Sandman: To his endless sorrow, King of the fake World does not and will not ever own either the Persona Series, or High School DxD.
King: Back to mocking me, huh...
Kalawarner looked at the cross. Normally, she would have the urge to smash this thing to pieces for being a holy artifact. Not this time. No, this one she wanted to smash because it was a part of what Raynare had planned.
Along the cross ran green lines, static and unchanging. These lines, or rather the complicated magic formula they were created through, allowed the cross to extract a human's Sacred Gear, separating it from them and giving it to the person prepared to take it. This procedure would also kill the person it would be used on.
That wasn't the reason for her anger. She had no love for humans with Sacred Gears, presents from Him. No, it was Raynare's hypocrisy, the fact that she'd use this item. She worshiped the ground Azazel walked on, but she was ready to subvert his direct order. This thing was off-limits.
It was a mystery to Kalawarner, how her leader got this thing. She didn't have any fancy contacts in the Grigori Institute's upper echelons. Nor would anybody bother listening to that pretentious idiot.
And that was what Kalawarner saw in Raynare. An idiot, that would sooner or later kill herself by annoying the wrong person. The older fallen just hoped she'd be able to cut her own losses before that happened.
"Unsightly little thing, isn't it?" She heard Dohnaseek's voice behind her and turned around. He looked very happy. "I don't know why they had to take this form for it's design. It's annoying."
"Probably some sort of irony. It's Azazel-sama's kind of humor. What I don't get, is how Raynare got her hands on it."
"Who knows?" He shrugged the question off. "But I reached a conclusion."
"About?" She looked over at the man, who gave the same smile as ever, while scrutinizing the cross.
"Yesterday."
As if her mood wasn't bad enough, now he brought that up. "What's there to conclude? We were beaten by two humans, who didn't even break a sweat."
"That woman wasn't human. There was something about her, something mystical. Haven't you sensed it?" She did, but what that could mean was yet another can of worms. "It's about something Mittelt said. About Narukami, and how small and weak she felt before him." With a nod, his smile widened. "She's right."
For a few moments, Kalawarner waited. She expected him to elaborate. Instead, he walked closer to the cross, touching it. It glowed in a sickly green. "What do you mean?" She got out in her worsening mood.
"His power. Now that I could sort through the day once more, I noticed something. The way he carried himself, the way he talked..." It was incredibly infuriating, how he talked about it as if they were making small talk, while scrutinizing that annoying cross.
"Get to the point."
"Hahaha." He laughed as he turned around. "Impatient, are we? Well, all that I've seen goes towards one specific conclusion." Again, the man turned to the cross, starting to knock against it.
"I won't repeat myself. Tell me, or suffer the consequences." She was consciously suppressing her right eyelid from twitching. If she let that tick out, he'd just make fun of her for it.
"He's stronger than us."
… That was his great conclusion?
"So much stronger, that us attacking him is like a fly attacking a lion."
… Okay, that was a good bit clearer. "Do you know what you're saying? It would mean that his Sacred Gear..."
"And that's my point." He turned around, all playfulness gone. The atmosphere around them seemed to become heavier, or so it felt for Kalawarner. "What is it he can do? He summoned a construct that was physically stronger than you. He summoned a sword stronger than our light spears. He called up winds identical to, if weaker than those of that woman accompanying him. A woman that most assuredly wasn't human. What kind of Sacred Gear could possibly do all that?"
She hated people that made her face conclusions she didn't like. Hated them with an unique passion. Right here, right now, the conclusion she was being led to was something she had trouble believing. "If we were talking about just swords, it would be either Sword Birth or Blade Blacksmith. If we were talking about creating some sort of creature, it would be Annihilation Maker, as bad as it sounds. If we were talking about elemental powers, there's a dozen or so Gears it could be."
Taking a deep breath to stave of the oncoming realization, Kalawarner continued. "His skill set is too diverse for a single Gear. Magic is out. So, either he has multiple Gears, something that hasn't ever happened before, or..." It was preposterous. This idea was so completely, so absolutely preposterous that she refused saying it.
Dohnaseek, however, did say it, albeit in a voice much quieter than she ever heard from him. "... or he has a power outside God's System."
"No." She shook her head, refusing to believe it. "No. That kind of power, for it to be possible, the system would have to be..." Neither said it. The ramifications of a human who could stand outside the system, a human who wielded power not accounted for, were too great.
"We need to be sure, though. Don't you agree" Suddenly, he turned to the underground chamber's entrance. "Mittelt?"
The youngest among them stuck her head out from behind the door frame. It was hard to make out from were Kalawarner stood, but her expression was sheepish.
After a minute spent in that awkward silence, Mittelt apparently decided to break it. She came closer, flying instead of walking. "Well... Yeah. We need to know for sure."
"How long have you been there?" The mature woman rubbed her temples. Her headache was returning. And she got rid of it just an hour ago.
"Long enough. I kinda hope we're overseeing something there. Or making it bigger than it is. Otherwise, it's way too much for us." Mittelt looked remarkably scared. The way she looked at them, chewing on her lower lip, gave away just how badly their assumptions affected her.
"Which is why we need to be sure." Dohnaseek nodded again, a new smile creeping up on his face. "If he really is as strong as I think, we should get the hell out of here. There's a difference between fighting and suicide. I'll go and confirm my suspicions. Do you want to come along? I'm not gonna wait for Raynare to make a mistake."
… This was shaping up to be another one of those days. She was having more of those, lately.
Probably a bad sign.
Rias knew something was up. Yesterday, Yu had gone out, something decidedly odd. Her familiar was watching his house, had done so for a few days now. It was the best way she could find to gain more information on him, even if there hadn't been much. Strangely, her familiar refused to get closer to it than the house opposite of it, and even then chose a position from which the front door wasn't visible.
The mystery grew when he returned later with none other than Hyoudou Issei and a strange woman in green.
If that wasn't weird, she didn't know what. Especially when Yu opened the door some time later, just to close it again.
As if that wasn't enough, for this day, he had come later than usual for him, and did nothing unusual, until lunch break. Then he'd disappeared, not going to any of his usual places. Once back in class, there had been a slight frown on his face.
It was the reason that now, after classes were over, she had asked him to come out to the old school building. It was her right and duty to know what happened in her territory.
They were waiting in front of the building this time, when he came over to them, his steps as calm as ever. Kiba was leaning against the old school buildings entrance, smiling as always. Koneko was sitting in the shade of a tree, not eating anything this time. Akeno was standing slightly behind Rias, smiling with closed eyes, while Rias frowned heavily at the gray-haired student.
"What did you want, Gremory?" He didn't sound any different from usual.
"I have a few questions, Narukami-kun. And I'm quite sure that you have answers." She wasn't using the same tone she had before. The devil wanted to make clear that she was serious.
"... What makes you think that?" It was impossible to tell, whether it worked or not.
"Akeno." Her queen raised her hand, creating a barrier to keep nosy students out.
Judging by how his head turned to the side, he noticed it.
"This is just a precaution, so nobody hears us talking. Now tell me, have you met a woman in a green dress, recently? Very beautiful." They were both intelligent enough that pointing out this was a supernatural matter wasn't needed.
"... Why do you ask?" His distrust was evident.
"She has been seen within the city, and we know she is rather powerful." Not even a lie. Her familiar felt that woman's strength.
He sighed, then asked the question she had been waiting for. "And why do you ask me?" She wondered what that sigh meant.
"Because I can sense her power on you. It's faint, but there." That was a lie, but he didn't need to know that. If anything, their powers felt slightly similar, but not enough for any form of proper connection she knew of. Still, he wouldn't be able to know that.
"... That's a lie."
… Or he would be able to. This wasn't what she expected. How would he be able know this? Unless... "Please, stop bluffing." She raised her hand to throw back her hair, a motion signalizing certainty. "You could not possibly know what I can sense. By the way, I take that surety in your statement as admittance that you do know her. Now, please tell me what you know. As owner of this territory, I need to know about such suspicious people."
He was beginning to frustrate her, more so when he still kept that damn poker face up. "You're the one bluffing. I know her, and I also know that it's not possible, that you sense her power on me." Yu crossed his arms, a gesture that somehow managed to look accusatory. "How long have you been spying on me?"
If he was trying to keep her off balance "W-what? What makes you think that?" it was working.
"The only times you could have seen that woman, she was around me." That irritating student said, somehow not making it sound like he admitted to something he should have told her. "So, you already knew I knew her. Why do you play this game again?"
… Irritating. The ease with which he undid her plan was very irritating. And while it reinforced her desire to get him into her peerage, knowing what happened in her own territory was more important. "Then, tell me what you know." Once she had what she needed, she would be able to make plans about it.
"No."
His information would surely serve to enlighten her about the situation, and then...
Wait.
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"I won't tell you what I know." He looked to the side again. "Unless you answer me one question first."
What could that possibly be? "Do ask."
"Tell me – honestly – what you would have done if I couldn't have defended myself against Kalawarner." Something was there, in his voice. It felt as if he had something more on his mind.
… She wasn't quite sure what, though. "I would have revived you as a member of my peerage."
It was a surprise to her, when he closed his eyes, looking disappointed. "I see." He turned fully to the side, facing the trees.
"... Is there a problem, Narukami-kun?" Akeno brought herself into the discussion, her tone light as ever.
"... Gremory just said she would have let me die. Isn't that a problem?"
When Akeno only made a sound to indicate understanding, Rias turned to her. Her queen's eyes were open and focused. She didn't elaborate. "I would have revived you. One would imagine you to be thankful."
"Maybe. But it wouldn't have been my choice. And that you would only bring yourself in after my death, doesn't sit well with me."
Ah. That was his point. "The truce between the three factions is very frail. Direct interference could spark a war. A war that would surely bring us closer to extinction than ever."
"Then, isn't the interference on the part of the fallen angels? Since this is your territory?" It was a valid point. Especially when someone didn't know the whole picture.
"It's allowed to cross the territory of another faction, as long as it's kept brief. No more than three days, at most."
Briefly, Yu turned to her. "So, you really don't know what happened yesterday." His tone was suspicious. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it felt as though he knew something she didn't, which really annoyed her. She was the devil. She was supposed to make him feel this way.
"Know what?"
"... Yesterday, Hyoudou Issei was attacked by a fallen angel. She disguised herself as a student from another school, pretended to become his girlfriend, and tried to kill him on their date."
Rias' eyes widened throughout the explanation. Her surprise was magnified when Yuuto spoke up. "So the student you were talking about was Hyoudou-kun." Dimly, Rias recalled that her knight told her about a talk he had with Yu. She hadn't given it much attention. What a blunder.
"That fallen – Raynare - had three others as backup."
"And you helped Hyoudou-kun get away?"
"I defeated them."
… What? Defeated not one but four fallen angels? "That is quite hard to believe, Narukami-kun. A human, no matter how powerful, against four fallen..." She trailed off as she got a bad feeling about the situation.
"Ask them yourself. They've been watching since the beginning." Suddenly, him facing the woods made sense. Especially as an odd blue haze appeared around his outstretched hand, where a katana suddenly materialized. "Come out."
Rias and her peerage also readied themselves, when three fallen angels appeared from behind the trees. One of them, a small girl with blonde hair was pouting. "How did you know? I even fooled those devils with my spell."
"Try harder next time, Mittelt." The lone man grinned. "Good one finding us, Narukami. You're really a scary guy. Guess doing this was the right choice."
"Hmph." Kalawarner, who didn't look like she wanted to be here, carefully looked away from Yu. "I still think this is a bad idea, Dohnaseek."
"What are you three doing here?" Rias didn't like being ignored. "If you intend to attack us, then don't think this will be easy." Behind her, her peerage had taken position.
"Oh no." Dohnaseek smiled. "We just want to verify something with Narukami." He walked a few steps towards Yu, who raised his sword.
"I'm not sure what you want." It was odd for Rias, how her classmate managed to remain so perfectly calm in the face of danger. Then again, he had proven himself rather unflappable so far.
"Like I said, verify something."
"For example." Kalawarner walked forward as well. "Why did you spare us?" The heiress didn't like how they jumbled up the entire conversation. The question itself was also odd. Sparing would imply that he had defeated them so thoroughly, it left them at his mercy.
"... I'm not a murderer."
"Not a murderer..." For a second, the fallen looked shocked. Then she started to laugh. Slowly at first, hesitatingly, but it soon became louder.
"Ahahaha... AHAHAHA!" At the end, she sounded downright hysteric, her voice so much higher than before. "You... you... Ha... That's too funny..." She was gasping for breath. "That's just too funny. You're so strong, and choose to be merciful? What a joke."
Even her fellow fallen looked disturbed at her outbreak. "... I don't get the joke, I'm afraid." Sword still pointed at the fallen angels, Yu talked with the same, damnable calm as before.
Was there anything that fazed this guy? Seriously, it was becoming scary.
"It doesn't matter." She swiped away a tear from the laughter. "There's something else we'd like to know, Narukami." The amusement faded from Kalawarner's features. "Do you have a Sacred Gear?"
… What could make them ask this question? She herself still doubted his claim that he didn't have one. How could they reach this specific conclusion?
"... No." Was it Rias' imagination, or did Yu smile? "My power is... different."
The three exchanged glances, and Rias spoke up herself, mostly to get the conversation under control. "What are you doing here? Why are four fallen angels in my territory, and for longer then allowed?"
Mittelt turned to her, giving a rather nonchalant expression. It irked Rias, when she realized that those fallen considered Yu a greater threat than her. She was heir to one of the 72 pillars. He was a human. It should be clear who is stronger. "You'd have to ask Raynare. She's our group's leader."
The devil had a comment in return on her lips, when the other two fallen suddenly created light spears, throwing them at Yu. She called her Power of Destruction hurriedly, the black and red energy coalescing in her hand, knowing she would be too late.
It had been an unnecessary gesture, as Yuu simply cut through the thrown spears, retaliating with green gusts of wind. At least, she assumed that those were wind, judging from how the fallen tumbled through the air. He also got Mittelt, who cried out in anger. "Hey! I didn't do anything!"
Once they fell to the ground, Yu gave them his usual look of indifference. "So, why did you try this just now?" Still so calm? What kind of life does that guy lead?
"Test something." Dohnaseek was giving a crooked smile. "Y'know, I love fighting. I enjoy it immensely, and do it quite often. I gathered some experience, and quite a bit of pride. You could say pride is my greatest sin."
The sound of a sword cutting through air interrupted his rather tedious monologue. "Is this getting anywhere?" Yu actually looked annoyed. Just a bit, at least. "If not, I have something to do."
"Meh, short version: Going over the events of yesterday, I noticed just how superior you were to us. You and that woman in green. Why didn't we notice her inhuman power before? Why did you defeat us with little trouble? Now, we have a partial answer." He stood up and dusted himself off.
"I suppose we do." Kalawarner sighed, already standing again, with her arms folded under her breasts. "It might be best to cut our losses now, before Raynare manages to do something idiotic. I won't be dragged down with her."
"You can tell all that after one attack?" Rias was feeling rather incredulous. Not only were her enemies intruding upon her territory, they were also ignoring her. That was twice as insulting.
"Yup." The lone male fallen's smile turned towards her. "Reading between the lines, and all that. The conclusion is simple, yet shocking:" It made for a shock when they all looked at Yu with respect. "Narukami. You are so far above us in terms of power, that trying to fight you would be suicidal."
What?
Mittelt giggled. "So, we three would like to assure you, Narukami-san, that we will not interfere with you or your friends. We won't cooperate with Raynare, either." The other two nodded their assent.
This was unbelievable. Very few fallen would recognize a human as worth those words. And not only fallen, if Rias was honest with herself. Plenty of devils thought that way, too. But even then, the respect wouldn't be based on the human's power. That was preposterous.
"Then, can you answer a few questions for me?" Yu wasn't letting down his guard, she noted. Good. Still, it was time to take control of the situation again.
"Wait a moment, Narukami-kun. There is still the matter of them invading on my territory." She gave the fallen angels her full attention. "And you attacking two prospective members of my peerage."
"Do I know them?" Yu said dryly.
… Wow. As far as indirect rejections went, that was a sledgehammer. "Anyway." She ignored the snickers those fallen had the gall of making. "Answer my question."
"Well, if you ask like that..." Dohnaseek started. "... then we can't really tell you."
As if purposefully annoying her, Mittelt explained with a sweet smile. "Raynare is the one getting and relaying orders. She leads our little group."
Rias couldn't help the frown that came to her face. "And I am supposed to believe that? Really, you can't tell me that only the leader of your group gets orders, yet you run off for a meeting with your enemy?" That could only be a bad joke.
Dohnaseek clicked his tongue. "The way you say it... Sounds like we're committing treason. That's a bit much, right Mittelt?"
"Absolutely. It's not like there's a rule that stops us from going here." The diminutive fallen made an expression too innocent for her species. "At least, Raynare didn't mention such a thing. She didn't say something like, 'you're not allowed to seek out the guy who destroyed my light spears', did she?"
With an equally innocent expression, her male comrade shook his head. "Nope, she said no such thing. Not that she said much, that wasn't an insult or a rant yesterday. And today, she disappeared so early in the morning... Who knows what she did? She hadn't returned by the time we went out."
Those two irritated her so much, she needed her queen tapping her shoulder to notice how Kalawarner had walked closer to Yu. They were talking, though she couldn't hear about what...
That wasn't good. Yu was someone she wanted for her peerage. She couldn't let him get under the sway of a fallen angel, something that woman certainly seemed the type for.
"Narukami-kun, would you please come over here? I do not particularly trust them. It would be better to keep away from them."
He looked at her, expressionless. "No, it looks like I have somewhere to be." He gave Kalawarner a nod, and they both turned to walk away.
The Power of Destruction, long since dissipated, was back in her hand. This situation was fraying her nerves. "Stop right there. Narukami-kun, I cannot allow you to go with her, I'm afraid." Behind her, Akeno readied a lightning spell.
"... On what grounds?" While they had stopped, Yuu hadn't turned around.
"I do not trust that fallen angel. Neither should you, for that matter. Whatever she told you, it would be best to doubt her." Rias hoped he saw reason. He was an inhabitant of this town, which placed him under her protection. Stopping him from such suicide was her duty, potential peerage member or not.
"They might have Hyoudou. He wasn't at school today."
… Here came his own reasoning, one she could even understand. If they had Hyoudou Issei, it was just a matter of time until he died. But it was still foolish to walk into the lion's den. "Even then, going into their hideout or wherever you intend to go is not a wise course of action. I cannot allow you..."
"Allow me?" He turned fully, and the coldness in his eyes surprised her. "You say that as if I was obligated to listen to you. But I'm not your servant, and have no intention of changing that."
That bluntness caught her flatfooted. Dohnaseek took that moment to say a few words of his own. "If I might give you some advice: Consider killing Raynare, if you confront her. That girl knows how to hold a grudge, and she'll be pesky as hell for you, one way or another. Nip that one in the bud."
"You're telling me to kill one of your comrades?" It felt ever so insulting, when Yu's cold gaze softened as soon as he no longer looked at her.
The one to answer was Mittelt. "Comrade? Pah. Like she gives a damn about us. She'd abandon any one of us the moment it seems more profitable to her. She sees us as tools, at best."
"... I see." Yu made to turn around again.
"I am loath to repeat myself. I cannot let you go." Another invisible wave of power passed over her.
He faced her again. The anger on his face was unmistakable. "Do want to stop me from helping Hyoudou? Do you want him to die? Revive him without any trouble?"
… She couldn't deny it. That would be the easiest way to both save his life and prevent a potential war. It was the best way to safe him she had. Judging by his accusatory tone, Yu would not agree. "If my peerage attacked Raynare, it could easily end the truce."
"So? I'm not asking you to help."
"As a potential future member, your actions could be traced back to me." She didn't like the way he talked one bit. And she was grasping at straws here, unwilling to risk any lives in this situation.
"... I'll say it once more. I won't join your peerage. I won't become your servant. The only one responsible for my actions is me. There are no valid reasons for you to try and stop me. So, why do you?"
… She really didn't like this situation. "The chance that you change your mind..."
"is zero." The words stopped her from continuing. "To me personally, there's no appeal in becoming a devil. I'm happy, the way I am. Goodbye. I'm off helping a friend." He turned around and resumed walking away, as did a smiling Kalawarner.
… No. This wasn't the way it should go. "I refuse to let you go right towards them. You'll die."
"Which would play right into your plans. I wouldn't be able to deny it. So? Why bother stopping me?"
… That was... That wasn't how she wanted it. After she tried to recruit him, and failing, getting him like this would be a defeat. It would be wrong, especially after he had shown himself so unwilling.
It would go against her sense of honor and pride.
Undaunted, Yu walked away. After a moment, Kalawarner followed him. The other two fallen made to follow, but the lightning that flew past them stopped them dead in their tracks.
"Ara, ara." Akeno, fully in her sadist mode, gave a chilling smile. "We have much to discuss. Very much."
… Indeed. Though judging by the looks on their faces, the two fallen did not agree.
"Where is your hideout?" Yu asked Kalawarner while running through the city.
"The old church on the outskirts. Other than Raynare, there are sixteen stray exorcists. One of them, Freed Sellzen, is better than the average." He glanced back at her, running beside him. Miraculously, her rather tightly fit clothes didn't burst.
"You can fly, if you want to. We're covered by an illusion, so just don't bump into anyone." She stopped abruptly for a few seconds, before spreading her wings and catching up to him.
"Even illusions? Boy, oh boy. Why did I ever attack you? If you tried, you could kill me in a blink." She didn't need to know how he did it, summoning Titania a few meters away from where he had been standing, behind the cover of the trees. Nobody noticed her, oddly enough. Then again, it had been at the edge of Akeno's barrier.
"I know." He didn't like killing, but he would have a lot of ways to do it.
"That's not even counting the nifty new tricks we're gaining." Nebiros cackled.
"So, does that mercy-thing of yours mean you won't kill, no matter what?" That question was one he expected. He'd been thinking about it quite intensely himself. After all, he wouldn't be fighting Shadows, which didn't really die, but disperse. Instead, he would be up against living, thinking beings, that were more than suppressed emotions. Unlike Adachi, they probably wouldn't all just stand by and give up after being defeated.
"I've been thinking about that." He admitted. "But if there are more people like Raynare, that won't work. Considering she might have kidnapped Ise so fast, I don't want to know what else she'd do."
Truth be told, he wasn't sure whether he should actually trust Kalawarner. But he needed her help to find Raynare. When he hadn't met Issei this morning, it had worried him.
At school he had asked the pervert's friends and they told him – in between much cursing – that he hadn't been there.
"And? What will you do?" She sounded genuinely curious, even as she maneuvered around a corner, with him following closely.
"... If it becomes necessary, if it comes down to it, I'd kill. Between someone without moral qualms and me, the choice should be clear." He didn't like saying those words. He didn't even like thinking them. But it was the truth. Killing would be a solution, a last resort. That was how different his new situation was from before.
Kalawarner was quiet for a moment, before she talked again, this time sounding impressed. "You'd go through with that, huh? You really mean that, even if you don't like it. I might have to change my opinion of you. That kind of resolve is rare."
"Maybe. How far is it?" He was forced to slow down as they entered a more lively area.
"Some ten minutes... Say, you were pretty rough with that Gremory girl."
"I'm a patient person. But she's slowly getting on my nerves with those attempts to recruit me. It's a waste of time."
"Yours or hers?"
"Both."
Kalawarner sounded amused. "Heh. She doesn't really notice it. Not the brightest."
"I don't think that's it." Another corner, and they sped up again. "More like a spoiled child. She isn't used to not getting what she wants, and she wants me in her peerage."
"Yeah, figures that a high-class devil would always get what she wants. Probably a spoiled little princess. Hey, if you just continue refusing her, it might actually help her. Isn't that a funny thought? Helping by not helping."
"You're awfully cooperative." Even giving ideas that were clearly out-of-character? That was odd.
"Gathering goodwill."
… That wasn't really the answer he had expected. "What for?" The Wild Card couldn't help but ask.
"Once this is over, we'll have to report to our superiors. That we tried to kill you is bad enough, but I'm pretty sure Raynare got us into even bigger trouble than that. If you don't hold my attempt on your life against me, I can expect a lessened punishment."
"Now you're awfully open with all that."
"No point in lying." She sounded honest. He kept his eyes forward, but he trusted himself when it came to judging people.
He was rarely wrong. Her voice suddenly turned sheepish. "Please forgive my remarks when we first met."
"You mean being called vermin?" When he heard her agree, he had to suppress a smile. "Consider this your second chance, then."
"Thanks. Now this way." Rounding another corner, the Fool saw the tower of the church. It stood on top of a hill, and really did appear abandoned.
"What are they gonna do with Ise?"
"... That's the big question. I told you about the cross that extracts a Sacred Gear, but it isn't ready for a few days. After you defeated us, we thought about ways to get one over you, and taking his Gear cropped up a few times. Still, taking Hyoudou now would be useless. If it wasn't Raynare, I'd wonder what kind of idiot would abduct someone who's friends with you. Since it's her, though, I know exactly what kind of idiot it is. Dohnaseek, Mittelt and me all noticed how big the difference to you is, after sleeping over it. She probably didn't."
"Why is she your boss, if she's that incompetent?"
"She's the strongest of us."
"So, a large organization, probably well-structured, decides the leaders of groups like yours by power?" A more emotive person would have been incredulous.
"It really doesn't sound like the best idea, huh? A leader should be a calm, organized person. Especially for what amounts to being a reconnaissance squad."
"At least some words of wisdom from that woman." Setanta mumbled into his scarf. Of course, the fact that Yu could hear him, meant that he wanted to be heard. He was relatively sure that they conversed with each other.
"She's lacking in that regard. Too emotional, not enough self-control." Even though the words were vicious, she actually sounded as if she was restraining herself.
"Who in your group would have been suited?"
"Nobody. Dohnaseek's a fight nut, Mittelt is too inexperienced, Freed – the only exorcist strong enough to be recognized, and that's still a big maybe – is a psychopath, and I'm just not the responsible type."
They stopped at the steps leading up to the church.
"Oh." Kalawarner looked as though she realized something. "That might be how she'd do it."
"Do what?" Yu mentally went through his Personas, searching for one to use.
"The ritual. If she sacrificed a few of the stray exorcists, she could probably do it."
"Would they let that happen?" The Wild Card frowned. That was just horrible. Using her own allies like that. For a leader like him, that kind of callous behavior clashed with his own believes. The safety of his friends had always been important to him.
Then again, Raynare and her group were hardly friends.
"There are plenty of ways to do it without being noticed. Still, that would be a low move even for her." It seemed Kalawarner was a decent enough person to recognize just how bad that would be.
"But possible?"
"Call me. Let me put the absolute fear into those cretins." The Persona might be a good choice for this. Especially with that new technique.
"Yeah."
"... How will they be armed?" A plan was taking form. It would depend on whether Raynare really was such a bad boss, or not. And if she actually sacrificed some of them...
"Swords and guns, both using the light element. Weaker than our light energy, and not as malleable. For you, I'd say only the guns or large numbers of attackers would be dangerous."
"No, I don't think so." Briefly, Yu looked into Kalawarner's eyes. "I still wonder why you just gave up after a small test."
She stared back. "So, that's how much stronger than us you are. We used thrice as much power on those spears, and you destroyed them like the others. Without noticing it."
… Huh. Was he really that much stronger than them? Thrice as much power used, and no difference? Not bad.
"You still don't know how you compare to the other mythical and supernatural creatures around us." Uriel's stern voice echoed in his mind. "But it seems save to say that fallen and angels with one pair of wings cannot fight you, should you choose to be serious."
That was an obvious conclusion. How he compared to the others, though...
Well, it didn't matter. According to Kalawarner, there was a good chance that Issei was inside. That was enough reason for Yu to storm the place, if necessary.
… In fact, it was the only lead he had. If Issei wasn't here, he hadn't the slightest idea where he could possibly be.
Then again, It sounded as though Raynare was just the kind of person who'd do something like that.
Yuu walked up the stairs, his chosen Persona already equipped. Kalwarner trailed behind him, her steps light and unsure. "What are you doing?"
When she spoke up, she was much quieter than he expected her to be. "I'm going with you. I want to see what you do, and make sure Raynare is dealt with."
"Dealt with?"
"We want to make sure she can't just tell the higher-ups some story of her own. The cross should stay intact, and some of the exorcists will need to be taken for questioning. Since you won't kill them, unless they really try to get killed, I'm not too worried, but... I want to see what happens."
"... You just want to see me beat Raynare up." He shook his head at her true intent.
With a shrug and a smile, Kalawarner answered. "Well, yeah. Good way to take that pretentious bitch down a peg."
King: Oh, look. I finally got a new chapter out. This took longer than I wanted it to. Today, I am aided, sadly, not by a HDxD character, but...
Loki: Hello. My name is Loki. You don't let me appear enough. Prepare to die.
King: ... The Princess Bride? Really? Not your style. Not your style at all.
Loki: Wasn't that turn of allegiance a bit too abrupt?
King: ... Ignore what I say, why dont'cha? Maybe it was, but it's not so much a turn, as just being clever about it. Crazy bitch Raynare, who goes against orders, or calm and merciful Yu, who won't get them in trouble and is stronger than her. Not that hard to decide, huh?
Loki: Good, good. But our dear, gray-haired hero gets ready to kill? If it wasn't the sensible course, it would be shocking, but he is the kind of person that realizes how different the situation is. Big, ominous factions, members of which have already proven themselves ready to kill, and not so ready to leave him alone. That requires harder bandages.
King: My thoughts exactly. Rias for her part, showed just how arrogant she is. In all fairness, she has good reason to be. She's got looks, she's smart, she's powerful, her family is filthy rich, her brother one of the most powerful members of her society...
Loki: And so on. Someone needs to wake her up. Or you let me, through dear Yu, of course, milk that arrogance for all it's worth. Being a trickster, and all.
King: What Kalawarner and Yu talked about will be revealed in the next chapter. The chosen Persona is one I have not yet mentioned, I think.
Loki: Being ignored is surprisingly painful.
King: Know my pain, and feel my suffering. On to the reviews. It's about the biggest compliment I can receive, when someone says they start caring about a character in my story. Especially a character like Kalawarner.
Loki: Issei's fate is something that our beloved King has not yet decided on. Devil? Human? Something else? Up in the air, that one.
King: The only person that was described as antisocial in the 'Fake World' is me. I think someone misunderstood that.
Loki: Indeed. this King here, is one who would be terrible at true kingship. A catastrophy, a travesty, waiting to happen.
King: Oh, you don't want to appear anymore in the story? You could just say so.
Loki: Whatever Asia, and especially Issei end up as will have consequences on the plot. Massive ones.
King: Massive enough that just this choice would probably give material for two stories. Which I'm not gonna do. This is a single story, following one branch out of all the ones I could take.
Loki: Titania is a capable illusionists. It isn't hard to believe that she'd use one to cover up some not-so-subtle differences between herself and others. Without it being mentioned.
King: Take that as you will.
Loki: Kindly review. Our dearest King is unsure about this chapter. He needs you tell him what you think.
King: ... Be so kind, as to just shut it, Loki.