9,000 words... Holy hell I wrote I lot for this chapter. Don't expect that to be a trend, the next chapter will probably be between 5,000 to 7,000 as usual.
Anyway, yay, plot stuff happens in this chapter. And a reveal... an important reveal.
Enjoy! I'm gonna start chapter 5...
Chapter 4: A Nasty Angel
"Absolutely not! If you go through with this, you risk starting a war against not only the Fallen, but the Angels as well." Rias warned Anton as she stood up from the chair behind her desk.
"I don't care! That's my friend they're going to kill. I'm saving her no matter what it takes, even if that means starting a war." Anton argued back as he stood on the other side of the desk.
The Master and Servant had been arguing since Anton entered the room. With the rest of the Occult Research Club watching on in silence, not wanting to interrupt lest the arguing duo turn on them.
"I'm sorry Anton, but there's nothing we can do. I want to help, I truly do, but the risks outweigh the rewards." Rias stated, hoping her Servant would understand. Considering the silver haired Devil still looked furious, he most definitely didn't understand.
"BULLSHIT!" Anton shouted as his fist slammed down on the desk, the rage behind his eyes burning hotter than holy light being used on a Devil. "Asia's not some prize, Gremory. She's my friend. F-r-i-e-n-d. Friend. And I will not abandon her to die!" He exclaimed, Rias was slightly taken aback by the use of her surname.
The room went dead silent as Rias slapped the most recent addition to her peerage.
"I will not argue with you about this any further Anton. There is nothing we can do, accept it." Rias commanded, making it clear that this argument wasn't going to go any further. Not that Anton would allow that.
"'Nothing we can do' blah! You just don't want to save her 'cause your too scared of the rules to do anything." Anton accused his Master, the rest of the peerage staring at him in shock because of this.
"Why can't you just do as I say?" Rias asked with a sigh as she sat back down in her chair.
"Because you're making a decision I don't agree with." Anton answered honestly. "Now, I'm going to ask for your help one last time and you're going to give me the answer I want to hear." The silver haired Devil stated in a hushed voice. "Will you help me save Asia?" He asked calmly.
"No." Rias responded for, hopefully, the last time.
"You really don't know how to play this game, do you?" Anton questioned with an annoyed smile. "If you won't help me, I'll handle this myself." He added as a warning.
"You're being irrational." Rias pointed out.
"Better than being a God damned coward." Anton insulted his Master, ignoring the pain that ran through his head from mentioning the man upstairs.
"I will not be insulted by my own Servant." The crimson haired Devil stated in a harsh tone.
"I will not be the Servant of a useless Master." Anton retorted as he turned around and headed for the door, picking up the Ratchuu plush from the table between the two sofas as he did so.
"If you leave right now, I will disown you as a member of my peerage." Rias warned the silver haired teen.
Anton stood at the door, he had already opened it and his hand was still resting on it as he turned his head to look Rias in the eyes.
"You never owned me in the first place."
And with that, he left.
The room remained quiet as Anton's footsteps echoed down hall, gradually fading to nothing as he got further away. Not even five seconds after the footsteps had stopped, Yuuto and Koneko left the room in a hurry to follow after their fellow Devil. Rias simply swivelled about lightly in her chair as Akeno approached the side of the desk, a comforting smile gracing her lips.
"Shall we go?" The black haired Devil asked calmly.
"Yes." Rias nodded as she stood up from her chair and approached the magic circle. "Maybe I should have explained everything to him." The crimson haired Devil mused as she thought back to the argument she just had with her Servant.
"Things might have gone smoother if you did. Kurushima doesn't strike me as the type to like being left in the dark." Akeno agreed as she joined her friend in the magic circle, the circle started to glow as she did so. "But we can deal with that conversation once this all over with." She assured Rias as they teleported out of the clubroom.
Churches would typically be considered nice places were the most that happens are sermons and prayers. So the fact that Anton felt a chill through his body and had his blood boiling from looking at the place, proved that theory wrong. He thought briefly about how many Fallen and excommunicated Priests and Exorcists would be in there, and soon came to the conclusion that this could very well be a suicide mission.
"Are you sure about this?" Ddraig questioned the Devil, Anton's eyes briefly flickered to his left arm before setting back on the church.
"In all honesty... no." Anton admitted in a hushed voice. "But that girl brings out my better side somehow and I want to find out why." He explained as he turned around to think out his plan of action.
"Need some help with the planning?" A familiar voice offered, Anton took a quick step back and focused on the owner of the voice. And promptly lowered his guard when he saw Yuuto and Koneko approaching him.
"I've got something that might help if so." Yuuto added as he spread out a roll of paper he was carrying on a box that had been left in the alley they were standing in, the three Devils gathered around the box as they examined what was on the paper.
"Blueprints. You sure are prepared." Anton stated as he tried to memorise the layout of the church from the blueprints. "Why are you helping me though?" He inquired when he realised that there was no way they were sent to help him.
"You're our friend. Why wouldn't we help you?" Yuuto answered matter-of-factly, earning a confused look from Anton.
He had no real problems with the members of the Occult Research Club, but to say he was friends with any of them? That was a stretch. Even when he called Asia his friend he had only done so while acting on his emotions. Yes, he did want her around, but only because he was looking for answers from her presence. If anyone else had the same effect on him then he could turn a blind eye to this situation, but that wasn't the case.
Or so he had been telling himself since he left the school grounds.
"You give me snacks." Koneko answered in her usual emotionless tone, giving her, blunt, reason for helping.
"Alright." Anton sighed, not wanting to waste time on a tangent. "So, where do we head to once we enter? I doubt the Fallen are stupid enough to conduct their ritual anywhere obvious." The silver haired Devil pondered as he looked over the blueprints again.
"Well, the church is relatively small. We'll be in the sanctuary as soon as we go through the doors, we may as well start searching there before moving on to the lodgings." Yuuto pointed out as he pointed to the places he mentioned on the blueprints. "Though we should be cautious in the sanctuary. The Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists like to desecrate places dedicated to God, they may be in the middle of doing so when we enter." He warned with a stern look across his face, earning a raised eyebrow from Anton.
"Makes sense." The cobalt eyed Devil nodded as he looked over the blueprints one final time. "Let's go." He commanded as he left the alleyway and headed for the church's gate, which, naturally, was locked with a padlock.
"Allow me." Yuuto offered as he stepped forward and drew a sword that he most certainly did not have a second ago, though Anton didn't waste time asking about it.
The sword cut straight through the lock and the three Devils rushed in, heading straight for the doors that lead to the sanctuary. They crept in through the doors whilst keeping an eye out for any enemies. It would seem that luck was on their side as the room was devoid of any people aside from themselves. At least, that's what two of the Devils thought.
"Over there." Koneko warned as she pointed towards the altar at the back of the room.
Clapping resounded throughout the room as a familiar face stepped out from behind a pillar.
"Oh, good job." Freed mockingly praised as he stopped clapping. "Now, isn't this a heart-warming reunion?" The psychotic Exorcist asked gleefully.
"Yeah, it is. Now I can pay you back for shooting me." Anton responded with a toothy grin, though it looked more like a dog baring its fangs. "And trust me, you'll wish God would grant you mercy by the time I'm done." The teen cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward. "Though I might just let you keep a few teeth if you tell me where Asia is." He offered with a devilish smirk.
"Under the altar. There's a staircase that'll lead you to where the ceremony's being held." Freed answered immediately, much to the surprise of the Devils.
"W-wait really? Isn't this where you spout one of your insane lines about killing us before we inevitably beat the information out of you?" Anton questioned, his rage taking a back seat as he voiced his confusion.
Naturally, the deranged Exorcist cackled in response. "Well it's not like that information'll do you any good, since you won't be getting past me."
"Someone's feeling confident." Yuuto stated as he took up a position at Anton's side. Both prepared their weapons, the blonde Devil readying his sword and the silver one summoning the Boosted Gear. The two turned at the sound of something moving behind them, turning around they found Koneko lifting a pew above her head.
"Get crushed." The small Devil said as she lobbed the pew at the Exorcist, who responded by slashing down the centre of the bench.
Using that distraction as a sign, Yuuto leapt at Freed and went for an overhead strike. The Exorcist blocked the attack and kicked the Devil back, before taking out his gun and firing at the retreating teen. Yuuto avoided and parried most of the shots, but one of them nicked his cheek causing the boy to hiss in pain. Koneko ran in front of Yuuto and put her arms out to the sides to act as a shield whilst Freed continued to fire. The bullets started tearing through the girl's clothing, one bullet even bounced off of her head. Anton let his concern overtake him for a second before remembering that Rooks have an exceptionally high pain tolerance.
"It hurt a little..." Koneko stated as she looked slightly upset at actually receiving an injury, even if it was a small one.
"Kyaha! For such a small gal you sure are tough, huh?" Freed cackled as his still smoking gun rested near his head.
"Small..." Koneko repeated as she looked down at her chest. Seeing where this was going, the two male Devils kept a respectable distance between Koneko and themselves, watching on in silence as she began hurling pew after pew at the stray Exorcist. Freed cut through each of the pews that came at him, but was caught off-guard when Yuuto appeared behind him after using one of the pews as cover.
"Don't forget about me!" The blonde Devil exclaimed as he slashed at the Exorcist, who managed to block the attack before retaliating. The two traded blows in a concentrated silence for a short while, until Freed broke it.
"Y'know, it's been sooooo long since I've had such a heated battle!" The Exorcist yelled over the sound of the two swords clashing. "So don't die too quickly!" He said as he entered a deadlock with the Devil.
"I guess I should get serious then." Yuuto responded with a smirk. "Devour!" He shouted as his sword started eating the light from Freed's sword. The deranged Exorcist backed off as the remaining light from his sword dissipated.
"What the hell is this!?" He questioned as he shook the hilt of his sword, trying to get it to work again.
"Holy Eraser. It's a sword that eats light." Yuuto explained as he showed off the sword.
"You've got a Sacred Gear too!?" Freed exclaimed in frustration, things weren't looking good for him right now.
Seeing a chance to go in for the kill, Anton lowered his body to prepare for the dash he was about to make.
BOOST
"Promote: Rook!" The silver haired teen yelled as he dashed forward, keeping his body low to make sure he was harder to hit.
With a click of his tongue, Freed started unloading the light bullets on the teen, the bullets either grazed the Devils body or bounced off like they had with Koneko. A cocky smirk grew on Anton's face as he drew his left fist back, the small amount of moonlight that lit up the church gave the Boosted Gear a threatening gleam as it was brought down on the stray Exorcist. Freed's legs started to buckle, but before he could collapse to the ground he kicked off of Anton and regained his footing at a safe distance. The Devil scanned the man to find how he hadn't taken more damage from the attack and noticed that the hilt of what once was a sword of light was crumbling apart in the Exorcists grip. It seemed Freed was smarter and faster than he let on.
"Hey, hey. What's up with that Freed? How could you let some shitty ass Devil hit you?" The stray Exorcist asked himself. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Freed bellowed as all of the veins on his face threatened to burst. "Do you worthless Devils really think you have the upper hand? I'll slice you all into mince meat!" It took the madman a second to realise that the three Devils had surrounded him while he was ranting. "Wait... Am I actually in trouble right now?" He questioned as his current predicament fully registered in his head.
Raising his gun, Freed let the clip loaded in it drop to the floor. As soon as the clip made contact with the ground a blinding flash of light was set off. Once it died down, the Devils noticed that the Exorcist had used the flash bang to escape.
"Over there." Koneko stated as she pointed towards one of the windows of the church. There was Freed, looking down on the trio from his perch.
"Your name was Anton, right?" The Exorcist asked the silver haired teen. "I think I'm developing some special feelings for you. So don't go lettin' anyone else kill ya before I can, okay? Okay, bye~" The man said before escaping through the window. Anton wanted to pursue him and rid himself of the nuisance of a man, but he had other goals right now.
Pulling out the Ratchu plush that he had stuffed in his jeans waistband, Anton placed the toy on one of the pews that had been left untouched by Koneko. The boy took in a deep breath and released it as he nodded his head a few times. Standing up he approached his fellow Devils as Koneko moved the altar to reveal a set of stairs heading underground.
"You ready?" Yuuto asked the silver haired Devil.
Anton nodded. "Yeah, let's go." With those words the three Devils proceeded down the stairs to carry out their original goal. 'Hold on just a little while longer Asia, I'm going to save you.'
Walking in silence with Yuuto in the lead and Koneko in the rear, the trio eventually found themselves at the bottom of the stairs and in front of a set of doors. Looking between each other before giving a series of confirming nods, Yuuto opened the doors.
"Welcome Devils." Raynare greeted the trio.
Inside the room was a small congregation of stray Exorcists and Fallen Angels, all blocking the way to a cross where Asia hung. The Devils were vastly outnumbered, but they had come too far to turn tail and run. Not that Anton had any plans on running in first place; he would rescue Asia or die trying. If he wasn't strong enough to save one person then he would rather be dead.
"Anton...?" Asia said weakly as she noticed the new presence. The boy smiled gently at her before hardening his features and taking a few steps forward.
"I'm taking Asia back." The Devil stated as he levelled a glare towards the Fallen responsible for all this. Raynare simply chuckled in response before gesturing to the horde between her and Anton.
"How? You're outnumbered." The Fallen Angel couldn't contain her joyful smile as she spoke. "Besides, we're just about to finish the ritual."
At those words Anton's eyes widened, he prepared to rush forwards as Raynare touched a seal that had been inscribed on her chest. The seal lit up alongside a near identical one in the same position on Asia, the Nun screamed out in pain as the seal began to work its magic.
Rushing forwards, Anton was stopped almost immediately as the mass of Fallen Angels and stray Exorcists turned on him, holy weapons and spears of light at the ready. The teen grit his teeth and snarled at the small horde in front of him.
"MOVE!" He roared as he ran forwards.
One of the Exorcists saw fit to swing his sword at the boy, who refused to falter in his charge. Luckily, Koneko managed to bring herself between the two and elbow the Exorcist in the stomach, causing him to stumble back. Anton took this as a good opportunity to jump at the stray Exorcist and use him as a launchpad.
"Since we're outnumbered, we won't hold back." Yuuto declared as he readied his sword.
As Anton landed he heard Asia's scream get louder, his head snapped up to see something emerging from the girl's body. Two silver rings to be precise. Once the rings had left her body, Asia collapse to the ground.
He was too late.
"This is it, the power I've wanted for years!" Raynare announced. "With this Sacred Gear, I will be loved." She assured herself as cupped her hands to take hold of the rings, bring them to her chest so she could absorb the Sacred Gear. The Fallen Angel squirmed in pleasure as the rings acclimated themselves to their new host. Once her body grew accustomed to its newfound power the disgraced Angel burst into a fit of laughter.
"Finally! It's mine! With this I can prove those who mocked me wrong!" Raynare cheered as she continued to hold her hands to her chest.
Observing the situation as best he could whilst fighting, Yuuto made up his mind. After sharing a nod with Koneko, the blonde Devil called out to Anton.
"Kurushima! Get her out of here, we'll keep the Exorcists and Fallen distracted."
The silver haired Devil gave the other male Devil a quick nod before charging ahead once again, batting Exorcist and Fallen alike out of his way with the Boosted Gear. One particularly tricky Fallen Angel lobbed their spear of light at the Devil and grazed his neck, the pain being enough to slow the teen down so that the Fallen could rush him with another spear of light. Clenching his fist, Anton slammed it into the Fallen Angels face as soon as he was in range, launching the sinful Angel back towards Raynare.
Reaching the cross, Anton knelt down and gently raised Asia's head.
"I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you say your goodbyes." Raynare snickered as she looked down at the Devil and Nun.
Ignoring the disgraced Angel, Anton kept his eyes on Asia as she weakly looked up at him.
"Hey, I'm here to save you." The silver haired teen said softly, a small, gentle smile gracing his lips. "I'm gonna get you out of here and then we can do whatever we want, okay?" Anton let his smile grow as Asia nodded slowly. Picking the small girl up in a bridal carry, the Devil made for the door to head back upstairs. "Kiba! Cover me!" He yelled as he ran down the thin path his fellow Devils were making for him. With a quick nod, the blonde Devil took up a position behind his companion and dealt with any Fallen or Exorcists that got close.
Reaching the door, Anton hesitated for a second. "If either of you die, I'll personally go to wherever Devils end up after death and drag you back... Got it?" The blue eyed Devil warned before running up the stairs, missing the amused smile on Yuuto's face and the eye-roll from Koneko. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Anton moved to the nearest pew and gently set Asia down; handling the girl as if any sudden movements would break her. As the boy began to stand, Asia held onto his hand, causing him to kneel down beside her.
"Thank you...even if it wasn't for long... I'm glad I had a friend..." Asia spoke weakly, her voice getting shakier with every word. "If I was reborn... would you be my friend again? Would you spend your time with me again?" Tears had started streaming down the girl's cheeks at this point and her grip on her friends hand tightened.
Anton meanwhile, felt something rouse inside of him. A feeling he had forgotten so long ago, something he had never wanted to feel again.
Desperation.
The Devil wanted so badly to lie to himself, to tell himself that he was just confusing his anger from failing with that damned feeling. But he couldn't, he knew that no matter what he told himself that feeling would stay with him until it was replaced with grief. Another feeling he had cast away.
"Heh... come on... don't say that..." Anton pleaded weakly, his hair covering his eyes as he hung his head low.
'That's not fair.' His mind protested.
"You're not gonna die... so don't say that..." The teen pleaded with a shakier voice.
'I can't say no if you look at me like that.' His mind admitted.
"You're gonna live, then we'll get to do all kinds of things together: Karaoke, I-I haven't sung in ages but so I might sound terrible... but that'll give us something to laugh at, right? Travelling, I can take you all around the world to see the sights. Hell, we can just stay indoors and chat or go for a walk and... and..." Anton desperately tried to think of anything else the pair could do together. "Right! I can introduce you to my... okay well I don't have any friends other than you, but Kiba and Toujou are nice. We can start with them and make more from there... together." The boy planned, desperate to keep talking to the girl that evoked the emotions he had once discarded.
Asia cupped Anton's face as he stammered, trying to find something else to say. "I'm so happy... that my first friend was as caring as you." The nun smiled kindly at the Devil before her hand fell from his face and landed on her chest, her breathing gradually slowing down until it stopped completely.
Anton stayed in his position for what felt like years, it felt odd considering such things usually blurred together for him. Eventually, the teen gently placed the girl's hand he was holding over the other, begrudgingly accepting what had happened under his watch. Though the thing that finally rid the boy of his silence was the rage he could feel building up inside of him. Standing up straight instead of with his usual slouch, Anton stared up at the ceiling and raised his middle finger.
"IS THAT IT THEN!? YOU LET ME MEET THIS WONDERFUL, PURE GIRL AND THEN JUST ROB HER OF HER LIFE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!? I UNDERSTAND IF YOU HATE ME AFTER ALL I'VE DONE. BUT FOR FUCK'S SAKE, DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON PEOPLE THAT DON'T DESERVE IT! I'M THE ONE THAT FUCKED EVERYTHING UP SO PUNISH ME! NOT HER! Me..." The incensed Devil vented to whoever was listening to him up there, though he knew full well that there was only one that would listen to him and they didn't even know he was alive.
In the ensuing silence, the teen came to a realisation. His better side was back, thanks in no small part to Asia.
"Damn it..." The boy hissed, mad at no one but himself. "I tried, doesn't that count for something?" He asked no one in particular.
"Awww, have you lost it from the grief?" Raynare mockingly cooed, Anton silently looked over at her. "Look at this..." The Fallen Angel said as she held up her left arm, showing off a cut she had received. "That Knight actually landed a hit." The girl held her right hand over the wound, letting a green light emerge and heal the wound completely. "Isn't it amazing? This Sacred Gear can heal anything." She bragged as she smirked at her prey.
"What happened to my friends?" Anton inquired, not bothering to beat around the bush and using the word he usually reserved.
"Oh, them? Don't worry, they're just unconscious for now." Raynare assured the Devil. "I wanted to show them your corpse first, so that they know their efforts were in vain." The Fallen sneered.
"Raynare." Anton spoke, his voice calm despite his earlier outburst. "You murdered someone tonight, you murdered me a few nights back and you have likely murdered many others. You are aware that this is a sin, yes?" The Devil asked, turning to face his adversary.
"I'm sorry, is a fucking Devil preaching to me in a church right now?" The Fallen Angel laughed hysterically at the situation, ignoring the calm smile that wormed its way onto Anton's face.
"I will take that as a yes." The teen stated, a hint of amusement in his unusually calm voice. "In that case, you must be prepared to face the repercussions for committing such heinous acts. And as the only one present capable enough to, I shall take it upon myself to punish you for your actions and guide you back to the righteous path of the Lord." Anton had a serene smile on his lips and pure intentions in his eyes as he dismissed the boosted gear, replacing it with a bow made of pure, golden light that rested in his left hand as his right took hold of the string. An arrow of similar colour and made from the same light formed between his fingers.
Raynare opened her mouth to voice her disbelief at the sight, but promptly shut it once she noticed what was unfurling from her prey's back. Wings. Twelve shimmering, white, feathery wings. The Fallen Angel gawked at the wings whilst unconsciously retreating back a few steps. A small, golden light flickered above the boy's head before expanding and becoming hollow, leaving a thin golden ring resting above his head. A halo. Continuing to back away until she bumped into a wall, something that freaked the Fallen out more than it should have, Raynare fully registered what exactly was in front of her.
A Seraph.
A Seraph that was intent on punishing her for what she had done.
She had to escape.
That one thought kept repeating in Raynare's head. Run away and report this to one of the leaders. Screw being punished for going over their heads, it would be better than whatever punishment a Seraph would dole out. Spreading her own wings, the Fallen Angel flew towards an open window, but was cut off by an arrow of light zipping past her vision and embedding itself in the wall. The arrow dissipated into small lights, small lights that started to track the Fallen's movements. One of the lights got close, and once it did it exploded with a force that something the size of a chocolate chip shouldn't have.
After the first light detonated, all of the others followed suit in a chain reaction. Raynare haphazardly weaved her way through gaps between the explosions, not realising that she had fallen into a trap. Just as she cleared the final explosion, a stabbing pain shot through the Fallen's wings sending her crashing to the ground. The girl landed with a heavy thud and laid still, a pained whimper ungraciously emerging from her throat. A sudden weight on her back reminded Raynare of the danger in the room, the danger that was currently using its foot to pin her to the ground. Twisting her head to face the Seraph, Raynare had no words for the sight that awaited her.
The Angel had a look that could only be described as cruel pleasure plastered across his face, his cheeks tinted slightly red as small pants escaped his mouth. Increasing the pressure on Fallen's back, the Angel smiled as she squirmed.
Anton chuckled darkly as he reached out his hands to grab one of Raynare's wings; the Fallen instinctually flinched at the sensation of something touching her feathered appendage. With a firm grip, the Seraph began to pull on the disgraced Angels wing, ignoring her pained cries begging him to stop. The white-winged teen's smile grew as he felt his quarries wing become loose, with one last mighty pull he tore the wing from the Fallen Angels back. Raynare's head jerked up as she released a blood-curdling scream before it met the ground, watching as the Seraph discarded the now useless wing.
Raynare stared at the pleased face of the Angel, the image slightly blurred by the tears that rolled down her face. He had torn off the majority of her left wing, leaving only a feathery stump to indicate that the wing had ever existed. Most Fallen Angels and Devils took pride in the condition of their wings. Losing both would at least gain you sympathy, as much as either race could muster anyway, but losing a singular wing was a sign of shame. It told anyone who saw it of how weak you were, and for two races that held strength as one of their core values it meant being seen as a disgrace to your kind.
And Raynare would not stand for that.
The Fallen Angel forced herself to her feet, despite the agonising pain that told her not to, and summoned a spear of light in her right hand. She would not be subjected to ridicule. Not when she finally had the power she had craved. Reaching for the stump on her back, a green glow enveloped Raynare's hand as the wound closed.
Sadly, with the limitations of Twilight Healing, she couldn't bring her wing back.
Which is exactly why she would take one of the Seraph's wings for herself.
"Oh good, you got back up." The pleased smile on the Angel's face pissed Raynare off. "So what's next? Are you going to attack me?" The Angel inquired, his smile never leaving his face. "Come on, you can do it! I believe in you!" The Seraph cheered, an action that pushed the Fallen far enough that she summoned a spear of light and charged.
As soon as she was close enough, Raynare swung the spear of light at the Seraph's neck. The Angel's reaction was to duck and slither past the Fallen Angel. Raynare span on her heel and attempted another swipe at the freak of an Angel, who simply took a step back to dodge the attack. Choosing not to give the Angel a chance to counter, Raynare let loose a flurry of swings and stabs. Anton snaked his way around every attack. Dodging one particularly close stab by leaning back, the Angel's upper half sprang forwards and delivered a headbutt to his assailant. Raynare stumbled backwards before shaking her head to regain her focus.
"So much potential, but so little training. If you just refined your combat skills a bit more you might actually be capable of landing a hit." Anton commented, the calm smile from before returning to his face. "You certainly have the tenacity, most give up once they lose a wing." The Angel began to approach the Fallen, who raised her spear of light so she could defend herself.
Once Anton was close enough, Raynare thrust her spear of light forward. The silver haired Seraph sidestepped the attack and grabbed the disgraced Angel's wrist, twisting it so that Raynare would drop the spear of light. As the spear dissipated, Anton tripped Raynare and shoved her to the ground before placing a hand just above the small of her back. A black magic circle with a pentagram in the middle appeared in front of Anton's hand. Placing the magic circle on the Fallen Angel's back, Anton waited for the magic to take effect.
"I hope you're ready for part two, it's so much harder." Anton said, standing up once a smaller version of the magic circle had etched itself onto Raynare's back.
Raynare scrambled away and stumbled to her feet before facing Anton once again,the calm smile on his face taunting her to try again. The Fallen Angel charged at the Seraph, summoning a spear of light in her hand. Screw taking his wing, she was going for the head this time. Quickly closing the distance between them Raynare thrust the spear of light forward, hoping to pierce the Seraph's throat.
Only for the spear to fade away before it even came close to silver haired Angel's neck. Suddenly, Raynare was brought to her knees by an unidentifiable force. The Fallen looked up at the Angel with hateful glare as he furled his wings back in, removing them from sight. The boy knelt down, looking Raynare in the eyes. She wanted to punch him, stab him, hurt him in any way she could, but every time she tried to move or speak she was stripped of her control over her body.
Silently, something snaked out from behind Anton, it was comprised entirely of black flames and yet didn't burn the boy as it rested its head on his shoulder. Unconsciously, Raynare made eye contact with this new entity. And as soon as she did it lunged at her. Raynare flinched and closed her eyes reflexively. She felt the flame comprised entity pierce her chest, she would have screamed out in pain if her voice hadn't once again been taken from her. The disgraced Angel could feel the being squirming around inside of her, before it eventually tore itself out of the same place it had entered from.
Opening her eyes, Raynare noticed two things. First, there was no wound where the entity had pierced her. Second, there was green light escaping from the entity's mouth. Anton held out his hand and the black flame creature deposited exactly what Raynare was hoping it hadn't taken from her.
Twilight Healing.
The rings sat in the boy's hand and he smiled fondly as he looked at them, the flame creature disappearing back to wherever it had come from on the boy's back.
As Anton approached the deceased Nun, Raynare tried to reach out to him, to beg him to give the Sacred Gear back to her. She would soon die if it wasn't returned to her body, and it wasn't as if a dead person had any use for it. But instead, Raynare was forced to stay rooted to the spot and watch on in muted horror as the Angel returned Twilight Healing to its original owner. The Fallen Angel wordlessly screamed at the back of the bastard of an Angel that had just condemned her to death.
"Oh shut up." Anton ordered as he continued to monitor Asia. "You're not going to die; I didn't use your method of extracting a Sacred Gear." He listlessly explained.
Silence filled the room as Raynare was still muted and Anton watched over Asia's body, hoping for even the smallest of breaths to escape from the girl's lips. Nothing, nothing was happening. He knew it wouldn't have been as simple as that, but he had hoped, for once he had hoped that the answer would be simple. But of course it wasn't. It never was. Releasing an annoyed breath, Anton turned to face Raynare, the calm on his face having been replaced with a look of scorn.
"The park, the one where you killed me. Wait there." The teen commanded.
Raynare was confused by the sudden order and was about to yell at the boy for trying to order her around, but found her body complying with the demand. As if back seating in her own body, Raynare stood up and left the church, running to reach her destination.
Watching the Fallen had been a thorn in his side for the past week or so leave the building, Anton sighed once again, this time letting out any feelings of anger that might have been left over. He started to run his hand through his hair, but stopped and started ruffling it about instead.
"I've got a lot of lying ahead of me." The teen grumbled as he took a seat beside the pew Asia was lying on, sorting out his thoughts and planning how not to get found out.
The minutes passed and Anton identified two sounds. Hurried footsteps coming up the stairs and the door to enter the church opening. He knew who was responsible for the first sound, but went on alert because of the other. Anton jumped to his feet and faced the door as a familiar set of red locks entered the building, followed by a just as familiar head of black hair.
"It seems everything has been wrapped up here." Rias commented with a smile on her face.
She approached her pawn, who averted his eyes so as not to make contact with hers. Anton expected her to chastise him or slap him again for his disobedience. Instead, Rias hugged him, taking the teenage Devil by surprise.
"Are you okay?" The Gremory heiress asked soothingly. Anton simply nodded into the older Devil's chest before she released him and took a step back. "Good, I wouldn't have forgiven you if you had charged off just to die." Rias said, though Anton picked up on the underlying warning.
'Don't do this again.'
Sadly for her, he wouldn't be heeding that warning if he found himself disagreeing with her like he had tonight.
"What are you doing here?" Anton voiced the question on his mind.
Rias smiled in response. "I'm just cleaning up some trash that happened to be polluting my territory." She stated.
And that was all it took for Anton to realise. Rias was going to deal with the Fallen Angels from the start. What he couldn't understand though, was why she had tried to dissuade him from doing the exact same thing. It made no sense! Why tell him not to do something if she was going to go and do it anyway. It was hypocritical!
"You could have told me..." Anton mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why do this whole song and dance of telling me not to fight them if you were planning to do just that!" He yelled, an anger fuelled look of betrayal.
"I told you so." Akeno said to Rias, who only shook her head in response.
"Anton. I couldn't send you or anyone else to fight the Fallen Angels with your reason as it wasn't a problem that could affect the Devil faction." Rias began explaining. "However, if the Fallen happened to have attacked my servant on more than one occasion, that affects me and would raise less suspicion when given as a reason. Do you understand?" She finished her explanation, making sure he understood her reasoning.
"All I heard was a bunch of political bullshit." Anton responded, making his thoughts on the situation clear. "But... you did help me in the end." The silver haired Devil added as an uncomfortable expression took to his face. "So, I suppose I should... thank you. So, you know... thanks." He said, showing an obvious discomfort over having to express his gratitude.
"Can I take that as an apology as well?" Rias asked with a cheeky smile.
"No. I stand by my decision, and I won't apologise for being right." Anton stated coldly, refusing to budge on his earlier decision to help Asia.
Rias wasn't too surprised by Anton's response; she had half expected it really. She had definitely picked a difficult one to be her Pawn.
"Though I do need a favour." The silver haired teen admitted.
"Oh? Are you making a deal with a Devil?" Rias teased, Anton clicked his tongue in response. He knew he wouldn't be getting a favour easily with his earlier behaviour.
"I'll owe you one okay?" The Pawn bargained. Rias nodded in agreement, not wanting to pass up the chance of having an irrefutable order she could use on her most recent servant.
"Could you use an Evil Piece on Asia... please?" Anton requested, almost gagging on the last word.
The crimson haired Devil chuckled at her servant's behaviour. "Well I can't refuse a request from my adorable servant now, can I?"
Anton glared at the girl for that. "Bite me, Gremory."
Rias shook her head at the response before pulling out an Evil Piece. Yuuto and Koneko moved Asia's body into a magic circle that Akeno created.
"Anton, do you know where her Sacred Gear is?" Rias questioned.
The teen in question nodded.
"It was returned to her." Anton said, fidgeting slightly to feign nervousness. Upon receiving confused looks from everyone, barring Koneko, he elaborated. "An Angel appeared while I was fighting Ray- that bitch, he told me he would deal with her." Thus the lie began. "He used some weird magic to take back Asia's Sacred Gear without killing the bitch. Then he took her away, saying that he would 'find a suitable punishment' or something." He concluded the lie.
A quick glance at everyone's faces showed their surprise; even Koneko had a slight shift in her usual stony expression. Rias and Akeno shared a look before the former spoke.
"That would explain the holy aura from earlier." Rias mused, debating between whether to believe her servant or not. Eventually, a small smile graced her lips. "Well, we shouldn't have to worry about starting a war if an Angel got involved, the Three Factions would have to share equal blame."
She had bought the lie. Well, it had mostly been a lie. An Angel did appear and return Asia's Sacred Gear, and they were going to punish Raynare. The only lie was not mentioning that Anton himself was said Angel.
"Now then..." The crimson heiress turned her attention back to Asia's body. "This is probably unheard of, turning a sister into a Devil." Rias smiled at the thought before channelling her magic into the Evil Piece.
"I command thee, Asia Argento, in the name of Rias Gremory, return to the world of the living once more as a Devil in my service." Rias began chanting. "You shall live your new life as my Bishop!" As she finished the chant, the Bishop piece floated over to Asia and entered her body.
For a few seconds nothing happened, but eventually Asia started breathing again. The blonde girl opened her eyes and sat up, as if she had just woken up from a nap instead of coming back from the dead.
"Huh?" She mumbled as she noticed a bunch of unfamiliar faces, surprise taking to her face when she noticed the one person she recognised. "Anton?"
Upon hearing his name, Anton walked over to the former nun; he collapsed to his knees and wrapped her in a hug as soon as he reached her.
"Thank you..." The boy whispered happily. "Thank you." He said louder, ignoring the crack in his voice as he choked up. "Thank you so much."
The rest of the Devil's smiled at the scene in front of them.
Breaking off the hug, Anton helped Asia to her feet and escorted her outside, after handing her the Ratchu plush, where she was taken by Rias so they could sort out the details of her new life.
Having gone to the park where he was killed and retrieving Raynare. Anton led the Fallen Angel to a fancy looking apartment complex and took her to one of the apartments. Knocking on the door to the apartment, he crossed his arms as he waited for the resident to answer. The wait lasted a little too long for his liking, but the door eventually opened. Revealing a grown man with black hair, the bangs having been dyed a golden blonde. The man was about to say something to whoever was knocking on his door this late into the evening, but stayed quiet when he noticed the pair in front of him.
"Come in." The man said as he headed back inside.
Following after the man, the pair entered the apartment. It was rather luxurious to say the least. The man sat down on one of the two sofas, Anton pointed at the other sofa to tell Raynare where to sit.
"I'm assuming you remember where everything is?" The man asked as Anton headed for the kitchen part of the apartment.
"Of course." The boy responded as he rummaged through a few draws, eventually coming back with a bottle and three glasses. Two wine glasses and one normal one.
The two wine glasses were held between his fingers on his right hand; both glasses contained three ice cubes that clinked about with each step. The normal glass was filled with water and was being carried in his left hand. The bottle was being carried between his left arm and chest. The man took the two glasses with ice in them and set them on the table in front of him, Anton placed the bottle next to them and the glass of water in front of Raynare before sitting next to the Fallen Angel that had caused him nothing but trouble.
Looking over the bottle, the man smirked at the boy in front of him.
"You got out the good stuff... Are we celebrating something?" He inquired, to which Anton smiled warmly.
"I made a friend." The boy answered as he uncorked the bottle, pouring the champagne inside into his glass.
The man laughed in a way similar to a proud father.
"Really? They must have bad taste in friends." He joked as he poured his own drink. After the two of them had taken a sip of their drinks, the mood turned serious. "So why are you here?"
Putting his glass down and sighing, Anton scratched the back of his head. "I'm here because a few of yours have been going around killing Sacred Gear possessors." He stated bluntly, levelling a scrutinising glare at the older male.
The man quickly looked between Anton and Raynare.
"Is she one of them?" He asked, not sensing an aura from the girl.
"This one's the only survivor; Gremory took care of the rest." The blue eyed boy briefly explained.
Raynare's eyes went wide at that. Had the rest of the Fallen Angels with her really been killed? She knew the Knight and Rook had taken care of the ones inside of the church, but the group that had been keeping watch outside had been taken out as well? Just what had she gotten herself into?
"Speaking of..." Anton mumbled as he reached into his pocket, Raynare stared in horror as he pulled out three black feathers.
Three black feathers that she easily distinguished.
Kalawarner. Dohnaseek. Mittelt. They were really dead.
"Here." The teen said as he placed the feathers in Raynare's hands. "'I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you say your goodbyes'" He mockingly quoted the Fallen Angel's words back to her.
"So you brought her here because...?" The man urged Anton to explain.
"Because it'll be easier to get answers out of her with her boss around... not that she could lie to me right now anyway." The boy gave his reason, breaking Raynare out of the stupor she had entered when she handed her comrades feathers.
Her boss? There were a few Fallen Angels that could be referred to as her boss. Though the man in front of her did look familiar. Staring at the man for a while eventually made something inside the disgraced Angel's head click.
The man in front of her was Azazel, Governor General of the Grigori and overall leader of the Fallen Angels.
Shit.
"And since we're on the subject of answers... let's get some, shall we?" Anton questioned rhetorically, earning a nod from Azazel. "First things first, who the hell gave you the order to kill Sacred Gear users?" The teen inquired.
Choosing not piss off her leader or the Seraph that most definitely still mad at her, Raynare told the complete truth.
"Lord Kokabiel. He told us to either eliminate potential threats or take their Sacred Gears for ourselves. He said it was an order from Lord Azazel. That's it, I promise." The Fallen Angel admitted, refusing to look her interrogators in the eye.
Anton and Azazel looked at each other. The younger of the two raised a brow at the Governor General.
"I did give the order to kill any potential threats, but I said nothing about taking the Sacred Gears." Azazel stated, answering the unspoken question Anton had asked.
"I thought so. Even with your research you wouldn't go so far as to kill someone to continue it, especially since it would be easier to study it in action." Anton nodded before pausing to think. "But then why would I be a target? The Fallen know not to attack me."
"That would be my fault." Azazel admitted. "Since the last time we revealed your existence to the entirety of the Fallen Angels and a bunch of them left to form a group to kill you. I haven't told anyone other than the Grigori about your appearances." He explained, earning a sigh from Anton.
"Fair enough I suppose..." The boy muttered. "Anyway, it sounds like you're gonna need to keep an eye on Kokabiel, he's up to something." He warned the Grigori leader.
After a small hum, Azazel voiced his thoughts. "I think I know what he's planning. Kokabiel has always been a warmonger, and recently he's been trying to convince us to start a second Great War."
The Seraph groaned at the thought.
"We've rejected the idea, of course. I doubt any of the Three Factions want to lose that many, or worse more, of their own forces again." Azazel added, earning another groan from Anton.
"Look, Azazel, I've heard enough political bullshit for one night, I don't need to hear anymore." The teen whined.
"Alright, alright." Azazel put his hands up defensively, though the smile on his face showed he found the boy's complaint humorous. "So, what are you going to do with her?" The Governor General inquired as he gestured to Raynare.
"I'm going to guide her on the path to becoming someone worthy of God's grace." Anton replied, a serene smile forming upon his lips.
"You're making her your servant." Azazel translated. "Fine, I doubt I can change your mind." He shrugged before going back to his drink.
Raynare, who had been silently sipping from her glass of water, looked over to Anton. Who was he if the Governor General of the Grigori wouldn't attempt to persuade him into letting her go? That thought found itself escaping from the girl's lips.
"Who the hell are you?" She mumbled into her glass, just loud enough for the over two occupants of the room to hear.
Anton leaned forward and let twelve, pitch-black, feathery wings unfurl from his back.
He was a high-ranking Fallen Angel too apparently.
What wasn't he at this point?
Furling the wings back in, the boy answered with this. "I am something older than Azazel and even the Archangel Michael. I am the oldest being from each of the Three Factions." The cryptic answer confused Raynare for a second, but she believed she had figured out the boy's real name.
"Lu-" She couldn't even finish the name before Anton sent her look that would probably kill a normal person.
"Don't you dare finish that name." He warned. "I will not be compared to that imposter." The snarl that followed that statement was filled with nothing but contempt.
"Still holding onto that silly grudge, huh Satanael?" Azazel asked casually.
Satanael?
Raynare had never heard that name before. She couldn't remember it being the name of any Angel at least.
"You've never heard of him right?" Azazel asked his subordinate, receiving a nod in response. "That's because the Three Factions agreed to erase his name from our history. Of course, as you can probably tell... I've been helping him hide his continued existence." The Faction leader explained.
A supernatural being that had been covered up for what was likely centuries, if not millennia, and had a direct connection to the leader of all Fallen Angels. That's what Raynare had made an enemy of, and now she was going to pay for it by serving him. Things couldn't get any worse, could they?
"By the way, everything we've discussed here doesn't leave this room." Satanael mentioned as he looked to Raynare. "If it does, I will kill you. And don't even think about running... It's a very small world when I'm hunting you." He warned.
The one winged Fallen nodded in understanding.
"Great!" The hybrid said cheerily as he got to his feet, he chugged the rest of his drink before heading for the door. "Let's go." He ordered once he noticed that his new servant was still sitting on the sofa, Raynare quickly got up and made her way over to him.
"Oh also, Azazel." Satanael called from the door. "Could you get this one set up as a student at Kuoh Academy for me? It'd be suspicious if I did it." He requested.
"Leave it to me." Azazel called back.
And with that, Satanael showed Raynare the way to her new home.
Things were certainly going to get interesting from now on was what he thought on the way back.