In the end, God didn't answer my prayers.
But still, I couldn't bring myself to hate Him. No, there's no way I could hate Him, the All-Compassionate God, the one who brought mercy to all. For me to hate Him for not answering my prayers, it was just… selfish.
Probably Raynare-san was right all along. She told me that I am an unwanted child and nobody loves me. She was right, I suppose. And then she told me that the only place where I belong to is among the Fallen Angels. Like me, they were also abandoned by God.
In the end, Raynare-san decided that she would extract my Sacred Gear by using a tool, and she told me that I would die after the extraction. She said that it was my only role for them, and it was the only way for me to be useful to them.
Still, I couldn't bring myself to hate Raynare-san. If I could at least be useful to her, then… I wouldn't mind dying. She told me that if I wanted to blame anyone, blame the God who put the Sacred Gear inside me. Of course, I declined. I told her that I would never blame anyone, not God, nor Raynare-san. If there was someone I'd be willing to place all the blame, it had to be myself.
She told me how idiotic I was when I said that to her as she looked away. When she glanced at me, I saw her violet eyes, filled with a mixture of emotions: anger, confusion, sadness… and more. I wanted to ask if she was alright, but she yelled at me when I tried to do that, telling me to shut up and mind my own business.
When the preparation for the removing ceremony was completed, I was brought into the underground chamber of the cathedral. I saw a lot of people in there, clad in clerical robes. Based from my understanding, they had to be the exorcists, just like Father Sellzen. Just thinking about Father Sellzen caused me to shudder. I couldn't imagine what he was going to do to me at that time if Raynare-san didn't intervene.
And yet, I couldn't bring myself to hate Father Sellzen for that. There had to be some reason why he wanted to do that to me. After all, I didn't show up at the church, so I might have angered him because of that.
After entering the underground chamber, Raynare-san brought me to the altar, where a large cross was placed. It was a device developed by the Fallen Angels that could be used to extract a Sacred Gear from its user, and like I said before, the process of removing a Sacred Gear would cause the death of its user.
I couldn't imagine how it would be like to die. I saw people die in front of me before. Some passed away peacefully, and some didn't. When Raynare-san told me to go to the altar, I followed her order before she started chaining me up to the cross.
It did hurt a bit to be suspended by the chains on the cross due to my weight. The device would soon be activated, and my Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, would be extracted.
I looked down from the cross I was chained to, and I saw Raynare-san. She looked away, as if trying to hide her face from me. She was probably angry at me over something.
I would die, abandoned and unloved. If this was how it was supposed to be, I had no choice but to accept it. I closed my eyes, waiting for the device to be activated. As I waited, I recalled everything that had happened to me, like the moment when I used Twilight Healing to heal a Devil, the time when I was excommunicated by the Church, the time when I took a flight from Italy to Japan, the time when I got lost and the moment when I met Ai-san and Issei-san.
As I remembered the faces of both Ai-san and Issei-san, I couldn't help but feel warm. It was a short time, but it was the happiest time I ever had in my life. Both Ai-san and Issei-san were so nice and kind to me. I recalled the time when they showed me around the town, experiencing all the new things that I never experienced before. Just remembering all the memories we made together made me happy.
Oh God… I know it would be so selfish of me to ask of you, but will you listen to this worthless girl's last prayer?
If only I…
…can have one more moment, together with Ai-san and Issei-san, then…
…I think, I can die, without…
…regret.
As I remained suspended on the cross, I made my final prayer. Not to ask for His help, not to ask for His answer, but just one last wish…
I wish to spend more time with Ai-san and Issei-san together, even if it was just for a short time.
Of course, that would be impossible. But at least, I wanted to hear their voices once again. I wanted to hear Ai-san's voice, saying my name with her gentle, kind voice that brought warmth into my heart. I wanted to hear Issei-san's voice, calling me with his affectionate tone that made me feel happy. I would be happy if I could hear their voices one last time.
"ASIA!"
I jerked my head when I heard a familiar voice. I opened my eyes and saw Issei-san and Ai-san. It was Issei-san who called for my name.
And at that time, the device activated, and I came to know pain.
Heart of a Butterfly
Persona 3 and High School DxD Crossover
Chapter 10: Boosted Gear
The moment Issei shouted Asia's name, the cross-like structure, the one that Asia had been chained to, glowed eerily with a sickly green glow. The nun let out a pained scream as her body was enveloped by the green light.
"ASIA!" Issei shouted. He was about to charge forward, but the exorcists within the chamber stood in his way. "Get outta my way! A-Asia… she's-" His expression twisted up into an anguished one. "Put her down!"
"Issei-san, please don't recklessly charge forward!" Aigis warned, but from her expression alone, one could tell that she was feeling the same as Issei upon seeing Asia being subjected to such torture, which seemed evident from her scream of pain. "These people… they are in our way."
When the glow faded, Asia stopped screaming, and the nun dropped her head lifelessly.
"N-no… No way…" Issei muttered in disbelief. "N-not her… Not Asia…"
"A-Asia-san…" Aigis' eyes widened in shock. She looked at the crucified figure of Asia, and a few images flashed in her mind.
-a lone statue, chained upon a great, golden gate, alone in front of the twisted monstrosity before it-
Aigis shook her head. Now wasn't the time to remember that. Something happened to Asia, and from the looks of it, it definitely wasn't good.
Raynare, who was standing near the cross, walked over to its front, holding out her hands to get the shining object that seemingly emerged from the chained nun, and both Aigis and Issei recognized the object as a ring, Asia's Sacred Gear, the Twilight Healing.
In an alternate scenario, in which Raynare never got her arm cut, she might have been laughing upon obtaining the Sacred Gear that was extracted from the nun, but here, her expression was somber. There was no light in her violet eyes. She held the ring in one hand, closing her eyes before she put it on herself. She put the Sacred Gear on herself, and her body glowed slightly.
"With this… I will be able to stand a chance against that bitch…" Raynare muttered before she turned to look at the intruders. "So… you have come?" She glanced left and right to see one particular woman equipped in battle gears, armed with a large shield and a barbed spear. She scowled upon confirming her absence. "Where is she? Where is that bitch who cut my arm?" She asked in low tone.
Aigis knew that Raynare was talking about Athena. She didn't answer the Fallen Angel as she pulled out her combat knife, holding it with a reverse grip.
"So… you don't feel like answering, do you?" Raynare spoke before she sighed. "Very well." She took off the cloak, revealing the clothes that she wore underneath. She was no longer wearing the straps that barely covered anything, but instead, she was wearing something that covered most parts of her skin. Even so, the clothing she wore still exposed her cleavage and midriff. The pants that she wore, while much better than before, still barely covered anything below her torso. The entirety of her right arm was covered in a crimson bandage, with a few rosaries hanging on it.
Aigis frowned. She remembered Pallas Athena severing that arm. She probably found a way to regenerate it back.
"I will kill you two…" Raynare said, removing the rosaries from her arm. "Before that, I will disembowel you and feed you your entrails." She looked at Issei. "I will gouge your eyes out and crush them underfoot before I force you to lick your crushed eyeballs off the floor." Then, she looked at Aigis. "As for you, I will crush all your limbs and cut out your tongue. Then I will violate you repeatedly until you beg for me to stop like the bitch that you are. Only after that, I will kill you two and hang your naked and mutilated remains for all to see. I am sure that by that point, the bitch who cut my arm will show up, and I will make sure that anything that I have done to you will be much worse for her. I will rape her again, and again, and again until she begs for me to stop. Only after that I will kill her, and her naked corpse will join yours too."
Both Aigis and Issei were taken aback by how calm those words were uttered, despite the audacious threats that the Fallen Angel had given. It might be better if she said those words while laughing and insulting them, but here she was, threatening to do so while having a calm expression on her face. She began unwrapping the red bandage, revealing the arm underneath.
The first thing that Aigis noticed about Raynare's arm was that it was glowing, as if it was made of light. Then, she realized that it was indeed made of light. Raynare looked at her fake arm shifting itself. One could see that the arm that was made of light was trying to retain its shape as an arm, but the constant shifting and rippling on the surface of the arm made it look more like a tendril. It made a sizzling noise as it shifted.
"Tch!" Raynare clicked her tongue as she looked down on her new arm. "Peachy, my ass. This thing can barely be called a hand…" Then, she sighed. "But, I suppose if it can help me take down that bitch, then it will have to do in the meantime." She held up the arm of light, and it suddenly elongated, zooming upward towards the ceiling. When the palm of the fake, elongated arm slammed against the ceiling, she pulled down a large chunk of concrete with that hand before she tossed it away. The exorcists scampered away to avoid being hit by the debris that were produced by the throw.
"A fake arm…" Aigis muttered. From what she had seen, Raynare somehow made herself a new arm, which was made of light, and it seemed to allow her to use it to attack from a distance without using her spear. And from what she could see, the force generated from the arm was something to not be trifled with.
The arm of light then retracted itself, shifting back into the size of a normal arm. She clenched her hand into a fist.
"Now, prepare yourselves, worms!" Raynare bellowed, and her wings exploded out of her back, expanding to their full length. With a mighty leap, she propelled herself forward, charging towards both Aigis and Issei. Her arm of light shifted itself into a blade, and as she was quickly approaching both of them, she swung it down on them, intending to incapacitate them with one blow.
Aigis reacted by pushing Issei away before jumping backward so that the two of them could avoid being hit by the blade. The blade cut through the floor as easily as a knife cuts through a block of butter. In retaliation, Aigis brought up one of her hands, aiming her finger guns at the Fallen Angel.
"Target locked!" Aigis shouted, firing a barrage of high-caliber bullets at Raynare.
Raynare looked at the battle android and her arm of light shifted again, this time taking the shape of a shield, blocking all the bullets that were targeting her. But then, she found out that it was just a distraction as Aigis rushed to Issei's side and scooped him up into her arms before she used her rocket propellers to jump away over Raynare's head as well as the exorcists', going towards the altar.
Gracefully, Aigis landed on her legs right in front of the cross where Asia was tethered to. She put Issei down and scanned the nun, whose eyes were closed. She still could detect heartbeats from her, and she was still breathing, albeit barely. She raised one of her finger guns, aiming to break the chains that had been restraining the nun by shooting them. With precision, she shot at the chains, breaking Asia free. She had done this before, after breaking out of Ikutsuki's control by releasing the members of SEES, who were captured after that madman's betrayal. He had remote-controlled her in order to sacrifice the Persona-users, but through sheer force of will and her loyalty to her leader, she completely overrode the order and defied Ikutsuki, releasing all of them by shooting at their restraints.
"Issei-san, catch Asia-san!" Aigis ordered the boy.
"G-got it!" Issei said. By shooting the chains, Asia started to fall, but Issei managed to catch her in the nick of time.
"Let us escape, Issei-san!" Aigis told the boy.
"A-alright!" Issei nodded, carrying the unconscious Asia with both of his arms. Before they could even leave the altar, however, the exorcists stood in their way, glowing swords readied in their hands. "Shit!"
Being a distance away from them, Raynare shouted, "Don't let them get away! Subdue them! Cut their legs if you must! But don't kill them! I'll be the one who will end their lives!"
"Issei-san…" Aigis stepped forward, preparing her firearms and her knife. "Stand by my side. I will not allow any of you to be hurt." She stood in front of Issei, facing the group of exorcists in front of her. Then, she glanced over her shoulder, looking at Issei. "No matter what, I will protect you."
"Ai-chan…" Issei muttered as he held Asia tightly in his arms.
Just when the exorcists were about to charge to attack the brown-haired boy and the mechanical maiden, a sword suddenly zoomed forward from the stairway that would lead to the main hall, narrowly missing Raynare before it embedded itself into the head of one of the exorcists.
"Wha-" Raynare's eyes widened before she looked behind to see where the sword came from, only to have a shoe sole slamming itself onto her face. "Hurk!" And it happened that the owner of the shoe sole was a petite girl with white hair, and she somehow jumped onto Raynare's face and stepped on it the moment the Fallen Angel looked behind.
Using Raynare as a jumping board, the girl leaped towards the exorcists, while a blond boy armed with two swords ran past the Fallen Angel. Both of them practically rammed themselves against the exorcists, sending a lot of them flying with their sudden assault. The girl skillfully dodged the attacks from the exorcists before sending them away with punches and kicks as the boy used his swords to block and parry any attacks that were sent to him, retaliating by skillfully cutting down his opponents with ease.
"K-Kiba?! Koneko-chan?!" Issei gasped in disbelief. "B-but how-"
"We got an anonymous message from someone, telling us that you somehow got involved in some sort of trouble, in which you probably need to get bailed out of," Kiba answered, sidestepping in order to avoid a slash before he kicked an exorcist away. "So, we ended up coming here," he said with a smile. "And by the way, Buchou and Akeno-san are on their way too. They will be here at any moment soon."
"Y-you guys…"
"Run," Koneko said, grabbing one of the exorcists before she tossed him to the others with a mighty throw. "We will stall them."
Raynare was still on the floor, writhing in pain. There was an obvious footprint on her face, courtesy of Koneko using her as an impromptu jumping board earlier.
"Alright, thanks guys!" Issei said before he looked at Aigis. "C'mon, Ai-chan! Let's get the hell outta here!"
"Understood!" Aigis nodded before they ran to the stairway, going to the main hall of the cathedral. Carrying Asia in his arms, Issei climbed the stairway with Aigis running alongside him. When they finally reached the hall, they rushed to the outside of the church. There was no sign of battle outside, and Scathach, as well as the Fallen Angels who were guarding the entrance, were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were fighting somewhere away from the church.
"Here!" Issei shouted, running towards the nearby forest that was behind the church. That way, even if they were pursued, the trees would stand in their pursuer's way. Together with Aigis, they navigated into the woods, running before they finally stopped.
"This should be far enough," Aigis said. "Let us check on Asia-san."
"R-right!" Issei said before he placed the unconscious nun, letting her to lean against a tree. Her skin was pale and her breathing was worryingly shallow. "Ai-chan, is there something you can do?" The boy asked the android.
"We'll see what I can do," Aigis said before she held out her hand, touching Asia's forehead before the hand glowed.
When Aigis pulled back her hand, Asia's eyelids slowly fluttered open, and her unfocused green eyes looked at both Aigis and Issei.
"Ai-san…?" Asia spoke weakly, looking at Aigis' concerned face. "Issei-san…?" Her eyes shifted to look at Issei, who seemed to be distressed by her condition.
"Asia-chan!" Issei immediately held Asia's hand. "We're here! We'll find some help for you! I'm sure of it!"
"Issei-san is right, Asia-san." Aigis nodded, holding Asia's other hand, trying to give the nun a reassuring smile. "I am sure Gremory-san will help you somehow. You have to just hang in there in the meantime…"
"Ah…" Despite her weakened state, Asia smiled. "I'm glad…" Tears started to gather in her eyes before they rolled down to the sides of her head. "My prayers… My earnest prayers have finally been answered." Her hands that were holding Issei's and Aigis' moved, placing their hands to her chest. They could somehow feel her faint heartbeats as their hands touched her chest. "Thank God… Thank God…" she wheezed slightly, but one could hear gratefulness in her tone. "I finally get to see you two one last time…" She laughed before she coughed.
"A-Asia-chan?" Issei blinked, confused.
"Raynare-san… she took out my Sacred Gear from my body…" Asia spoke. "The… the extraction process would surely kill me…" She smiled again. "Even so, I'm glad…" Her unfocused, teary green eyes looked at both Aigis and Issei, whose hands were held together on her chest. "I'm glad that before I died, I was able to see you two again."
"N-no…" Issei shook his head. "No, stop joking, Asia-chan…" he said in a begging tone. "If this is a joke, it ain't funny!"
"Asia-san… what are you saying?" Aigis asked. "You… you are going to die…?"
Slowly, Asia nodded. "I'm afraid, but still… with you two by my side, everything will be alright…"
"No… please no…" Issei choked back a sob. "Y-you can't be serious… T-this isn't right…" He shook his head, as if in denial. Tears started rolling down his cheeks. "This isn't right at all! P-please…please don't die, Asia-chan!" He begged, crying as he did so.
"Issei-san…" Aigis tried to remain composed, but she was sure that she would break down eventually.
"Don't cry, Issei-san…" Asia spoke softly, letting Issei's hand go as she brought her hand to wipe his tears. "The memories that we made together… the time that we had together… I…"Her cold fingers tenderly stroked Issei's cheek. "I never felt this happy before. I am glad that we could be friends." She closed her eyes, most likely to reminisce the time they shared together. "It was the happiest time in my life…"
Tears unbidden on his face, Issei fished out a green keychain from his pocket and placed it on Asia's hand that was stroking his face. "I-I'll make you the happiest girl in the world, Asia-chan. I swear, I'll make you the happiest girl you can ever be. T-that's why…" He forced himself to grin, despite the tears. "That's why you can't die yet! There are still lotsa things I wanna show you! Let's go to a waterpark sometime! I bet you'll like it there! I bet you'll look pretty in a swimsuit! I'm sure you'll like playing in the water and swimming! I don't mind if you don't know how to swim! I can teach you how!"
Issei closed Asia's hand that was holding the green keychain, holding it together with both of his hands. He lowered his head, letting her knuckle to touch his forehead.
"T-then… I'm gonna introduce you to my buddies! I'm sure you'll like them! Their names are Motohama and Matsuda!" Issei continued. "They're weirdos but it will fun to hang out with them! Once you get to know them, then we can have a party together! We can play games like Twister or Old Maids!" He sobbed. "S-so… p-please don't die… I'm begging you…"
"Issei-san…" Aigis looked at the crying Issei before she looked at Asia. "Asia-san… I know there is something that we can do…" she said. "I will not allow you to die. I… I will find a way. I will make sure of it…" The mechanical maiden found out that her voice was a bit strained, and her vision blurred, for some reason. "So… please hang in there, Asia-san."
Instead of answering, Asia just smiled. Then, she brought up her other hand to Aigis' face. The moment her fingers touched her cheek, the mechanical maiden finally realized that she had been crying the entire time.
"Thank you, you two…" Asia said faintly. "I… I'm really glad to be your friends."
"Asia-san… please…" Aigis begged. "I… I…"
"Asia-chan, no!" Issei cried.
Asia closed her eyes before she let out a soft sigh.
And then... her hands dropped to her sides.
"N-no… no… NO!" Issei shouted. "Why?! Why, Asia-chan, why?!"
"A-Asia-san… no…" Aigis sniffled. "No…" She shook her head.
"DAMMIT! T-this… W-why… Why do you have to die?!" Issei held Asia's lifeless body in an embrace. Then, he looked up and shouted, "God! Why did you take her away?! Dammit! This isn't right at all! She just wanted to be happy! Why did you do this to her?!" He continued shouting to the heavens, mixing prayers with curses.
"I-Issei-san…" Aigis put her hand on Issei's shoulder. "S-stop… just stop…"
"P-please… God, please…" It was ironic for a Devil to pray for God. "Is it because she befriended a Devil like me? D-do you hate her because she's a Devil's friend? If that's your logic, then screw yo-"
Aigis held Issei in a tight hug, stopping him from finishing his words.
"Stop… just stop…" Aigis spoke softly. She didn't bother to wipe away her tears. "This… this isn't what Asia-san would want…"
Aigis held Issei and Asia together in a hug. Issei spoke no more. The only sounds that were heard were his sobbing and sniffing.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of something being cut down. Both Issei and Aigis looked at the direction of the sound and saw a tree falling down, revealing Raynare, whose arm of light didn't seem to look like an arm anymore. It was constantly shifting and rippling, creating countless tendrils that branched out, whipping around as if having minds of their own. There was a fresh gash on her cheek, which slowly faded away in a green glow. Apparently, Asia's Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, had healed her injuries.
"There you are, pests…" Raynare growled, glaring at both Aigis and Issei. Her arm retracted back, shifting back into the shape of an arm. "Do you think you can get away from me?"
"You…" Issei spoke before he let Asia go, placing her body against the tree. Then, he stood up. "You did this to Asia…" There was no hint of hesitation in his sentence. He was stating a fact. He wiped away the last trace of his tears from his face before he glared at the Fallen Angel.
"Hmph." Raynare scowled. "I took her Sacred Gear, so no matter what you do to me, it'll all be for naught. With this new arm and Twilight Healing, you two will stand no chance against me…" She glared at them. "Now, where's that bitch? The one who cut my arm. If you want your deaths to be less painful than what I had promised them to be, you better tell me where she is. Right. Now."
Aigis glared at the Fallen Angel for a few seconds before she stood up, unbuttoning her coat. Then, she tossed it away, revealing her white armored bodice underneath. She held out her right hand. "Harpe." A long-barreled gun with a rectangular casing appeared underneath her arm as she pulled it out from the sea of her soul.
As for Issei, his left arm glowed before his Sacred Gear, Twice Critical, appeared, enveloping his left hand in a crimson, jeweled gauntlet. He was glaring at the Fallen Angel before them as he clenched his gauntleted fist.
"Oh?" There was an amused smirk on Raynare's face. "So you decide to go down fighting, then? Well… I suppose this is better…" Her arm of light exploded into countless tendrils, whipping around and making cracking sounds as they moved. "Now, come and be slaughtered!"
Vali stopped walking as he looked up, gazing at the night sky. He noticed that the moon was full. He continued gazing up to the sky, his hands in his pockets. The man he was following, Azazel, noticed this and stopped, glancing behind to see the young man.
"What's the matter, Vali?" Azazel asked.
For a few seconds, Vali didn't answer. Then, he said, "The moon is full tonight."
Azazel made a curious look before he looked up to see the moon.
"Yeah. It sure is full tonight. Something on your mind?" Azazel asked.
Vali looked at the man he was accompanying before he sighed.
"It's nothing…" Vali answered before he walked again. Noticing this, Azazel also did the same, walking ahead of the young man.
Vali glanced at the full moon again. There was a mysterious smile on the young man's face.
"It's just that…" Vali spoke softly. "It's a perfect night for a dragon to go on a rampage."
"Graah!" Issei rushed towards Raynare, aiming to hit her with his gauntleted punch. The Fallen Angel just swiped him away with her arm, which currently took the shape of a massive cluster of tendrils. Due to the Devil's weakness against light, the moment her arm made contact with Issei's body, he screamed in agony as the tendrils of light burned his skin. He was then thrown towards a tree. "Guh!"
"Fire!" Aigis fired a shot of her Harpe, releasing a high-powered bullet that moved in super speed. The sheer force generated by the shot caused some trees around Aigis to be blown away, and the ground where the battle maiden was standing on seemed to crack. The bullet zoomed towards Raynare, and the Fallen Angel quickly changed her arm of light into a shield.
But the sheer force of the impact caused the shield of light to disperse, throwing Raynare off-balance. Seeing this as an opening, Aigis dashed towards the Fallen Angel using her rocket propellers. Using Harpe as an improvised tonfa, the mechanical maiden swung it down onto Raynare.
Unable to move away, Raynare used her other hand to block the attack. She gritted her teeth, hissing in pain as the sheer impact of the hit broke the bones of her left arm. She immediately shifted her arm of light, changing it into an oversized mallet before she slammed it against the android.
The hit managed to send Aigis flying, but she was able to regain her balance midair, landing smoothly on the ground. Her armored bodice was damaged slightly, thanks to the impact from Raynare's arm of light earlier.
Issei managed to get up on his feet, but one could see that he was injured. He limped towards Aigis, clutching his injured shoulder.
As for Raynare, her left arm was ruined, and her bones popped out from her skin. Hissing, she pushed the bones back into her arm before the arm glowed. Slowly, any signs of injuries disappeared. She clenched and unclenched her left fist a few times before she looked at Aigis and Issei, glaring at them.
"Now, why don't you just stay put and be killed?" Raynare asked, her arm of light once again became countless tendrils of light.
"This is bad…" Issei groaned. "What should we do now, Ai-chan? Can you use your Persona stuff or something?"
"I can, but doing so will put extra strain on my psyche and my body," Aigis answered. "I already summoned Scathach, who is still fighting, so summoning one more will be difficult, even for me."
"Urgh, that sucks…" Issei grumbled. "Oh well. There has to be some way…" He looked at Raynare, whose black wings expanded to their full length. Black feathers scattered everywhere as she slowly advanced towards them, the tendrils of light from her arm whipped to and fro.
"Still, I believe this is the only way…" Aigis nodded to herself. She considered summoning Pallas Athena, the one who had cut Raynare's arm days ago. She focused herself, calling for that one particular Persona from the sea of her soul.
[Call for me instead, Jou-chan. I got an idea.]
Aigis blinked as she heard that cocky voice. She nodded before she summoned a Persona, and her body was enveloped in an azure light. A figure started materializing itself beside Aigis, and the figure took the shape of a man attired in silver armor, armed with a barbed spear not unlike the one wielded by Pallas Athena. There was a cocky smirk on that handsome visage of his.
"Ergh!" The strain from summoning a second Persona caused her system to overwork itself. She could feel her core, her Plume of Dusk, heating up inside her. Steams started to come out from her mechanical ears, headbands, and the valves around her body. Unlike her predecessor, who could use two Personas at the same time, thanks to Death that was sealed inside him, she was unable to do the same feat without overworking her internal system. It was the same like overheating herself after using Orgia Mode.
Seeing that Aigis seemed to be in pain, Issei immediately went to her side. The man who suddenly showed up, however, insisted, "Don't interrupt her, kid. She needs to concentrate in order to keep me and the other one in this world." He flashed a grin at Issei. "Name's Conell Cernach, by the way. Kid, c'mere."
Issei hesitantly went to Conell Cernach's side.
"Lemme tell you something, kid. You and I are going to fight that chick over there." Conell Cernach pointed at Raynare, who was looking at them, confused by the sudden appearance of the man. "You're gonna use this power of yours while I give you time to prepare. Got it?"
"H-huh? W-wait, what are you talking about? What power?" Issei asked, confused. "You mean, there's something that I still don't know about my Sacred Gear?"
Conell Cernach shrugged. "Who knows? Now, stand back. I'm gonna fight this one, so do what you think is right, kid. I'm gonna buy you some time while I hold her back, so do your best!"
"H-hey, don't just give me some vague advice! My Twice Critical-"
Conell Cernach chuckled. "Now, kid. Don't just compare your weapon to a cheap old trinket. It's more than just that, y'know? Gotta go now. I got a chick to fight!" He leaped forward, priming his spear to attack Raynare.
Now no longer being dazed, Raynare deflected Conell Cernach's attack by using her arm of light. With high-speed, the Irish warrior attacked the Fallen Angel from all directions, pushing her back. Even so, Twilight Healing seemed to heal all the wounds that Conell Cernach had inflicted on her.
"W-what…" Issei looked down at his jeweled gauntlet. He didn't understand what the man told him.
His eyes shifted to look at Asia, whose lifeless body was leaning against a tree. Her eyes were closed, and her expression was peaceful.
'I want her back.'
Issei gritted his teeth, lamenting over his weakness. How could he even make a girl happy, if he couldn't even protect Asia?
'That bitch will pay.'
Then, he looked at Aigis, who was trying her hardest to maintain Conell Cernach to remain in this world.
'Ai-chan's… working hard too.'
He clenched his gauntleted fist. Aigis was working hard for the sake of Asia, too. If he couldn't do the same, then he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
He wanted…
He wanted…
More than anything…
"This…" Issei growled. "This isn't right…" The boy gritted his teeth. He knew he was weak. He knew he was just a mere Pawn.
More than anyone…
"I… I can't accept this…"
For Issei Hyoudou, who was weak and powerless, he desired nothing but…
…power.
A Sacred Gear is driven with the power of desire. He still remembered what Buchou had told him the other day regarding Sacred Gears. Even after being reincarnated into a Devil, his human nature still remained, and so did his desires.
And so, Issei Hyoudou desired to change the fact that he was weak, that he was powerless. If he was weak, then there would be nothing he could do for Asia and Aigis. For him who wanted Asia back, and for him who wanted to help Aigis, he desired power.
And power came to him.
[Dragon Booster!]
As if responding to his desire for power, his Sacred Gear made a sound. The emerald jewel embedded on the crimson gauntlet glowed brighter. And he felt it. He felt power coursing through his entire body.
Still, it was not enough.
He desired more power, so the power of this level was not enough.
Conell Cernach continued stalling Raynare. Every wound he inflicted on the Fallen Angel's body was healed by Twilight Healing that she stole from Asia.
'She will pay for doing this to Asia.'
[Boost!]
More power. He could feel more power. He felt like laughing right now. Even so, it's still not enough. He needed more. He needed more power.
[Boost!]
He looked down at his Sacred Gear. His fingers were no longer human-like, but instead, they were shaped like claws, sharp and jagged. The emerald jewel glowed brighter and brighter. There was something etched on the back of the gauntlet, but he cared nothing of it. He just wanted more power.
'Not enough. More.'
[Boost!]
'Not enough. More!'
[Boost!]
'More!'
[Boost!]
'More, dammit!'
[Boost!]
He didn't know how long had passed, and he cared little for that. He had power now. Raynare was still battling Conell Cernach, but the Fallen Angel seemed to notice something was wrong, as she detected a wave of demonic power from Issei.
Clenching his clawed hand into a fist, Issei breathed out. Green vapor seemingly escaped from his mouth as he did so.
"He's-" Raynare gasped before she jumped away from Conell Cernach, getting away from him so that he could focus on Issei. "I don't know what you're up to, but there's no way I can allow that!"
Meanwhile, Conell Cernach smirked.
"She's all yours, kid."
With a yell, Raynare sent an attack towards the boy who was standing still by elongating her arm of light. Shaping it into a serrated spear of light, the arm zoomed towards Issei, and she aimed to pierce his chest to kill him instantly.
And he caught it with his gauntleted arm.
Blinking several times, Raynare was befuddled when Issei managed to catch her attack. "What the hell-"
Wordlessly, Issei tightened his grip on the arm of light, crushing it. Raynare immediately retracted her arm, and it dispersed for a few seconds before it reverted back into the shape of an arm. Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing such a thing happening before her eyes.
"You… will pay…" Issei growled as he threw a glare at the Fallen Angel. "You will pay…" His voice was hoarse and guttural as he spoke.
Raynare was taken aback as she saw Issei's eyes. When the boy glared at her, she saw a pair of glowing emerald eyes, and she swore that they might have been slit in the middle of each pupil. It felt wrong. Too wrong. How could a person have such eyes? Those eyes were too ophidian to be human, or in Issei's case, former human.
In a flash, she could see it. A nightmare given form. A gargantuan figure with a scaly, crimson hide; reptilian by nature. A majestic creature. Issei was still there, but the nightmarish image of such a majestic creature stuck inside her mind, permanently burned inside her memory. She instinctively took a step back as she came to know fear.
"Get ready, Raynare…" Issei spoke, his voice sounded calm. A pair of bat-like pinions exploded out of his back, and he expanded them to their full length. "This is going to hurt."
[Explosion!]
Propelling himself forward with his Devil wings, Issei zoomed towards the Fallen Angel, his gauntleted fist clenched. In less than two seconds, the boy was already in front of her, and before Raynare could even react to it, Issei landed a punch just below her chin, giving her an uppercut.
"That is for Asia!" Issei bellowed.
"Gkh! Don't underestimate me, you pest!" Raynare screamed before she attacked Issei using her arm of light, this time shaping it into a lance. She had ascended a few meters into the air as she launched the attack.
Much to her surprise, Issei caught the lance with his gauntleted hand. Not too far from them, Conell Cernach was cackling.
"This is it! This is what I was talking about!" He cackled with glee upon seeing what had transpired before his eyes. "Show her, kid! Let your roar fill the heavens! Let your rampage shake the earth! Show her the true power of the Crimson Emperor!"
Issei pulled the lance down, and along with it, Raynare.
"And this is for all the troubles you caused for me and Ai-chan!" Issei shouted as he pulled the Fallen Angel down, and when Raynare got closer to him, he slammed his forehead against Raynare's.
"Grkh!" The sheer force from the impact of Issei's head being slammed against hers shook her greatly, shortly making her see stars. She could barely land on her feet, staggering back a few steps. As she tried to regain her balance, she looked at the gauntlet that Issei wore, and the green glow the jeweled gauntlet emanated.
This was impossible! There's no way a Twice Critical could do that to its user!
"T-that… How can a Twice Critical… generate such tremendous power?!" Raynare exclaimed in disbelief.
Conell Cernach, who was watching the battle, chuckled as he leaned himself against a tree.
"Twice Critical? Pfft, don't make me laugh," the Irish warrior spoke. "That is not your regular Sacred Gear, lady." There was an amused smirk on that handsome face of his. "Welp, you gotta watch out for that one."
"Huh?"
"And this is for you killing me!"
With a loud yell, Issei slammed his fist against Raynare's face. The punch was enough to send the Fallen Angel flying, and the sheer force of the punch managed to make her break through several trees as she was sent flying before finally stopping. When she finally dropped to the ground, her arm of light sizzled out before it vanished, leaving only a stump of her arm.
Unclenching his gauntleted fist, with the green glow slowly fading, Issei lowered his hand. There was no look of triumph on his face as he defeated the Fallen Angel. There was nothing to celebrate since he failed to protect Asia.
Aigis, with a strained expression on her face, fell to her knees. Sparks could be seen on the robotic parts of her body, indicating that she had overworked her system past its limit. Issei looked at Aigis and immediately rushed to her side.
"Ai-chan!" Issei shouted, concerned. "Y-you alright? D-don't tell me-"
Aigis smiled, despite the strain, shaking her head. "No, there is no need to worry. The strain from summoning two Personas at the same time had put quite a pressure to my core. But I will be alright once I am done cooling myself down."
"R-right…" Issei nodded. At least Aigis wasn't in any significant danger. Then, they heard the sounds of something being dragged before they saw Conell Cernach, resting his spear over his right shoulder while using his left hand to drag the prone form of Raynare, who was unconscious.
"Kid… you did a pretty good job, y'know?" Conell Cernach said, grinning as he tossed the unconscious Fallen Angel to the ground. "Granted, it's a lot weaker than I used to remember, but the feeling, it's unmistakable."
"What do you mean?" Aigis asked her Persona.
"Jou-chan, the kid here possesses no ordinary Sacred Gear…" Conell Cernach said to Aigis. "Boosted Gear, one of the rarest Sacred Gears out there, one of the Longinus. The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet." He eyed the crimson gauntlet the boy wore in his left arm. "Ah, the memory…" He sighed in a rather nostalgic tone. "It is capable of doubling the power of its possessor every ten seconds. If given enough time, the kid here can even achieve power beyond that of a High-Class Devil. Heck, it can even allow him to kill God if the kid manages to master it."
"A Sacred Gear… that is capable of killing God?" Issei looked at his jeweled gauntlet, eyes widened.
"Train harder, kid. I got a feeling you're gonna go beyond the past possessors of the Boosted Gear, y'see?" The Irish warrior cackled. "Oh well. Only time will tell. See ya." And so, he disappeared.
"That is… incredible…" Aigis said, looking at Issei's Sacred Gear. "Such an amazing power…"
Issei wordlessly looked at his Sacred Gear. A while later, they heard more sounds of something being dragged towards them. Scathach eventually came into view, dragging three prone forms of unconscious Fallen Angels. It seemed that although it took her a while (or probably she was just toying with them), all these three Fallen Angels were soundly and definitely beaten. Dohnaseek got his entire face swollen. Mittelt was also the same. As for Kalawarner, her clothes were ripped apart.
Scathach seemed to have a pleased expression on her face. That expression on her face seemed to have something to do with Kalawarner's state of disrobe.
"Well, here we are, dear." Scathach tossed all three Fallen Angels near Raynare. "The guy and the kid didn't last long, but the woman was passable." She licked her lips in a rather sensual way. "Ah, it's been a while since the last time I got other people to learn the friendship of my thighs."
"F-friendship… of thighs?" Issei blinked.
"It is better if you know nothing of it, Issei-san…" Aigis spoke to the boy. "Scathach, why didn't you just destroy them?"
"Me? Nah, it's not my way." Scathach shrugged. "I'm no Athena, you see? After all, it is your decision to deal your judgment to them." She smiled at the mechanical maiden. "I am you, and you are me, but you don't want you as Scathach to deliver the judgment, but you as Aigis, right?"
Then, Scathach noticed the lifeless form of Asia, leaning against the tree. Her expression changed.
"I'm sorry…" Aigis spoke softly. "I…"
"Say no more, dear…" Scathach said, smiling at Aigis. "It's okay. While there's no wonder I felt disconnected earlier, I don't blame you. Don't blame yourself, dear. If you do that, it will hurt you more."
"B-but… but after everything that has happened to me, after everything that I learned from my previous journey, I…" Aigis said, her voice cracking. "I learned many things! I grew stronger! I understood more about this world and everything around me! And yet…" Aigis looked down. "W-why… why can't I protect something that is so precious to me? I swore to myself that I will protect those that I cherish greatly, and yet… why can't I protect Asia-san?! How can I be so powerless?!"
Aigis shook her head. She knew that she was never powerless. She had grown stronger, stronger than what she could have imagined years ago. But, there was more than just being stronger, and she knew it.
"Asia-san… she told me my name is beautiful…" Aigis continued. "I was so happy. She seemed happy too. I… I wanted to protect the happy smile she showed me at that time. A-and yet… I… I…"
Scathach walked over to Aigis, kneeled in front of her and leaned to kiss her on her forehead.
"There are times when there are things that are outside our capability to handle, dear…" Scathach spoke soothingly. "We will feel useless. We will feel how worthless we are. But don't let it stop you. We may fall, and there are times when we fall harder. The fall will hurt us, but don't be afraid to get up back. Wasn't that your motto before? When we fall, get right back up? That way, by picking ourselves back up, no matter how many times we fall, we can learn more." Scathach pinched Aigis' cheek. "Consider this a lesson for you, dear. Don't let anything put you down. It is alright to cry. It is alright be saddened. But don't let your sadness keep you from standing up."
Her glowing, hearth-like eyes were gazing tenderly into Aigis'. Slowly, Aigis nodded.
There was no wonder Scathach was considered the great teacher.
And then, Scathach dissolved into motes of blue light. A while later, they heard people coming. They were Kiba and Koneko.
"Kiba? Koneko-chan?" Issei blinked.
"Well, it took us a while, and we almost got ourselves overwhelmed by the exorcists, but Buchou and Akeno-san showed up and annihilated them all." Kiba then noticed the somber atmosphere before he looked at the lifeless form of Asia. "Ah…" He lowered his head. Koneko also realized what happened and did the same.
Then, Rias and Akeno showed up. Like Kiba and Koneko, they also noticed the heavy atmosphere. The crimson-haired Devil then noticed the unconscious Fallen Angels on the ground. She knew that it was them who were responsible for all this.
In a normal situation, she might have already stepped forward to eliminate all these Fallen Angels, but here, there was another who demanded retribution. Her eyes focused on Aigis, who then stood up and walked over towards the direction of the Fallen Angels.
Because of them, Asia was…
Closing her eyes, her body was wreathed in an azure light before a mechanical-like creature emerged from the sea of her soul.
She hated this feeling, this ugly feeling. She had promised to herself to live her life as a protector, the one who would protect those who were saved by his sacrifice. And yet, the ugly feeling inside her urged her to do the opposite. It wanted her to not protect, but to destroy.
She wanted them to burn.
"Orpheus."
The white-haired man, the ultimate poet, the master of strings, hovered above the mechanical maiden, his ruby eyes focused on the prone forms of the Fallen Angels on the ground. All the Devils, sans Issei, stiffened upon seeing the Persona, remembering the time when he incinerated the stray Devil, Gremda, with fire many days ago. It seemed that once again, they would see bodies being stripped to skeletons before scattering into ashes.
Orpheus' eyes glowed as Aigis made a mental order to him, but a voice immediately stopped her.
"Stop it right there."
A calm voice spoke. It was filled with authority like no other. All of them looked behind and saw a dark-haired man with golden bangs, crossing his arms while looking at them. Six pairs of jet-black wings were seen on his back. Behind him was a young man with silver hair.
The Devils, especially Rias and Akeno, tensed when they saw the man.
"Y-you're that guy!" Issei exclaimed, recalling the time when he met the man, the man he thought was just a random man who enjoyed fishing.
"Ah, good. Let's not, well… start a fight here, shall we?" The man spoke. Based on the black wings on his back, it could be said that he was also a Fallen Angel, like Raynare and the others, and judging from the number of wings he had, he wasn't an ordinary one either.
Aigis could feel it. His entire frame radiated power and wisdom. His violet eyes seemed to tell how ancient the man was. Orpheus dissolved into blue particles as she looked at the man.
"Governor General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel…" Rias spoke.
The man called Azazel smiled. "Ah, yes, that would be me. And I must say it is a pleasure to meet you," he said. "Well, I'd love to chat some more, and yet there is something I'd like to do first." He looked at the unconscious Fallen Angels on the ground. "I guess I need to bail them out. They're my underlings, see?"
"Y-you… you ordered them to do this?!" Issei asked in an outraged tone, glaring at Azazel.
Sighing, Azazel scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see, I never told them to kill any one of you. Just observe. But I guess they kind of misinterpreted my words." He sighed again. "I would like to intervene, but I thought things will get much messier if we get involved." He glanced at the young man behind him, who then rolled his eyes. "Yep, much messier, indeed. That's why we decided to rely on all of you instead."
"Rely?" Rias frowned. Then, she seemed to realize something. "So… the anonymous message we got about Issei earlier…" She eyed the Governor General of the Fallen Angels. "It was from you, no?"
"Yes…" Azazel nodded. "I'd say I did that so no one would die, but…" He glanced at Asia. "It seems I horribly miscalculated. I was so focused on these four, I overlooked her and the rest of the exorcists." He look down, regret sounded evident in his tone. "So, I would like to apologize for everything that my subordinates had done to you until this point." He bowed. "I will make sure that they will be punished… accordingly."
Looking at Azazel warily, Rias spoke, "And how much can we trust your words?"
Azazel closed his eyes for a moment before he reopened them. "I suppose there is nothing that can back up my words, but…" The Governor General smiled blandly. "After everything that happened tonight, I'd like to keep these four alive. No more deaths."
"She killed Asia-san… She even killed Issei-san not very long ago..." Aigis spoke, her voice sounded a little harsh.
"And you wish to kill Raynare to make things even?" Azazel asked, and the mechanical maiden flinched. "No, I didn't say I'll deny your desire for vengeance, little lady, but… let's just say enough is enough? From your look alone, I can tell you don't want to do this either."
"You…!" Issei growled, stepping forward, but Aigis stopped him, holding out her arm.
"Aigis-san?" Rias looked at the mechanical maiden worriedly.
"This is unfair…" Aigis muttered. "Asia-san wanted to live more… She wanted to be happy, and yet…" Then, she looked at Azazel. "Azazel-san, what will you do to them? What will you do to your subordinates?"
"Like I said, they will be punished accordingly," Azazel answered Aigis' question. "They will learn the consequences of their actions, and I will make sure that they will always remember it. Especially Raynare." He smiled sadly. "This child is truly an unruly one, and as her superior, I wish that you can find it in your heart to look past it and put it behind you."
Aigis looked at Azazel, blinking. That was quite a demand. Not only that she could gain nothing out of it, she also disliked the idea of letting the one who killed two people she considered her friends free, even if she would get herself punished. What would she do? Should she just let her go? Or would she disagree?
What would he do in this situation?
"Just…" Aigis spoke. "Just go." Her tone was soft. "I will trust you to make sure this kind of situation will never happen again. But…" She clenched her fists. "Please let it be known that I am not happy with this."
If one thought about it, there would be no heavy consequences for the relationship between factions if she disagreed, due to the fact that she was an outsider who had nothing to do with the affair among all the factions. But she also knew that it would bring more complications to herself and to those who were close to her, especially if she were to declare herself an enemy to one of the three biblical factions, considering that the Governor General of the Fallen Angels had personally showed up.
Azazel smiled. "Thank you. And yes, I'll keep my word." He looked at the young man who was by his side. "Vali, will you please…"
The young man Azazel called Vali just sighed before he went over the unconscious Fallen Angels and grabbed them by the scruffs of their collars to drag them with him.
"Farewell," Azazel said before he walked away, with Vali following him behind, dragging four unconscious Fallen Angels with him, leaving Aigis and the rest of the Devils in the middle of the forest.
"W-what… just happened?" Rias asked, dumbfounded. "Aigis-san?"
Aigis remained silent as she went back to where Asia was. Issei also was by the nun's side, his expression somber.
Akeno, who was standing by Rias, spoke to her, "Rias, this…"
Rias sighed and closed her eyes. Many things had happened in one single day. She wished that things could just get simpler. She reopened her eyes, eyeing both Issei and Aigis, who were sitting by Asia's sides, their looks appearing mournful. Her hand dug into her pocket, fishing out a small item, a chess piece, red in color.
A Bishop.
"I probably have just the thing…"
"So, what are you going to do with these idiots?" Vali asked, dragging all the four Fallen Angels with him. One of them, Raynare, seemed to have regained consciousness and groaned in pain as the young man dragged her roughly like a heavy sack of wheat.
"Punish them, obviously…" Azazel shrugged.
"Are you going to seal them into Cocytus?" Vali asked, curious. Raynare's eyes widened.
"C-Cocytus?! No!" Raynare cried. "P-please, Azazel-sama! Anything but that!" She then let out a pained cry when Vali roughly tugged the scruff of her collar.
Azazel just snickered. "Nah, I won't seal all of you into Cocytus. Cocytus is just too much, and technically, you were still following my orders, even if you kind of horribly misinterpreted my words. Then again, punishment is still in order, and I'm thinking about using that one contraption that I developed not too long ago." There was a devious smirk on the Governor General's face. "It would be fitting for your punishment."
In a flat tone, Vali commented, "You are the most despicable being in the whole world, Azazel. Using that stupid thing to punish these idiots, that is just so cruel of you, even by my standards."
Azazel laughed. "Well, I haven't tested it yet, so I suppose this will be my chance…" He glanced at Raynare. "And I hope you like maid uniforms, Raynare. Hehehe…"
Whatever the punishment that Azazel wanted to give them all and whatever he tried to imply, Raynare had a strong feeling that she would rather choose Cocytus over what Azazel had in mind.
Asia's eyelids fluttered open.
A while ago, she felt nothing but coldness and saw nothing but pitch blackness.
But it was no longer the case, as warmth returned to her body and colors started to fill her vision.
"Asia-chan!" She then found herself being embraced by a warm hug, with a pair of arms wrapped around her body. It was Issei. "You're alive!" When Asia was able to take a good look on his face, he was smiling, happy tears streamed unbidden down his cheeks.
Then, another pair of arms wrapped around them. Strong, yet gentle arms. Asia saw a pair of beautiful blue eyes, filled with tears, the tears which then rolled down the cheeks of a beautiful visage. "Welcome back, Asia-san…" A gentle voice filled her auditory sense, soothing and filled with warmth.
"Issei-san…" Asia spoke. "Ai-san…" There was confusion on her face as both Issei and Aigis hugged her together. Near them, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko were watching them, smiles on their faces.
A while ago, Rias used one of her Evil Pieces, a Bishop, to revive Asia, resurrecting her into a Devil.
She had been deprived of her Sacred Gear, and yet Rias still revived her. Akeno glanced at the crimson-haired Devil, giving her a questioning look.
Rias closed her eyes, as if not wanting to ruin this moment. Akeno just sighed and smiled before she continued to look at the three, who were putting each other into one big hug, shedding happy tears as they did so.
"Let's go home, shall we?" Issei said.
"Yes. Go home, together…" Aigis nodded, smiling.
Nodding, Asia smiled. She was still a bit confused, but she didn't care at the moment.
"Yes!"
Clutched against her chest was a green keychain, the reminder of the memories that they made together.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Alright, it's me, Prince Arjuna. This is it, the final chapter of the first arc. Like what I told you guys before, this chapter focuses more on Issei and his power. And if you guys are wondering about Raynare's arm, it's actually made of light, just like her spear. To imagine how it looks, just picture Seras Victoria's shadowy arm (her ultimate form, okay?), but instead of shadow, Raynare's arm is made of light. And I'd like to tell you guys that there is no evidence telling us that the reason why the Personas are sentient due to the World/Universe Arcana. And Aigis' Personas are not the same as the originals because unlike their original counterparts, the Personas are just the manifestations of Aigis' other self. Let's just say, Athena is Aigis, whose personality of Aigis is removed and replaced by Athena's personality and memories (and given an appropriate appearance as Athena too). So, despite retaining all of Athena's powers, personality and memories, Athena is still, in a way, Aigis. I hope that will clear things up, because it will be brought up in future chapters.
And thank you for Sorata Shioya for beta-reading this chapter. It is nice working alongside you.
Don't forget to leave some reviews, by the way. In order to keep the author from intellectual starvation, it is essential for him to be given reviews. The next chapter will mark the start of the new arc, which is P3-centric. See you in the next chapter, Chapter 11: Heart Songs.
What I have planned: Nothing to say here. Maybe next chapter?
Prince Arjuna (2014)