*Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credits go to Ichiei Ishibumi*
Chapter 6: Surpass Your Fears! Perse and Shinji's Final Showdown!
"Maybe I rushed things up a bit." A boy commented as he strolled around the streets of a busy Kuoh.
After storming out of the ORC room with the threat of becoming a Stray Devil if doing so, Shinji Kouki's only mission was to find and rescue Momo, his friend. He didn't care where she was or how to get there, he would find Perse and make her pay for messing with his friend.
But there was one problem with his mission.
"I don't even know where to start." He thought out loud as he tucked his hands in his pockets. The teenager spent the last two hours walking away from school roaming around the city, be it walking, taking a bus or just asking random people if they saw a girl with white hair around.
He stopped walking as he looked around to where he was standing. Tall buildings decorated with big advertisements were the main spot to catch on, lowering his head all the cars coming in and out of his peripheral view without stopping. "I'm already at the center of the city and not even a trail." He sighed.
"If I go to my apartment and pick enough money I can stay a day or two roaming around the city and see if I can find something." He thought out loud as he walked next to a supermarket, only to shake his head while sighing. "Rias is probably there searching for me to hunt me down by now." He commented as he shaked the idea out of his head.
As he walked through crowded streets he looked down. 'How can I even know where she is..?' He sighed, harder than before as his frustration was noticeable. 'C'mon Shinji, you need to think of something now. Momo's in danger'.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as a familiar ringtone was heard, grabbing his phone from his pocket he noticed it was an unknown number. He finally answered the call, watching it was not Rias nor anyone from her peerage.
"Hello?" He said.
"Sheesh Kouki-kun, I try to get you to make a contract and you just disappear on me?" A voice he instantly recognized was heard from the other side of the phone.
"Y-Yuuma? How'd you get my number?" Shocked, the teenager said the first thing that was on his mind.
"A woman has her ways of getting stuff, you know~" The girl teased him. "Anyway-" She spoke again before the boy could interrupt her. "-I'm kinda bored right now, you want to do something?"
The teenager sighed as this was extremely common when it came to Yuuma. After their first contract she basically made one every time she wanted, Shinji was the one asked when it came to her demands. One day he asked her why she made so many day after day, her answer was that she was just bored and wanted to go somewhere.
'I'm kinda bored as it is and want to mess around when I can, but it's no fun to do it alone. You don't mind, do you Kouki-kun?'
Her laid back attitude when it came to making contracts with a devil is what frustrated him at first, but then it just became a normal thing to him. "Uhh, look Yuuma-san. It's not that I don't want to but I have some problems right now." He declined her offer as his head was on another subject. 'I'm trying to save a friend from a devil snake monster. Not that I can actually say that.'
"Awww, party pooper." She responded. "C'mon just a little time, I need to do something else or I'll die here." The teenager sweatdropped at her little pun since it was a serious matter for him.
"Sorry. But I need to solve something first, Yuuma-san." He finally declined her offer.
"Don't be like that Kouki-kun." She complained. "Tell you what, if you come here then I'll help you out with your problem."
Even though the teenager pondered on her proposal he quickly shook that thought off his head. "Thanks for the offer Yuuma-san, but I don't think you can give me a hand on this one."
"You won't know until you try~." She simply responded.
The teenager sighed. "There's no way to deny you something, is it?"
"I try my best to get what I want." He pictured her giggling while saying that.
As he hung up he looked to the sky again, although the lack of clouds meant what a perfect day this was, he was having an awful one with his friend's kidnapping. Rubbing his temples he tried to shake off the thoughts of her, 'Momo, I'll find you, count on that. I'll try to get all the help I can to do so; so please, hang in there for me.'
"So that's your problem huh."
"Yeah, I don't know what to do now." A teenager sighed while responding.
As Shinji sat down next to Yuuma on a bench near a fountain from the park they were now, he scratched the back of his head. Since trying to deny something to the raven haired girl was next to impossible, he coped with her demand of company and decided to walk around town to keep his head out of Momo; they ended up in the park next to the center of Kuoh as a result and decided to sit down.
Of course Yuuma barged into his problem the second she found a chance, Shinji scratched the back of his head and tried to make up a story somewhat close to what happened.
Obviously taking out the devils, a monster and a kidnapping it was a story somewhat believable, or so he thought.
"You have it bad if your friend argued with you and then ran away from her home and you can't find her now.'' The girl commented. "What did you do to make her that mad?"
The teenager sighed. "Honestly, I don't know". He grabbed the can of soda he was drinking, his eyes fixated on it while trying to find the right words to say. "We argued one day after a little inconvenience I got, we haven't spoken for a week or so and then when I tried to fix things we ended up discussing again..."
"It's just...she thinks I made a bad choice with one thing and started to blame me for it when I didn't have any other choice in the matter." He reclined on the bench, breathing out while doing so and feeling a stressful breath off his body. "Worst of all now I fear the worst happened to her because I wasn't there when she needed me the most." Closing his eyes he cracked a sad smile, "I really am an idiot, aren't I?"
As Yuuma listened to the boy's problem she pondered for an answer, playing with her red jacket while doing so. "You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed after all, Kouki-kun."
"Huh?". The teenager turned to face her, obviously not prepared for that kind of answer.
The girl giggled a little at his reaction. "But that doesn't mean you don't mean well." She crossed her arms while thinking of an answer. "You see, if she is out there she probably wants to have time to ponder on things or just wants you to go find her."
"Wants me to go find her…" The teenager thought out loud her words. "But I don't know where to start. I mean, I can't even figure out where she is."
"Maybe you already know Kouki-kun, you haven't thought of it yet." The raven haired girl commented.
He sighed. "Yeah right, as if that Stray-I-I mean my friend is where I think she would be." The teenager coughed on his hand after almost screwing up his story.
A screw up Yuuma was fast enough to catch on, a small smile present on her face.
"Oh, aren't you her friend? How come you don't know where to start?" She asked. "Tell you what, why don't you try going to the east of Kuoh? Maybe you'll find something there."
Shinji looked at his partner. "The east?" He asked rather dumbfounded, "There's nothing there but abandoned buildings and houses here and there."
"But you won't know until you try, Kouki-kun." The raven haired girl responded. "It's like a gut feeling we girls have when it comes to each other, you might be lucky."
The boy closed his eyes, thinking about what his company told him. 'It's a rather weird place to be, more so without Rias knowing there's something strange going on there. But-' He opened his eyes. '-Also a good place to hide if she's at an abandoned building, might give it a try'.
"You know-" He stretched his arms, feeling how sitting there relaxed his body enough. "-Maybe you're right Yuuma-san."
She smiled at his compliment. "Of course I am, haven't I already made it clear that time we went fishing?"
The teenager coughed in his hand, his cheeks taking quite a reddish color. "P-Please stop making things sound like a date."
"And who said it wasn't?" The raven haired girl kept joking with the young devil, getting closer to him, only for him to trail back and almost fall from the bench. That made the girl giggle while returning to her previous spot. "You are too fun to tease Kouki-kun. I might get addicted to it."
"Why does everybody keep saying that.." He murmured under his breath. As he stood up he scratched the back of his neck and looked around, he then turned to where his partner was sitting. "Alright Yuuma-san, I'll go and check that place out."
"Ara, leaving me alone so quickly?" The raven haired girl said while she pouted. "Okay, I'll let it slide this time just because of your friend." She pointed to him with a serious face, then a smile quickly adorned her face.
It always surprised him how good of an actor she is sometimes, more so how even when frowning or looking mad at something her smooth skin and detailed face never stopped looking like someone out of a magazine, like she was an undercover model or something. Shinji was certain of one thing, you don't get to be in the company of a supermodel type of girl every day, so he was surely gonna enjoy every moment of it.
"I'll try to compensate you for it next time." He turned around and told her. "I'll take you on that." Was her response.
As the teenager stormed away out of the park, the raven haired girl sighed. "So, all the pieces are falling right into place." She looked to the sky, as the sun was setting an orange-ish color was all that the once blue sky reflected, letting everyone know that night was close.
She turned her head to where the boy left. "Now his conviction is strong enough to show if this scent he has is from a sacred gear or not, and we'll also get rid of the nuisance that's been roaming around this city lately." She closed her eyes as a small, black feather appeared on her right hand.
She extended the feather to her face, watching it as the wind slowly started to move it, "Now our mission will truly begin, I understand that you want to further your research but I'd rather get rid of a potential power on devil territory." Letting it go the feather made its way to where the wind was pulling it to.
"Azazel."
"Finally."
As a bus stopped next to a cafeteria, a boy got down from it. Stretching his arms he looked around him. "So, this is it huh."
As he was told in class one day, Kuoh was back in time an industrial city, huge factories and buildings were constantly built to keep up with the demandings of the rising world and the popularity the city was gaining.
As time passed by the companies owning the bigger factories in the city had either gone bankrupt or moved to another cheaper place to be, leaving their buildings behind and most of the people working there unemployed. As they searched for other jobs, what was once just an urban zone turned, in time, to be the next big center of the city and where now the bigger company buildings are. Of course the remnants of the factories and abandoned buildings was something the city government was taking care of, demolishing them and creating either houses for its citizens or parks, but there were still remnants of what was once one of the major industrial cities Japan had.
As he walked down the streets he was looking around, houses were the main thing that caught his eyes, not one single apartment building around. There were abandoned factories that popped up from time to time, a 'closed' sign right in front of their gates. "So, they're still trying to get rid of them." He commented.
"It's a nice change of pace though." The boy sighed as he tucked his hands in his pockets. Little to no noise came from his surroundings, only to be broken by cars or people talking around him. He could get used to this silence in contrast to the constant noise from the city.
The lack of corporate buildings and big apartments made it seemed like he was in a faraway city and not just on the other side of town.
Suddenly the light poles around him turned on, signaling the beginning of night time. "Damn, it's that late already?" He cursed. "I need to speed things up a little."
As he turned around a corner his phone started to sound, picking it up he instantly regretted reading who it was. "Still trying to convince me?" Shinji said as he read the name 'Rias' pop up, hanging up he tucked it again in his pocket and sighed. "This would be much easier with those guys around…" He shook his head. "But I already made my choice, she would probably kill me with the other stray too."
And so Shinji kept walking, going everywhere he thought he could find the Stray or Momo. Alleys, dark streets, even one cafeteria or another, he was walking for what seemed like hours non stop.
Although his resolution was strong enough at the beginning, his body and will gave up after a while, leaning himself on a rail outside a restaurant he decided to take a break.
"Was all the search today just for nothing?" He asked as he tucked his hands in his pockets. "No, I know Momo is around here somewhere, I can feel it "
As he was lost in thought, a cat started to rub against his leg, getting the boy's attention as it watched the feline. "A cat?" He said. A small, yet long enough cat to be considered an adult, fur black as the night sky and two yellow orbs adorning her face started to look at him.
Being just the laid back person he is, Shinji just crouched and started to pet the cat. "Hey buddy, you lost?" Accepting the teenager, the cat leaned on his hand, purring as the boy's fingers were scratching the cat's back of her ear.
As a matter of instinct, the cat suddenly stepped back from the teenager. Running in circles and going forward to a street the cat suddenly stopped looking back as to where the black haired teen was standing.
"Huh? You want me to follow you?" The cat's unique meowing was all the response he got. Leaving the rail he was resting on, the boy started to walk to where the cat was. "Sure, I don't know what to do anyway."
As Shinji was getting close to where the cat was, it started to walk away again, stopping and turning back to wait for the teenager and to see if it was still following her. Sometimes taking corners or waiting to cross a street, the cat was his guide.
'You know you hit rock bottom when you start to follow a cat around..' The black haired teen thought as he sighed to his current situation. 'Although-' As he looked up he saw the cat sitting right next to a street corner as if waiting for him. '-I can't believe how smart this cat is'.
This little journey the boy was having with his supposed 'guide' kept going on for a while. After a while the teenager thought the cat was just going in circles and he was the idiot following it, some of the places seemed familiar or he thought they already passed them before. As the cat suddenly stopped he looked up to where she was standing, a large abandoned factory was all his eyes could see. Broken windows, rusted rails and the feeling that not even one soul has entered that place in a long time were just some of the things he could feel.
"Hm? Is this the place you wanted to show me?" He looked down as he asked the cat as if expecting an answer from it.
A 'meow' was the feline response. Jumping, she started to climb the tall fence the factory had. Shinji was actually impressed by how tall the cat jumped and how fast it climbed to the other side.
"Woah, I wasn't expecting a cat to be that good at climbing fences" He thought out loud. "Nyan!" Was the response he had, that cat was sitting next to the fence as if telling him he needs to go after her again.
"Oh, it's my turn now?" He asked. Looking around him to see if nobody's watching he grabbed the fence and slowly started to climb up. As he got to the top of it, he jumped to the other side, "That'll do it" He commented.
"Nyan!" The cat got his attention again, slowly walking next to him. Both of them started to go through the factory grounds; rusted things laying around with junk here and there were just some of the things the teenager spotted. As they reached the main door he looked around, nothing but dim lights coming from the street poles behind were the only ones illuminating their path.
"This is the place you wanted to show me?" He looked down to where the cat was, a small nod came in response. He sighed, "Well I'm already trespassing private property, what else can happen?" Extending his hands to grab the doors of the factory, he pushed to open them, a loud screech came from them, probably because of not being in use for a long time.
It took more effort than what he actually thought, the doors were heavier than normal and rusted enough to make it more difficult to move. As he got inside the factory, he rubbed his eyes as a reddish color was starting to adorn his vision. Opening them again he could see every detail of the factory's interior as if it was daytime. 'Right, devil traits.' He thought.
As the boy walked through what he thought was the lobby of the factory he could see various graffities painted across the walls, the ceiling was starting to give away as small cracks were appearing everywhere, probably because of how long has its been that maintenance was given to the place and how time was starting to take a toll on it.
Roaming around the place Shinji laughed a little to himself. "This is starting to feel like one of those exploration videos, eh cat?" As he turned around he was surprised to see that not only the cat was not behind him, it actually vanished from sight. "This is what I get for following a cat around." He sighed as he thought how stupid he sounded.
He immediately called it quits, knowing it was meaningless to go further into an abandoned building. "What a way to waste time."
As he was heading out a rumbling noise was heard. "Who's there?" Shinji immediately said as he turned around to search for where it came from. There was nothing, as quickly as the sound was heard it also left no trace of what it was.
Without giving it much thought he started to walk more into the abandoned factory, his eyes able to see clearly through darkness, scanning each corridor and object he was passing by. 'This is really not my type of thing.' He thought as he turned around a corner, 'It's not that I'm scared or anything, it's just an odd feeling I got.'
As he roamed deeper into the corridor he could see the deterioration of the factory first hand, torn walls and rusted objects decorated the place as if it was the perfect place for a horror movie. Not one single soul could be heard throughout the building, just his feet stepping on the wooden floor, emitting sounds in response.
As he got to the other side of the corridor he found a dead end, one big door separating where he was from the rest of the factory's interior. "Maybe it was just my imagination." He thought out loud. As he turned around to leave the place he heard another noise, this time it was much closer and it sounded like something was hit.
There was no hesitation this time, as he rushed to the door at the corridor he burst it open, there was something going on and his gut was telling him. "Who's there?" He asked again, his eyes adjusting to the dark enhanced with his devil traits letting him see like it was daytime.
Like before there was no response but silence around him, as he looked around he saw he was in a much larger room this time. Several big machines stacked one next to the other, rust and the lack of maintenance of them clear at sight.
Shinji carefully walked through the big room, as he got closer to where a machine rested he extended his hand to it; a desk of some sort with a saw on one side of it and a big drill on the other. "I wonder how they used these things." He commented.
As the teenager kept walking next to the machines piled one next to the other he stumbled with something. "Woah!"
Falling head first he smacked his face with the floor. "It huuurts!" he comically screamed as he rubbed his head. "What was that anyway?" Shinji commented as he pulled himself to a sitting position while looking at what made him fall.
There was nothing out of the ordinary, just what he was looking at before falling down, that was until he looked better. "Huh?" The black haired teen stood up and got closer to what got his attention, crouching as he grabbed it. "A rope? What's a rope doing here?"
As he checked from where the rope came from he saw how it was tied to one of the machines piled next to him, the other extension of it hide beneath a stack of broken desks and debris; as he cautiously walked to where the rope was going to there was something telling him to stop there, to turn around and leave.
'This feeling, it was the same as when I first encountered that freak.' He thought.
His gut was taking the best of him, but he slowly started to walk where he thought the rope ended. One step at a time he moved forward.
Silence was all that surrounded him, the air becoming thicker each time he got close to it. Something was bad about this and Shinji knew it.
The black haired teen was in front of the pile of broken desks, the rope going through the small gap a desk made, Shinji slowly started to move everything to see what was holding the rope on the other side.
'C'mon, I know I have to leave this place. Why do I feel like I need to keep going?' He thought as he tried to make a hole to see clearly. 'I'm not gonna find anything other than junk and broken things-'
His mind came to a halt, as he cleared what he thought was a big hole to see through and he saw eyes watching him from the other side. As if reacting by instinct he slapped the desk covering him from the creature on the other side, making the whole pile collapse while making a big noise.
Dead eyes staring right at him. There was a girl tied face down, or what he thought was a girl because of how mutilated the body was; her jaw was nowhere to be seen, her lack of clothes and the little she had covered in big stains on blood, legs a complete mess and a rope holding her waist.
"Wha-" Shinji couldn't form a single word, his eyes fixated on the corpse in front of him and the state it was in, his head unable to process a single thing because of the sudden change of events and his stomach taking the best of him trying to take out everything it has inside because of the putrid smell.
Stumbling back he hit his back with a machine resting next to him, his wide eyes not leaving the body in front of him. Unable to bear it any more he turned his head to the side, closing his eyes and trying to think of something else. "Wh-What the hell is this?".
"That voice…" A creature started to laugh, its voice echoing throughout the whole room they were inside. "So the girl served its purpose, you came to me."
"Huh?" As the teenager looked up he saw two green orbs staring right at him. His eyes suddenly widened in realization. 'Wait!'
"Looks like this is as far as you go, hero."
"You are..!". He opened his mouth but shut it again, his body trembling as the green orbs kept hovering over him.
"Yes." A female voice echoed in response. As two hands crawled out of the shadows a body emerged from it, long fangs coming out of her mouth, nails sharp as knives visible on her hands and her long tail holding her on the ceiling. "It's been a while, Hero."
"I see you've found one of my snacks." The Stray commented as she descended to the ground. Her tail used to cushion the drop, there was little to no elegance on it.
As the teenager tried to recompose himself he gave thought to what she said, his eyes widening as he could catch something hanging from the back of his eye. "Y-you mean.."
The snake woman started to laugh at his expression, each laugh echoing throughout the factory. "Surprised, Hero? This is the reality you were unaware of just a few days ago."
She extended her arms to the side, "Yes, being a human secluded you from this, from all the atrocities the underworld has." As she lowered her hands a grin appeared on her face, "But now-" Her nails growing larger to the point of looking like small daggers, her green eyes shining more as she stared at him. "-now you'll face reality. The world your 'King' brought you upon after reincarnating you, that white haired girl served its purpose and now I'll show you the true meaning of terror!"
'White haired girl..' The teenager thought. "Wait-" He clenched his right hand "-Momo! What did you do to her!?"
Perse chuckled at the sudden outburst of the boy. "Oh, that was her name? She served its purpose to bring you to me. I didn't have another use for her so I enjoyed messing with her"
"Y-You don't mean..", his body shaking, images of the torn out girl behind him appeared in his head. 'Momo.'
"You…" His gaze firm on the Stray, his eyes never leaving her. "If you laid your hands on her I'll kill you!"
"I'd like to see you try, worm." Perse responded.
As the teenager pulled himself up thousands of thoughts crossed his mind, 'This is it, I found her. But-' He readied his stance just like Hagiwara taught him. '-one wrong move and it's game over, I don't have Himejima this time to back me up each time I screw up'.
"Oh? Playing the hero role again?" Perse responded as she chuckled. "Either you are pretty brave or pretty stupid."
"Nonetheless." She lifted herself up with her tail. "I'll enjoy ripping out your guts as I enjoy your flesh!"
Perse launched herself to the boy, Shinji reacted fast and jumped to the side, dodging her strike. As he stood up again he kept looking to where the Stray impacted with the floor, only dust was all he could see.
"Ufufu, you're gonna regret coming here alone, boy."
As he felt something coming from behind, the black haired teen tried to jump away from it to a safer distance. Not fast enough he was met with a heavy hit from the monster's tail, he was sent flying and impacted with a wall from the other side of the factory.
"Ugh!" A loud crash echoed throughout the room they were in, as Shinji fell to the ground he could feel how he at least left a big crack on the wall by the strength of the stray's tail.
Hitting the floor head first he tried to recompose himself, slowly pulling himself up. Crouching in pain he coughed a little as the attack took a toll on his body. "D-Dammit, I don't think I can take another one of those."
"Oh? You are still able to talk? I thought that was strong enough to knock you out." Perse commented as her full body turned around to face where the teenager was. "You are quite persssistent, boy."
"I didn't come here unprepared, freak." The teenager responded as he stood up again, his fists raised in front of him. "You're gonna need more than that to take me out."
The Stray chuckled. "So you still want to play being a hero". Her eyes were shining in the dark room, "I've been waiting for this moment since I laid my eyes on you."
She launched herself again at the teenager, this time Shinji was prepared as his devil traits showed up, jumping to the side to evade the sudden attack.
"Not so fast" He heard a voice as he turned his head to the side; raising his arm to cover his head a tail hit him with strength enough to make him feel like his arm would break at the sheer force of the impact. Blocking most of it he felt to the side unable to bear any longer.
"Still think you can win?" Perse taunted the boy as he tried to recompose himself. "You are weaker than what I expected, you sssshould have walked away when you had the chance."
'Dammit Hagiwara, your lessons don't work on monsters' The boy complained as he raised his fists again.
As Shinji stared at the Stray, he gazed over his surroundings; big piles of junk layed around the factory's room they were in. 'If I can make it to one of those…' He thought as he kept scanning the place.
Without giving it much thought the teenager started to run, heading to one of the piles of trash. "Ufufu, you are trying to escape?" Commented the Stray as she saw the boy speed away. "You had your chance to run away, now you'll die here!"
He jumped as he evaded Perse's tail at the last minute, the tail knocked out a machine next to him, destroying it by the sheer force of the impact. 'Not good if that hits me..!' The boy thought.
He kept running, not stopping by anything. The Stray was behind him mere meters apart.
As he reached his objective he felt a sharp sense calling him, forcing him to jump to the side. A tail with a sharp end piercing the air where he was a second ago, colliding with the pile of junk he was in front of.
"End of the road, hero." A voice said behind him. As he tried to run to the right, debris fell from the pile in front of him, blocking any easy escape route; the other side was blocked by the Stray's tail.
As he turned around he was met by two green orbs staring at him, a vile smile accompanying them. "This is as far as you go. You were the most bothersome catch I had, evading all of my attempts at the last second."
"But-" As her eyes glowed, her smile grew larger, her fangs showing, "-I got you now. Ufufu, you are one of my most precious catches after all, the one that tempts me the most to have."
"Feel honored, as you were one of the few that laid their hands on me." As she readied herself for the finishing blow the teenage devil smiled.
"You are mine!" Perse shouted as she launched herself to the boy. He moved his left foot to the front. 'Now!' He shouted inside his head.
In a reckless way, he jumped ahead of the Stray, barely evading her as she watched him evading her attack. As she looked to the front she realized the pile of junk she was heading to, colliding with it.
A loud crash was heard throughout the factory as Perse collided with the mountain of debris, smashing right through it and making it lose balance, completely falling on her and burying her in debris of all sorts.
"Ha! Eat it!" Shinji shouted as he saw his plan come out perfectly. "That'll probably buy me more time before she regains consciousness." He thought out loud.
As he started to run to the opposite side, his face changed to a worried one. 'C'mon Momo. Where are you?'
He didn't make it far as he felt the ground start to shake, hearing several sounds where the Stray was.
"Aargh..!" Perse let out an angry scream as she rose from the junk coffin she was inside, sending debris flying all around her.
"Damn, that didn't last long." Shinji cursed under his breath as he saw the Stray again.
As the teenager watched how the Stray rose again, he saw how her face changed. Scratches all over her body, probably from everything that collapsed on her, blood leaking from her head and making itself visible in her face and, more than anything, how her eyes changed.
Long gone were her playful eyes that taunt her prey as they faced each other, hatred visible on them as they stared straight at the boy. If they were able to kill somebody just by looking at them, Shinji would be dead by now.
"Again and again…" She spoke in a low voice as she moved through the debris.
"Again and again…" Shinji stepped back as he heard Perse repeat her words. 'Not good, she's mad.'
"How many times have I faced and you got a lucky hit..?" She kept speaking as she slowly got out of the pile of debris. "How many times do I have to keep encountering devils in this town.."
The boy stepped back a little to gain some distance between the two, it was in a vain attempt since the Stray was heading towards him.
"But it doesn't matter, I'm going to kill you first and then I'll kill every devil here." Her grin widened showing her fangs and saliva dripping from the side. "Yes, I'll kill you now...!". She closed her eyes, reopening them as a bright light emitted out of them. "You, that pushed me this far!"
Launching herself to the boy, Shinji tried to evade her attack. Jumping to the side as the Stray tried to kill him in one hit, using her tail as a spear once again.
Faster than the boy could react, she appeared in front of him. As Shinji tried to gain distance from her the Stray slashed his chest with her sharp nails, tearing his shirt and making the teenager scream in pain.
"AAHHH!" Screamed Shinji as he was sent flying back by the sheer force of Perse's attack, rolling a couple of times before stopping. Trying to get up he fell again on one knee while grabbing where she slashed him, a big wound on his chest with blood pouring and his clothes torn.
"Argh! Damn it!" He cursed as he coughed blood. 'Not good, it was just a small attack. If she goes all out on me again I'm dead.' The boy thought.
"You're dead, Hero." Perse broke him out of his thoughts. "Rejoice as you'll return to the place where you belong."
Closing her eyes a greenish aura started to emit from her body, then she started to laugh. "Yes, no devil will be able to resurrect you again once I tear you apart!"
As she opened her eyes Shinji was petrified where he stood, 'The hell? I can't move!' Trying to move his legs he found out they weren't responding to his commands. 'What's going on!?'
"Don't bother trying to move." Perse told him. "These are the powers given to me by my mother, the feared monster of Greece."
Petrified, that's what he felt there. His body not responding to his commands, his eyes fixated on the woman in front of him. As the Stray got closer she extended her arms, her claw-like nails pointing to the side. "And now, you shall meet your friend soon, Hero."
'Momo.' Shinji gritted his teeth at the mention of his friend. 'Dammit, why can't I do anything right?'
His head started to conflict itself. 'The last time I faced her I was with Akeno, I thought that I played a vital part there but I was wrong'
Various images from since he became a devil started to swirl in his head. 'If it weren't because of Akeno that time I would be dead by now, the same as when I was reincarnated. And to think I dared to rebel against Rias, my only hope to bring back Momo, and face the Stray on my own..'
"I really am useless.." He said out loud. His gaze darkened as he tried to look down, unable because of Perse's power.
The Stray launched itself, ready to give the finishing blow to the teen, as he accepted his fate he could only look at the monster.
Shinji Kouki was ready to die.
"You are weak…"
A sudden voice broke him out of his trance.
"Ei"
As Perse got closer to him, he caught something with his eye. A rock several times bigger than him impacted against the Stray, launching her to a nearby column, making it collapse from the sheer force of impact.
Soon he felt the effect Perse had on him wear out, his legs no longer having strength gave up and he started to fall down.
"Gotcha!"
Before he fell to the ground, he felt an arm grab him from his back. Turning to see who it was, his eyes widened. "Kiba!?"
"That was a pretty close call, eh Shinji-San?" The blonde knight responded as he greeted his comrade with a smile. "To actually go head-on and face the Stray on your own without even being capable of using your strength right, you sure are unique."
"Idiot." Was the sole word another voice said. From where the rock was sent flying a petite girl with white haired made its appearance. Cleaning off the dust from the skirt she was wearing, she glanced at Shinji once again. "Idiot. " She repeated once more.
Kiba sweatdropped by his friends response. "Well Koneko-san, no need to be that harsh."
"Damn you!" A voice resonated throughout the building again. Perse rose up, sending debris flying to every direction because of the sheer force she did so, her face a mess, a mess of blood and injuries.
"Looks like we'll be busy for a while." Kiba sighed as he helped Shinji sit down on the floor. "Wait here Shinji-san, Rias-Buchou already knows our location and is coming here. She'll patch you up".
"Wait, you're going to face her?" The teenager responded. Trying to get up he found his legs no longer had any strength left on them.
"Now now, you can't even stand up. Just wait here until Buchou arrives." The blonde boy told his friend. Turning around he looked where Koneko was standing. "Koneko-san, we'll have to buy time until Buchou comes."
The petite girl extended her hands, putting herself in a fighting position. "Roger." Was all she said.
"You lousy devils..! I'm having it with you!" Perse rocketed herself to where Koneko was standing, the white-haired girl jumping to the side to evade her attack. As if in a matter of seconds, Kiba teleported himself from Shinji's side to meet the Stray head on, a sword materializing on his hand and slashing the monster with all his strength.
"Ahh!" A cry came from the Stray as she stepped back. The cut Kiba made on her stomach took effect as she clings where he damaged her.
"So fast.." Shinji murmured as he saw the scene unfold in front of him. 'Since when is Kiba that fast?'
As blood started to pour from the Stray's wound, she glared at where the blond knight was. "You damn brat!" She screamed as her tail flew to him.
"Kiba!" Shinji screamed as he tried to warn his friend. The Gremory's knight jumped back as fast as he could, regaining distance from his opponent.
Landing on the ground the Stray met Kiba head on, the blonde knight evading her quick attacks before jumping back trying to regain more distance. "Tch, this is going to take more time than we expected." The boy muttered as he regained his stance.
Perse launched herself to the Gremory's knight, her sharp claws ready to cut through the teenager.
Although she ricocheted herself to the boy, she noticed she wasn't getting any closer. As the Stray looked behind her a petite girl was holding her tail, keeping her in place.
"W-What?" Shocked, the Stray thought out loud as the white haired devil looked nonchalantly at her. "You damn small fry!" Shouted the monster as she turned around and aimed at her.
"Koneko!" Shinji shouted as his friend was directly in front of Perse.
"I wouldn't be so worried, Shinji-san." Commented Kiba. "In fact, Koneko is the one that stands more chances against her from the three of us."
"Don't call me small." Was the only thing Koneko said as she stepped back. Using all her strength, she lifted the monster like it was a feather, smashing her face hard against the floor.
As the floor cracked by the sheer force of Koneko's attack, she lifted Perse again and slammed her back against the other side, earning a cry of pain by the stray.
This pattern continued many times before the petite girl decided it was enough and, pulling Perse's tail again, started to move her in circles before turning around and throwing the Stray to the other side.
Perse crashed against a column, smashing through it and ultimately crashing against a wall, leaving a big crater where she impacted.
The black haired teen was dumbfounded, how the hell was that petite girl so strong!? She literally lifted a creature twice her size and throwed her like it was nothing!
As the dust started to settle where the Stray went flying, Koneko dusted off the skirt she was wearing, her poker face never leaving as if this was no biggie for her. "That's how Koneko-San is when she's called 'small'." Kiba tried to explain to his friend what just transpired while scratching his cheek.
The teenager slumped his arms as a sweat drop was visible on his head. "Kiba."
"Yes?"
"Remember me to never make Toujou-San mad at me."
The blonde boy smiled as he heard his comrade, "I'll try." Was his response. As the white haired girl climbed down to where the boys were, a big grunt was heard throughout the room.
"Damn...it all…!" A loud scream was heard as Perse got out of where she crashed into the wall. Huge scars clear on her body and blood dripping out her forehead, her face clearly showing how angry she was.
"She's gonna take more than that it seems." Kiba sighed as he thought Koneko was able to punch her lights out.
"...Unfortunately." The small girl replied.
Shinji looked at both devils in front of him. In front of them stood a monster that had killed dozens of people in Kuoh, himself included, holding both him and Akeno on her own and had the strength to escape even after being hit with the Gremory's Queen strongest attack. Yet both these teens were standing still, uncaring about those facts. How? How they were so..
'Unfazed..' The teenager thought as he watched both of them, 'It's like they don't care at all.'
As Koneko smashed a big debris coming her way, Kiba took the opportunity to get behind the Stray, her back wide open for an attack. "It's over!" He shouted as he raised his sword and descended on her to give a critical blow.
But his attack was halted, as he felt a strong force stopping his sword from reaching its target. 'Tch!' He cursed under his breath as he saw a big tail taking his attack fully.
"You don't think I would leave my back so open, did you?" Perse said as she turned her head around. Her tail clashed with Kiba's sword, even though the blonde knight's sword already cut the Stray's flesh once, the tip of her tail was strong enough to receive the full extent of his attack and still be unscathed. "My tail's stronger than even steel, boy. You should have left when you had the chance!"
As the Greek monster used all her strength against the teenager, the Gremory's knight couldn't keep up with his own, breaking his defense and sending him crashing against the ground.
"Kiba!" Shinji shouted as he saw his friend. The blonde boy cursed under his breath, reacting to his friend's scream he looked up, his eyes widened when he realized that the Stray was aiming directly at him. "It's over!" He heard.
Just as Perse was about to strike the Gremory's knight a piece of debris was sent flying her way, although this time she was more prepared for it than before swinging her tail she smashed it as her grin grew wider. "That trick won't work on me twice, girl"
As she turned to face the blonde teenager again a small girl landed between the two. "Koneko.." He commented as he tried to get up again, suddenly stopping when the petite girl raised her hand. "You're hurt, rest." Blinking a couple of times, the blonde boy smiled at her sudden order. Kiba reassessed his sitting position on the floor. "Alright, I'll leave it to you for now."
Koneko smiled as his partner complied with her plea, turning her head to face the Stray they were facing head on. "I won't let you hurt my friends anymore." She simply said.
The Stray laughed at her comment, "Such bravery, you will be the one to die first, girl!" As she launched herself to the Gremory's rook, the petite girl ran towards her, unaware of Shinji screaming her name. Evading one of the monster's hands trying to tear her, she raised her right hand, finding an open spot on Perse's face. "Ei." She exalted as she propelled her first onto the beast's right cheek, sending her crashing to the ground by the sheer strength of it.
"Unbelievable.." Shinji collapsed to the floor, his eyes widened by what just transpired. "How the hell is she so strong..?"
"That's because she's a Rook piece." Kiba commented as he tried to stand up, only for him to fail again. "I think Buchou didn't tell you about the Devil Piece system, right?".
The black haired teen made a pensive expression, trying to remember if she ever mentioned anything. "I think she said something about devils creating that thing to replenish their numbers, but nothing else."
As Kiba sighed a sweat drop appeared on his face, "Leaving stuff without filling to add more drama, that's Buchou for you." As he regained a sitting position he turned his head at Shinji. "Let's see, you see how I'm fast and can move pretty quickly?"
"You bet, you were moving like a bullet there, I could barely see you." The teenager responded with all honesty. It was a fact Kiba was fast, if he ever wanted to enter a marathon he would put every athlete to shame as to how fast he would finish the race, each time he moved from A to B the only thing he spotted was a blur where he once stood.
"Well, that's because I'm a Knight. When Rias-Buchou resurrected me she used one of her Knight pieces for it." He raised a hand as he began his explanation. "You see Shinji, different Devil Pieces come with different attributes, take my Knight piece for example. As a knight my forte comes from speed and an affinity with melee weapons, that's why my sword is what best suits me for it." He projected his sword in his right hand to show his point.
"Koneko for example is a Rook piece, she is dotted with superhuman strength and a better resistance to attacks." As if trying to validate his point the petite girl jumped and kicked the Stray on her stomach, sending her flying away. The black haired teen sweat dropped while watching that, still not used to her unbelievable strength in contrast to her small size. "I see…"
"Then we have the Bishop piece, although they are not the most suited for physical attacks, they excel in magical prowess, making them deadly at long range." He glanced at the teenager to see if he was still listening, "Do we have someone like that with us, Kiba-kun?" The black haired teen asked, Kiba just flinched a little at his question. "Let's just say we don't have anyone at the moment." Even though the boy saw his sudden reaction to his question he decided not to push the matter. "So, what else we've got?"
"The Queen Piece." Kiba continued. "As the Chess game rules follows, the Queen is next to the King as of importance. She's given all the attributes of the Chess pieces together apart from the King."
"Wow, do we have one like that?" The teenager asked, it's true he was surprised by knowing someone can be that powerful so it intrigued him to see if Rias picked her Queen already.
"Well yes." responded Kiba. "Our Queen piece has been with us since the beginning basically, you fought alongside her the other day."
As Shinji blinked in confusion to what the blonde knight just said he tried to remember when that actually happened, 'I fought with her...when? I only got in a fight after reincarnating when that thing attacked me and Akeno back at the-' As his eyes widened in realization he turned his head to his friend. "Akeno is a Queen Piece!?"
"Yeah, and she's a pretty strong queen herself." Yuuto responded to his comrade. As soon as they stopped talking a loud crash was heard, as both teens looked from where it came from they could see Koneko throwing debris at the creature while trying to evade several attacks.
"I could use some help here." Replied the petite girl while turning her head to the duo, even though her face always lacks emotions, this time Shinji could see how she was angrily looking at them.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about the Stray." The blonde knight responded as he waved his apologies to the girl. "Do you have another question?" He said while glancing at his friend.
"You know by chance what piece I am?" The teenager asked with curiosity. After listening to every detail and benefit each of his friends have because of their Devil Pieces he was curious to know if he has a special power from them too.
As Kiba heard his question he rested his hand on his chin, making a pensive expression. "I don't really remember what Rias-buchou used to revive you, I know it wasn't one of our pieces since I didn't recognize the shape of it. Sorry, Shinji-kun." The blonde teenager apologetically said.
Shinji sighed at his answer, clearly sad that he still doesn't know what it is that brought him back. "Don't worry about it, guess I'll have to ask her one day." 'If she still doesn't hate me for all the commotion that is.' He thought.
His thoughts were cut as a large explosion was heard, he turned his head just in time to see a giant debris crash against the Stray's tail, exploding in mid air. "Bothersome." Cursed the petite girl as her strategy failed once again.
"You know, I'm getting tired of you." Perse responded as her vision was clear from all the dust the debris left. "This must be the most bothersome bunch of devils I've come across."
"Koneko-chan!" The white haired girl turned her head as she heard her name. Kiba jumped beside her, nodding his head while a sword materialized in his hand out of thin air. The girl smiled back as she turned to face the Greek monster, "I won't let you hurt my friends."
The Stray scoffed at her comment, "And what will you do, wimp?" She extended her arms as her claws grew sharper. "You're a rook piece, aren't you? I can tell by your strength." As the white haired girl flinched by her comment she continued. "And I can tell you are a Low Class brat too, given that low demonic power coming out of you."
"Don't let her words get you, Koneko." Kiba said as he rested one hand on the petite girl's shoulder, earning her attention. "We need to hold her until Rias-Buchou arrives." As she sighed she turned her head to their rival. "Okay." She responded.
As both the Gremory peerage members launched themselves to the Stray, they forced her to take a defensive stance. Koneko punching her with the abnormal strength she possesses whilst Kiba uses his sword to slash her in any open spot.
As his teammates resumed their attack, all Shinji could do is expectate their battle. Using his left hand he checked his chest where Perse slashed him. 'Damn, blood is still coming out.' He cursed while wincing from the pain.
He silently stared as how the blonde Knight got pushed back by Perse's tail, yet he regained his battle stance and resumed his attacks on her. And how the petite Rook got smashed to a nearby wall by the Stray throwing her and still getting up and charging head on.
'Why?' The boy thought. 'Can't they see she's stronger than them? Why don't they just ditch me here and run? That freak wants me, not them.' Shinji tried to get up, only to feel a sharp pain running through his back and collapsing again in a kneeling position while cursing out of his breath.
'You think I can leave you, Issei, Kiryuu or anyone else like that because my gut was telling me!?'
'I'm not gonna sit still while you hurt my friends'
The 'tough guy' act, that's what Shinji remembers as several moments form in his head while watching both devils going against the Stray. That name was given to him by Momo in middle school as he always tried to act cool while trying to pull a stunt that ended horribly just for him to brush it off as if it was nothing.
"Heh." The raven haired teen chuckled as he remembered those lines. "It always comes to my big mouth, doesn't it?" He thought out loud while trying to force himself up. "Now now Shinji, you talk too much. Better put your money where your mouth is."
Several volts of pain shocked his body while he forced himself back up, his back clearly worn out because of being thrown around like a rag doll. Getting himself to a sitting position Shinji looked around to see if he could use something to help him back up, noticing a machine next to him.
Spitting a stream of colorful words while his body complained to him in the way of his back popping as he straightened himself up, the black haired teen managed to pull himself back up to his two feets. "Alright, that's one thing done." Shinji finally said while checking the wound on his chest. "Hmmm, at least it doesn't look that deep."
Several explosions rocked him out of his thoughts, looking to the right he spotted a certain petite girl jumping back from a monster targeting her, said girl was sporting some bruises on her body from the fight.
"Okay freak, time for round two." The boy commented as he started to walk in the direction of the fight.
"Hngh!"
*CRASH*
As Koneko throwed another machine that was lying around to the Stray, the girl tried to jump back and gain distance from her. Perse just smashed the object with her tail and resumed her attack on the petite girl.
Not letting her touch his friend, Kiba used his speed momentum to kick the Stray in the face, making her stumble and collapse on the floor. The blonde Knight then landed next to the white haired girl. "This is turning out to be harder than what I thought. No wonder Tsubaki-fukukaichou and the others couldn't stop her."
"...strong." Was all the petite girl responded, cleaning her skirt from dust she started to feel the fatigue from the fight. Both of them were not only fighting a Stray, but an ex queen from a renown devil family and also a descendant from a powerful Greek monster.
Putting her on a power level scale Perse would be an A+/S class devil while both of them would be B tier at best. Only one upping her because of their coordinated attacks after a long time fighting together, going solo against her would be suicide and they both know it.
'Having Bouchou here would make this easier.' Thought the Gremory knight as he gripped his sword harder while regaining his fighting stance. While it's true they were tiring the Stray with their strategy of attacking her simultaneously while not letting the snake monster hurt the other, having a high class devil like Rias with them would turn the fight to their favor. But for now the best they could do is curse under their breath and keep buying time for their King to arrive.
Perse on the other hand…
"Heh heh heh." The Stray chuckled as she rose up again, her body sporting small bruises from the fight. "What'sss the matter little ones? Don't tell me you're getting tired against good ol' me?" Perse licked the part of her cheek sporting the bruise the Knight made because of kicking her, licking the blood from it.
Ever since being reincarnated by the Valac son and starting to fight for him in the Rating Games, she found enjoyment in witnessing how her opponent started to turn their face from confidence in the idea of taking her down to outright fear as she slowly destroyed them; the panic on their faces as they were downed by a descendant of the feared Greek monster put pride on her name. Soon after she started to use her mothers 'gifts' on them, being a powerful venom that would take them out or kill them by being paralyzed once they looked at her and unable to defend against a deadly blow.
Since death wasn't much of a penalty in the devils' Rating Games as it could be considered an accident, the number of peerages she single-handedly took down with her powers started to become bigger. The result being she was forbidden from using her greek powers on said games after several complaints were raised against her methods of fighting.
A mistake by the devils as she soon took vengeance on his King by denying her to unleash her full potential.
"Don't think we are getting beaten by you, Stray." The Gremory knight cut her out of her thoughts. "After all, we're still standing against you as we speak." Kiba raised his sword at her, cockyness and conviction clear in his eyes.
"Fufufu." Perse chuckled. "How many times have I heard that same line before?" She raised her hands as her smile grew wider. "You know how many have fallen after trying to challenge me?" Her claws got bigger as her eyes started to glow with a green aura. "In fact, why don't I give you a demonssstration."
She launched herself to the blond knight. Kiba reacting fast dodged to the side before he got impaled by her claws, Koneko who was standing next to him could only jump back in a desperate attempt to gain distance from the monster.
"Hngh." Complained the Stray as she saw how both devils evaded her attack again. 'This is not the first time I have to fight against a Knight and a Rook, but these two are definitely more bothersome than the usual bunch.' She thought as she regained her stance. 'Let's see..' She paused for a moment as she watched her surroundings and both devils on opposite sides. 'Once I go for the petite girl the Knight will come at me, same will happen when I turn to face him.'
Looking to the side she saw the debris of the machine the white haired girl threw at her before. "That cheeky brat has an insane strength from her Rook piece, her speed though…" She murmured as she recalled how Koneko had a hard time moving fast. Looking back at Kiba, who raised his sword menacingly in response. 'And the boy here has an inhuman speed thanks to his Knight piece, but once I reach him...' She recalled how easy it is to beat low class knight pieces once you take down their speed.
Her smile grew as a plan was forming on her head, both devils reacting in the way of regaining their fighting stance for whatever she was planning to do. "You are buying time for your King to show up and face me, aren't you wimps." Both of the Gremory members twitched at her words. "A shame you won't get to see that, for you all will die here!"
As she grabbed a piece of rock next to her and threw it at the petite girl, Kiba jumped to slash her back. What he didn't know was that the Stray was waiting for that moment as she used her tail to stop the blond knights' attack; the sheer force of it made him stumble as he lost his balance and dropped his guard. Perse, wasting no time grabbed the boy before he could react and slammed him to the ground hard enough to crack the floor, earning a cry of pain from Kiba and Koneko shouting his name with a worried expression.
In retaliation the white haired girl jumped to punch the Stray and check on her friend, but Perse, being faster than her, evaded the attack and slashed her with her claws, earning a cry of pain from the girl as she got sent flying to a nearby wall.
"You worry too much for your teammates." Finally said the Stray as she gazed at both devils. Kiba coughing blood and Koneko grabbing her stomach that was sporting the wound Perse just made, trying to get up but failing in the process. "You had the upper hand for a while, but now it's over."
"D-Don't….think you'll beat us that easily, Stray." The blond knight said as he grabbed his sword and lifted himself up, grabbing it with both hands and balancing himself to no fall. That was enough to gain Perses attention because she turned to look at him and approached him.
"Fufufu, if it isn't little knight here trying to play hero." The Stray said as she grabbed the boy and pushed him back to the ground, earning a cry of pain from him. Grabbing him by his hair she lifted him from the floor. "You see, we already had that role taken by one of your friendsss here. Sadly for you he just got up and left." She pointed to where Shinji was before only to see there was no one there.
"T-That doesn't mean anything." Kiba responded. "He might have gone and searched for help". This ended up gaining a chuckle from the Stray. "And you think that anyone coming here now will save you, boy?"
"We'll buy time for them to arrive." He then projected his sword on his right hand and tried to slash the hand that was grabbing him to free himself. Only for Perse to knock the sword and throw him back on the ground, gaining another cry of pain from the blonde.
"We?" The Stray laughed as she repeated that part. "You might want to check on your dear friend, boy." As he turned his head to where Koneko was he saw how the petite girl was breathing hard while sweat was pouring down her face.
"You…what did you do to her!" Kiba exclaimed as he turned to face the snake monster with hate clear on his eyes.
"Just venom flowing through her body as we speak." She raised her left hand and a drop of liquid fell from one of her claws. "You see, using the powers I inherit from Echidna takes a toll on my body and energy. I cant use it as much as i once could before collapsing from fatigue."
Kiba winced as he tried to get back up but his body was not responding, having so much punishment in so little time was taking a toll on him. "You can feel honored." Perse cut him out of his thoughts. "It's not every day I get to meet low class brats capable of forcing me to use my powers".
"But, in the end you're still low class devils." She turned to face him again. "Coming with the idea of defeating me was one stupid way to throw your lives, boy." She raised her hands as her smile started to show her long fangs. "Yes, once Im done with you I'll throw your carcasses to your King and take her down too." She started to laugh as her eyes started to glow green "Soon all of the Underworld will fear once they hear the name of Perse, daughter of Echidna!"
'Damn, this can't be the end of it', Kiba cursed as he tried to get up again, only to find the Stray pinning him down with her tail. "I….I failed." He finally says as he turns to face a crouching Koneko. 'Even now I cant save my friends. After all this time I ended up failing again.'
After all these years, after having witnessed true horrors, after having Rias save him so long ago, after having swore his life to her, after opening up to a new group of people, after finding friends again.
"No." He said. "I'm not losing my friends again." He tried to grab the sword lying next to him. 'If I can at least save Koneko then..!'
"Oh?" Perse caught up on the boy's idea. "Not so fast now there, boy." She grabbed him by the waist with her tail and pulled him up to her height. Her green eyes meet his blue ones.
"Such a shame to meet in these conditions." The Stray said as she took a close inspection of the boy's face. "I would have liked to have my fun with such a handsome boy as you before taking out your life."
Processing what the stray just said, Kiba's face turned to a disgusted one. "I would rather die than be with someone as you, you damn freak." If Perse was hurt by his comment it did not show as she just laughed while raising her hand. "Then let me fulfill your wish."
Kiba winced as he struggled to free himself before the final blow, all was in vain as Perse pulled him higher with her tail to have a clear shot on him. Preparing for the worst, the blonde knight saw a figure behind the Stray.
"What's wrong boy, losing your mind before you die?" Perse taunted him as she saw how the Gremory's knight started to chuckle. "Yeah, that might be the case." He responded.
"But I have one thing to say to you now." He looked at the Stray directly to her eyes as her claws were getting closer to him.
"Better duck."
Thinking of what he just said Perse stopped and turned her head to look behind her. As soon as she did she was received by a flying kick straight to her face, sending her flying back to a wall and crashing it by the force of it.
Because of the sudden interruption, her grip on Kiba was cut and the boy fell back to the floor, making a sound of pain while doing so.
The one responsible for the sudden interruption landed next to the blonde boy but not as elegantly as he wanted to, wincing from the volts of pain coming from the wound on his chest. "You sure took your time." Finally said the devil knight as he looked up from where he was while smiling.
"Yeah well, she did a good number on me before you arrived." Responded the black haired teen as he stood in front of his friend. "Grab Toujou-san and get out of here Kiba, I'll buy you time." Before the blonde boy could say something about his idea of facing her alone, the raven haired devil started to walk forward.
"You…!" He heard a sudden scream as a rock was sent flying to his direction, merely missing him and crashing onto a pillar next to him. From the wall in front of him, a figure started to rise up, her once pretty face disfigured with her nose broken and crooked to the left in a way that was unnatural.
Well if she was ugly before with that god awful smile full of fangs and her warped face from turning insane, now add that disgusting nose and you have one ugly son of a-
"I will kill you even if it's the last thing I do!" The Stray shouted as he stopped in front of her.
"Then come at me, freak." Shinji finally said as he regained his fighting stance.
With confidence clear in his eyes, Shinji Kouki is ready to face his fears to take down Perse and save Momo from her.
"Time for round two."
Authors note
Well this one was in the making for a while now, finally had the time to end it.
On a side note, I'm starting the next chapter soon after posting this one so I might have it faster than usual.
So as always guys, read and review to your heart's content.
See you soon!