of the vampires - were on the line. To find a single girl in such a large area was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Nothing short of a bloody miracle would make the search any easier.

Added to the fact that death hid in every shadow and she had been separated from the rest made it several degrees harder than it should be. When Lucia suddenly found herself pinned to the ground, and the alcohol-rank breath of her captor filled her nostrils, she knew she was in trouble. In her current position, there was no way she could kick the bastard off her.

"Well, well...lookee here..." her assailant said, the cold edge of a knife soon under her chin, "What a catch...and she's walking the street all alone."

"Get the fuck off me, loser," Lucia snarled, trying to dislodge the man. She soon found it to be a bad idea, as she felt his hardening member between her buttocks. One hand went beneath her trapped body and squeezed one of her breasts, "She packs a rack and a sweet ass. Hey guys! Come on over...we can have some fun with this one before we cut her throat."

Lucia turned her head sideways, and saw at least four other men emerge from the alleyway. The lustful look in their eyes made her blood run cold. She was not an easy girl to scare. She had seen the uglier side of the world - and things she would not have believed existed - in her time with the Seraphs. But, no matter how much she had seen, what was about to happen terrified the perky girl. Still, she kept her cool. No use getting panicky and giving these bastards a thrill. She could only hope Sheik and the others found her in time.

"Indeed, Gill. You got a good one this time," another voice spoke up, "The master will be pleased with another sacrifice. And yes, we can...Oh, wait! I know you. Hello, Lucia. It's been a long time."

Lucia turned her head to the voice to look upon a young man in his early twenties, wearing a robe belonging to the cultists of Mashistaru, the Violet Prince. The voice was familiar. The face was familiar. But who was he?

"Man, I'm heartbroken, Luce," said the young man when he saw the look of consternation of her face, "It's been only - what? - three years ever since you dropped out of sight and you've forgotten all about me. Remember the good old days in MIT?"

Lucia's eyes widened. Now she remembered who this punk was. It was her former schoolmate, Duke Stephen. He had been known in MIT as being the rich, bad-boy racer of MIT's Motor Club. Many girls considered Duke hot, back then. Now, he was even more handsome, but there was a look of icy arrogance that she had seen one too many times on vampire elders. It was the look of one who saw others as tools to be used and discarded.

And this stupid idiot had sold his soul - literally - to a devil. So did she, but the clauses of her pact were one of her making - and had every intention of keeping. The pay-offs were better than what Dumb Duke had sold his soul for.

"Yeah...and it seems that you only got dumber in the three years," Lucia replied, "So, you sold your soul to Mashistaru."

"In the same way you sold yours to Arikiba," Duke replied, referring to Sheik's Celestial Name, "The only difference is that Lord Mashistaru is far more generous with his gifts than Arikiba has been with his."

"I never asked him for any of such 'gifts', Duke Dumb-balls," Lucia sniped, and gave a strangled gasp as another cultist helped the one pinning her down to her feet, "And what the hell are you doing in Doomsday Central? Finding girls to screw before you kill them?"

"If you want an answer, Luce," Duke said, stepping closer and licking her neck in an erotic fashion, before tracing a now-drawn, ornate knife from her collarbone to between her full, large breasts, "yes. Our master demanded more sacrifices so that he can incarnate on this plane and bring vengeance upon the lapdogs of that bastard in Heaven. The more traumatised and violated the soul, the more power it gives him."

Duke put one hand went beneath her short skirt, and sought the opening between her legs, stimulating the clitoris, before he cut through Lucia's clothes, revealing her impressive cleavage and her lush, toned body to the open air. He and his fellow cultists grinned savagely, "And I'm going to enjoy this. I've always wanted to fuck you, ever since I first laid my eyes on you and Faia. I'll do it to my heart's content before I kill you...let my friends have their way, and then, we'll find sweet Faia and do the same to her. Oooh...the thought of her screaming and struggling as I fuck her is making me sooo hot and hard...! And if I get lucky, I may even be able to take down Arikiba. Doing so will earn me my master's highest favour and make me a force to be reckoned with..."

Lucia felt terror and revulsion almost overwhelm her courage. She knew how powerful Mashishtaru was. The rebel angel had allies and a network equal to most vampire elders who had lived for centuries, and the Fallen lord was a devious creature.

"Don't you dare touch...No, l-let go of me..." Lucia whimpered as she felt one of the cultists push his hardened member against her ass, ready to penetrate the orifice. The brown-haired girl's eyes widened in fear. Duke was euphoric at the sight of Lucia's terrified expression. He removed his robes and undid his trousers hurriedly, eager to thrust his member into her when the cultist who was getting ready to sodomise her was suddenly catapulted backward in a splatter of blood and brains. Lucia quickly leapt out of the way.

A cold voice, its anger causing even reality to shake, cut through the air, "Mashistaru must be tired of living if he seeks to make a move against me."

Everyone whirled to see a well-built, armoured figure emerge from the smoke and flames, blood dripping from the crackling talons that protruded from taloned gauntlets. Four, enormous black wings were spread threateningly, and a blazing halo crowned a dark-haired head. His ornate armour, silver-gold and adorned with wings and thunderbolts, was wet with blood.

"Sheik!" Lucia cried, her voice filled with relief.

"Arikiba!" Duke gave a strangled cry, tripping over his trousers. The other cultists were paralysed in terror. Up close and personal, in his full Divine Aspect, the Nephilim prince was beyond awesome. His eyes were crimson with rage, with the reptilian slit making him look all the more demonic. Duke could feel his distant master, looking through his eyes, shiver in terror, and the thrall realised, albeit belatedly, the one other reason why he and so many others had been sent on this mission. His master had wanted to know how powerful the Nephilim prince was. He blinked as blood suddenly splashed onto his face, and he turned to see his fellow cultists practically fly to pieces, screaming. They tried to fight back, but they were slower than their inhumanly quick assailant.

Arikiba reappeared before him, black feathers descending like snow. In the midst of a backdrop of a city's devastation, the Nephilim prince was almost...beautiful. A tail materialised then, and wrapped gently around Lucia, helping the girl to her feet, before it lashed around Duke and lifted him into the air.

"And now, asshole," Sheik hissed, the bloodied talons of his weapon an inch from his neck, "I want to know where the Avatar is, and who else among the Earthbound and the Fallen Courts are seeking him."

Duke felt his mouth move, and his master's voice emerged from his lips, "AN ARROGANT BOAST, NEPHILIM CHILD. YOUR POWER IS BUT A FRACTION OF MINE, AND I HAVE KNOWLEDGE BEYOND YOURS. DO YOU THINK YOURSELF ABLE TO CHALLENGE ME?"

Sheik did not answer, further infuriating the Fallen-possessed man he held in his prehensile tail, turning his attention instead on Lucia, "Are you all right?"

"I will be...but I think I'll need new clothes," the girl replied, contrite, "Sorry about all of this."

"Not your fault," Sheik replied, "And...besides, we finally have someone who may answers that Cardinal Wesley does not. And he can't get away...at all."

"THE MORTAL YOU HOLD IN YOUR GRASP IS BUT A DISPOSABLE PAWN, NEPHILIM CHILD. REST ASSURED THAT YOU AND YOUR ALLIES WILL PAY FOR THIS INSULT, AND THAT YOUR MOTHER CANNOT PROTECT YOU FROM MY WRATH."

"Protect me from you?" Sheik replied, his voice rich in amusement, "My mother never protected me because I never needed protection. But if you think you can lay a hand on me or my companions, you are sorely mistaken."

Sheik spoke several phrases that sounded like music to Lucia's ears, but it made the demon-possessed thrall struggle ferociously as a blazing mandala took shape beneath his feet. The brown-haired girl saw the faint shape of a winged figure taking shape behind Duke, struggling to take to the air before barbed chains of divine flame lashed out from the mandala and seized its ethereal form.

"And when I am through with you, Mashishtaru, you will wish God had been the one wielding the lash..."

X X X X X X

In Washington, hundreds of miles away, a senator sitting in his office convulsed and fell heavily to the floor as he felt those same fiery, mystical chains reach out across the country at the speed of thought, tightening about the ancient soul that dwelled within his body.

X X X X X X

New York City, USA, 23rd September 1999, Thursday afternoon, 1640 hrs

Satella Harvenheit, Jewel Witch, born during the early 1900s in Germany prior to the First World War, gazed upon a city she had once visited over seven decades back. Her ankle-length, crimson hair fluttered in the hot wind as her russet eyes gazed upon a vista of destruction she had seen only once before over half a century ago. It was a memory etched into her mind of a day that was the culmination of a young nun's decade-long search for her brother, of a Jewel Witch's ruthless blood-hunt for the hornless demon that had slaughtered her family, and of a Covenanted demon's long struggle to be forgiven his many sins.

Those same memories had her mind's eye behold that of the young nun's face, golden-haired, full of life and fire, her blue eyes blazing with determination. Rosette Christopher had been her name, and she was the master - if such the term had ever been used, considering their relationship - of the Covenanted demon, Chrono, and the self-proclaimed 'big sister' of Azmaria Hendric, a young girl the first two had rescued from devil-worshippers who wanted to use her powers to their own ends.

A group that attracted more trouble than bees could to an open pot of honey.

If their first meeting was any indication of the trials she would have faced in the future, she would have been better off working on her own! But, on hindsight, perhaps her meeting them had been a blessing in disguise. Even Steiner, her manservant, and the only member of her family left alive, agreed that her relationship with Rosette and her companions had a positive effect on her. And indeed, Satella could remember herself laughing more during the period she had known those three troublemakers than any point in her life.

But now...as the red-haired Jewel Witch gazed upon the wreckage of a once-bustling metropolis, she found very little to smile about. It had only been several months since the Hendric Foundation had released her from her crystal prison in which she had cast both herself and her elder sister into, and she had seen the legacy of the sacrifices made over fifty years ago to avert the Apocalypse.

The world had changed.

And it had changed for the worse.

Satella was glad that Azmaria had foresight to plan ahead, to make a difference even though she would not be there to do so. The Hendric Foundation had been one of the few rare corporations in the world not infiltrated by the servants of the various supernaturals that hid among the human masses; its Sentinels saw to that. And, against the odds they were up against now, having an organisation as wealthy and as well prepared as the Hendric Foundation was an advantage the Jewel Witch needed badly.

The thunderous beating of wings heralded the arrival of the other, causing her to look upwards to see a winged shape descend from the hazy skies. Chrono, the Title-Divested One, one of the last few remaining survivors of the breakaway faction of rebel angels and demons that had murdered one of Lucifer's daughters in an attempt to ride the bloody crest of the Usurpation into the very arms of Armageddon, had come.

The lovely Jewel Witch felt her heart twist, remembering the day the CEO of the Hendric Foundation brought her to the high-security vault, where Chrono had been sealed after the Magdalene Order had found both him and Rosette. The pact that Rosette had made with Chrono had drained away the vitality of her soul, and the latter had no wish to live past the moment the former passed on.

Rosette clearly did not want that to happen. She wanted Chrono to live to see the future he had helped create.

Or...did she put Chrono under the aegis of his own time-stopping powers so that his powers could be used on this day, seventy years later, when the world needed him the most? The sheer sight of Chrono had demons and their rebel angel captains backpedalling in terror. He had a reputation that was as terrifying as that of the Bloody Angel, and it was clear that Hell had not forgotten what the Title-Divested One was capable of doing.

But, whatever the reason was for Rosette doing what she did, Satella was glad that Chrono was by her side. And without Rosette going berserk (as she often did) on her, the Jewel Witch had a chance to shower her affection on the demon (who panicked all the same). A playful voice at the back of her mind reminded her just how affectionate that same demon could be when he cut loose. Rather than use the pocket watch artifact and drain the vitality of her soul in order to recharge his depleted mana reserves, Chrono had used a far more...intimate alternative to do so. It had left her exhausted, and had Chrono not wrapped the entire room in a ward of silence, she would have screamed the hotel down. Satella had never felt more embarrassed in her life, and the fact that Chrono had said she had a voice as loud as Rosette's made it worse. Damn it...to be compared to that crazy berserker popcorn princess was annoying!

And she wished that that crazed berserker popcorn princess was still alive.

"Chrono?"

The purple-haired demon shook his head, "It took me a while to find the girl's apartment, but the building has collapsed."

'Eh? Collapsed...? Does that mean...?' "Are you saying that that Cardinal has sent us on a wild goose chase?"

Chrono shook his head, "I don't think so. The cults are still hunting for her, which means that she is probably still alive. Mashistaru," referring to the Fallen that Sheik (or Arikiba, as Chrono called him) had captured and consigned to Final Death after he was through with him, "is a Fiend. He is a demonic Seer, and his Charms allow him to track any soul on earth provided that he has something that belongs to that person. The Violet Prince is not the only Fallen who has servants scouring the streets looking for the Avatar and those have yet to stop the search."

Satella had to admit that Chrono had made a good point.

"And," a voice behind them spoke, "they are not the only ones who are searching for her."

The two turned to see that Natashia walking up to them. The blind, purple haired witch was dressed in an ensemble that was more suited to the club scene than combat - if one can ignore the flaming wrist-swords that were attached to a pair of taloned gauntlets.

"Meaning?"

Natashia snapped her fingers, and an animated gargoyle appeared behind her, holding the rent body of a man in its jaws. Another appeared, and roosted on the rooftop entrance, a harsh cry emnating from its fang-filled jaws. A familiar, sinuous sigil shone on their foreheads, indicating that Arikiba had been the one responsible for animating them.

The first gargoyle dropped the corpse. Satella gasped, and Chrono's eyes widened.

The man was wearing the uniform of the Vatican Inquisition, and that in itself would not have been too surprising, but the embossed bracer that the man wore on his remaining arm was what drew their attention. No one who had met these formidable exorcists before would ever forget them - and none of the seven Orders of the Inquisition bore the symbol of a cross super-imposed over a circle of twelve wings.

Ordo Ophanim Inquisitors - the Vatican's elite demon hunters.

"This," Satella said, "is going to get very, very ugly."

X X X X X X

Kyoto Cemetery, Kyoto City, Japan, 23rd September 1999, 0910 hrs

Makoto looked down at the flowers that decorated the gleaming gravestone, and he smiled quietly. The flowers were fresh and the incense sticks were still burning, indicating that they had been placed there only recently. His parents' friends had come by earlier to pay their respects before the day began, before they took their families out prior to the festival that would be held at the temples later in the evening.

He drew out a box of incense that Hojo-san, the old florist, had given him from his bag, and lit them and placing them in the empty groove at the base of the tombstone, "From Hojo-san, oka-san, otou-san...though I think it is his way of poking fun at you. And yes, the flowers I brought with me are from his shop. The same place when you first bought flowers for oka-san. Saya oba-san will be coming later. You know how busy the restaurant gets during the holiday periods. I may have to go back and work, even if she did say that I can take the day off. On the other hand...maybe it would be wiser for me to take up that offer. Heh..."

A breeze ruffled the young man's hair, and he lowered his head, allowing his bangs to shadow his grey eyes.

"I..." and he hesitated, "I saw Ruri-chan yesterday, otou-san. Remember her? The one that always begged you to tell her stories when she was a little girl? She's grown more beautiful than when I last saw her."

Memories of the times he had spent with the vibrant, lively girl came. He remembered the time he had spent with her and her family, teaching her how to cook, and helping her with her studies. He remembered how her face lit up when she smiled, how helpless she looked when she cried, and how fearsome she was when she was enraged.

Those precious memories became just that when Sahaka decided that Ruri was to be his next conquest. The events that led to the explosion that almost got him expelled from school were ones the teenager would never forget for as long as he lived. He remembered the smug looks on the faces of Ruri's rivals, and the leers of Sahaka and his hanger-ons. He remembered how Ruri changed from the vibrant, lively girl she had once been to a quiet, introverted one.

He remembered her voice, speaking words that turned him into an idiot in short order. A voice that made him believe again. And now, that same voice was being replaced by one belonging to a golden-haired, German girl, her lovely features and gentle blue eyes replacing Ruri's. The memory of the defiant tilt of her head, the arrogant smile on her lips, were being replaced by another German girl, only this one had silver-amethyst hair and blood-red eyes.

Makoto shivered. He didn't want to forget Ruri. He didn't want any other girl to replace her in his memories. He didn't want to forget everything that made his past worth remembering.

'Bye-bye, Makoto-chan. Aishiteru.'

And even after so long, the words that Ruri spoke to him on the day she walked out of his life were crystal clear, and sharper than any katana. He remembered his aunt's arms encircling his lean frame, telling him that everything would be all right, that the pain would go away eventually. He tried to fight back his tears, but failed miserably.

'Fight on.'

X X X X X X

Kyoto City, Maria's Cafe, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September 1999, 1230 hrs

Tokiya Marimo burped contentedly, an act which caused her parents to roll their eyes in amusement and her little sister, Haruka, to roll hers in disgust. If there was one thing that the youngest daughter of the Marimo family disliked about her elder sibling, it was how unrefined the latter was. How Makoto-oniisan could stand her amazed the younger girl, considering that she could barely do so. The fact that Tokiya was also a vice class-representative and the captain of her school's Athletics team baffled her even more.

She remembered how Makoto-oniichan had rolled his eyes when she had asked him how in all that was holy did someone like her sister even become a vice class-representative. Speaking of which, when would Makoto-oniichan come visit them again? She missed his cooking. Haruka had been practicing hard, hoping to one day be as good as her favourite onii-san, but she needed his guidance badly.

Her mother, however, had seen it differently, and had pointed out to Tokiya that if she did not pull up her socks and improve on her culinary skills, it would be her younger daughter that would be marrying Makoto. Suffice to say, Haruka's fiesty older sister did not take THAT lying down. Even so, Haruka could not help but admit that her mother had made a good point. If her sister did do something - and soon - it wouldn't be her that would be running off with her favourite onii-chan. It would be one of the two girls that the younger girl - the same ones her sister had spoken of - had met several days after the school semester began.

The first time Haruka had seen Sophia-san, she had been in the company of Makoto-oniichan. The latter had been showing the former around the city. Curious, Haruka had trailed them for an hour before she was caught red-handed by an amused Sophia in a fast-food outlet. As her sister had described Makoto onii-chan's newestclassmate, the golden-haired German girl was beautiful, sophisticated and knowledgeable. Haruka, despite the fact that the girl was one of her sister's rivals in winning Makoto-oniichan's affections, found herself liking Sophia.

Haruka's thoughts then turned to Lilith. The memory of meeting the sultry, crimson-eyed gaijin was not one the young girl would be forgetting anytime soon. Like Sophia, the amethyst-haired German girl was beautiful, but there was something dangerous about her, something perilous, that made Haruka uneasy but which drew people to the gaijin like moths to a flame. That Lilith was attracted to Makoto-oniichan was evident, remembering the way the former had flirted with the latter. It was a fact made all the more concrete when her sister had returned home from school in a bad mood that had nothing to do with her teacher or the fact that it was the end of the summer vacation. When Haruka managed to find out what had driven her sister up the wall, she had been shocked. Lilith had kissed Makoto-oniichan in full view of his classmates.

In. Full. View.

Haruka passed out after hearing that.

But not before laughing her head off when her sister described in detail what Kasumi-chan, Saori-sensei, and a horde of jealous boys had done to him, at which point she almost knocked herself out from laughing too hard.

Regardless, Haruka knew that her sister's chances of making Makoto-oniichan her boyfriend was getting lower with each passing day. It had already been difficult when Kasumi-neechan and Saori-sensei had been in the equation, but Lilith-san and Sophia-san entering the picture had made it all the more complicated.

Which was why Haruka had made plans to have her favourite onii-chan spend more time with her and her family. But before she could open her mouth, one of the customers asked the waiter to turn up the volume for the restaurant's television as its regular program was interrupted by a news-flash. The cheerful air in the restaurant soon became somber as the news reporter read out the report.

Yesterday night had been one of the bloodiest nights in the history of the city, the five murders that had happened were reminiscent of the Purge that had taken place over a decade ago. Their horribly mutilated bodies had been discovered by policemen who had been patrolling the area in the early morning hours. The police department's forensics team had managed to verify the identities of the deceased within a few hours of the discovery, but their spokesperson, under orders from his superiors, had kept them undisclosed for the sake of the dead students' family members. The only thing he said was that two of the dead were workers in a 24-hour convenience store, and the remaining five had been high-school students who were on their way back from an outing. One of the reporters had asked if this was the work of the Kiyamachi Slayer, and the police spokesperson said that there was a high possibility as the injuries had all the hallmarks of the Slayer before he added that there were bullet wounds on the victims.

When asked if there was another psychopath in Kyoto, the police spokesperson fell silent, before replying that the possibility was high. The police spokeperson had added that from now on, certain areas of the city were to be closed after 10, and that everyone who lived near those areas should be indoors before midnight. The curfew, the policeman added, was to remain in place until the killers were brought to justice.

Haruka put down her fork and knife. Suddenly, she didn't feel so hungry anymore.

X X X X X X

Kyoto City Metropolitan Police Headquarters, at that same moment

Katsuragi Misato had her colleagues stood at attention before the desk of Police Chief Yotsuba Ina, knowing long before she and the others had stepped into the man's office that they were all in for it. The look that the Police Chief shot them as they filed into his office, married to the presence of the city council's representative, held the promise of a blistering diatribe and questions that none of them would be able to answer.

Police Chief Yotsuba had flung their binded reports at them. The files hit Misato and her two colleagues, causing them to flinch briefly as the papers scattered, before asking a simple question that was laden with venom, "Are the lot of you trying to get me fired?"

Everybody froze.

"What is written in these reports are perhaps the worst excuses I have ever seen in my twenty-seven years as a police officer. Can you explain to me why your team has been unable to find any evidence at the crime scenes, Kiba-san?"

The 46-year old Head of Forensics met his superior's angry gaze without flinching, something Misato had to give Kiba Shirami credit for, "It is exactly as I have written in my report, Yotsuba-san. We could not," emphasising the word 'not', "find any evidence at the crime scenes. I don't know how our killer - or the copycat - does it but he cleaned up after himself."

"How are you so certain it is a man, Kiba?"

Misato flinched. The lack of a suffix and the tone in the Police Chief's voice told her that her colleague was on the verge of getting his head cut off if he did not provide a good explanation.

"The deaths from yesterday night are as brutal as the ones we have had for the past few weeks now, I do not deny, but there are key differences that point to the fact that we may have a second Kiyamachi Manslayer in the city," and Kiba held up an arm imperiously, causing the city council representative to arrest his words, "While there are similarities in the latest murders to the previous ones...there is one difference that caused me to come to this conclusion."

The Forensics Department Head picked up his department's bound report from the floor, "You see...most of the other victims were tortured in a way that would prolong their pain before they were finally allowed to die. The earlier victims were mostly male, all of whom have a criminal history that would have seen them locked away for life had it come to be known. Omura Inui was one such example..."

"Omura Inui was an upstanding member of this community before he was murdered, Kiba-san," the city council representative said, "I refuse to believe that he would have committed the acts that the media said he did. There are members in the Diet want this...butcher found and brought to justice."

"Believe what you will, Daisho-san," Kiba said, regarding the city representative with a jaundiced eye, "But the facts remain that he had gotten involved with the underworld, had profitted from it, and had betrayed the trust that the public had placed in him to protect them from the very people he was collaborating with. But, I'm not here to discuss the late Police Inspector's vices. I'm here to tell you about the Kiyamachi Slayer, so please keep quiet while I try to explain it as best I can."

Misato grinned inwardly. Trust Kiba to be able to cut another man's ability to argue with his cool logic and subtle insults.

"I do not tolerate insolence from my subordinates, Kiba - especially when they have failed to produce results," Chief Yotsuba said.

"I know - and I'm here to explain why exactly we're unable to do so to Daisho-san who is currently unable to see as to WHY we cannot catch the Slayer."

"I've read the report before I came here, Kiba-san. It does not explain the incompetence of Kyoto's police force," the city council representative sneered, "But, by all means, try to convince me that a 'ghost' exists."

Kiba nodded, "You're a young man, Daisho-san. You're what? 26? 27? You've lived through the worst period of our city, during the 70s, back when the gangs practically had control over everything here. That was before our country's economy saw a massive surge that made us the country we are today. You were a kid of 10, but I think you remember those days. I do. I'll never forget them for as long as I live. Everyday, my team and I worked overtime at the local hospital trying to save the lives of those who were caught in the gangs' territorial squabbles.

"Our police force were made up of men like Yotsuba. He was a tough bastard," and he nodded to the Police Chief, "and he made a name for himself even among the gangs back then. Iron-Staff Yotsuba, that's what they called him. Screw with him and you'll be singing like a girl for the rest of your sorry life."

Misato and the rest tried their best to hide their smiles. They failed miserably. Kiba knew how to calm the chief, convince the city council representative, and give an explanation all in one go. A good man to have as a friend when navigating rough waters, they agreed unanimously.

"But I digress, Daisho-san," Kiba added, "You want to know as to why we cannot catch the Kiyamachi Slayer or this copycat that butchered those high school students yesterday. I can tell you why, but before I go there, I want you to answer me - truthfully - this one question.

"Can you remember the Purge?"

City Council Representative Daisho tried to look calm, but the way that the Police Chief's head shot up and the nearly imperceptible shiver that shook his frame made him realise that there were still things that could scare the hardened officer - and that unnerved the councilman. The next words that left his mouth only added to the latter's unease.

"Kiba-san, are you saying..."

"Yes, I am. Remember the Vermillion Knives gang? Those misfits who worked as the Red Lotus Triad's footsoldiers?" the Chief Forensics Officer asked.

Police Chief Yotsuba nodded.

"Those children that our boys brought in the night before were killed in exactly the same fashion. I don't know who killed them, but I do know that there is no one on Earth who has the strength to do what has been done to them."

"You cannot honestly expect me to believe..." City Council Representative Daisho started to cut in.

"Daisho," Kiba said, his voice sharp, an indication that the normally patient man was on the verge of losing his temper, "My patience is running out. Do not make me regard you as an idiot, because you are not. And do not, for a minute, think I am lying. I value my job and I have my pride. If you think I'm lying, I can bring you down to the morgue and show you the bodies. As you clearly think that you have the answer, you can explain to the parents of those children what killed them."

The other man could not reply.

"You and everyone in this room may think me crazy. You may think that I am losing my hold on reality - but the facts are right before all of us. I am willing to stake my credibility and reputation on these very words I will tell you now.

"The Kiyamachi Slayer and the copycat may very well not be human."

Once again, Misato saw Daisho open his mouth, his sour expression clearly indicating what he thought of Kiba's deduction. But, to everyone's surprise, he asked one question that made the Chief Forensics Officer smile, "Do you have proof? Real proof?"

Kiba nodded, "Finally, you ask the right question. We will be bringing the parents to the morgue as soon as they get here. There, you can see for yourself. And if by some unforeseen event that something happens to the bodies...I will turn in my resignation."

X X X X X X

Kyoto City Police Morque, Kyoto General Hospital, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September 1999, 1240 hrs

Kyoto General Hospital had a wing reserved for the city police's Forensics Department, and its access was restricted save to those with the proper clearance. Until the city government received enough funds for the new police headquarters they had earmarked for construction over two years ago, the General Hospital would double as the Police Forensic Department's headquarters. Kiato Senkaku had served as a police officer for over 5 years but he knew or had met most of the people on the force.

The girl that was walking towards him was too young to be on the force and her clothing was most definitely not part of its dress code. She wore a bustier, a pair of tight trousers, boots and a trenchcoat. A shinai bag was slung over one shoulder. Her long, silver-amethyst hair was pulled up in a long ponytail that swayed with every step she took.

Kiato could not help but briefly admire the grace in which the girl moved, before he moved in to intercept her. The one and only girlfriend he had had been during his University days, and that one had cheated on him several times before he found out. After that, Kiato found it difficult to get into a relationship. Maybe he could get this girl to go out with him after his shift was over...

Kiato cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry, ojou-san, but this is a restricted area. How was it that...?"

The girl turned her eyes on him, and it was only then did Kiato see how red they were. He was paralysed not only by the colour of her eyes, which were like rubies, but by the emotion in them. The girl raised a gloved hand, and placed it over his heart, before pushing gently, "Shh..."

Kiato was briefly confused by this gesture before he felt his legs suddenly give way and silent darkness overwhelm his senses.

Lilith stepped over the body of the unconscious policeman and threw open the doors of the morgue. Several bodies laid on metal gurneys, shrouded in white, identification tags tied around their ankles. A brief look at each of them told the female devil that these were the victims of a car accident. Areil had told her that the autopsy had yet to be conducted, which meant that the bodies would already have been taken out. Clearly, this had not been the case. Lilith fished out her cellphone, and called her brother.

"Areil," Lilith said, looking at the rows of freezers in irritation, "it's me. The bodies have not been taken out of the freezers. Can you tell me where their bodies are stored? You don't have a moment...I need them now." and her voice sharpened as she heard the familiar sound of a woman in the throes of ecstasy, "What is this? Brother, you can have fun AFTER we've done what we came here to do. What...? You'd better make it quick, then!"

The female devil snarled in fury. She needed to know who exactly was the Ebon Legion Bloodguard that had come to Kyoto. It would allow her - and Sophia - to better deal with this bloodthirsty monster. Lilith had half a mind not to tell Sophia. If the Ebon Legion Bloodguard raped and killed that whore of God, it would remove the one obstacle that would allow Lilith's master to incarnate himself onto the mortal plane.

And then...they will march on Heaven once more, rip down the celestial city's mighty gates, and cast God and His servants from the stars forever. What would follow after that magnificent victory as the Morningstar took God's throne would be a grand and glorious age, one that will be as eternal as the Tyrant...but that was if they could prevent the more nihilistic Legions from having their way.

Her cellphone ringed once more, and Lilith flipped it open, "Yes? You have it...? Good. Tell me. 31-A, B, C and D. 35-C. 36-D. 37-A. All right. I will deal with it. Meet me at the school. Which one...? Of all the...my school, imbecile. All right, see you there. And Areil...make sure you don't leave this one pregnant, all right?"

Lilith ended the call, but not before her brother's voice could be heard unleashing an avalanche of curses. Lowering her bag on a nearby table, the female devil went about removing the bodies from the freezers and setting them on the floor. Lilith knew each one of the victims of yesterday night's murder. They were all her schoolmates.

Of the five, three were Makoto's classmates. The petite, lively Minase Yukiko had clearly been violated before she was torn to pieces. She had been the last to die, but had gone down struggling. Hayashiba Kuro, Makoto's classmate and his friend in the kendo club, had gone down fighting as well. Lilith saw that the wounds that killed him were, like Yukiko's, on the front. The Arima siblings had tried to run, but did not get far. He couldn't have caught them, as their bodies had been found not far from where they had encountered the beast.

'A Paralysis Charm,' Lilith realised, 'This Bloodguard may be a bloodthirsty monster - but he is an intelligent one.'

She straddled the naked body of Minase, and lowered her head to the terrible wounds that had killed her. Lilith licked the wound that stretched from rib to sundered breast, and her eyes widened. This...this was impossible! It couldn't be! By the Morningstar's glorious halo, it couldn't be! Lilith moved quickly to Kuro's body and did the same, and spat a curse in a tongue that cause the shadows in the room to darken and the lights to flicker.

If there was any doubt as to who the Bloodguard was, there was none left now.

Lilith withdrew a small vial, uncocked it, and spread a generous dose of the liquid within on all of her schoolmates' foreheads, hearts and arms. When she was done, the female devil stood up and left the morgue, pausing only briefly to kiss two fingers and blew it to her departed schoolmates.

The bodies in the morgue erupted into flames.

X X X X X X

Kyoto City Central, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September 1999, 1240 hrs

"Ahh, Kyoto City," a silver-haired girl said cheerfully to her compatriots, "I've always wanted to come here. Good food, good entertainment...and sexy guys by the dozen!" before blowing a kiss to a small group of University students who could not help but stare at the lovely foreigner as she and her companions walked past.

"We're not here to enjoy, Tabris," her pink-haired compatriot said, "We have a job to do. After we're done, you can screw every soul in this city, but until then, it would be in our best interests to ensure that we do not fail."

The silver-haired girl, Tabris, turned her crimson eyes on her companion, her expression playful, "Honestly, Zeruel, you're such a stick-in-the-mud. You don't know how to reap the bounty of our harvest. If I had the time, I would teach you, but I doubt that someone like you would ever appreciate anything."

Zeruel glared at Tabris, "Do you care for nothing but your own pleasures, Tabris? Is there nothing in that head of yours but sex and fighting?"

"I do what I please, Zeruel," Tabris replied haughtily, "Just as you do. Just as I enjoy 'rolling in the hay', as you so crudely put it, you enjoy the complexities of leading your army on the battlefields and crushing your enemies."

"Enough, both of you," their third companion said, causing both girls to fall silent, "We are, as Zeruel said, here to do what was commanded of us, Tabris. It is of little concern as to what you wish to do after our task is done."

"And you," Tabris scowled, "have neglected to tell us what exactly this 'task' is, Lileath."

The cyan-haired, red-eyed girl met her companions' irritated looks coolly, "Forgive me, but I thought you had both already figured out what our task was."

Lileath's emotionless tone raised both her companions' hackles, and Zeruel was half-tempted to slam her fist into the cyan-haired girl's jaw. Tabris's annoyance, however, was evident in her reply that neither her nor Zeruel were of the Fourth House, and could not possibly have known the instructions given to Lileath by the Bloody Angel. The Exalted had a reputation as fearsome as that of the Title-Divested One, and neither Tabris nor Zeruel wanted to get in the Bloody Angel's bad books at any point in time. He had, after all, crushed the previous holder of the same title in a titanic duel that had wrecked the Arena of Ascension.

"We're here," Lileath replied, her emotionless gaze directing her companions' to that of a teenager who stood across the road,"to take the mortal, Shinji Ikari, as payment for the bargain that his father, Gendo Ikari, had made with us over a decade ago. As we are the ones who have aided Gendo Ikari become what he is today, the Bloody Angel has decreed that Gendo Ikari's son is ours by right. What we do to him...is up to our own discretion."

Tabris blinked, unable to believe what she had heard. It was not the nature of the instructions that the Bloody Angel had given - it was his way to reward the loyal - but the emotion in icy Lileath's voice that surprised her. There was a terrible, hungry lust in Lileath's voice. Tabris looked at Zeruel, and was equally shocked. Zeruel's eyes, too, had that look of fierce desire. What was it about this puny, scrawny mortal that so aroused her compatriots' lusts anyway?

The silver-haired girl turned her attention back to Shinji. He was plain and lean to the point of being scrawny. The clothes he wore saw to it that he would not stand out, a sign that the teenager was an introvert. Many of Tabris's lovers had been rich, well-built, and could last longer and pleasure her better than this...boy.

Her scrutiny of Shinji was halted when the teenager looked up, and blushed furiously when he realised that three very beautiful girls were looking at him. Tabris felt something deep inside erupt, pooling in a fiery heat in her groin. His eyes were perhaps the one characteristic of him that appealed to her - they were of a shade of blue that reminded her of Heaven's endless, perfect skies. Skies she would never see again after the Unholy hosts were cast down.

Tabris smiled, and blew Shinji a kiss that caused the latter to blush all the more, before she turned and left, understanding why Zeruel and Lileath had reacted the way they had.

Shinji Ikari had a pure soul - a prize that few devils would pass over.

And they were going to enjoy every delicious moment as they taught the younger Ikari things most men - and women - could only dream of. Now, all they needed was time.

X X X X X X

Kyoto City sewers, Kyoto City, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September 1999, 1240 hrs

He liked the silent darkness.

The voices would fall silent, and his wild rage would fall dormant, if only briefly. He could only remember the fierce darkness that surged in his soul on that day that seemed like only yesterday. He remembered his beautiful, bat-winged, white-haired, inhuman mother who had given birth to him. He remembered her haunting songs and the admiration in which she spoke of the Exalted who had spilt his seed into her womb, which saw to his birth.

He knew who his father was, and feared his wrath. For even though his mind was clouded by madness of lust, rage and hunger, he knew the extent at which his sire and his half-siblings would scour Creation to ensure that vengeance would come crashing down on his head.

He remembered his mother, writhing in pain in his mighty arms as he violated her again and again and again, before ripping out her windpipe as the voices in his mind commanded him to. And before he fled, he violated her corpse again. The feel of female flesh, of their writhing beneath him, delighted the voices, and he could hear - no, feel - the ecstasy and pleasure that writhed like a living serpent in his soul.

He had fled into the welcoming arms of the Ebon Legion, and had been relegated to the African theatre. His commander, a female Fiend who delighted in destabilising the entire region through adroit political maneuvering through her pawns and audacious assassinations, had kept him on a tight leash - but delighted in unleashing him when the situation called for it. She knew how to please both him and the voices.

He was her finest assassin, if not the most unpredictable one, in her service. His claws had tasted the blood of every enemy she had sent him to kill. Life had been good. She had rewarded him generously for his loyalty. But, this time, he had been forced to take leave and come to this city, half-a-world away, as his voices had adamantly demanded that he go there. His commander had been irritated, but she had given him leave to go - with the condition that he return within seven days.

A dry, raspy chuckle echoed in the tunnel, "You cannot escape, little soul. You are mine, mine, mine. The voices say that you are the Chosen. The voices say that should I feed on your soul and devour your flesh, I will grow all the stronger. Protected you are, but they cannot save you."

Claws left their furry sheaths, and he regarded them with malicious glee, "Your protectors, I will violate too. Ah yes...their screams will be sweet, the feel of their flesh against mine an aphrodisiac that will keep my eternal companions quiet, oh yes..."

"We are of one blood, my sweet, sweet, little half-brother...but you have none of our father's powers. Oh, I won't complain...I never complain, have I, darling?" and turned to his invisible companion, and giggled insanely, "Tonight? We have to do this tonight? Of course, my darling, of course I'll do it...why shouldn't I? It pleases all of us, doesn't it?"

He turned in another direction, "His name...? Ah yes, we can't have a face without a name can we?" and his gleaming eyes narrowed in a serpentine fashion, "Yes, yes, he's the one we're all seeking," and the face of a young man with blue-grey eyes and a lively smile took shape in his mind, "...my half-brother, Kusakabe Makoto..."

X X X X X X

Kyoto City, Maria's Cafe, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September 1999, 1330 hrs

Areil could not believe his ears. Never had he thought that it would be this particular Bloodguard. Renowned even in the other legions for his sadism as he was for his excellent skills in stalking and assassination, Anselm Spiritblade was a blight upon the family he had turned his considerable skills on. His exploits had had his father, recently returned to Hell, enraged beyond all measure, declare a blood-hunt on him. Anselm had fled into the waiting arms of the Ebon Legion's slaughterers where his father could not touch him without antagonising the Legion Lords.

Anselm was, in Areil's humblest opinion, a sick fuck that didn't deserve to live. He was a weakling who had let his Beast overtake him, something his half-siblings fought long and hard to prevent from happening. Some of them had turned to the other side, hoping that the Creator or his servants would be able to wipe the taint clean from their souls - or chain it, at the very least. It surprised Areil - and no few Fallen - that the Bloody Angel permitted his children to do as they wish in regards to fighting their Beast.

'Endeavour to fight the enemy on your own terms' had long been the maxim of the Crimson Legion, and the Bloody Angel applied it in every decision he made. A far cry, Areil thought, from his predecessor, Altima, who was more prone to let her sword do her talking for her. But, really, what could you expect from one of Archduke Abaddon's Champions anyway?

For any born with Spiritblade blood in his or her veins to succumb to the Beast was a death sentence in more ways than one, and the only person to be spared its unholy touch was, to Areil's knowledge, the object of his sister's affections. The devil turned his attention back to his fuming sibling, who had the look of one ready to turn the entire cafe into rubble, and everyone and everything in it to charcoal.

The fact that he was sitting in front of a potential explosion was not lost on anyone. Several of the cafe's patrons - especially its employees - could not help shooting them worried looks. Should Lilith explode, the first person most likely to get injured was the person sitting in front of her - namely, him. Common sense told Areil that he had best stay far away from his sister until her temper cooled - but that was not likely to happen anytime soon.

Not unless some miracle saw to Anselm Spiritblade being slain by the multitude of enemies he had made in the years he had been alive. Which led to the big question - what was that monster doing here? Anselm was, from what they both knew, never far from his commander, who had strict instructions to keep an eye on him. Either this was a sanctioned mission by the Ebon Legion's regional commander in Africa, or Anselm had come here on his own.

Areil's handphone started to vibrate, and he quickly flipped it open. Lilith looked at him with an eyebrow raised, a silent question as to the identity of the caller. Areil raised one hand, listening to the speaker on the other end, before smiling and terminating the call with a brief word of thanks and a promise to bring the other party out for a drink when this is over.

"That was Asamu," Areil said, "The back up I asked him to bring down to Kyoto has arrived."

"Your 'back-up'?" Lilith asked, suspicious, "Areil, do you plan to...?"

"Make a mess of this mission?" Areil finished, frowning, "No, I'm not. I am not so crazy as to defy an order given by our Prince, but I'll be equally crazy if I let this particular fucking Bloodguard run amok through the city. I'll take him down myself, but I need you to do me a favour."

"And that is?"

"Keep an eye on Makoto until my friends and I have taken Anselm down. And keep a very low profile. Act only when needed. Can you do that?"

Lilith locked gazes with her brother, looking for any hint of duplicity in them. Areil had lied to her before, and there had been incidents where she barely managed to escape from the enemy. Would he betray her? Was there anything that would give him reason to? What would he gain if he did? Who would protect him if he did so?

The last question was quickly answered, and it was one that had her nodding her assent to Areil's request. No one would protect Areil if he chose to put her and the mission she had been tasked with in jeopardy. The moment her superiors got word of Areil's betrayal, the Pandaemonium Guard - as well as the Bloody Angel's finest Stalkers - would see to it that there was no place in Creation where her treacherous brother could hide.

"Areil, there is something I must ask you before you go..." Lilith said.

"Go on."

Lilith hesitated, before asking, "Areil, tell me...what are the chances of Kusakabe Makoto inheriting the full scope of his father's powers?"

Areil stared at his sister. Why had she asked this all of a sudden? Prior to their mission, the two of them had read everything about Makoto, and had spent several weeks observing him before they put their plans into motion. He was a normal teenager no different from others his age. He had no powers, nothing that even showed he was a child of the Bloody Angel. Not unless...

"Lilith," Areil found his voice shaking, "Why are you asking me this? Did he...? No...if he did, your school would look like the Arena of Ascension when his father killed the previous Bloody Angel."

"Just answer the question, Areil," Lilith said.

"Less than five percent."

"Five percent?"

"Makoto is already long past the age when the child of an Exalt should Ascend. Believe me, if he does Ascend, every supernatural that lives in this city will know."

X X X X X X

Kyoto Cemetery, Kyoto City, Japan, Thursday, 23rd September, 1400 hrs

Though it was afternoon, the weather was as cold as if it were still in the early hours of the morning. The woman's long, copper hair had been bound in a thick ponytail and she had dressed warmly. Saya Mikage had finally managed to get away from her restaurant, but had to return soon. It was unbecoming that the owner and manager of a business should be loafing when her employees were hard at work. She looked down at the gravestones, beneath which laid the bodies of her sister and her brother-in-law.

Her nephew had cleaned the gravestones and had set out the flowers and gifts. The incense had burned out hours ago, but Saya could smell the faint but familiar scent of the same incense her sister used to burn in the aftermath of her intimacies with her brother-in-law. Saya chuckled - no doubt that had been the gift of old Hojo Katsura, owner of the Springtime Flower Shop.

Always, for as long as Saya could remember, she had always spoke to her sibling's and her brother-in-law's spirits about how things were. But, not today. Today, Saya Mikage would speak what she had kept in her heart for over a decade, ever since she saw a foreigner asking her if her restaurant had a spot open for a new employee. She remembered that day, and the days after that, as if it were yesterday.

Why was it that the best memories sometimes turned out to be the most painful? Saya had gone out drinking only three days before to dull the wounds they caused, and would have ended up in a love hotel had it not been for her nephew's teacher. Was she so desperate to have someone love her that anyone would do? Saya knew that there were no few women who were like that, and the pain that they felt forced them to reach out for something, anything at all, to dull the anguish they felt within.

'Human beings are fragile, Saya-chan. It's what makes them human. Strength comes not from losing one's humanity; it's keeping it in the face of a cold, cynical, jaded world that doesn't give a damn.'

"I'm not here to speak to you, nii-san," Saya spoke, "I hope you don't mind if my sister and I had a heart-to-heart talk. So, stay away if you know what's good for you. The fact that you're a ghost now will not save the beating I will give you when I see you in the afterlife. Shihana-chan...I think you know what I'm going to say, but I think it is best I say it anyway. I should have said it all those years ago, should have challenged you and your friends when some of you started staking a claim to Reiha-kun.

"I'm jealous, Shihana. Jealous and envious. How was it that he chose you when I was the one who met him first? I would daresay that you stole him from me, Shihana, and I could almost hate you for doing so. I remember our High School days; you were our school's princess, back then," and she laughed briefly, "Princess. You were nothing but a troublemaker, onee-san. You played truant, smoked, got into fights...and yet, you captured the hearts of so many. Many guys wanted to date you, and though you did go out with them, the relationships never lasted beyond three months.

"The one that lasted the longest was Narumi-kun. I remember how you and our classmate, Chitose, competed for his affections. Why did you give him up, nee-san?"

Despite that question, Saya knew the reason why. The copper-haired woman remembered how her golden-haired sibling had smiled sadly when she had asked, before the former said that the warm young man that they had grown up with would be better off with someone who really cared for him. And though her older sister did not regret her decision, it did not change the fact that she had cried like a little girl that day.

Saya remembered another guy that they had met when they entered Kyoto University together. He had tried to get into her sister's panties, but the latter had proved herself neither innocent nor stupid. Her friends in the Celestial Dragons told her of their experiences, and her sister had taken them to heart.

And it made Saya wonder if it was her friends that had made her sister choose the man who would become the latter's husband. The fact that the other girls in her sister's gang took a liking to the gaijin when they first met was not missed by the copper-haired woman. But, the first meeting was what changed everything. And now, over a decade later, the results spoke for itself. No doubt, much later, her sister's friends - and their families - would come to pay their respects. The Autumn Equinox Festival had been the same day that her sister and her friends had met Shigami Reiha for the first time.

Maybe, just maybe, the same reason that her sister chose to break up with Narumi Kotaro so that he could be with Chitose Masaki was the same one she had for not staking a claim to the man who eventually became her brother-in-law.

"I envy you, nee-san. Really, I do. You have everything I wanted, and ever wished for. Your friends, too. But, not me. I'm not like you...but someday, someday...I hope I can be. Goodnight, nee-san. Give nii-san my regards, won't you?" she said, stroking the petals of the flowers her nephew had laid on the grave. Someday, she hoped her nephew would give her some.

Saya sighed, and pulled out a cellphone from her purse. For today - just for today - she wanted some time alone. And maybe, if he was up to it, some time with her nephew as well.

To be continued...