Author's Notes: I'm back with another chapter. Sorry for the long wait I recently got into some new anime which on the upside gave me some interesting ideas. It also didn't help that writing this chapter was a bit difficult. Now on the the reviews.
Abel: In a way, but I believe they would argue more frequently though.
Currahee506: That was already explained in the previous chapter.
BANKAIZEN: Glad you do.
Stratos263: In a nutshell.
Cobalt Striker Gundam: Well, I can assure it's nothing that complicated, it's a bit more simple.
ZeroSaga: Probably.
Durandel: I really don't see that fitting her appearance.
zero kazama: That's actually a point that's going to brought up in this chapter.
AJR3333: That's the thing though. Vince does have experience in dealing with supernatural incidents. Not as much as a veteran but enough to where he isn't so easily shocked or surprised.
NERO TOVACK: Yeah, I'm pretty sure Rias would do that and yeah they pretty much are connected.
enjiro99: This arc doesn't have a theme but the song gives a good foreshadowing about what happens in it.
Blitzenf'n: It depends on the situation though Vince will get even if he wants to.
Flamenza Aqua: Point take but Kuroka is more affiliated with Vali's team rather than the Khaos Brigade and they do betray the Khaos Brigade a little later on.
Jindai-III: I don't think it wouldn't work very well. I have little knowledge on Tenjou Tenge and I don't want to mess something up due to my lack of knowledge. Thanks for the suggestion though.
The Storm Master 567: Well, I personally don't mind as long as the backstory can work well with the setting, otherwise I'd rather not try it, it could turn into a complete mess.
sigmon: Maybe one day...
Ray Tenju: Element Brand already achieved a Balance Breaker despite being incomplete. Angel/Devil won't reach Balance Breaker for quite a while.
Xuan: Sure thing. Vince doesn't have much of an attraction towards loli's, so I can't see him wanting to be with one.
Soren Alba: I can see an attraction just for that but not much is known about Tsubasa's past and it's very hard to do it because of that. As for Seekvaira, I believe her and Vince will have some unique interactions.
Guest: I won't say anything on that because it's a spoiler. But I will say that what Vince will do to him will greatly change Diodora's life.
Rhein: I can't. Because the light novel already describes Gabriel with a voluptuous figure.
Guest: Thanks and sure.
Palamaeos: Probably not. Super Devils are extremely rare.
Shuda: I agree with you on that.
Thanks for the reviews, it's been fun replying to everyone. Now on to the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or any other references or elements I may put in the story. They all belong to their respective owners I only own my OCs.
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince sighed tiredly as he shook his head from the onslaught of questions he was asked by both Rossweisse and Rena. He looked around the building the just entered and to his surprise, it was a luxurious restaurant that had a peaceful and elegant atmosphere. (Why did she have to pick this place?)
Rena then tapped Vince's shoulder, gaining his attention. "Vince, we're not finished asking."
"Well I am." Vince turned to both Rossweisse and Rena, frowning a bit. "I already answered most of your questions. At this point your questions are turning more personal and I won't answer those types of questions."
Rena frowned while Rossweisse sighed a bit. "Fair enough. But there is one thing I would like to ask the both of you."
"Yes?" Rena questioned with a curious expression.
"Can you two tell what happened two years ago?" Rossweisse asked raising an eyebrow.
Rena turned to Vince who sighed but hesitantly nodded. "I don't see why not. But let's get a table first."
The two nodded at Vince's suggestion. Before Vince could continue his cellphone sounded off gaining their attention. He grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and checked, not a moment later his eye twitched. "Great..."
"Rias?" Rena asked looking at him.
"Rias." Vince muttered, shaking his head a bit. "I'll go answer this, do you two mind getting a table?"
"I don't mind." Rossweisse said.
"Neither do I." Rena agreed with a small nod.
Vince thanked the two and quickly walked out of the restaurant. He then answered the call. "Yeah?"
"Why did you quit Vince?" Rias asked, her tone sounding eerily calm.
"I never intended on staying the club permanently it was only temporary, not to mention it took up a chunk of my time." Vince responded casually.
"You quitted for a reason like that!?" Rias shouted angrily.
"Yeah pretty much." He replied shrugging.
"Is it because we're engaged?" She asked frowning a bit.
"Huh?"
"Are you quitting because you want to spend less time with me?" Rias questioned, sounding hurt.
"No. I would have quitted regardless. Either way, I have to go now." Vince stated, turning his attention towards the restaurant.
"Wait! I'm not finished Vince!" Rias exclaimed.
Vince ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Rias. I'm here because I have something I need to do. It's really personal to me, when I get back I'll tell you about it, alright?"
"Do you promise?" She asked in a worried tone.
"I promise I'll tell you." He reassured her.
"Ok then. You know, Akeno and the others are really worried about you." Rias said sounding concerned.
"Worried...? Did you hit your head or something?" Vince asked with a deadpan expression.
Rias huffed and spoke in an slightly annoyed tone. "I did not Vince. And I am serious, they are worried about you leaving just like that."
"Right..."
"Take care of yourself, ok?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Later." Vince hung up and closed his cellphone. He pocketed his cellphone and pinched the bridge of his nose. (I'm getting tired of dealing with all of this emotional crap. I think I liked it better when I didn't give a damn about anything...)
He sighed and then walked into the restaurant. (I wonder if they got a table.)
"Vince, over here!" Vince turned to the voice in the restaurant and saw Rena sitting next Rossweisse in a small booth. He nodded and walked towards the booth.
"I'm surprised you two got a booth so quickly." Vince spoke as he sat next to Rossweisse.
"We didn't get a booth quickly. You took a while to finish talking." Rena stated causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"Your call outside took over ten minutes." Rossweisse pointed out.
"Damn..."
"So did anything happen over there?" Rena asked curiously.
"Just what you expected. Rias wanted to know why I left and that she was worried. I told her I was gonna tell her what happened when we get back." Vince replied with a small shrug.
"Oh."
"You two seem to care for each other." Rossweisse pointed out.
"Rias is a bit annoying but she's not a bad person. In a way, she kind of reminds me of Rena." He commented, smirking a bit.
"Excuse me?" Rena turned to Vince as she glared at him.
"Both of you are pretty much spoiled rich girls with annoying tendencies." Vince answered with an amused smile.
Rena brought her foot down and was about to stomp Vince's foot, however he saw this and quickly moved his foot out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoided it from being crushed.
Rossweisse shook her head and sighed. "That's enough you two. You'll cause a scene if this keeps up."
The two nodded although Rena gave Vince a small glare before turning to Rossweisse. "So is there anything else you want to talk about?"
Before Rossweisse could start an attractive waitress in her mid-thirties with brunette hair and a moderate bust walked towards the booth, wearing a light blue shirt, blue pants and an blue apron with the restaurant logo on it. She smiled and took out a pen and a notepad. "Are you three ready to take your order?"
The three nodded as Rena spoke up first. "Yes, I'll have a grilled rock lobster and a curried banana smoothie."
Both Rossweisse and Vince turned with Rena with wide eyes as the waitress nodded and wrote the order down.
"I'll have a broiled dill salmon and a fruit smoothie." Rossweisse answered, after a few moments of silence.
Vince resisted the urge to palm as his face as he sighed. "I'll have a lobster pizza and some soda."
The waitress nodded and quickly wrote down the orders. "Nice choices. It'll be here as soon as possible."
She then walked away but not before giving Vince a small wink and a smile, much to Rena and Rossweisse's ire.
"I guess being twenty-one won't be so bad." Vince admitted with a small chuckle.
Rena swatted Vince's arm while Rossweisse gave him a stern look, to which he rolled his eyes. Rena then cleared her throat and spoke up. "So you wanted to know about what happened Rossweisse?"
"Yes I do." She answered seriously.
"Alright then, I guess I'll start. It happened when two years ago when Yuji was investigating a nasty case. Dead bodies were found hung upside down in various places. Some were found hung up on antennas or dumpsters. I had the displeasure of seeing a dead body near my school." Vince spoke grimacing a bit at the memory.
Rossweisse winced while Rena sighed and continued. "At first my father just thought of it as a spree killing, however there was one thing he and Chloe noticed about the victims."
"And what was it?" Rossweisse asked frowning.
"Their souls were wiped clean from their bodies..." He answered grimly.
Rossweisse's eyes widened as Rena continued where Vince left off. "The reason for this is that the Valper's colleague wanted to get a person's light attribute to artificially create those that can wield holy-swords, or in this case wield Excalibur. From his point of view, it was much more easier to just rip out the soul and dispose of the body, as Vince said earlier in either a dumpster or found hung on antennas."
A frown appeared on her face as Rossweisse nodded seriously. "But why were the bodies disposed in that manner?"
"To make it look like it was a serial killer, to avoid the church getting any attention. However my father was able to trace the victims back to the church." Rena answered also frowning.
"That church is where he was doing his plan, back then it recently opened up just a few blocks away from where I used to go to school. Of course, it was destroyed." Vince commented sighing a bit.
"After my father and mother wiped the entire place clean of every piece of evidence Vince burned down the church by striking it with lightning until it caused a fire." Rena spoke with him smirking in response.
Rossweisse turned to Vince, looking slightly disturbed while he continued to smirk. "I don't regret burning down that church."
Rena then cleared her throat, gaining their attention. "The execution was slightly different but the goal is the same as the original Holy-Sword Project. Hence the reason why this incident is called the CHSP. Or the Copy Holy-Sword Project for short."
Vince crossed his fingers together and turned his gaze towards another direction. (It was also the first time I was exposed to anything like that. As much as I hate to admit it, it changed my perspective on a few things. Hell, I don't even fight the same way anymore because of what happened. Celino Abate, you sick son of a bitch.)
(Flashback: Two Years Ago)
"Due to the recent murders of multiple bodies being found on antennas and in dumpsters deputies are on high alert and are advising everyone to be very cautious-" The news reporter continued to talk from the television until it was turned off.
Vince rolled his eyes as he placed the remote she held in her hand on top of a small table next to her. "I don't care about people dying."
"Vince." He turned around to see Elena giving him a stern look.
"What?"
"Why haven't you gotten ready for school yet? You're going to be late at this point." Elena spoke frowning.
Vince shrugged in response. "I was watching the news, I wanted to see the weather report."
"Oh. So what did the weather report say?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't say. They were to busy bringing up that case where bodies are being found in the dumpster or on an antenna." He said in a bored tone.
Elena winced at the information while Vince went towards his room. "I'll be done soon mom."
"Ok, just don't take to long, I have some errands I need to do today. Not to mention Rena wants to meet you early in school." She said as Vince waved his hand casually.
"Ugh. Don't remind me." He walked into his room and closed it.
Elena sighed and shook her head. "He really needs to change his attitude..."
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince yawned as he got out of an average looking white car wearing a dark blue t-shirt, black shorts that reached past his kneecaps and black gym shoes. He hoisted a blue and red backpack over his shoulders and sighed. "I'll see you later mom, take care."
"You too Vince and behave, ok?" Elena asked looking at him.
"Can I refuse?" He questioned with a small glint in his eyes.
"No." She said giving him a strict look.
He gave a small nod and closed the car door with an annoyed look. "Tch."
Elena look at him for a moment before driving away. Vince saw this and walked towards the school building.
The school building itself was a large white building with various grass and plants around it, with a large courtyard around it, bustling with various students that talked loudly.
Vince he dug into his backpack and placed a set of clip-on sliver earphones on his ears and a neck-strap MP3 player around his neck. He raised the volume of his MP3 and continued walking. (Why are they so noisy in the morning? Can't they ever stop talking?)
He continued walking through the courtyard, silently passing through the students with a bored look. Before Vince could walk any further a person tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned around and saw Rena smiling at him, she wore a simple white buttoned up blouse with the top button undone showing a tasteful amount of her cleavage, a pair of blue jeans that hugged her curves nicely, a pair black high-heels. "Good morning, Vince."
All of the male students saw Rena and stared at her body while the female students looked at her in jealously. Vince however turned to her with a bored look. "Mornin'..."
He promptly turned around and started walking as Rena walked besides him and frowned a little. "I know you're not a morning person, but you could be a little more nicer."
"Hn."
"I've been meaning to ask you for a while. Why exactly are you here in my school? Aren't you supposed to be in high school or something?" Vince questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Rena sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe you forgot Vince. I'll explain it to you again, I'm a school volunteer. I'm doing this so to further help my college resume."
"Oh."
The two continued to walk through the school grounds as they ignored the whispers and chatter about them from the various students. Continuing their walk towards the school building Rena noticed Vince staring intently at the tattoo on the back of his hand, she sighed and nudged him on the shoulder. "Something wrong Vince?"
"N-Nothing..."
Rena frowned placed a hand on her hip, looking miffed. "Would it kill you to be more sociable? And when are we going to spar again? It's been over a week since we last fought."
His lips curled up into an amused smile at her reaction. "A little. I'll be able to spar in a few days, I do have to deal with my homework."
Before Rena could respond someone cleared their throat gaining both of their attention. They turned around to see a young woman with a modest bust size in her early twenties with long, auburn hair tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She wore a plain, long sleeved, white shirt, the shirt itself came down to only her hips, leaving her navel exposed while keeping her hips covered. A black frilled mini-skirt that barely reached her thighs and is held in place by a small golden buckle around it, and simple brown high-heels. "Please don't get into an argument this early in the morning..."
Rena smiled as she went to young woman and hugged her. "Good morning Chloe."
Chloe hugged her back and smiled. "Good morning Rena." She then patted her back gently as she turned to Vince. "And how are you doing Vince?"
"The same." He replied shrugging.
"I see." She stopped hugging Rena and walked towards him. "Would this help you then?"
Chloe embraced, unintentionally placing his head near her breasts, Vince's eyes widen as a small blush to appear on his face. "H-Hey, what are you doing Chloe!?"
"Giving you a hug. Since you feel the same that means you're feeling down, right? You can also talk about your problems to me if you want." Chloe offered as an afterthought.
Vince tried to escape from Chloe's embrace, however she held on to him firmly while gently patting his head. "There, there..."
Rena frowned at the small scene as the other students around them saw this and started whispering amongst themselves.
"Again? That's like the third time this week." A male student said frowning.
"Why does he get to spend all of his time with Chloe and Rena?" A second male student asked jealously.
"Lucky... I wonder how her breast feels." Another male student questioned.
"I wonder who will Vince go out with when he's older." A female student pondered.
"I think it would be Chloe. He looks like he gets along better with her and they look so cute together!" A second female student commented.
"Really? I'm not to sure. I think he would be with Rena, they look like a good match together." Another female student replied.
Rena's eye twitched violently before she lightly blushed at the last comment. "Geez. They really like to gossip."
Vince finally pulled out of Chloe's hug, looking annoyed and slightly embarrassed. "I'm fine Chloe."
"If you say so Vince. But you should keep your problems to yourself, it's not healthy." She lectured frowning a little.
He rolled his eyes in response. "I suppose. Anyway, I gotta go, later."
Vince turned around and walked away, Rena sighed and placed a hand to her hip. "He really needs to learn how to open up more."
"Vince isn't that bad Rena, he's just a bit shy." Chloe replied, smiling.
"I still don't understand how you're able to get him to talk." She said sighing.
"Well... I just talk to Vince regularly. He is a bit hard to talk to though. Vince is usually a listener and not a talker." Chloe answered as she shrugged.
"I see..."
The two continued to walk through the school talking about various topics until they stopped, they saw Vince completely frozen staring at a dumpster, petrified.
Rena and Chloe went to Vince, with worried looks of their own until they were taken aback by a putrid smell that quickly filled the area.
"Oh god, what's with that smell?" Rena asked covering her nose.
"Wait... that smell-" Chloe covered her nose and quickly went to Vince who was still shell shocked. "Vince, tell me what happened."
Vince remained unresponsive and continued to stare at the dumpster. Rena frowned and went to him. "Just what did he see to make him like this...?"
Chloe grabbed his shoulder and lightly shook him. "Vince!"
"H-Huh?" Vince shook his head as he turned to both Chloe and Rena." Why are you two here?"
"What happened to you Vince? It's rare to see you like this." Rena asked raising an eyebrow.
Vince's head turned towards the dumpster and shuddered a little. "I was going to walk into my classroom, but then I noticed that smell. I got curious about it and opened the dumpster and I saw it."
"What did you see Vince?" Chloe questioned frowning a bit.
"A dead body."
Both Rena and Chloe's eyes widened greatly. Rena quickly went to the dumpster and opened it, her face immediately cringed upon seeing the dead body of a young woman with a blank expression. She quickly closed the dumpster and shook her head. "It's true. There's a dead body in the dumpster."
Chloe sighed and turned to Rena. "Go alert the school and call dad, ok?"
"Ok. But what about Vince?" Rena asked sounding concerned as she saw his expression.
"I'll be with Vince, but for now go alert the school faculty and call dad. We can't let another kid see something like this." Chloe answered seriously.
Rena nodded and quickly ran but not before taking one last glance at Vince.
"What happened to her...?" Vince asked himself.
"It's okay Vince, I'm here for you. Just stay calm." Chloe said leading him away from the dumpster.
xXxXxXxXxX
Soon after the school faculty was alerted the school was immediately on lockdown as the police were quickly called towards the scene. After the school was cleared the principal called all of the parents to pick up their kids early.
Vince stood there sitting in a seat in the school's office staring at the floor beneath him with a forlorn expression. (That woman didn't even have an expression on her face. I don't know why but she looked weird, like she was missing something. ...No that's not it, it looked more like something was forcibly ripped out of her.)
"Vince!"
He slowly brought his head up and saw Elena looking perturbed. She quickly went to Vince and pulled him to a hug. "Is everything alright Vince? I heard what happened and came here as quickly as I can."
"Don't worry about it. Nothing really important happened." Vince replied nonchalantly, despite this his hand trembling slightly.
Elena frowned and patted his back. "You don't have to put up a front for me Vince. I know what you saw wasn't exactly a good sight."
"..."
Suddenly a knock was heard from the wall. Both Elena and Vince turned to see Yuji standing there with both Chloe and Rena behind him. "Hiya. So, how are you two doing?"
"Yuji?" Elena spoke raising an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I was sort of called in by my cute daughter-" Yuji then ruffled Rena's hair much to her dismay as he continued. "I was working on this case that started to go cold and then I just got a lead today."
Elena blinked twice and turned to him with a surprised expression. "Wait. So you're really a special consultant that investigates cases?"
"You didn't believe me when I said that Elena?" Yuji asked pouting a little.
"No."
"Ouch, and I thought Serena was harsh." He said shaking his head.
"So why are you three here?" Vince asked as he got himself away from Elena's hug.
"Well... Chloe helps me out with the technical side of the investigations from time to time. Not to mention, all three of you are witnesses so I need ask you a few questions." Yuji trailed off.
Vince nodded while Elena frowned. "Can't it wait Yuji? Vince did just see something messed up for his age."
"Unfortunately I can't. I don't want the trail to go cold, that and I'm close to finding out who did it. Sorry." He answered shaking his head.
"I'll be fine, mom." He got up from his seat and turned towards him.
"Where do we go to talk about this?" Vince asked seriously.
"Some place a bit more private. This place doesn't really cut it." Yuji responded bluntly.
Rena and Chloe sighed at their father's response while Vince nodded. "That's fine by me. Mom, I don't want you to be there. I don't want you to hear what I've seen."
Elena frowned and turned to him. "Vince. I'm not a little girl, I can handle it."
"No. Besides, you easily get nauseous about these types of subjects." Vince retorted.
Her frown deepened while Vince continued to look at her. The room was quickly filled with a tense atmosphere with the two constantly look at each other, both Chloe and Rena looked worried. Before either could respond Yuji clapped his hands loudly, gaining their attention. "I wouldn't really worry about it Elena. I've known you and Vince for a while, besides Chloe and Rena will be with him so there's nothing to worry about, alright?"
Elena nodded hesitantly. "Fine. But Vince be careful, ok?"
"I will."
She nodded and gave him one last hug before leaving. Vince shook his head and turned to Yuji. "Thanks."
"No problem. Now let's go to my house. It's much more private then this place." Yuji answered with a grin.
Vince turned to Chloe and Rena with a raised eyebrow. To which Rena palmed her face in embarrassment while Chloe smiled sheepishly.
xXxXxXxXxX
Yuji took a sip from a coffee mug as he sat on a seat across from Vince, Rena and Chloe. "So what exactly happened? From what Rena told me and what Chloe described there was more to the body."
Chloe and Rena turned to Vince who looked down and frowned. "It's hard to explain. I was on my to class but I noticed an unusual smell coming from the dumpster. I got curious and checked and then I saw the body like that."
"I see. Is there anything unusual you noticed about it?" Yuji paused for a moment before continuing. "Don't leave anything out, just a single detail will be helpful."
"Right... well I noticed that something was missing from the body. I'm not sure what but it was like something was ripped out from her, she also had a blank expression. Like if she wasn't even human anymore kinda like manikin doll." Vince explained awkwardly.
"I see. You're very sharp for your age Vince." Yuji took another sip of his coffee and sighed. "Well, this definitely helped out a bit."
"Does it have anything to do with those special cases you usually look over?" He questioned.
"Yup and you just confirmed it-" Yuji placed his coffee mug on the table. "Unfortunately that means things will only get more nasty."
"Father. What exactly is happening?" Rena asked frowning.
"Not sure if I should say. This is confidential information." He replied sighing a little.
"I'm already helping you with this case, can you please not keep us in the dark, dad?" Chloe asked pleading.
Yuji saw the pleading looks on his daughter's faces and shook his head. "Alright, alright. But this is off the record, okay? I don't want this getting out of the room without my permission. That includes you Vince."
"If this is one of your special cases then who the hell would believe me?" Vince questioned frowning a bit.
"Believe it or not, there are some people out there that just might believe you." Yuji replied shrugging a little.
"Are you talking about the guy that did this?" Vince asked sharply.
"Exactly. All of the evidence points to that church that opened up a few blocks from your school. More specifically the pastor, Celino Abate." Yuji answered grimly.
Everyone's eyes widened greatly while Vince just shook his head in complete shock. "W-Wait. Are you talking about the same pastor that my mom talks to?!"
"The same one." He stated.
"That explains why I always got a messed up feeling from being near that place." Vince commented, shuddering a bit.
"Dad, what exactly does that pastor do to them? Is it what I think it is?" Chloe asked frowning.
"Sadly it is. He takes the soul of the victim and dumps the body in either on an antenna or a dumpster." Yuji answered wincing a bit.
"...A soul? Are you friggin' kidding me? Doing that's impossible!" Vince shouted in disbelief.
"Is it Vince?" Yuji pointed to the tattoo on the back of his hand and pointed towards Rena and Chloe. "You're able to do water and lightning magic, while Rena can use Senjutsu and Chloe is able to use magic. You also nap next to the small Yggdrasil tree in the garden whenever you have the chance. Taking a soul shouldn't be that far of a stretch."
Vince said nothing and conceded to his logic.
"But why would he steal a person's soul to begin with?" Rena asked frowning.
"I don't know. That's what I'm going to find out tomorrow tonight." Yuji answered seriously.
"Whatever his reason, he must be stopped. Stealing a person's soul and dumping the body it's just inhumane!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Yup. Besides, stealing a person's soul is a bit of a taboo nowadays." Yuji frowned and took another sip of his coffee. "Either way, I can't risk calling for reinforcements, he'll notice and might try something. Although, Serena will be helping me on this."
"Mom's going to help out too?" Chloe questioned, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, the situation is that serious." He responded shaking his head.
"Father, let me help out too. I don't want to let him get another victim." Rena stated with a look of determination.
Yuji palmed his face. "I should have guessed you would say something like this. Your mother said the same thing. You're eighteen now, so you can make your own decisions. But if you want to help, you must follow my order down to the letter alright?"
Rena's eyes widened at both his approval and the seriousness in his tone. "Y-Yes, I'll listen to your orders father."
"Good."
The three then turned towards Vince who looked a bit confused at the sudden looks he received. "W-What...?"
"Vince we know you're going to try to help." Rena commented.
"Yeah, what about it?" He asked frowning a little.
"Well, either way you're coming along with us." Yuji answered with a grin, surprising all three of them.
"F-Father, you're kidding right?! Vince is only a kid!" Rena shouted, sounding completely shocked.
"I know that. But we all know that's not going to stop Vince from trying something. It's better to have him near so we can keep an eye on him right?" He retorted smirking a bit.
Chloe nodded despite looking distraught at the idea. "D-Dad, even though you have a point it's still to dangerous for Vince..."
"But we'll be there to watch him, besides he is stronger than he looks. Remember his spars with Rena?" Yuji asked smiling a bit.
Both Rena and Chloe nodded while Vince looked surprised. "Really?"
"Yep. You're a lot stronger than you think Vince. You just need more experience and confidence in yourself." Yuji replied with a small grin.
"I suppose so..."
"We'll have to tell Elena about this though." Rena spoke getting up from her seat.
"No can do. She's been in contact with him, telling her could cause him to skip town or accelerate his plan." Yuji responded shaking his head.
"Dammit." Vince clenched his fist in anger. "He needs to be taken down now."
"I know what you mean but there's no reason to be hasty Vince. I still need to get some concrete evidence that points him to it." He answered, trying to calm him down.
"It's okay Vince. We'll make sure your mom is safe." Chloe said reassuringly.
Vince didn't say anything but shook his head. "Out of all of the people in the town he couldn't get any other people I'm related to?"
"Vince! That's a horrible thing to say!" Chloe exclaimed, looking at him in shock.
"Hey, one less family relative alive makes my life a little easier." He responded with a look of indifference.
"Is that what you really think of your other family members?" Rena questioned as she crossed her arms. "What about Elena?"
"As far as I'm concerned she's the only family I have, even though she can be annoying at times. Aside from that, they can all go rot for all I care." Vince answered nonchalantly.
Chloe looked alarmed while Rena looked completely disturbed. Vince on the other hand didn't care and turned his gaze towards the other side of the room.
Seeing the tension between the three Yuji suddenly clapped his hands. "Alright! That's enough of that, we have to get to work. Or rather I do, I have to prepare everything for tomorrow and let Serena know about what just happened. Remember all of you have to be here before eight o'clock tomorrow, got it? Do whatever you have to do to prepare yourselves before then."
They all nodded and left the room. After leaving, Yuji sat down on a chair and sighed. "Sheesh, they all need to learn how to understand each other better. Especially Rena and Vince."
(Next Day)
"Vince wait up!" Chloe called out as she tried to catch up to him.
"Hm?" Vince turned around and looked confused when he saw her holding an object completely covered in a white cloth. "What is this?"
"It's something I made for you, open it." Chloe said giving him the object.
"Alright-" He removed the cloth from the object. His eyes widened when he saw a staff colored white and blue with a spearhead on the top colored silver. The spearhead has a gap in between it, which one side of the spearhead being half of the length as the other one. At the bottom of the gap in the spearhead a black jewel-like orb was placed, being held by both sides of the spearhead. "Whoa..."
"How is it?" She asked curiously.
"It's a pretty cool spear." Vince commented.
Chloe however pouted. "It's not a spear, it's a staff! I just made it to look like a spear for a few reasons."
"Like?"
"This staff is supposed to help control your outbursts of lightning and water magic. It also compresses your magic and shoots it out through the spearhead." She explained.
"Not bad. I can also use this to mess with people into thinking it's a spear." He stated smirking a little.
"W-Well yes there is that..." Chloe trailed off with a sheepish smile.
"There you two are. I've been looking for you." A voice spoke.
The two turned around to see Rena smiling at them. She noticed the staff in Vince's hand and turned to Chloe. "You finally finished that weapon Chloe?"
"Yup and I just gave it to Vince." She answered.
Vince tried to hold the staff upwards but nearly lost his balance and dropped the staff. "I'll think practice on using this first before doing anything else with it."
"Good idea..." Rena replied, a sweatdrop appeared on her face as saw him struggling to keep the staff upwards.
"Maybe I should have made the staff a little more shorter?" Chloe asked, laughing a little nervously.
He tried to hold the staff forward but fell down along with the staff. A large burst of water shot out of the staff and blasted a large building, not only breaking the windows and flooding it but also leaving a large crack on it.
Both Rena and Chloe's eyes widened while Vince got up and saw the damage he caused. "I like this staff already."
"S-So what are you going to name the staff?" Rena asked sounding a little nervous.
The water bursted out of the building and crashed right into a car, crushing it under severe water pressure. Chloe and Rena quickly grabbed Vince's arm and started to walk away at a fast pace while Vince simply smirked. "Nice. I think I just wrecked my teacher's car. I'll name this staff, Raging Soul."
xXxXxXxXxX
Everyone stood in the living room each with a serious look as Yuji sat down on a chair. "It's eight o'clock. Is everyone ready?"
Serena nodded as did Chloe and Rena. She then turned to Vince. "Are you sure you want to come along? This is going to be dangerous Vince."
Chloe's eyes darted towards her skirt, she nodded to herself in approval upon seeing a gun inside of a holster that was next connected to the left side of her skirt.
"Yeah. The sooner he's out of the way, the better." Vince answered with a nod.
Yuji nodded but sighed a bit. "This is going to be a mess to explain to Elena later. She'll most likely flip out."
"Yeah but she can't complain about it. Especially considering she's been in contact with the guy." Vince retorted, smirking a little.
"But that's not Elena's fault. She didn't even suspect something like this." Rena said frowning.
"I know. But it's something for her to consider. Besides, considering how often my mom is going to the church. I wouldn't be surprised if either one of us would be his next target." He said clenching his fist.
"So how did you get Elena's permission Vince?" Serena asked raising an eyebrow.
"I told her that Yuji called me over and she assumed it was to ask me for questions because of the case. That and I said I wanted to see both Rena and Chloe." Vince answered with a small shrug.
"Gee thanks..." Yuji muttered, scratching the back of his head a bit.
"So about the plan Yuji?" Serena asked turning her gaze towards him.
"It's simple but effective. All five of us are going to sneak into the church. While Serena and I gather as much evidence as possible, the three of you keep watch and make sure we're not discovered. We're only there to observe and gather evidence, engaging him is not an option." Yuji explained seriously.
Serena, Chloe, Rena and Vince all nodded. Yuji then got up from his seat and grinned. "Then let's get going. The sooner we deal with him, the better."
xXxXxXxXxX
The five stood just a few feet away from the church. Yuji brought his staff with via magic circle and casted a spell. Another magic circle momentarily appeared underneath all of them before it vanished. "This spell I casted is going to hide our presence, however it won't hide any noise we make so be careful."
They all nodded and quitely followed him. Vince looked around the area of the church and frowned. The entire area was pitch black with the wind howling violently. (It's my first time being here this close. I understand now why I didn't want to go here...)
He continued following Yuji's direction, eventually all of them made towards the back entrance of the church. Serena eyes narrowed as she saw a camera near the back door looking around. She went towards Vince and whispered in his ear. "Do you think you could disable the camera for a little bit? Just hit it with a small surge of your lightning magic."
Vince nodded and aimed his index finger towards the camera. He fired off a small bolt of lightning and blasted the camera.
A small burst of electricity discharged from the camera before a small amount of smoke came out of it. Everyone turned to Vince, who just simply shrugged. "That was a small burst of lightning."
"Could have fooled me..." Yuji muttered shaking his head.
"Let's continue before he notices." Serena answered seriously.
Rena and Chloe quickly followed Serena as did Vince. Yuji on the other hand sighed walked at a faster pace to catch up with them.
"I'll take it from here." Chloe said as she raised her hands.
Several magic circles appeared on the door knob of the door. The door knob itself slowly twisted before a "clicking" sound was heard. Chloe smiled and opened the door.
Serena and Yuji smiled while Vince blinked twice, looking impressed. (If only I could learn that.)
The five entered in the church through the backdoor. The structure inside of the church was average sized but was filled with various chairs, tables, bibles and statues of God.
Rena looked around the church as did the others, she stopped upon noticing a door covered with warning tape. "I think I found something."
The others went to Rena and saw the door being blocked by warning tape. Yuji closely examined the tape and blinked twice. "Well... this looks suspicious."
"Warning tape?" Vince wondered looking confused.
"It's disguised as warning tape, but it's actually a powerful barrier blocking that door." Chloe answered as she examined the warning tape.
"As sharp as a tack Chloe." Yuji commented with an amused smile. "We can't really get in without breaking it. But doing so would alert him."
Chloe placed her hand on the warning tape and frowned. "Breaking the barrier is the only way. Trying to change it will trigger the alarm."
"Pick your poison, huh? ...Great." Yuji muttered frowning a bit.
"I think it would be better to break the barrier-" Serena answered surprising Rena and Vince. "It would take time to tamper it and even then it would trigger the alarm. At least with breaking the barrier, it will only take a few seconds."
"You do have a point there... Serena?" Yuji quickly backed out of the way, the moment he saw Serena unsheathed her rapier.
With in one fluid and swift motion Serena destroyed the barrier along with the door in the process with her weapon.
Vince blinked owlishly as did Rena while Yuji laughed nervously and Chloe smiled sheepishly.
Serena sheathed her rapier and turned to the other four, oblivious to their reactions. "We should continue."
"Mom can sure be direct." Chloe whispered to Rena and Vince.
Rena nodded and gulped a little. "I hope I don't turn out like that when I'm older."
"Too late." Vince snarked.
A tickmark appeared on her face as she glared at him. "Shut up."
"You two..." Chloe muttered shaking her head.
Before Serena headed towards the room, she quickly jumped back upon seeing a magic circle.
A large humanoid beasts with massive thick and massive arms and legs. Sharp fangs sticking out from the mouth, along with two large bat wings sprouting out from it's back.
"W-What the hell is that?!" Vince shouted his eyes widening at their grotesque appearance.
"Please calm down Vince." Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder as she continued. "That's a chimera. Hybrid beings composed off more than one animal."
"I can see why this church didn't have any exorcists. They were probably used as a sacrifice to create that chimera." Serena answered frowning a bit.
The chimera growled loudly in a distored voice as it walked around the church.
"Damn, we really don't have time to deal with them." Yuji glared at the chimera as he tried to find a way around it.
"Dad. Release me from your spell. I'll distract it while you and the others gather the evidence. There's a chance that pastor will try to destroy the evidence before you get there." Chloe answered seriously.
Rena looked surprised she looked disturbed at the appearance of the chimera but shook her head as a look of determination appeared in her eyes. "Father. I want you to do the same to me. I refuse to let Chloe face that chimera on her own. You, Vince and mother can go ahead."
Yuji made a clicking noise with his tongue and glared at the chimera. "Dammit. I really don't want to."
Vince saw the chimera and gulped before taking a deep breath. "T-Take me off of the spell too. I can't let Rena or Chloe do this alone. Besides, we can't gather the evidence ourselves. You never told us what kind of evidence you were looking for."
Serena sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. "I agree Vince, Yuji. I really don't want to but we don't have much of a choice. We have to gather that evidence in order to put him off of the streets or he'll keep killing everyone and taking their souls."
"...Rena, Chloe, Vince. I expect you three to hold them off until we get back here, alright?" Yuji asked as he raised his staff.
They all nodded as Yuji undid the spell on them making the three visible to the chimeras. Not even one moment later the chimera spotted the three and released a fireball from it's mouth.
"Rena, Chloe and Vince all jumped out of the way of the attack. Vince quickly placed out the fire with a burst of water from his hands.
"Chloe, you're in charge. Everyone, please be careful." Serena pleaded as both she and Yuji ran down through the room with a bitter expression.
"Let's lead the chimera out of the church. We'll be at a disadvantage if we fight in here." Chloe ordered.
Vince and Rena nodded in response to this. Rena unsheathed her own rapier and slashed the door in half, while Vince blasted the chimera away with a lightning bolt.
They all ran outside of the building and made it to the front entrance of the church. The chimera roared loudly and tossed a massive fireball at them.
Vince quickly shot out a torrent of water with his left hand, moving both of Chloe and Rena out of the way just in the nick of time, while with the right hand he quickly surrounded his body with a barrier of water.
"Gaaah!"
"Vince!" Both Rena and Chloe shouted as they saw his body being consumed by the fireball.
Steam rose out of the area as he breathed heavily, his clothes were nearly burned off and a good portion of his body was covered in second degree burns. Vince fell to the ground breathing heavily as steam poured from his body. "Unbelieveable..."
"Rena, please cover me while I heal Vince." Chloe pleaded as Rena nodded and quickly dashed towards the chimera.
Chloe brought both of her hands together as a magic circle appeared underneath Vince. "Don't worry Vince, I'll patch you up soon..."
Vince breathed a sigh of relief as soon he heard her. The magic circle underneath him glowed a bright light, enveloping his body. Within a few moments the burns on his skins and the injuries in his body started to fade away.
Rena unsheathed her rapier as she charged at the chimera with an enraged look. "You're going to pay for that!"
The chimera punched Rena, however she swiftly moved to the left. Getting within range, she brought her rapier in front of her body and thrusted straight into the chimera's stomach. To her surprise however, the rapier didn't pierce it's body. Reacting quickly, she channeled wind magic into her rapier and thrusted into the chimera's body, blasting it away from a distance while leaving it covered in multiple holes that poured blood.
"That chimera's really durable." Rena muttered frowning a bit.
She then turned her attention towards Chloe and Vince. "Chloe, how is Vince doing?"
"He's fine Rena. I'm almost finished healing him." Chloe answered as she continued healing him.
Not one moment later the chimera got up from the ground and roared ferociously. It ran towards Rena with it's fist cocked back aimed at her head.
Rena glared at the chimera as she charged at it. She sprinted towards the chimera and blinding speeds, gave three short thrusts from her rapier onto the beast.
"Take this!" She ducked underneath the fireball it threw at her and slashed the chimera's legs, making it howl in pain. Rena jumped up from the ground and jabbed her sword into it's arms and followed up with a swift and powerful stab to the chimera's chest.
The chimera howled in agony as the attack left a noticeable dent in it's body. A lot of blood came out of it's wound as it released a giant fireball from it's mouth aimed towards her.
Rena raised her rapier in defense but was blasted away from the fireball that exploded on contact. "Aaaaah!"
She rolled painfully on the ground as her body was covered in burns. Before the chimera could react a massive bolt of lightning struck the chimera in the chest.
Vince breathed heavily as a small amount of steam came from his raised hand. He turned to Chloe and sighed. "I'm healed up enough, go heal Rena."
"I will. But be careful Vince. It's thick hide makes it durable to most attacks." Chloe warned as she raised her hand and a magic circle appeared underneath Rena. The magic circle glowed brightly as it started to heal her wounds, the injuries and burns fading away bit by bit.
Vince nodded and quickly ran towards the chimera as Rena groaned painfully. "Ouch..."
"Please don't move Rena. I need you to remain still in order for me to heal you." Chloe instructed.
"Right. I think Vince might use those weapons he usually fights with. It'll make things a little easier if he does." Rena commented with a pained voice.
"Probably. But that would mean Vince would have to be up close to that chimera to do that." Chloe explained as she continued to heal her sister.
He held out both of his hands and created a kodachi made out of pure water and a katana made out of pure lightning. The chimera snarled and opened it's mouth, releasing a breath of fire.
"Hope you're fast!" Vince slid underneath the breath of fire, barely avoiding getting burned by it. He brought his kodachi up and slammed it into the chimera, blasting it in with a burst of water as he continued to slide. He got up and uppercut the chimera with his katana as lightning discharged from it. The chimera violently spasmed as it tried to punch him.
"Get lost!" Vince narrowly avoided the attack by moving to the left side. He immediately jumped up and slashes the chimera's chest with both blades and then followed up by spinning his body twice as both blades discharged water and lightning.
Upon seeing the chimera get on one knee as blood poured out from the multiple slash wounds in it's body, Vince swung both of his weapons and slammed into the chimera, knocking it away towards the entrance of the church.
"That's a tough chimera..." Vince fell to the ground breathing heavily as both of his weapons dissipated.
Rena breathed a sigh of relief as she got up from the ground, completely healed from her injuries. "Thank you Chloe."
"You're welcome Rena. But stay sharp, Vince was only able to damage it." Chloe warned.
"I know. Vince usually uses that combination. The water kodachi is supposed to break through defenses since it's really dense and it's also to make the opponent wet and the lightning katana is to cause even more damage due to water conducting electricity, it's also pretty sharp." She explained.
Chloe nodded but crossed her arms. "I know. But it'll take more than that to get rid of it."
Rena frowned and to her surprise the chimera got up on it's feet and charged towards Vince, who was still breathing heavily.
"I don't think so!" Rena gripped her rapier and charged at the chimera. Within few moments she got within range of the chimera and swiftly thrusted her rapier into it's body, she repeatedly thrusted into the chimera's body with her rapier as she channeled touki into her feet and kicked the chimera, forcing it to skid a few centimeters away from Vince.
She turned to him and frowned. "Vince, get up!"
"I know that!" Vince got up from the floor and held out his hands, creating both a kodachi made out of water and a katana made out of lightning again.
The chimera roared ferociously and charged again this time with a fireball in it's mouth ready to be released, however it was intercepted by several gunshots, the chimera was forced back by a plethora of light bullets. Each bullet lodging itself into the chimera's body, blood poured out from the chimera as it was continuously assaulted by the light bullets.
Rena and Vince turned around to see the source of the fire, their eyes widened as they saw Chloe holding a silver handgun, firing light bullets. "I can't hold that chimera off for that long! Keep it busy for a little bit!"
"I can't believe Chloe brought her modified exorcist gun..." Rena muttered shaking her head in disbelief.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity both Vince dashed in towards chimera. While Chloe placed her gun back into holster and brought her hands together.
The chimera fired a large fireball from it's mouth aimed at him. Vince channeled lightning into his feet and with his increase in speed, evaded the fireball by jumping towards the left.
"You're done!" Vince jumped again and slashed the chimera in the face with both the kodachi and the katana. The chimera growled in pain and punched him in the stomach, Vince coughed up a lot of blood and barely hung on. He brought his weapons up and slashed the chimera with a series of quick and multiple slashes and followed up with a 360 degree slash from both the katana and the kodachi to it's face.
"Rena, switch in!" Vince quickly jumped back as he held his stomach in pain, the adrealine rush now wearing off.
"Right!" Rena assumed a forward bent posture and leapt forward, charging at tremendous speeds, while leaving a small trail of light, and causing a small sonic boom. With the momentum of the speed Rena brought her rapier up and thrusted it straight into the chimera's stomach.
The chimera was blown back a few feet away as Rena got on one knee and skided back a few centimeters away. Chloe smiled and raised her hand up. "That's perfect Rena."
"Take this!" Three magic circles appeared in front of Chloe as she aimed at the chimera. A massive blast of pure concentrated light shot out of her hands as it blast the chimera.
The chimera roared loudly and tried to move but was soon overwhelmed by the powerful blast of light. Moments later it's entire body was engulfed by the light.
The blast of light soon faded and Chloe fell down to the floor breathing heavily as sweat formed on her face. "F-Finally..."
"Chloe!" Both Rena and Vince said as they quickly went to her and helped her up.
"I'm okay you two. Just a little tired." Chloe admitted with a sheepish smile.
"That was a really powerful attack Chloe." Vince said looking surprised.
"Yeah, I didn't even know you could do that." Rena stated, sharing Vince's expression.
"Well, I don't use too often. It sort of knocks the wind out of me." She replied in a tired voice.
The three were soon brought out of their conversation as a round of applause was heard. "That was quite impressive. I thought my security was unbeatable around these parts but you three sure proved me wrong."
They all turned around to see the source of the voice and saw an elderly man in his mid-fifties with white hair, wearing a white clergy robe. He walked through the front entrance of the church, overlooking the amount of damage the area of the church suffered. The man sinisterly chuckled as he stopped walking. "And look who we have here. A couple of women and Elena's child, Vince. I always knew you had an enormous amount of potential. Not in the same sense as a "prodigy" but your trait to adapt easily is just as good. It's a shame though, you would have been perfect had you not harbor such an intense feeling against God."
"Why? So you can kill me and extract my soul?" Vince asked irritably.
"Of course not. I've had different plans for you. No matter-" Celino closely examined Rena and Chloe before going into a full blown laughter. "Hahahaha! Today must be my lucky day. To think that we would meet again, Chloe."
"H-How do you know who I am?" Chloe asked taking a step back, completely disturbed by his laughter.
"You may not remember me since you were too young. But I remember you well. You're the only that got away." The pastor answered with a dark smile.
"What the hell are you talking about? How do you know my sister?" Rena asked pointing her rapier at him.
"Sister? So your his child. Interesting. Several years ago, group of colleagues of mine were in a "special" project unfortunately that project was later "dismissed" but that's besides the point. Before the project could begin, you were adopted and taken away from my grasp. However, it is not that bad. Your light magic is much more developed now and since you're here that means your adoptive father must be nearby." Celino informed, surprising the three.
"W-What was the point of this project and why was I chosen to be apart of it?" Chloe asked, looking a little shaken up from the revelation.
"Quite simple my dear. Your light attribute is unusually high, with you near around you would have sped up the project considerably. The point of the project is quite simple, to artificially create a person that can adapt to the legendary sword Excalibur." The elderly man revealed, further surprising Rena and Chloe, while Vince remained oblivious.
"Excalibur!?" Rena spoke sounding shocked.
The man smiled and walked behind a bush. "Why yes. Though as you can see, those that are not adapted are disposed of...!" He dragged the corpse of a young girl near Vince's age and dropped the body into the ground.
Upon seeing the corpse Vince and Chloe's eyes widened in horror.
"She looks just like the woman I found in dumpster..." Vince spoke as Rena turned to him with a shocked expression.
"You found her? That should be obvious. After all they are sisters... Oh my apologies, they were sisters." The man responded with a humorous chuckle.
"You sick bastard!" Vince shouted looking at him with a look of pure anger.
"That's quite the mouth you have Vince. A boy your age shouldn't speak in such a language. No matter. After you three are dealt with, your mother is next Vince. It shouldn't be too hard to let her guard down. After I tell her you died." He commented with a dark smile.
Chloe took out her gun and pointed it at the pastor. Vince pointed his weapons at him, each weapon emitting a dangerous water-like aura while the other emitted sparks of lightning, Rena assumed a stance with her rapier pointed at him.
"How amusing. But have you three forgotten? All of you are exhausted from fighting my chimera. In addition, I also have a trick up my sleeve. It's a shame Vince, Chloe. You two would have been perfect to wield Excalibur. No matter, your light attribute will help me in my endeavors and I'm sure I'll get a kick out of seeing your father see you as a chimera, sister of Chloe. And after I'm done, I'll do the same thing to everyone in this town!" Celino laughed darkly as he flicked his fingers.
Chloe's eyes widened as she saw a large magic circle appear underneath her, Vince and Rena.
"Watch out!" She shoved both Rena and Vince out of the magic circle, just in the nick of time as a large cloud of purple gas come out of the circle and engulfed her body.
"Chloe!" Both Vince and Rena shouted in shock as they heard her screaming painfully before the magic circle disappeared along with the gas. Vince dropped his weapons in shock as he tried to extend his hand.
Chloe slumped to the ground she slowly turned to Vince and Rena, smiling before she closed her eyes. "...Take care."
Rena quickly sheathed her rapier and went to Chloe. She got down on the ground and held her gently. "Chloe, please open your eyes! Oh my god... No!"
Chloe remained unresponsive, tears streamed down her cheeks as she crumpled to the floor, crying. She held on to her, muttering her sister's name.
"You..." Vince turned to the pastor with a look of mournful anger. Tears fell down from his cheeks as he glared at him, before the man could say anything, he charged towards the pastor at tremendous speed, while leaving a large trail of sparks.
"You miserable bastard!" Vince grabbed Celino by the neck and slammed his face into the ground. "I'll kill you!"
"If you kill me. You'll be removing a man of god! Do you even realize the consequences of doing?! This world needs a wielder of Excalibur! My knowledge is fruitless and both you and Chloe are the perfect vessel think about it. You could be a hero- Hrrrgh!" The pastor started choking and gagging on his breath as Vince increased the pressure of his hand on his neck.
"No fucking thanks. You're going to pay for what you did to Chloe and for all of those people you've killed." Water surged through Vince's free hand and formed into a water knife.
Before Vince could stab him a firm hand grabbed his wrist, stopping his hand from moving his knife any closer to his neck. "...That's enough Vince."
He looked up to see Yuji looking at him sternly. Serena on the other hand was comforting Rena as tears fell down from her face. "I can't let you kill him, we need him alive and I don't want you to dirty your hands. Not on someone like him."
"Answer me this. What took so long? Were you watching or something?" Vince asked turning his attention towards him.
"No. We heard you two screaming and ran outside. We also had to deal with another chimera. It was trying to kill us and destroy the evidence, so we had our hands tied." Yuji answered solemnly.
Vince said nothing but increased the pressure of his grip on Celino's neck. (He's going to pay for what he did!)
"Stop Vince this. I know you're very furious, I am too. But killing him isn't the option. Celino might also have the cure and he'll pay for his crimes." Yuji reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Celino said nothing but his skin started to turn pale and his eyes started to roll up to his head. Vince released his grip on his neck and dropped his water knife on to the ground. "Count yourself lucky, that I won't strangle you to death."
He coughed and gasped for air, the color slowly started return to his face. But Vince surrounded his hand in blue lightning. "But that doesn't mean I'm that merciful."
"Now suffer." Vince plunged his lightning coated hands into Celino's left eye and crushed his eyeball.
"Gaaaaaaaahhhhh! My eye! It's gone, you bastard child!" Celino shouted in agony as Vince smirked, his hands covered in blood.
Yuji frowned for a few moments at the unexpected action before sighing a bit. "At least he's not dying. Can't say I really blame you though."
"Fuck you." Vince glared at him for the insult and slammed his fist into Cellio's stomach. He gasped in pain and started vomiting blood, before slumping into the ground, unconscious.
"Stop that Vince! I know you're furious but I need him alive." Yuji reprimanded before going to Cellio to check his wounds.
Vince sighed and wiped the dripping blood from his hands before walking towards Rena and Serena. "...How is Chloe doing?"
"Chloe just slipped into a coma and her body is deteriorating, but I was able to stablize her and prevent her body deteriorating any further for now." Serena answered sadly.
"Chloe..." Rena muttered to herself, crying as she hugged her mother.
"Serena, did you and Yuji finished gathering every single evidence you need?" Vince asked in a strained tone.
"...Yes. Why do you ask?" She asked suspiciously as she gently patted her daughter's back.
Without another look, Vince started to move towards the entrance of the church. He surrounded his hands in blue lightning and slammed both hands together into the ground. "I don't want this thing around. I'll destroy it all."
A tremendous burst of lightning shot out from the sky and fried the entire church, Vince was blown away as a result of the lightning and the church was set on fire.
"Ugh..." Vince tiredly got up from the ground and shook his head. "So worth it."
"I see. The angrier Vince gets, the more powerful his spells are..." Yuji muttered to himself as he lifted Celino up. "That can be really dangerous if someone sets him off."
(Flashback: End)
Vince took a bite of his lobster pizza as he gazed at the window. (Ever since then, things have changed. Serena is more cheerful than she was before, if only to make Rena and Yuji feel a little better. Rena on the other hand took it more hard than I did and practically spent the majority of her time training. Yuji spent nearly his entire time researching for a cure for Chloe, and Serena would help him as much as possible.)
He took a sip of his soda from the glass drink, oblivious to both Rossweisse and Rena calling out his name. (When mom found out, she was depressed for a long time and disappointed in herself for not noticing. Though Serena, Yuji and Rena never once blamed her they always reassured her that it wasn't her fault. Then again, it was never my mom's fault to begin with. That guy was a pretty good master manipulator, not to mention nobody would hardly expect an old pastor to commit so many murders.)
Both Rena and Rossweisse both looked at Vince, concerned as he wordlessly continued to eat his lobster pizza. (As for him, Celino commited suicide while in custody. He repeatedly slammed his head into the brick walls until he cracked his head open and bleed to death. It was most likely to spite Yuji and me. With him dead, our only lead to removing the toxin and the curse was dead as too. That is until now.)
"Vince, is everything ok?" Rena asked nudging his shoulder.
Vince blinked twice and turned to Rena. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
"You were spacing out and you looked really sad." Rossweisse spoke frowning a little. "Are you sure you're ok, Vince?"
"I'm fine Rossweisse." Vince finished the last of his lobster pizza along with his soda and sighed. "Not bad. So are we ready to go?"
"Yes, the only thing left is to pay the bill." Rena informed as she took out her wallet.
Vince nodded and took out his wallet. He looked at the receipt and blinked owlishly. "Over forty dollars...?"
"I know. Cheap right?" Rena asked smiling.
A sweatdrop formed over Rossweisse and Vince's head as they turned to each other and shared a look of disbelief with each other.
"I don't think that's cheap." Rossweisse commented.
"Not even close." Vince placed a couple of bills on the receipt as well as a tip.
The waitress walked towards the table and smiled. "So how was everything?"
"The food was delicious." Vince spoke with a small smile.
"That's good to hear. Please come again." The waitress smiled and took the receipt and the cash along with the tip.
Rossweisse, Rena and Vince got up from the table. As the waitress walked by she turned to Vince and gave him a small piece paper before smiling and walking away.
Rena and Rossweisse both gave Vince suspicious looks while he innocently whistled in response. The three walked out of the restaurant and opened the small piece of paper. Vince then started reading aloud. "Give me a call when you're tired and you want some pie, I'll have a fresh steaming cherry pie ready for you."
Rossweisse and Rena's eyes widened as Vince looked down the paper. "She left her number to, huh? I think I should use these pills more often."
Rena snatched the paper out of Vince's hand tore it up into dozens of pieces with a small burst of wind from her palm. "I believe that's the last time we'll go to that restaurant."
"Vince you shouldn't be abusing the pills, especially for such flirtatious reasons. Rossweisse chided.
"I know. Though, I'm in the mood for some cherry pie now. I wonder what her cherry pie tastes like..." Vince wondered.
"I really need to beat that perverted streak out of you..." Rena muttered darkly as Rossweisse blushed, understanding the innuendo.
He promptly took a few steps away from Rena as she turned towards him with a unreadable expression. (She really takes after her mom in the jealously department.)
Vince was soon brought of his thoughts as he heard his cellphone sound off. He grabbed his cellphone and checked. "Akeno is calling me at this?"
Both Rena and Rossweisse gave Vince a certain look while he shrugged and answered the phone, oblivious to their looks. "Hello Akeno."
xXxXxXxXxX
Author's Notes: Phew, that was a long chapter. Definitely a lot of stuff happened back then. Hopefully this chapter clears up quite a few things.
Just note that during the incident this is Vince's first real exposure to anything supernatural related that's serious, so he acts a bit differently the same applies to Rena as well.
I thought it would be unique to have Vince fight differently in the past compared to now and it would be a good tie-in to explain how he has some experience in wielding a katana.
In case anybody is curious about the pastor's name. His first name is Celino means heavenly in Italian while his last name Abate means pastor in Italian, and yes that was done on purpose.
That's all I have to say for now. Let me know what you think about the chapter, I'm really curious to see how it turned out and take care.