[A/N: Nothing much, just changed Haru's drip. It didn't look right in my head. View the last bit of the last chapter fi you want to check.]
Bell Cranel
8:00
"Code names? Why would we need those?"
"Simple, we need a way to avert the blame from ourselves. Things are going to get very complicated, and I will have to perform morally dubious acts for the sake of survival and the like." I explained, peeking around the corner to check for any roaming demons. "You wouldn't want people demonizing you for what you've done or who you associate with."
"That… doesn't sound half bad now that you word it like that." She remarked, trailing behind. "Hmm… we've been headed in one direction for a quite a while now, any reason as to why?"
Seeing as there was nothing, I stepped into the road. "If someone were to sell something where would they do it?"
Poising the question, a confused look over came Haru's face. "Don't see why you'd ask that when you could easily ask a child that and get the same answer. Surely enough, they'd go to somewhere populated, a congregation of people who need the seller's product. …Somewhere like the cultist's safety and relief centers." She pieced, turning to see my reaction.
"Exactly. We're going to the largest one, Tokyo Tower. Even if nothing is found, there still exists information yet to be discovered. We might also find where his or her whereabouts are." Checking the last corner, we finally reached where I wanted to be.
There were rows of tents lined up, with people lying tired within them, all crestfallen by the events of the previous day. In the background were a few shipping containers, likely the same ones that were flown in via helicopter.
For lack of a better term, people looked miserable. Demons had suddenly broken up their sense of normalcy, and the government hasn't done anything major for the most part. Things will only get worse from here depending on the outside's urgency to take action. This might not affect me in a large capacity, but the common folk will suffer, and suffer hard at that.
Soon, law and order will be replaced by chaos and anarchy if someone doesn't take the reins. And that's where the Shomonkai come into play. Giving support to the weak and helpless, they have quickly rose in the public's perception. With how they structured this, it's almost like they instigated the lockdown. Though, that isn't something I'd put passed them, given how they have a high-ranking angel inhabiting a priestess' body.
Speak of the devil, here she is right now, surrounded by a crowd of cult members, with several deities floating from on high, hovering above a cheering audience of sheep.
"This is the trial of God imposed upon mankind. And in all of his everlasting wisdom, he has reach out to a select few who believe in him!" A man on a moveable podium preached, spreading his arms wide as if to envelop them in divine light. "We in the Shomonkai are messengers of our Lord. Please, believe us. We will overcome this trial together!"
Is that… Hey! It's those guys again, wonder what happened to them in the time were a apart. Huh, they also seemed to have noticed us, or more specifically, the person accompanying me. To be fair, if we were to compare our appearances, it would be night and day, there was no hope in me winning something like that.
"Oh, my, God! It's Haru!" Yuzu shrieked, as a subtle twitch running through the priest's ear.
"I think we're going to have to run." I notified the lady next to me, as more and more people gathered around, wondering what the commotion was about. "Or at least return at a better time, perhaps with Izanami as the base?"
"Sure, but shouldn't you at least have some sense of urgency? You're taking all of this a little too lax, don't you think?" She asked, progressively raising her voice as we paced backward, turning into a full sprint after gaining some distance.
Summoning Napaea and Lilim, we each got on their back, quickly flying off onto a random roof for cover.
"That was pretty sick. Hey Bell, we should do that again sometime." She commented, resting her back against the edge. "I don't think I've ever flown that close to the ground before.
"Hmph. Things would have gone much smoother if it weren't for you trying to fiddle around with my balls! And you expect me to keep balance after all of that? Seriously, the nerve." Napaea grumbled, pouting as she crossed her arms.
"Perhaps you're simply jealous that master didn't ride you? Don't worry, you can ride me all night long~." Hearing the innuendo, everyone simultaneously groaned, before entering a short-lived fit of laughter, passing around insults like a game of hot potato.
"On a more somber note, I need a better visual on the park. One of the buildings around the rim will do just fine. However, someone has to go down there and find what we are looking for. Haru, let Izanami take over, the change in hair color, as well as the removal of the jacket should do just enough to trick everyone of switch." I ordered, stepping off Lilim as the girl let out a tired sigh. "Follow us after five minutes, that should be enough to make us less suspicious."
With everyone in agreement, we left. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt over to our destination. Peeking over the edge, there were several stalls littering the streets like those tents from earlier. They all mostly sold the same thing, some regular convenience store items such as food, drink, alcohol, etc. While others sold less conventional products, gadgets and gizmos, toys for children, electronic parts, and finally, mistletoe.
Lucky to find it here and not somewhere else obscure. Really, out of all the spots I could have picked, it just so happened to be this one.
Though there was one minor problem.
A number of people have been cleaning through the store at random, making damn sure to take any piece of devil's fuge available at the time. And with the minutes ticking by, I formulated a plan to claim even a single portion.
"Izanami?" I called out as Haru's features rapidly changed.
"Yes? You need me for something?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I need you to follow anyone that goes into that stall." I pointed out, directing our attention over to a man who bought another mistletoe.
"Oh? And pray tell, what has it done he done to bring upon your wrath? A potential rival in the war? Or maybe something more personal?" She wondered in an amused tone.
"Nothing much." I plainly replied. "We seem to have forgotten the funds to procure such product. I just thought it would be easier to simply steal it from someone who already stockpiled a mountain's worth of the item."
"Hmm, if you really must, then I should see to it that this person loses his privilege to own such." She promised, an ethereal energy weighing down on my body as she swiftly disappeared from my vision with a flash of lightning.
When? How? I want that!
Pushing those thoughts aside for a moment, my brain quickly took in the ramifications of her actions. Impulsive thinking was something I knew very well, to the point where I can predict the outcome to a rather poor decision.
Peering off the roof's edge once more, I watched as a trail of lightning zip from one corner to the next, moving faster than I could even track, a dizzying array of blue moving silently. Bidding Lilim to retreat into the COMP, I requested for Napaea to discreetly drop me in a nearby alleyway, clear from any wandering eyes.
With the other group's path memorized in my head, I took a quick detour towards the end destination, cutting the observed time it took for them to pass to a fourth of the original thanks to my enhanced physiology. Surprisingly, I managed to make it ahead of the goddess, seeing no one other than the group that had setup here with a stack of mistletoe.
A feeling of awe had me marveling at its size, until the realization of the number of lives they could have stripped if not for my intervention hit me. Tens? Hundreds? Thousands, maybe even millions would fall the Beldr's rampage if the demon sealed within the priestess is anything to go by.
My eye brows furrowed in disgust as my mood soured. This line of thought only reinforced my role in the conflict, further pushing the idea of taking ever advantage I could ever those who literally towered over me in power.
Eventually, they finally noticed my presence in front of the entrance of their humble abode, and with it being the only exit as well, things were going to be messy. Taking the dagger out of it's sheath, I laid out the options that would dictate their lives in the coming seconds.
"You can either hand over the Devil's Fuge, or you can die by my hand. All of you will be given thirty seconds to come to a decision, if you do not use this time wisely then consider yourselves dead men and women."
The responses were quite mixed. Some voiced their shock, while others contested my threat, telling me to go back to my mom before they ripped me a new one.
Fair enough, I did just barge in without explanation as to who or what I was. And the lockdown has only gone on for a day, so you can't expect people to have adapted to their new situation, if at all to any capacity.
"And why should we listen to you! (Yeah tell him senpai!) We have weapons, the real shit, not some cheap toy from off the streets. (Kill that pussy!) Now, run back to your mommy like the little bitch you are! (Fuck that guy!)"
Hearing remarks come from one of the guys in the foreground, a sigh left my lips, knowing what would happen next if I or someone else didn't take charge of the situation.
"Now, now. We aren't total savages, correct? Let's hear out his request for a moment, come to a middle ground of sorts before resorting to violence. Besides, we have plenty to spare." A calm and composed voice stated as the rest of the group parted like the red sea to reveal a man in a very fashionable suit. "Go on, the stage is yours to command. What are your demands?"
[A/N: Holy shit, it's actually updating? Maybe. I've had this chapter in my backlog for so long. I even planned out how everything was supposed to go. Then, poof! Nothing came of it.]