Greetings once more!
Wow. Just wow. It's been almost a full year since I restarted this project, and I'm astounded at what it's become. I've never put so much effort into creative writing in my life, and I am so glad that I'm only doing this for the fun of it, and that people are enjoying it! So, once again, thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD, nor do I own Type Moon or any of its intellectual properties.
Published: August 6, 2021
Updated: March 16, 2023
…
Chapter 9 – Aftermath
Connor stood at the doorway to Asia's apartment, taking in the night air and trying to maintain a calm frame of mind. Being caught in the middle, or rather, being thrown into the path of an abduction plot more convoluted than nuclear physics would do damage to anyone's mental health. Especially if one almost meets the Grim Reaper as a result.
At least Asia was safe, for now.
The nun had taken a hand towel and two bowls from her kitchen, filling one with clean water while leaving the other empty to use for pitching out dirty water after wringing the towel. She said that she wanted to try and clean up the dhampir woman's face while she would be waiting for them to come back.
Leaving her to it, Connor stepped outside to view the carnage, but had stopped at the door. In the wake of the battle with Asia's stalker, the area in front of the apaato resembled nothing of what it used to with so much debris strewn about in all directions. Chunks of pavement and dirt covered the crater-ridden street, scorch marks from the blonde Devil's fire magic dotted the sidewalk and patches of grass, and a partially-uprooted tree hung across the road at a rather precarious angle. And that wasn't even considering the puddles of blood he could see from the walkway.
Tobio was currently busying himself with repairing the road. He was kneeling down on the sidewalk with his palms flat against the ground, black magic circles glowing beneath them. Piece by piece, chunks of earth were rolling and breaking apart, only to come back together and reform in their original place in the ground. It was like watching marbles roll toward a pit and then just melt into it. Very strange.
Tobio looked up to see Connor watching him work.
"Earth magic," he described. "Really good for cleaning up a crime scene."
The magus grunted in acknowledgment and jumped the railing to join him.
With Tobio taking care of the surrounding area, Connor went look for the severed arm and the sword of the Devil Jin had killed. Sure enough, they were right where he'd seen her lose them. The arm was no longer bleeding, and the double-edged European-styled sword was more or less soaked in the life fluid now spilt on the ground.
He picked up the weapon by the pommel and applied Inguz, the rune of separation, to the hilt, guard and blade. He watched with a small bit of satisfaction as the collected blood fell off like actual water, even pulled from between the crevices. In his inspection, he noticed writing of some kind etched along the blade's fuller. He squinted to try and read it, but at that moment, Tobio walked up and peered over his shoulder.
"Adding to your collection?"
"Maybe." The magus set the weapon aside before resuming his part of the cleanup, using Sowilo to incinerate the arm and blood spots instead of contain them, thus expediting his work by a good few minutes. He didn't know for what exactly, but maybe there would be a use for the sword later. It's owner wouldn't be needing it anymore. He could figure out what the inscriptions said once he was done here.
"So," Tobio continued, "Jin tells me that you went on the offensive and attacked the Devils when they arrived. What made you think it was a good idea to fight a whole group of them by yourself?"
Connor bit his lip in irritation. He knew this discussion was coming, whether he wanted it or not.
"I never once believed it to be a good idea. I just didn't want to risk them getting any closer. If they stormed my apartment the way the exorcists did, there'd be no way I could stop them all. Home field advantage or not, my odds of surviving six on one against an unknown enemy while protecting someone were slim to none. I had no choice but to hit them first." Connor stood up again and turned to face Tobio, holding the sword loosely in his right hand as he did. "Besides, I figured Jin would help even things out. But he didn't fight as much as I thought he would."
"He doesn't know you well enough. If you were someone he's seen fight before, he might have a better idea of how best to have helped you."
"So that's why he waited until after I nearly got a hole punched in my chest?" the magus asked aggressively.
"He was waiting for you to tell him what to do, but because you didn't say anything, you left him hanging. Don't blame him for your lack of communication. I understand that you're used to working on your own, but that wasn't the case tonight. You had backup, but you have to talk for them to be effective."
Connor wanted to rebuke him, but he knew the man was right. He hadn't said a word during the entire fight, much less said anything to Jin beyond 'let's go.' After watching the dog kill that sword-wielding Devil with ease, he had just assumed that Jin would be able to do the same thing to the others once he saw an opening. If all he really had to do was give an order, then maybe it wouldn't have been such a close call.
"Look, I'll just chalk this up to everyone being outside their comfort zone. Let's just get this done and go from there."
"Fine by me." The less said, the better.
Tobio wrapped up his part of the work shortly thereafter and stayed outside to call his boss, allowing Connor to go back inside and check on Asia.
The nun had done what she could for the dhampir, and it was enough for Connor to get a good look.
She was young, not much older than him, and actually quite pretty. Her hair was still somewhat dirty, but Asia's attempt to clean it showed the platinum blonde locks that framed her youthful face. Her fair skin wasn't the sickly pale he would expect to see on a vampire, but perhaps that was an influence of her human parentage.
"I know it's not much, but…" Asia trailed off.
"It's okay, Asia. I'm sure she would appreciate it."
He picked up another towel and began helping with cleaning the dhampir's hair. It wasn't much longer, though, before a new presence entered the Field, prompting Connor to cease. This was unlike anything he'd felt come through before; it was massive! He stood up and motioned for Asia to stay close to him as he headed for the door to greet the new guest.
Alongside Tobio walked in an older man, seemingly about ten or so years the agent's senior. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he walked nonchalantly, but held himself with all the equanimity of someone who'd seen a lot in his years.
The man glanced around the apartment before his eyes landed on Connor, giving him an assessing stare.
"So, you're the magus, eh?" he asked.
"Yeah, and you're Tobio's boss?"
"That I am."
"Connor Lochlainn. Nice to meet you," the magus introduced himself, offering his hand for a shake somewhat stiffly.
"Azazel, Governor General of the Grigori. Likewise." The man firmly grasped and shook said hand before directing his focus to the exiled nun, and a gentle smile appeared. "And you must be Asia Argento. I've heard some good things about you, young lady. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"U-umm… It's nice to m-meet you, too, sir," the nun stammered.
Connor stepped forward slightly to place himself between Asia and Azazel, putting the focus back on him. He didn't trust this man, and didn't want him anywhere near Asia if he could help it. Sensing the tenseness in Connor's stance, the Fallen Angel held up his hands.
"Take it easy, kid. I'm not here to cause trouble, I just wanted to verify a couple things. First, let's go have a look at our patient."
"Lead the way." The magus motioned to the bedroom, letting Azazel and Tobio go on ahead while he and Asia followed. After last time, he wasn't going to show his back to a Fallen.
Stepping into the room, he saw Azazel kneeling down to examine the woman's facial features, Tobio standing to his right. After a few seconds of this, he stood up with his hands on his hips and his head hanging down slightly.
"Yep, that's her," the man said after letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Expecting someone else?" Connor asked.
"I was hoping for it, actually. A little over a month ago, a member of the Tepes royal vampire family in Romania went missing. Many of the clans there are up in arms because there's a civil war being fought over her there. To be more accurate, over her Sacred Gear."
Asia gasped while Connor looked back down at the woman. "And you're sure this is her?"
"Positive. The agents I sent to look into it were very thorough in getting her description, and she matches every detail."
"Well, that's just spectacular. And nobody has a clue how a bunch of Strays got her?"
Azazel shook his head. "Not one. The answer to that will have to wait until she comes to."
"But why?" Asia asked. "Why are people fighting over her?"
The older man turned to look the girl in the eye. "Because, Argento-chan, she possesses the Sephiroth Graal, one of the most powerful Sacred Gears known to exist, or Longinus Gears."
"Longinus?" Connor questioned, "As in the Roman legionnaire whose spear pierced the side of Jesus? And there's more than one?"
"Of course. Tobio's got one of them, too. Those Gears are the top thirteen among the… hell, I don't even know how many," Azazel explained with a growing smile. "I've spent centuries studying Sacred Gears, and even I haven't found all there is to find. And yes, it's the very same man." He paused to let the information sink in, studying the young magus' facial movements as he looked back to the dhampir. "You know, you're taking all of this rather well."
"I'm fighting off a headache right now, so you'll pardon me for not quite having a proper grasp of the 'power scale' here. I've learned more about this Sacred Gear crap in the last two weeks than I have in the previous ten years. It's a lot to take in."
"But you did learn something from it, didn't you?" The smirk on the man's face irritated Connor for some reason. It just made him want to punch the guy.
"Yeah, I learned that I'm glad I don't have a Gear. Way too much trouble." If it meant getting hunted every day from all sides for something that you barely understood until you were under someone's heel, then having a power like that simply wasn't worth it.
Azazel chuckled. "Fair enough. But, answer me this: What would you do to get your hands on the Holy Grail?"
Connor stared at him blankly, not understanding what the Holy Grail had to do with any of this. Once he realized what Azazel was alluding to, however, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. The moment they did, the Fallen Angel started laughing, having finally gotten the reaction he was looking for. Tobio, off to the side, silently watched the interaction unfold with his own smile.
"You mean to tell me that this woman has the actual Holy Grail bonded with her soul? As a Sacred Gear? What kind of… cosmic prank is this?"
"The Sacred Gear system is just one of God's many cosmic pranks, kid, right up there with the aardvark and the platypus. It's one big lottery; no way to know who gets one until they actually got it. That's just how it was designed. Even someone with Devil blood could be born with one, as long as there's human blood in them, too."
"I- whoa, hold on, that seems wildly contradictory."
"It is, but one such person exists, and he works for the Grigori."
…
…
Upon seeing that Connor looked ready to bang his head against the wall, Azazel's insufferable laugh began again with greater intensity.
"BUHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Sorry, sorry. That was too much at once, wasn't it? My bad," he apologized, despite not appearing sorry at all.
The magus lifted his head to glare at the man. "Glad I could brighten up your night, but, moving on, there's still one piece of business we haven't discussed."
"Yeah, that's right. Tobio told me about that. Said that you got into quite the scrap earlier. Scared off a high-class Devil and his servants. I can't say I'm too surprised, given what you did to Dohnaseek, but still, fighting a whole group by yourself is pretty ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy."
"I know, I know." He really didn't want to have that conversation again tonight. He looked to Tobio, who nodded, then back to Azazel. "Well, big whoop, anyway. The guy's still alive, so he'll come back for Asia."
"Maybe, but that won't happen for a while, I think. You dealt him a pretty hard blow tonight," Azazel began to explain while crossing his arms. "He's lost a sizable number of servants, he's been wounded, and there's no war going on to conveniently excuse any of it. Other Devils are going to ask questions, and he's going to have to answer them. If he lies and claims that they were Strays, that would imply that he has very little control over his own peerage, which will affect his credibility and standing with the upper-class, if not get his rights to a peerage stripped completely. Whatever excuse he comes up with won't convince everyone, especially the Satans, so people will be watching him a lot more closely from then on."
"And if he chooses to tell the truth, he'll all but condemn himself to crimes including, but not limited to, trespassing, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder," Tobio added. "The only other option he has would be to go into hiding, but that's more of a short term solution, and one that won't end well for him."
"I'm pretty sure that Devil law doesn't really care about the lives of humans," Connor pointed out. "The only charge that would stick would be the trespassing, since you need the approval of the local Governors to even be here, from what I'm told."
'Not to mention Rias herself would be under investigation for her involvement with Hyoudou. Unless reviving the unwilling dead isn't a big no-no for those people.'
"Then use that to your advantage," Azazel advised. "As someone with no official allegiance, you've got some leeway to play both sides of the board, if you're smart about it. So go ahead and do what you will with the connections you've made leading up to this. I'm really curious to see what happens, and as long as what you do doesn't come around to threaten the Grigori, I'll keep my people out of your hair."
Connor narrowed his eyes at Azazel, not trusting the look he was giving him. "What's your angle? What do you get out of this?"
"Me? Oh, I've already got quite a bit. No need to worry about me if I just plan to watch this play out, right?"
The more and more this man talked, the more Connor was convinced of a very disturbing possibility: That being, Azazel had plotted everything leading up to this point from the moment Connor got involved. Given that the man had set up for Tobio to delegate Asia to him, knowing her circumstances, and had left her fate in his hands, the magus was inclined to believe that he was basically enlisted in order to draw out Asia's stalker and expose the little freak. While that was highly unlikely, criminal masterminds in fiction were known to use unconventional means to achieve their ends.
God help the world if James Moriarty was a real person and met this guy over drinks.
The only factor that seemed unaccounted for in this entire fiasco was the dhampir showing up in Stray Exorcist hands, given the drastic change in Tobio's orders. Even then, the Governor General turned it into a win, since he now had a high-value bargaining chip and full access to the Sacred Gear extraction ritual if he felt the need to use it.
"I suppose… Well, thanks for the advice, Lord Azazel, but I'm fresh out of luck. The leader took the bodies of his dead servants when he retreated, and… wait…" Connor stopped as he suddenly remembered something, and turned to face the Cadre's operative. "Hey, Tobio. Jin finished off one of the Devils and pulled the body into that shadow pocket of yours. Is it still there?"
"It should be. Nothing else can access that area but myself and Jin. Hold on…" Tobio turned to the side and reached his hand out, opening up a black portal. He sifted through it, absently mumbling to himself in his search.
While they waited, Connor advised for Asia to head into the living room and wait for them to finish talking. She hesitated at first, but relented after Jin walked up to and leaned against her leg. The sentient Sacred Gear then gently nudged the confused nun out the door, much to the amusement of Azazel.
Eventually, Tobio leaned out from the pocket, dragging something out with him.
"Is this yours?" he asked before letting it fall to the floor.
Before them lie a young woman with dark brown hair and abnormally pale skin, of which was a result of death by exsanguination. She wore a white and blue dress that bore slits along the sides to allow for freedom of movement, and a blue corset of sorts that attached to blue sleeves on her arms and a golden neck loop.
Her right arm was missing below the elbow, cleanly severed at the joint, and the large gash on her neck showed how violently Jin had struck. She had to have bled out within seconds. Her left hand and the majority of her dress were covered in her own dried blood.
'Perfect!'
"Yes, it is. Thanks for holding onto it."
"You… you want it?" Tobio asked slowly.
"Yeah. If nothing else, this'll be my proof that I acted in self-defense."
"Damn, kid. You went to work on her, didn't you?" Azazel said to Connor, who just shrugged.
"Heat of the moment, couldn't be helped."
"Well, if there's nothing else that needs discussing," Azazel concluded, gathering up the dhampir, "we'll just take this young lady back to home base and see what we can do to help her."
"You do that."
The three men exited the bedroom, happening upon the sight of Asia sitting on the couch in the living room and stroking Jin's mane. Her contagious smile was in full bloom, and the canine was very much enjoying her lavishing hand, if the way he was leaning against her legs with his eyes closed was any clue.
Tobio gave a light whistle, snapping Jin out of his daze. He licked Asia's hand, eliciting a giggle, before standing up and returning to Tobio's side.
"Let me know how it goes," Connor bid his farewell to the two men.
"Sure thing. Oh, and, by the way, kid." Azazel paused at the door, making sure he had the magus' attention. "You're still on the naughty list. Later."
He didn't even give Connor a chance to reply, vanishing in a flurry of black feathers.
"See you on Sunday," Tobio reminded, walking toward the stairway, Jin in tow. "We'll talk about your bonus then."
Just like that, he, too, left without another word.
'Figures I wouldn't be let off that easy,' Connor thought bitterly to himself.
"Um… naughty list?"
"Don't worry about it, Asia."
With all other business taken care of, Connor bid Asia good night and returned to his apartment, taking the corpse and the sword with him. He disengaged the Nauthiz runes on his door to let it fall against the furniture propping it up and grant himself passage. Once inside, he reapplied the runes and deposited the Devil's body in the living room, then went about cleaning himself of the blood and detritus that dotted his own form.
One long, hot shower later, he plopped himself into one of the dining room chairs. Now clean and calm, he decided to take another look at the words inscribed on the deceased Devil's weapon.
These things were even more bizarre than the ones on Jin's saber. In some places, he could actually recognize a few letters, while others looked like they were more suited for an occult textbook. Out of curiosity, he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the words, then sent the image to the default search engine.
Most magi hated modern technology out of sheer principle, as did Connor, to an extent –he despised wireless networking with a fiery passion– but damn if the Internet was a good instant dictionary when it was needed.
Unfortunately, even the World Wide Web didn't bring up any solid answers, just a bunch of gibberish based on what some of the characters resembled. Greek, Hebrew, Latin, among other languages that he wasn't well-versed in. The only correlation between the suggestions was that they all centered around the Mediterranean Sea at one point in time. This was either a long-dead ancestral language, or something exclusive to Devils.
'I can't read it, but maybe someone else can.'
With his own knowledge a dead end, another perspective was needed. He cycled through his contact list, looking for one specific person, only to discover a very important oversight.
He forgot to get her phone number earlier that morning.
'Am I stupid, or am I stupid?' he chastised himself, leaning back to stare at the ceiling.
Connor had no plans of spending all night with a body in his apartment, but he had no way of quickly contacting the one proper authority figure for this matter.
Except…
Standing up, he walked into his bedroom and dug through the stack of papers to the left of his futon. Underneath all the notes and homework that was due next week, he found a single piece of parchment paper. Written in deep blue were the kanji that roughly translated to: "We'll make your wish come true!"
This wasn't what he'd intended to use it for, but this was the hand he was dealt.
He grunted and set the flyer in the middle of the room.
"Sona Sitri, we need to talk."
In the Student Council office, Sona and Tsubaki were going over the last of the pending documents for the budgets of this year's summer festivities when the notification sigil on Sona's desk began to blink. Someone was calling for a Devil.
Ordinarily, she would assign it to one of her available servants, since she rarely went on contract calls anymore, but this time was different. This one was calling for her specifically, as she could feel it pulling on her like a magnet.
That hadn't happened in a while.
"I'll take this one, Tsubaki. Keep working, I'll be right back."
"Of course," her Queen replied.
Sona stood up and adjusted her uniform, ensuring there were no wrinkles to be found from sitting at her desk for more than two hours. She had to look presentable to the client, after all, plus she needed to stretch her legs. Stepping into the corner of the room used for teleportation, she invoked the magic circle's power and disappeared from the Council Room.
Reappearing in the center of the circle from the flyer, she gave her practiced introduction.
"Your strong desire has called me forth, and–" she trailed off as she noted her surroundings. She was indoors and the air was slightly cooler than that of evening time in early May. When her nose caught the faint scent of blood, and her eyes landed on a tired-looking Connor leaning against a wall, she blinked. "Lochlainn-san?"
"Evening," Connor greeted with a wave then glanced down at her body. "You're still in uniform?"
"Yes, I'm still at the office. Lochlainn-san, are you alright? What's going on?"
"It's better if I show you. In here," he motioned for her to follow as he pushed off the wall and walked out of the room.
While no small amount of confusion, she did so. That confusion turned to shock when she passed the doorway to view Connor standing over a corpse in the main living area. In addition, she took note of the sword in his hands.
"What is this?!" she exclaimed.
"She's Exhibit A, and this is Exhibit B."
Sona's gaze hardened at the magus, all but demanding an explanation.
"It's a long story, and I'm running on fumes right now, but suffice to say: What we talked about earlier this morning came true. That stalker showed up looking for Asia, and he brought some backup with him."
"And this is…"
"One of his lackeys that didn't get away."
Sona took a calming breath, trying to keep her racing mind from bombarding the magus with questions. She approached the body and activated a diagnostic spell, finding, to her alarm, that the woman was a Devil with an intact Knight Piece.
"Lochlainn-san, when I said that I required proof, I did not believe that this was what you would procure. And why did you summon me with a flyer, anyway? You could have just called me."
"I would have, but I don't have your number. Totally slipped my mind to get it this morning. As for this? I don't see why you're complaining. You said it yourself: Any Devil that comes to Kuoh without permission is trespassing, and unless she got the go-ahead from you or Rias, she and the others shouldn't have been here, much less attack me. I just acted in self-defense. This is the only one whose body the master didn't retrieve when he ran home."
As he talked, he handed her the weapon of the deceased Knight. She studied it for a moment, recognizing the words etched onto the blade as the modern written language used in the Underworld.
"What about this master? Did you find out anything about him?"
"I didn't get his name, but I talked to him right before it all happened. Short guy, dark green hair, yellow eyes, kind of scrawny?"
Her hand holding the sword's grip tensed, "I see… I will have to do some research, but for now, we should take care of this."
She did in fact recognize someone who fit that description, and that deeply concerned her. This had to be dealt with quickly.
Composing herself, she addressed Connor, looking slightly up at him.
"Just this once, Lochlainn-san, I will waive the summoning cost for that contract. However, you and I will have our chess game tomorrow as recompense, and I will not tolerate any procrastination. Come to my office tomorrow morning at 7:00. We need to go over everything that happened here, after you've had some rest. If the need arises, I'll have you excused from morning classes."
"I'd appreciate that," he gave a tired nod, punctuating his reply with a yawn.
Sona nodded as well, then knelt over the Devil's body, invoking a spell that would prevent any further decay of both the corpse and the Evil Piece. If the trespassing master was who she now suspected, the intact Piece would be the most damning evidence to be used against him. She then opened a transportation circle directly below the body, sending it to a secure location until it was needed.
"Have a good night, Lochlainn-san," Sona bade a curt farewell before disappearing exactly the way she came, sword still clutched in her hand.
Arriving back at the Student Council office, she looked over at her Queen, who had looked up upon noticing Sona come back much sooner than expected. And with a weapon.
"Kaichou? Is something wrong?"
"Quite possibly, Tsubaki. Tomorrow morning's schedule has changed, I have a very pressing matter to attend to at 7."
The next morning, Sona had dismissed the rest of the Student Council in preparation for Connor's arrival, leaving only Tsubaki with her. The Sitri heiress was seated at her desk and filing the paperwork she'd left behind earlier, to pass the time.
Sona wanted to make sure that whatever the magus had to say would stay in the office. She had already explained the situation to Tsubaki, her Queen having sworn herself into secrecy. She could have had the others do the same, but it was much simpler this way, and she had no desire to deal with constant interruptions while Connor was talking.
A knock on the door alerted the two.
"Come in," she beckoned as she stood up.
The door opened to reveal Connor, looking much more refreshed that what she saw last night.
"Good morning, Lochlainn-san. Are you feeling alright?"
"Morning, Sona, Tsubaki. Yeah, I'm better now." He sounded better, too.
"I hope you don't mind, but I've asked Tsubaki to takes notes as you tell me of the events that occurred at your apartment. Meanwhile, you and I can focus on the game." Sona took a seat at the chess table and motioned for him to do the same, while Tsubaki retrieved a notepad and pen from her desk.
"Just the model of efficiency, aren't you?" he quipped.
"Indeed I am," she replied easily, "but before we begin, I must ask this, Lochlainn-san: Are you aware of what happened elsewhere last night in Kuoh Town?"
"You mean the church burning down?" he asked as he sat down in the opposite chair. Sona confirmed his question with a nod. "Yeah, I saw the smoke and heard the fire trucks, but I didn't know what happened until today. I was… pretty well tied up with other things. I did hear some rumors on the way here, though. Something about an arsonist?"
"We've left the official investigation to the local fire department," Tsubaki said, "as it appears that evidence on the scene points to an intentional burn using household chemicals as accelerants. The church had collapsed before first responders even arrived."
"Wow, really? Went up like a giant box of matches, then."
"So it seems. But, if you don't know, then there's nothing more to be said about it." She sat up in her chair regally. "Now then, as challenger, you make the first move."
"Yes, ma'am."
White pawn to F3.
Sona's brow furrowed as she made her starting move.
Black pawn to E6.
The magus eyed the board with a look of concentration for a few moments before his hand went to the pawn in column G.
Her brow scrunched even further in confusion at this. If he moved that piece forward two squares, he'd set himself up for a Fool's Mate, the easiest and most humiliating way to lose in chess. Unbeknownst to her, Tsubaki had much the same reaction. (1)
'Surely, he's not going to-'
White pawn to G3.
"Did you think I would do it?" he asked with a knowing smile.
Sona blinked, then cleared her throat and made her next move, slightly annoyed in her response. "Do you always start with a fake out?"
Black pawn to C6.
"Only if I've never played against someone before. It only ever works once, and their first move tells me whether they're looking to win or they're just killing time."
White pawn to C4.
"Your move, Kaichou."
Looking down at the board, Sona observed that he was now moving to take the center using two pawns to start with another two as backup while holding the others back to likely move as a second wave.
The Sitri heiress allowed a little smile that belied her competitive excitement. It was always fun for her to play against someone new, and she had a feeling that she was going to enjoy this game.
While the two made their front lines moves and the pawns started to battle for control of the center, Connor began his testimony of the night's events. Starting from the moment he left school, then meeting the rogue Devil outside his apartment, and preparing himself for an attack afterward. In the course of that battle, he drew them away from the apaato and cut down three before getting overwhelmed and put into a corner. Through a stroke of luck, he caught them off guard and killed a fourth, forcing them to retreat.
Sona's attention to his story piqued when he described the nun using a Sacred Gear in order to completely heal the wounds he'd suffered in a matter of seconds.
Tsubaki had chosen that moment to comment. "That was foolish of you, Lochlainn-san. Had any of those Devils been a different Piece than what they were, and had been expecting you, you could very easily have been killed."
"I'm well aware, and I've apologized enough for my actions to Asia," he said with conviction. "I did what I had to."
"Speaking of, Argento-san, was it? You failed to mention that she had such a remarkable power," Sona pointed out, moving a knight to protect her queen.
"I did, because I wasn't sure how any of you would react to news of a Sacred Gear like hers." He moved a pawn further toward her side, just outside of her knight's reach. "I'm still not, in a way, which is why I don't plan to say anything about it to Rias."
Sona looked up. "Why? What do you mean?"
"You already know that I was there two weeks ago to fight the Fallen Angels, right?" She nodded. "Well, I was also there to watch Issei get murdered with my own eyes. Once the Fallen ran after I finished the fight, I went looking for Issei, but his body was gone. But here's where it gets interesting. That flyer I called you with last night? Reya gave it to me on the Friday before all that happened. I got another one from some girl in a bat-themed maid outfit just a short while before the murder, one that had a different diagram than yours, so I know for a fact she's not with you."
Sona's eyes widened slightly when she recognized the woman in question.
'Rias' familiar…'
"Do you see where I'm going with this?" he continued. "I figured somebody came along and conscripted his corpse while no one was looking in order to get his Sacred Gear. So imagine my surprise when I see him at school the very next day like nothing happened. And on top of that, learn that he's been brought into the ORC, a group that he had no connection with prior to then."
Connor then sat up straight and crossed his arms. "Now, connect the dots and tell me, as an outsider to Devil customs, that I'm wrong and that Rias didn't arrange to benefit from Issei's murder. If that can't be done, then explain why informing her about Asia's Gear would be a good idea in any way."
He was issuing a challenge, Sona observed, and now she understood why Connor seemed so much more guarded around Rias. The magus saw her as a threat, and a looming one in the nun's case. To him, she was a problem that he couldn't resolve by his own measures without causing more problems for himself in the future. He was more right than he realized; if not for Rias' peerage retaliating should he try, then her older brother would.
Having come to the conclusion that he did based solely on what he had observed, Sona couldn't really fault him for being careful. Even so, it would be better for both parties if she could clear any misconceptions between them.
"I will not deny the logic of your argument, Lochlainn-san, but I can assure you that Rias is not as conniving as you imply. She spoke with me shortly after that night and explained herself and the reasons for her decisions. I disagreed with her methods and made my opinion known to her, and since then, she has taken full responsibility for her part in Hyoudou-san's death and reincarnation. She would not forcefully reincarnate someone if they did not wish for it."
"Which is to say that he actually wished for that?"
"In all likelihood, he was not that specific, and just wanted to continue living," Sona speculated. "Even simple desires like that are enough to qualify as wishes, per the contract. In cases like Hyoudou-san's, however, reincarnation as a Devil is the only way within our power for that to occur."
Connor looked down at the board for a while before looking back up to the Sitri heiress.
"I want to believe you, Sona, but this is one of those things that I have to see for myself in order to believe. Asia's life was ruined by one manipulative Devil already, she doesn't need it to happen again. To that end, I don't want Asia meeting Rias unless I'm there with her."
"You cast a great deal of suspicion on Rias, but not so with me," Sona observed. "What makes you think that I won't try to manipulate Argento-san? I am a Devil, after all."
"I know you won't, because you don't like to twist peoples' arms, whether they're under your authority or not. You'll do it if push comes to shove, but you prefer to let people handle themselves with dignity. I learned that from asking you one specific question three days ago. Ring any bells?"
Taken aback by the confidence in which he laid out his assessment, Sona looked down absently at the board, trying to remember what question out of everything he asked that-
–––––
"Is that an order from Souna Shitori, the Student Council President, or a demand from Sona Sitri, the next in line to the Sitri household?"
"Neither. It's a request."
"That's a good answer."
–––––
She blinked, and the left corner of her lips perked upward slightly as she realized what he meant: That meeting was a test of his character to her, but the inverse was also true.
And with her response, she had won his respect.
"I see… Very well. I'll inform Rias of your conditions, but I think we've digressed from the original point of this meeting."
"It seems that way. Sorry for going off on a tangent there."
"It's alright. Let's just get back to the game."
"Right, you still have to destroy me."
The two exchanged moves once again and Connor continued to relay the events of the night before. He explained that the body he'd held on to was the only one caught within a Bounded Field, as he called it, set up around his apartment building. The Field had been modified to interfere with forms of magic other than his own magecraft, which was why the body hadn't been taken along with the others when their master retreated; the link had been blocked. Once the danger was passed, he made sure that Asia was secure and repaired the area before calling for Sona via the contract flyer.
"Hold on," Sona interjected, "You said that your Field blocks other magic. Then, how did you contact me with the flyer?"
Connor's jaw tightened for a brief moment. "I manipulated the Field to shut down the interference function while keeping the rest of it still running."
White rook to H4, taking black pawn.
Sona hummed and nodded, masking her suspicion. Something about that response made it seem like he was holding something back.
"What you've achieved is quite remarkable, Lochlainn-san, to say nothing of having survived the encounter," she commented innocuously.
Black queen to E5, taking white knight.
"Please, call me Connor. And thank you. Doesn't mean I'd like to go through it all again, though."
White bishop to C3.
"I would be concerned if you did."
Black bishop to C5.
Another few moves later, the game was well and decided. He put up a fight, lasting more than forty minutes in total and surprising her on a couple of moves. But in the end, he was trapped between Sona's five remaining pieces, with his own queen and last bishop unable to fend off an attack from her bishop or knight pieces without exposing his king. Her last move had cut off any escape.
"Checkmate."
Connor leaned back in the chair, nodding at the results.
"Yep, I kinda figured," he remarked, giving the board a droll glare. He glanced up again, only to be met with a smirking Sona. "From that look, having chewed me up and spat me out, I take it this battle of wits was satisfactory?"
"There was room for improvement, but overall, it was. I wouldn't mind a rematch in the future."
"I'm sure. Anyway, I should get going, if we're done for now."
"We are. Stay safe, Connor-san."
Connor stood up and bowed to Sona, then Tsubaki, and bowed upon stepping through the room's doorway. Neither Devil spoke for a short time after the door closed behind the magus.
Tsubaki finally broke the silence as she looked down at a contemplative Sona.
"What do you think, Kaichou?"
Sona shook her head. "I'm not sure."
Once again, Connor was leaving out details, but trying to pry them out of him would be ill-advised. With how reticent he was, he might retract what small amount of trust he'd placed in her. He had come to her with the evidence in the first place because he wanted her to cover for him. He must have believed that she could help keep any allies that this perpetrator might have from trying to silence him. A very presumptuous notion, but…
Sona stood up and began sorting the pieces on the chess board, rearranging them into their proper positions.
It wasn't a baseless notion, either. At the rate events were progressing, he would become a target before he could do anything by himself to stop it. While it was a shame that he had no intentions of becoming a Devil, that did not mean she would simply leave him to the wolves. She, like several members of her peerage, had come to enjoy his company.
When she looked at it from the standpoint of what Connor might have prevented, it was only fair that she, as Governor, at least attempt to protect the anonymity of an upstanding denizen of Kuoh. He did her a service, so she would do the same for him.
That, however, required the help of a certain… someone.
Sona glanced over to her Queen with a very sullen expression.
"Tsubaki."
"Yes?"
"Hand me your notes, and hang up… that sign."
Tsubaki looked at her King in surprise, as if asking whether or not she was really going to do that. Sona nodded, albeit very apprehensively. With only a brief pause, she did as instructed, taking a particular sign out of a drawer along the side wall and swapping out the 'Meeting in progress. Do not disturb.' sign with it in the office door's sign holder.
Printed in both English and Kanji were the words, 'Do not disturb. For any reason.'
"Shall I adjourn myself, Kaichou?" the Vice-President asked, keeping the door open.
"Yes, you may. Thank you."
Tsubaki bowed and exited the Council's office, leaving Sona alone to think her next move through.
Guided by nothing but a few hanging torches and his own memory, a restless and infuriated Diodora stomped through the halls of his lord's exorbitant castle.
'Damn that human!' he ranted inwardly. 'I knew I should've struck him down right then and there! This is not the way it was supposed to happen…'
Not only was his opportunity to retrieve Asia foiled twice over, four of his servants were now dead. Four! Gone forever! And he was mauled by some Satan-be-damned mongrel! Canis Lykaon, if what Anna told him held any truth, which didn't make sense at all. That Longinus was reportedly in the possession of a different human in the Grigori's employ, so why in all the circles of Hell was it there helping that human?! Was he with the Grigori, too?
Diodora rolled his shoulders and reached up with his left hand to feel the marks left behind by the mongrel's fangs. His fingers lightly traced the lumps of scar tissue that stood in place of once smooth skin.
It had taken Anna and his two Bishops several hours to heal the damage done to his neck and back, and even then, the wounds couldn't heal completely. No doubt, he now bore scars even more horrendous than the one on his chest.
If only that was his sole problem.
Thanks to Zephyrdor's blunder, and the subsequent increase in surveillance around all currents heirs of the major Houses, there were already more eyes on him than he would've liked. Security detail was now almost mandatory for anyone venturing outside of their clans' territory, which meant that he had needed, in the past, to attend to his business quickly and be back before people were sent to find him. This made his task for his true lord much more difficult, and even more so with his personal activities.
In his frustrated drive to acquire Asia, he'd been gone for almost a week. Far beyond the acceptable threshold of three days for House heirs.
There was no way that he could keep this quiet. Influential and powerful though he may be, even if he tried to cry 'Exorcist!' and claim self-defense, he couldn't possibly hope to dodge public scrutiny from the sudden loss of so many servants. It would raise questions of why he was fighting exorcists to begin with, especially after the meetings earlier in the week. If the remaining Devil houses were to pour their resources into investigating his whereabouts, it might uncover his dealings with the Old Satans and their benefactors. Furthermore, since Christine's body hadn't come back with them when they escaped and he could no longer detect it, there was now a physical trail leading right to him.
He had no other choice but to abandon House Astaroth for the time being. His absence would undoubtedly leave his 'family' flopping around like fish out of water, but he didn't care. Astaroth and every other current house would be ousted by the Old Satans soon, anyway. The Underworld's true rulers would take back what was theirs, while he would take back his place and smile at having stayed on the winning side.
He could settle the score with that human later. For now, a respite was needed.
Just as well, he'd received a summons from his lord a short while ago. He hadn't answered until his back was treated enough to be properly dressed and concealed.
Arriving at the main throne room, Diodora calmly walked to the center and bowed, though not enough to draw attention to his new wounds.
Sitting on the throne before him with their head propped on one gloved fist was a man wearing form-fitting black armor and a matching cape. Long brown hair reaching down past his shoulders partially concealed a matured and angular face, and his lone visible dark green eye stared down at Diodora in utter contempt.
Shalba Beelzebub, the last living descendant of the true Great Devil Beelzebub. A man seemingly without conscience who ruled by violence and fear, and was a perfect example of what the Satans should be, of what all Devils should be. Cunning and charismatic, next to Creuserey Asmodeus, he was the most vocal among the Old Satans about retaking their place in the Underworld. He was the one that had convinced Diodora of the New Satans' weakness, and brought him into the fold along with several other Devils who now acted as his personal spies.
There was, however, one particular issue with Shalba that Diodora wished wasn't so. The man demanded utmost loyalty and hated misinformation by those of a lesser station than him. He had killed servants and soldiers for even minor offenses in the past, which made Diodora always feel like he walking on eggshells around him. Especially now…
"Lord Beelzebub, King of Flies, my sincerest apologies for the abruptness of this audience, but-"
"Shut up," a smooth, piercing baritone interrupted him.
Diodora lifted his head. "My lord?"
"There is nothing abrupt about this, Diodora. I summoned you, and it was not just to hear your empty prattle," Shalba said with barely contained annoyance. "I want to know what you've been doing lately."
"Of course. Apologies, my lord. Something of late came up that required my attention."
"Oh? Why, then, did you not inform me of such a development requiring you to leave your station?"
"I… I did not believe that it would be worth your time to listen, my lord. It was a trivial matter, really. I simply needed to-"
"What you need to do is explain yourself, Diodora." Shalba interrupted again. "Why is it that when your orders were to maintain your position and await our next instructions, my network of spies finds you conspicuously absent? Do my orders, does my authority, mean so little to you?"
"N-No!" Diodora objected. "Of course not, my lord! I-"
"There is little that escapes my notice in the Underworld, Diodora, and it has come to my attention that the heir of House Astaroth has been missing from his estate for the last few days. All attempts at contact have been unsuccessful, to the point that his brother among the 'Four Satans' is beginning to worry. Then, just as mysteriously, his servants disappear for a whole two days. All of House Astaroth is in an uproar. Having only just come to terms with the 'unexpected' death of the heir to Glasya-Labolas, people are beginning to suspect foul play."
Diodora started to sweat. This was not going well. If he could just get-
A large fly suddenly buzzed past Diodora's ear, making him flinch, while the fly swiftly landed on his hand. The insect then scuttled in place, turning as if to face the Astaroth heir and stare up at him with its soulless compound eyes.
"And furthermore, there are now fewer flowers in the garden that you've so carefully cultivated over the years, are there not?"
A chill ran down his spine. "You… You've been watching me…"
"Of course I have, you fool! I do not blindly trust you to do your job, nor have I ever trusted your motives for joining us. I'm always on the lookout for loose ends, especially when agendas other than my own are in play. So, will you explain yourself, or must I extract the answers from you, painfully?"
Diodora's plan was falling apart right in front of him. He had hoped to skirt the real reason for the issue, but Shalba didn't even let him get a word in. Even worse, because of the flies, Shalba already knew about the absence of both him and his servants, effectively cornering him.
There was no escape. He was careless; he'd been caught before he even realized it.
Shalba's grip on the armrests of his throne gradually tightened as Diodora told the truth about his actions with great reluctance, finally crushing them to splinters once he stopped speaking. The Old Satan descendant stood up slowly and advanced toward the Astaroth heir with malice in every step. Demonic energy rolled off his body in wave after wave, crashing against the walls of the chamber and causing the obelisks to vibrate and resonate with one another, creating a horrible buzzing sound. One could only liken the intensity of their climactic cacophony to the horde of flies that descended upon ancient Egypt as one of the ten great biblical plagues.
"Let me get this straight: While you were off gallivanting on another one of your 'personal errands' to the human world, a human boy bested both you and your peerage in battle, inside of territory held by the siblings of those impostor Satans? And on top of all that, you willingly disobeyed my command and abandoned your post to pursue this fetid fantasy of yours?!" Even amidst the noise, Shalba's voice could be heard clearly. His tone started evenly, then rose to volcanic levels with every point he reaffirmed. As a final note, his hand ripped away the collar of Diodora's coat, exposing the new scars.
Whatever Diodora might have said in his defense died in his throat. The pressure he felt from Shalba's killing intent made Diodora drop to his knees and the sweat running down his face seem as cold as ice. With considerable effort, he tilted his head up, and was met with the most vehement glare he had ever seen on the man's face.
"You incompetent WORM!" Shalba exploded, the very ground beneath them rumbling from his bellow. "Do you realize what you've done?! Your flight of fancy has sabotaged us! You've just cost us valuable inside information and the ability to influence the current regime in our favor. Did you think that fool Zephyrdor can handle that on his own?! You were there to ensure that he didn't fall out of line! We have not suffered the indignities that we have at the hands of those impostor Satans, just so a fool like you could throw all of our work away! Stand up, you wretch!"
Diodora did as ordered, not daring to speak again. One more word could spell his death.
"I should kill you for this. Lucifer knows that I want to…" He paused as his eyes gained a calculating gleam and the buzzing noise gradually lessened and faded away. "But I won't. Not yet. In a bizarre twist of fate, I may still have some small use for you." As he spoke, a magic circle bearing the House sigil of Beelzebub appeared on the floor to his right. From within arose a metal and glass canister, seated on an ornate pedestal and filled with a purple viscous fluid. "So, instead of killing you, I'll leave this as a lasting memento to your imbecility!"
Shalba suddenly thrust his right hand into Diodora's chest, shattering the ribs protecting his heart and lungs like twigs. A soundless scream escaped Diodora's lips; never in his life did he experience pain such as this. He could feel the hand of the true Beelzebub open up and grasp something in his chest, then tear it out ruthlessly, further amplifying his agony.
Just as quickly, the Old Satan's left hand planted itself in the void left behind by his right hand. Only this time, Diodora could feel something being deposited instead of ripped out. Shalba then withdrew his left hand and applied a rapid healing spell to the gaping wound. Within seconds, the hole in Diodora's chest was closed and the ribs realigned and repaired, though not without leaving another ugly scar alongside the one he'd inflicted to himself.
Diodora fell to his hands and knees again, coughing and gasping to empty his mouth that had been filling with blood. He grabbed his chest, trying to feel what it was Shalba had done. To his shock, he couldn't feel his heart beating. It was as if there was nothing there. He looked up to see Shalba dropping the object in his right hand into the canister, and his eyes widened in horror upon seeing that the object was, in fact, his own still beating heart!
"Hmph, seems to be functioning properly."
"Wh- What did you do?!" he tried to scream through the blood in his mouth, glaring at Shalba who had finished cleaning his hands with magic.
"I replaced your heart with a magically conductive crystal and bound the two to one another through my magic. Think of it as my personal variant of your brother's vaunted Evil Piece system," Shalba calmly explained, like he hadn't just butchered the Devil glaring up at him. (2)
"Put simply, Diodora, as of now, you are my pawn, my tool, my slave. Your life belongs to me. Lie to me, betray me, withhold information from me, or compromise the Old Satans again, and I will crush your heart like a rotten fruit and end your miserable existence. If you attempt to tamper with that crystal, it will detonate, killing you just the same, and not any less painfully. And as for your remaining servants, their fealty to you has henceforth been revoked. Only I command them now, and you will die if any of them willingly or otherwise act against me on your behalf. You live by my will alone, and I know how much you want to live. Am I as clear as I can possibly be, you loathsome cur?"
Diodora's gaze slowly drifted to the floor, his entire world crumbling as he heard this. His freedom to do as he pleased was gone. Everything he had built up, all the effort he'd put into placing himself as the strongest among his generation, rendered worthless.
He was no longer Diodora Astaroth, brother to Ajuka of the Four Satans, and heir to House Astaroth. Now, he was just Diodora, disgraced high-class Devil, and slave to Shalba Beelzebub.
Shakily, he knelt before his… master. "Y-yes, my lord. I… I will do your bidding."
Shalba returned to his throne and sat back down. "Good. Now, go back to your former home, erase any involvement with us, and return here before I decide to truly cut my losses. You have one hour, starting now. Get out of my sight!"
Diodora clamored to his feet and hurriedly teleported to a mountain just outside the borders of House Astaroth property. There was a good few kilometers between him and his… old home, so he would be able to think. At least for a little while.
The primary estate of House Astaroth sat between the mountain ranges of the extinct Sabnock's great castle and the fertile plains of the also extinct Marchosias' territory. This lovely stretch of land, which remained temperate year-round, was home to one of the most prestigious Promotion exam centers in the entire Underworld, as well as an event stadium built in honor of his brother, Ajuka.
It was normally such a glorious thing to gaze upon and marvel from high above, but at the moment, Diodora couldn't think of any of that.
He grabbed his now doubly-scarred chest again, once more feeling for a heartbeat, hoping that this was just a bad dream or his mind playing tricks on him. Again, he felt nothing. He was awake and this was all real. He fell to his knees and grasped his head, groaning in anguish.
This was wrong. This was all wrong. His plan was perfect. It had always worked in the end. There would sometimes be setbacks, sure, inevitable ones on occasion, but they were always inconsequential. He always achieved what he strode for, and almost completed his life's work as a result. He was so close. Asia was the very last one. The pinnacle of his masterful, unprecedented collection! No one in the Underworld had ever have achieved what he did! None ever would!
But now, it was ruined!
Why? Why did this happen? Where did it all go so wrong?!
…
…
…
He knew why.
…
He knew the answer well before even asking himself that.
His failure, his fall, his enslavement.
It was all his fault!
The image of the human that destroyed everything flashed into his mind. Silently staring at him, mocking him for the pathetic state he was left in! Gloating over beating him, over ruining everything!
Diodora leaned back and let loose a enraged howl, screaming out his frustration to the Underworld, and the human that smashed his ambition to pieces.
"DAAAAAAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"
His voice carried across the wind and bounced off the nearest mountainside, returning to him with all the same hatred and anger. When the echoes finally died down, he seethed and spat between ragged breaths.
"If it's the last thing that I ever do… I swear… I will kill him… Shalba be damned! The Old Satans be damned! The entire Underworld be damned! I swear I will kill that human!"
Not today. Not tomorrow.
But he will kill him.
…
(1): In chess, the fastest way to checkmate is by White moving two particular pawns forward at the start and leaving their king open to a diagonal checkmate from Black's queen, thus Fool's Mate. It's rare, but it can happen.
(2): This was largely inspired by Tensura Slime, where Sandman had done much the same to Mjurran and held it over her head to make her do his bidding.
…
Done and done.
Once again, had to trim one scene (or rather, part of a scene) to keep the chapter around 10000 words. You'll see the trimmed part as a flashback in the next one, hope that's okay.
This chapter essentially wraps up the Asia half of canon DxD's first arc. For the Rating Game half, I'm debating whether to stay solely focused on Connor throughout in an original "quasi-arc," or intermittently update on Issei and the crew as they trudge along without Asia there to patch them up. I'll have something figured out by next chapter.
Man, did I enjoy writing that last scene! I know a lot of you were anticipating the outcome of Diodora's actions, so I hope it was worth the wait. I don't advocate the concept of the result, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, right?
If you would like what you read, leave a favorite, a follow or a review to let me know. Any advice or support that you could give would be greatly appreciated. If you'd like to take a shot at the challenge listed in chapter 1, send me a PM, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
As always, thank you for reading!