AN: Sorry for another huge break between updates, but I've been wanting to make each chapter of the DRE Vol. 1 remake as high quality as I can. Also, I'm trying a separate form of line breaks since this the one built into this website is way too buggy. Once again, thank you all for your continued support.
"Kyahahaha! How pathetic! Raynare was pretty damn pathetic to get killed by a weakling like you!"
How? How did things get like this? I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong enough.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't kill her until I've had my fun with this bitch! She looks like she'll be a nice one to break."
I couldn't save her. I couldn't protect her. She's dead because of me. Her belly torn open; her innocent expression twisted into a soundless scream.
"Hmph. Don't worry. No matter how many times we turn her into a pincushion, Kalawarner can just heal her right back up. We'll pay her back hundredfold for what she did to Raynare."
Pathetic. How much more pathetic can I be? I'm no hero. I was foolish in thinking that I was ever a hero.
"Come. Scream for me more, won't you? We aren't done with you yet."
I can't feel a thing anymore. It feels like my body is not my own. Somewhere in the distance, I can hear somebody howling in despair. It sounds inhuman: The sound of an animal being tortured endlessly.
Just how did things end up like this?
Bracing myself against the metal shelf, I push with all my might, causing it screech along the worn down floor. My companion covers her ears as she grimaces at the unpleasant sound. Once the cumbersome thing is out of the way, it reveals the unassuming door that was hidden behind it.
"This is it," I announce as I open the door and lead the way inside into a small storage space furnished with camping equipment. "Sorry it's not much, but it should be safe for you to stay in here for a while."
Right. The Fallen Angels wouldn't think to search in a place like this. Asia should be safe in here while I go deal with the problem.
"U-Um… You don't need to go so far to help me, Miss Saya," the nun mutters from the doorway. "You've already done so much for me."
Smiling, I gently take her hand and lead her inside.
"Don't be silly, Asia. There's no way I could leave you alone after hearing your story."
I sit Asia down on one of the folding chairs before pulling up another one and sitting down across from her. Asia seems to be restless as she nervously fidgets and glances around the room.
"There's no need to be so nervous, Asia," I tell the nun in an attempt to calm her.
"Ah, right, s-sorry."
Well, this isn't going to go anywhere. Holding back a sigh, I stand up from my seat and begin boiling a pot of water. About a minute passes before I take a couple packs of instant matcha, pour the contents of the packs into two separate mugs and then pour the hot water into the cups.
I hand one of the completed drinks to Asia while taking one for myself.
"Try some. It's not as good as when it's freshly made, but it'll help calm you down."
"Ah, thank you."
The nun looks down at the steaming green liquid before taking a tentative sip.
"It's… good."
Chuckling, I sit back in my seat and cross my legs.
"Glad to hear it. I was afraid that you wouldn't be used to the taste being a foreigner and all."
The two of us sit chatting for a bit longer before my phone suddenly goes off. Reaching into my pocket, I pull it out and check the screen to see that it's a text from my mom.
I send a quick reply that I was hanging out with a couple of friends before putting my phone back into my skirt pocket and standing up.
"Sorry, Asia, but it looks like my parents are getting worried. You can make use of anything I have in here. There's a sleeping back rolled up on the mattress in the corner, there's snacks in that green duffel bag in the corner, and some drinks in the blue cooler."
"Eh? Ah… Um… Alright," the nun replies sadly as she stares down at her lap.
Smiling, I stride up to her and pat her on the head.
"Don't worry. I'll come back tomorrow morning to check up on you."
That seemed to have brightened Asia's mood up a little as she nods and smiles back.
"Alright, I'll be leaving now," I say as I walk to the door before turning around to face Asia. "Take care."
"Yes. Thank you, Miss Saya. See you."
Opening the door, I step out into the abandoned factory once again and push the shelf back in front of the door. It almost feels like I've kidnapped her and now I'm imprisoning her, but this is for the best. There's no telling what the Fallen Angels and Rias would do to her if she was just wandering around outside.
Tomorrow. I'll need to prepare to raid that church tomorrow.
-xXx-
The bell chimes right on time, signalling the end of the school day. I quickly gather up my belongings and follow the rest of the crowd of students out into the hallway before splitting off from the group towards the old school building. It doesn't take very long for me to find the Occult Research club room again.
After parting ways with Asia yesterday I decided to try to do some research of my own into the Fallen Angel presence in this town. Apparently, there has been a string of bizarre murders that have been covered up that involve the victims being disembowelled and strung up like a cross with verses from the Holy Bible scrawled in blood somewhere near the body. It's pretty obvious that these murders are related to the Fallen Angels in some way.
Not bothering to knock, I push open the heavy doors and walk into the Victorian styled room. Rias and Himejima are already here engaged in a game of chess. The raven-haired beauty is the first to notice me since her seat is facing the door.
"Ara, Saya-chan, good afternoon," she says with her usual pleasant smile as she stands to greet me.
Rias turns to face me with a surprised expression as if she wasn't expecting to see me ever again and stands to receive me as well.
"Hyoudou-san, to what do we owe the pleasure?" She asks.
"Fallen Angels," I reply curtly. There's no reason why I should treat them with respect when they haven't earned it. "There's more Fallen Angels in this town than just the one that attacked me. Were you aware of that?"
Rias visibly grimaced at the mention of Fallen Angels, but nods begrudgingly.
"Yes. We know."
Points for honesty, but she isn't in the clear yet.
"And why haven't you done anything about that?"
"That's…"
For once, the princess seems to be at a loss for words.
I can't help but sigh. Walking up to her, I stop just short of reaching Rias when I sense a huge flair of magical energy erupt from Himejima.
"You are not a part of our Peerage so I'm afraid that information is not privy to you," Himejima says. Her words and appearance as sweet as honey making the killing intent radiating out of her all the more terrifying.
A cold sweat begins to run down my back as my mouth suddenly dries up and I find myself unable to say anything. I've only met a few people before who could make me feel like this. To think that a high school girl would be one of them. My whole body involuntarily shivers as I shake my head to try to break out of her pressure. I feel some of the tension leave as feeling returns to my body.
"Fine," I say after regaining control of my vocal chords while turning around to leave. "I won't pry, but just know that I'm going to take care of your little problem with pests tonight."
Without waiting for a reply, I walk out of the room just in time to pass Kiba and Tojou who glanced at me quizzically.
I manage to make it out of the old school building before inhaling a sharp breath. My fist connects against the wooden wall and punctures through and the pain helps school my hammering heart back into its regular rhythm.
Dammit… These feelings will only get in the way. I have no use for them.
Gritting my teeth, I pull my hand out of the wall, scraping it against the splintered wood before leaving the campus and heading towards the abandoned factory. Along the way I bandaged up my injured hand up and bought some cold drinks and snacks. There's not much to do for Asia in a cramped room like that so I hope she hasn't gone stir crazy.
My feet come to a sudden halt when I finally reach the abandoned factory where I hid Asia only to find a smouldering wreckage awaiting me. Quickly running over to the fresh ruins, I begin searching through the rubble for any sign of the golden haired nun. Again. It's happening again. I've glimpsed a small shred of light through this unending darkness only for it to be snatched away.
They got her. I was naïve in thinking that they wouldn't find her.
This is most likely a warning: 'Stay away unless you want to be destroyed'. It looks like I'll have to change my plans. If Asia is still alive I'll need to go rescue her right away. The embers are still fresh so that means the attack wasn't too long ago. I might still make it in time.
Clinging onto my last shred of hope, I take off sprinting towards the abandoned church. I've finally found a chance to redeem myself. I'm not going to let go of this chance get away from me. If I lose Asia… I don't know if I'll be able to keep myself from shattering.
I know it's reckless and stupid to just go rushing into an enemy stronghold unprepared like this, I should know that more than anyone, but I've already lost too much.
Dammit, dammit, dammit!
On my way to the church I end up drawing more than a couple of curious stare from the people I pass by. Once or twice I hear my name being called, but I ignore them and keep pressing on. By the time I reach the old, ruined church I'm panting and out of breath.
Pressing forward, I ignore my fatigue and crash through the rotting wooden doors and stumble into the church. Asia is strung up on a cross wearing nothing but a plain white dress surrounded by a group people dressed in black clerical clothing. Flying above them are three Fallen Angels, a man wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora, a woman wearing a maroon suit coat with a matching miniskirt, and a little girl dressed as a goth loli.
"Hmph. It seems our little pest has finally arrived," the man announces with a confident sneer. "It's hard to believe that Raynare was killed by this pathetic thing."
Ignoring everything else in the room for the moment, my eyes focus on Asia's unmoving form. I can faintly see the blonde nun's chest rising and falling in time with her breath.
Good. She's still alive. I made it in time. In that case, I'll take care of the small fry first. There's eight of them in total, huh. Since this is an isolated area I shouldn't have any problems with using guns.
Drawing a matching pair of pistols from my Vault, I immediate open fire on the humans while running forwards. They drop like flies as each bullet finds their mark in the center of each of their foreheads.
Now to take care of those pesky Fallen Angels. Discarding the now empty guns, I pull out a pair of submachine guns and begin spraying a hail of bullets towards the flying enemies who swerve through the air to avoid the bullets.
My arms go numb from trying to keep the recoil under control until the magazines run empty.
Rolling to the side, I drop the guns as a spear made of condensed light crashed into the pews beside me and disintegrated them. This time I pull out Gan Jiang and Mo Ye and give them a quick twirl before facing the three Fallen Angels.
"Tch. I thought Raynare said this bitch had the Twice Critical! Where the fuck is she pulling this shit from?" The goth loli shouts.
That man was the one who threw that extremely destructive spear at me. If I get hit by that then I'm as good as dead. Meanwhile, the goth loli seems to be a close range fighter by the way she's gripping her spear. Finally, the woman is probably good at sustained attacks in quick succession if the twin spears held in her hands are of any indication.
This isn't good. Not only can these three fly, but their abilities compliment each other quite well.
Throwing Mo Ye into the air, I roll towards one of my discarded pistols, and sweep it off the ground just as the man and woman begin flinging attacks at me. I quickly parry a strike aimed at my throat from the goth loli while summoning a new clip in the air. Swinging my pistol, I catch the magazine in midair and chamber a bullet before firing off a shot aimed towards the goth loli's face. Unfortunately, she twists her head to the side just enough for the bullet to graze her cheek. I press the advantage as the goth loli tries to back away by using the pews at footholds to circle around behind her. As she raises her spear up to block my feint, I pull back and snap off two shots at her abdomen. Snarling while clutching at her bleeding stomach, the small Fallen Angel spread her wings and retreated back into the air as a barrage of light spears came flying towards me that I leap away from.
A pained scream originating from the goth loli resonates through the church as a result of Mo Ye slicing clean through and severing one of her pitch black wings, but before I can finish her off a sharp pain explodes from my left leg.
"Man, I leave for two seconds and come back to find some school girl tearing up my home. The hell's going on here?"
Struggling to stay standing, I glance back towards the entrance of the church to see another of those freaks dressed in a priest's garb standing there with revolver gripped in his hand; its barrel still smoking from the shot he fired into my leg.
So there was another one.
Shit!
I redirect my aim at the new arrival, but before I can put a bullet between his eyes I feel a spear pierce through my lower back. Before I can do anything else, I find myself being pinned to the floor as multiple more spears run through me. Blood spews from my mouth as my lungs are punctured. My body is racked with pain and it takes every last bit of willpower I have to remain conscious.
"Hmph. Your assistance was unneeded, Freed," the trenchcoat says with disdain in his voice.
"Eeeeeeh? From where I was standing it looked like the little lady was in trouble," the newcomer replies in a childlike tone.
I hear a pair of light footsteps approach and stop beside before feeling a foot stomp down on my head and begin grinding my face into the floor.
"You bitch! Fuck you! I'll kill you! Look at what you did to my wing! Fucker! Shitface! Die! Die! Die!" The goth loli screams as she continuously stomps on me.
"Mittelt, that's enough! I think I have an idea as to what we can do with this pest," I hear the woman say.
Fighting through the pain, I manage to raise my head enough to see her land beside Asia's still unconscious form.
Without warning, her hand shoots forward and embeds itself into the nun's stomach. The girl's eyes snap open as she lets out an ear piercing shriek.
Dammit, dammit, fuck!
My body screams at me as I force myself back onto my feet. The spears conjured of condensed light had vanished by now leaving nothing behind but gaping holes oozing crimson as memoires.
It burns.
The world in front of me is blanketed by a thin veil of red.
Each step forward I take is punctuated by a sharp stab.
"Saya..!"
I hear my name being called.
Asia. Asiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasiaasia.
With Gan Jiang gripped loosely in my hand, I take a blind swing once I reach the altar. The blade connects with air and, losing my balance, I stumble forward and collapse in front of the cross.
My eyes meet with Asia's now lifeless ones.
I've failed.
"Asia…"
"Kyahahaha! How pathetic! Raynare was pretty damn pathetic to get killed by a weakling like you!"
How? How did things get like this? I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong enough.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't kill her until I've had my fun with this bitch! She looks like she'll be a nice one to break. Ihihihi!"
I couldn't save her. I couldn't protect her. She's dead because of me. Her belly torn open; her innocent expression twisted into a soundless scream.
"Hmph. Don't worry. No matter how many times we turn her into a pincushion, Kalawarner can just heal her right back up. We'll pay her back hundredfold for what she did to Raynare."
Pathetic. How much more pathetic can I be? I'm no hero. I was foolish in thinking that I was ever a hero.
"Come. Scream for me more, won't you? We aren't done with you yet."
I can't feel a thing anymore. It feels like my body is not my own. Somewhere in the distance, I can hear somebody howling in despair. It sounds inhuman: The sound of an animal being tortured endlessly.
A pale green light enters my vision.
I shouldn't have tried.
[Are you planning to just give up?]
Opening my eyes, I find myself standing in an endless void of white facing a gigantic red dragon.
"Ddraig…" The name pours forth from my lips, my voice barely above a whisper.
[I've finally woken up, and the first thing I see is my partner getting her ass handed to her. The hell's wrong with you?]
I don't answer him. Instead, I sit down and hug my knees to my chest.
[You know, I watched your memories when I was asleep. It seems you've been through a lot.]
I nod.
[It's understandable why you're so broken up about everything. You're only human, after all.]
Human… Do I even have the right to call myself one anymore?
[Listen up, Saya. You're my partner now. Do you know what that means?] The great red dragon doesn't wait for me to reply before continuing, [You're the partner of the Red Dragon Emperor; the Welsh Dragon Ddraig! If you have the time to be moping around then you have time to crush your enemies!]
Why should I? What's the point? What's the point of anything anymore? I'm worthless.
[Dammit, girl! Wake up! Open your eyes! The world isn't just filled with pain! Even in your last life you have happy memories, don't you? Are you planning to just throw those feelings you received away?]
My last life… My mentor whom I killed, my wife that was sacrificed, my daughter whom I couldn't see, my assistant whom fought to the death for me, and the young boy I left behind when I died.
My mentor… An awkward, crude woman who tried her best to raise me despite our situation.
My wife… Her radiant smile, her ever caring nature, and her endless worry for me.
My daughter… Cursed to live an unfulfilled life, but still a little bundle of endless energy and joy.
My assistant… With nowhere else to go, I took her in like my mentor did me. We shared many a cold night together when travelling.
My adopted son… I was a worthless mother who couldn't properly care for him, but he gave me a reason to keep living until I succumbed to my illness.
Even before them are the friends and lovers I've encountered and lived my life with.
I find my thoughts drifting back to a time when I was just a simple adventurer; journeying across the world and meeting new people.
That's right. I was so blinded by grief that I couldn't see what mattered anymore. Just like back then, I have to keep moving forward. The enemies I've met, the friends I've abandoned, and the loved ones I've killed. They're all facets of my heart that I was afraid of. I can't change the past, nor do I have any intentions of returning to it so the only thing I can do to honour the memories of the people who cared for me is to keep moving forward.
Asia is gone, so the most I can do for her now is to avenge her and to make sure nothing like this happens ever again.
[Hmph. It seems you've come to a decision. Good.]
Standing up, I look Ddraig in the eyes as he lowers his head towards me.
[Now, why don't we go show those flies just who they're messing with?]
My vision fades to black and my senses return to the real world.
"Tch. She's not dead already is she? I haven't even paid this bitch back in full yet!"
[Let's go, partner. It's time to tear these upstarts to shreds. BOOST!]
Strength returns to my limbs, enough for me to pull myself out of the pool of blood I was drowning in.
"H-Hey, what the hell? How is this bitch standing?!"
There's a red gauntlet with talons that resemble a dragon's claws now attached to my right arm with a gleaming green jewel on the back of my hand.
[BOOST!]
Ddraig's voice echoes clearly from within my head accompanied by another surge of power.
Sweeping Gan Jiang off the floor, I take one last glance back at Asia's corpse before springing towards the Fallen Angel closest to me. The blade sinks deep into the woman's chest as her eyes shoot wide open in shock.
[BOOST!]
With another push, my arm follows the short sword and bursts out behind her with her still heart impaled on the end of it. I cast her lifeless body aside before leaping into the air towards the goth loli who recoils in fear.
"Shit! What the fuck?! Stay away from me!"
She quickly summons a spear in her hand and thrusts it towards me. I raise Gan Jiang to block it only for the spear to crash straight through the short sword, sending its shards scattering through the air.
[BOOST!]
Casting aside the broken weapon, I lunge forward and latch onto the Fallen Angel's wings. My fingers dig into the black appendages, causing the girl to scream, before I tear them off. After dropping the wings, I envelop the Fallen Angel's face in my gauntlet and squeeze.
There's a sickening squelch accompanied by a loud crunch as her head is crushed.
[BOOST!]
I spring off of the goth loli's carcass and twist away from a light spear that soars past me and obliterates the dead Fallen Angel's body.
"Tch!" Clicking his tongue, the last remaining Fallen Angel summons another spear and aims it at me.
He knows I can't dodge in midair.
[BOOST!]
Before the spear can hit me, I snatch it out of the air with my gauntlet and following its momentum; I spin and send it flying back to its owner. The spear crashes into the man and vaporizes him in the subsequent explosion.
With the last Fallen Angel dead, I land back on the floor next to Asia and scan the room for the last remaining enemy.
He's not here. Did he run away?
[BURST!]
All of a sudden, I feel all my strength leave my body, forcing me to steady myself against the cross. Along with it came an onslaught of pain from the holes littering my body.
Damn. I guess this is it for me.
[Heh. You did good, partner. I'd say you're worthy of taking up my mantle.]
Summoning up what little energy I have left, I remove Asia's corpse from the cross and gently hug her to my chest before collapsing with my back against the ruined altar.
I find myself absentmindedly funning a hand through the nun's golden hair as I sit and bathe in the sun's dying rays streaming through the collapsed ceiling.
My breathing slows, my vision grows dim. I've felt this feeling countless times before; death.
"Sorry, Asia…"
Those simple words tumble out of my mouth as the last vestiges of gold leaves my vision replaced by red.
-Stat Sheet-
Master: (N/A)
Evil Piece: (N/A)
Name: Saya Hyoudou
Title: The Dimensional Ruler
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Height: 5'5" (167cm)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Parameters:
Strength: D
Endurance: D+
Agility: C
Magic: E-
Luck: A++
Weapons: Varied
Known Unique Weapons: Holy Lance Longinus, Crimson Sun Blade, Holy Moon Sword, Holy Sword Caledfwlch, Clarent, Neith's Holy Bow, Sessho-Seki Fragments, Claiomh Solais, Joyeuse, Vorpal Sword, Deux Xiphos, Qing Long Yan Yue Dao, Laevateinn, Gae Bolg, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, Tyrfing, Hrunting, Dainsleif, Balmung, Valmanway, Burtgang, Kunitsuna, Muramasa, Parchment of Omniscience, Ascalon, Ig-Alima, Arondight, Caliburn, Excalibur Galatine
Skills:
Battle Continuation: A - Makes it possible to fight even with deadly wounds and stay alive unless a fatal blow is received.
Charisma: C- - Slightly boosts the morale and abilities of nearby allies.
Collector: EX - Hoarded an uncountable number of rare items.
Disengage: B - The ability to safely break away from combat.
Eye of the Mind (True): A - Heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.
Eye of the Mind (False): C – A natural talent to foresee danger via an innate sixth sense.
Pioneer of the Stars: EX - A unique skill given to heroes who became turning points in history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" are turned into "events that can be realized".
Abilities:
Boosted Gear: EX - A Sacred Gear that holds the ancient dragon Ddraig. It has the ability to double the user's strength every ten seconds as long as the user's body can handle the strain.
Dimensional Vault: EX - A collection of items that Saya has collected during her journeys. It has an unlimited storage space.
Awakening: EX - A psuedo-time stop ability that involves slowing down one's own perception of time by speeding up the body's processes. It has adverse effects on the user.
Adventurer's Insight: EX - The ability to sense areas of civilization, dungeons, ruins, and treasure. It has a maximum range of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles).
Mad Enhancement: A - Increases one's parameters but trades their sanity for it.
Power to Dominate a Dimension: (N/A)
Harem Progress:
Rias Gremory: Rank 1
Akeno Himejima: Rank 1
Yumi Kiba: Rank 1
Koneko Toujou: Rank 1
Asia Argento: Rank 3