Hello, Vinzelles here. Welcome back to A Path to Freedom.
It's been 6 days since the official start of this arc. Wait, SIX DAYS? As in, less than a week? That's crazy, I didn't feel lazy for once!
In fact, I have just now finished revising this chapter, and having nothing better to do I decided to upload one day early! Again, crazy!
Anyway, today we have one half of a chapter from Raynare's perspective, which will spiritually take the place of that Kiba vs. Freed scene in the anime (and also LN I think. It's been a minute since I read Volume 3 XD). Of course, since I don't remember many details about the anime, it's not exactly the same scene, and it also doesn't act as a trigger for anyone in this fic like it did for Kiba. But you'll see.
The other half will go back to the normal perspective, so expect more Orochi. Not much, but this will change, even if that's actually a talk we should have for next chapter.
By the way, this story has surpassed 50 favorites and is about to reach 70 follows. For the third time in like 2 minutes, that's crazy! Thank you all so much for the support, even though I got no reviews in 6 days. e.e
Really, I would like to talk a little more with you guys. Gotta improve somehow and, between you and me, this arc's first draft is a complete mess. Getting feedback now would help immensely, haha.
That's it for now., so I'll see you at the bottom.
Enjoy.
Arc 3 Chapter 2 - Two Ends Meet
Raynare had just finished her shift at the antique shop Tanzabu, and was walking home with a bored expression.
She had started working there a few days before, but since the shop itself didn't have a lot of customers (not an uncommon occurrence according to her employer), she didn't have much to do there at all. Even so, that job would still occupy her enough to keep herself distracted.
She had complained to Orochi about not wanting to spend her days dreading their training sessions. The boy had conceded that he was working her pretty hard, and that it was in fact preferable for her to find something to pass the time, and suggested that she look for a hobby.
A brief search had led her to that old and stuffy antique shop which was run, strangely enough, by a youkai. Said youkai, who claimed to be an old bakedanuki, assured the Fallen that the goods weren't counterfeited in any way (she didn't believe those words even for a second), and hired her without batting an eyelash, after making her promise to "return the favor one day". (1)
Raynare wasn't sure of what that youkai wanted from her, but didn't pay much mind to it.
As she walked, she was suddenly hit by a strong scent. A familiar one, at that.
Blood.
She turned her head to the dark alleyway on her right side. Sure enough, she could barely make out a body laying on the ground in the shadows. A man in priest garb laid dead in a pool of his own blood.
And a familiar person was standing over the corpse.
"Gahahahaha, if it isn't Raynare-san! It's been suuuuuuch a long time, huh?"
The kind of person that the girl could have gladly done without in her new life.
"...Freed." acknowledged reluctantly Raynare. "I see that you're still missing one or two teeth from that dirty mouth of yours. Doesn't make your ugly mug any prettier, as expected."
"You don't pull any punches, do you?" Briefly after saying those words, a frown appeared on Freed's face. "...Wait, did you say "still"? Meaning that you already knew about me losing them?!"
"I did watch the show. Kamakura did a number on you, and I laughed at the sorry mess you were left in back then."
"Hohoho, now that I know this, I can't let you walk away! Maybe once I'm done killing you I'll finally be able to drill that magnificent body of yours! HAHAHAHA!"
Raynare didn't pay any mind to the former priest's crazy talk, and laid her eyes on his weapon instead.
"...Where did you get that?"
"As if I would tell a weak bitch like you! How about you try and force it out of me?"
"Tch, annoying bastard. I'll quickly deal with you, and boast to Kamakura about how I killed you before he could!"
She extended her wings. She now had three pairs, totaling at six wings.
Seeing that, Freed immediately dropped the sickening smile he had until that moment.
Did Raynare have some sort of explosive growth spurt in the brief time they didn't see each other? Even if she did, displaying six wings that early was impossible for a Fallen, thought Freed. But all that didn't matter, he realized. He knew exactly what those wings' number was implying.
"...Now that I think about it, I might be at a disadvantage. Ta ta, cretin!"
In a panic, he realized he couldn't take on a Fallen that powerful without getting hurt badly, especially considering that he wasn't used to his new toy yet. So, he extracted a flash bomb from his coat, and threw it to the ground, drowning the alleyway in light. He ran past a briefly blinded Raynare, not even realizing in his rush that he could probably have attacked her in her vulnerable state, and disappeared before she could regain her bearings.
Her eyes still itching slightly, Raynare's anger reached new heights for a moment, but she calmed down and clicked her tongue. She retracted her wings and looked at the corpse one last time, deciding to leave it there and go notify Orochi.
"There's no mistake, that was a Holy Sword... How is it possible for Freed of all people to be wielding one of those?"
She wasn't going to get answers easily, she conceded. So she resumed her walk, resolved to warn the boy about the presence of Freed in the town.
One day before the end.
Afternoon lessons had already ended, and it was now time for club, for those students who were part of one. Anya had been contacted the moment she stepped in her clubroom by the student council president Sona Sitri, another Pillar Devil that was enrolled in Kuoh Academy under the disguise of a human. They had been sharing the responsibility over that territory for some time now, and Anya often mingled with her and her group, be it with a relaxing cup of tea or with a simple game of chess, which Anya would constantly lose due to Sona being just too good of a player.
The girl picked up her phone. "Hello?"
"Anya. There are two exorcists by the school gate, and they're asking for an audience. Do you mind handling it? I'm a bit busy right now."
"...Sure, no problem. But are you sure you don't want to hear them out as well? Might be important."
"I wish I could, but we're drowning in papers here."
Anya smiled wryly. "Haha, I see. Then I'll take care of it."
She hung up and waited for Unryuu and Asia to arrive. When the two girls finally opened the door, Anya warned them immediately.
"Welcome back, you two. No time for contracts today, we have a meeting to attend."
"I-I see... About that, Anya-sama..."
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
Unryuu was suddenly pushed forward.
"You're taking too long, out of the way Unryuu!"
Orochi and Raynare apparently had chosen that exact day to come and mess around in her clubroom. Their visits, albeit short in time for different reasons, were not sporadic in the slightest, and those two would often lounge about in the room, relaxing in their own way. That is to say, Raynare would quietly read a magazine for a little while, then she'd be off to work; Orochi would instead bother Anya herself with a bunch of questions made only to irritate her until he got bored.
Even Asia made way for them, still slightly afraid of the Fallen.
"...This is really not the time, Orochi-kun, we have a meeting to attend."
Anya weakly tried to reason with the boy, but he would have none of it.
"Don't care. We're going to oversee it. I've already met those two so it's fine."
"Eh? What do you mean by that?!"
"One of them is an acquaintance of mine, and that's all you need to know."
"...Can't you just say 'friend'?" deadpanned Anya.
"Only Unryuu is my friend. Everyone else is an associate at best. You done whining?"
"Gh, how harsh. Leaving aside my feelings, I feel bad for that acquaintance for some reason..."
Anya didn't suspect Orochi's unusually intense harshness even for a second.
"Thank you for your hospitality." said Xenovia, bowing her head to Anya.
"...I swear you always say the same things. I hear that's an unattractive trait to have for a woman."
"W-What?! Tell me you're joking, Kamakura Orochi!"
"It's just a rumor I've heard, don't shake me!"
"You're wasting our time, Boss! Stop teasing her! Don't you have anything better to do than stay here?!"
"Y-You won't keep me away from this, S-Soleil. I don't know what you two intend to d-do, but it's definitely d-dangerous- COULD YOU STOP?!"
Anya sighed at the scene in front of her. The two exorcists, who introduced themselves as Xenovia Quarta and Soleil Bertrand, had come in the ORC clubroom to discuss something, but apparently Orochi had decided to get in the way as he usually did. Raynare however was laying against a wall with arms crossed and eyes closed, as if in deep thought, while completely disregarding the boy's antics.
"...Unryuu, please do something."
"Yes, ma'am."
The boy's white-haired friend walked over to him while he was being held by Xenovia, and punched his head with all her strength, even activating her Adamantite Armor.
He simply fell back to the floor from the impact, as if he had been merely pushed, and wasn't harmed at all. Xenovia and Soleil stood there wondering how in the world could he even survive a blow like that, let alone shrug it off completely, while the boy himself wasn't amused by Unryuu's decision.
"...Oi."
"Don't even start! You are really wasting everyone's time right now! Go sit in the corner with Raynare-san and be quiet!" The girl pointed her finger in Raynare's general direction, who was still ignoring it all.
"...Tch."
Orochi stood up, dusting himself down, and obeyed the order silently.
'I shouldn't be fooling around in the first place. Soleil has information that I'll need in order to survive. What the hell was I doing?' he wondered.
"...Phew, finally. Now that he has settled down we can start."
The boy clearly took offense to that statement, judging by his expression, but Raynare held him back by elbowing his abdomen.
Xenovia also calmed down, and started speaking. "...Thank you. Then let's begin."
She turned fully towards Anya. "We have been sent here because recently some particularly powerful relics have been stolen from several Churches in the world. The Vatican has reason to believe that the perpetrator of the thefts is currently hiding in this city."
Raynare opened an eye hearing that, and stared at the weapon on the blue-haired exorcist's back.
"We merely came here to ask the Devils in this city to not interfere with our research." continued Xenovia. "It is of extreme importance that this matter be settled by the Church itself, we can't have the Devils clean up our messes for us."
"Hm, fair enough." conceded Anya. "However, you're going to have to tell me a little more than that. I don't know what I should stay away from after all, and with some luck I might be able to keep Orochi-kun away as well, so that you can work without distractions."
A loud stomp was heard. Everyone ignored it.
"...It can't be helped." Soleil sighed, and proceeded to extract her weapon. She unraveled the string that was tied around one of her arms, which then shined brightly and transformed into a golden two-handed katana. Ignoring the briefly alarmed looks of Anya's peerage, she started explaining.
"This is Excalibur. Or more precisely, Excalibur Mimic, which is one of seven fragments of the true Excalibur. The relics Xenovia just told you about are other fragments of that same legendary holy sword, and just like she said they have been stolen from various churches and brought in this town of all places. Do you understand now, Anya Adramelech?"
Anya ignored the slightly rude tone in her question and answered. "I understand. Although I can't speak in Sona's stead, I promise my group won't interfere with your work."
"Speak for yourself."
"Shut up, Kamakura. Remember why we're here in the first place."
Those whispers could be heard from the corner of the room.
Soleil heard Orochi's words and sighed. She thought that hopefully he wouldn't be able to track them down while they hunted the thief, completely unaware that Orochi already had a lead while they didn't.
"Well, I think that's all there is to be said. Now we have to speak to the other Devil though."
"Right... the problem with that is, Sona is very busy with both schoolwork and other burocracy coming from our work as supervisors of this area, and cannot meet you right now." answered Anya, sweatdropping.
"Aaaah, that's a bit annoying. We'll have to wait another day now. Should we just go then, Xenovia?"
"Hm, let's. But before that..."
It seemed Xenovia still had something to address. She turned her attention to Asia, who jumped in fright at her gaze.
"I thought I was imagining things at first, but... Aren't you the Holy Maiden? Or rather, you were."
"A-Ah, y-yes..."
"Hmph. To think someone of your stature has become a Devil. The definition for people like you... I believe it is "heretic", wouldn't you agree Soleil?"
"Oh, you're not wrong there. But why did the Holy Maiden turn her back on the Lord? Do you not believe in Him any longer? You don't, right? It would be impossible for a Devil-"
She suddenly realized her mistake, and put her hands over her mouth while looking at the only non-believing human in the room.
Sure enough, Orochi had noticed Asia's downcast expression. He seemed furious, and was barely restraining himself at that point.
He looked like he was only waiting for an excuse to deliver his punishment.
Xenovia, sadly, didn't notice.
"If that is the case, now that you're officially a witch it would be fine to exorcise you, yes?"
She put a hand on the handle of her sword. But her wrist was locked in an iron grip before she could extract it.
Orochi, having reached his limit, had appeared at her side out of nowhere and prevented her from pointing a weapon at the "heretic".
"You overstepped. Apologize."
"...What do you think you're-"
"Now."
His grip strengthened tenfold.
"Y-You-GHHH!"
It became even stronger. Her wrist was about to break.
"Oi, stop it. You went in too early." said Raynare calmly.
Orochi's glare did not diminish in power, but Xenovia's wrist was freed from the painful clutch of his hand.
As she nursed her hand and glared back at the boy, he started speaking.
"It seems that the idea of "pecking order" in your head is all messed up. It's high time someone taught you a little respect. Raynare, are you with me?"
Everything had gone according to the plan the two of them had concocted. Orochi intended to exploit any kind of misstep the exorcists would make, and coerce them into a fight, during which Raynare would take the chance to try negotiating with Soleil. The girl pondered briefly on how forceful Orochi had been in carrying out the plan, but didn't think too hard about it.
"Obviously. I'll be taking her." The Fallen pointed her thumb at Soleil.
"Eh?"
As usual, the pink-haired girl was a little slower on the uptake than she should have been.
And as usual, Orochi didn't pay any attention to that little detail.
"Good. Follow me quietly, all of you. Try to object and I'll crush you where you stand."
By that moment everyone in the room was well aware that it was unwise to cross an angry Orochi, so they obeyed silently.
...Even if him threatening people was a bit unusual.
(1): This youkai is described very vaguely on purpose. A bakedanuki is a "raccoon monster" by the way: little critters who like to cast illusions to play pranks on people, and are said to have HUGE nutsacks. No joke. Also, "Tanzabu" is a reference so obscure that, while most of you won't get it now, those who have similar tastes to mine might have an epiphany and understand immediately who the youkai is. Here's a hint: this shop exists in a fan-game of that "certain game franchise I'm biased towards", and said fan-game has been on Playstation 4 since... well, it has been a thing for four years in Japan, and only on Windows at first, but it obtained an English port in March 2017, and a version for Nintendo Switch was confirmed for this year. Those who know who the youkai is, don't spoil please.
Welcome to the bottom.
Before you start shouting, yes, I know, Raynare's huge power-up doesn't sound right at all. But there's a reason behind it, which will be explored at a later date. I really hope you guys are used to reading my highlighted ramblings, I'd hate to receive a review that says I'm being garbage when I'm promising it will make sense eventually.
Freed flees immediately here instead of fighting. Hey, even madmen should know when to fold if presented with an impossible situation, or at least that's what I want to believe is true for people like Freed. No offense.
The meeting goes down in more or less the same way, up until the moment Asia is threatened. In this moment, and in some others earlier than that, Orochi displays once more a ruthlessness more intense than what should be allowed. It's subtle for now, so the rest of the cast doesn't ask questions, or doesn't notice at all, but it will eventually escalate. Or at least I'm going to try to make it look that way.
See, this is an example of what I meant when I said the draft was a mess. This plot point (Orochi's increasing paranoia causing him to "hold back" less than usual) was too good to pass up, but it came out weakly in the draft, and only towards the end of the arc, so now I'm trying to drop hints as I revise chapters. Hopefully it won't end up being a waste of effort and time.
I think we're done for today. Next chapter will be a little harder to revise, since it's a battle scene. I might have to rewrite some parts from zero, but I was already resigned to having to do that some time down the line.
Do review if you can. Prevent a disaster and talk to me! XD
Next time, the tag battle. Although the "tag" part won't hold for long.
Thank you for reading, see you soon.
Ciao!