Stronger Than Fire

By: Aviantei

Chapter Eighteen

While everyone else in the immediate vicinity was running around in some form of panic or the other, Emília was calmly running through various calculations in her mind.

Years of training meant that she was processing her surroundings on autopilot—the lessening numbers of civilians near the center point of the Illuminati's attack, the flashes of battle as opposing exorcists collided, the estimated level of collateral damage that had happened in the process, the massive Familiar support keeping Patiti's outpost building from complete fucking collapse—but that was just one part of what she needed to juggle and keep track of.

The objective of her mission as passed down by Miss Glasses was to gather whatever information she could about two primary targets: Okumura Rin and Okumura Yukio. Renzo's former friends and classmates, as well as the twin sons and Satan. From a surface level perspective, the older brother would be more helpful for the Illuminati's plans, but he wasn't near as malleable as the younger one. Okumura Rin had great power and resolve.

Okumura Yukio had great power and doubt.

She'd seen enough whenever the boy had been in Inari, when he'd encountered Lucifer. He had skill, sure, supplemented by a little bit of talent and a whole lot of hard work. He was accomplished for his age, having enough mastery of his skills to teach and enough mastery of his emotions to operate as a squad leader. But not in spite of but because of that, he was oh so very fragile.

Push a child like that just a little bit further, and they will break.

Emília hadn't needed to tell their glorious leader anything. He was the head of the Baal, after all, just one rung beneath Satan. Lucifer could see the fragility in Okumura Yukio by only being in his presence for mere milliseconds.

Part of her wished that she could have the opportunity to make that break, but those sorts of things weren't part of her job description. Emília and Renzo were merely responsible for watching out, seeing how the kid had progressed in the past month or so. If she was lucky, she'd have enough intel to make Miss Glasses calm down for five seconds, plus maybe some interesting tidbits to share with Harper and Cyneric on the way back.

Of course, that involves finding the Okumura kiddo first. And if I were an Intermediate First Class in charge of a bunch of Exwire students who are super out of their depth, I'd be in charge of overseeing civilian evacuation.

That much wasn't too hard to figure out—if they had anything even close to resembling time, she would have made Renzo take care of it—but the real trick was tracking down one batch of undertrained True Cross exorcists in a sea of undertrained True Cross exorcists, while trying not to get caught up in any unnecessary fights and with a plus one.

He really does need the experience, though, not to mention the system shock from having to deal with performing well when up against his former friends, so there's nothing to be done about that. All that means is that I can see what he's made of.

"Renzo, dear," Emília said, not willing to give up the term of endearment now that she saw the way it made the tips of the Kid's ears flush, "we're getting closer to where the enemy has setup. I don't have to lecture you about not being caught easily, but I really do need you to be paying attention right now."

To Renzo's credit, he didn't stammer over his words. "Well, yeah, of course I am, I know we need to watch Okumura—"

"Not quite. I mean pay attention so you can keep up."

As much as she wanted to watch Renzo stumble over himself, work was work, so Emília kicked up the pace and slipped out of view—taking up a position atop the many crumbled festival stalls to give herself a better viewpoint. Once she could feel Renzo's presence tagging along after, she muttered a quick aria incantation to make them far less visible to anyone else and went to work.

With all the chaos going on, it normally would have been difficult to find a few people, but Emília's predictions were serving her well. Compared to navigating on solid ground, the extra height gave her more mobility as well as an extra vantage point. The mass of black uniforms made it easy to distinguish the True Cross exorcists as they spilled out of the Patiti building, and the small cluster of kids in matching high school uniforms made it even easier to figure out which area the Okumura twins were going to be in. Once Emília reached the end of the line of festival stalls, she paused, not bothering to assess the True Cross's total numbers and instead focusing on the Cram School group.

Their full numbers weren't there—but since the two intended targets were, Emília couldn't care less for the moment. Even with all the movement and shouted commands of leaders, there was enough chaos that those back at the entrance of the building were having a hard time getting through. Another side effect of promoting people who don't have any real experience…

Renzo came to a stop at her side, sounding somewhat breathless. "Man, they sure brought out the big guns," he said, the faintest traces of concern slipping into his voice. "I didn't know the True Cross cared so much about Patiti."

"All things considered, being an ally with the True Cross is pretty dangerous since the Knights are openly fighting the Illuminati now. If I had to guess, I'd say their Paladin is scrambling so they don't lose any extra support." If Renzo was concerned by her dry tone, he wasn't showing any obvious signs of it. Emília stretched her arms. "Ah, well, we're not here to care about this stuff. It looks like the twins are splitting up. If I trust you to handle the older one, can you take care of it?"

"We're splitting up?" Renzo asked, sounding like a lost puppy until he seemed to remember they were on a real mission. His transition into a more serious expression wasn't flawless, but at least he put forth an effort. "I mean, yeah, I can handle Okumura-kun, but you sure that's for the best?"

"I may be skilled, but I can't be in two places at once if the brats split up. And you may have noticed, but I have a bit of a perfectionist streak. I like to do a job right." Emília grinned, loving the moment when Renzo shivered a bit at the look. She stepped closer, just to enhance the effect. "I could have brought anyone from the Intelligence Division along with me, Renzo. But I chose you. So that means I'm trusting you to be my other set of eyes. Do I really have to tell you how much of an honor that is?"

"No, ma'am."

Renzo's breath tickled over her lips, and she savored it for a second before stepping back. "Glad to hear it, dear. You know the rendezvous point for when we're done. I expect a thorough report, you hear me?"

"R-right! I'll give you the best report ever, so you better think up a suitable reward, you got it, Emília-chan?"

Emília gave him an opaque smile as a way of farewell—and then she set off again, tightening her aria enchantment further so that not even Renzo could tail her. Well, if he had any damn control over that familiar of his, it might have been another story, but that was a moot point. He'd at least have minimal protection from her enchantment for at least a bit longer, and if he couldn't manage past that, then he was a shoddy spy.

And I don't teach anyone to do a half-assed job.

Quickly navigating towards Okumura Yukio, Emília controlled the urge inside her to start humming. It was a bad habit of hers on exciting jobs, but she didn't do half-assed jobs, either. All the True Cross exorcists were so caught up in the movement that no one even considered the concealed enemy spy in their midst. Just as she'd seen, the twins had split up, but the younger brother was still accompanied by Patiti's True Cross Academy intermediary and the Suguro boy—the one Renzo had been responsible for caring about since before he could even walk, the one Renzo still called "Bon" in a deep-seated familiarity he couldn't break away from.

You sure are a glutton for punishment, dear.

Using a line of festival stalls as her runway, Emília adjusted her pace to follow along and spoke another short Aria enchantment to enhance her hearing. With a few modified words, she could hear the conversation between the boys as easily if she were among them.

"Damn, there's so many people!" Bon said, frustration further graveling his voice. "Are we really going to be able to get all of them out?"

"We don't have time to question ourselves like that," said Yukio, which Emília thought was hilarious. She could recognize doubt in someone from a kilometer away. "What matters right now is that we do what we can. I'll hold the ground as a medical standpoint. Suguro-kun, Takara-kun, I need both of you to look for anyone injured. If their wounds are basic, point them along the evacuation route. If anyone is critical, either bring them back to me or send up a quick flare. Prioritize safety of civilians over combat. Understood?"

Patiti's intermediary only bobbed his head once before taking off. Emília watched Bon hesitate for a moment, the boy clenching his fists before shouting an affirmative and running off. Watching a non-moving target was almost too boring for Emília's tastes, but complaining about an easy job was doubtless one of the bad habits she hadn't been able to shake.

Still, setting up your only effective combatant in a solitary location in the middle of such a chaotic situation like this isn't the best strategy. You could instead keep moving and be much more effective getting people in shape. Better yet, you shouldn't have split up your forces; I know the Takara kid has Meister capability, so he's suited to transporting injured civilians, but the rest of your class is pretty unbalanced for any serious rescue work.

Emília narrowed her eyes down at the shape of the boy who had his head ducked down and was making a rather half-assed attempt at setting up an emergency station if she'd ever seen one. What the hell are you planning, Okumura Yukio?

Okumura Yukio was planning on shooting her, if the drawn gun pointed at her chest was any indication. Emília blinked once, her brain taking a moment longer to process what was happening than what would have been permissible in any other fight. But Okumura Yukio was still a child, still a hesitating boy, and that gave Emília all the time she needed to process the glow of his left eye, composed of bright blue flames.

Emília grinned.

"The higher-ups sure are gonna wanna hear about this."

Renzo liked to think that, after everything Emília had drilled into his head over the past several months and all his practice at True Cross Academy beforehand, he was pretty decent at tracking people unnoticed. He'd slunk around the school and the Inari base with equal smoothness and, in time, familiarity. Being on an active battlefield was turning into another matter, though, and keeping up with Okumura's aggressive energy was difficult, no matter how much Konekomaru was trying to reign him in.

I know the job's to observe, but what do the higher ups even want?

Yes, the Illuminati was interested in the Okumura twins as sons of Satan—made sense since their whole goal was to unite Gehenna and Assiah, along with maintaining a body for Lucifer. Despite inheriting a large portion of Satan's power, Rin hadn't deteriorated in the slightest, not like the other Demon Kings. However, as much as Renzo hated to admit it, taking field notes on him wasn't nearly as effective as strapping the kid down to a table and experimenting on him would be, not if the Illuminati wanted to make any real progress.

And taking notes on him saving people won't help much, either, Renzo thought, watching Okumura lift a rock off of someone's arm while Konekomaru performed some basic first aid. Though when I was poking through things, it looked like they were interested in Okumura-sensei, too, which I guess makes sense? I'll have to ask Emília-chan what she knows whenever we get back. The idea of going back to the Illuminati when it was all over came too easily, and Renzo frowned.

He'd gotten so comfortable there that he'd almost forgotten that he was supposed to be a double agent, that his actual place was amongst the True Cross Academy, with Bon and Konekomaru—you know, the family he'd grown up with, the friends he'd made. He was supposed to be working for a world where their cram school class could all just enjoy their high school years, along with the bonus of becoming Exorcists without an all-out war between factions looming over their heads. That was the sort of place that Shima Renzo, age sixteen, belonged.

But did he agree with that idea? Did he think, in the depths of his heart, sitting in a classroom with his classmates around him was any better than sharing a joke with the Lucassens, than the easy atmosphere of teasing Arlie in the Illuminati's Intelligence Division while Emília acted like she was oh so focused on her work, despite the tick of a smile at the corner of her lips?

Renzo didn't know. He didn't think he'd ever known. Because it was about the fun for him, and wasn't serving the Illuminati way more interesting than the type of life he would have lived if he hadn't accepted Sir Pheles's offer? The morality of it didn't matter, the organization he was involved in was just a set piece, no matter its intentions—not when they were made for the same purpose, when it came down to it. Right now, he didn't need to make a permanent choice, because he was still up in the air, a coin flipped up high and dizzy from how much it was spinning.

Whenever he finally plummeted to earth and had to land, which side would it be on?

The thoughts didn't relent, not even as the well-practiced and detached part of his brain kept up its observation (Konekomaru had completed a splint on the civilian and had ushered them off towards whatever safe zone the Knights of the True Cross were keeping, Okumura was already holding up a collapsed stand from a mother and her children), and wouldn't Emília be so proud that he was able to do his job while having an existential crisis? If it weren't for the fact that she'd likely scold him just as much for lack of mental control during a mission, Renzo would have planned to seek out her praise in the aftermath, because, even if she was likely humoring him out of a sense of duty, to keep him in line, the fact of someone, anyone acknowledging his efforts and his alone meant way fucking more than it ever should have.

Well, if they're moving, I ought to get moving, too, Renzo thought, right before the explosion went off.

It didn't matter what had caused it (it did matter; everything mattered; but he didn't have the means to tell what had happened, so, for the immediate moment, it didn't matter, focus, dammit!), but the aftermath did, because there was soon rubble raining down from the sky thanks to whatever had gone off inside the Patiti building, and an unfortunately large piece crashed down in their vicinity, disrupting Renzo from his perch as something hothothot raced across his skin, and he crashed down on the ground, just short of cracking his head open on the asphalt.

The next few seconds were devoted to a rough mental inventory—all important body parts uninjured, only minor scrapes that were negligible—and getting the hell back on his feet so he wasn't vulnerable, just in case there was another source of danger approaching.

Which would have been preferrable to—

"Shima-kun? Is that you?"

Konekomaru, it was Konekomaru's voice that had spoken, and Renzo thought he'd half dreamed it, but no, his long-time friend was staring at him—no, not at him, but at the black flames burning around him, Yamantaka having activated without Renzo's permission whatsoever, giving him away, even as Emília's spell held true.

He'd been found.

Excitement was a rare thing, but it hadn't always been that way. The memories were still clear, the initial thrills, both mundane and non-mundane alike. In particular, the act of deception brought such wonderful feelings with it, and that was still true, even now, whenever there were so little opportunities to experience it.

One day, it would all pay off, and that rush would come with it, but it wasn't anywhere close to the time for that. To even let herself look forward to such a thing would only make it all the more unbearable that she wasn't enjoying things the way she wanted to.

That was why moments like these were wonderful. It was the worst habit of all, of enjoying the moment when things didn't go according to plan, because then there was improvisation, there was the thrill of having shit hit the fan and still making it out okay, all objectives met.

(She couldn't help but wonder if he felt this way, too, or if it was just her. Maybe, when it was all said and done, she would ask—except she wouldn't, because that wasn't how things were supposed to be.

It was still nice to imagine, though.

Now—

—which way would this go?

[Author's Notes]

Hey, look, we're actually sneaking in an update here. Happy anniversary, Stronger Than Fire.

Thanks to Yuudie, NoxNightKing, natsukashii-higeki, dawn08, and JuliaDaria (Guest) for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Apologies for not dropping this chapter during last year's holiday update. I wanted to have it ready, but I realized getting it prepped in time would involve rushing it, and I didn't want the quality of the chapter to suffer. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoyed this update!

I don't have too, too much to add to the notes this chapter other than to say that the next chap is complete, so you can look forward to that during this year's holiday updating spree! Also I have a Kimetsu no Yaiba fic now, called walk steady on this cruel world's path with weekly updates that I'm proud of, so go check it out if you're interested!

Next chapter will drop on December 31! Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[11.05.2021]