Aigis jumped out of the warehouse, barely avoiding the attacks from the Shadows that somehow were tamed and controlled by the winged lady with purple hair. As soon as she reached the outside of the warehouse, she regained her footing and took a good look at her surroundings. She was able to properly see the sickly green sky and feel the damp air around her. Water seemed to have turned into blood, like how she used to remember this phenomenon.
The Dark Hour, a time which was supposedly hidden from normal humans. A separate dimension, a phantom zone in which the Shadows, the manifestations of humanity's dark thoughts, roamed around. And that woman not only invoked such a phenomenon, creating a miniaturized version of the Dark Hour, she was also capable of controlling the Shadows to do her bidding.
"You're fast, but you should just stay still so my children can kill you." The woman spoke as she walked out of the warehouse in a dainty fashion, followed by the Shadows. She then stroked one of the Shadows that was following her, a Shadow that took the shape of a white tiger chained to a massive metal ball. Aigis could hear the feline-shaped Shadow purr as the woman petted it like a person would do to pet a cat. "Even so, it makes me wonder. You're not a Devil, and yet you moved too fast to be a normal human being. What are you, exactly?"
Aigis didn't answer the woman's question as she warily looked at her and the Shadows that were surrounding her. Because she was sent for a reconnaissance mission, she was not equipped with her heavy weapons, which included rocket launchers or Gatling guns, instead only having mere combat knives and firearms. She believed that with her current equipment, she would be able to exterminate a Shadow or two without much trouble, but from what she could see, the number of the Shadows was very overwhelming for her to deal alone, and this mysterious woman seemed to possess some sort of unique power. She was the one who hurled the energy beam before.
And to make matters even worse, Aigis was unable to summon her Persona due to the fact that she had gotten some hardware replaced just a day before she departed from the Shadow Operative's headquarter. Due to the replacement, her ability to summon her Persona was 'locked' for a brief period of time in order for her to familiarize herself with the new hardware and for her system to run smoothly. While she could terminate the 'lock-down' mode to enable her to summon her Persona, it would take time, and these Shadows and the woman with them would not give her the luxury to do such thing.
Because the initial reading of the Shadow activity of the area wasn't shown to be particularly high that would warrant the usage of a Persona, she had come to this area, thinking that she wouldn't have to use her Persona since she still had her weapons in her disposal. Quietly, she chastised herself over her honest mistake.
Three minutes. That's all she needed to complete the termination sequence, but in the meantime, she had to deal with all these Shadows, as well as this mysterious woman.
"How did you do this?" Aigis tried this particular approach. As soon as she started the termination sequence, she tried to distract the woman by talking to her. She didn't drop her guard as she warily looked at her, holding her combat knife in one hand. "How did you manage to control all these Shadows?"
The mysterious winged lady raised her eyebrow as she placed one of her hands on her hip before she chuckled. "Oh? So you know what these creatures are, dear? Well, that does save us a little bit of time, don't you think?"
Aigis frowned. "My true purpose is to destroy these wretched, vile creatures." She took off her white gloves and tossed them to the ground. Each of her fingers functioned as firearms, which could release high-caliber bullets that were specifically designed to destroy Shadows.
"Ah… well, you're alone, against me and my beloved crew of Shadows." The winged lady spread her arms, grinning. "What can you do against us? You might be strong, but I'm sure you won't be able to handle all of us by yourself. Am I wrong?" The Shadows around her hissed and growled, as if agreeing with her.
'Good,' Aigis thought to herself. They didn't immediately attack, which allowed her to go on with her termination sequence without disturbance. She was glad that she was an android, which enabled her to make separate partitions within her system. This allowed her to run her termination sequence while at the same time, allowing herself to talk to this woman in order to distract her. "How did you manage to invoke this phenomenon?" Aigis was referring to the Dark Hour. "Unless if certain requirements are met, the manifestation of even a miniaturized version of it is impossible."
This time, the woman laughed. "My, aren't you a curious girl? Well, since you're going to die anyway, I shall entertain you." She touched her lips with her slender finger as she tilted her head. Her leathery wings flapped slightly as she moved her body in a rather sensual manner. "I've spent nearly two decades of researching this phenomenon, this Dark Hour. To be honest, it was quite an arduous task for me, and there was one time when I thought that it was impossible. And yet I persevered, and this is the fruit of my research! And all those poor souls are necessary for me to reach my goal. Can you imagine how many times I had to go through some trials-and-errors just to harvest all these Shadows from humans' psyche? Yes, I had been wasting a lot of time just to find an effective method to harvest the Shadows, but now, here they are! My beloved children! With the combination of magic and science and after going through countless processes of purification, I am able to create my own army of Shadows! And with them, I will be able to reach my ultimate goal!" Her sensual smile turned into a twisted grin, which somehow reminded Aigis of someone she was truly familiar with.
"Ultimate goal?" Aigis spoke before a realization hit her. "Don't tell me... you were trying to fulfill the prophecy of the Fall?!"
The woman gave Aigis a curious look. "Ah, so you know about the prophecy, huh? I'm surprised. How did you know about it?"
Aigis' expression turned grimmer as she recalled about the prophecy of the Fall, which foretold the arrival of Nyx to deliver humanity its supposed salvation. She still could remember that expression from the bespectacled madman who called himself Shuji Ikutsuki, who proudly declared his intention to welcome Nyx and fulfill the prophecy, even though she was remote-controlled at that time.
"I should be the one to ask you such question," Aigis said.
"Well, it was that during that one time when I disguised myself as a human, when I encountered this particular human. He seemed quite absentminded and had the tendency to make some quite cringe-worthy jokes that almost made me atomize him into nothingness," the woman said, leaning against one of the Shadows, the tiger-shaped one. "The reason why I didn't do so was because of one thing he told me that caught my interest." Her grin widened. "He told me about the prophecy. He told me about the eventual arrival of Nyx, a maternal being that will revert the world to its original state."
It seemed that she had just confirmed it. It had to be someone who told her about the prophecy, and who else besides that one particular madman? "Shuji Ikutsuki..." Aigis spat the name in distaste. It was always him. It was somehow always him that was the one responsible for all the bad things that happened in the past. He had caused suffering to so many people, herself included. The creation of Strega, the death of Takeharu Kirijo, the sad fate of a lonely boy named Sho Minazuki and even the existence of Ryoji Mochizuki himself, and by extension, the ultimate fate and sacrifice of Minato Arisato. Hell, even the creation of Labrys and her breakdown could be considered his fault too. "Why does it have to be always him?" Aigis muttered. If she didn't hate that man before, she did now.
"So, you know that man?" The woman gave Aigis a curious look. "Do you perhaps know what happened to him as well?"
"He's dead. He hurt my friends, and he paid with his life." Aigis spoke in a dangerously low tone. "Why do you want to fulfill the prophecy? Aren't you well aware that with Nyx's arrival, it will mark the end of the world?"
"Of course I'm aware of it. But isn't it something that everyone truly yearns for?" The woman responded to Aigis' question with another question. "Humanity yearns for the end of all things, and what is the grandest of all ends other than Death itself? And here I am, a Devil who wants to help all these unintelligent apes achieve this ultimate end they truly yearn for. Is there anything wrong with me trying to give them something they truly want?"
Aigis' expression remained calm. "Not everyone wishes for such a thing. Death is but a part of life. Life is nothing without Death." The battle maiden closed her eyes. "If you think that everyone yearns for such a thing, then you're quite mistaken." She recalled the lone soul that stood between the malice of humanity and Death, forever bound as a barrier to prevent these two from reaching each other. From what she had witnessed at that time, she knew that Death was nothing but a natural part of life. Death might be an end for the living, but it was never an ultimate end. She reopened her eyes and looked at the woman before her with eyes filled with determination. "And I will stop you. You will not achieve your goal. I have a friend who sacrificed himself to stop such a thing, and I will never allow you to make his sacrifice be in vain!"
The woman sighed. "Well, it's not like I expected you to understand. Now, my children..." She looked at the Shadows around her. "Destroy her."
Responding to her call, all the Shadows simultaneously attacked Aigis.
"Termination sequence, completed."
And the battle maiden smiled.
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"Persona unlocked..." Aigis muttered. She could feel a familiar surge of power rushing through every fiber of her being. "Activating summoning sequence…" As the creatures of darkness drew nearer, she reached deep into her psyche, and called forth her other self. "Athena!"
The sound of breaking glass resonated in the air.
Heart of a Butterfly
Persona 3 and High School DxD crossover
Chapter 02: Night Queen
The stray Devil's eyes widened as the Shadows were thrown back by some kind of force, and the blonde girl was somehow wreathed in a brilliant, azure light. As the light faded, she was greeted by the frowning visage of a Gorgon on a round shield. Then, she realized that the shield was being held by a majestic-looking woman, clad in a flowing robe and a Greek helmet, who was bearing a barbed spear alongside the shield.
"N-no way..." The woman was stunned to see this woman, whose appearance and presence radiated power and authority. From the shield she wielded, she was able to recognize the figure that had protected the blonde girl. "It can't be! This is impossible!" She almost screamed.
Aigis stepped away from the shield-bearing woman and looked at the stray Devil before her with piercing blue eyes.
"Aegis... a shield bearing the face of Gorgon.." The woman muttered. "There is no mistaking it. B-but how... how can an ancient goddess manifest herself here?! This doesn't make any sense!" Her voice sounded almost hysterical.
It seemed that the stray Devil was experiencing a breakdown upon seeing the Greek goddess of wisdom, the patron goddess of Athens: Pallas Athena, in all her shining glory. Her eyes were shadowed by the war helmet she wore, but it didn't degrade the beauty and aura she radiated. As she stared at the goddess of wisdom, she could faintly hear something, akin to a hymn, being softly spoken by the goddess herself. Her presence within the Dark Hour had illuminated the darkness around them.
"Tch, no matter!" The stray Devil spat. "I don't know what kind of Sacred Gear you used to invoke an ancient goddess like Pallas Athena, but don't ever think you're going to win against me!" She bellowed, the markings on her body glowing menacingly. The Shadows around her responded to her by howling and screeching. "Come, my children! Go and crush that brat to pieces!" She grinned madly after saying that. "But don't outright kill her. I'm going to teach her a lesson she won't ever forget for standing against someone like me." She licked her lips as she looked at Aigis in such a predatory manner.
The Shadows rushed over to the battle maiden, aiming to maul her with their paws. But before they could even reach her, they were blocked by the shield of Athena that bore the frowning visage of Medusa. Then, the goddess of wisdom slammed the round shield against the Shadows, stunning them. Aigis took her chance to charge forward, shoving her hands into the mouths of two of those Shadows before releasing a barrage of high-caliber bullets right into them. The result was not pretty, as the Shadows pretty much exploded from within. Despite the savage display of power from the mechanical maiden, she gracefully retracted her hands and ejected the empty bullet shells from her arms, and the shells clattered onto the pavement.
"Two enemies eliminated..." Aigis spoke monotonously and in a robotic manner, her electric blue eyes seemingly glowing as she glared at her enemies. "Now, come and be killed. My bullets show no mercy to the wicked. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"My, this is quite interesting. Don't you think so, Rias?"
"..."
While the battle android was preoccupied with fighting and slaying enemies, she was unaware that she was being observed by a group of people from above. Four people, which each of them seemed capable of staying airborne with the help of their wings, were observing the battle that was occurring below them.
"Even so, this is a very strange phenomenon..." The only male in the group, a teenage boy with short blonde hair and a slender physique spoke as he looked up to see the green sky. Beside him was a white-haired petite girl, who was busy observing the battle below them. "The atmosphere is somehow pressuring, and the air is suffocating, making it hard for me to breathe. Not even birds or small animals can be seen around here." He looked at a crimson-haired girl in the group, who was hovering beside a black-haired girl. "Do you know anything about this, Buchou?"
"Honestly, I don't know..." The girl, who was addressed by the blonde boy as Buchou, shook her head. "It has to be some kind of lost magic or a Sacred Gear of some sorts that would allow something like this phenomenon to manifest." Her brow creased up into a frown. "And you are right, Yuuto. This strange phenomenon is quite suffocating..."
"So, what do you want us to do?" The other girl, the black-haired one, whose appearance was just as attractive as the crimson-haired one, spoke. "Would you want us to jump in and assist that girl?" She pointed at the blonde girl who was battling the monsters below them. "She's facing against our target, after all."
The Buchou thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.
"No. Let us observe them for the time being. This mysterious blonde girl doesn't seem to be having any problems facing all the monsters..." the crimson-haired girl said. "We'll only jump in once the situation becomes too much for her to handle alone."
The rest of the group nodded before they continued watching the battle. They were curious about this whole situation, after all. So, they decided to observe the battle for the time being.
"Why...can't...you...STAY STILL?!" The stray Devil shrieked, hurling an energy beam towards Aigis. The battle maiden nimbly avoided the attack. When the Shadows tried to attack her, Athena manifested herself and blocked their attacks with her grand shield. The image of the frowning face of Medusa on the shield was enough to make the enemies recoil in terror, and the goddess of wisdom took her chance to skewer one of them with her barbed spear.
The Shadow let out a gurgled noise before it melted into black mud and dissipated into nothingness. Athena retracted the spear, spinning it a bit before pointing it at the stray Devil.
"Just give up..." Aigis said, ejecting a dozen empty bullet shells from her arms as she looked at the stray Devil in disdain. "I am specifically designed to destroy the Shadows, as I am an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon. I know how to effectively destroy each and every one of them. I suggest you to stand down." A click was heard as she aimed her firearms at the stray Devil. "If you refuse, then I have no choice but to eliminate you as well."
While she knew that it was not her only purpose, she knew that she was designed for this. She was a weapon, and thus, had to be used as such.
"Heh... you really know how to boast, don't you, little brat?" The stray Devil sneered. "Eliminate me? Try and do that! Come forth, my children!"
She bellowed, and dozens of magic circles appeared around her before more Shadows manifested themselves from the circles. Aigis' eyes widened in surprise after seeing such an overwhelming number of Shadows appearing before her.
"Now... let's see if you can boast like that while facing all of them!" The stray Devil shouted before two minotaur-shaped Shadows rushed towards the battle android, aiming to pummel her with double strikes.
"Athena!" Aigis shouted, and the goddess of wisdom appeared in front of her, readying her shield to block the blows. As the blows connected, Aigis could feel some kind of shockwave being generated as Athena blocked the attack. She was preoccupied with these two Shadows, not realizing that another Shadow, a lion-shaped one, pounced towards her and slammed its body against the goddess'.
The blow was enough to push Athena back, causing her war helmet to fall off her head, revealing the beautiful visage of the goddess. She seemed to be grimacing as she took the blow from the Shadow, before she disappeared into motes of azure light.
Distracted as she saw her Persona dissipating, Aigis was unable to see another Shadow approaching, a minotaur-shaped one that seemed to be wielding a great ax. She could barely react to the Shadow attacking her using the great weapon. While she was able to react to it in the nick of time, by bringing up her left arm to block the attack, the sheer force of the attack was enough to send her flying towards one of the trees nearby. She let out a pained cry as her body slammed against the tree trunk before sliding down.
Seeing that the battle maiden was incapacitated by the attack, the stray Devil smugly grinned as she approached her, followed by the Shadows. "Now, where's that boast of yours, huh?"
"Ergh..." As she received damages from that attack, her system started to automatically run a diagnostic test on her body to see the extent of the damages she sustained. Luckily for her, she only got a few minor damages, but even the minor damages could affect her performance as an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon.
"Now, my children... kill her..."
Aigis blinked. A while ago, she was cornered by dozens of Shadows that were controlled by that mysterious winged lady, but somehow, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. The floor seemed to be made of mirror, or was it water? The blue, cloudless sky seemed to be stretching to the endless horizon, and in this place, she found out that she was not alone.
There was a familiar figure, attired in a familiar black school uniform, using a familiar slouching posture with his hands in his pockets while also having a familiar mop of blue hair.
The familiar figure glanced behind, and she saw a pair of familiar, steely grey eyes. And from those eyes, she could see kindness and concern radiating from them.
"Y-you..." Aigis was astonished. After all these years, she was able to see him again. She wanted to say his name and rush over to embrace him, but somehow, she was unable to do so.
Then, the figure started walking away.
"W-wait! Don't go!" Aigis cried, trying to pursue him, but as she tried to chase after him, the gap between both of them grew wider. "Don't leave me again!"
And the figure stopped.
"Not now..."
She heard the figure spoke. A familiar soft, soothing voice, just like how it sounded like that one time.
"Not now?"
The figure nodded. His back was facing Aigis. Then, he brought up his right hand and touched the side of his head with his finger, as if mimicking an act of shooting himself with an Evoker.
"You still have an important battle to fight, remember?"
Before she could react to it, Aigis found herself being cornered by a dozen Shadows. They were trying to attack her simultaneously. Somehow, due to some reasons she couldn't comprehend, all the Shadows were moving in slow motion, much to her confusion.
But, she shrugged off the confusion for the time being, as she renewed her resolve.
"You're right, Minato-san..." Aigis muttered, closing her eyes. "I still have an important battle to fight!" She reopened her eyes, revealing a pair of glowing blue eyes filled with resolve and determination. "There's no way I can fall here! Activating Orgia Mode!"
One could hear the loud sounds of machineries within Aigis whirring to their full performance as she activated Orgia Mode. Steam started to come out of her joints and headband, and her clothes were damaged by the steam pouring out of her body. Her entire body was wreathed in a majestic blue light. Her system was forced to work to its full capacity, and the sheer intensity of it managed to heat up the air around her.
"Changing Persona..." Aigis muttered.
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Her jacket was ripped apart by the heat generated from the Orgia Mode. Then, she shouted, "Orpheus!"
And then, a humanoid creature, white-haired and dark-skinned, with a body made entirely of mechanical parts, manifested itself. The creature's eyes were red in color, and they flashed as the Shadows that were trying to attack the battle maiden were suddenly set on fire.
"What the?!" The stray Devil gasped as she saw the manifestation of the creature, which was totally different compared to the goddess of wisdom the blonde girl had summoned earlier. Along with the appearance of the creature, she could faintly hear something, similar to when Pallas Athena had appeared earlier.
Νύκτα θεῶν γενέτειραν ἀείσομαι ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
Νὺξ γένεσις πάντων, ἣν καὶ Κύπριν καλέσωμεν
κλῦθι, μάκαιρα θεά, κυαναυγής, ἀστεροφεγγής,
ἡσυχίῃι χαίρουσα καὶ ἠρεμίῃι πολυύπνωι,
εὐφροσύνη, τερπνή, φιλοπάννυχε, μῆτερ ὀνείρων,
ληθομέριμν' ἀγαθή τε πόνων ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχουσα,
ὑπνοδότειρα, φίλη πάντων, ἐλάσιππε, νυχαυγής,
ἡμιτελής, χθονία ἠδ' οὐρανία πάλιν αὐτή,
ἐγκυκλία, παίκτειρα διώγμασιν ἠεροφοίτοις,
ἣ φάος ἐκπέμπεις ὑπὸ νέρτερα καὶ πάλι φεύγεις
εἰς Ἀίδην δεινὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πάντα κρατύνει.
νῦν δε, μάκαιρα, (καλ)ῶ, πολυόλβιε, πᾶσι ποθεινή,
εὐάντητε, κλύουσα ἱκετηρίδα φωνὴν
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα, φόβους δ' ἀπόπεμπε νυχαυγεῖς.
"No... way..." The stray Devil could barely contain her disbelief as she heard the faint voice that somehow originated from the mechanical creature floating above Aigis. She had been spending nearly two decades studying the prophecy of the Fall and Nyx, which included her studying the ancient manuscripts regarding the ancient deities. And it happened that the hymn that came from that creature was a Hymn of Orpheus about Nyx. "I-is that thing... Orpheus?"
Orpheus took the lyre that was strapped on his back and plucked the strings, causing flames to emerge from the ground, burning the Shadows to dust. As for Aigis, she walked through the inferno without showing any hint of concern to the heat as she tore away what remained of her clothes, revealing an armored bodice and her robotic parts.
"Eliminating targets," Aigis muttered in a robotic tone before she went to attack the closest Shadow nearest to her, pumping bullets into its body. Then she moved on to the next, systematically destroying the Shadows one by one. As Orpheus continued his fiery assault, Aigis efficiently eliminated the Shadows without wasting any movement, and in less than one minute, all the Shadows were reduced to black mud that subsequently dissipated into black particles.
"T-this is impossible..." the stray Devil muttered. "H-how can she defeat all my Shadows?! Preposterous!" She screamed.
As soon as she eliminated the last Shadow, Aigis fell to her knees, deactivating Orgia Mode, undergoing the process of cooling down. Steam could be seen coming out of her joints and robotic parts, and while she was cooling down, she was immobilized. Orpheus, the Persona she had summoned, then dissipated, returning to the Sea of Souls where he belonged.
As she saw the battle maiden being incapacitated, the stray Devil's expression shifted from a terrorized one into a diabolical smile. She chuckled as she slowly approached the downed battle android as prepared to launch an attack on her. "Oh, so you're running out of juice, aren't you?" She licked her lips as she held out her hand, preparing to fire an energy beam right at Aigis' head. "Well, you did surprise me with everything you did to all my children, but I suppose this is the end of the line, dear. You did well, but I suppose I have no choice but to eliminate you..." Aigis could feel power coalescing from the woman's palm, and she was unsure whether she could survive taking the blast head-on or not.
Aigis was unable to move, and the stray Devil's hand started to glow. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.
'I guess this is the end for me. I'm sorry, Mitsuru-san. I failed.'
Then, she heard the sound of something cutting through the air before a sword seemingly appeared out of nowhere, spinning in such an impossibly high-speed before it cut the woman's hand through the wrist. The glow on the hand abruptly faded as the limb was severed by the thrown sword, which embedded itself into the wall of the warehouse.
"Gah!" The stray Devil screamed in pain as her hand was severed by the thrown sword. "W-what… t-this…" She saw the bloody stump of her severed limb before she screamed again. "My hand!" She gritted her teeth before she glared at Aigis with bloodshot eyes. "You!"
Before she could do anything, however, she was shot by a lightning strike from above, but she barely avoided it.
Aigis was confused by this sudden turn of events, but before she could do anything about it, a boy clad in Kuoh Academy's school uniform landed right in front of her, his back facing her. In his hands were swords with intricate designs. It seemed that he came from above. Then, he glanced behind him, displaying his rather handsome features and a kind smile. "Mind me lending a hand for a bit?" The boy asked in a casual tone. It looked like he was the one who threw the sword to cut off the woman's hand earlier.
Aigis was speechless for a bit before she heard a beeping sound inside her head. The cooling down process had ended, and she regained her ability to move. Then, she nodded and got up on her feet. "Appreciated."
"Grr..." Sufficiently enraged, the stray Devil, whose hand was sliced off by the boy, growled before she raised her other hand. "You'll pay for this! Rise, my children! Go and destroy them all!"
More magic circles appeared on the ground before more Shadows manifested themselves. Then, both Aigis and the sword-wielding boy found themselves surrounded by these creatures of darkness.
"Please be careful. Normal attacks won't work against them!" Aigis told the boy.
"Is that so?" The boy raised his eyebrow before he smiled. "Well, I won't say these swords are normal either." As he said that, a minotaur-shaped Shadow went to attack him, attempting to maul him with a heavy weapon, but the boy dodged the attack with ease.
With a few masterful strokes, the boy struck the monster with his swords, and the attacks were enough to sever its limbs and head. He was very fast, and Aigis could barely follow his movements.
"So fast..." Aigis muttered before she saw another Shadow trying to attack the boy from behind. "Look out!"
Before the Shadow could land a hit, Aigis saw a figure zooming from above, slamming the Shadow against the ground. When she was finally able to take a good look at the figure, she found out that it was a petite girl, also dressed in Kuoh Academy's school uniform, whose hair was white as snow. She managed to pin the Shadow to the ground by just using her fist. Then, she stomped on the Shadow's head, crushing it under her foot, killing it.
"Ah, thanks, Koneko-chan," the boy thanked the petite girl as he looked at the monster she slew, which started to melt into black mud. The short girl then stepped away from the mud, making a disgusted face.
Aigis also noticed another girl, a black-haired one, hurling lightning bolts toward the Shadows, incinerating them into nothingness. Standing beside her was a crimson-haired girl who somehow reminded her of Mitsuru. One thing that Aigis could say about these two girls was that they were very beautiful.
"Die!" A shout made Aigis shift her attention to the stray Devil. She was charging towards her, with her one remaining hand glowing. The sword-wielding boy immediately stood in her path and swung his sword, cutting off the remaining hand. "Argh!" She screamed in pain as her remaining hand was severed. Aigis took her chance to grab the stray Devil's face and activated her rocket propellers, sending herself flying forward while gripping the stray Devil's face before slamming it against the wall of the warehouse. The slam was enough to make a medium-sized crater in the wall.
Aigis released her grip on the woman's face and let her fall. Her hand was bloodied thanks to her slamming the stray Devil's head against the wall. And it seemed that those who came to assist her had eliminated all the Shadows. It was clear that each and every one of them was strong.
"Now..." Looking down on the downed enemy, Aigis spoke softly. "Do you have anything left to say?"
At first, the woman was silent, but then, she opened her mouth and spoke weakly, "Nyx-sama... Hail... Nyx-sama..."
Aigis closed her eyes, suppressing the urge to sigh. "I see." She turned back. "Orpheus."
Once again, the master of string, the ultimate poet and musician manifested himself in a glorious azure light. With his white gauntleted hand, he grabbed the woman's head.
"Do it..."
Nodding upon hearing the command, Orpheus' ruby eyes glowed, and the downed stray Devil combusted. In just a few seconds, she was reduced into a charred skeleton, which then crumbled down into dust.
Aigis sighed. She didn't like killing anyone besides Shadows, but she knew that it had to be done in order to accomplish her objective. Sure enough, after the stray Devil was reduced to dust, the surroundings reverted back to normal, with the sickly green sky being replaced by the blue, bright sky. The sounds of birds chirping could be heard as the Dark Hour ended.
She looked at her bloodied hand. 'What a waste of life,' the battle android thought to herself. 'This wasn't what he sacrificed his life for,' she thought to herself. She clenched her fist before she turned to look at the group who showed up and assisted her in the battle.
"Thank you for helping me." Aigis expressed her gratitude to these group of people, who were students, judging from the Kuoh Academy uniforms they wore. "If you four did not show up, then I might have died already."
The one with red hair stepped forward and smiled at Aigis. "Ah, please don't mention it. Actually, we have been hunting that stray Devil for quite some time. She had been kidnapping the students of Kuoh Academy these last few weeks, and we should thank you for assisting us in eliminating her."
Then, the black-haired girl beside the redhead whispered something to her, and she nodded.
"And before I forget, I shall introduce myself first," the crimson-haired girl said before she bowed. "My name is Rias Gremory." Then, a pair of leathery wings emerged from her back, followed by the others. Even the sword-wielding boy had those wings on his back. "And I am a Devil."
Aigis blinked and tilted her head in confusion.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Hello, this is me, Prince Arjuna. Thanks to you all who read and reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate it. It happens that I still have no idea how to name the stray Devil, so she is still unnamed for the time being. But I'll try to come up with a name for the next chapter, but since she's already dead, thanks to Ai-chan, it doesn't even matter anymore. And here, I'd like to admit that I am inspired by The Crimson Lord's work, A Demon Among Devil, but since I'm not him, I'd like to make things differently for this story, Heart of a Butterfly. And here, I'll tell you that some characters from Persona series (except those who have died) may appear in the future chapter of this story and may play some important roles in the future. Please look forward to it, okay?
And of course, special thanks for Sraosha and Sorata Shioya as the beta-reader of this chapter. It's so nice working with you.
If you're wondering about the Greek, it's actually an actual Hymn of Orpheus about Nyx. You can see the translation below:
Night, parent Goddess, source of sweet repose,
From whom at first both Gods and men arose,
Hear, blessed Venus, deck'd with starry light,
In sleep's deep silence dwelling Ebon night!
Dreams and soft case attend thy dusky train,
Pleas'd with the length'ned gloom and feastful strain.
Dissolving anxious care, the friend of Mirth,
With darkling coursers riding round the earth.
Goddess of phantoms and of shadowy play,
Whose drowsy pow'r divides the nat'ral day:
By Fate's decree you constant send the light
To deepest hell, remote from mortal sight;
For dire Necessity which nought withstands,
Invests the world with adamantine bands.
Be present, Goddess, to thy suppliant's pray'r,
Desir'd by all, whom all alike revere,
Blessed, benevolent, with friendly aid
Dispell the fears of Twilight's dreadful shade
So, I hope you'll like this chapter, and if you're kind enough, would you live this poor author a review or two? He probably needs it for confidence boost and motivation. See you in the next chapter, Chapter 03: Devil's Advocate.
Edit: The format for the Hymn of Orpheus is changed slightly.
Edit(2): The lock-down function is altered.
Prince Arjuna (2014)