Worthless Exorcist

by Hakai Suu

To repay the debt owed to the former Governor General of the Fallen Angels, the North Star—a mercenary group founded by and made up of deities from the Slavic pantheon, sent one of their most efficient members—Kazuhiro, to Kuoh to undergo a mission to observe the Boosted Gear's possessor a year before his second year in Kuoh Academy. Unaware of the town's significance to his birth.

15. V1 L7: False Apotheosis

Life.7 False Apotheosis

Part 1

She—Rias Gremory, swallowed her spit, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of her nervousness.

The enemy in front of her who was human merely moments ago was now a Seraph-level Angel, without a shadow of a doubt.

Seeing and sensing her uneasiness, Asia's lips curled into a smile.

Her wings faded away into particles of light as she stopped floating, landing on the ground.

At that exact moment, the Gremory heir and her servants, as well as Saji, felt an intense pressure land on their shoulders.

Asia's immense touki mixed with the additional holy presence made even breathing seemingly difficult.

Is this what it's like to face…a Seraph?!

Saji grit his teeth as he struggled to resist falling on his knees.

Most of Rias' servants were the same.

However, at that moment—

Kazuhiro… Is this why…you wanted to keep us out?

Rias grit her teeth, her aura flaring up in resistance as she gave it her all to stand her ground.

The faint crimson glow raged against the golden radiance that washed over them.

Making a sound with her nose, Asia chuckled as the pressure coming off of her eased.

Feeling the weight pushing down on her disappear, Rias and her servants staggered slightly.

—!

Akeno's eyes widened as her master turned to face her, smiling wryly as blood dripped from her nose slightly before wiping it with a finger.

"Now then. Who'll face me in battle? Maybe you, Rias Gremory? It would be interesting to crush another High-Class… Or perhaps one of your servants? I don't really care which, since you all look so hot blooded."

The odd one out, Sona Sitri's lone Pawn stepped forward.

"I'll have you people give Taeko back!"

He kicked the ground, pulling on his Absorption Line with his other hand as he swung it like a whip, its tip burning up in black flame.

"Interesting. Raynare, do not interfere—"

Asia tilted her head while raising her helmet slightly to look at Saji with one of her emerald eyes directly.

"—I alone will be enough."

"Of course."

Letting go of her winged helm, it falls back down, covering the upper half of her face as she ducks while raising her arms, causing the Line to miss its target cleanly.

"I'm not done yet!"

Running the back of his thumb along the segment of the Absorption Line closest to him, he uses it to change the course.

Reacting quickly, Asia raised her arm to block its new trajectory, causing the line to wrap around it and quickly tense up as both she and Saji pulled on it.

"You know, apparently… These flames are the perfect thing for gods and divinity and whatnot."

He smirked as one of his eyes' sclera turned black, a purplish-black flame lighting on his pupils.

"That means you, Miss Angel!"

As he spoke, the flame that ran along Absorption Line flared up intensely as Absorption Line got to work, Asia's golden aura running through the line as her arm was also burned by the black flames.

"Asia Argento!"

Raynare was in a panic as the golden aura was slowly drowned out by the cursed black flare.

However, before she and her subordinates could move, black tendrils of flame resembling more Lines stretched out and ensnared them, Fallen Angel and Stray Exorcist alike.

The raven-eyed ringleader narrowly avoided them and watched as her fellows burned up.

With the sleeve of his arm where Absorption Line was blown out, more Lines emerged from Saji's shoulders, being blackened by the same cursed flame.

Seeing this, he manipulated them further and ensnared more of the enemies after the ones he had captured before were burnt to a crisp or cursed to their very bones until they died writhing.

"I've got this, you guys! Go ahead and rescue everyone!"

He resolutely spoke towards Rias Gremory's peerage, some flames leaking out of his mouth as he shouted with draconic vigor.

"But Saji—"

Issei was cut off as Asia chuckled.

It was then that everyone noticed.

While the Fallen Angels and Exorcists that Saji caught instantly turned to ash and were cursed or incinerated, Asia alone stood unscathed save for the immediate area on her arm where the line had wrapped around.

"I see, so that was your plan. Headstrong, just like she said you were. Saji Genshirou."

She used her other hand to hold the line and tug on it, causing her palm to be burned as well, but paid no heed.

"A strong will is good. But not enough."

Saji watched as the inside of the main Line emerging from his Sacred Gear suddenly had a light shining from within it.

It traced back from Asia to the base of his Sacred Gear as he felt it start to burn.

"You've been absorbing my aura without a care in the world all this time. As if I wouldn't be able to control it right before it enters your body—!"

DONNNN!

An explosion of emerald and gold blew away Saji, who immediately found that the spot where his Sacred Gear should be was now replaced by a terrible burn that went past his elbows.

What happened—!

While still in shock, he found a bright light suddenly appearing in front of him.

Asia, who had turned her body into pure light and closed the distance in a flash, had her fist pulled back.

"I told you, didn't I? It wasn't enough, Saji Genshirou—"

She paused, gasping before throwing her head back as she arched her back, narrowly avoiding a fist covered in pure white touki.

Spreading her wings, she flew away to avoid a roundhouse kick that followed.

"Stay the hell away from Gen-chan."

"Toujou!"

With her two ears and two tails out, Koneko had her entire body wreathed in ki that nearly rivaled Asia's in density.

"You're not the only one who came here to save Taeko…dumbass."

Koneko spoke without turning towards him, clenching her fist to an extent that her gloves made a noise.

[Boost!]

"It's not like we'll let you go this alone, Saji. We're both Pawns, aren't we?"

Issei also stepped forward, brandishing his Twice Critical.

"Let me support you."

"As your senior both as a student and as a Devil, I can't very well stand by and watch, you know?"

Yumi and Akeno appeared as well, the former unsheathing a particularly insidious-looking demonic sword while the latter had increased her aura tenfold, having changed into a shrine maiden's clothes.

"I don't think Sona would be very happy if we let you get taken out on your own, Saji-kun."

Rias appeared in front of all of them.

"Besides, it doesn't seem possible to rescue all the prisoners with her around. So we'll take the most straightforward path—"

Her black and crimson aura rose up to the sky.

"And take her down!"

With a roar, the slab of the pure Power of Destruction soared through the air.

As a pale green light healed her wounds, Asia breathed in and pulled her fist back.

A vacuum seemingly formed on her knuckle before she threw it forward—

"Holy Fist, Aria!"

FWOOOOON—

The spiraling air bullet shot towards the center of the mass of Destruction, colliding and digging into it violently before resulting in an explosion and the dissipation of both projectiles.

She—

"I suppose I'll enlighten you. This is my 'power', you [Crimson-haired Princess of Ruin], the fist that had been blessed by God. Along with Aeriel's ability to bless and rule over the very winds, even something like your pitiful Power of Destruction can be destroyed through power alone."

She flapped her wings, sending blasts of wind towards their group.

Sure enough, everyone felt a slight sting as they shielded themselves with their arms.

"Though, I don't think it'll be necessary to use this blessing on you at all. See—"

"Buchou—!"

As Asia flicked one of her fingers,

"Aria."

CRACK!

Yumi got in front of her King and shielded them with her back, only to feel one of her ribs being broken as an air bullet the size of a golf ball struck her back.

There wasn't a trace of holy power in that, and yet—!

The Knight thought as such before she lost consciousness due to the indescribable pain, collapsing in Rias' arms.

"You—! How dare you—!"

Her cerulean eyes shone with killing intent.

"Hhoh..? You fired up? Come take me down."

"Asiaaaa!"

Issei's eyes widened before he cried out with a blood curdling howl.

[Boost!]

Pulling his gauntlet back, he sprinted towards her.

Dashing ahead of him was Koneko, who fainted a blow with her fist and slid down to sweep with one of her legs.

At that moment, Asia hopped up to avoid her blow, before kicking down and catching one of her legs, causing the femur to break instantly.

Koneko grit her teeth and stifled a painful cry.

"Koneko!"

Issei had caught up at last, throwing his fist forward.

Using his own momentum against him, Asia skillfully threw him over her shoulder.

"Chi—Not this time!"

Her eyes widened as, in the middle of her throw, Issei had grabbed on her shoulder and pulled her down with him.

After he was thrown, she too followed.

Manifesting and spreading her wings of light for a moment, she regained her balance and raised her arms.

But at that moment, her instincts warned her of an oncoming threat.

Saji, who had flown up and used two Lines, pulling them back into a makeshift slingshot with a telephone pole and a nearby tree, then launched himself forward.

"Oaaaahhhhgggh—!"

She tried to raise her arms, but even for her who was now a being closest to light, she was far too slow.

DON! BREAK!

Throwing caution to the wind, Saji threw his fist forward.

The blow echoed throughout the street surrounding the Church, along with the sound of steel and bones breaking.

He grit his teeth and bit his lip to suppress the pain.

His knuckle was completely shattered, with most of his fingers on his right arm being broken and bent terribly.

However, when he looked at their enemy, he felt that it was worth it.

A portion of Asia's helm had come off, her cheek being very swollen along with it.

Not yet! This is not enough… Right?!

Throwing his left arm forward, lines erratically stretched outwards and wrapped around and then incinerated her entire body.

"Hyoudou, Koneko! Anyoneee! Finish her off now!"

Mustering his strength, he pulled her towards the others, burning all the while.

Issei nodded to Koneko, who haphazardly remedied her broken leg with senjutsu reinforcement.

A punch, a kick, an elbow—

As Saji's flames subsided, the two barraged the 'goddess', with blows.

Issei used every hand to hand technique he had added to his arsenal the past week.

"Hyoudou!"

With a shout, he suddenly felt himself getting pulled back.

He looked down to find one of Saji's lines pulling him back.

"Wait, what?"

"You gotta make way, dumbass."

Saji smiled wryly, despite his injuries and rough breathing, causing Issei to be unnerved slightly.

The two looked on as their nekomata comrade got to work.

With a vigorous inhale, Koneko picked up a portion of the street and promptly slammed it down onto the nun who had become deified.

The concrete shattered, spreading debris and stirring up clouds of dust as it destroyed the ground along with Asia.

Koneko leapt back to where Issei and Saji were, the latter retracting his lines back into his Sacred Gear.

Did we do it?

As they were thinking that, Rias felt shivers go up her spine and shuddered slightly.

Gritting her teeth, she promptly raised her aura and fired a blast of the Power of Destruction towards the dust cloud.

FWOOOO—!

Along with its dispersal, the cloud was completely blown away to reveal the silhouette of Asia who still stood in the center of it all, one of her hands being raised as she lightly slapped away the heiress' blast while coating it in holy energy.

Bruises, cuts—The goddess bled all over and coughed up blood in front of them.

"Fufufu… Hahahaha..!"

Only to erupt in laughter as she held her arm that had heavy burns on it.

"Impressive."

SHIIIIIIIIIINE!

Issei grimaced as her earrings gave off a familiar glow, which eventually covered the entire area.

Everyone shielded their eyes.

Hearing the sound of wings flapping, the light gradually faded.

The view that had appeared in front of them was—the front of the church as it looked like only moments prior.

It was as if the skirmish with Asia had not taken place at all.

"What!?"

Saji cried out in disbelief, raising his hand to his face.

His broken hand, his internal injuries, he felt and saw that they were all gone.

Issei also turned to find Koneko's broken leg to be fine.

Then finally, all of them turned back to the figure that hovered over the street slightly, her body also now free of impurities as she had her hands raised slightly.

"Ah, it seems I overdid it. Sorry, it's a bad habit of mine."

Asia playfully hit the top of her helmet with her fist while sticking her tongue out.

She…healed us? Is she saying it was an accident? No, nevermind that! She healed the street as well? I didn't know she could do that! Is that even possible?

Rias narrowed her eyes.

"So that's what it is. Your Sacred Gear, in addition to your own power."

The goddess' smile disappeared for a moment as she crossed her arms under her bust.

She scoffed.

"Of course you would understand. You have experience with things like these, after all."

Issei turned between them, leaning towards his King.

"Er, what are you talking about, Buchou?"

"You noticed it too, right? Not only did she heal wounds, she also 'healed' the battlefield."

?

He tilted his head, causing Rias to sigh while rubbing her temple.

"It's [time], Hyoudou Issei-kun."

Before Rias could speak, it was Asia who answered the question on Issei's mind.

"My [Twilight Healing], doesn't actually possess the ability to [heal injuries]. Its true ability is the ability to reverse time on anything that I touch upon activation. Though I've been trying to apply the same thing to my aura alone."

His mind returned to the time that she healed Kazuhiro and how he looked slightly dazed afterwards.

Saji grit his teeth.

"Something like that..! That's..—"

"Unfair? A [cheat]? Non non. It is exactly what a Sacred Gear is, ragazzo. The Red Dragon Emperor is able to multiply his power once every ten seconds. The White is able to halve…"

As her voice trails off, she points towards Saji.

"And you, your flames are that of the strongest technical fighter among the Dragon Kings, aren't they? I wonder how you came across not one but two of his Gears…"

Among the what? What does she mean 'two'..?

Saji looked down on the bejeweled Absorption Line on his arm and pondered, before looking back up to Asia.

"Sacred Gears have always been one of the deciding factors of the world's and its inhabitants' fates. That applies to both possessors and those around them."

She ceases floating and raises her hands.

"Signore David seeks to liberate the Sacred Gears that have wound up in this town, one possessor at a time. Though it seems this time, some Devils beat him to the punch. When I joined them, it seemed they had already gathered quite a bit. Specks of dust compared to the boon we never expected to find in Kuoh, though."

Asia smirked.

Her aura rose again.

"Thanks to my teacher, I came to realize just how fragile most folk are. It shocked me at first, to be honest. People break so easily."

She kicked the ground, pulling her fist back.

"Perhaps that's why I received this gift from God. Now, no matter how many times you or I break, I'll just bring you back. Don't give out right away, Devils!"

However, her head tilted at the last moment to dodge a singular arrow of light.

What?

Her instincts still warned her of danger as she used her wings to change directions.

The light arrow which had sparks of golden electricity arcing off of it curved around and went towards her back.

Eventually more arrows followed, soaring through the air as Asia retaliated by thrusting out several air bullets with her fists, destroying most of them instantly.

Black feathers came into view as she raised her head.

"I'll be your opponent, Asia-chan."

At the sight of her raven-haired, former co-worker, Asia Argento grinned.

Hovering over her was Akeno, clad in her shrine maiden's clothes and wearing her new white ribbon, her old one being wrapped around her wrist.

In her hands was a bow made of pure, crackling light that resembled electricity.

"It's Akeno-san, huh? I'm surprised you're here, instead of smothering Kazuhiro-senpai~"

HYU—

An arrow flew by her head as she instinctively moved out of the way before finishing her sentence.

"I don't think he would like it if he found out you were throwing yourself into danger like this."

Akeno scoffed.

"Danger?"

The nun-goddess furrowed her brow, then immediately felt the air around her change.

Because of Aeriel's ability, she could sense the changes instantly.

Asia turned to the ground.

The arrows which had 'missed' her formed a pattern on the ground before breaking down into particles of light that converged on the center light arrow, causing it to rise up into a pillar as Akeno raised her hand.

Her purple eyes gave off an eerie glow as her mismatched wings spread outwards.

"Rias!"

"Nn!"

With a nod, Rias crossed her hands in front of her as her demonic power rose, swinging her arms to the side as her pupils' cerulean glow was overtaken by a deep crimson and black color.

"I'm jumping into danger, huh?"

Appearing above Asia were several layers of magic-circles that floated above one another

"Girl, I am the danger."

She thrust her hand towards Asia, the back of her palm facing forward as lightning crackled above and beneath her.

Electricity leaked out and arced through her fingers before they were snapped.

In a single moment—

DOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!

The descent of Heaven's thundering hammer resounded throughout the area, growing exponentially in size after passing through each of Rias' Power of Destruction enhancement magic-circles.

After being struck by the bolt of Holy Lightning, the arrow of light burst out and unleashed its own power upwards, causing Asia to be at the center of two opposing flows of massive lightning bolts.

BOOM—

Which was disrupted instantly as a powerful shockwave exploded outwards.

As the two streams of demonic electricity disappeared, what was left was Asia who had simply clapped her hands with great force.

Then, her chest heaved.

Though somewhat miniscule, the lightning had apparent effects beyond the burns that were being reversed by her Sacred Gear.

Several sparks arced throughout her body as she smiled.

"Not bad, Akeno-san. I didn't expect you to use 'that' Lightning."

Akeno nocked an arrow of light.

"There's plenty more where it came from."

FW—U!

Her eyes widened as Asia vanished in a flash of light with a gust of wind.

"I don't doubt that. Which is why I'm doing this."

Turning too late, Akeno could only catch a glimpse of Asia's figure behind her, pulling her fist back.

Shit, I won't make it—!

Trying her best to turn her body, she held her bow of light in front of her, causing it to be shattered the moment it made contact with Asia's fist which was sent forward at blinding speeds.

However, all that she hit was nothing but air as Akeno herself vanished.

In the wake of the flash of light, black feathers were scattered all over where she stood.

Now it was Akeno who appeared behind Asia, emerging from what seemed like black mist with her eyes giving off a dangerous purple glow.

Raynare's eyes widened.

That is..! How..?!

She thrust her palm forward and made a gesture of pulling on a bow string, a single bullet of Holy Lightning being stretched out in front of her before being loosened towards Asia.

With Asia kicking the ground with great force, a portion of the street was sent flying upwards, being destroyed instantly as a momentary defense.

Flying through the rubble, she appeared in front of Akeno with her fist pulled back.

However, the Queen showed no signs of backing down.

Concentrating on her Rook abilities, she manifested layers upon layers of defense-type magic-circles reinforced with the piece's trait.

Expecting them to shatter, Asia was taken aback as her fist only managed to go as far as the middle point of the multilayered defense.

"Hah! I didn't expect this much effort from you..!"

"I've worked with you for two weeks… That's long enough for me to get a grasp on you."

Akeno smiled wryly, pushing her fears to the back of her head as she held her palms up,

"I see. But besides that, you seem to be plenty motivated. Kazuhiro-senpai really is something, huh?"

Asia flew back several paces, pulling both fists back.

"Now then, try not to die from Aria's maximum output—okay?"

Strong, terrible winds spiraled along her forearms and were promptly unleashed as she threw several punches forward.

Pushing the magic-circles forward, Akeno used them to buy time as she charged up her lightning once again.

If it's for him..! Even using that shitty old man's power… Then I don't mind becoming such a monstrous thing!

The golden arcs changed to white ones as her eyes shone once again,

Wind clashed intensely against lightning, giving off the impression that a storm was occurring.

Rias stood in disbelief.

She's really using it…

The image of Akeno all those years ago briefly overlapped with what she was now,

But the difference was simply too great.

"Buchou!"

Issei's words snapped his King back to reality.

"Should we help her?"

This time it was Saji who asked.

Rias looked down on Yumi, who slowly got up as her treatment was finished.

"Better?"

"Yes."

Glancing towards Akeno, she turned towards the rest of her servants and Saji.

"Leave this place to us. Don't you guys have someone to save?"

"Buchou…"

"Come on, Koneko. Don't give me that look. Akeno and I will buy you as much time as we can. Yumi will be with you."

Dusting herself up, she went towards where Akeno was.

"Akeno, let's clear a path for our juniors."

Without saying a word, her Queen simply nodded.

Thrusting her hands forward, she pushed back Asia's air bullets and took to the air as sparks gathered in her hands in tandem with the rumbling within the clouds.

Rias gathered up a large amount of her demonic power, creating a mass of the Power of Destruction that was far larger and deadlier than the ones Asia effortlessly parried moments prior.

"This is for Yumi."

At that moment, Rias felt a strange sensation,

Like a spark,

A scale being tipped over,

Her demonic power flared up as the mass of Destruction grew in size, being fired off as a massive block of demonic-power.

Asia felt the hairs in her body stand up, vanishing in an evasive flash of light rather than taking it on.

Seeing this, Raynare promptly did the same and took to the air.

Unfortunately, her subordinates that weren't capable of flight were caught up in the blast.

DOOOOOOOOON!

A line of desolation was traced along the entire middle section of the stairs leading up to the church, leading back to where Rias stood,

Flabbergasted by her own power.

She looked at her palms, her demonic-power that was seemingly going out of control slowly stabilizing.

Asia who reappeared in the air had her arms crossed.

Interesting. Looks like she has the potential to 'awaken'.

Her senses picked up on the change that had occurred inside Rias Gremory.

The latter was snapped out of her trance as lightning descended on the Stray Exorcists, further opening up the front of the church.

Shaking her head, the Gremory King turned to Saji and the others.

"Go, now!"

The Sitri Pawn turned towards Koneko, Issei, and Yumi, who nodded to him.

Taking advantage of the opponent's formation being destroyed, the four of them made their way towards the front door.

Rias looked on as the last of their silhouettes vanished into the building.

Hearing the sound of wings flapping, she relaxed her back as she felt Akeno's against it.

"That was something, where'd you pick that up, Rias?"

"I don't know… I… Ah, damn it. Let's just focus on cleaning up this mess, alright?"

Akeno chuckled.

"Besides, I'm not the only one going all out, aren't I?"

Both looked at one another with one eye.

"Yeah. You've got that right."

The Exorcists regained their footing as Asia slowly descended.

She crossed her arms, turning towards her colleagues.

"Looks like a couple of rats got past me, I'll have to dispose of them. I'll leave these two Devils to you guys."

[—!?]

With a battle cry, the Strays that were on standby up until now took up battle lines and advanced on Rias and Akeno.

Meanwhile, Asia walked up the stairs while it was being repaired by her Sacred Gear.

"Wait! Shit—!"

Despite being weak, their enemies had numbers on their side.

For every several that Rias and Akeno dispatched, more would take up their positions.

As the excommunicated warriors of the church drew their guns, the two manifested a wall of defensive magic circles.

"Annoying!"

"You can say that again!"

Rias was getting desperate.

A separate formation drew their blades of light and rushed the two.

[Duck.]

They both felt a chill go down their spine as a presence suddenly made itself known.

Following both the instruction from the voice as well as their own instincts, Akeno pulled Rias down with her.

They both felt a chilling wind pass right over them who was fortunate enough to avoid it in time.

However, the same cannot be said for the Exorcists.

When Rias raised her head slightly to look forward, the entire vanguard of their formation was completely frozen.

In the next moment, their frozen bodies were split in half as she felt even the very wind getting cut right above her.

A large crescent-shaped wave of aura cut apart the hordes, smaller crescent 'slashes' birthing from it and tearing most of the Exorcists that remained asunder.

Then, with a grace that could only be described as ghost-like, a white girl with fox-like features landed in front of them.

"You are..!"

Rias' eyes widened.

She had heard a lot about her, but never really saw her in person.

"Kazuhiro's shikigami? That's you, right? Mikazuki-san?"

Mikazuki turned, one hand on her waist.

"How preposterous."

—?!

"I am that child's mother!"

Akeno blinked, but promptly snapped out of her trance.

"Don't tell such a blatant lie, Mika-san!"

The kitsune sighed, turning her back towards them.

"What are you doing here?"

"With you being here, I was expecting to find Kazuhiro here as well. Really, I expected him to be protecting you after communications were cut."

To her words, Akeno couldn't help but blush slightly, but she quickly dismissed those thoughts.

"If he's not here, then we'll just stick to the original plan."

Raising her index finger, Mikazuki pointed towards Asia who had turned back towards them at the top of the stairs.

"I will defeat this turncoat, once and for all."

With a snap of her fingers, divine light gathered in her hand as her naginata was promptly manifested.

Twirling it in her hands, its frosty edge sung as it swung through the air.

Seeing this, Asia grinned once again.

"Honestly. With the way you're showing up, I'd mistake this for a Hatch Potch's girls'-night-out."

"Do not speak. We are not friends."

She pointed her blade towards Asia, who responded by pointing her fist.

"Very well, let's find out who's the real 'goddess'."

In the next moment, both their auras shot up to the sky.

A golden pillar stood in parallel to a silver tower of power.

Akeno began to be hopeful that the previous battles was taking a toll on their opponent.

However, every fiber of Mikazuki's being knew that—

STEP!

Asia Argento was just getting started.

Part 2

"Keep dancing! Dance for me, you filthy Devil scumbags!"

At around the same time, Sona Sitri's group had encountered the silver haired priest that was known as 'invincible'.

Tomoe swung her sword as she dashed forward, which he easily parried, throwing her to the side as he pointed his gun at her.

"You missed a step—"

However, when he pulled the trigger and let loose a bullet of light, his eyes widened.

Directly in front of his bullet, another bullet of light appeared.

"I don't think so."

The moment the two bullets collided, the space around them distorted and eventually shattered like glass.

In the wake of the phenomenon, a single bullet soared through the air towards Freed.

Being twice the size of the one he fired, it was also twice as fast.

Moving instinctively, he swung his light sword, intending to cut the bullet in half while tilting his head.

In a blink of an eye, he felt the handle slip from his hand as the bullet clashed with the blade's edge, sending it flying with sheer force alone.

Seeing a glint at the edge of his eyes, his body bent in an inhuman manner to dodge a blow from the swing of a naginata.

"Shinra-fukukaichou!"

"On your feet, Meguri!"

Carrying over the momentum from her missed blow, Tsubaki spun the naginata over her head before bringing it down.

From his peculiar stance, Freed straightened his body and crossed his arms in front of him.

BREAK!

Tsubaki's eyes glared into Freed's crazed scarlet digits as her naginata's blade scattered in front of her, unfazed by what happened.

His sleeves were cut up, but there wasn't a scratch on his arms underneath.

Kicking the ground, he lunged with glee towards Tsubaki while pulling his fist back, the jewel on his glove shining menacingly.

SPLASH!

Huh?

Along with a cold sensation, he felt a force land on his body.

Looking down, he found his clothes to be dripping wet.

"What the—"

"Fool."

Sona came forward, her hands stretched forward as magic circles appeared on her palms.

"Now."

"You've got it, Kaichou!"

With a heavy step, Yura threw two large gallons of water towards the air.

Tsubaki discarded the one she held as she pulled out another naginata that emerged from a magic-circle while flying up to the air.

Following after her Queen, Tomoe brandished her sword and soared up as well.

Cutting the gallons apart, both her debris and the water contained within began to fall down.

Freed turned his head back to his opposition, only to find himself face to face with Yura as she thrust her fist forward.

"Hey, wait a mi—"

"Eat this!"

"Guhah!"

He made a miserable sound as his face was punched in, sending him tumbling back right into the spot where the water would eventually fall.

Instead of simply falling to the ground, however, the water changed shape and picked him up.

The water flowed before settling into the shape of a ball.

Freed struggled, swinging his arms, his strength affecting the orb greatly as Sona visibly strained to maintain its shape and form.

"As if I'd let you get off that easily!"

Springing out of Sona's shadow, Ayame made a symbol with her hand as the shadow underneath Freed's watery prison grew hazy before wrapping around it as a second layer.

Tsubaki descended upon her King's side, where she was joined by the two Bishops, Momo and Reya.

The three exchanged glances before nodding.

Magic-circles appeared on their palms as they shot out blasts of demonic-power forward.

Their energies converged at one point as a dodecahedron-shaped barrier made up of demonic-power reinforced by their Bishop traits and Tsubaki's channeled Rook trait respectively began to form around Freed's prison of water and shadow.

We need to stick to Kazuhiro's plan. If it's like this, they can't use that 'technique'.

Sona grit her teeth as the water continued to flow in strong, powerful currents.

Freed who was inside continued to spin around uncontrollably,

Due to being obscured by Ayame's shadow, they failed to notice as Freed pulled out a syringe from in his coat and promptly injected it into his neck.

As his eyes widened, the slit on his pupils became more pronounced as more reptilian features appeared on his face.

His off-putting smooth skin began to bump up and change into a more greenish hue, beginning to resemble scales.

The gloves on his hands also manifested scales that were of a redder shade, as if reacting to his new state, eventually growing into full gauntlets that reached up to his elbows.

At that moment, everyone felt the air vibrate.

[Reject!]

—?!

[Reject! Reject! Reject! Reject—!]

Sona felt her control over the water sphere slipping away.

Then, her eyes widened.

"Strengthen the barrie—"

[EXPLOSION!]

DOOOOOOOOOOOON!

As if being forced outwards, the sphere of water exploded outwards, obliterating both the shadow sphere and the barrier that surrounded it.

Sona spread several more layers of defense to protect her servants and Ayame, but the pressurized water that had its kinetic force increased hundred fold still grazed them.

Cuts appeared on their body, immediately drawing blood.

Yura who had gotten in front of her King after sensing danger coughed up blood as she held her cut stomach, her right arm falling to the floor as more blood spurted out of the stump it left in its wake.

"—! Tsubasa Yura!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't…protect you, Kaichou…"

Sona cradled her Rook, gritting her teeth.

"Tsubaki! The Tear!"

"But Kaichou, this is f—"

"I don't care..! Hurry..!"

VOOOOOON!

Everyone felt an unbearable pressure pushing down in them in the next moment,

[Freeze!]

Tsubaki strained to take another step towards Sona as she felt the back of her neck go cold.

Emerging from the mist was a 'dragon'.

With a body resembling that of a bipedal lizard, its 'wings' were disconnected from its main body and made up of pure light.

A halo that had spikes coming off of it in an erratic, disorderly manner floated above its head.

Eventually, it's blood red eyes found Sona and Yura who were on the floor.

As if taking delight from the sight, its mouth curled up into a twisted smile.

Then, it cackled in an all too familiar voice, throwing its head back while spreading its gauntleted arms to the side.

[Uhyayayaya! What a pathetic lot! That was just my introduction attack, you know? The ones that bosses do when they transform? And you're already bleeding like hell from that? Damn, I really envy Asia-chan. She could heal anyone she wanted and enjoy a fight for as long as she wanted, but when I get new toys, feel always end up—]

FWIP!

Tomoe gasped as she felt chills go down her spine, turning her eyes to see a large fist coming towards her from her side.

However, using her Knight trait after swallowing her fears, she spun her body out of the way.

In the next second, she found her Queen and senior, using the same trait to come to her aid.

Sona Sitri's Knight made a resolute expression and gripped her sword.

But that was when she noticed.

Despite moving slowly due to her increased speed, the eyes of 'Freed' were trained on Tsubaki from the beginning.

She despaired, and so the unspeakable happened.

[—breaking.]

[Jet!]

Freed vanished once more, the sound of claws rending flesh coming a second late.

[Seriously, I lost focus for a bit and unfreezed you, tall-glasses… And you're already going for my throat~ Oh well, I guess a couple ribs will do fine as compensation.]

The pain didn't reach Tsubaki right away, or rather,

She fainted from the shock and fell to her side immediately.

That is, her side that was still intact, as Freed had seemingly torn off the entire lower portion of her upper body's left side—

"You bastard!"

"Die—!"

Reya and Momo, overcome with emotion, unleashed a barrage of demonic fire and demonic lightning respectively.

[Oh, don't worry girls~ Don't go feeling left out, now~]

[Change!]

As he spoke, his figure vanished again.

[Impact!]

The first to fall was Momo, who felt an impact in her stomach, causing her to retch and gag as she fell on her knees, before falling unconscious.

[Jet!]

Just as Reya noticed it, she suddenly found herself having difficulty breathing.

This is—?!

In the next moment, she no longer felt her feet on the ground as she was raised up, her neck being gripped still.

She looked down to find the 'dragon' that gave off nothing but malice and killing intent.

[Time to make the bed, Devil scumbags!]

Kicking the ground, Freed flew up a few feet and spun his body,

—grabbing one of Reya's ankles before slamming her down towards the unconscious Momo.

The impact reverberated through both their bodies as the ground gave in beneath them.

—.

He clasped his hands together and made a satisfied exhale.

[Divine Punishment has been dispensed.]

Then, he raised his left arm to block—

[Steal!]

BREAK!

Ayame grit her teeth as one of her ninjato broke instantly.

[Weird, you're not a Devil—]

Every inch of instinct in her body lit up like a Christmas tree as she turned her body, barely dodging Freed's fist in time.

Shit, he really is on a whole different level..! Even Vajra wasn't this powerful! Not to mention that invincibility!

She flipped back to dodge another blow.

[Wha—stay still, you damned sow!]

[Jet!]

Closing the distance and circling towards her back, Freed missed again as she sank into her own shadow.

Shit, what do I do..? I don't think I can even buy time like this..! Kazu, hurry—

While in the 'depths', Ayame thought long and hard about what path she should take.

She shook her head as a realization hit her.

No way, I shouldn't push everything to him… Working him to the bone after he mustered up the courage to confess, what kind of woman would that make me..?

Ayame moved to emerge right from underneath Freed.

However, what she stumbled upon was—

[Reject! Reject! Reject! Reject! Reject—]

Freed, who had been waiting for her,

What—?!

Was holding a single light spear aloft as he floated several feet off the ground.

The intensity of the divine light increased, the air around it vibrating and distorting.

[So you came out after all, that makes this easy—]

Thinking fast, Ayame made several handsigns as several shadow projections appeared, carrying Sona and her peerage away as Ayame crossed her arms in front of her.

[Explosion!]

As the jewels announced the grim message of War, Freed threw the spear down onto the ground.

Similar to a tungsten rod descending at more then ten thousand feet per second, the spear engraved itself deep into the ground—

DOOOOOOOOOON!

Eventually, the ground followed suit and caved in, forming a huge crater before the spear lost its form and exploded outwards along with the rest of its impact.

In the aftermath, an entire portion of the town was completely obliterated.

—.

.

Or atleast—that's what should've happened.

So this is the power of a Longinus..!

Sona held her hands out as she made a barrier haphazardly to mitigate the damage somewhat.

She looked around and eventually found her servants that were carried to safety by Ayame.

However, the person herself was nowhere to be found.

Emerging from the rubble, the dragonoid Freed tore off what remained of his clothes on his scaly body as smoke started coming off of him.

Looking at his raised palm, he then clenched it into a fist.

Damn, I might've gotten carried away. I wanted to save this to pay back that Silver bastard for hitting me with his bike…

At that moment, a familiar noise reached his ears.

A light also shone from behind him as the sound of a roaring engine approached.

Hah! Speak of the Devil…literally!

He turned around to find a familiar gilded motorcycle barreling down the road.

However, at the last moment, a flash of gold caused him to shield his eyes momentarily.

[Think fast, dipshit!]

It cried out.

[Oh, come o—]

DON!

Freed felt his breath knocked out of him as a large, mechanical golden boar suddenly appeared in the place of the motorcycle, crashing right into him.

Then, using its tusks, it throws him into a nearby wall at the side of the street.

[Sorry I'm late, little miss Sitri! I did as you asked and snuff out the rest of his fellows in the perimeter.]

The boar approached Sona as some of its mechanical parts opened up, revealing a parcel of several bottles with green liquid.

"These are..?"

[They're not Phenex Tears, but they'll get the job done! Get your peerage to safety, I'll keep this guy busy for as long as I can!]

Not waiting for an answer, some of the mechanical beast's parts shifted as it turned its back on her after dropping off the parcel.

Taking several steps, it vigorously exhaled a huge amount of steam from its snout as it ran one of its feet along the ground while facing the wall Freed crashed into.

Fafnir… I didn't want to believe it at first… But to think I'd run into your kin this far east…

The gold sheen of its body glowed as an aura of the same color came off of the boar.

Its 'bristles' shook as the air around it vibrated.

The dragonoid priest leapt out of the wall, pulling his fist back as he lunged towards the boar.

[What the hell are you supposed to be?!]

The two's golden auras flared up as they clashed, the boar charging forward to meet Freed's fist with his forehead.

[That's my line, priest!]

Sona took one last glance before she began to treat her servants, before catching a glimpse of a familiar blonde among the rubble.

Ayame!

However, what she saw upon clearing the debris caused her to grimace.

No… Oh no…!

Part 3

Having been assigned the abandoned factory at the end of town, Riser Phenex initially only found himself and his peerage battling the run of the mill Stray Exorcists and several other bad actors of the supernatural underbelly.

However, as they made their way inside, with great ease, it was then that he realized he had sprung a trap.

The machinery that had been left to rust for decades shook and trembled.

As a holy light pierced the ceiling and shot out to the sky, the moonlight that leaked in illuminated their adversary who was already glowing slightly to begin with.

A man with an x-shaped scar on the bridge of his nose stretched across his face, with a halo of light and a pair of wings that resembled flames.

If I remember correctly… Kazu said he was…David Cerro, right?

His eyes went to the scarlet holy sword that the priest held in his left hand.

The current wielder of Galatine!

As he took his stance, his servants did too.

—That was about half an hour earlier.

—

Taking a backhand to the face, Riser was swatted out of the air like a fly and fell to the ground roughly.

Several machinery were destroyed around him, only for them to shake slightly before moving in a collective mass to wrap around him.

David made a gesture of gripping something with his hand as he sighed.

"I've already told you, third son. Fighting me would do you no good, I have no desire to kill you, either. If it had been one of your brothers, perhaps even your father—maybe I would've cared. But more importantly, your wife—"

Hearing those words, something snapped within Riser as he glared daggers towards the Exorcist.

Mustering all his strength, his entire body was set ablaze as flames exploded out of him, blowing away the mass of metals that held him in place.

This was David Cerro's 'Saintly Sanction', made clear by the light purple halo and wings, the 'Sandalphon'.

Its domain was over magnetism, allowing David to manipulate metals to a high degree comparable to a god's Authority.

"Touched a nerve, did I?"

"That's right. It'll also be the last thing you'll touch—"

He vanished, leaving behind several sparks of flame as he appeared in front of David, his fist pulled back while being covered in fire that was heating up to the point of turning white.

"—You won't lay a finger on my wife, or anyone else in this town."

David's eyes widened.

What is this..?

Something inside him was resonating, seemingly reacting to whatever was building up inside Riser.

As Riser threw his fist, David arched his back while moving his hand, causing some of the factory's machinery to fly towards them.

However, Riser moved quickly and regained his balance in the air with his wings, using punches and kicks to obliterate the metal projectiles that came his way.

Then, his wings vanished as he descended after David, his foot placed forward as flames gathered on it.

"Eat this!"

CATCH!

Neither dodging nor defending, David caught him by the sole.

"Predictable."

"Same."

Using their deadlock as a fulcrum, Riser followed up with a roundhouse kick with his other foot, nailing David on the head.

Then, he thrust both his palms forward, letting out a large blast of flame that served both as an attack and as a means to make distance between them.

Riser's chest heaved.

Just being close to this guy is giving me the chills. But I can't back down. I have to buy as much time while everyone else rescues the civilians.

In the middle of their fight with David, he sensed the danger that he posed exactly.

So he decided to send his peerage away to rescue the captured Sacred Gear possessors, staying behind to fight David on his own.

He thought back to that decision as the smoke gradually cleared up.

STEP!

Before long, his vision was obscured by the back of one of his servants, the Knight Karlamine.

—?!

"Riser-sama—Gough..!"

Before he knew it, Karlamine had appeared in front of him with her immense speed.

Holding her sword in front of her, it did little to protect her as a cut appeared across her chest.

In fact, only the immediate area behind it was left intact, keeping her body from being cut in half.

"They say the bond between the Devil master and servant is strong, usually… I took a gamble, but I didn't expect it to pay off like this."

Her body fell forward limply.

"Sorry, I was trying to go for you, but she got in the way. It can't be helped, right?"

After marrying Akane Faulkner, he renounced his 'harem' as such.

"She's weak, after all."

In his eyes, they were no longer his concubines.

"I told you all to go rescue the people they captured! Why did you come here?!"

After having Momiji, he began to understand exactly what they became to him.

"Because…"

Most of them were taken in from dire circumstances.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you fighting alone, Riser-sama."

Similar to his former fiancée's peerage, he connected the dots.

Family.

He began to see the members of his peerage as family, like children—his daughters by proxy that he had to protect at all costs.

Seeing one of them cut so deeply right in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a different kind of heat different from his family's hellfire boiling up from within him.

Eventually, Karlamine's eyes went hollow.

Riser raised his head, glaring daggers towards David as the air vibrated and distorted his surroundings with the sheer heat he was giving off.

Before long, more of his servants appeared.

Most of them were shocked at the fate of one of their fastest members, who insisted on going ahead to assist their master.

"Yubelluna, are you there?"

Riser spoke without turning.

"Y-Yes, Riser-sama."

"Take Karlamine and go."

"But—"

"Just do it."

When he did turn, however.

It was the first time any of them had seen it.

The face of the Devil, Riser Phenex.

"It's for your own safety. Take the hostages and leave this place to me."

Taking Karlamine's sword into a storage circle, Yubelluna went to his side and cradled the gravely injured Knight, who felt cold in her embrace causing her to shudder slightly.

Seeing this, David's lip curled slightly as he readied to kick the ground.

—Huh.

Only for a wall of flame to rise up suddenly, in between him and Riser's servants.

"Where do you think you're going, bastard?"

Riser stood up, clenching his fist.

The strange sensation building up within him spread through his entire body, like a fire carving through a forest.

His lips spoke the words as they entered his mind.

"Through me is the way into the city of woe,"

David felt a terrible reaction from within him upon hearing those words, causing him to kick the ground.

In a single motion, Riser took off his coat and threw it to the side, letting it be engulfed in flame.

Time seemed to slow down as he clenched his fists once again.

At that moment, he suddenly felt like his entire body was being pulled.

Riser's wisp-like form found himself in a familiar place as the light that nearly blinded him faded.

—This is..? The Heliopolis?

Heliopolis—the name that one of his forefathers had given to the Phenex estate.

He found himself in their lavish living room, but it was devoid of the numerous servants that would usually dot every corner of his eye.

Instead, he was sat on a couch with a single figure sitting on another opposite to him.

"Ah, it's you. Took ya long enough, Riser-chin!"

Wha—

He tried to speak, but found that he couldn't.

Looking down on himself, his body was merely a mass of flames resembling the general shape of his silhouette.

"Oh, right. This is your first time here. Don't worry, you'll be able to speak here soon enough. For now, I'll settle with your thoughts."

He felt the urge to bow, and so he did.

H-Honored ancestor..! To meet you like this, I'm truly—

"Oh, geez! It's not like it's 'me', in the real sense. This is just your own inner world,"

—? What?

"You could say I'm the remnant of the 'me' that exists in the real world that was left behind here to guide people like you. Honestly, I didn't expect anyone to achieve 'it' in this generation, but you exceeded my expectations."

The one who sat opposite him was a woman who seemed to be at the prime of her youth, with blonde hair and light pink eyes.

On her body was a dress that matched those same eyes with its hue while having frills of white.

Despite her words, he couldn't think of her to be anyone else but his ancestor.

The first Phenex, Rita Phenex.

"Your love for your family, it's beautiful. It makes your flame burn magnificently, I couldn't be more proud of you even if I tried. I'm sure the other 'me' feels the same way."

What is…this place?

"Hmm, follow me."

She stood up from her couch and beckoned towards him.

He followed her into a nearby window, where she parted the curtains and stood to the side.

What Riser saw made him freeze up.

Rather than the sky of the Underworld, what surrounded the mansion was an empty space.

The only thing that stood out was a large inverted tree, with roots that stretched out to the sky,

This is..!

"This is the 'source' of demonic power, so to say. If you succeed, you'll be able to gain a power you've never known. Just like Kazuhiro Belial."

Kazu..?! What do you mean?

Rita froze up, then covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh shi—I mean, erm, perhaps I spoke too soon. I'm only here to send you off on your way."

As they sat back down, they continued their conversation.

Why was I…'chosen'? I left the house to marry Akane, you know?

"Oh, please. Circumstances like that aren't important. What matters is your own wish. 'Human' feelings like desire are important, even for Devils. If one covets power, or needs it, they are led here."

She drank from a cup of tea that seemed to have manifested from nothing.

As she put it down, she made a surprised face and said "Ah, I think she's here."

Who?

"The Queen of Wrath."

The scenery around him began to change once again as he sensed an approaching presence.

"Listen, Riser-chin. No matter what happens next, you mustn't give up. I know you won't, but I wanted to say that anyway. I'm not sure what the trials ahead will hold for you, but you have to overcome them to acquire the power to protect your family. Got it?"

He stood up and faced the oncoming white light that began to leak into the room.

You think I don't know that already? It can't be harder than being a husband and a father, you know?

Rita smiled as he turned back to face the light, the very walls and windows of his mansion parting like curtains as he stepped forward, being drawn by a sense of direction.

With every step he took, his hazy silhouette became more solidified until he completely resembled his original appearance.

If Kazuhiro made it, there's no reason for me to fail.

Riser stopped in his tracks as a person's silhouette made itself visible despite the bright light.

He felt a strange heat, which unsettled him greatly as it meant the source was just that hot to make a Phenex feel that sensation.

Shielding his eyes as flames erupted around him, he found himself face to face with the incarnadine lord of decimation.

"Yo, so you're the brat that managed to tap into his 'Revelation', huh?"

Scarlet hair that reminded him of Rias Gremory, with eyes that were even redder and spirited than hers.

She leaned against a crimson poleaxe that had been impaled into the ground before pulling it out and throwing it over her shoulder.

"I won't take it easy on you, even if you're one of Rita's descendants."

As she stomped, flames covered his vision again as the environment changed into an all too familiar coliseum.

The braziers that hung around the arena were all lit up at the same time.

He felt the sand beneath his feet and realized the situation.

"I'm not like the others, my terms are pretty straightforward. It helps that you have a clear image of what you want."

And what's that?

At his mental question, the woman smiled wide and took her stance.

"Strength. Absolute power."

—.

"That is why you shall inherit my Seal, the Seal of Wrath. That is, if you manage to knock me flat on my ass and actually beat me."

She swung her axe and beckoned towards him.

"Now come, Riser Phenex!"

He raised his fists and raised his aura, spreading his fiery wings.

If Kazuhiro made it, then I have no reason not to—!

Both sides kicked the ground as Riser charged right into his opponent.

The Demon Queen of Wrath, Satan.

—.

.

Seconds seemed like an unbearable eternity.

But the man who held his family close to his heart did not falter, the fire within refusing to burn out.

Eventually, he prevailed.

Upon acquiring the boon, he also acquired the rest of the chant to invoke it.

"I am the way into eternal pain,"

—

"Through me is the way to go among the lost,"

A magic-circle with his family's insignia upon it appeared at his feet, paper-thin fiery tendrils emerging from the edges.

"Justice caused my high architect to move,"

"Divine ignorance made way for my creation,"

Riser's eyes gave off a pale scarlet light, shifting from a deep blue to a dark pink.

"The highest wisdom, and the truest love,"

Pale blue flames overtook his usual red-hot flames, eventually covering his entire body while leaving only his eyes visible.

"Before me there was [nothing],"

"A ruined empire that lasts for [eternity]."

David suddenly felt an impact on his cheek.

Looking with one eye, he came to a realization of what just happened.

The 'Riser' that stood far away from him curved and warped before vanishing—

An afterimage that was solidified by the heat's influence.

The real one had appeared in front of him, throwing a left hook forward as his entire body was covered in flame that had a certain pattern resembling combat armor.

Even the tips of his golden blonde hair had caught on fire, the pale flame coming off of his body spreading to the surroundings as the very metal that David would manipulate started to lose its shape and melt.

HISS!

Even the very ground beneath his feet gave in as he walked forward.

Upon seeing this, Riser resolved to calm himself down, the flames and heat coming off of his body subsiding.

The flames that had become pure white reverted to a pale blue color as their temperature decreased.

His feet had changed to resemble the talons of a bird while also being made of pure flames.

Similarly, his arms were also set ablaze and resembled a pair of wings with a pair of claws that he could still clench into fists.

In addition to the wings on his back, two avian tails also extended from beneath them.

Overall, Riser had completely changed to resemble a humanoid Phoenix of myth.

This feels…weird. But I can feel it.

He turned towards David who was slowly standing up while eyeing him cautiously.

I can kick this guy's ass.

"Looks like I'll have to take you seriously. Riser Phenex."

"Would you look at that? You're finally seeing me, huh?"

Raising his hand up, David beckoned several pieces of machinery towards him.

Then, he swung his holy sword towards them, engulfing the airborne chunks of metallic scrap in flame while sending them forward.

However, with a mere flap of his wings and wing-like arms, Riser generated gusts of wind that blew away both the steel and the flames.

As the rubble cleared, a large tube obscured his vision.

Spinning his body forward, Riser brought down one of his talons, splitting the metal tube clean into two equally seared halves.

David appeared behind it, readying to thrust his holy sun sword forward.

As if.

In a speedy aerial maneuver, Riser was able to dodge it and land another blow on the Exorcist's body.

David coughed up blood, before grabbing onto his leg and throwing him into a large machine that was nearby, causing it to explode from his flames.

Then, he raised his blade aloft as its aura began to build up.

"Die!"

Several arcs of holy energy were unleashed towards Riser before the smoke could even clear.

Aioi—

DON! DON! DOOOONNNN!

From within the smoke cloud, blasts of flame if used with immense demonic power were shot out, completely overpowering and destroying the aura even of a legendary holy sword—

Then, David heard the sound of the wind getting cut as he turned behind him.

Right before his eyes, Riser's body reformed from the remnants of the fire blasts.

His right arm had reverted to normal as he held his palm straight, pulling it back.

I'm borrowing this, Ravel.

Flame wreathed his hand as he folded his fingers until only his index finger remained and thrust it forward.

[Onigari-ryuu: Seiso]—!

PIERCE!

David felt a pain in his chest,

This is… No way… So this is Riser Phenex… The husband of the Vermillion Star.

Then, oblivion.

His halo and wings of light vanished as his body limply fell to the floor, a burning hole running right through the center of his torso as blood flowed out of both it and his mouth.

Riser descended while using his wings to soften his landing.

His chest heaved slightly.

He eyed David's corpse, his holy sword being impaled on the ground not far from it.

[Riser Phenex.]

—!

For a moment, he raised his guard.

Only to find a familiar puppet emerging from the shadows of the dark building.

She was about the size of a child, wearing an oversized fur coat and a pointed hat like a witch's.

However, it was clear to see from her four visible hands and face that she was indeed a living puppet.

From what he recalled, she was one of Kazuhiro's three companions that he had debriefed them about prior to the conflict.

There was the fox, Mikazuki—who was also his Sponsor, the boar, Gurin, and the doll-witch, Meru.

[Sorry, I'm late. This place wasn't exactly hospitable to one such as myself moments ago.]

"Oh, sorry about that… You didn't get burned, did you?"

[Fortunately, yes. Unfortunately, Sona Sitri's position has taken heavy losses. This is sudden, but since you and your peerage have finished rescuing the people here, you're the only one who can assist them.]

"Me? What about Kazuhiro?"

[I… I can't find him. But we still need to follow his plan.]

"Got it."

As her one doll eye and one spectral eye glowed, she raised both of her left hands as a magic-circle appeared underneath Riser.

[I'll explain it to your peerage. For now, godspeed.]

The light of teleportation engulfed Riser's body after he nodded, leaving Meru with David.

She turned towards him, completely ignoring him and pulling Galatine out of the rubble.

[To think you've been wielded by such a person all these years. How pitiful. But it's about time you moved on.]

A pale light engulfed the holy sword she held in her hands as it vanished after being raised up.

Once again, another of Nimwe-sama's swords has…

Even with the face of a puppet, the ghost-like face beside it showed her true sorrowful expression.

Without another word, she too disappeared into a teleportation circle.

Hidden Part

"Oh. One of the three 'Saints' went down. Seems like he's going to die soon."

"Seems like we came here for nothing. You got too worried as usual, miss handler."

"Oh, come on. We still can't find Kazuhiro, right? I'm never wrong about stuff like this. I have really good intuition for whenever he's in trouble."

While the battles unfolded across town, three hooded figures stood on a rooftop.

One of them observed the surroundings with a pair of binoculars while another had several magic-circles with searching and observing functions floating around them.

"He vanished several minutes ago, I have a general location so I should be able to narrow down where he went in a couple of minutes."

Then, they all went silent.

"Hurry up, Miss Regina."

Two of the figures had their robes vanish into particles of light as they sensed a change in their surroundings.

The one who spoke last was a tall, slender man with a pale complexion and light blonde hair.

His pale yellow eyes shimmered in the dark as they darted around, spotting several figures moving in the shadows and the gaps between buildings.

The robes he wore were reminiscent of old European nobility, with a mix of blacks, reds, whites, and golds that gave off a feeling of luxury.

In addition to that, the regal air he gave off betrayed his royalty, if not for the chill that came with it.

A blood-red magic-circle appeared on each of his palms as a very lengthy sword and a buckler manifested in his hands.

"We've got company."

Beside him was a feminine figure clad only in what seemed like a nightgown and some lingerie, with some straps, belts, and bandages on her limbs.

Her silvery gray hair matched her eyes that were accented by her straight cut bangs, being styled in a peculiar manner with most of it being braided into a ring at the back of her head, with the rest flowing along the left side of her face.

Despite being scantily clad, the pressure and demonic power coming off of her was immense, the jewel on a familiar choker on her neck giving off a pale glow as she pulled out her weapons of choice.

—A pair of machetes with serrated edges, which she then combined into a single, scissor-like weapon.

"Alright, alright. But I expect to get paid more for a rush job."

The figure that was hunched over with magic-circles also dispelled their robe.

What stood out from her attire is the wide brimmed hat she wore and the round framed glasses she wore.

With a head of strawberry blonde, her blue eyes glowed with a bit of arcane light as she glanced between the various magic-circles she deployed.

She wore a formal dress that seemed to take on the colors of the night, and stretched her hands forward, cracking her knuckles before smiling wryly.

Rui told me you ran into some ape and nearly died… But what is it this time, you little shit?

Kazuhiro's face as she remembered it surfaced to her mind before being pushed back as she manifested even more magic-circles around her.

"Keep them off my back, Adrian, Eclair. This'll only be a minute, I think."

"Consider it done."

"It better be, Reg, I'm not gonna pay otherwise!"

The silver-haired girl—Eclair, kicked the ground as several beast-like creatures leapt out of the shadows.

Behind her, the tall man—Adrian, raised his shield and readied for battle as he stood by the bespectacled woman—Regina.

In this town in the outskirts of the far east, the connections that the Silver Bullet had made were gathering,

Both the bad and the good.

Part 4

Azazel sat in her office, multiple screens made of hardlight projecting the situation and the battles for her to see.

However, more than half of them have been jammed and are only showing static as a result.

She bit her nail.

They still haven't found Mittelt, huh? Damn it, Sylphy. You're making me worry, girl.

Standing up, she stared at the cityscape outside while pondering on the last transmission she received from Sylphy after they linked up with Ayame.

[Kazuhiro is missing.], huh.

It had been almost an hour since that transmission and when the fighting truly began.

For a while, she stood still while staring out into the business district, tapping her foot as she bit her thumb.

Alright, that's ten seconds.

Walking to the edge of her office, she opens a glass case that contained a sheathed sword which resembled a modified katana.

She drew it slightly and glanced at the exposed blade before sheathing it again and holding it with her left hand as she walked out of her office and onto the elevator going up as fast as she could.

"Ready or not, Kazu. I'm coming."

When she arrived at the rooftop, what awaited her as soon as she opened the door was a person she didn't expect.

For a brief moment, she made a surprised face before sighing and smiling.

"Azazel."

"Did you fly here all the way from the States, Penemue?"

"Well, I took a jet. I'll take care of the formalities with the authorities later."

Azazel walked past her.

The moment the woman—Penemue noticed the former governor-general's expression, as well as the blade she held, she cried out.

"Wait, don't tell me you're going out there yourself? What happened to keeping a low profile?"

Hearing those words stopped her in her tracks, only for her to turn and look at her with one eye.

"Weren't you going to do the same for Taeko?"

For a while, there was nothing but silence between the two women.

"We'll definitely save her, but... I need you to do something else."

Penemue chuckled.

"I have a feeling I already know what it is. But Taeko—"

"I'm not asking you to rescue him or protect him. He's just missing for crying out loud, so find where he is and report to me. Having the two of us looking for him is better."

While speaking to Penemue, she walked towards and stood on the edge of the rooftop.

"Oh, right."

As if remembering something, she takes out a choker similar to the one that she and Kazuhiro wore and throws it towards the cadre.

"What's this?"

"Insurance. I'm one thing. But another cadre running—er, flying around town would just mean more paperwork for me."

With a "Huh.", Penemue puts the choker on.

Almost as soon as it is clasped together, the jewel glows and her presence nearly vanishes.

"Promise me you'll save her, alright?"

"I'll be doing a favor for an old friend, so of course."

Azazel turned with a face that, to Penemue, hadn't been seen for a long time.

"Kazuhiro will save her. That's a mother's promise."

Not waiting for a reply, she spreads her twelve wings of vantablack, leaping off the roof and flying off.

With a sigh, Penemue turned, making her way towards and standing on the opposite end of the rooftop.

She scanned the surroundings before spreading her wings and leaping off as well.

Alright, Taeko. Big sis is gonna go look for your potential boyfriend now.

Part 5

"How long have you been in this town, Mika-san?"

On a certain day, in the break room of Hatch Potch, two of the new hires relaxed while talking over tea.

"Not too long, I only arrived here early last year."

"Ooh, then that means you've seen a lot of places, haven't you?"

"Uhh, yeah."

To the blonde girl that wore a nun's habit with her waitress uniform, Mikazuki didn't know how to properly hold the conversation.

"I was hoping to sightsee, but it seems like Kazuhiro-senpai is always busy lately. He rarely comes to work, right?"

"I don't know about that… I've only started working here the same way you did, you know?"

"Ehh, but it looks like you two have history. Is he your ex?"

"W-Wha, no! Of course not! Why would you…"

Asia chuckled as Mikazuki stood up, flustered, then froze as she realized she was just had.

"I was just kidding, you know? I really like you, Mika-san. Let's get along as fellow new employees, okay?"

"Alright…Asia-san."

Then, the door to the break room opened.

"Ara, are you having a girls' talk?"

"Akeno-san!"

Asia stood up from her seat and greeted Akeno, who brought with her a bottle of water.

Indeed, in the short time that the three spent together, they had gotten quite close.

Though most of their conversations always ended up centering around one person.

—.

"Excuse me, Asia-san. Is this customer bothering you?"

With a cold expression, the waiter—Kazuhiro approached the table where a middle aged man eyed Asia from head to toe.

From his stare alone, the customer who was questioned felt shivers go down his spine as he looked down on his knees.

"Ah, Senpai! N-No, I think he's just having a hard time deciding what to order!"

"Is that right, sir customer?"

His eyes snapped back to the man.

"Y-Yes, I'd like a glass of water, please."

"Ah, got it!"

Asia wrote down the order while Kazuhiro hovered over the table.

"Oi! Kazu-chan, if you've got time to flirt around with the new hires, you've got time to do your damn job and serve some tables!"

"Ak—I mean, manager! What the hell?!"

From Akane's words behind the bar, Kazuhiro grew flustered and ran towards her right away.

Seeing this, Asia couldn't help but giggle to herself.

Then, while he was picking up orders, she suddenly bumped into him.

"Asia-san?"

(Thanks for that, you were really cool, Senpai~)

She leaned in and whispered in his ear, only to giggle before skipping away giddily.

Kazuhiro stood in place for several seconds, flabbergasted.

HIT!

He felt an impact fall on his head as Akane's knuckle descended on it.

"Kazu-chan! What did I just say?!"

"Ow!"

Then, he was kicked in the shin and nearly knocked off balance.

"What the—Who the hell—?!"

Upon turning, he found Ran glaring daggers at him from a very unsafe distance.

Her presence alone caused a rumbling sound to reach his ears.

"You wanna say something, brat?"

Comically shrinking, he backed off right away.

"No, I'm sorry."

Meanwhile, Asia threw glances towards Mikazuki and Akeno, who were also serving tables but briefly looked towards the commotion.

Then, she smirked, causing the two's bodies to twitch slightly.

[[This bitch...]]

Akeno grit her teeth in her mouth, unconsciously snapping the pen she held in her hand, causing the customer she was serving to yelp.

Mikazuki, on the other hand, stood in place, petrified.

However, the floor underneath her was beginning to freeze over, slowly spreading throughout the pub.

—

.

Hahaha… How weird, to remember all of that right at this moment.

Asia smiled to herself as she floated down.

As was the situation moments ago, she stood in front of the abandoned church to guard it.

Standing in front of her, Mikazuki and Akeno heaved their chests as the former could barely stand while leaning on her naginata that had cracks upon its edge.

Akeno's shrine maiden attire had also seen better days, one of its sleeves being completely missing.

Rias, on the other hand, was unconscious on the ground behind them.

"I appreciate the company, but I think it's about time we wrap this up."

Asia cracked her knuckles.

To her words, Akeno and Mikazuki smiled wryly.

"You've just been playing us from the start, huh?"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Akeno. You were a lot stronger than you were supposed to be, just now. You should let yourself loose more often, Priestess of Thunder."

She clapped.

"That is, if you make it out of this."

While they conversed, Mikazuki gripped her naginata tightly while thinking to herself.

This nun… Even for a Saint, she's on a completely different level. I… I don't think I can defeat her without undoing it…

She grit her teeth.

But what of that child… What will he think…when he sees that form?

Kicking the blunt end of her staff before twirling the naginata, she resumes her stance.

Damn the consequences, I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of anyone that would get in his path..!

A silver glow began to outline her figure, the air around her vibrating as Akeno and Asia both picked up on the abnormality that began to build up with Mikazuki at the center.

She was about to open her mouth,

[Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me? If you can hear my voice, that means communications are back up, Devils!]

Akeno's eyes widened.

A voice she did not know spoke through the communication circle that appeared by her ear.

[..o—Kazuhiro, has anyone found him yet?]

[Meru here. And no, but I'm going to reinforce the Sitri heiress. He could be there.]

[This is Sona… Negative, he isn't here either... Rias?]

With unease, Akeno glanced at her unconscious King and placed a hand over the communication circle.

"This is Akeno. Rias-sama suffered a concussion and is currently unconscious."

Asia, on the other hand, simply stared.

The Sitri..? That Fallen told us before that Freed ran into her.

[When my servants are done escorting the civilians to the safe zone, I'll tell them to start looking for him. We need a status report on everyone.]

Riser's voice echoed out.

That's Riser Phenex..? If he's alive and well, then signore David is..!

She took a stance instinctively while smiling wryly, causing Akeno to raise her guard as sparks started coming off of her body again.

"You are hurt, Akeno. You should take your King and regroup with the others. I'll hold her back."

Mika spoke as she walked forward and stood in front of Akeno.

"I will not have any complaints. Go, now—!"

Not waiting for an answer, she lunged towards Asia.

The saint-goddess parried every single one of Mika's blows with her bare fists, but Mika showed no signs of backing down.

Gritting her teeth, Akeno turned and threw one of Rias' arms over her shoulder.

"They're trying to run!"

"Get her!"

The Stray Exorcists around them, while considerably thinned from the previous fighting, still charged her.

Or atleast, they tried, as most of them were struck by bolts of lightning that descended from the sky in the next moment.

Akeno limped as she tried her best to carry Rias to safety.

"Hurry! Get out of here!"

With a thrust of her palm, Asia broke Mika's naginata in half.

"Akeno—!"

Then, grabbing the bladeless portion of the weapon, she easily disarmed Mikazuki before hitting her over the head with it.

The glass-like weapon part shattered into many pieces, along with the rest of Mikazuki's mask as she nearly fell after losing balance.

Mika-san!

Akeno's eyes widened as she turned only to see the kitsune swinging what remained of her weapon despite being dazed.

With the lessened reach, Asia effortlessly dodged her swings.

Only for her to pull out a katana with a similar characteristic, adopting a dual-wielding sword form.

Crossing the two blades into a guard, Asia easily slipped past her defense, straightening her palm and placing the tip of her fingers on Mika's chest.

Then, in a single motion, along with amplifying her blow using an air bullet at the same time as she released the blow—

[One Inch Punch].

What was usually a maneuver that was used to train and improve one's punching power,

In Asia's hands, or rather, her fist, it proved to be a most fatal blow.

"Guhagghhhgh!"

Along with a cry of pain, Mika coughed up a large amount of blood as her solar plexus was crushed completely.

Without looking back, Akeno placed a hand on the communication circle while holding back tears as she picked up the pace, unsure of what to say.

I should help her..! Mika-san is going to die—!

She closed her eyes.

Mother…

Mother.

What would…Kazuhiro do..?

Mother..!

Then, gritting her teeth, she opened them again as she turned.

"Onis, o little ones…"

Several small magic-circles appeared around her, the ethereal minor onis emerging shortly after.

Setting Rias down, she made a face of resolve.

Not this time.

"Please carry Rias-sama to safety."

Seeing this, Asia glanced towards Mika who could only writhe on the floor while holding her chest, letting out pained wheezes and nothing else.

With such a sight before her, Asia simply sighed while hanging her shoulders.

"It didn't have to be this way, Mika-san."

She tried to take a step forward, moving towards Akeno.

However, a strong grip on her leg stopped her in her tracks.

"You shall not pass."

What?!

Mikazuki spoke in a rough voice, grinning despite the blood flowing from her lips that also dyed most of her teeth red.

"Haaaaa—!"

When Asia raised her head, she found Akeno dashing towards her.

She clenched her fist, leaping to the air as she pulled it back.

First, a spark.

Eventually, Akeno's fist up to her forearm was wreathed in lightning and holy energy.

"Stay the hell—"

DON!

"—Away from her!"

For a brief moment, Akeno's purple eyes shifted into a golden hue as her irises glowed brightly.

The lightning coursing through her arm changed to a hot white and intensified.

Taking the blow head on, what remained of Asia's helm was destroyed as she herself was also sent flying backwards.

The adrenaline subsided almost instantly as pain spread through her forearm, causing her to cry out.

However, she endured it and knelt down to check on Mikazuki.

She was going to summon more of her shikigami to carry her as well, but the explosive gust of wind shook her body back into standing up and raising her guard.

Asia looked right into Akeno's eyes, holding the side of her face that was bruised—healing it while raising her aura.

She smiled.

"To have grown so much in such a short span of time… No, this is the real you, isn't it? The one I've been fighting all this time was merely Himejima Akeno, the Queen of Rias Gremory."

The nun-goddess held her head as she threw it back, laughing quite loudly.

All the while, particles of light formed a habit over her hair in place of the helm that Akeno destroyed.

It was now that she noticed something was off.

In the irises of Asia's emerald eyes, which were hidden by her helm before, was an eerie golden light.

Seeing the light made Akeno feel uneasy, as if it was reaching into her very soul.

But she still steeled herself, despite being barely able to stand.

"Now give it to me. The Priestess of Lightning, the daughter of Barakiel—!"

With a stomp that destroyed the ground underneath her, Asia took a stance and pulled both her fists back.

"[Holy Fist: Aria, Maelstrom]!"

Large amounts of wind gathered and spiraled in her forearms,

Akeno could see all her touki and divine energy converging in those two areas, causing her to grimace.

Eventually, she found herself remembering the face of the boy who saved her from her mother's clansmen all those years ago.

Ah, am I going to die without being able to apologize properly?

She smiled wryly as Asia's onslaught loomed over them.

"Here I come, Priestess—!"

Asia lunged forward, throwing her arms forward as the violent winds ravaged everything in their path.

Mika roared, blood spurting from her frame as she struggled to push herself off the ground.

On the other hand, Akeno weakly moved her hands, manifesting an incomplete magic-circle, devoid of purpose,

Her eyes went hollow as her mind went adrift, her lips uttering a single word.

"Kazuhiro."

That was when she felt it.

The ground shook slightly behind her, prompting her to open her eyes once more after she closed them, resigning to her 'fate'.

In front of her, a hexagonal pattern began to undo itself.

Before her eyes, an active camouflage was coming undone.

[Sorry I'm late.]

[[[—?!]]]

Akeno, Mikazuki, and Asia could not believe their eyes.

In between the three, taking the brunt of Asia's intense gales, was something.

It resembled a golem and stood roughly at seven or eight feet,

Clad in bluish purple metal plates, it was humanoid at the very least.

Loosely draped over its body was a long, sleeved coat with thick fur around the collar.

The metal giant spoke in a voice that resembled Kazuhiro's own.

When Akeno looked up, she found a single red orb looking back at her as one of its thick arms shielded her while another held onto Mikazuki.

Then, after pulling the latter to safety behind them, the red orb that seemed to be its 'eye' gave off a dangerous glow as it flashed bright for a single second.

Her instincts warned her of danger and she instantly responded.

Bypassing her wind attacks, she was sent back as she crossed her arms in front of her, using her wings of light to defend against the attack by covering herself in them.

Having lost concentration, the winds she unleashed were scattered and reduced to a mere harmless breeze.

Akeno found a satchel with several vials of green liquid being wordlessly placed in her hands.

The juggernaut straightened their posture as it walked past her.

[Go. I'll handle this.]

It spoke once more, dispelling any doubt Akeno had moments prior.

"You really came."

She turned around, throwing one of Mikazuki's arms towards her shoulder.

"Thank you."

It turned its head slightly to look towards Akeno, before focusing back on Asia,

Who, after folding her wings slightly, stood up slowly.

Observing her new assailant the entire time.

"You. What the hell are you?"

[I told you. Didn't I?]

It's 'head' made several noises as the plates on it opened, it's 'eye' losing its glow before it folded back along with the rest of its parts.

Asia found silver digits glaring back at her.

An endless void filled their irises, compared to hers that was full of light and inspired fanatical hope in believers.

"I will finish this."

---

Rita Phenex (Simulation)

The progenitor of House Phenex, a child prodigy who had three distinctive powers from birth.

Despite being alive in the waking world, a copy of her consciousness from thousands of years ago exists within the Qlippoth.

Through it's power, she holds fast to send off her descendants as they embark on their journey so they may receive the boons of the tree, and reach greater heights.

She is not much different compared to her real self. Though several have noted that this version of her is a lot calmer and more mature than the real one.

Eclair Alibi

A handler—Kazuhiro's handler, to be more specific, from the North Star mercenary guild.

She is a enigmatic pure-blooded Devil but possesses a dual nature, much like him.

Having known him from an early age, he was the one who saved her from the clutches of the Old Maou Faction while still being a child himself.

Despite being the same age, she has a mature air about her and usually handles most of the matters that require brains rather than brawn from behind her desk.

As a result, many a mercenary from their guild have come to rely on her as an older sister or even a maternal figure.

Regina Rennala Ambrosius

A half-human, half-succubus magus, famously known throughout all of Europe as the only descendant of the legendary wizard Merlin.

It is unknown for how long she has lived, but she came to know Kazuhiro through her affiliation with the SIS—commonly known as the MI6, and their interest in him after he appeared in their radar.

After meeting him once, she developed her own interest in his peculiar nature, eventually deciding to join the North Star's ranks, taking on some of their jobs as a freelancer.

Having been asked by the MI6 to keep an eye on Kazuhiro's activities, she does so through one of her fellow mages who happens to be in Kuoh—Rui Tokisaki, who updates her on his status every now and then.

She has never once sent any updates back to the SIS.

Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes

The dhampir son of Vlad III and his late human wife, as well as the former Crown Prince—and for a certain period, King of Romania's Tepes faction.

Due to differences with the other members of the Tepes Faction, he decided to flee the country with his love—a mercenary of the North Star, who then introduced him to Kazuhiro.

The two developed a bond, Kazuhiro's looking after of his comrade and Adrian's lover solidifying her friendship.

Where he usually saw alienation, hatred, and fear, Kazuhiro only showed kindness and understanding.

After they failed to save one of his descendants from the clutches of the Tepes Faction, he cemented himself as a pariah, vowing to repay Kazuhiro's risking of his own life for not one but two of his kin.

Penemue

A cadre of the Grigori—but more importantly, Taeko Yamada's 'older sister'.

Having been caught in the crossfire of Taeko's emotional breakdown, she was asked by the former governor-general to give her little sister some space.

Prior to her abduction, she was deep undercover in the United States, unearthing important secrets for the future of the entire country.

However, the rest mattered little once news of her baby sister, who she loved like a daughter, was abducted.

Her first impression of Kazuhiro is not very good, she does not approve of him for Taeko.

At all.

---

Like Kazoo said, [I'm sorry I'm late.] Seriously, it was one bad thing after another. But I got some free time so I managed to squeeze out this chapter. Don't forget to fav, follow, and leave a review if you can. Do your chores, do your dishes, read Azure, Cat Got Your Tongue?, and Akainu Punishes Green Bull. Peace.