Chapter 4: An Unexpected Alliance.
"Trace on."
A blinding light overtook the darkness cast by the night. When it settled, it formed into blades of unimaginable power, each having the capability of reducing an infrastructure to mere rubble. Shirou flicked his wrist, the blades heeding his whim.
He could only watch the killing machine fail on escaping the grasp of the blades that stapled him.
Escape was impossible.
Upon that realization, Freed stopped trying to escape; it would not be worth anything in the long run. But even though he may seem lifeless at the moment, beneath that limp exterior was an ember of raging fire and a desire to inflict unspeakable atrocities on the one who humiliated him, such desire only buried deep within his twisted mind.
With no choice. "FiN..e!" He spat with an undeniable degree of animosity in his heart. He wants to live, and to ensure that he does so, he will do anything, even if that means betraying those crows.
"Hm?" Shirou hummed curiously, his brown-amber eyes looking at what he considered a beast of a man, reduced to a mere whimpering dog.
"I'll y..ou!" Blood poured from Freed's mouth; his esophagus was plugged with blood.
An expression of surprise overtook Shirou's apathetic expression. He was surprised by the sudden surrender of whom he had thought to be a rebellious killing machine. "Well then…" He dismissed his callous, inhumane persona. "Tell me…"
" d..umbass, wa..nts to 's in..side, RIGHT!?"
"Yes."
"…"
"Hm?" Shirou hummed, perplexed.
"InSidE...ThErE ExIsTs aN EnTiTy...ThAT TuRnS ThE mOnkeYs inTo tHosE AbOmInAtIoNs!" Freed cried out. "ThE mOtHeRfuCkErS BeCoMe LiKe StRaY dEvIlS! BUT!" Struggling to speak, he stopped; the pain hindering it. "WhAt ThEy TuRn iNtO aRe dIfFeReNt. BeCaUse-" Blood was gushing profusely from his mouth, even more so than before, like a waterfall. But he persisted. "If ThOse MoThErFuCkErs rEsIsTeD...SOMETHING ENTIRELY WOULD BE BORN!"
Shirou nodded in acknowledgment.
But after a moment of thought, he narrowed his eyes. He pondered the possibility that this was the creator of those monsters that threatened the lives of many, which he had to eliminate every night. But even if that's not the case, due to how Freed expressed the entity, he cannot help but feel anger at himself for being unaware of a threat that could have wiped out thousands of lives. However, he set those thoughts aside, concentrating on the matter before him first.
"As far as I know, I could have felt that monster easily." He murmured. "So, how? How did I not feel it?" He questioned.
"It'S BeCaUsE...ThAt ChUrCh Is...!" Freed widened his eyes; blood aggressively surged forth from his mouth. "...SuRrOuNdEd bY a FiEld ThAt DiSruPts AlL sEnsEs!"
Shirou nodded.
"WhAt MaKeS YoU ThInK YoU CaN Do WhAt THeY CAN'T!? FoOLiSh! No, WhO Am I KiDdInG!? YOU ARE JUST A BOY AFTER ALL!
There are certain areas of expertise that a mere human would not reach, it would seem. "Anything more I should know?" Shirou questioned, clasping his fists upon that realization.
"ToMmORroW... ThErE'D bE A rItUaL OcCuRiNg ThErE!"reed blurted out. The pain worsened. "ThAt's ALL i KnoW!" But after glimpsing Shirou's face of incredulity, he pushed his already overexerted body to speak. "SeE fOr YoUrSelF!"
Little information is better than none, he thought.
With a snap of his fingers, the blades that stapled Freed dissipated into motes of light, letting the latter tumble on the floor.
Despite the unbearable pain, Freed was overjoyed. Though relieved that he moved whenever he wanted, he had to move; this was the last chance he would ever get to kill this boy. He wasted no time looking around the space for his firearm, smirking as he did so.
But the "boy" was no fool; he could discern the slightest change in a person's intentions and hostility. Even a person's erratic heartbeats while distressed, strong blood circulation through adrenaline, and the dying glow of their soul once near death's door, he senses them. After a moment, he turned his back against Freed's stare that promised a gruesome death.
"You are free to do whatever you please." He said somewhat disdainfully, heading for the door.
Temporarily letting his guard down, he baited Freed to try and capitalize on this momentary weakness, knowing of his backstabbing nature. Shirou was right; the latter took the firearm and pointed it at him. It was an attempt to kill, a predictable one.
But, when Freed was about to pull the trigger, he overlooked the blade that lodged to his throat.
Once Shirou set his eyes on his weapons before even engaging him in combat he decided the fate of the latter:
Death.
After all, Freed could be compared to the worst of the worst.
Not once did Shirou plan to spare the bastard, nor let him do whatever he pleased. But, Death is such a sweet thing if swift, but if prolonged, it's a hellish, misery filled road to hell. That was why he felt inclined to pry out the answer through torture. But he must admit, the bastard was quite stubborn to die through the stress of going through such misery; as a reward, he gave him a false sense of hope, a bait disguised as such.
Predictably, Freed was fooled.
He widened his eyes in shock while trying to prevent blood from overflowing from his fresh mortal wound, but it was futile. However, despite being at death's door, Freed was still as unruly as ever. "KIlL!"The fatal wound only worsened. "KIll yOu...KiLl..Kill, KiLl YOU!"
His voice became almost nonexistent; the blood that clogged his esophagus should have downed him already; what he wanted to imply was delivered clearly.
"Hm? What do you want to say?" Shirou knelt near him.
I̷̡̧̻͚͑ ̴̨̮̺͈̀W̶͎͚̪̲̐I̸̼̭̼̹̓̏̈L̷͇̥̫͈̇Ĺ̸̙̩̃̚ ̵̬͊͂̊̂K̶̨͗̂̚Ḯ̷̡̊͆L̶̗͈̘̝̓L̸̮̯͙̱͝ ̵̠͚̣̒̐̔̎͜Y̵̡̥̜͎͂̽O̸̲̊͝U̵̢͛̇̈͝!̷́͋̾ͅ!
Not phased by the threat, Shirou pulled on the latter's hair. He directly looked at the crimson eyes emitting the desire to kill, betrayed by what he had done to him.
With the last of his energy, Freed forced his body to speak, his fury fueling him for one final time. "JuSt YoU WaiT!" He growled. "I'll co..me ba..ck! A..and! KILL YOU! E..ven if I s..sent to ..t d..epths o.f h.e..ll! I'll f..ind a..nd KILL YOU!" He promised while his heart was filled with malevolent desire. " YO.u a..RE! YO.U! YO..U ! ! I'LL FIN.D YOU! ... ! ! YO.u!"
Tears of blood poured out of Freed's eyes, rage momentarily overtaking his dying body. But just as the jolt of emotion arose, it immediately subsided; his body went lifeless, the expression of livid rage perpetually immortalized, and the glow of life faded to oblivion.
Even for a bit, Shirou Emiya was rattled. The promise of death held a certain genuineness to it as if it would happen. Shaking off that dreaded yet familiar feeling, he stood up, letting go of the corpse's hair. However, as he was about to do what he must, a familiar figure stumbled upon the bloodbath he caused.
"M-mister Hyoudou?" The familiar blonde stammered.
For a moment, she stood still. Her face was bright, seeing the boy who helped her once. Eager to interact with him, she took a step, only to realize she stepped on blood. Realizing what this might indicate, she frantically began to look around her, only to be met with a sight that would make any sane person vomit in disgust. Walls smeared with blood and the corpses of the priest she once served and the latter's victim, she saw them all as clearly as day.
She found it hard to maintain a stable bowel; the smell of blood met her sensitive senses.
"Asia Argento?" He named the cowering girl, recalling her name. "What are you doing here?" He questioned as he stood up, towering over the cowering nun.
"I-uh, I. I was supposed to..." She began to shiver in fear. "I-I was s-supposed to cast a field that casts people away." She stammered. "B-but I did n-not obey a-and I l-left! B-because! Because!" Tears started to flow like a waterfall; her body gave way, disgusted by her idleness. "I-I cannot b-bear the s-screams!" She pulled on her hair tightly; tears began pouring from her puffy eyes. "I-I cannot b-bear them anymore!"
Shirou Emiya clasped his fist; his head craned downwards with an indescribable expression.
He, as a human being, understood her more than anyone else.
"It's all right now." He comforted her; a rare smile found itself on his face. "After all, I killed him..." Upon hearing that declaration, Asia looked at him with an expression he could not describe clearly. But he does know one thing; she would not suffer anymore, not after he killed the one who made her life more hellish than it already was.
"From now on, you are free."
Hearing that declaration, Asia tried to stop her tears. Ultimately, she failed; it only seemed to flow like a faucet.
But behind that was not frustration or anger; it was instead happiness.
"But, for now, I want you to help me." He whispered gently to her ear, patting her back.
Hearing his gentle words, she seemed to calm down. "H-how can I help?" She questioned, wiping away the last traces of tears.
"What you said earlier, this "field "..." He muttered, rubbing his chin in curiosity.
"W-what about it?"
"From what you said earlier, it keeps away any intruders, am I right?" He asked.
"Y-yes," She confirmed immediately.
"Does it block everything that happens inside?" He questioned.
"B-But not entirely," She added, debunking some of his thoughts.
He nodded in acknowledgment. "I see." He muttered. He stood still as he pondered on his next choice of words "If you can…" He paused. "...Then please cast one."
She smiled, obeying him without a second thought, feeling obliged. After a few moments of stillness, she composed herself and took a deep breath, concentrating; she applied several layers of pure magic that would serve as a foundation for the field's eventual formation.
"I am done!"
Hearing that exclamation, he concentrated, feeling thick edges set upon the air. An inconceivable wall seemed to surround the compound, halting his refined senses. He was amazed at the "field's" efficiency; it utilizes magic instead of magecraft, which is more potent than he knew.
"Can you keep it up for longer?"
"Yes, I can!" She replied with a smile.
"I see. Can you do me a favor and stay outside?"
"Of course. Please take your time." She bowed respectfully. After that, she smiled before she went outside, closing the door gently.
Seeing the last of her disappear from his vision, he began his work.
With his expansive understanding of wiping out any proof, courtesy of Archer's knowledge, he came up with a chemical that could eradicate any traces of blood from any surfaces, which he then utilized to wipe the walls and the floor clean of blood so it may seem that nothing ever happened. When he finished, he disposed of the damaged pieces of furniture, not even bothering to fix them. Once done, he scoured through every file belonging to the newly killed man, and a considerable amount of them revealed evidence that he knew somebody from the moonlit world.
This was the reason why the man was killed by that bastard.
Shaking off the guilt of not having arrived sooner, he approached the door that led to the outside. To his luck, he found a barren patch of land, most likely once used by the man he failed to save.
He carried the now-covered corpses of the two that died and then set them on the ground.
Getting rid of every stray thought, he concentrated.
His circuits then flared to life, illuminating the barren surroundings.
"Trace on."
When the glow subsided, it revealed the now-forming shovel. Though not as good as the others if comparing them to their originals, the projected shovel served its purpose: used to dig a sizable pit. Then, he threw the evidence inside and lit them ablaze. He watched as the frail and thin structure of the paper within those files proved no challenge for the ravenous flames that soon engulfed them.
After the ashes flew with the wind, he carried the corpses of the dead and then set them inside the pit with varying care.
He set them ablaze, watching their cold corpses turn into unrecognizable piles of ash that only resembled the carcass of a human body.
As much as he hated doing this to one's body, he would still do it. If their deaths were to be known, then it would cause a ruckus since there are barely any murder cases reported throughout the years this town has existed, much less a murder done with such brutality; Kuoh is an uneventful place, except recently.
When the ravenous flames subsided, he let the dirt he dug up cover the remains, doing so solemnly.
Finishing his work quietly, he entered the room. Quickly, he dismissed the tool and closed the door behind him.
"Argento,"
"Yes?" She responded immediately.
"You can dismiss it now," He opened the door, seeing the girl who dismissed the inconceivable wall upon his command. When the wall fell, the shackle upon his refined senses was lifted.
"So?" He questioned, turning towards her direction.
"What is it, Mister?" Confused by his expression of curiousness, she questioned.
"Where are you going to stay?"
Upon that question, she froze; all emotions faded from her face, an expression he noticed immediately. "If you are going back to that church, just don't. I warn you." he warned with a worried expression plastered on his face.
"Because they'll-"
"Torture and punish me? Yes." She predicted his upcoming words. "Do not worry, I'm a part of their plan." She hesitated; her mental state darkened, hiding it behind a forced smile. "And because of that, they'll not..." Would she die? "...kill me."
He shook his head defiantly at her own attempt of reassurance. "There's no telling what they can do to you. You'll die." He said boldly.
"But-"
"I'm willing to offer you a helping hand and a place to stay." He interrupted, "I'm sure my parents would understand. If you want to come with me that is…" he assured. "...So, are you?" He offered his hand, reaching out towards hers.
She smiled, thankful that someone was genuinely worried about her wellbeing.
But the offer.
She stood still as she pondered on her next choice of action. If she goes back to the way it once was, nothing will change and she would be back at square one. But if she does not, then she would be free.
"I'll come with you." She clasped his hand tightly.
His expression of seriousness broke the moment they touched hands, as a smile found its way in his face,
"Don't worry though…" He rubbed the back of his head cheekily. "...You can leave after I've taken care of the threat. But for the meantime, I advise that you rest. You seem sleep deprived, afterall." He said.
Void-like darkness, illuminated by the countless celestial bodies littering it. Tranquil land, littered by countless greens, some ancient, some newly born. No living things were in sight, as if the whole land was abandoned.
At the center of all of it is a church that experiences the natural course of nature, seemingly untouched for nearly a decade. Countless rains, countless winters, and countless nights it has experienced, but it stood where it was. It was with cracks and trunkless veins that seemed to be permanently attached to the dirt-smeared wall, but the structure stood firm.
However, the tranquil nature of the land was permanently disrupted when footsteps echoed throughout the thick canopies of trees.
It was a group of people. One was a girl with long red hair and a haggard stature: Rias Gremory. One was a girl with long raven hair tied by an orange ribbon: Himejima Akeno. One was a girl with short white hair: Toujou Koneko, cut in a bob-cut. The last one was a boy with glistening blonde hair: Yuuto Kiba.
They were a group of people, or more specifically, a Peerage, brought together by their king, Rias Gremory.
From the perspective of a regular student that originated from their Academy, they seemed to be just an ordinary group created to research the occult. But they were mistaken because they were not; the revered group was just a cover-up to something beyond human understanding.
They hail from the Supernatural or the Moon-lit World.
"Halt." Rias, their King, commanded firmly; the group stopped in their tracks. Seeing them obey her orders, she walked up toward what seemed to be nothing.
Rias narrowed her eyes as her body tensed.
These last few days, her Knight, Kiba, and her Rook, Koneko, observed and watched the land at night while trying to be hidden. And predictably, there are questionable activities carried out under their noses. They also reported that Fallen Angels come in and out of the compound. But what caught her attention the most was that those Fallens are supposedly devoid of any magical and life energy, which would mean they are dead - something only possible by Necromancy.
"Observe your surroundings and be sharp. Be like water and adapt. The entity wouldn't be appreciative of our intrusion." Rias said firmly, adapting a facade of toughness.
Each was battle-ready, hardened, and observative, something their countless experiences of fighting against such forces brought them.
Her Knight had a facade that lacked emotion; he reached out towards the abyss, perhaps to a sword that does not even exist. He took a sharp and precise stance, honed by countless fights with the sword. It was a stance that seemingly held no weakness, which allowed him to attack precisely and evade gracefully.
Her Rook had her usual expression that lacked emotion. But in her eyes was a ravenous flame of excitement, excited for the battle. She took a brutish stance, only resembling a culmination of several fighting styles. It was a rather unorthodox fighting style, but her fortress-like defense and strength that could reduce a building into rubble synergized with it gracefully.
Her queen had a rather menacing yet sweet look, excited upon the thought of slaughtering everyone within. She let ravenous electricity cackle at her fingertips as it illuminated the surroundings. It stimulated her; this was the last thing someone unfortunate enough to face her would see.
"Let's go,"
Rias, their King, took the first step beyond the inconceivable wall.
The second they stepped foot on the territory, an unfamiliar presence washed over them, one that surpassed the likes of her brother, the Maou. It rattled her group, affecting her rook the worst. But they shook away that feeling, though it was hard to do so.
When they arrived at the entrance, they halted at Rias' command. Then, she approached it quietly, inspecting it meticulously.
"Koneko. Do it."
One quick motion is all it took as the door gave way. Such a bold gesture produced a banging noise that should have attracted people easily.
And yet, no one within responded.
Suspicious, she quietly nudged at the others to explore. But in a sudden dispersion of wind, she evaded several spears made of light - a type of element harmful to any of her kind.
"Well, well, well~ Who do we have here?" A rather sickly sweet voice called out.
Hearing that sweet voice, Rias craned her head upwards slowly; it dawned on her who the person was.
It was a Fallen Angel, an Angel that fell from grace.
Not wasting a second, she formed a sphere of magic and then hurled it to her race's natural enemy. But the Fallen evaded it when she unfolded her wings, landing gracefully.
It was if the Fallen was mocking them.
"Greetings, Rias Gremory, the heiress of the Gremory Clan." The fallen greeted with a sickly sweet smile as she receded her black, feathery wings. "My name is Raynere and remember that~" She chirped "Because... my name is the last thing you will ever hear!" She growled, summoning a spear made of light in her grasp. She took hold of it tightly as she prepared to catapult herself toward her race's natural enemy.
"I certainly did not expect…" The same dense sphere formed on Rias' grasp as she squared her stance. "...That a Fallen Angel like you would be this..." Adding more to the sphere of destruction did not increase its size, just its density. "...Respectful!" Not even letting the her target react, she hurled it immediately towards enemy, who evaded swiftly.
But the sheer density of the attack attracted the latter's body, erasing her torso. Raynere widened her eyes, feeling the agonizing effect of the attack that she should have evaded.
It was because she overlooked one crucial thing...
...That it was one of the abilities conferred upon the Gremory Clan: The ability to increase the size of an attack while maintaining its magic energy. By doing so, they were able to create dense spheres that were as heavy as entire mountains and more, which attracted objects toward them. Everything exerts a pulling force due to gravity, including magic created by them if dense enough, a concept that led to the creation of such an ability. It is powerful in and of itself, but when combined with the power of destruction, it results in an almost unstoppable powerhouse.
But to Rias' surprise, the fatal wound that she inflicted upon the Fallen's body closed almost immediately.
Though pained, Raynere smirked mockingly. "Y'know~ You canno-'' Her head was erased, only leaving a stump where it once was.
The brain is the source of all magical techniques. Without it, any magic user would not be able to operate. But there are exceptions to this rule; devils born with the innate ability to regenerate in a whim and humans that possessed sacred gears that granted them nigh-invincibility.
Fortunately, the Fallen was neither of those.
She released a sigh, relieved that such a formidable enemy was disposed of. But it was short-lived; the Fallen regained her head, revealing her playful and teasing persona.
"What did I tell you~" Raynere chirped; a deranged smile split her face unnaturally.
Rias widened her eyes; she locked eyes with Fallen's. She was shocked at the impossibility of such a thing happening. How? No. How stupid of her. If the Fallen was somehow brought back by necromancy, then it is highly likely that she could be revived once more without violating the laws that reality set.
"Quite useful isn't it?~" Raynere chirped, puffing her chest in pride. "Letting myself be corrupted by the same entity that might've wiped out all of existence. I must say, it was quite a gamble~"
"What do you mean?" Rias could not help but question.
"You're about to die anyway, so~" A mocking smirk spread across Raynere's face. "Lemme give you the gist of it!". The smirk in her face only widened. "...If a person was unable to resist the entity's tempting influence, they'd be turned into UGLY PIECES OF SHIT!" She howled in condescendance; she aggressively waved her arms in the air in an attempt to patronize her supposed superiority, her head-high. "But! BUT! If the person was able to resist, they'd become SOMETHING! They'd become something fueled by their inner desires! And! AND!" She cackled in craze. It was as if she was on cloud-9. "...SOMETHING INTANGIBLE! A METAPHYSICAL EXISTENCE!"
"I see." Rias acknowledged. But the second those words left her mouth, she formed a dense sphere of destruction magic once more; a smirk found itself in her face. "That explains why. But, revealing an important piece of information is quite foolish, don't you think?"
If she cannot kill the Fallen, then keeping her captive is the best option.
Irritated by the Heiress' mockery, Raynere roared to the heavens. "AS IF I'D LET YOU AND YOUR SLAVES LIVE!" She waved her left arm aggressively; countless hordes then shot out off the floor, crumbling what was left of the church. Finally, it revealed its hidden and dark influence that once tried to leak to the world to dominate everything, only to be stopped by the grasp of reality.
The sudden change of the landscape disrupted the group's balance momentarily, enough to supposedly wear down their defenses. But fortunately, they quickly regained their bearings as they balanced themselves in the little patch of concrete left.
"DON'T CALL MY PEERAGE SLAVES, YOU DAMNED CROW!"
The Fallen was nowhere to be seen; the beasts covered their line of sight.
Rias gritted her teeth as she formed a sphere of magic, frustrated at her mistake. She hurled countless spheres of absolute power from her palm toward the hordes, erasing countless beasts upon impact. Her queen ripped through countless upcoming hordes with her lightning at once. Her Knight sliced through upcoming hordes with his swords, using his exceptional battle prowess to weave through despite his blatant lack of strength. Her Rook ripped through upcoming hordes with her fists.
The little patch of solid ground they were in then gave out. What would have been a predicament to others did not phase them as they masterfully unfolded their bat-like wings. After stabilizing their flight, however, they remained still for a moment as they watched the last of the church's floor fall into the abyss.
It was unfortunate that the Fallen might have already escaped, something that frustrated them to no end, especially Rias. But at the end of the day, she thought, the Fallen was not the problem they were supposed to be fixing.
Finishing the last of the beasts in their sight, they hovered above the abyss, taking their time to regain their stamina and perhaps revitalize themselves.
"From what I know, the entity is situated underground," Rias said, rubbing her chin in thought. "Based on what I've seen, the beasts came specifically from this direction," She said, pointing to the abyss, "So this might mean that the sinkhole we're hovering over, might lead us to our target." She concluded.
The rest nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, they looked at the abyss.
With their superhuman sense of sight, they can see through the thick haze of darkness, though barely.
Suddenly, a premonition of something undesirable washed over Rias as she stared into the abyss. She shivered; she could be risking her Peerage and her life. Yes, she knew the risks beforehand, but being faced with it was a whole different story.
Nevertheless, they have no choice.
They must do it.
"Let's go," But beneath that tough persona was a mere girl worried for her friends' safety.
The rest steeled themselves and dived into the never-ending darkness.
Hesitating for a moment, she got herself to do so, hoping that the choice she made was the right one.
They flew through the darkness. Slowly the abyss began to show itself.
Gracefully, they receded their wings and landed quietly.
Their eyes immediately darted around the surroundings and what they saw was surreal. Countless live veins seemed to be attached to the pulsing, fleshy walls. People, or rather, their remains, littered the ground, some had their heads taken and some had their torso ripped out from their stench-filled bodies.
Hesitantly, they went through countless piles of bodies, stepping on their rather crunchy remains. They kept their composure, but beneath that was a feeling of unadulterated rage at the thing that did this. But, when they looked on further, something met their gaze. Their instincts then cried at them; they steeled themselves for an imminent battle. It was the right move; countless swarms attacked them, bloodlust and infuriated, perhaps by their trespassing.
The peerage ripped through them, flesh by flesh, bone by bone. No structure of flesh or bone stopped their potent strikes to deliver the final blow. They attacked and weaved like water and countered like a wasp. Every attack they made held true, their strength imprinted within the core of their enemy's soul. However, they found it quite strange that the beasts were becoming more durable as time passed by.
Was it perhaps they were inside their territory?
Upon dwindling the beasts to a handful, they "reformed", their utterly obliterated and destroyed bodies formed one another. The peerage almost puked; it was a grotesque sight. The beasts formed had their bodies rambled and twisted unnaturally. The newly reformed beasts growled, saliva pouring from their unnaturally slitted mouth. With newfound grit, the swarm started their assault on the group of devils who dared to touch their territory.
As time went by, the feral beasts adapted.
Every attack the peerage made and threw out, slowly became insignificant as the beasts' flesh slowly started becoming invincible. The odds were slowly tipping toward their enemies' favor, and their King knew that. But still, they held strongly to the belief of victory, seeing that they can still damage the swarms, somewhat. Gradually however, the thought of losing became prominent within their minds.
Every time they dwindled the swarm's numbers, they reformed with a new and wilder sense of vengeance.
After countless failures...
...They finally realized that they were caught within the grasps of death. But Rias, their King, cannot give in; she cannot falter. With rageful determination, she ragefully fought despite the odds. Despite being urged to accept the fate about to befall them, she did not stop; it only made her surpass her limits, temporarily exposing a vast and limitless potential for the accursed world to see. But after seeing the fruits of her bashful actions, she gritted her teeth, angered at her weakness.
In an attempt of defiance, she snapped her head to her enemies, only to see their mocking faces after witnessing the futility of her emotion-driven attempts to win.
"DAMN IT ALL!" She roared to the heavens.
Her Peerage was everything to her; they were a part of her loving family, her friends. They stood as her allies, who helped each other amid hardships, physically or mentally and THEY were the reason why she was still alive. Truth be told, she had already lost her pride; the only thing instilled within her mind was that she was only a cog in an intricately built machine.
She did not any need reason to comply, she must obey like a dog...
...Like a tool.
She had already forgotten what it was like...
...To be a Devil.
...To be free.
But, her Peerage FILLED that empty slot; they stood as the remnants of her broken being; her pride and her everything. They were,"her" and she was "them".
She gritted her teeth and squared her faltering stance; power of unimaginable magnitude seemed to distort reality itself.
No matter what. NO MATTER WHAT!... She'll cherish them, even if it meant her demise.
She let out a battle-cry, about to unleash her strongest attack; her maximum output. She was certain that this could kill her, knowing that this attack, while effective to fight armies, does affect its caster equally if casted in a close proximity.
"Before creation comes destruction..."
"Bael's blessing…"
"The gap between, within and without..."
This maximum output attack was a trump card passed through countless generations; taught by her brother as a means of winning in a desperate and unwinnable situation.
"Witness the glory of destruction!"
The attack then assimilated to its true form, its blinding radiance painting the ground with the color of crimson.
Seeing its completion, Rias slowly as if robotically, turned her attention to her shivering friends.
Seeing such emotions, made her falter.
For a moment, she stood frozen in her place before responding with a sly smile.
But just as quickly as that expression appeared, the futility of the situation forced her attention away from them. Though that does not mean she dismissed their existence, but rather she prioritized them before herself; skillfully casting several layers of intricately woven barrier around them, its durability enhanced further by the overwhelming amount of magic she used to form it.
Her Peerage's cries were muffled but it did not go unheard. But she ignored them, fully willing to die to spare them of the attack's effect.
The swarm went on the offensive, not letting her use such an attack against them.
"Maximum Output!" Rias roared. "Catastro-"
However, before she could even finish her chant, something or rather, someone intercepted her.
"Caladbolg!"
An explosion so bright covered their eyes, blinding their sense of sight; the sacrificial attack then dispersed because her focus was disrupted. Quickly as if instinctively, they covered their faces to avoid the shining light's blinding radiance. After the effect subsided, they saw the swarm dwindle to a handful upon impact.
But it only seemed to infuriate them after they reformed aggressively. They growled while swarming the figure that did this to them. Their attempts however, were met with a swift stab to their vital organs, ending their lives instantly. "Greetings, Rias Gremory." The mysterious figure greeted, whisking blood away from his blades that seemed to glisten upon the moon-light. "I am here to establish a temporary alliance, to perhaps permanently stop this madness." he elaborated, landing near the peerage with gracefulness.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" A sphere of destruction of magic was formed after she saw the figure's capabilities, who easily took care of the threat they almost died against.
Was he a threat? If so, why is he helping them?
Hearing her bold question, the figure slowly revealed his face. The moon's light illuminated his face, illuminating his unique features.
It was a face of a killer.
But it slowly dawned on them who the person was.
One gasped, most were silent.
Rias herself could not help but yell...
"You are…"
"...HYOUDOU ISSEI?!"