Full Chapter Name : Surprises: Danger Emerges and Unexpected Encounters

As the Agent of Aidios came close to the capital, an unexpected sensation rose from his chest, abruptly stopping him in his tracks. The feeling was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but he was certain that it was similar to someone tugging a rope. The man felt as if something or someone was pulling a fraction of his power. It set off alarms in his head as the agent began forming speculations about what was happening to him.

'Rin' closed his eyes and attempted to contact his superior, who immediately answered his call.

"Ciel?"

"Yes, Rean?"

"I don't know how, but it feels like my power is being pulled out of me earlier. At least a small portion of it. Do you know why it happened?"

"There are... a few possibilities I can think of," Ciel admitted slowly, her tone causing the man to raise a brow. "It varies from alternate timelines and worlds, but the most likely phenomenon happening to you is that the Rean Schwarzer of this timeline managed to replicate your original aura signature since you were in the same location as him, causing the other you to unintentionally tap into your power and match your wavelength. Not only that, but your counterpart might have also seen fragments of your memories, even if he doesn't try to tap into your powers anymore."

The information froze the agent from his spot as a wave of nausea and fear washed over him. He could accept his counterpart using a small portion of his power but having access to his memories, even if they were only fragments...

That was unacceptable!

The horrors he had seen, the deeds he had done to save as many innocent lives as he could, and the memories of leaving everyone he cared about...

Rean did not want his other self to witness those events. He didn't show it, but a few of his past missions have affected him mentally. It scarred his psyche and proved his weaknesses, despite having the power to prevent disasters from occurring.

No matter how strong he was, he could never truly save everyone. With all the power Rean possessed, lives were still lost, and casualties were unavoidable. If the agent's counterpart saw his memories, would they affect his being? His mind?

The man knew that his counterpart had his own troubles and baggage to deal with. The Rean of the alternate timeline didn't need the memories of a nameless phantom; those memories would only drag him down and inflict an unnecessary burden onto his psyche.

The man gulped when another thought crossed his mind. "Can he experience my emotional state as well?"

"I cannot say for certain. The likelihood of your counterpart using your power and seeing fragments of your memories are high due to your presence in the timeline but experiencing your emotional state... I am unsure if it's possible." It was the first time this occurred to her agent. Since his previous missions have always ended up in timelines where his other selves haven't been born yet or never existed, Rean never experienced his counterparts unintentionally tapping into his power. As much as Ciel hated to admit it, this was also the first time she had encountered such a predicament.

Rean fell into silence, taking in her statement as the sensation in his chest faded. He felt a part of him return to its rightful place in his soul as he sighed. If the other Rean felt the storm of emotions welling inside the agent, then so be it. The man will deal with him in due time.

"I see. I should have expected my presence would cause something like that to happen, but I never expected this..." The Agent of Aidios poured a small portion of his powers into his feet. And with a step, he flashed through the last distance between the capital and himself.

He darted towards the shadows and blind spots of the Vermillion Capital, concealing his form with the darkness as he traversed the streets. Rean's forgotten memories slowly returned as fragments with each glance of the area. His power made it easy for him to arrive at his desired location as he descended back to the ground, feeling his connection with the spirit veins in the capital established.

His crimson eyes roamed around the ship-filled area with various cargo and crates loaded into the vessels. Rean recognized the port area as Heimdallr port, meaning there should be an underground entrance to the waterway. Still hidden in the shadows of several cargos, the element of time shrouded his body as he zoomed towards the entrance undetected.

"Are one of the areas you detected the threat inside the waterway?"

"Yes. The underground waterway, the underground passage beneath the racetrack, the area beneath Valflame Palace, and the South Ostia Highway are the potential locations of the incoming threat. The flow of time in those areas is somewhat abnormal, and the higher elements are lingering in the area. They are very faint, but I could feel the presence of time, space, and mirage in those locations."

"Four locations, huh? Those areas are mostly isolated, so I'll be able to fight without having to worry about anyone seeing me. Getting to Valflame Palace won't be too much trouble if I use the spirit veins to get there too." Rean held the handle to the door, noting it locked as his eyes shone a dim light of gold. At that moment, the door unlocked itself and opened a tad for the man.

"You've gotten better at handling the other elements, Rean," Ciel noted with a hint of amusement. "I have only seen you utilize time and fire whenever you engage in combat, and I've rarely seen you use the other elements. I was starting to think you weren't planning on using them unless it was necessary."

"Thanks, Ciel. I'm aware that I don't rely on the other elements much compared to the other two I normally use, but I still take the time to train myself in using them efficiently. Besides, using time or fire would leave obvious evidence of my trespassing." His two preferred elements would leave the lock destroyed due to their nature. If he chose to use either of the two, someone from the port would eventually notice the damage on the lock, and unnecessary worry and suspicion would rise. "I know any memories of our interference in this timeline will be erased after completing my mission, but I still prefer to limit the amount of attention I might attract."

"I understand. Considering who you are to the people of the Empire, they will likely mistake you for the other Rean. The contract may have loopholes, but you are right to be cautious."

Nodding, the agent entered through the door before using the space element to forcibly lock back the door.

"I am not saying this to brush off your abilities in controlling the other elements, Rean. Though, you are aware you could have used the spirit veins to transport yourself inside the waterway, instead, right?"

That completely slipped his mind. Well, what's done is done.

"There's no time to regret not thinking about that now. You were right when you said you detected the higher elements in those areas; the way they're flowing inside here is odd. It's like they are... unstable in some way." The man noted, his hand retrieving the blade around his waist.

"Then we must be quick. The sooner we can identify what's causing the disturbance, the sooner we can eliminate it!"

The septium element of time whirled around his figure before blending with his aura, properties similar to Chrono Drive infused itself within him without the need to cast the art. With a single step, Rean covered a fair amount of distance in the waterway.

Continuing to navigate through the course of the waterway, the hybrid's aura sent the nearby monsters running in fear. He went further into the area, feeling the higher elements become more unstable as he got closer to the source. His black time aura faded as he arrived at the origin of the chaotic flow of the higher elements. The instability of time, space, and mirage was apparent in the room.

Eyes narrowed, Rean sheathed his tachi as the space in the room began to crack. A tear began to rip the dimension as the sound of gears turning echoed inside the waterway. With a menacing spark appearing out of nowhere, a rift tore itself open as five golem-like creatures emerged from the tear of reality. Their appearance resembled knights of old, yet it was clear that they were mechanical and robotic in nature. The only difference that differentiated them from machines was that the golems possessed an eerie, almost sinister energy.

Along with the higher elements contained in them, they could be counted as monsters.

"Ashen Blade—" His eyes briefly flickered to scarlet as he drew back his blade; flames flickered to life before being dyed in velvet as the shockwave took the form of numerous winged creatures flying towards the golems. "Thousand Swallows!"

The craft connected, sending a few crashing against a wall. Two of the Temporal Golems managed to quickly recover as they closed the distance between themselves and the agent. With their large arms raised, they channeled the higher elements and condensed them into a sphere. The other three raised an arm before slamming the ground, sending a space shockwave straight to the man, the ground being torn apart because of the force.

"Too slow!" Leaping before the shockwave could hit him, Rean swung his blade around them at an insane speed. The slashes tore the exteriors of their mechanical bodies apart with ease, slicing the sphere of energy in half as it blew two of the golems' arms off.

Not giving them a chance to make a counterattack, Rean took his position behind the golems as his eyes briefly flashed a golden hue. Raising an arm, an invisible force pushed the golems upward, performing a slashing motion before returning his blade to its scabbard as sword slashes made of flames manifested around the mechanical monstrosities. Any form of reprisal came to a stop when a storm of fire bathed their bodies, slowly turning them to ash.

The last of the golems turned into dying embers, drifting away with the gust of wind Rean's aura was generating. Despite the opportunity for a breather, the agent could still feel a bit of instability present in the waterway. As if on cue, several rifts appeared around Rean as the invaders made themselves known as they howled. They weren't the ones Rean expected, though. The shock in his face was brief as he vanished from his spot, appearing behind the new intruders and knocking them away with a horizontal slash.

The creatures were nothing but demonic in appearance. Standing at a size of 180 reges, six demons with pitch-black skin, white eyes, and razor-sharp claws breathed raggedly as they stared at the agent, their long tail with a blade-like stinger attached at the end all swaying in a rhythm. Rean knew their exterior was bulky and tough as Zemurian ore, but he didn't seem worried about that, though.

"Time Devils?! Those only appear whenever there are... Oh goddess..." Ciel's tone dripped with worry. Her efforts to hide the fear in her voice were not enough for Rean to dismiss it.

"Someone or something from the Outer Realm invaded this timeline." Eyes flickering to black, Rean set his tachi ablaze as he assumed his combat stance. "Their bodies have traces of a malevolent aura mixed in, so they aren't rouge demons that tore themselves an entrance to reality."

"I will check on the other areas for the state of their instability while you deal with them. Please be careful, Rean."

"Understood."

The watchful eyes from above disappeared, likely because Ciel was checking the different areas where the threat could appear with her mirror. When the avatar's faint presence left the area, the devils began to growl and circle around the swordsman, claws extending as the scent of bloodlust enveloped the waterway.

The second Rean's muscles made the slightest bit of movement; the demons lunged at the agent with a roar. His tachi went to the back to block the strike before ducking when one of the fiends swiped its claws to the right. Three of the Time Devils attacked from above with the intention to slit his throat. Jumping to confront the three, the last of the demons appeared from behind as it attempted to strike down his back. With his back still turned, Rean caught its wrist as he parried the three claws at his front with his blade before turning to meet the backstabber. His eyes flashed a scarlet red for a moment as he lit the demon's arm on fire.

A roar of agony escaped its lips as the rest of its allies launched their stingers in retaliation. Too bad for them, Rean predicated their assault, using their own kind as a shield before letting go of the demon. Not even a few seconds later, the demonic monstrosity rapidly turned into dust as the other devils bellowed.

"For demons who can see into the future for a few seconds, you guys can't seem to avoid or predict my attacks."

Rean could feel the anger in their pure white eyes, but it didn't affect him in any way. His expression was cold and blank as he raised his sword at the incoming Time Devils. Swinging his blade, a crimson crescent flew straight at the fiends. This time, however, the Outer Realm demons evaded the attack as they crossed their claws together, firing their own energy blast.

Sheathing his tachi, the agent focused his energy on his blade. Utilizing the septium elements with his techniques has always been difficult, especially when applying elements; he didn't have an affinity for. But with practice and time, Rean managed to combine the different properties of each element to one of his original crafts.

"Thousand Swallows: Space!"

With a draw of his blade, a burst of golden flames came out with his tachi as the same bird-shaped energy projectiles from earlier flew towards the claw-shaped shockwave, colliding with his enemies' attack as they exploded upon contact. The devils were ready to rush at the agent when they noticed Rean's Thousand Swallows come out of the cloud of smoke.

They dodged the projectiles effortlessly but soon noticed them halt before changing directions as they flew towards them once more. The devils continued to dodge and duck the swallows, not relenting to their chase. They were too preoccupied with evading the birds that they failed to notice their true prey.

"They won't stop chasing you until they hit their target. I know you can talk and understand me, so I'll only ask you once." His blade sheathed, Rean held the devils in place with the properties of space as the golden swallows approached his foes. "Who's your master?"

"Pathetic... agent... You should know... We shall not—"

Scowling, Rean vanished from his spot as he lifted the gravity holding the Time Devils in their positions, the fiends' movement slowly returning. The swallows crashed against the demon as they blew parts of their body off; another set of roars echoed throughout the waterway. Before they could look for their prey, the sound of an unsheathing echoed in their ears as they looked frantically for the source. One by one, their bodies were dissected in half without them even noticing.

The cause?

Flaming slashes from the Agent of Aidios.

The swordsman reappeared behind the last devil with a swoosh of the wind, who was seconds away from death as he returned his sword to its sheath. He peeked over his shoulder with a cold look in his eyes.

"Return to whence you came."

"Rrraaaaaaaaaaah!"

As it let out its death cry, the Time Devil turned to ash along with its comrades. The feeling of instability of the higher elements vanished as Rean breathed a sigh of relief. Defeating the Temporal Golems and Time Devils might be a win, but the man felt like it was a loss, frustrated because he couldn't obtain any information regarding the identity of the threat. The only clue he currently possessed was the appearance of his latest assailants: Time Devils.

Those fiends were creatures from the Outer Realm, a dimension beyond the Goddess's reach. It was essentially a realm associated with The Beyond, yet it was different enough for Aidios; or those who are associated with her to interfere with their activities. Due to the nature of The Beyond and its denizens, the Goddess of the Sky could not interact with them properly; their laws were like a barrier against Aidios. However, that was not the case with the Outer Realm.

As Rean continued to ponder over the identity of the threat from the Outer Realms, a talk he once had with Ciel rang in his mind after he completed a mission where he first encountered one.

...

"The Outer Realm is a dimension where beings capable of interfering and entering the different worlds and timelines reside in. Most who live in the Outer Realm are demons and golems that have the innate ability to create tears in reality. However, they aren't the most dangerous beings in the realm. Those would be the entities which have powers that surpass the Sept-Terrions and could easily cause chaos to any world they desire if not dealt with properly."

"Is that why you avatars recruit agents? So we could deal with them?"

"Yes. We offer those who we deem worthy a choice, a choice to become an Agent of Aidios. By accepting our offer, they are blessed with a part of the Goddess of the Sky's divinity and power and are sent to different timelines and worlds to eliminate those who seek to change history or cause chaos by changing events of the past. We, the Avatars of Aidios, cannot directly intervene in the affairs of her world. That is why we have agents to assist us with keeping the order and balance of Aidios' world." Her voice turned somber at her last statement, memories from centuries ago being brought up in her mind. "I presume you are aware that you aren't the first to become an agent?"

"Yeah. I found it a bit odd you already knew what I was going to ask and what advice to say to me whenever we talked about my role as an agent. I first thought it was because you're an avatar of the Goddess, but no, it was because you have assisted and guided someone else before, right?"

With a bitter and sad smile, she nodded. "Correct. The Avatars of Aidios have at least one agent to represent them. While I cannot tell you how many avatars the Goddess has, I can tell you that us avatars have guided over hundreds of agents in the past." She stated proudly before her somber expression returned. "However... many of them perished due to being overpowered by the demonic beings from the Outer Realm. Some of our agents have succeeded in defeating a few when they encounter them, but the majority weren't as fortunate."

The mention of the demonic beings reminded the swordsman of his battle against the possessed D∴G cultist. He knew that their aura was strange; it was malicious and dark, not to mention the higher elements were present in the cultist's body. The demonic entity displayed powers that could only be described as otherworldly, even more, disturbing than the presence of Ishmelga. It didn't surprise Rean that his predecessors were defeated by such beings. If it weren't for the boost he obtained through Aidios' blessing and being a hybrid... the grave thought that popped up did not sit well with him.

'If I didn't use that, I would have...' Rean dismissed the thought before it worsened his mental state. "So these beings from the Outer Realm are the main threat; they're also the Agents of Aidios' most dangerous enemies?"

"Correct. That is why I-I... panicked when you encountered one of them. You are still getting used to your new position and were given missions that were, on the surface, simple, yet you were forced to deal with that fiend. I apologize—"

"I told you before, and I'll say it again, Ciel. I chose this life. You have nothing to apologize for." His voice showed a hidden pain, but there was also a trace of assurance and gentleness to it. "I will be prepared next time. Thanks to you and the Divine Knights, I've grown stronger. But I won't allow my new strength to make me complacent; I'll keep training and hone my new abilities."

"...I see. All right. I'll continue to guide and assist you in any way I can in your missions."

"I will continue to be in your care."

...

"I've only encountered those beings twice in all of my life as an agent. And twice I've come out as if I took a blood bath..." He mused, placing a hand on his chest. "If worse comes to worst, I'll have to stop holding back to eliminate it."

In the past, he held back in fear of his ogre powers ruling over him, preventing him from using his full strength. It wasn't the case this time now. Holding back was the only way Rean could prevent unnecessary damage around his surroundings and affect those who possess a weaker aura than him. The man felt a foreboding feeling run through him as if the world's doom was approaching. It was all the more reason for him to be ready to pull out his last resort.

The white streaks-haired man fixed his black cloak before attempting to contact his superior.

"I exterminated the Time Devils and restored the stability here, Ciel. How're the other areas?"

A minute passed, and the agent has still yet to receive a reply from the avatar, his worry starting to grow. Before he tried contacting her again, the divine woman's watchful eyes returned as she spoke.

"Forgive me for not answering as soon as you contacted me, Rean. Excellent work on restoring the stability in the waterway. I sense no more disturbances, so you can proceed to either the underground passage or the area beneath Valflame Palace." Rean sighed in relief when she finally answered, followed by a raise of a brow when she didn't mention the South Ostia Highway as one of his options.

"I thought the South Ostia Highway also had instability. Was the balance in the area able to restore itself somehow?"

"Not exactly, but yes, the balance was restored when I checked the highway through my mirror. That's what I wanted to talk about with you." The surprise that appeared on the agent's face was brief, but it returned after hearing her following statement. "I detected traces of a Stigma in a clearing where the instability was located; I assume it was a Dominion of the Gralsritter that dealt with the problem."

A Gralsritter? On the highway? The new information sparked a return of one of Rean's memories. It was a blur, but he could recall that he encountered a Dominion on the highway, albeit they were still pretending to be a civilian. The man was about to question his own memories when he realized that he was in an alternate timeline. Not every event followed the ones that happened in his timeline.

The full memory was still blurry, but the agent could make out the identity of the Dominion he met back in his world.

'Was Instructor Thomas the one who dealt with the golems and devils in the highway...? No, I can't say for sure. The other Dominions could have done the deed, even the Gaius of this timeline could've been responsible for stabilizing the higher elements of the highway if he was there.'

With limited information to go by, Rean struggled to narrow down the identity of the Dominion. For all he knows, the Dominions of the alternate timeline were different from the ones in his. It was not out of the realm of possibilities. He had to push his speculations into the back of his mind for now. There were still areas that required checking.

"They indirectly lighten my load, so they have my thanks." Even if Rean could have done the job himself, he appreciated the unknown Dominion's help, despite it being unintentional. "I'll head to the underground passage first."

"Understood. I will monitor the instability of the area underneath Valflame Palace then." Ciel received a nod from her agent as her watchful eyes disappeared once more.

Clenching a fist in front of his chest, Rean closed his eyes and connected to the spirit veins of the capital as he scanned for the underground of the racecourse. The hybrid opened his eyes the second he found a spirit vein in the underground passage. His form was bathed in light before vanishing from his spot as he traveled through the spirit veins.

[07/ 09/ S. 1206]

-15:36-

South Ostia Highway

Strolling in the road of the highway, a man with spiky green hair held up a crossbow, a carefree yet cool smile on his face as his companion sighed. Next to him was a light red-haired woman wearing the Septian Church's standard sister outfit, holding the sacred scriptures in her left hand. The woman looked completely normal until someone would look at her right hand, which held a templar sword— a traditional weapon used by the Gralsritter.

Despite their weapons out, the two were peacefully walking through the monster-filled highway as if they were walking in a park. Well, the male looked like he was enjoying it far more than the woman. The redhead was giving him a slightly annoyed look, only for the man to ignore it entirely, much to her displeasure.

They just experienced an otherworldly event a few minutes ago, and the carefree man had remained quiet after everything was over. It was obvious to the woman that the man was ignoring the elephant in the room. While she too felt uncomfortable and slightly disturbed about what they experienced earlier.

Having enough of her companion's carefree spirit, the woman sighed before resting her hand on his left shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Kevin, I know you want to dismiss what you felt earlier as nothing more than fatigue getting to you, but we both know your senses never failed you when it comes to detecting those kinds of energies."

The carefree smile plastered over his face fell as he remained silent. Kevin knew he couldn't avoid this discussion any longer. How could he? The man sensed something he never expected he would ever sense again in those demons and golems they confronted earlier.

Though, it was much more sinister and almost alien to him. The green-haired bowgun wielder felt uncertainty rise within him, conflicted on whether he really did sense his aura mixed in with those monstrosities.

It was just... impossible.

But it didn't matter if his partner's words were true or false; Kevin could never mistake their aura for someone else's.

"Yeah, you're right. There's no point in denying what I felt in those abominations earlier, and I have a feeling it has something to do with the texts that suddenly appeared on the blank page at the end of the scriptures." The green-haired Gralsritter took on a serious expression, far different from his easygoing air from earlier. "Any idea why the higher elements were unstable as hell earlier, Ries?"

The redhead shook her head before taking another look at the holy book, reading the mysterious text on the last page.

Time, space, and mirage gathered in a tower. A sea of chaos will flood the world and plunge the capital of vermillion in disorder, their world suspended, and darkness will devour.

The return of a past evil with power stolen from her treasures. The representatives of the Goddess will be the light to dispel the terrors.

Seven souls contained in a blade of light will transcend to cut down the abyss. The crimson king's hand outstretched to stop the foolish risk, yet the blade was the key to avert the crisis.

Ries had read the texts over and over, failing to comprehend their true meaning. However, there was one thing she understood from the holy texts.

An impending danger will appear in Heimdallr using the higher elements.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. The sudden appearance of these verses was already alarming, but the more I read them, the more I think that there's something dangerous and evil coming... Has this ever happened before? The sudden appearance of new verses in the scripture?"

Kevin shook his head a negative, eyes narrowing in thought. "No. Ein and the higher-ups would have informed us if something like that was possible. Then again, they might be keeping secrets that are too dangerous to share, even to the other Dominions."

Grunting in frustration, the priest ruffled his locks before exhaling his exhaustion. There were certain information the Gralsritter preferred to keep hidden from the entire world, but a majority of those info were still shared among Dominions.

"Dammit... you help Thomas with a small errand and this happens."

"We can't turn a blind eye to this, Kevin."

"I know, I know. I wasn't planning to anyway." His blue eyes darted towards the path leading to Himmel Cemetery. "Come on, let's head to the cemetery. It's faint, but I sense the higher elements acting up there."

Ries nodded at the priest as both of them sprinted towards the cemetery. Both could feel the invincible disturbance coming from below the memorial grounds, the same disturbance they felt when they first arrived at the clearing. The redhead sister was almost positive that the odd instability of the higher elements was related to the latest scripture.

But the woman couldn't help but wonder what the 'representatives of the Goddess' could mean.

The Agent of Aidios had arrived in the underground passage and began his trek to the source of the higher elements. He decided to explore the underground area without the boon of time since the monsters would not approach him due to his divine aura. That wasn't the only reason for him, though. Rean sensed that the higher elements were far more unstable here compared to the instability in the waterway.

If he used any of the higher elements, the man would be assisting in ruining the balance in the area. He'd have to keep himself from using time, space, and mirage until the devils and golems show up.

The agent came closer to the origin of the instability, recognizing the room like the one where a Magic Knight appeared during the Heimdallr field study. The only difference was that there were no Pleroma grasses in sight and no Hercules agent to save.

Stepping into the room, Rean sensed a rift in space approaching.

"Here it comes..."

And there it was, multiple tears appeared out of thin air as Temporal Golems made their presence known to the swordsman. There were twice as many as before, not like it mattered to Rean.

Letting the sound of gear and cogs turning fill the underground passage, Rean pushed the crossguard of his tachi off its scabbard a tad as velvet energy swirled around the swordsman. A burst of time and space energy burst out of the golem-like beings as they disappeared in a blur before reappearing around the swordsman, holding energy spheres with their mechanical arms.

They threw their projectiles at the agent, only for the man to cut the spheres apart with his blade, exploding upon being sliced. Two of the golems launched themselves towards him as he dodged their attempt of a punch, using their large arms as a launchpad to get higher in the air. The rest of them gave chase, flying towards Rean at the speed of sound.

Most would have dodged out of instinct if an attack in that speed approached them, but Rean was confident that they wouldn't even scratch him. Sheathing his blade, the agent removed his scabbard around his waist as he poured energy into the sheath.

As one of them made first contact with the scabbard, a shockwave blew all of them back a few arges away at the same time as Rean pulled out his weapon.

"Moon Flower!"

Left downward, right downward, left horizontal, right horizontal, and straight downward. The brief image of a five-petal flower appeared on the Temporal Golems before they were all struck by five high-speed slashes, tearing them apart with ease.

Falling back safely to the ground, Rean began charging up his aura, blade returning to its sheath as another set of rifts opened.

As the agent expected, three Time Devils came out of the tear in reality, albeit these were slightly larger than the last ones. Rean practically smelled the killing intent and malice coming from the demons. It almost made him gag.

In a blink of an eye, the devils covered the distance between them and the agent, stingers lunging at a high velocity. Rean was fast, ridiculously fast compared to before, but even someone like him could be caught off guard when his opponents would move like that.

The Agent of Aidios was still able to dodge the stingers. Unfortunately, one of their tails caught a part of his cloak, piercing through the strange fabric. It forced Rean to discard the item so he could retaliate immediately. Removing the shadow robe from his person, the agent thrust his blade towards the devil who caught his cloak as he coated the blade in flames. The Outer Realm demon dodged to his right, its comrades backing away as they stared at the man.

Their gazes felt analytical, observing his... face? With the cloak now removed, his assailants could get a good look at his appearance: A black and grey overcoat with a crimson undershirt and a grey belt loosely wrapped around his waist. A pair of black gloves covered his hands and black trousers for his pants with a feather necklace dangling around his neck.

Their pure white eyes stared intently at him, from his black locks and white streaks to his crimson orbs. The look of disappointment and anger that crossed them when they finished inspecting caused him to raise a brow.

"Not the one... not... the one...!"

"False... false... deceiver...!"

"Must die!"

The devils' aura skyrocketed as the stability of the higher elements worsened, winds whipping out from all directions from the pressure. Whatever aura was mixed in them was triggering the increase in power. Before Rean could fully process what was happening, his instincts took over as they threw him to the side to avoid the stingers that tried to stab the agent.

'What the hell... their power increase is insane! And what do they mean by not the one?' Rean was given no time to think about their words as he was forced to dodge yet again from their lethal tails.

His blade set ablaze, Rean kicked off the ground as his eyes flickered to black. The two sides commenced their battle, all of them evading each other's attacks. Confusion ran through Rean's mind when the devils dodged another one of his slashes, he knew their foresight gave them an advantage in battle, but he was aware that they were only capable of seeing five seconds into the future.

Did the strange aura embedded into them improve their abilities?

That Outer Realm being is really becoming a pain...

Rean took a deep breath, sheathing his blade before firing his Thousand Swallows: Space at the fiends. The demons predicted his attack and sprinted towards the man, evading the bird-shaped projectiles chasing them. Rean knew what they were planning. They were planning on forcing his own attack to land on him by expertly moving in a way that would enable them to get behind the man with ease.

If it was anyone else, they might have succeeded. But that wasn't the case right now.

Pulling his tachi back to his left, the flames began to turn velvet as he briefly opened the locked door of his powers. The devils leaped over him, the numerous swallows coming close to Rean as the fiends raised their claws to strike from behind. A ghost of a smirk crossed his face as the agent turned a full 360 degrees, followed by a swirl of hellfire. The flames neutralized his projectiles and slashed through the Time Devils.

"Haaaaaaa!"

His cry was accompanied by the painful roars of the demons, flames erupting from below as the four were consumed by Gehenna's wrath. The intensity of the flames made their cries of agony louder than ever. The pillar of fire slowly died down, revealing the burnt bodies of the demons and the unscathed form of the Agent of Aidios.

Two of the fiends burnt and drifted away into ash, with only one of them alive remaining. The abomination bellowed in anger as its aura erupted once more.

It was on its last legs, yet it refused to fade into cinders. Condensing its remaining power into an orb, Rean prepared to cut it down.

Just as he was about to end it, a voice echoed through the passage.

"Fly, holy spears of heaven!"

The devil grunted in pain as several spears made of space septium energy pierced its back, halting the demon from striking. Its white orbs looked down at the cause of the interruption. Not being given a chance to look at its killer, the demon faded into dust as its remains drifted away with a gust of wind.

Surprise and fear colored the agent's face when his eyes met the identity of his rescuer. There they were, standing in front of the room with their respective weapons out were Kevin Graham and Ries Argent. Both parties' eyes widened for different reasons.

The Gralsritter pair were shocked that there was someone in the underground passage dealing with demons, though they didn't expect it to be the Ashen Chevalier of all people. Rean, on the other hand, cursed under his breath. Unable to cover his appearance, he stood frozen as the agent and priest stared at each other intently.

Unlike the two, Ries did not hesitate to express her shock.

"A-Aren't you... Rean Schwarzer? The Ashen Chevalier...?" Rean subconsciously scowled at his past title but didn't offer a reply. Her partner supplied her with his opinion as he lowered his weapon.

"Last time I remember seeing a picture of him, he had black hair without white streaks. I'm pretty sure his natural eye color ain't red too."

Kevin could sense the suppressed and divine power within the man. He wanted to express his relief since there was no malicious intent around him, but his appearance contradicted the images in old newspapers. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, the Dominion could see some age behind his youthful countenance.

"Then... who exactly are you?" The redhead woman said with a slight glare. Her guard was still up, despite not finding his presence hostile. A swordsman who looked identical; yet had enough defining features to differentiate him from Erebonia's war hero still required caution to deal with. "You have the exact same face as Rean Schwarzer. Why is that? Are you using his face to have your way?"

"Or maybe you're related to the guy," Kevin added, tone far from hostile. "You were about to kill a demon even if I didn't intervene, and you looked like you finished killing off a few of them already. No ordinary person would be aware of their existence and the possibility of them appearing in the physical plane." He stated a matter-a-factly as he closed his eyes.

The agent remained silent as he tried reaching out to his superior through their link. There were no excuses he could give or escape routes to take now that they had seen his face. Rean was capable of easily beating the two, but that would be pointless. He wanted to settle the situation peacefully. When he heard the voice of the avatar in his mind, the agent closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"I-I..."

Notes: NE! Rean/ Agent of Aidios Rean Known Techniques:

Ashen Blade— Flying Helix

- Kicks the user's enemies off the ground and into the air before being struck down by a Helix attack.

Ashen Blade— Thousand Swallows: (Septium Element Variation)

- Unleashes numerous projectiles in the shape of a winged creature, imbued with the septium elements.

Ashen Blade— Moon Flower

- Stores energy into the scabbard to use as a counter shockwave, followed by five sword slashes.

Ashen Blade— [?]

[?]

The image of NE!Rean's appearance- concept art in the Kiseki wiki with the six Reans in one pic, the second to the last one

(Ignore the white hair and pendant and replaced it with black hair with white streaks and the feather necklace.)