Blood 2.3
Akeno Himejima was laughing.
The feeling in her chest was bubbly. It was almost infectious. It slowly spread, dragging across her entire body. Her hands came to her shoulders. The reincarnated devil could feel a red heat in her cheeks. Slowly, Akeno's lips went up. More demonic power flooded through her veins.
Akeno's visage was anything but kind.
Her face seemed twisted. It was like a macabre piece of art. Akeno's long black hair swirled down over her shoulders, making a relative curtain behind her head. The hair matched the pair of cruel violet eyes set into her head. Mixing the two together with her other beautiful features gave the woman a dark contrast. The pure cruelty and almost otherworldly beauty seemed to heighten each other, only making the reincarnated devil more tantalizing to those who could see her.
"Akeno, finish it."
The words drew the young woman out of her stupor. It seemed that her King wouldn't let her play around for much longer. She sighed. Rias was always just business. She didn't know how to have fun. In this instance though, Akeno couldn't really blame her.
Pointing out a single finger to the beaten and bruised fallen angel in front of her, the reincarnated devil muttered, "Fine."
Lightening shot from her finger.
It came out quick, arcing into the fallen angel's chest. The fallen angel screamed. Cruel eyes watched. For a moment, the fallen angel stopped, her mouth hanging ajar. She twitched on the ground, the spasms traveling down her entire body. She was covered in wounds. The fallen's once well-kept blue hair and clothes were in tatters. A final breath came out from her mouth.
A cloying smell of burning flesh wafted up from the corpse on the ground. Akeno's nose wrinkled at the smell. It was disgustingly sweet. Despite it all, she couldn't help the smile that came to her face.
"There. Now what?"
The question was brief. Nothing here was for Akeno to decide. She knew better than that, especially with the rage painted over her King's face. The best thing for her to do was just follow. Akeno knew Rias well, a little too well. The reincarnated devil didn't quite feel the same for Kiba as her red-headed friend. It was never the same between the blonde and herself. There wasn't any of the familial love that Rias so desperately adored. The two simply weren't that close.
Akeno had felt for him when she heard the news, but it would never be enough to turn her to that.
Rias was starting to remind Akeno of her brother. Akeno had only seen Sirzechs' rage a single time in her life. It wasn't an experience the reincarnated devil would want to go through again. His wrath, Rias', they both burned bright and hot. It was like staring into a red inferno, trying to eat away at the world. Akeno didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.
"Koneko, where is it?" asked Rias. The devil's eyes rolled over the church in front of them, searching for something that wasn't there. Rias clenched her hand into a fist. Akeno could see her tremble as she continued, "Where's the beast that took away my family?"
Akeno frowned.
The reincarnated devil still didn't think this was a good idea. The two had argued about Rias' plan for a long while. Akeno wanted a failsafe. It would be so simple, so easy to let Rias' brother know about what happened. Akeno had even tried to talk her King into telling the other devils at the academy. Nothing came of that either. Rias' pride wouldn't let it. She wanted, she needed to handle this herself. Akeno didn't understand. Pride wasn't something the reincarnated devil ever really meshed with. Pride was the most dangerous of the seven. It was an insidious thing. It got more devils killed than any other.
Unfortunately, Rias got the final call. All Akeno could do was drag her King out when she inevitably went too far in. It wasn't a fun thought to entertain, but it was all that the reincarnated devil could do. Akeno sighed.
Koneko could still sense whatever it was that killed Kiba roaming about Kuoh. That had been surprising to learn. What was more surprising was the news footage of a six-foot-two behemoth covered in torn black plates dragging a bloodied axe through their small town. Akeno's mouth had hung open, outright gaping. Koneko looked afraid. Rias, her blue eyes had sharpened into cut gems, demonic power flooding the room.
Having the supernatural interact with the human world was never a good thing.
There was supposed to be a process to it all, so no matter what, no humans would end up involved that did not need to be. Using a barrier was one of the most rudimentary spells accessible to the entirety of the supernatural world. Almost all pantheons had some form of concealment as well. The Greeks had their achlýs, the mist. The Shinto had Takamagahara's precious light. All those who actively interact with the world, whether it be in the past with the Greeks or the present with the Shinto, had some means of concealing themselves from the greater world.
Almost all the others had withdrawn from the human world.
The Three Factions and most of the other pantheons unanimously agreed on that action. Sure there were some outliers, a few small sects and families here and there, but no one should be able to really tell. There were measures in place to make sure nothing ever got too out of hand, however, accidents still happened. Sacred Gear users were one of the most often ones. Monsters from various mythologies around the world were common breakers of their unwritten rules as well.
It seemed like this man was going to be another one of them.
Eventually, Rias was going to have to bring her brother or someone else in to clean up the mess. Kuoh's local news was in a tizzy, going on and on about a crazed axe murderer roaming the town. They were right, but they didn't have any idea just how dangerous the murderer truly was. Killing a devil knight wasn't a small feat, especially one with such a dangerous Sacred Gear.
Akeno's frown deepened. They still didn't know anything about the man they were hunting.
Koneko didn't have much to say, other than his presence felt disgusting. It was akin to that of a fire of blade and bones. She had mentioned smoke and some kind of healing factor, but there wasn't anything definitive. Akeno didn't know what to make of it. Koneko and Rias called him a beast, a monster, a thing, but it simply looked like a man in armor to Akeno. The obvious runes coating his weapon and armor were worrying, but nothing enough to make her outright wrathful or scared as with her younger peer. Akeno did not feel nothing though. There was anger, hate even, but it was cool, controlled.
A difference in perspective. Akeno mused. Koneko and Rias were talking to each other. The black-haired woman could see the fear hiding behind her younger peer's gold eyes. Koneko was staring daggers into the church. Rias was the same, with both of them doing it for very different reasons.
"Shall we then, President?" Akeno smiled, waving a hand out to the Church's doors. The old gnarled thing looked weak, brittle. It wouldn't take very much to knock it down. Lightening danced between the reincarnated devil's fingertips. The pale yellow flickered about, seemingly alive at the black-haired woman's command. It slivered across her skin like a snake.
Her King nodded.
Akeno supposed she would soon find out just how scary the man was in person.
-|-]=[-|-
Pro-tip. Fighting someone who's faster than you sucks. Fighting someone who's faster than you, and can fucking fly is even worse. I suppose that's how I ended up on my back having been knocked through a door with a spear of light piercing my palm.
My ears were ringing.
It burned. Good fucking Lord it burned! I growled from the floor. It felt like fire was leaking into my wounds. It continued to burn away at me, almost like some kind of poison. My breaths came out heavy. I was already worn out, my muscles screamed in protest as I tried to stand. I pulled on the mark a bit more. The pain didn't fade, but a newfound strength came to my limbs. Thick smoke fell from my axe and clothes. It felt eager like it knew I was in for a good fight. I didn't care. I just needed a way to beat the bitch.
A quiet voice came from behind me. I couldn't make it out. Quickly, I glanced over. My eyes widened. I stuttered, "A-Asia?."
Shocked green eyes met my own. For a moment, there was silence. I could see her look me up and down. The shock in her eyes quickly evolved into fear, and from there, it turned to horror. The girl rushed toward me. A soothing green light washed over me. In relief, I sighed. It didn't last long.
"Stop it!" Mittelt growled. She sounded alarmed, almost worried even. I heard scraping metal and the fluttering of black wings. I tried my best to move, to try and put myself between her and Asia. Pink flashed. My heart fell as a meaty thump came to my ears.
I wasn't quick enough.
Asia screamed. It was quick and shrill. The noise was something I never wanted to hear again. Mittelt had slammed the but of her spear into Asia's head. The nun was knocked to the ground. Dust flew up as she landed. She didn't get back up. I looked down.
Blood leaked from Asia's head.
Mittelt stood next to me. I was quiet. Nothing came to me. I didn't move. No words left my lips. I just stood there and stared. The fallen angel by my side took my inaction as an opportunity. A spear slammed into my thigh. I didn't move. Slowly, my eyes came up. My head drifted.
"What I hit your girlfriend over there, and you finally start to pay attention to me?" the fallen jeered. I could see a cruel smirk on her face. She was enjoying this, seemingly finding some kind of fun in her actions. "Did I shock you stupid or something?"
I didn't answer. I don't think I could've. Vaguely, I could feel heat coming from the mark. Fresh blood dripped down my hand. I said I wouldn't. Thump. It burned. I promised myself. My heart was pounding in my ears.
"Hey human, I'm talking to you!" Mittelt backed away, standing a few feet from me and Asia. The same spear was in her hand. Her wings flapped. She flew up above, hovering a good twelve to fourteen feet in the air. Fighting in this old church was annoying. The place was too tall. Being able to fly made this fight an absolute pain.
I could see Mittelt coiling her upper body. I'd seen it many times before. I knew what she was going to do. It was a tell, a silly one, but a tell all the same. The fallen angel did it every time she threw one of her lightspears. The fallen angel liked to pull her arms back in an exaggerated motion, almost like a pitcher winding up for a throw. I gripped my axe. The mark burned. Molten brassed poured into me.
I was calm. I was fine. I didn't need any more. I had enough. I could do this. I just had to grab her again.
"I hate the silent treatment." Mittelt's words came out almost in a drawl. She seemed to drag out the last word, almost in some type of amusement. I wasn't laughing. "If I spear your friend over there through the gut will you finally talk to me again?"
"Fine."
I focused on the seemingly infinite well of power coming from the mark. Mittelt was saying something again. The words didn't reach me. Nothing did. For a moment, I pulled. It was liquid, readily flowing. The more I poked and prodded at it, the more willing the mark was to give. I let out a breath. I grabbed onto that feeling of molten metal. It felt like trying to hold onto a boiling ocean, utterly impossible. Something in the depths rose to the surface. It was long and black, coiled like a serpent. Bright red eyes opened amidst the seas. A Daemon? It didn't matter. The beast on the other side made it still. I didn't wait.
With everything I had, I heaved.
It came to me like an avalanche. My entire body froze. I couldn't feel anything. Everything was numb. It didn't burn anymore. No, that wasn't it. There wasn't anything to burn. It was too hot like it simply destroyed my nerves before they could feel.
I opened my mouth to scream. Nothing came out. Agony couldn't describe it. I was fire. I was rage. My brain trembled. The world seemed to suddenly shift, tinting red. The only thing that stood out was the fallen angel in front of me.
I clenched my hands as hard as I could. I couldn't lose to this. Not with Asia here. Not with her getting hurt. I wouldn't allow it. I couldn't. I refused. If this mark wanted to break me, it would have to try harder than that. I wouldn't let Asia be around me if I was some kind of monster.
The mark, Khorne, whatever hell dimension it connected me to took my defiance and stepped on it like a pitiful bug.
A cacophony of unending rage made itself known in my mind. Words some understandable, some not echoed in my ears. I could see it again. The unending ocean of blood. I was in two places at once. I had double vision, one inside the church the other floating above a sea of red. Beasts fought and tore at each other, slicking more ruby red into an infinite blood-filled abyss. Suddenly, I was on the plains again. Its soil was stained a dark red, and pieces of metal and bone jutted up from underneath it. A seemingly infinite amount of spiky red Daemons on it. Every time one died, another would burst forth from the soil to join in the battle. They were the ones chanting. The words made my head spin. Despite it all, they were so simple. They only desired one thing, and one thing only. Conflict. Three stuck out. I've heard them before. I just wasn't so aware of it. The memories of last night were there. I think a part of my mind just refused to accept them. It recoiled from them as if it were alien to me. The voices got louder.
Kill. Maim. Burn. Kill! Maim! Burn! KILL! MAIM! BURN!
In the church, I brought a hand up to my head, taking in a deep breath. When I exhaled, steam came with it.
My head came up. The axe in my hand felt welcoming. I exploded forward. My weapon slashed through the air. It missed. All she had to do was flap her wings to dodge. I grit my teeth. Something in my jaw cracked. I could taste copper. I was going to tear those stupid wings off her back.
It was a miracle that I was still conscious. I could hear the voices still. They continued chanting, the infernal choir never-ending. I wished they would shut up. They made it hard to concentrate. Oh well, There's nothing I could do about it.
I smiled, pulling at the mark again. It was happy to oblige, seeming to take on a mind of its own. Forcibly, it shoved more power into me. I felt like a balloon about to pop, but I was fine. I had to be. There was a goal to be sought. A battle to be fought. I had an enemy, enemies needed to die. Keeling over myself could wait. A laugh escaped my lips.
The room we were in was large.
It was old and worn like much of the rest of the church. It was just as large and bulky though. I assumed at some point it might've been some kind of storage area with how it takes up both floors. Now though, it has been made into some kind of bedroom. Asia's I assumed. I'd never been in it. It was in tatters. Pieces of wood littered everywhere. The walls were made out of thick stone. There was only a single entrance, its door having been smashed in. I couldn't see any windows at all. The only things that even made me think it was a bedroom were the small desk and bed left alone in the room's farthest corner.
An idea came to me. I let out a small hum, my eyes darting to the nearby wall. I thought, why not?
I was in an anime world after all. Why wouldn't work? It couldn't hurt to try.
There should be about half a cylinder left in my revolver. I'd used it earlier, a small wound on Mittelt's arm was all I got for it. I wasn't looking to hit her with it though. It was a distraction. I pulled out the weapon in my free hand.
Swinging wide and quick, I fired. Mittelt dove. It was exactly what I wanted her to do. I pushed power into my legs. I could hear the fallen angel yelling at me.
"Stop shooting at me you fucking bastard!" She was cursing. I ignored it. Nothing she said mattered anymore. Her words were nothing other than a distraction. They weren't important.
The broiling fire in my legs reached its peak. Empty, I let my gun fall to the floor. The wood below me cracked as I jumped. I felt something in my knees and lower back pop as I flew through the air. I was definitely going to be feeling this later. I reached the wall quicker than I thought.
I barely had the time to react. I pulled my legs up to my chest as I hit. Then, I pushed. The stone didn't move. I did. My body flew through the air. Mittelt's eyes went wide. I reversed the grip on my axe, facing the spike on the opposite side of the blade out. A blood-curdling scream escaped the fallen angel's mouth as I slammed it into her ribs. I put my entire body behind the blow. I could hear her ribs snap as a noticeable portion of the fallen angel's chest caved in.
Then, I fell.
Mittelt fell with me. We both slammed into the floor, throwing up dust and debris. I landed on my feet. I felt a dull tingling sensation come from my knees. Mittelt wasn't so lucky. She was on her back. The pupils in her eyes were small. Shock filled them as a hand came down to her chest, gripping the spike embedded in it.
"No. No. No. No." She was saying the same word over and over again. I pulled back my axe. The spike came out of her lower chest, covered in blood. Blood leaked from the girl's lips. The red fluid trailed down like tears from either side of her mouth. She screamed, "T-This isn't how this was supposed to go!"
I stared down at her.
There was fear in her eyes now, the cruelty and rage forgotten. I didn't care, not anymore. She was my enemy. Enemies died. My head felt cloudy. I could still hear the voices screaming at me. They wanted me to end this and go find another. Memories of a sand-filled pit came to my mind.
My hands moved in a way I'd seen hundreds of times before.
I grabbed her forearm. She didn't even try to resist. I twisted. Bones popped and cracked. The fallen angel screamed. Suddenly, I lurched forward, pushing up from her elbow with my left hand. Two long ragged bones tore their way through her skin and dress.
It felt almost too easy.
Blood splashed across my face. I ignored it. I hated her. I hated this fallen angel. She was just like Freed, just a monster wearing human skin. She was going to kill me. She was going to kill Asia. She threatened to rape me. I'd never let this happen again. I refused to let those I care about get hurt because I couldn't handle a pretty face.
"Die."
I shoved the splintered bones of Mittelt's arm into her neck.
-|-]=[-|-
Raynare sipped her glass. The wine was sweet. She was so close, so close to success. It would only be a few more short days, and then she'd finally have it all. Her patron had already provided her with the tools to do it. Now she just needed to wait for her inferiors to finish setting up the busy work. A scratchy voice interrupted her musing.
"I like to drink and fight. No, I love it."
"Hmm.." Raynare hummed. Her violet eyes trailed over the man in front of her. The face that met her was disappointing, especially when compared to the selection she had available. The female's face was stony as she asked, "And you are telling me this why?"
From across the table, Dohnaseek explained, "I'd just like to give a reason is all."
The two were sitting in a small dining room. It was dark with the only lights coming from a small candle-lit chandelier and a window the room's only door. Its walls were old and painted, the white acrylic peeling back to a sickly yellow. The scent of smoke and sweet wine filled it. Raynare's nose wrinkled.
"A reason?"
"Oh yes." Dohnasek began. His voice was eager, almost worryingly so. Raynare frowned. She hadn't heard this much excitement from the man before. His reports were usually cold and mechanical. It was odd. The words that came out of his mouth next, shocked the female fallen stone dead. Dohnaseek continued, "If you kill someone, they should at least know why."
Raynare gaped. Her eyes slowly opened and closed. She couldn't believe the words that came out of her subordinate's mouth.
Before she could truly react, Dohnaseek ranted, "Jack involuntarily moved ahead with my plans. He didn't quite get the fallen I was hoping, but Mittelt works. Kalawarner's gone too. The devils got her. Only one's left is you."
Raynare ignored his words. She didn't believe him. A long drawn-out laugh came from her throat. She sipped her wine. Amused, Raynare sneered, "You're going to kill me?"
She pooled the remnants of her God-given light in her hands. A spindly purple spear appeared in her left. It sizzled against the wooden floor and table. In her other hand, the female fallen simply held onto her glass, swirling the liquid within. Raynare smiled, pointing her chin up at Dohnaseek. The other fallen angel seemed unmoved. Annoyed, Raynare opened her mouth.
"Pathetic. You're pathetic. How in our Father's name are you going to do that?"
Slowly, the male fallen reached up. He grasped his fedora before laying it down on the table between them. Dohnaseek sighed before downing the entire glass of his own. He answered her question with another question. Dohnaseek hinted, "You've been drinking my wine this entire time haven't you?"
Raynare paled. The red concoction in her glass stopped its dance. A drop of it fell out, dripping down one of her fingers. It was chillingly cold. Raynare shot a pointed look over at the empty glass in Dohnaseek's hand.
"You're drinking the same thing!"
Dohnaseek calmly drummed his fingers on the table. He was being slow, almost lackadaisical. Raynare didn't pick up on any of it though. Quietly, the man pulled up his left arm. Raynare frowned as he pulled back his sleeve. There was a watch on his wrist. It was well-made, gleaming of silver. For a moment, Dohnaseek was silent. A few solitary seconds passed with neither of them saying a word. Dohnaseek was the first to break the silence.
"It's about time."
A moment later, Raynare coughed. Something dribbled down her chin. Quickly, she dropped the glass in her hand. It tumbled to the floor. A panicked hand shot up to Raynare's mouth. It came back smeared with a dark red. Roughly, Raynare tried to stand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Raynare fell to the floor. Dohnaseek grabbed the wine bottle on the table. Quietly, he brought it to his lips. Again, he sighed as the green-colored glass came back from his mouth. His dark blue eyes drifted down to where Raynare laid in a heap on the floor.
"It wasn't in the bottle. I put it in the glass." Dohnaseek said. His voice was still calm. In a way, it almost sounded disappointed, as if the man missed out on something important. Staring down at her, the man explained, "I know you'd be too stupid to check."
Raynare sputtered and growled. She struggled on the ground, trying to do something anything at all. All the woman could do was limply struggle. Finally, a question left her lips, "W-What did you do to me?"
"I poisoned you of course. It's not exactly how I operate, but that's just the point." Dohnaseek stopped bringing a hand up to his chin. Slowly, he rubbed his face, scratching at his stubble. He leaned forward, taking another swig from the bottle. "Who in the Grigori would believe I poisoned you?"
Raynare opened her mouth to respond. Her killer beat her to it. Dohnaseek raised up a hand, sighing heavily. Chugging down the last of the bottle, the fallen angel lamented, "It's just so boring though. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise you, but I'd have rather not done it like this. Especially not with this of all things. Fucking devils."
"A-Azazel will kill you!"
Angrily, Dohnaseek slammed a fist onto the table. Raynare jumped. Furious eyes turned to Raynare, Dohnaseek raged, "Oh don't get me started on that prick! He's the one that gave me this job in the first place. He's also the fucker that convinced me that booze was worth falling for! Absolute asshat."
Shocked, Raynare stared. More blood dribbled from her mouth. This time it was black. Something started to leak from her nose and eyes. It was warm. Involuntarily, the woman's hands started to shake. She could feel a warmth coming from her inner ears.
"Hmmph. Don't got a lot of time left then. The point is, I know the bastard. I also know that he doesn't even know your name. Trust me, I asked."
"W-What?" Raynare gasped. She couldn't believe it. How after everything that she's done could Azazel not know her name? She gave up everything for this. Kokabiel said that...he- The thoughts were fleeing her.
"B-But Kokabiel..."
Dohnaseek smiled. It was a cruel pointed thing. She was standing in front of a predator who smelt blood. It made Raynare afraid. She was afraid to die. She didn't want to die, not like this. Cold shivers traveled up the woman's spine, as her entire body arced, slamming itself into the floor.
"And there's the seizures...damn this stuff is potent. Who would've thought that distilled demonic power is just as toxic to a fallen as light is to a devil."
Raynare couldn't hear him. She couldn't hear anything now. The fallen's eyes rolled in her head, as her entire body continued to spasm. The words were flowing past her like water. It felt as if her entire body was burning up from the inside out. For one singular moment, Raynare had clarity. The pain stopped. The spasms ceased. Her eyes fluttered open. Dohnaseek's voice reached her ears.
"But, don't worry your pretty little head about Kokabiel. After all, he's gonna get exactly what he wants."
Raynare's last thought was that she didn't want to die.
AN: Howdy folks, it's been a minute, but here's the next chapter for you. We're getting so tantalizingly close to one of the two major ideas that made me want to write this story in the first place. We're at the climax of the first part of the fic here, and things are going to change a lot. It's on the tip of my tongue, so I'm gonna shut up.
Anyway, please feel free to tell me what you thought down below. There were a lot of things going on in this chapter at the same time, so If anything outright didn't make sense please let me know. I tried my best to keep things in order and understandable, but hey, I'm human. Also, please point out any grammar or other writing errors. I like those errors about as much as a brick to the face, so I'd like them all gone. I'm gonna give this another round of editing tomorrow, so if you point anything out, I'll fix it then.
Well, that's a wrap for this one. Until next time...
~ciao
