DxD: Like a Devil

by Mirlnir

Life was nice, but I may have made too many enemies, and that resulted in my death. Thankfully I've been given another chance, and in an ironic twist, it's an even more dangerous world than the last. Devils, gods, and everything in between running around is concerning, but at least I didn't start with nothing. Being a Yakuza Princess is bound to be useful. Fem Gamer MC. Evil MC

13. Party of Four

(Ichiban)

Last night had been strange, to say the least. His best friend was acting pretty weird all things considered, from being curious where Issei - someone who she said she disliked - lives, to not showing up when she said they could hang out together. It wasn't like her to go against her words like this, but he understood.

Unlike before in Kamurocho, where they had been relatively young, carefree, and had practically had nothing to do, she had responsibilities here. He didn't mind it, because at the very least she still texted him and apologized for not being able to make it. Ichiban won't hold it against her.

Though, then he got a weirder text message. A cryptic 'Come to the abandoned warehouse northwest of Kuoh' garnered his confusion. When he asked if there was something up, Akane told him that she had something important to tell him.

And Ichiban wasn't about to question it. If his friend didn't elaborate via text, then that meant she preferred to tell him in person. He didn't mind. Not like he had anything better to do. He would've appreciated it if she didn't tell him to come over so early in the morning though, but oh well. At least it would at least help him get used to his new routine of waking up early.

Fucking school.

Something did feel off, though. It felt a lot more serious than usual. He was no empath, but he sometimes could recognize different tones even in texts, so he had made sure to not waste any time and woke up early, passing by a convenience store on the way for breakfast, then jogging over to the designated place.

His training with his patriarch's captain made him feel the disturbance around him, feeling like he was being watched. Ichiban was no slouch, but he recognized the presence isn't something he could deal with, so he hurried over to the warehouse, worried that his friend might be in danger, even though the presence didn't quite feel malicious.

Something was pretty off about this place, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

With a quick glance behind, Ichiban knocked on the door as another hand ran through his afro, nervous sweat trailing down his cheek. "Yo, Akane, are you there?"

He heard something or someone inside, but couldn't make out what they said. After a few more seconds, the door opened slowly and a familiar face poked out. Akane's mother froze and stared at the boy for a bit as a wide smile appeared on her face.

"Mizuki-san?" Ichiban muttered.

Before he could even continue further, the older woman had both of her hands on his shoulders.

"No way, is that you, Icchan?" She asked before hugging him tightly. "It's been so long~! Look at you, all grown up~"

"Unfhf?!" His eyes widened, rapidly losing breath as she brought his head close to her chest, almost suffocating.

"What's with the afro? It's not the sixties, Icchan. You're too late for that kind of look," She said with a giggle, seemingly unaware that he's currently dying in a… nice way. "Ah well, I still think it looks good on you."

"C-can't breathe!" He managed to get out, face becoming beet red from lack of breath and embarrassment.

"Oh, oops," She quickly let go of him, scratching her cheek with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, sometimes I forget about my own strength."

That's not the issue. He thought with a gasp as he tried to look anywhere that was not her chest.

"I-it's fine," He said, catching his breath. "It's nice to see you again, Mizuki-san."

"Likewise! Never thought I'd see you again in all honesty," She patted his head with a grin. "What are you doing in Kuoh anyway?"

"I, uh, got accepted into Kuoh Academy," He responded truthfully.

"For real?" She looked a little surprised before ruffling his hair. "Hehe, that's my Icchan. I knew you were pretty bright from the day I laid eyes on you. That's why I let you be friends with Akane."

He blushed at the compliment and rubbed his neck bashfully, not used to hearing such genuine kindness. "T-thanks, the entrance exam was pretty tough, but I got through it."

"That's good to hear." She nodded, stepping aside to let him in. "Come in, Akane is waiting for you inside."

"Do you know why she called me here?" Ichiban questioned in curiosity as he stepped inside.

"Nope, no idea. I just got here myself and I don't know why she's called me here either." Mizuki sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Wish I could go to bed. Barely had a wink last night."

Same. Ichiban smiled in sympathy.

Mizuki closed the door behind them, and Ichiban took his time to view his surroundings. Unlike the outside, where the warehouse looked abandoned from its cracked walls and rusted pipes, the inside was the complete opposite. It made him do a double-take, glancing around to see the walls and floors in pristine condition, multiple pieces of familiar gym equipment, and even some he has never seen before.

"Up, over here," Akane called out to him from above, prompting him to look up to see only an open second floor.

He couldn't exactly tell where she was, so he followed her mother up the stairs, seeing his best friend wearing her sportswear under a black track jacket, calmly sitting on a couch in front of a 4k TV with a steaming mug in her hand. On the other side of said couch was none other than Issei with just a simple red T-shirt and jeans. This confused him even more - why is Issei there? What is this place? What the hell is going on? Last he checked, Akane didn't like the pervert.

And between them was an adorable girl he didn't recognize. With blond hair and big green eyes, she wore a simple blue blouse and a white skirt, she looked like a foreigner. The girl looked a little nervous, eyes darting around before her gaze landed at him. She gave a small and shy smile, prompting him to do the same.

"Good morning," Akane said, putting her mug on the coffee table in front of her. "Sorry for dragging you out early like this."

"It's cool." He waved it off. "What's this place?"

"My secret hideout," Akane answered. "You look pretty confused."

"That's one way to put it." Ichiban smiled a little, scratching the back of his head as his gaze turned to the nervous-looking Issei. "Yo, how are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm good, thanks." Issei responded, clearly not expecting a civil greeting from him.

"How's the nose?" Ichiban asked cheekily, his smile turning mischievous.

Akane snorted in amusement as Issei sighed. "Still hurts, but better. Thanks for backing me up, by the way."

"It's cool, not like that's the first time I stopped her from doing something stupid."

"Don't I know it," Mizuki muttered under her breath, prompting Ichiban to chuckle.

"I'm literally sitting right here." Akane frowned, crossing her arms before shaking her head. "Whatever. Ichi, let me introduce you to Asia Argento, a friend I met recently. She's not very good at Japanese, so I hope you can be patient with her."

"Oh sure, that's fine."

"Asia, this is Ichiban Kasuga. A friend." Akane turned to the blond, switching to English. Ichiban could understand a little bit of English, so he knew what she said. "You can call him Ichi like I do, he doesn't mind it."

Asia stood up, bowing to him respectfully before greeting him in broken Japanese.

"N-Nice to meeting you, Ichi-san." She said, admittedly in an adorable manner.

"Nice to meet you too, Asia." He nodded, a disarming smile on his face, then turned to look at his friend. "So what's going on? You brought us all here for a reason, right?"

"Right, and it's pretty important." She said, her tone changing making him straighten his back. This is serious stuff, isn't it? "Everyone here is involved in some way, so tell me."

The sudden shift in the atmosphere made him lose his smile as he nodded. He didn't know what this was all about, but as his friend stood up from her seat and looked him right in the eyes with a serious frown, Ichiban quickly knew that whatever this was, it was no small matter. It was obvious earlier before, from the vague message to feeling like he's being watched to the strange warehouse he's in, but this just confirmed it.

What could it be? It's a strange group - Akane, her mother, Issei, and now him? Well, whatever it is, he knows he's gonna support them anyway. Akane is his best friend, and Mizuki is the closest thing he could call to a mother. He doesn't know much about Issei, but he can tell that he has a good heart under all that perversion.

He didn't expect to be in shock when Akane uttered her next words.

"Do you know that the supernatural exists?"

His heart skipped a beat, cold sweat over his brow as his eyes widened. Of course he knows that it does, but why does she? Is she a part of some faction? Scratch that, Akane knowing that it does exist means she's involved, and in all honesty, he doesn't want her there.

He's been told that the supernatural world is a cruel place, where people are constantly dying or being enslaved, and he almost went through something similar himself. Ichiban himself didn't care what could happen to him, because he made an oath to serve Masumi Arakawa till his dying breath to pay back the old man's kindness, but his friends? That's another story entirely.

"I guess you do if the look on your face is any indication." Akane smiled a little, arms crossed behind her back.

"Eh? Akane?!" Mizuki frowned and nervously glanced around, as shocked as he was. From the looks of it, she didn't expect her daughter to suddenly spout this either. "This isn't something we can talk about freely- what do you think you're doing?"

"It's fine, Kaa-san. I even told Issei last night too." Akane waved it off.

"Look, I understand they're your friends, but you know we can't just drag random civilians into this." Her mother argued.

"We both know they're not random civilians," His best friend said calmly, making both him and Mizuki. "Let's just drop the act."

He wasn't sure how she knew, but she was right. Ichiban planned to join the Tojo Clan's Arakawa Family, and being part of the Yakuza means you can kiss a normal life goodbye. He himself didn't quite mind it. As a street rat, he had no life, but with Arakawa, he can be something more.

He knew he'd miss Akane when he's old enough to join the Yakuza, but this doesn't seem to be in view if she knows about it too.

The older woman rubbed her arm and backed off, grimacing in discomfort now with this new tense atmosphere around them growing stronger. Ichiban felt slightly bad for her if he's being honest. She probably just tried to protect them.

"Surprised? Don't be, I only knew about it recently myself." Akane turned to Ichiban, then referred to the other three. "Kaa-san used to be pretty involved and Issei was attacked by a Fallen Angel last night, and Asia was part of their organization. They know everything."

Ichiban looked at Issei, surprised and a little sympathetic. "You were attacked? You okay man?"

This was big news and not the good kind. He knew that Kuoh was pretty deep in Tojo territory, so another faction targeting somebody in their turf is practically a declaration of war. He thinks. He's not sure. Politics are hard.

But what are they doing here anyway? Why target Issei?

Mizuki didn't say anything, but he noticed the older woman frowning deeply.

"Y-yeah, Akane said they attacked because I have a Sacred Gear." He elaborated, rubbing his neck timidly. "And yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for asking."

Ichiban recognized the term. A Sacred Gear is a power bestowed upon humanity by God to fight back against the supernatural races, and according to Arakawa, Ichiban does have one of those Sacred Gears.

The patriarch wasn't sure what it was, but he said it was powerful. Ichi did try to somehow use this power multiple times, but no matter what, it never responded to him, so instead he focused on sharpening his skills in combat and physical training.

So Issei has one too, huh?

This revelation also made Asia freeze as she turned to look at Issei in shock. She might not know Japanese well, but she probably recognized the term 'Sacred Gear' as it's English in nature. The whole time, she didn't quite understand what was going on, but now she might have an inkling.

"A-Akane-san, what's going on?" She turned to Akane with a worried look.

"I'll explain everything later, don't worry." His friend responded with a soothing tone as she squeezed the blond's hand to comfort her. "Just give me a little bit more time, okay?"

Asia, calming down a bit, nodded quietly and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"Are you sure that's why they attacked you?" Mizuki questioned.

"Yes, because I'm pretty sure they're targeting him too," Akane quipped and pointed at Ichiban, surprising all of them. "Issei, mind telling us how you met that Kala-chan of yours?"

"Oh, uh right." Issei scratched the back of his head, taking a moment to consider his words before speaking up. "It happened two days ago, after school. Was on my way home before this big-titted, cool onee-chan stopped me and asked me out. I couldn't believe it at first, it felt like she's trying to pull a prank or something."

Akane and Ichiban grimaced, likely for different reasons. This is getting uncomfortably familiar for him.

"B-but then she kissed me, and I thought she was dead serious." His face flared up as he fidgeted. "I-I just couldn't say no to that, no way man. She had me trapped, literally between her boobs-"

"Okay, we get it." Akane cut him off as she rubbed her temples in frustration. "I'll continue off from here, thank you."

"How big are her boobs?"

"Not the time to be asking that, Kaa-san."

Two days ago, after school, getting asked out by a hot girl. Yep, definitely familiar. Okay, he understands where his best friend is coming from, pretty freaking suspicious, but how did she know about Issei getting targeted? Was she always suspicious? She didn't go to school that day, though.

"I remember you saying you wanted to see Issei yesterday, something about making sure there were no hard feelings," Ichiban said, beginning to understand.

"Yeah, I didn't find him in his house, and according to his mother he was out, but wasn't far." She nodded, getting back on topic. "Tried to catch up, and when I saw the girl, I immediately felt that something was off."

"Off how?" Mizuki raised a brow, arms crossed behind her back as she listened intently.

"I don't know, I just felt she was dangerous," Akane responded. "So I decided to follow them from a distance, and when I saw her casting a spell, I interfered."

"You fought off a Fallen Angel and survived?" Ichiban's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I- I mean, I know you were strong but damn. How did you do that?"

Akane smirked and opened her hand, then right before his eyes, an icicle formed above her palm, silently explaining what his friend can actually do. If she wanted to shock him, she succeeded and then some as she left him with his mouth gaping like a fish. Is this why she's so damn tough? She can actually use magic?

"My fists aren't the only weapons I have at my disposal, Ichiban." She said smugly.

That's… wow.

This day is getting more and more shocking.

"And Asia?" Ichiban questioned, looking at the blond who looked utterly lost. She didn't know what the hell was going on from the looks of it. "How's she involved?"

"From what I gathered, she practically got kidnapped by them due to her own Sacred Gear," Akane said, shocking them once more as she put a hand on the blond's shoulder in a comforting way. "Poor girl didn't know she was being used. They probably manipulated her to help them."

"Bastards." Ichiban scowled, balling his hand into a fist. "The hell do they gain from this?"

"Regardless, once I had Issei explain what happened to me, I thought it'd be a good idea to tell you before anything bad happens. Everything sounded too coincidental, too similar to your case with this Yuuma." She explained as the icicle floating above her palm melted into nothing. "My mother and Issei are the only people I know that are aware of the supernatural, aside from Oji-san who isn't answering his phone."

"Akiyama isn't?" Mizuki muttered, looking at her daughter in question.

"Nope, I tried to call him multiple times. Didn't answer once." Akane confirmed with a nod.

With her frown deepening, Mizuki replied. "Give me a moment."

With that vague response, Mizuki jumped over the railing and down to the front door, quickly leaving and closing the door behind her. The three blinked in confusion at her sudden change in attitude, looking at each other before Akane decided to continue.

"Anyway…" She cleared her throat before addressing Ichiban. "You do seem to know quite a bit yourself."

"Yeah." He nodded slowly, calming himself down. "I, uh, had a run-in with devils once."

"For real?" She raised a brow, a little surprised. "You gotta tell me more about what happened, but for now, I wanna propose something."

She gestured for the three to get closer, and they did. Ichiban, of course, recognized this tone of hers, and he prepared himself for an insane idea as he grimaced, feeling a pit in his stomach. This was the same tone she had used before suggesting to take out an entire armed gang with nothing but their clothes on their backs and random rusted pipes they found lying around.

…It worked somehow, but he's not looking forward to doing something like that ever again, even if it was admittedly fun.

"Since these Fallen Angels think they can attack and kill random people," Akane looked at them both and gave the two a very dangerous grin. "I say we bring the fight to them and hit them twice as hard."

And there it is.

"W-what?!" Issei's eyes widened, almost jumping back in shock. "What are you saying?!"

"I'm saying instead of waiting around for them to kill anymore, we kick their shit in and make them pay." She elaborated, her smile still on her face as if she was proud of herself. "Don't you want to do that? I mean, I'd be pretty pissed if someone tried to kill me."

"I-I guess, but that's just too dangerous." He tried to argue timidly, nervously looking away from her gaze as he rubbed his neck. "I mean, what are we? Three teenagers against supernatural forces with magic. What can we do against that?"

"Three teenagers with their own superpowers." She reminded him, poking his chest with her finger. "You have your Sacred Gear that we're gonna try to unlock, I have my Ice Magic, and Ichiban has a Sacred Gear also."

"Yeah, I think that's-" Ichiban did a double-take, looking at Akane in shock. "Wait, how did you know that?!"

"Are you kidding?" She scoffed. "I could've sensed it from a mile away. You're not even trying to hide it."

"It can be sensed? I can hide it?!"

Her arms dropped to her sides as she grimaced. "Just how little do you know?"

"...T-the basics?" He winced at her scathingly unimpressed look.

"Joy." Akane sighed, tiredly rubbing her visible eye. "Well, we have time, so get comfortable. I need to tell you a lot of things you're missing out on, you too Issei."

As the four sat down, Ichiban felt somewhat relieved deep inside. His dreams never wavered since that day, he always wanted to pay back Arakawa for saving his life and showing him kindness, but not recognizing what it means just makes him delusional.

A part of him used to regret meeting Akane because going with the Yakuza probably meant he'd never see her again, and that just didn't sit right with him. His first and best friend is someone he will never, ever forget. Arakawa might've saved him physically, but she saved him mentally and emotionally.

To see that this is not the case anymore, that they can still be friends even if he joins the Tojo Clan sent a wave of relief through him. Even if he didn't want her to endanger herself, he knew it was a lost cause anyway. There's no way in hell Akane will just let herself be intimidated and stay away just to be safe. The girl likes to stick her nose where it doesn't belong and always gets herself in a mess.

And Ichiban wouldn't have it any other way.

---

(Akane)

I had a feeling that Ichi knew about the supernatural, but I didn't expect him to know practically nothing else other than the bare bones, though it does explain how casual and relaxed he is in school. He's aware that devils exist, but doesn't know that Rias, Sona, and a few others are actually devils.

So I sat down with the three, explained my position to them and what Kuoh truly is, and so on. If I want competent allies, then I need to give them the knowledge they need to be competent, and that includes my relationship with the Yakuza.

Which isn't really a secret. I'm pretty sure most factions know about that tidbit because according to my mother, Tatsu Amamiya - my father - still has a reputation as having been one of the most dangerous men in all the realms.

The language barrier between the boys and Asia is pretty annoying. I basically had to explain everything twice so everyone gets it, and the nun looked pretty down after. There is something on her mind. Unlike Issei and Ichi, Asia is delicate and needs to be taken care of more often. She requires more emotional support and 'maintenance' compared to the two.

It's annoying, but there isn't much I can do about it. I need a healer in my team - Twilight Healing is pretty much one of the most reliable abilities in this world. There isn't really a good way to get any healing power unless I personally take a support role as far as I know.

And it seems that Ichi recognized my father, he was intensely and oddly interested in learning more about him. I've never really talked about my dad much to anyone aside from my mother and uncle, so this is the first time he's heard about it.

I felt weirdly relieved that his behavior never really changed towards me even though I'm related to some admittedly horrible people, and he remained just as excitable and childish as he's always been.

As for Issei…

The guy was frozen like a statue when he heard that I'm a Yakuza heiress. I actually laughed when I saw him go pale as he realized what could've happened to him when he peeped on me, and what he got was actually mercy in comparison. I can be cruel, but the Yakuza are fucking terrifying. The stories of people getting stuffed in barrels full of concrete before they're thrown in the ocean aren't there just to scare people.

Though, when it came to the subject of devils, they were pretty disturbed. Ichiban, in his words, had history with them, Asia is a nun, so she's automatically pretty concerned even if she's healed a devil before, and this Issei isn't like the canon version as he wasn't saved by them, but by me. Being attacked by a supernatural being and saved by a human probably made him subconsciously biased. Plus, y'know, they are literally called devils. Not a name that inspires confidence,

That's what I need. It'll get harder for Rias to try to seduce him, and for all his bad traits, Issei is extremely loyal. He's also in my debt, so switching sides is almost impossible. The more I treat him nicely, the less likely he is to betray me.

This is going along nicely. While I would've loved to save Ichiban and gain his favor that way, he seemed pretty receptive to this approach as well. Issei is a lot less confident than Ichiban, so getting him dependent on me is something I can do.

But now the most important subject we need to discuss. How are we going to attack the Fallen? I'm personally powerful enough to handle myself, Ichiban is physically strong and knows how to fight, but Issei is just a normal guy. Until he unlocks his Sacred Gear of course.

I glance at my phone with a worried frown. I would feel a lot better if my mother could answer my calls, but she just went up and vanished. I had assumed that she wanted to talk to this Majima person or Akiyama. Doesn't look like it, it's already been thirty minutes.

"What's up?" Ichi asks, prompting me to put the device in my pocket.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I wave it off as I put my phone back in my pocket. "As I was saying, if we want to stand a chance against the Fallen Angels, we need to get your Sacred Gears working. I personally don't have one, but I can compensate with my Ice Magic."

"How do we do that?" Issei questions, listening intently.

"I'm not too sure myself. Like I said, I only just learned about its existence recently." I say honestly. "Knowing what kind of Gear you have could help us, but we have no way of knowing that either. Ichi, do you have an idea?"

"Hm…" He scratches the back of his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "I've been told that you have to feel it and pull it out."

Issei snorts and puffs his cheeks at the innuendo, barely preventing himself from laughing before I speak up. "What kind of dumb explanation is that? That's just unnecessarily cryptic. Anything else?"

"Nope. The most generic explanation out of all generic explanations." He shrugs. "Why do you think I'm not able to use mine yet?"

I frown and turn to the blond, who looked pretty deep in thought. "Hey, Asia, how did you awaken your Twilight Healing?"

"Eh? Oh, um, well, I'm not really sure." She answers truthfully. "I've always been able to use it as far as I can remember."

"Well, that doesn't really help." I brush the part of my hair that's obscuring my eye back as I try to come up with another solution. "Perhaps some kind of a simulation could help?"

"What kind of simulation?" Issei asks curiously.

"Hm…" I give it more thought and nod to myself. "Let's go outside. The warehouse is too small for this."

As the three of us exit the building, we take it a bit further. The warehouse is located in a dock, and the place is pretty empty and big. From what my mother said, this whole section of the town is completely closed off, so we can't be sensed, seen, or heard here no matter what we do.

"I was thinking of something like a sparring match," I respond as I turn around to face them. "Let's start with you, Issei. I'll act as a Fallen Angel trying to kill you - my Ice Magic helps in that regard - while you try to stay alive and awaken your Sacred Gear."

Issei flinches as a worried look takes over his face, stepping back slightly.

"Calm down, man. She's not gonna kill you, just act like she's trying to." Ichi pats him on the back with a smile.

"Y-yeah, I know, but I've already seen what she can do without magic." He says before shivering.

"I won't kill you, but I'm gonna hurt you a lot," I smirk smugly at him as he freezes. "Won't be much of a simulation if you're completely unharmed, don't you think? Don't worry, I'll blunt the edge of my spells so you don't get hurt too bad."

"U-uh, yeah, I guess." He gulps audibly. "B-but we're gonna try to attack today, right? I-if I'm hurt, then I won't be able to help, right?"

"Don't conveniently forget about our healer, Issei." My smirk widens. "Pretty rude of you to ignore Asia, don't you think?"

She perks up at her name being said, still relatively confused at what's happening. The language barrier really is annoying, even if it does make it easier to use her to bully Issei. Is there a way to learn a whole new language in an instant? Because I don't have the time or patience to teach Asia everything.

I'm so gonna enjoy this, though.

"I-Ichiban-" Issei turns to look at Ichi, who is now at the other side of the docks. "How did you get there so fast?!"

"You can do it, Issei." Ichi gives him a thumbs up. "I believe in you man!"

"Asia, go stand there next to Ichi," I tell her, giving her hand a tiny squeeze. "Issei and I are gonna train, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Okay." She nods, letting go of my hand as she backs off. "Please be careful."

I give her a thumbs-up before looking back at Issei to address him.

"If you don't want to get hurt-" I snap my fingers, getting his attention as a few blunted ice arrows appear around me. "-then focus. Think about how much you want to live, or better yet, defeat me."

"I-" Recognizing that there's nothing he can do to stop this, Issei admirably accepts his fate and nods seriously, a focused frown forming on his face after he takes a deep breath. "Alright, got it. I'll try my best."

I expected more whining. Glad to see that's not the case.

After giving him a moment to prepare himself, I force the arrows to soar towards him, but slow enough to give him a chance to actually dodge or block. He rolls over to the side, but with my high mana and low cost of the spells, I can do this for hours.

More arrows shoot at him, this time significantly faster as he's not able to evade. He cries out in pain, shielding his face and desperately trying to protect himself. These arrows aren't particularly lethal, but they hurt like a bitch. Without Asia's healing, he'd probably feel it for days.

Though, I do keep an eye on his HP. I don't want to kill him, just hurt him.

"Don't just stand there and take it, try to use your Sacred Gear." I chastise him, slowing down my firing rate. "Block, counterattack, do something."

This gets him moving as he tries to dodge the arrows. He's doing a better job, but some of them still land, hitting him in the sides and legs. He stumbles but catches himself from falling, getting behind a metal barrel to protect himself.

Since the arrows are blunted and I'm not throwing him too hard, they only made dents on the barrel, prompting me to sharpen them a little to give him a scare. It works when one arrow pierces the barrel, making him let out an amusing girlish yelp.

"This isn't working, Issei," I say to him with an unimpressed tone. "You're just wasting your breath running around like this."

"What am I supposed to do?!" He yells as another arrow hits his thigh, making him grunt before quickly fixing his posture. "I-I can't deal with this!"

"You can if you use your Sacred Gear."

"How?!"

"I dunno, figure it out."

Can you tell that I'm enjoying this? Because I am 100% loving every second.

This continues on, with Issei trying to desperately avoid my ice by hiding behind things or rolling out of the way. Once I notice him getting tired, bruised, and hurt, I go a little easier on him, slowing down the spells while also deliberately weakening them. As fun as this is, it's not working.

He hides behind a box as I try to come up with a way to get him to actually fight back. The guy is scared to even try to charge at me, and his self-preservation instincts aren't kicking in well enough. I need to motivate him more.

"Issei, stop hiding and face me," I say, trying to sound annoyed as a frown takes over my face. "Don't you want to help and protect this town? Don't you want to pay them back for tricking you?"

He doesn't answer, but I can tell my words had the desired effect.

"Imagine what could've happened if you died." I continue. "They could've moved on to your family, killed your parents or hell, wiped them out of existence with their spells. Do you want that to happen?"

"No!" He steps out from behind the box, a bothered look on his face as his fists clench tightly. "That's not it!"

"Because this is what it looks like to me," I respond harshly, making him flinch. He knows it isn't true, but anger is a very good motivator. "Did the Fallen scare you that much? Are you that much of a coward?"

"T-this is all just new to me, alright?! I didn't know anything about this until last night!" He tries to justify it, looking to the side as he refuses to meet my eyes.

"You think they care? You think they're gonna wait for you to get used to it?" I scoff as a few more blunted arrows form around me. "Fine, you stay here. We don't need your help - Ichi and I are perfectly able to handle it ourselves."

"That's not what I'm saying-"

"Then stop being a pussy and fight back!" I cut him off with a growl, flinging the spells at him. "Prove to me that you're no deadweight!"

Thankfully, this doesn't intimidate him and instead inspires him to do better as he evades the spells before grabbing a metal sheet nearby, shielding his face and upper body with it as he charges at me. My frown drops, replaced with a smile as I 'try' to trip him with a few ice spells, but he's able to 'valiantly' push through it.

As he gets close, he throws the metal sheet at me, but I easily avoid it with a tilt of my head. With his arm extended as he intends to grab me, I simply move out of the way and trip him, but he's able to quickly turn around as he's falling, aiming his arm at me.

Though this time, there was a strange, black object attached to his hand, and a strange magical line came out of it and right at me. I didn't expect this at all, but I'm able to barely evade the projectile, quickly processing what I just saw.

This wasn't the Boosted Gear, this was Saji's.

Vritra's Absorption Line.

I quickly glance at the approaching Ichiban then back at Issei.

Then this means…

"Yoooo what the hell was that?!" Ichiban questions as he and Asia come running, witnessing the weird phenomenon that just happened. "I saw some weird thing come out of your- What in the fuck is that on your hand?!"

"W-what the fuck?!" Issei looks at the weird, but oddly cute little lizard with wide eyes before quickly trying to shake it off. "G-get it off! Get it off!"

"Wait, I'll get a crowbar or something!" Ichiban panics, looking around the dock to see if he could find anything. "Don't try to do anything weird and scare it, it could be poisonous!"

Asia stands there, also scared and panicking. She tries to say something in broken Japanese, but she stumbles on her words before she just gives up and switches back to English, summoning her Twilight Healing to heal it away or something.

"I-it's gonna be alright! Please, don't panic!" Asia says in English, panicking. "I-I'll try to soothe it with this."

As funny as seeing them all over the place is, I don't want them doing something stupid.

"For crying out loud, stop being drama queens." I stop the idiots from doing anything unnecessary with a sigh. "This is what we're hoping to awaken."

The three look at me weirdly, frozen still before Issei and Ichi utter a confused response dumbly.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Congratulations, this is your Sacred Gear." I clarify, looking at Issei. "It's a dragon type from the looks of it, and that weird beam thing means it's Absorption Line. One part of Black Dragon's Pulse out of four."

With this new information, the two boys calm down. Asia quickly understands the situation and relaxes right after.

"Damn," Ichiban mutters, clearly impressed as he helps Issei up. "Nice job man! You got a cool ass Sacred Gear, and you even awakened it before I did. Good on you!"

"It's cute." Asia giggles as she pokes the black lizard.

"I uh, heh, thanks." Issei smiles and nods bashfully, accepting the praise as he rubs his neck, looking at the tiny lizard attached to his hand. "So this is my Sacred Gear? What can it do?"

"From what I remember, these line beams are solid, so you can probably make genuine constructs once you get used to it." I put a hand on my chin as I try to remember what else it can do, a thoughtful frown taking over my face. "And as the name suggests, you can absorb someone or something's power with it to increase your own, or even connect it to allies and strengthen them."

"Woah…"

"That's so cool." Ichiban grins, patting Issei on the back. "This is gonna come in handy when we get in a fight with the Fallen Angels. You can make a shield or something to absorb their light spears, it's literally the perfect defense mechanism."

"You can overload though, so be careful with that," I warn him seriously, then give the two a smile. "But Ichiban is right. Absorption Line is definitely a really powerful weapon to have. Hell, a few days of practice and you alone could probably take them on."

25 Reputation with Issei Hyoudou [75/100]

He blushes at the compliment, and it's not like I'm actually lying here. It's no Boosted Gear, but it's definitely a lot more useful in the early stages. I don't think Issei would have a lot of trouble against the Fallen Angels with Absorption Line once he learns how to use it efficiently. It's pretty strong all things considered.

Though, if he has that, then that means Ichi is the one with the Boosted Gear, and I'm so glad if this is the case. I don't have to suck up to the idiot as much now that I know this, while also knowing that my efforts weren't in vain when I saved him.

I would've been pissed if he had something like a regular Twice Critical. That power is worthless in the hands of someone like Issei, and to make it even remotely useful will require a lot of time and resources. It wouldn't be worth it at all.

Since I had Issei's status sheet open to the side to keep an eye on his HP, I did notice a significant increase in his stats. An average ten on almost everything became 70-90, the lowest being his WIS while the highest is his STR. I didn't know awakening a Sacred Gear increases your overall power, but I'll take it.

With the three of us now, with Issei awakening his gear, the Fallen shouldn't be too difficult to handle. Kalawarner's stats weren't much when I checked. Downright embarrassing even, so I can likely assume that it's the same for the rest of the Fallen barring Raynare, who is the leader of the group, thus making her the strongest. Probably.

Though, there is that Ed asshole I have to worry about, too. Magic resistant and pretty damn tough, but I think we got this. Since Ichi said he tried but failed to awaken his gear, then a simulation wouldn't work, because, unlike Issei, he's supernaturally strong, so I won't be able to push him to awaken it. An actual battle is probably what's needed for him to awaken the Boosted Gear.

And with that, he can easily manhandle Ed on his own. Ichi has shit magic potential, so he probably relies on his physical strength more, exactly what you need to kick that fat bastard's ass.

Freed is someone I have to deal with pretty quickly - if he runs away and lives, he'll be back with an Excalibur. I don't want an annoying little shit like him flailing around a mythical object.

"Yo, Akane, we ready to bring the fight to them?" Ichiban asks, looking surprisingly excited. "Seeing this whole thing made me pumped. I wanna kick somebody's ass!"

"Not yet, it's still pretty early for that." I shake my head. "Issei, you stay here and practice your Sacred Gear a little more. Meet me at my house in three hours, we'll think of a plan to ambush them then."

It's not wise to be impatient, we have time to get Issei to practice his power a little more as I finish the training quest for an extra boost, then just ambush them once Raynare is out of the picture. They'll be down a fighter and will never be expecting an ambush. We got this in the bag.

I gotta hurry and finish the quest, only a few kilometers left. 60 Points to all physical stats plus Charisma is too useful for the fight ahead.

---

Name - Akane Amamiya

Level - 95

Title - Undead Slayer

Primary Class - Cryomancer - LVL 95/100 [3%]

Secondary Class - Engineer - LVL 0/100 [0%]

Race - Human

Rank - Mortal

Alignment - Neutral Evil

HP - 3000 [300 per minute]

MP - 9500 [5700 per minute]

SP - 3000 [300 per minute]

STR - 300

END - 300

DEX - 360

INT - 950

WIS - 950

CHA - 390

LUK – 190

Perks gained

[Overpowering] - Perk - STR 250

Through willpower and/or stubbornness, you refuse to be overpowered no matter what. You'll force your muscles to work extra hard for you, increasing your strength whenever you're in a pinch.

When you're being overpowered in a battle of strength, I.E Arm Wrestling, your STR will gain a temporary 25% boost.

[Ready for More] - Perk - END 250

Though you may tire, you're always pumped to do more, prompting you to regain your stamina much faster than usual. Such motivation isn't quite common these days, you should be proud of yourself.

Whenever your SP is under 50%, its regeneration is doubled.

[Perfect Body] - Perk

You've honed your body to perfection, beautiful enough to stun anyone who even gets a glimpse of it, regardless of their preference. Your body will always magically remain in its peak condition, giving you great stamina.

All CHA checks are easier. Affection is significantly easier to gain. If you intend to, you're able to make even gay men and straight women attracted to you.

All skills will cost 20% less SP

I spent around two hours focusing on the quest, only having around 20 kilometers to go before fully finishing the quest. I've kept it at the forefront of my mind because I know the boost would be needed in the fight.

Because aside from the stat increase itself, I knew that I'd get new perks for my Endurance and Strength. They're pretty decent, around as useful as I expected, but will be even better the stronger I become. A 25% increase in STR right now isn't really much, but imagine when I have something like 2000 points?

Same with the double stamina regeneration. There's no doubt that I'll get more stamina increase perks, so those perks are the kind that'll grow with me. Decent for now, really good later on.

As for the Perfect Body perk, well, I love it far more than I expected. Yes, the bonuses are pretty damn good, but in all honesty, I'm more impressed by what it did to me, or my body specifically. When it said a Perfect Body, it wasn't lying.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, completely naked as I smile smugly at my newfound beauty. I'm an inch taller, breasts a tiny bit bigger, my arms and legs are more toned, and muscles become easy to see whenever I flex. My stomach is the same, not quite having a six-pack, but good enough that anyone could tell that I'm athletic, which is perfect to me.

I quickly twirl around, my smirk widening as I notice my ass jiggling slightly at my sudden movement.

Even my lower body, from waist to hips to thighs to legs, everything is just perfect. I always had a pretty face, even before the increase to my CHA, and now that I have a body to back it up, my sex appeal is through the roof. I was admittedly a little self-conscious when I saw the devils in my school, but now?

I take out my phone and snap a quick picture to use as teasing material, making sure nothing too explicit is on display.

Rias can have tits bigger than my head for all I care because no matter how hard she tries, she'll never have an ass like mine.

My smirk then drops as I frown in thought, considering the possible consequences. As much as I love this amazing change, it's pretty sudden. People, my mother especially, will immediately notice how different I look.

I have to be pretty careful, perhaps wear baggy clothes to conceal all of this for a while. Mizuki might not question it considering our last talk, but I don't want to worry her and make her any more suspicious of me.

Speaking of my mother, she's not answering any of my texts or calls, and it's worrying. Where did she go? Did something happen to her? I was hoping she could assist us in the fight - an assassin of her skill is probably enough to handle them all in her sleep - but she just went up and vanished.

What the hell is going on in this town? First Akiyama, and now her?

She and I are gonna have a word if she doesn't answer soon.

And I also need to make an elaborate and believable lie to explain the new changes in me, because I know I can't hide this forever, but I also can't just reveal the Game to them, it's my most powerful weapon. I don't know if even such a thing exists, but I don't want anyone somehow figuring out a weakness for it.

I can worry about this later, though. The Fallen are more important right now.

I give my inventory a quick look as I put on some clothes, a short-sleeved hoodie on top of a shirt, and jeans that are easy to move in, before styling my hair into a ponytail. Ichi, Issei, and Asia would probably notice the difference in my body too, so a little bit of change in style could help throw them off a little.

All the essentials such as my phone, keys, weapons - they're all in my inventory. I just need to be a little discreet when pulling some stuff so nobody starts questioning. I don't have a lot of great weapons, but the bats I have are probably more than enough for this level of threat.

And I also have the Frost Katana for an extra melee weapon just in case. Aside from the Fallen, the fat bastard, and Freed, there's also a couple of stray exorcists we need to worry about I believe. It'd be pretty dumb of them if they didn't bring a bit of firepower, so I'm basing my assumption off of that.

I leave my room and lock the door behind me, going downstairs to see Ichiban, Issei and Asia in the living room waiting for me.

"Alright, let's recap." I say, getting their attention. "When it comes to danger level, they probably have guns and stuff, but Issei's Absorption Line is more than strong enough to block those."

"So I focus on support?" He notes questioningly. "Alright. I've gotten a hang of this Sacred Gear. I'll try my best."

"I'll be the tank, then," Ichi says with an excited smile. "I can pull their attention away from you guys as you assist me from behind. Akane, you are-"

"The DPS, yes I know." I smile back, amused at his childish enthusiasm. "Using game terms to explain a plan is so you."

"Hey, I got the point across, didn't I?" He shrugs. "You probably hit the hardest between all of us."

"I didn't say it's a bad plan, just that it's not exactly this simple."

"What about Asia?" Issei quips, snapping our attention to the confused blond.

"Let me handle it," I say.

She's been very quiet recently. Probably nervousness and her inability to understand what we're saying. This is kinda annoying, I need to find a way to teach her the language quickly.

"Asia, the three of us will go over to the abandoned church and attack the Fallen ourselves to drive them off Kuoh," I explain the gist of it, or more specifically, recap for her. "You're not much of a fighter, that much I know, so you don't have to come along if you don't want to. None of us want to see you get hurt."

"B-but I can help!" She protests. "I can use Twilight Healing to heal when you get injured."

"I know that. I'm not telling you to stay, I'm just asking you. Are you sure you want to come along?" I question her firmly. "Things could get messy, people will get hurt, and some might die. Are you sure you're okay knowing that?"

Asia flinches and falters a little bit, but her persistence and determination quickly return as a serious look takes over her face. "We haven't known each other for long, but you've already given me so much. It's my turn to help you."

She really is emotionally starved. I was nice to her for like, a few days and she's already okay with throwing her life for me. Perhaps that, or she really doesn't comprehend or understand what an actual battle is like. She's been a nun her whole life, of course, she's never been on the battlefield.

Not like I'm different, to be honest, but I've seen and been in my fair share of street fights where a couple of people died - never by my hand though - so I'm a little desensitized. Even then, Gamer's Mind helps a lot in that regard. I still remember the time I killed those thugs, and I still feel no remorse for it.

Assuming it's not the work of the Sociopath trait of course.

"Alright, if you're sure, but listen to everything I say, alright?" I respond, making her nod. "You're a healer, so your most important role is to make sure you're safe. If you're down, everybody dies."

She flinches and her eyes widen. Heh, no pressure.

"If you see someone getting hurt, don't panic and run off to them until they tell you to." I continue explaining her position. "If you need any kind of protection, tell us. Don't stay quiet about it. Ever."

"O-okay…"

"I'm counting on you." I give her one confident smile and a comforting shoulder squeeze. "All of us are."

10 Reputation with Asia Argento [100/100]

Reputation Maxed! +50(100) CHA!

Affection unlocked

So maxing out reputation gives a stat boost? That's pretty handy - is it random or is it tied to the character? Because I can see how Asia gives Charisma, she's pretty cute, and I guess kindness translates to charisma too somehow.

And with the double stat gain perk, I got 100 CHA instead. Ten points before I reach 500 and get a new perk.

She blushes deeply, lowers her head, and nods meekly. "I-I won't let you down."

She's so fucking easy.

"Alright, she's in." I tell the other two, "Ichi, how long till your date?"

"A few hours." He answers. "You want me to go along with it?"

"Yeah, the three of us will keep an eye on you from a distance." I nod. "There's a chance she might attack you immediately, but if she doesn't, then try to trick her and get her somewhere empty. The moment she does anything weird, we attack. Once we're done-"

"We ambush the rest." Issei finishes the sentence for me.

"Right. They'll be down a leader and one of their members injured. Easy pickings." I confirm.

"Alright, we got everything down," Ichiban smirks, oddly excited about this. "Let's do this."

And here I thought he'd be at least a little apprehensive.

---

(Raynare)

The moment she was assigned to Kuoh, Raynare immediately had a horrible feeling. It's not wise to get in between possible peace talks between two factions, because people discovering their involvement could mean a possible end for the Grigori, and she didn't want to be responsible for that.

She didn't have the guts to ask to be positioned somewhere else, though, because the Cadre was nowhere near as nice as Lord Azazel. There is a real chance of dying from an 'accident' if she dares to question him.

But now? Seeing everything falling apart? She really wished she declined the mission and ran off to her Lord. He wouldn't defend her outright, but he'd keep an eye on Kokabiel and make sure he didn't do anything impulsive.

The idiotic warmonger couldn't care less if she or her squad died off in this mission, that's why he even sent them on the equivalent of a suicide mission just to make a spark that'll restart the great war, along with the Yakuza and possibly Yokai this time. How exactly stealthily killing off a bunch of sacred gear wielders was meant to do that she wasn't sure, but she sure wasn't going to question the Cadre about it.

When Kalawarner came back injured, Raynare felt her heart drop to her stomach as she realized what this meant, and when her subordinate explained what had happened, Raynare wanted to die. A simple Yakuza soldier seeing them is bad enough, but the fucking daughter of the Immortal Dragon?

Was this some kind of a sick joke?

Aside from the girl somehow injuring Kalawarner when according to the data they had, she doesn't even know the supernatural exists, now the Yakuza will be ten times more alert than before. Recognizing what faction they're from is even worse - This literally could start a war with the Grigori instead of the devils any second now.

When she tried to contact the Cadre, he simply told her to continue with the mission and not question him again, otherwise, there will be consequences. Raynare and her squad were utterly fucked completely. They'd either die by the Yakuza or by one of their own.

And now this afro moron wasn't even listening to her anymore. With the Yakuza alert, she didn't want to be anywhere near other people. She might have that Energy Inhibitor device, but her paranoia isn't helping, so she wanted to drag the boy somewhere and kill him there quickly before taking her leave.

But no, he was annoyingly insistent into going somewhere specific, not even giving her room to argue as he dragged her through crowds and crowds of people. Since when was he so excited and confident? When Raynare had asked him out, he couldn't even speak properly.

However, she did notice that there were fewer and fewer people the more they walked. Where was he taking her? It didn't matter. The moment she finds an opportunity, she'd stab him in the back and run as fast as she can.

She glanced back, making sure that there was nobody near other than her backup. Freed, who kept a distance and was leaning against a lamppost, gave her a small nod with a grin plastered on his face.

Raynare looked at her target, who looked completely unaware of what was about to transpire as he led her further and further away from the center of the town, then scanned her surroundings for any possible escape routes.

It was a relatively empty street, with a couple of abandoned buildings and construction sites. She still didn't know what was so interesting about this or where he was taking her, but at this point, she just wanted to be done with this and go home.

With her arms crossed behind her back as she followed the boy closely behind, she created a small Light Dagger. She wanted to be quiet and discreet about this, as any grandiose reveal or time taken to torture him was risky at the moment.

As she was about to slit his throat from behind, her shoulder suddenly flared in agony, prompting her to shut her eyes and scream in pain. As soon as she opened her eyes, she only had a split second to see the backhand before it connected with her cheek, sending her flipping backward and falling on her front.

What the hell just happened?

Raynare quickly got on her feet, shoulder bleeding from a hole that was just made in it. She growled at the boy who dared to hit her, and he simply scowled back in return, getting in a stance. "I hate fakers like you wouldn't believe."

"H-how did you know?" Raynare grunted, holding her injured shoulder. "Y-you weren't supposed to know a thing!"

And whatever was that just now, whoever shot her. Where are they? The boy clearly had allies, but she wasn'tt seeing any…

Raynare froze as she met the eyes of the culprit.

Up, on the roof of a nearby building, the Yakuza Heiress pointed at the Fallen, tiny magic particles gathering at the tip of her finger. Raynare shivered as the girl smirked darkly, a glint in her eyes telling her she was enjoying every moment of this.

Beside her was that boy Kalawarner was supposed to kill, seemingly having already awakened his Sacred Gear, if the lizard on his hand was any indication. He looked at her with anger and disdain, likely holding a grudge.

"Yeah, exactly." The boy chuckled, getting her attention. "It's exactly what you're thinking about right now. You are fucked."

"You're nothing but children in the face of a veteran." Raynare scoffed, showing her bravado, even if she knew that any step would prompt the girl to shoot. "You had the element of surprise, that's all."

"Keep telling yourself that." He smirked arrogantly. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Give yourself up and we won't hurt you. Fight and get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. Your choice."

A glance back told her that Freed wasn't where he had been anymore, but she knew the bloodthirsty manchild wouldn't run away from this. He slipped by them, and if she wasn't overestimating his intelligence, then he was probably ambushing the two up on the roof.

She just needed to stall for time. The moment he took out the girl, she could charge at the boy and kill him. Fuck keeping the peace, she couldn't care less if the stupid heiress dies anymore. They were fucked anyway.

"A-alright, you've made your point." Raynare put her hands up, dispelling the Light Spear as her eyes darted around; specifically between the boy in front of her and the rooftop. "Nobody wants this to get out of hand, I can see that."

Raynare noticed the heiress' face twist, her expression turning into one of confusion, but made nothing of it. Even the afro boy was a little surprised, having to do a double-take before responding.

"Wait, really?" He blinked. "Huh, I honestly didn't expect this to work."

"You have me cornered, and I have nowhere to go." The Fallen explained. "It's only logical that I surrender if I wish to keep my life."

Hurry it up, you stupid manchild. Raynare thought, stopping a growl from escaping her. I can't do this for too long or they might figure it out.

"Yeah, that's true." The boy agreed, his cocky grin returning. "I just didn't expect you to do a 180 and drop that facade so fast. You were thiiis ready to actually fight back."

This time, a growl of frustration and shame left her mouth, glaring at the boy with anger. She hated that smirk and couldn't wait to wipe it off. Just a little longer…

As the boy walked towards her, a startled scream quickly snapped his attention away from her. Raynare took a short moment to glance at the rooftop of the building, seeing three individuals falling from it.

Freed was laughing maniacally, aiming his Light Gun at the two. As soon as he pulled the trigger, wings of ice sprouted out of the scowling heiress' back as she grabbed the other boy, shielding them both from the bullets.

"Akane!" The Longinus holder yelled in worry, and Raynare took that chance to begin her counterattack.

With a burst of speed, she grabbed the boy by the face and dragged his head across the pavement, ignoring the sharp pain in her shoulder. Surprisingly, the boy was more than strong enough to grab her arm and hold it in a leglock, seemingly also tough enough to endure a punishment no other human could.

He forced her down with his legs, twisting her arm and fully turning the tides. Raynare quickly summoned a Light Spear, but he noticed and quickly let her go, jumping back to gain a distance.

Raynare stood up, snarling at the pesky human. Close combat wouldn't work, it seemed. She didn't know he was trained, but of course he was. Another pain in the ass to add to that ever-growing list.

The Fallen saw her partner having trouble out of the corner of her eyes, barely dodging and blocking the ice spells before a line made of some sort of magic stabbed his leg. Freed hissed and cut the line with his sword, but whatever it was, it slowed him down as a few ice arrows managed to graze him.

Freed wasn't even able to close the distance at all - his gun was as useless as he was, as every time he tried to shoot them, the girl would protect herself and the boy with her wings. Like an idiot, he didn't change his approach at all, simply charging before getting pushed back by the onslaught of ice spells that even Raynare wouldn't have been able to handle. The girl's mana felt incredibly dense and heavy for someone of her experience and age

So the girl was trained too. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Summoning a few Light Spears, Raynare flew back and sent them forth, growling in annoyance as the boy simply rolled out of the way and dodged every single one of her attacks. She kept flying backward, pulling more of her mana to try to skewer the pest in front of her, who simply rushed towards her before grabbing a nearby bike.

Raynare was a tiny bit confused at first, but then quickly understood why he did that as he threw the damned bike at her with a roar. She gasped as she was completely unable to dodge, the abnormal strength of the boy causing it to fly far faster than any of her spears could.

All she could do was brace herself as it struck her, shattering on impact and disorientating her a little, however, she was fast enough to recover and fly away from the boy as he jumped high, throwing a haymaker.

Raynare did not notice the line of magic that plunged itself into her leg though, making her yelp in pain as the other boy with the awakened Sacred Gear smirked at her. She could feel her magic being drained, and she tried everything she could to cut it off quickly, but the Longinus Wielder, still in the air, grabbed the line of magic that was connected to her leg and used it as a monkey bar, throwing himself higher before going down on her with an axe-kick.

The world darkened for a split second as she was sent down hard, creating a body-shaped crater. Raynare gasped as her vision returned, that attack had severely injured her. She tried to move, only barely able to sit on her knees as she held her head in pain, blood trickling down her forehead and nose.

She still felt dizzy, but thankfully she wasn't knocked out, even if a part of her hoped that it had been the case. This was painful.

The boy dropped down and stood over her, the smirk on his face making it clear who was the winner between them. They never had a chance to begin with, did they? Even Freed's ambush didn't help.

"Y-you stupid bitch!" The idiot manchild screamed at the top of his lungs in rage, making Raynare wince. "Stop doing that and fight me for real!"

"That's what I'm doing right now, you whiny cunt." She growled, but then a smug smirk bloomed on her face. "But alright."

Surprising all of them, the girl simply stopped casting her spells and just… stood there. Even her allies were shocked at her action. With Raynare mentally giving up, she felt curious and began just watching the scene unfold before her.

"Hehehehahahaha!" Freed laughed loudly, gripping his sword tightly as he threw the gun to the side, knowing it's not much help. "Holy shit, I didn't expect you to actually listen. I guess you really do know your place, whore."

"This 'whore' is about to shove that sword so far up your ass, whoever pulls it out will be crowned the King of England."

"The fuck?!" Freed's mad grin turned into a scowl.

"You heard me~" Her smirk widened at his snarling.

Freed rushed towards her with a roar as she kicked the boy beside her away. As Raynare's partner closed the distance, he slashed in an attempt to cut her in half, but she simply stepped to the side and buried her fist into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Freed wasn't even given a chance to recover, as not even a second later, the girl grabbed him by the collar and threw a punch at his face. Then another, and another. A fourth, a fifth - over and over and over as teeth flew and blood splattered on her face and outfit. Freed was barely even recognizable anymore.

Everyone was silent as they watched this whole thing happen in front of them, and Raynare had to admit, this was cathartic to watch.

But all good things must come to an end as the heiress let go of him, delivering one final right hook that sent him sprawling all over the pavement. With her fist now dripping with the stray exorcist's blood, the girl let out a drawn-out sigh.

"That felt amazing." She muttered loud enough for all of them to hear as she approached Raynare. "You have no idea how much I wanted to do that."

"D-damn…" Kalawarner's target, getting up from that kick, mumbled in shock. "I'm so glad I was never on the receiving end of that."

"Heh, classic." The Longinus Wielder noted. "Not gonna lie though, it caught me off guard a bit. The whole ice magic thing made me forget that you actually know how to throw a punch."

"Could always remind you if you'd like?" She smirked playfully, then stared down at the Fallen. "Now, what do we do with you?"

"Hand her over to the Yakuza?" The boy with the awakened Gear suggested. "They'd know how to handle this, right?"

"Yeah, I feel like this isn't something we should be handling, Akane." The other boy agreed.

"I dunno, I'm honestly tempted to just kill them and be done with it." She said bluntly, surprising all of them. "Would save us a lot of trouble."

"M-maybe we shouldn't." Kalawarner's target mumbled a little meekly. "It doesn't feel right."

"Why not?" She raised a brow at him. "They attacked us first. We have every right to off them."

Raynare felt her blood run cold at how casually she said that. She knew humans usually have a lot of empathy, but this girl isn't one of them from the looks of it. She had to say something. Now.

"I-if you kill me-" Raynare interrupted, swallowing thickly. "Y-you might ignite a war with the Grigori."

The girl looked at her in shock for a few seconds before chucking.

"Oh? Really now?" The girl's grin was wide as if she heard something particularly amusing. "So a war starting isn't because you infiltrated Kuoh? Not because you had the balls to try to kill random innocent people on grounds not your own? Not because you attacked me?"

Raynare flinched.

"But because we defended ourselves from you, somehow that's our fault?" The Yakuza Heiress lost her smile and scoffed. "You moron. Do you even hear yourself? Who the fuck do you think you are, threatening me like this?"

"Oi, calm down." The Longinus Wielder put a hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel, but let's not do anything hasty."

"So we just let her go? After what's she done?"

"No, I'm just saying that killing her isn't worth it." He tried to argue on the Fallen's behalf. "It wouldn't solve anything, would it? Once we hand her over, we're done. It's not our issue anymore."

She merely glared at the Fallen, who nervously looked away. This is not good, not good at all.

"...I suppose you're right. She's not worth it."

Raynare almost let out a long sigh of relief but managed to hold it in.

"But like you said, we're not gonna let her go either." She grinned wickedly. "Issei, hand over that pipe over there."

The boy blinked and nodded, quickly running over to the iron pipe lying on the ground and grabbing it. The Heiress grabbed the pipe and twirled it, prompting Raynare to realize what was about to happen.

"Don't worry, we know where your idiot friends are hiding. We'll deal with them too." She said, "But for now, how about you take a short nap?"

"W-wait, hold on-"

"Goodnight."

And with a swing of that pipe, Raynare went to sleep.

---

(Akane)

I really wanted to kill the two of them, but I thankfully calmed myself down and thought about it a little more. As tempting as it was, with the EXP I'd get by ending their lives, I do want to build a positive reputation. I don't want to be seen as merciless or anything like that, not yet at least.

A good reputation means more allies, and more allies means more power. I already have somewhat of a reputation, harsh but not heartless, which is perfect. I need to keep at it and keep my emotions in check. I don't like it, appealing to other people and sucking up to them, but you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

At some point, though, I won't be able to hide it, but hopefully, by that time, I'll be more than strong enough to protect myself from anything.

I didn't expect Freed to jump out of nowhere and ambush us if I'm being honest, but he's easily handled. He's faster than that Ed guy, but far less powerful and has little to no magical resistance. He's a fourth-rate villain anyway, I was never particularly worried about him.

And like I expected, Raynare had more stats than the other Fallen. Nothing to write home about, but she's… somewhat of a threat. To one of us at least. Pretty sure even Issei alone could beat her.

Once we were done, we knocked her out and bound the two with chains in my warehouse, and just to be extra careful, I trapped them with my ice, freezing their legs on the ground. We searched their belongings, but they didn't have anything worth noting. Only a dagger hidden with Freed.

I kicked him in the face for good measure. Bastard.

Asia then came out from hiding, looking a little horrified when she saw Freed's face and was about to even heal him, but we stopped her and reminded her that they're the enemy and that we shouldn't feel bad for people like him. She didn't look convinced, but she seemed to go along with it for now.

I made sure Asia hid somewhere else in case there was a fight and that Raynare was actually stronger than I expected, just to be safe. Thankfully, none of us were really injured that much. Ichi had a few scratches and bruises on him but those are easy to get rid of, and Issei had a couple from when I kicked him out of the way.

I had hoped that he'd awaken his Sacred Gear, but he wasn't pushed enough. Perhaps I should've acted like I was helpless, but even the thought of that disgusted me. If he doesn't unlock it in this fight, I'll orchestrate something with the Yakuza or Akiyama.

As for the morons we beat, they're tired, weakened, out cold, and hidden in a place where the defenses should stop them from being sensed, heard, or seen. The two are stuck there until we deal with the rest, they'll not be able to escape.

If they somehow do get out of there, I'll kill them.

I'm glad that I still get EXP even if I don't actually kill someone. I only leveled up once, sure, but it's something. Four more levels and I max out my first class and take a new one. Still need that Swordsman class knowing we're dealing with Excaliburs soon enough.

Once everyone was healed and a little rested, we headed towards the abandoned church and hid somewhere close by, a tight alleyway between a few buildings that gave us a good view of the Fallen's base. I hate that I can't sense anything there, but I have to deal with it for now and get answers later.

I gave Ichiban and Issei melee weapons, the Golden Bat, and a regular baseball bat because I'm assuming there are a lot more people we need to deal with there. Raynare and Freed are only two of our enemies - the church likely holds a few dozen. A weapon could be handy.

"Alright, Asia, listen," I whisper to her. "Like before, you stay hidden here. Hopefully, we don't need it, but if anyone's injured, they'll come to you. If they shout your name, that means they're not able to and you need to go in there and help."

To be honest, I don't really think we need Asia all that much. With the element of surprise and two of their capable warriors down, we can probably crush them easily, and this is a great chance of maxing out my first class.

I'm sure it'll be fine if I 'accidentally' kill a few of them. I'm just defending myself, after all, killing in self-defense doesn't make you a murderer. Besides, who would care about a handful of stray exorcists and useless, low-ranking Fallen Angels anyway?

I'm doing the world a favor by getting rid of the trash.

"O-okay." The blond nods. "Please be careful, okay?"

"We will be." I give her a confident smile then turn around to the other two. "You two ready?"

"More than ever." Issei smiles, looking far more confident than before. The previous victory must've emboldened him.

"Like the good old days, eh?" Ichiban grinned, the Golden Bat resting on his shoulder. "Reminds me of Kamurocho with that gang we crushed."

"When you think about it, it's kinda the same thing, isn't it?" I note. "Only this time, we're an actual team."

"A real party." He agrees, his grin widening.

"Wait, hold on, you guys crushed a gang before?" Issei questions in shock.

"Yup, should've seen it. Pure chaos." Ichi chuckles, twirling the bat in his hand. "There were like, tens of them and only two of us."

"And you just beat them?" Issei's eyes sparkle in admiration as Ichiban nods in response. "That is so hardcore!"

"We can tell you the whole story later. Like he said, it's pure chaos." I quip. "For now, let's kick those idiots out of our town. I think they've overstayed their welcome."

Giving the blond one last glance, she silently responds with a nod, prompting us to rush out of the alleyway as we circle around the church, trying to find a backdoor or something. We avoid the stained glass to remain discreet as you're able to see through it easily, spotting one of the Fallen patrolling the area near the side, prompting us to immediately back away. It was the loli one, thankfully unaware of our presence.

Fortunately, she's on foot, likely thinking that flight could attract too much attention, which is perfect.

I quietly cast Ice Bullet, blanking its magical presence before aiming at her head. A single shot to the back of her skull is enough to kill her silently. We can drag the body somewhere else so nobody notices.

Ichi looks at me with a frown, then nods. He doesn't like it, but there's no other choice, and he knows that. Knocking her out is way too risky and could alert the others.

As soon as she is away from the stained glass, I shoot her in the back of the head, ending her life instantly and silently as the bullet penetrates her skull. She limply falls down, blood pouring on the ground beneath her.

Level up!

Issei flinches at the sight, then Ichiban puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"I know it's hard, but try to relax," Ichi whispers, trying to soothe him. "There isn't much we could've done."

Issei takes a moment to register what he said, still staring at the Fallen's corpse, but then nods slowly. He's taking it very well, I'm actually kind of impressed. Nonetheless, I do give him an extra moment to take it in, then I signal for them to get closer.

"Boost me up," I whisper. "We don't have much time until they notice something is off, but I can see some windows up on the walls of the hall - I'll try to get another shot from there. I'll give you a rough estimate of their numbers with a text, and as soon as you see one of them fall, rush them and destroy them. Remember, keep an eye out on that fat guy, he's really tough."

They nod seriously and listen to my orders. With Ichi's strength alongside my own, I'm able to jump very high and grab the ledge of the lower portion of the roof before pulling myself up. I crouch against the wall of the higher, central hall, peeking through the stained-glass window to get a better look.

I see around perhaps forty or fifty exorcists, the two other Fallen, and Ed all inside the place. All of them were disguised in casual outfits, likely to hide from the Yakuza in case they get too close, and they're completely ignorant of what just happened to one of their own, or what's about to happen now. It's almost funny really.

I texted Ichi what I saw, and once he relayed the info to Issei, he gave me a thumbs up. All set.

I aim another bullet at that Ed idiot, silently debating with myself whether I should risk it and shoot him instead of one of the other Fallen Angels, before changing my target. No, I know he's resistant to magic - it's not wise to try a sneak attack on him like that, especially seeing how much HP he has.

I aim at the healthier of the two - the only male Fallen in the group. The other one is still injured and her stats are pretty horrible all around. She's not really a threat at all - I could probably beat her without using any of my ice spells.

And once I take a deep breath.

I shoot.

The man falls down, blood and gray matter splattering on the walls as everyone inside was too shocked to react. However, my allies are quick to respond, shattering the stained glass as they leap through it. The enemy is too disoriented to react, panicking as they try to defend themselves from the two, but it doesn't help when I support Ichiban and Issei by raining down ice spells from above, slaughtering most of the Stray exorcists.

In mere seconds, their numbers were cut down to less than five. Only the big bastard and Kalawarner, who had her back against the wall as she watched the horrific scene unfold before her eyes.

I smirk widely. We got them good~

Level up! X4

[Cryomancy] Class has reached level 100!

Choose a new primary class!

Note: All EXP will be accumulated until you choose a new class

Reaching level 100 awakened the power and trait of your bloodline(s)!

Perks gained

Trait gained

That's a lot of messages. I'll check them out later, once we're done with this fight.

I say 'fight' sarcastically here. It's really just a one-sided massacre.

The church suddenly shakes as I see Ichiban smashing through the wall, sent flying by the fat bastard. Issei tries to drain his energy with Absorption Line, but it does nothing to him. Of course it doesn't, the guy barely has magic as it is!

He grabs the idiot pervert by the throat and slams him to the ground, injuring him severely. My eyes widen as I see his HP hit the double digits, knowing full well that he is nowhere near as tough as Ichiban or even me.

With a click of my tongue, I jump down and rush forward, kicking Ed in the face and forcing him to let go of Issei, pushing him a few steps back. Thinking quickly, I summon an ice wall between us then grab the pervert and support him with my shoulder. He's on the verge of death, and his HP is still dropping. I need to get him to Asia.

Ed easily breaks the wall with a punch, but Ichiban gets back in the fray, smashing his bat on the fat bastard's head as cash suddenly explodes everywhere. Ichi looks at Issei and growls, glaring at Ed angrily.

"I'll hold him off, get Issei back to Asia."

"Got it." I nod, wings of ice forming behind my back. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."

With that, I hold Issei and fly away from the fight, reaching where Asia was hiding in seconds. Asia gasps as she sees the boy out cold and utterly broken, rushing towards him as a ring around her middle finger snaps into existence.

"What happened?!" She questions.

"No time to explain. I need to go back there." I respond. "Take care of him."

My crystal wings flap, creating a small gust of wind as I soar back to the church. I don't even wait to scan the surroundings, simply slamming into Ed as I drag him across the floor of the church and to the outside, smashing the glass and walls of the abandoned building.

He growls in annoyance, seemingly not that hurt at all, before suddenly pulling out a gun out of his pocket, aiming at my head. I tilt my head at the last second, slapping it away before grabbing him with me to fly high in the sky, to divebomb him.

I let go and watch him plummet back down at the church, but with his status sheet open, I see that it didn't do a whole lot of damage. The entire building starts crumbling, but he simply stands up, rolls his neck, and smirks.

"Tough bastard," I mutter, gliding down as Ichiban catches up with me to regroup.

30 Reputation with Goro Majima [50/100]

Huh?

I shake the notification off and put my head back to the game.

Is it me or is he actually tougher than the first time I faced him? No, he definitely is, but how? It is then that I notice a blue glow flicker around his body. What was that? Some sort of a shield? It didn't look like magic, though, and he barely has mana.

"What should we do?" Ichi asks me. "Rest of the enemies probably died when the building fell down on them. He's the only one left."

I was about to pull out the revolver but decided against it. No, I shouldn't use it like this - it's my trump card, and I won't let this asshole force me to use it. Fuck him, Ichi and I can handle it ourselves.

Instead, I take out the Frost Katana I got a while back. Ichi flinches at the sight, looking at me in shock. "How the hell did you do that?"

"We'll talk later." My frown deepens. "Let's focus on taking him down now."

"Y-yeah got it." He swallows with a nod, twirling the Golden Bat. "By the way, what's up with your eyes?"

I pause, my frown turning into one of confusion.

"What?"

I didn't get an answer to that weird question as Ed charges at us, prompting us to take stances before we return the charge. I slash at his torso, but the sword isn't able to even cut his clothes as that blue glow flickers again, stopping my attack in place. Not even the ice power of the blade helped.

Ichi, with his superior strength, is able to at least damage him a bit as he swings the bat at his head, but it's not much as it doesn't even stun him. Ed backhands Ichiban, pushing him back, then grabs me by the neck to lift me up.

His tight grip was choking me, and no matter what I do, he doesn't even wince. Casting ice spells, kicking him in the face, freezing his arm - none of that does shit to him. Even Ichiban wasn't able to do anything as the bastard took all his attacks with a stride, laughing in response.

"To see the light slowly leaving your eyes…" He chuckles as I choke, my face turning red from lack of breath. "This is a sight I've always dreamed of."

"Damn it, let go of her, you bastard!" Ichi screams, throwing his bat to the side as he tries to push him away, but to no avail as he's grabbed by the neck too.

My heart is pounding as tears begin to form at the corners of my eyes, fear settling in as my vision darkens, but I refuse to use the gun. As terrifying as this is, as much as my instincts are screaming at me to save myself, I don't.

Because aside from my dumb pride clashing with my sense of self-preservation, this is the perfect opportunity.

I glance at Ichiban, who has a red aura emanating from him as he growls. His stats increase more and more with every passing second - his right arm engulfed in red energy before he roared, forcing Ed to let go of him as a gauntleted fist connected with his face.

The fat bastard was sent flying back to the destroyed church, and I'm finally able to breathe again as I fall to my knees, coughing and gasping for air. That was way too close, fucking stupid of me to even consider. What even possessed me to do that? What the fuck is wrong with me?

"Oi, are you okay?!" Ichiban crouches next to me, putting a hand on my back. "Take it easy, Akane."

"I-I'm fine," I respond, arms and legs shaking uncontrollably, before Gamer's Mind does its job and calms me down. "Just need a moment."

I glance at the red gauntlet covering his arm up to his elbow, a glowing green gem on the back of his hand. I knew it, I fucking knew it was the Boosted Gear. Makes all of this almost worth it.

Something is pretty different about it, though. It's not the ugly, bulky version I'm familiar with. Instead, it was sleek, actually looking like scales and not a weird, mech-suit-looking gauntlet. Does this mean something specific? Or is it another change in this world?

"So uh…" He backs off as I stand on my feet once again. "What kind of Sacred Gear is this?"

"Longinus Class, Boosted Gear." I give a brief explanation. "It's very strong. Your powers will double every ten seconds."

"BOOST!"

The sudden roar of the Sacred Gear startles us both, then I point at it and nod.

"Yeah, like that."

"You're not kidding. I feel incredible." He says in awe, then a grin splits his face. "With this, that fucker won't stand a chance. Stay here, I'll handle it."

I'll say, I feel very annoyed to be sidelined like this, but as much as I hate to admit it, I won't be able to help much right now. Whatever shield thing this Ed has makes my spells useless, and Ichi with two boosts is far above me in the physical department.

I need to find a way to massively increase my damage output.

"...Careful, boosting takes a lot of stamina," I warn him with an even voice to mask my anger, stepping back. "Finish this as fast as you can."

"Got it."

Ichi walks towards him, grabbing the Golden Bat off the ground as Ed rushes back at him. However, the fat bastard freezes as he sees the gauntlet, and all the blood leaves his face, making him pale.

"T-this isn't possible." He stumbles on his words. "You're the Red Dragon Emperor?!"

"I dunno what that is." Ichi closes the distance in an instant. "But I prefer being a Hero over a Dragon."

Ichi swings the bat, hitting him across the face hard. The blue shield that covered his body shattered instantly, and checking his HP, it went down from 90k to 20k in a single hit. Ed fell over with his eyes rolling back into his skull, consciousness leaving him in less than a second.

Holy fuck.

…That was kinda anticlimactic. I know I told him to end it quickly, but he could've done something cool.

Ichi takes a step back before falling on his knees in exhaustion, letting go of the bat before letting out a deep sigh of relief. Ignoring the minor hiccup at the end, we completely crushed them. We didn't need help from the Yakuza or the Devils.

Just four of us lowly humans.

"How do you feel?" I ask Ichiban as I move towards him, who shakes his head.

"Hungry as all fuck." He says.

"Same." I pat his shoulder. "Come on, let's take him with us and go meet up with Asia. Dinner's on me."

I know the Yakuza are watching this, so to send them a message, I raise my arm up in the air and give them the middle finger. This does get the attention of Ichiban, however, as he looks at me with a confused expression.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry about it."

Useless bastards.

---

(Akiyama)

Watching the battle on screen was… well, eye-opening for one. He knew his niece wasn't exactly the kindest of individuals, but to see her so ready to senselessly slaughter her enemies was pretty horrifying. He didn't really know what to think.

On one hand, it was the logical decision. They weren't powerful or equipped enough to be able to afford to spare every single one of their enemies, clearly not with that Saio Triad officer somehow acquiring advanced anti-magic technology.

But to see her not show even the slightest of emotions as she shot the Fallen girl in the head, not even a flinch or wince as she gazed at her bleeding corpse was one hell of a scene he could never get out of his mind.

He could understand Mizuki's concerns, she's really showing the same exact behavior those people do. Nowhere near as severe - she never grinned or laughed maniacally as she slaughtered them, only smirking in arrogance at worst, but if this kept going, then it would

Not to mention, she awakened her heritage in the battle. As soon as they ambushed them, Akane's mana sharpened suddenly, and her pupils changed color, turning icy blue. What caused this? Did the adrenaline force it out of its dormant state? Could it be shock, but Akane just knew how to hide it? So many things happened in that fight, like Ichiban's awakening of the Boosted Gear.

So he simply pushed it to the back of his head for now, focusing on the actual battle. Of course, she made too many mistakes - one example being that she was incredibly impatient and quick to irritate.

She's very reckless, too. Had she retreated to regroup then formulated a new plan, they might've defeated the Saio Triad officer with relative ease, but instead, she pulled that dangerous stunt that barely even damaged him.

Of course, unlike him, the Mad Dog absolutely loved it, laughing and cheering for Tatsu's daughter, praising her name to high heaven. Hell, he forced the entire family to sing her praises just for that stunt alone.

However, that joyous moment was cut short as the officer began choking his niece. Akiyama was ready to endure the worst from the Majima Family if it meant he could fly away and assist his niece. He was this close from decking the Mad Dog in the face.

But his rage and worry couldn't be compared to the one tied up behind them.

Half of the underground facility was frozen in ice, although fortunately no one was hurt from the burst of magic. Shun could see his own breath, so could everyone else inside. Every Majima Family Yakuza backed as far away from the enraged mother as they could.

Shun turned around, seeing Mizuki with her head lowered, half of her hair pure white as she stressed the seal over her power. She was doing her utmost best to calm herself down, eyes closed and breathing steady.

The once-powerful seal used to stop her core from generating magic was now all worn out, weakened enough that mere stress is enough to destroy it. Seeing the battle on the giant screen almost did break it, her magic leaking in the process and causing the damage over the facility, but the unexpected ending gave her a moment to calm down before it did.

It clearly left a mark, though. Her magic was slowly returning, and everyone in the room could sense it. Shun didn't know if this was part of the Mad Dog's plan, but this could've ended up with the entirety of Kuoh frozen solid the instant Akane suffered a terrible injury.

However, the chair she was tied on was completely untouched, as were the chains used to tie her up, likely some sort of magical repellent or absorber. To withstand this much magic was impressive, but they all knew that Mizuki could've easily destroyed it if she had broken her seal completely.

"See?" Majima started, pointing at the half-frozen screen. "I told ya she could handle it, and she did better than any of us coulda expected."

"This was not the way to do it, Majima-san," Shun responded with a shake of his head. "Not even an ounce of assistance? One Yakuza to at least lead them?"

"Nah, that ain't gonna work. The girl is a natural-born leader, and she's a prideful one to boot." The Mad Dog waved it off. "Sendin' one of my men to boss 'em around would've pissed them off instead. Havin' them work together like this is better. This is good experience for them, ya see."

"Majima." He dropped the honorifics as he frowned, feeling his blood boiling. "What good is experience if you send her on a suicide mission? What good is experience if Akane had died?"

"She wouldn't have," Majima said with confidence, grinning at the girl who had her middle finger extended. "Someone like her ain't never dyin' like this, no way."

"How can you be so unreasonably sure about this?" He questioned.

"I told ya before, Akiyama." He shrugged. "Those're the eyes of someone who will never allow themselves ta lose. If a gaze could kill, then hers would've frozen the planet ten times over."

Having had enough, Shun grabbed the Mad Dog by his jacket and slammed him against the wall, an uncharacteristic snarl on his face as he glared at the smirking Yakuza Patriarch. Shun's red suit jacket lit on fire as he felt his Sacred Gear stirring, power coursing through his vein when his eyes glowed a fiery orange.

"I don't know what gave you authority to do any of this- To keep a mother from protecting her own daughter," Shun growled, gritting his teeth as he referred to the silent Mizuki, ignoring how every single Yakuza pointed their guns at him. "Don't force your delusional way of thinking onto us. As a guardian, your only job is to cut this stupid bullshit and protect her like you're told to."

"And hinder her potential in the process?" Majima's grin dropped, as did his Kansai accent. "I told you before; shielding her from conflict will do nothing but stunt her growth."

"There won't be growth if she's dead." Shun reiterated. "Look, I understand where you're coming from, but risking her life over assumptions? Thinking this is the only way she could grow?"

"They're not assumptions, they're facts, and both of us know that," Majima responded calmly. "She's like her dad; she grows exponentially under pressure. If one of us was around her, Akane would feel safe, and that stagnates her growth."

"She's not her dad."

"I know." Majima gripped Shun's hand tightly and effortlessly moved him away. "She's better."

He pushed Shun away, quickly reverting back to his Mad Dog persona as he shrugged, addressing the mother of Akane.

"Ya know Akane more than any of us, so ya know what I'm sayin' is true," Majima said. "Ain't that right, Mizuki-chan?"

Mizuki, who was silent the whole time, didn't give him an instant, heated reply like Shun expected her to do. She simply lifted her head up, hair back to what it used to be, and simply responded with the blankest voice he's ever heard her speak in.

"Can I see my daughter now?"

Majima blinked, and Shun didn't quite expect this. Not long ago, she was almost frothing at the mouth, cursing and promising torment. This was the complete opposite. However, Shun could detect the overwhelming rage she's currently feeling.

"Uh, yeah sure." Majima shrugged, waving to one of his men. "Get those chains off her."

"Yes, sir."

The subordinate quickly went behind Mizuki and began 'untying' the chains, using some sort of a strange wrench obviously magical in nature. Majima stepped towards her, seemingly unaware of her current desire to rip him apart, or simply not caring enough. Knowing him, it was the latter.

Majima wasn't even able to get a word in, because as soon as the chains dropped, Mizuki closed the distance in an instant and delivered a blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him smashing into the giant screen.

Mizuki simply blankly stared at him for a few seconds, not caring as guns were aimed at her, but all lowered their weapons when Majima raised his hand, a mixture of chuckling and coughing echoing in the facility.

She then just turned around and walked out of the door, but not before giving a warning that sent a chill down the spine of everyone in the room, even Shun, who's not involved in this at all.

"Majima."

They all froze and stared at her, her voice quiet and even, betraying the sheer overwhelming rage she's feeling.

"If you ever do something like that again."

Mizuki turned her head ever so slightly, eyes glowing blue as the ground under her feet began to freeze.

"I will bury the Tojo Clan."

And then she just left. Her steps could be heard as the entire place was dead silent until it was broken by Majima's sudden laughter.

"What a dangerous combination!" He giggled, wincing as he held his stomach in pain. "Tatsu-chan's tenacity and Mizuki-chan's viciousness. I wonder what Akane-chan will end up like?"

Shun sighed and left, going after Akane's mother. He knows the man means well in his own twisted way, but from the looks of it, they'll never agree on what method to go by.

He just hopes the Mad Dog doesn't take it too far again.

---

Biggest chapter so far, and one to end the Fallen mini-arc since I've started to get bored of it. This should pick up the pace.

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