Hello, Vinzelles here. Welcome back to A Path to Freedom.
Today I give you the entirety of the meeting Orochi+Raynare/Devils! It's... kind of a big chapter wordcount-wise. That's because this is pretty much the union between two consecutive chapters. I made this executive decision at the last minute for two reasons:
1) Since I'll be gone for a few days, I won't be able to upload for a week for so, and for that reason I thought it would be better if I published a big one tonight.
2) The "second chapter" of the two was kind of short, so I thought that I might as well put them together! e.e
There's some good stuff in here, and the next few chapters will be just as good so your patience will be rewarded, I promise.
For now I've run out of things to say so...
I'll see you at the bottom. Enjoy.
Arc 2 Chapter 3 - The Meeting
At the end of the afternoon classes, Unryuu gathered her things and made for the exit once again. Only at that moment did Orochi consider the option of looking at her not-human friend. 'She's going to her club, no doubt...' he thought. Or at least that was what he wanted to think.
He now knew that Unryuu Nishijima was a Devil. He knew that she had been part of that club since shortly after they arrived in Kuoh, but he never bothered to check it, or any other club for that matter, out. Her going to a club, was it a lie? Not necessarily: he had come to that conclusion as he pondered what to do during the afternoon classes. Maybe the lie was the club itself, or its purpose at the very least. It was plausible: clubs were not exactly well-supervised, and he figured that Devils, and supernatural creatures in general, were able to get away with whatever they did anyway, if their existence had not been discovered up to that moment.
Had she always been a Devil? He was even wondering if the name she gave him was the real one. That question and many others assaulted his mind all at once a few hours earlier and, for a few seconds, his mind became a blank. During that time, his unknown ability showed a new side, according to Raynare: a side that seemed tailor-made to destroy magic entirely. As she rightly stated, it didn't match with what he had been able to do until that point, and the event left him with even more question marks in his head. He was finally fed up with it all to the point where not getting answers now would leave him angry for a long damn time.
The face he wanted to see finally appeared in front of the door to the classroom. Raynare had arrived, sporting an incredibly serious look on her face.
"Time to go." "...Right."
He picked up his bag and left with the Fallen.
"...Where are we going then?"
"The Occult Research Club."
He was somewhat right then. Clearly the ORC was simply a cover for those Devils' activities. And somehow they were able to hide this long in his school. But not much longer.
He knew it. He hated the thought but he knew: if he didn't get what he wanted this one time, he would definitely throw a tantrum. One that he knew he was actually going to control somewhat, which was arguably more terrifying for whoever the victim would be.
The Occult Research Club was already occupied by three people.
"I'm not gonna lie to you girls..." declared Anya, "I'm kind of excited to meet this person. And for reference, Asia, it takes a lot of effort to make my hands tremble like this.". She added that last part for Asia, who didn't know any better since she had been part of Anya's peerage for a very short time still. And sure enough, Anya's entire body was truly shaking in expectation.
Since her now-fellow-servant had been brought up, Unryuu decided to address an issue she had been thinking about. "Asia-chan, weren't you sick as well from what happened earlier?"
"A-Ah, yes, a little. But I was more concerned with Buchou-san's well-being, so I r-rushed over to the infirmary once I was told she had been carried there."
Unryuu sweatdropped. "...What am I, an afterthought?"
"! E-Erm, w-w-well, t-t-that's not what I..."
"Hehe, don't worry Asia, I'm just giving you a hard time. You had your priorities straight and I can't fault you for that." Unryuu smiled at her. She really needed a distraction so she had tried to incite a rise in her new friend. Orochi had not regarded her all day; whether it was on purpose or because he was pensive again, she didn't know. It could have been both with him, really, but she couldn't begin to imagine what she did to upset him, and if she did go too far with teasings he would have definitely gotten revenge by now. She still remembered the huge bump on her head caused by Orochi's fist last time she tried to pull that shit. And harming her was hard to say the least.
Finally, a knock was heard from the door to the club. "Who is it?" asked loudly Anya.
Raynare's head poked out of the doorframe. "We're here."
"Finally, we've been waiting for you. Come in."
Raynare stepped into the room, accompanied by Orochi.
Both Anya and Unryuu froze, while Asia stood there, slightly confused at her master and fellow servant's behaviour.
Unryuu's mind became blank. 'Why is he here. Why is he here. Why is he here?' was the thought that kept emerging in her brain.
Raynare however did expect such a reaction from them. She did her research shortly after meeting Kamakura, and sure enough, the Devils had him already under surveillance; not that he needed it, she thought in amusement. 'How long will this whole situation hold out before a fight starts though? I wouldn't trust Orochi with a newborn puppy, much less two trigger-happy Devils.'
As usual, it was Orochi who broke the silence. People being stunned at his presence or strength was becoming a trend, it seemed. So he broke it the only way he knew how.
"Hmph, didn't think I would ever step foot in this club but here we are. Not even too many people in this place. Now I just know that you guys are brainwashing teachers or something."
With a metaphorical sledgehammer.
He looked at Unryuu.
"Unsurprisingly you're here, Nishijima. I managed to figure out that you're a Devil but seeing you here is still pissing me off."
"W-Wait, what are you talking abou-"
Unryuu barely managed to compose herself enough to ask something, but she was immediately interrupted.
"Not important. I'll deal with your bullshit another time. Let's get to business...
...Who's in charge here?"
His menacing tone immediately put them out of their stupor. He had gotten out of an assassination attempt completely unscathed. He had great strength, enough to compete evenly with the supernatural. He knew they were Devils. He was the cause of the immense pressure that weakened all three of them for a short while. He entered the club room with the Fallen that had defected. He was definitely told all that he needed to know. He could only react to the news in a single way, from what Unryuu had told her about his usual behaviour.
'I'm next.'
Anya immediately created two blood-red magic circles, one per hand, and generated out of nowhere two deep crimson lances. She gripped them both and launched herself from the seat behind her desk towards Orochi. She would not give him the chance to lay his hands on her; she had already seen the effects of his strength on both environment and people. Her sudden movements left both Unryuu and Asia completed stunned and silent.
The twin lances were Anya's pride: their blades were incredibly sharp, so she was confident that not even Orochi Kamakura would be able to just grab them and stop her attack, especially if he didn't expect it like in this case. She had caught him off guard, and his instinct would tell him to dodge at the very least, but she knew that much. So, for extra insurance, she activated her clan ability, Wisdom of the Haunted Ground. This ability allowed her to see into the future, albeit for a very short time. It was only one second ahead, and could only be used every ten seconds, but it was usually enough to determine where her opponent would dodge, and adjust her strikes accordingly to deliver a killing blow. (1)
No other attack would be enough. If Kamakura decided to become aggressive, it would be incredibly difficult to stop him. And besides, what was supposed to be a killing blow would definitely lose enough edge against him to easily leave him alive.
She foresaw Orochi sidestepping to his right.
As expected. He would be able to react in time, that monster of a human. But it would be meaningless: she simply had to adjust.
She was thrusting the lance on her right hand towards his abdomen, and he simply sidestepped to the right, confidence still etched on his face despite the surprise assault.
The spear suddenly curved towards him.
'How will you handle this?' Anya thought, her own confidence sprouting from her being.
A right foot placed itself on the base of the weapon.
It seemed Orochi was still capable of reacting. He had put his right foot on the side of the spear in order to drive it away from his body and pierce the floor instead. However, his back was now open.
'It's over!' Anya prepared her other lance, and made a second thrust towards him.
But it wasn't meant to be: Orochi had already found something to exploit. The Devil girl's twin lances had two side blades each, presumably meant to keep them usable if the main blade broke. 'A good design choice, but it will cost you this battle!' he thought.
He knew his maneuver would leave his back exposed, so after deviating the first spear with his right foot, he had put that same foot on one of the side blades and used it as a pivot to do a half spin with his body, bend his other leg, and send a straight kick towards the Devil's face.
'He's faster, I won't hit him in time!' Anya spun her second lance at the last moment, and used its base to defend against the kick. They had entered a lockdown and she was at a disadvantage: her legs were busy trying to withstand Orochi's strength, and she couldn't move her weapons at all.
"Too jumpy, Devil. I didn't even say I wanted to pick a fight, and you just charged in like a raging bull."
He raised his strength and pushed her away, forcing her to leave behind the spear that was stuck in the ground. He then jumped lightly off of it.
"I'm not interested in you in that fashion, even if you're kinda good. I'm here because you have information that I want." He pointed at her. "Judging by where you jumped from, I take it that you're the one calling the shots. Am I wrong?"
After being attacked, he didn't do much to retaliate. That meant, in Anya's eyes, that he truly did not intend to fight. She didn't think that the building would survive if they actually started fighting seriously, so she decided to settle down, but still keep her guard up.
"...No, you're not." Anya answered carefully. "I lead the Devils that are part of the ORC."
"Your name?"
"Anya Adachi."
"We're too far into the game for you to use a Japanese surname in front of me." Orochi's tone became menacing again. "I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid enough to actually believe what you just said." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Try again."
"...Anya Adramelech, a Pillar Devil."
"That's better, although I don't know what's the deal with that 'Pillar' you added."
"...What do you want then, if you're not here to fight?"
"As I said, I want whatever information you can give me. About my powers, that is."
Anya narrowed her eyebrows, but Orochi didn't take notice of it. "You sent Nishijima to look after me for a reason, didn't you? At the very least, you're aware of my... capabilities."
She was, or at least she knew he wasn't normal. However...
"I saw enough at the abandoned church to be able to tell what goes through your head while you fight." answered Anya. "But that's all we know about you, since we can't figure out your ability."
"...What." Orochi was not amused by that answer, and for good reason. How could they know nothing? "You better have a good reason."
"I have it. Are you familiar with Sacred Gears?"
He looked at a very alive Asia for the first time, who was still scared after what had just transpired, and then looked at Raynare, who was completely unimpressed by his display as if she expected it. He turned back to Anya. "...Somewhat. I was told they exist within some humans, but I don't know much."
"Good enough. You need to know this: Sacred Gears are detectable within a human even if they don't manifest, which is usually the case until the human is reincarnated into a Devil." Orochi memorized that latter bit for later use: he still had to deal with Unryuu after all. "A supernatural creature will sense something solid in them. They can't tell if it's a Sacred Gear or simply an artificial magic core created by a magician, but whatever it is, it will always have a physical form, or a shape in which that power can be imagined. Your ability has no such thing however. It's just there in your body, and doesn't seem to have a shape of its own. In simpler words, if someone were to extract that ability from your body, it wouldn't be able to materialize, or perhaps it would, but it'd be impossible to describe. It would be nothingness, or infinity. And it is pretty much impossible to gather an acceptable amount of knowledge about such a thing, hence our lack of information, and our inability to define the ability itself. Is that sufficient?"
Orochi pondered his answer for a few seconds. What Anya said to him was so farfetched that he thought it was impossible for it to be a lie. It was clear that he wouldn't be able to get answers from her. "...From you, yes. I accept the fact that you can't tell me anything. If that's the case, answer me this... Is there someone that knows more than you do?"
Anya closed her eyes and sighed. She went back to her desk and sat down.
"Yes, there is. One of our supreme leaders, to be precise. He happens to be a scientist, an inventor, a scholar of sorts whose passion is the unknown itself. Someone you definitely can't defeat, and the only person that might have an idea of what your ability is...
The Satan, Ajuka Beelzebub."
Orochi had narrowed his eyebrows after hearing Anya's last statement. He wasn't so vain as to think he was invincible, but people telling him he couldn't ever defeat someone no matter how hard he tried had irked him more than he expected. And there were more than one of these Satans, more than one of these Devils that were presumably out of his reach. But that logic was flawed, he thought.
"You're probably right in saying that I can't defeat a Satan. After all, if the two of us are currently somewhat equal in power, a person that stands above you relevance-wise will definitely be stronger than me. However, I have to ask this: on what basis do you claim that I can't beat someone of that level?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
"It's not that hard to understand, really. You went and compared my power, something that according to you is hard to define, to that of someone who has earned the title of 'Satan'!" He spread his arms to the side for effect, then stared condescendingly at Anya. "You just made an unfair and incredibly arrogant comparison, no matter how powerful my ability ends up being. I actually feel like beating you up right now, but I'll be the better person this time."
Anya didn't even have the time to scowl. He bowed. "First of all, I take responsibility for what happened earlier. I got angry at Nishijima and lost control for a little while, and I'm sorry for that." Still bowing, he continued. "Secondly, I'll also take responsibility for the attack at the abandoned church."
"! So, it was you back then... Can I ask why exactly have you voluntarily interfered with what you surely knew was our job?"
Orochi sensed Anya's attempt at taking back control of the conversation. 'Not good enough, Devil!' he smirked internally before giving his answer.
"It was a dare."
As expected, Anya immediately ran out of patience and slammed her hands at her desk, the other Devils in the room startled by the noise.
"BULLSHIT!"
"BUT IT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!" (2)
"...It actually kinda was." added Raynare in a quiet voice while shrugging. She had enough foresight to know that eventually this serious discussion would degenerate into something stupid, so she was ready to take matters into her own hands. "I wanted him to show me some more of his power, so I challenged him to go in there on his own and beat up whoever he walked into." She looked at Asia, as she jumped again when her eyes met with the Fallen's. "He would have done it even if I didn't tell him about the nun being in there."
"And you abandoned your comrades like that?!"
"I have my reasons and I don't have to explain them to you."
"Let's go back on topic." said Orochi, dismissing Anya's outburst. "What I need to know now is whether you're willing, or able, to organize a meeting between me and this Satan."
Anya sighed again. "...As a Pillar Devil, I have enough authority to at least contact him, but don't think I will do it for free."
Orochi was fine with that. As long as it wasn't anything demeaning, he would comply with whatever the girl had in mind. "Fine. Let's negotiate. What do you want?"
"First of all, show some manners and introduce yourself to her. I don't think your name was ever mentioned the entire time, and she's been scared and confused since you've entered the room." She gestured towards Asia.
"Shit, you're right. I can do that much." She turned to the former nun and bowed formally. "I'm Orochi Kamakura, nice to meet you, nun-girl."
"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Unryuu had finally sobered up enough to regain her bearings, and punched hard Orochi's head. She knew it wouldn't do anything without her own ability activated, but someone had to take control of the conversation back from him.
"What are you punching me for?! I may not have introduced myself, but nobody told me her name either!"
"Do you just give names to strangers however you feel liiiiiiiiiiikeee?"
They were bickering again. Internally, Anya was glad to see this scene: Kamakura seemed incredibly upset with her servant, but it seemed that he was still considering her a friend if they were still able to quarrel childishly like that.
"U-Um, nice to m-meet you too, Orochi-san... I'm Asia Argento..."
Orochi was fortunately able to hear the quiet girl's voice despite Unryuu's loud whining. He put a hand over her mouth in order to speak to the blonde clearly.
"I also have to apologize to you, Asia-san... I couldn't get there fast enough to save you."
"N-No, no, you d-don't have to apologize... It couldn't be helped after all..." She was already looking at the ground.
'Sheesh, talk about awkward. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned my involvement right away...' thought Orochi, half-regretting bringing that topic up.
Anya clapped her hands to gain everyone's attention once more. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I only want one thing from you, Kamakura Orochi. Become a Devil in my peerage!"
"Never."
The pressure was increasing again. "I will not be a slave. I will not answer to anyone but myself. I'd rather kill myself before submitting to someone else again. ARE WE CLEAR?"
He was very angry. Anya realized she had to defuse this ticking bomb before it exploded: if the effect of his anger was the same as before, both her twin lances and her Rune Magic were completely useless against him.
"OK, OK, I get it! No reincarnation then, I promise!"
Orochi settled down immediately, and the pressure vanished. "...I can only promise to cooperate with you people occasionally. You'll have to settle for that."
"...Fine." She sighed once more, this time out of relief. "Then I'll make the call immediately, but I don't know if you'll be able to meet Beelzebub-sama right away."
"Can't be helped, I guess." He didn't want to wait again, but he supposed he didn't have the right to whine after all the trouble he caused, voluntarily or not. "This guy is a big shot, isn't he?"
"He sure is." confirmed Anya with amusement as she formed a circle near one of her ears
"Hello?" She talked into it. Orochi was pretty much looking at someone making a phone call, but he had to admit that magic seemed incredibly convenient even outside of battle. "Anya Adramelech from the 72 Pillars. I would like to make an appointment with Beelzebub-sama. ...It is about a certain individual my group came into contact with. He has no Sacred Gear, and he is no magician, but he seems to have an ability that we can't identify properly. ...Yes, I'll wait." She looked at Orochi slightly puzzled. "The lady is checking with Beelzebub-sama personally, since you seem to be a special case." She heard a voice again from the circle after a minute or so. "Yes, still here. ...Really? I see. ...Yes, right away. Thank you very much."
The circle vanished into thin air. She facepalmed. "...He wants to see you immediately. As expected of someone who notoriously neglects his actual job to favour his hobbies...".
"Suits me fine. I wouldn't like thinking about a job all the time either." said Orochi with a smirk on his face.
"Of course you say that now, the situation is in your favour after all!" remarked Unryuu.
"Got a problem with that?" He looked at Unryuu with an indifferent expression. He was still upset.
"..."
"Thought so." He turned to Anya. "Now what?"
"We have to travel to the Technology Department of the Underworld, where Beelzebub-sama works as the Chief Advisor."
"I have yet to understand a word out of your mouth when it comes to Devils and their society."
"...We're going to warp to his workplace."
"...Warp?" "Warp."
Orochi wasn't sure if he was okay with the transportation method of choice. "...Warp. Raynare, are you coming?"
"Do you even need to ask? I need this info." answered the Fallen right away.
"...Five people then." muttered Anya. She generated another circle on the clubroom floor. "Step into the circle, everyone." While all five of them entered the circle, she addressed Orochi one last time. "I won't even ask if you have a strong stomach, Kamakura-kun, it would be a stupid question."
"Huh?" Orochi was understandably confused at the statement, but didn't have the time to ponder its meaning.
Everything turned red.
(1) So, apparently I'm full of shit. I said I was going to show her powers in the third arc, but I changed my mind as I wrote down these chapters. I finally decided to ditch Scathach's immortality since I resolved to keep the Phenex family for this story, but Anya's powers are otherwise the same as Lancer's, between the red spears and the Wisdom of the Haunted Ground, which I decided to make into a clan ability and to nerf to the ground because it's incredibly busted otherwise.
(2) A small reference to Hellsing Ultimate Abridged: Alucard and Integra are talking to the phone and the vampire is trying to explain that the mess that is currently around him (he's in Brazil because he was tricked into going on a holiday "anywhere except for Brazil", since Integra had forbid him from going there specifically) is not his fault. He claims that he was minding his own business (which was actually true, unlike... other times) and Integra immediately calls bullshit. Great abridged series by takahata101 of TeamFourStar, I recommend it.
Welcome to the bottom.
I think I've handled everything well in here.
A rift has appeared between Orochi and Unryuu, and I have plans on how to solve it although you might see the "how" coming considering it's Orochi we're talking about. But that won't be a subject of interest for a little while actually. The fight between Orochi and Anya is once again brief, my apologies but the madman needs a proper battlefield and a club room is anything but. XD
The big thing here is the Satan of reference, which is not Sirzechs. Surprised? I know you are. Ajuka Beelzebub doesn't do much in the LN and almost never appears in a fanfic, so I decided to include him instead of the usual sis-con we're all used to. Still a Super-Devil according to the LN, and fits better with Orochi's ability considering the passion he puts into investigating the unknown. The one who will reveal what the ability is will be Ajuka himself, so it won't be long now!
And good news, Mr. Guest's wishes that he put in his review have been granted! I mean, I was going to go this route anyway, but you get the meaning. Orochi will NOT side officially with the Devils. Again, this has to do with the role I plan on giving him in the supernatural world, and that will take a while to come to fruition. End of the fourth arc, probably (which, I don't remember if I said it, will be the first original arc).
As I said before, I won't be able to load an update for a little while. I'm leaving for my grandma's house, and visiting my relatives for Easter holidays. I plan to relax and not have to worry about my story nor about my YT channel for a little while. I'll be back Wednesday evening, and probably load an update next Friday, or at least that's the plan.
Reviews are welcome for this update, I'd like to know if this story's current direction seems inspiring and interesting to you. Or if it's complete garbage, one of the two, but hopefully the former XD.
Thanks for reading, see you soon. Ciao!