Chapter 19: The Fallen Exorcist

Allen, who stands atop the main topmast of—Black Order supporters—Anita's ship, watches in horror as countless Akuma flying toward them. Then, Allen looks down at the screw and begins to alert them.

"EVERYONE! AKUMA ARE COMING!" Allen shouts.

Everyone faces the direction in where the Akuma are swarming from and their eyes widen.

"SO MANY!" Anita exclaims.

"PREPARE FOR AN AMBUSH!" Mahoja orders. "ALL HANDS, GRAB A WEAPON!"

"UUUH," Krory groans in pain as his teeth begins to sharpen. "My teeth ache..."

"INNOCENCE ACTIVATE!" The Exorcists exclaims.

They quickly prepare for battle, a few Akuma getting destroyed as it comes into reach, but the group stops when those who survive fly past them.

"What...?" Allen asks as he watches the swarm.

"What are they doing?" Lavi asks. "They're passing over the ship...!?"

"Why?" Alice says as she looks around in confusion.

"UHG!" Allen grunts as he is snatched up by an Akuma.

Alice turns around and her eyes widen. "Allen!" She shouts.


In the sky

"Well, look what we have here!" Wasp (Akuma) exclaims in ecstatically. "It's an Exorcist! I figured as mush from all the black he's wearing."

"Really! You got good eyes!" No Eyes (Akuma) remarks. "It isn't our job to catch him! Throw him aside!"

Wasps chuckles. "Don't be so harsh. Maybe you envy my chance to kill this guy?"

"Let me take his right side!" No Eyes shout as it realizes why Wasp caught him.

"No way!" Wasps refuse.

Wasp and No Eyes begins to squabble about who gets to kill Allen.


On the boat

Lavi notices that Allen has been caught.

"ALLEN!" Lavi shouts, then commands Iron Hammer to grow.

"A–H!" Butterfly (Akuma) appears behind Lavi. "ANOTHER EXORCIST IS HERE!"

"What is it?" Bee (Akuma) asks as itself, and some other Akuma, surrounds Lavi.

"OH, AWESOME!" Mask (Akuma) says in excitement. It then looks down at the boat, finding Anita—who quickly looks at Mask in surprise. "There's a human here!"

Mask dives down for Anita, but she fends off Mask with a talisman.

"Don't underestimate me!" Anita says.

"YOU BASTA—RD!" Mask shouts in anger as it charges at the talisman's barrier. "THAT SEAL COULD ONLY STOP A LEVEL TWO!"

"AND IT ALSO LEAVES YOU OPEN FROM THE BACK!" Creepy Baby (Akuma) adds as it appears a few feet behind Anita.

Barely making it, Mahoja saves Anita by kicking Creepy Baby away. The burly woman stands behind her Mistress, alert for any more Akuma and exhales loudly.

"I won't let you touch the Mistress." Mahoja says as she gets into a combat-like stance.

Both Anita and Mahija prepares to try to stave off the attacks from Mask and Creepy Baby. Suddenly Anita's talisman barrier breaks.

"DIE, HUMAN!" The two Akuma screams.

In the harbor

"This is...!" Lenalee says as she looks up and watches in horror as the swarm of Akuma fly overhead. "What a swarm... Where in the world are they going...!?" Her eyes widen as she suddenly hit by Timcanpy. "Timcanpy! You surprised me! What is it? Why..."

"Lenalee!" Alice calls as she lands on the ground in front of Lenalee.

"Alice? What—"

Before Lenalee could ask her a question, Timcanpy uses its small hands to point up at the sky. Lenalee looks to where Timcanpy is pointing to and her eyes widen when she realizes who the golem is pointing at.

"GYAHN!" Wasp cries as it destroys.

"DESTROY THIS GOD DAMN EXORCI- AAH!" Centipede (Akuma) yells. Allen had blasted off a few of its "legs" with Cross Beta. He then destroys Centipede and just as he attempts to destroy more Akuma, he ends up wrapping in Slime's (Akuma) grasp.

"Ugh..." Allen groans as Slime's grip tightens.

"Heh heh heh... Don't think I'll let you go. You're mine now!" Slime says. "KILL..."

Just as Allen is about to be crush to death, Lenalee arrives and saves him. Slime is then destroys by her Dark Boots and Allen falls.

"ALLEN!" Lenalee calls and extends her hand to Allen. The two lock hands in mid-air. Suddenly, the sounds of rumbling startle the two Exorcists.

"IT HAS EMERGED!" An Akuma shouts from the swarm.

Off to the side, a giant form appears. The Exorcists, both on the ground and in the air, looks over to see a giant headless, armless torso.

"What is that...!?" Allen asks out loud.

"GOOO—! KILL IT!" An Akuma shouts as the swarm charges at the giant form.

Lenalee and Allen are caught up in their charge which causes them to loosen their grip on each other.

"Ah..." Allen says as he falls. "LENALEE!"

Lenalee turns her back to the giant torso-like form and release her Dark Boot's special ability.

'Innocence: Level Two—Keirui—Onkyou no Tougi: Otokase!' Lenalee thought. 'Sound is made by surge in the air—using the surges of air as a foundation is the basis of 'Otokase'. TO REACH THE SPEED OF SOUND!'

Lenalee appears in front of Allen and takes his hand. She then takes him to safety.

"You... you're fast, Lenalee." Allen remarks as he faces Lenalee. "Sorry," He apologizes. "Are you all right?

"Yeah," Lenalee replies with a smile. "But..."

Suddenly, sounds of an attack echoes throughout the surrounding area. Lenalee and Allen turn and face the giant form. Their eyes widen in disbelief as they watch the swarm of Akuma attacking giant torso-like form.

"It's being attacked...!?" Allen points out. "It can't be! The Akuma came to attack that white thing...!?"

"THAT'S..." Leenalee exclaims as she sees an upper body—of someone she knows—sticking out of the giant form's chest. "Suman...!?"


"Fallen into the fall again..."


"Ah..." The female Exorcist says as she covers her ears with her hand.

Suddenly, Lenalee screams and falls to her knees. Allen turns his attention onto her and calls out her name. At the same time. Alice comes running toward them with Timcanpy at her side. Her eyes widen as she sees the state Lenalee is in.

"Lenalee? Hey, Lenalee!?" Allen calls as he reaches for Lenalee.

When Allen's hand come in contact with Lenalee's hand, she stops screaming.

"Lenalee...?" Alice calls as she kneels down on the ground. "Are you all right?"

Lenalee didn't respond. Allen and Alice exchange glances. Then they turned their attention back onto Lenalee when she begins to speak.

"Fallen into The Fall..." Lenalee mumbles. "Fail... to become... a disciple..."

"Fallen into The Fall...?" Alice repeats in confusion.

"Fallen into The Fall is..." Lenalee begins. "When a person's synchronization rate with the Innocence falls below zero... When a 'Non-Compatible' forces itself to synchronize with the Innocence... it happens... 'The Fall' is the sin of a person who it not a disciple yet tried to synchronize with God... Is now prohibited... But... I've seen experiments at the church. Experiments to make an Exorcist..." She explains as she clenches Allen's sleeves tightly. "That's why I know that figure... But why...? If Suman is a Compatible, then why has he fallen into The Fall?" Lenalee asks. "SUMAN!"

Suddenly, beams of light begin to come out from the armless stubs on Suman's Fallen One torso. The body starts to spin around and the beams of light create a massive explosion, completely vaporizing the Akuma that had been amassing toward it. Allen, Alice, and Lenalee barely withstand its attack.


~Back on Anita's ship~

Lavi breaths heavily as he destroys an Akuma with Iron Hammer.

"What's going on...?" He asks as he looks up at the sky. "The sky over there... Why is it so red...!?"


In the valley near the Giant Torso

Still destroying his surroundings, Suman screams out.

"Suman had the same Parasitic-Type Weapon that you have, Allen." Lenalee explains. "I heard that when he went with the General Socalo Group, his whereabouts have been unknown since the attack. The reason that all the Akuma appeared... might be because they know that he fell into 'The Fall'."

Allen grabs Lenalee's hand and dodges the attack; Alice following close to them.

'He's destroying everything in sight! If this continues...' Alice thought as she looks at Suman.

"... We have to help..." Lenalee says quietly, then looks up at Allen. "We have to help Suman!" Allen stares at Lenalee quietly and releases her hand. "The experiment I saw at the church... I've asks Helvaska persistently, but she never told me anything about it. That boy who fell into 'The Fall'... I don't know what happened to him..." Tears begin to form in Lenalee's eyes as she speaks. "I don't know anything..."

Meanwhile, in the sky, the remaining Akuma stay their distance as they watch Suman.

"Just as the Earl said, he's trouble." Cape (Akuma) says. "But we're taking the Innocence! There are plenty of us!"

Suddenly, a destructive tornado appears toward Suman.

"Enbu: Kirikaze!" Leenalee shouts.

The three Exorcists fly toward Suman—with the help of Leenalee's Dark Boots—and lands on the white torso's chest, near where Suman is.

"Suman!" Lenalee calls as she reaches for Suman.

"Wait! Lenalee! You shouldn't step into this hole—" Alice warns, but Lenalee refuse to listen.

"Suman! It's me! Lenalee! Do you understand!? We're going to save you now!" Suman doesn't respond. "Suman?"

Suddenly, a little girl emerges from the space next to Suman, startling everyone. The little girl looks at Alice with tears.

"Help..." The little girl pleads as tears stream down her face. "Mom... where are you...? Help m..."

Slowly, the little girl begins to sink back inside and Alice reaches for her, pulling the little girl out, but her hand comes in contact with the part of the Fallen One that Suman is closest to results in her being sucks in. Lenalee, who is closest to her, reaches for Alice, but instead, Alice hands the girl over to her.

"Take her..." Alice says before she is sucks into Suman's body.

"ALICE!" Allen and Lenalee shouts as Alice's hand disappears into the white torso.


Inside of Suman's body

Alice begins to scream as she is wracks with pain and under heavy assault by Suman's memories.

'Suman's emotion are coming into me...' Alice groans.

"AAH... STOP...!" Alice shouts as she holds her head. "My head is going to get crushed... STOP!"

"Dad..."

Alice hears as tears stream down her cheeks.

"Suman... You..." She mumbles as she hears Suman's coherent thoughts.

'I don't want to die... I don't want to die...'

Alice suddenly remembers what Leenalee said.

"You... stop fighting and... asks for mercy... from an Akuma..." Alice says. "You betrayed the Innocence..."


~Meanwhile~
Outside of Suman's body

Both Allen and Lenalee are staring at the spot where Alice disappears under.

"Alice..." Allen says.

Lenalee grits her teeth in frustration as she is unable to help Alice. Suddenly, she feels the child's breath no more and turns and looks at her.

"This child... she's not breathing...! I need to perform CPR..." Lenalee realizes as she turns to Allen, opening her mouth to call out his name until the Akuma begins to attack once more. "Akuma!"

"TAKE THE INNOCENCE!"

Both Lenalee and Allen dodge the attack from the swarm of Akuma.

"Allen!" Lenalee calls as she lands somewhere on the white torso's body. "I'm leaving Alice to you! This girl... she's not breathing and I can't save her here!"

Allen lands on where Lenalee is before the Akuma attack and faces her. He then nods in response and in a flash, Lenalee is already heading down. But, just as soon as Lenalee leaps off the white torso, it begins its destruction on its surroundings once more.


Inside of Suman's body

Alice suddenly opens her eyes.

'This feeling... He used that energy wave to destroy the Akuma again!' Alice thought to herself as she suddenly sees an illusion of screaming faces.

"This is..." Alice says as she looks around. "Screaming...? Is Suman screaming...? He's in pain...?"

Realizing Suman is in intense pain, Alice also realizes something else.

'Wait... Suman's mass energy of destruction... it isn't normal. Is the Innocence slowly eating away at his like and shooting it out?' Alice thought as she thinks back on what Lenalee had said.

"That boy who fell into 'The Fall'... I don't know what happened to him"

"Doesn't know... the Innocence is..." Alice says aloud as everything slowly clicks in places. Her eyes widens in shock. "The Innocence is... The Innocence is trying to kill him!? Punishing the criminal... just like God."

Angered, Alice activates Silver (twin swords form).

"Don't do it... Stop..." Alice begs as she holds Silver up, preparing to swing. "STOP IT, INNOCENCE! Don't kill..." She swings both swords and the place where Silver touched begins to light up. "...OUR FRIEND!"

Suddenly, the area that Alice is trapped is shatters and she covers her face with her arms. She opens her eyes and sees Suman's parasitic arm.

"Suman's Innocence...!?" Alice thought as she reaches for it, but is pushes away.

Instantly, Alice is ejected from Suman's Fallen Once form's body. She stares at Allen with wide eyes and he reaches for her as he calls her name. Alice reaches for Allen's hand and grabs a hold of him. Allen pulls Alice in and gives her space to stand. He faces and sees something wrong. Alice quickly thanks him and moves her attention onto Suman's human body.

"SUMAN!" Alice calls as she moves closer to him. "Try your best to stay alive! I'll help you out right now..."

Just as Suman is about to speak, he screams in pain and hacks up blood which splatters on Alice's face. She wipes the blood on her eyes with her sleeves.

"Who is it...? Who's there? Who is it?" Suman asks and Alice smiles a bit when she hears him speak.

"Suman...!" Alice calls.

"Be cursed... Be cursed..." Suman mumbles repeatedly at Alice, who is surprise to hear what he's saying. "God, Apostles, and everything else, be cursed...! Everything be destroyed!"

As Alice is struck with shock and is unable to believe what Suman is saying. Allen notices that Suman's Fallen One form begins to descend toward a village. Allen curses in his head and faces Suman.

"SUMAN, STOP!" Allen shouts as he moves next to Alice and activates Cross.

He grabs onto something, using Cross and uses his right hand to pull Suman as well. Alice snaps out and sees Allen tugging on Suman's human body. She then begins to try to free Suman as well.

"GYA—H!" Suman screams. "Stop... You Exorcist bastards! DIE!"

"I'm sorry, but if this goes on you will destroy that village...!" Allen informs. "I won't let you do that! Haven't we been fighting to protect people!?"

Suddenly, Suman chomps down on Allen's right hand and Allen groans in pain.

"Shut up..." Suman says as he bites down harder.

'Damn... what strength...' Allen thought as he clenches his teeth tightly.

"Allen!" Alice calls worried.

"Don't worry about me... keep pulling...!" Allen says. Alice nods as she faces Suman.

"Please open your eyes!" Alice shouts. "SUMAN! I WILL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU FROM THE INNOCENCE! SO, PLEASE STOP! YOU CAN'T SACRIFICE THEM! PLEASE TRY!"

"DIE!" Suman says, gnawing on Allen's hand even harder. Allen clicks his tongue.

"The more you destroy, the more your life will be eaten away..." He says as both crunching and cracking sounds can hear.

"DIE!" Suman repeats.

"Please try your best, Suman." Alice begs. "I... we will always... save you. So... DON'T DIE!"

SN-AP!

Both Allen's and Alice's eyes widen in horror as they see Suman rips a piece of Allen's skin with his mouth.

"SHUT UP-!" Suman shouts which makes his Fallen One form begin to release another explosive energy attack.

The impact is too strong and it tosses both Allen and Alice into a nearby river and Suman descends on the village.

Climbing out of the water for some time, Allen carefully places an unconscious Alice on the ground and looks up at Suman's Fallen One form. He then points Cross at Suman.

"Activate to maximum..." Allen commands as the cross embedded on his hand begins to glow. He grits his teeth. "Release!"

Allen's hand begins to grow, extending as he screams. Cross then became large enough to grab Suman's Fallen One torso, stopping his advance. Suman refuses to give in and pushes against Allen's grip. On the side, Alice stirs and pushes herself up from the ground. She slowly walks closer to Allen and place a hand on his parasitic arm.

"Alice." Allen says as he stares at her with wide eyes.

"We won't let you go... WE WON'T LET YOU DIE!" Alice declares as she faces Allen with a smile. Allen nods.

"We're coming, Suman." He says as he pushes Suman backwards into a mountain and leaps toward him with Alice holding tightly onto Allen.