Now that the battle is over, Ichi and I took the fat bastard with us to meet up with Asia and a now-healed Issei before heading to the warehouse where Freed and Raynare are. Those two are still out cold from the looks of it, chained and bound together. Could they break the chains? Maybe, but by the time they wake up, they'd be too weak to do anything.

And unlike me, simply sitting on their asses won't heal their wounds. They need medical attention if they want to make a recovery. They won't be going anywhere, especially not with the four of us back. They're stuck there until one of the Yakuza bastards takes them.

I'd kill them, (for that sweet sweet EXP), but if I do that now, I'd have no excuse. More eyes would be kept on me, more attention that I don't want right now. If this evil nature of my weird assassin bloodline was a known thing in the Yakuza, then showing signs is gonna make them concerned.

It's already a pain in the ass with this new trait I've gotten.

[Sadistic] - Trait

The pain and suffering of others please you. Seeing someone groveling and begging for mercy will always put a smile on your face. Humiliating and hurting your opponents in every way will become a high priority, forcing you to prolong their suffering far more than necessary.

This trait is hard to overcome

It's gonna be a lot harder to keep myself under control with this. I've admittedly had some sadistic tendencies in the past, but I don't think they were worthy of being a trait on their own. This probably means that these tendencies are gonna be a lot, lot worse. I'm already having trouble keeping my anger in check, and this isn't helping.

I wonder, though. What triggered this? My sense of gratification when we crushed those Stray Exorcists? Or was it tied to this new bloodline power I got? I am related to this family of evil assassins after all, and according to my mother, sadism is part of who they are.

Weird. This bloodline power isn't related to them at all. It's my Yokai blood finally awakening. This brings me to this new perk, a very powerful one that'll help me catch up to the real monsters of DxD.

[Bloodline: Yuki No Onna] - Perk

You share the blood of the ambivalent Yuki No Onna, a very powerful and rare Yokai that is hidden from the world. While not pure, her blood runs strong within you, giving you abilities not seen in centuries. Use your powers wisely.

75% of any Ice Damage dealt to you will be converted to MP

Ice Magic Control's requirements for ranking up are cut by 50%

Refining and evolving spells are twice as easy, and you may learn one spell that is one rank above your current level

Ice Magic's effectiveness is increased by 50% and will ignore all resistances and immunities

You are more powerful in colder environments

You can absorb nearby natural snow or ice to increase your stats

This perk is incredible. The defensive and offensive capabilities of this perk, while specific, are amazing. I don't even need to match someone like Serafall in strength to defeat her with this. What's the point if she can barely do any damage to me anyway?

And the sheer increase in potential is insane. A cut by 50% for the requirements on top of that 25% for my Rising Star perk? I'll be able to rank up my Ice Magic Mastery like it's nothing. A single month focused solely on training is probably enough to reach the highest rank.

I also got another related perk that isn't as powerful as this one, but still very good.

[Shin Youjutsu] - Perk

Due to your powerful expression of the blood of a rare Yokai breed, you can inherently use the true form of Youjutsu, a far more powerful version than the false and weak imitation used by the current generation of Yokai.

MP cost of all spells is decreased by 15%

All Pure Magic spells' effectiveness are increased by 25%

Ki or Chi effectiveness is increased by 20%

Your emotions can influence the power of your magic

Certain Masteries will gain a bonus with this perk

This reminded me of the Ancient Youjutsu my mother talked about once, but it's named differently. Is it the same thing or is it something else entirely? She did say that emotions are the main power influence of it, but she never mentioned anything about Ki. Perhaps this is an even stronger variant?

I should ask her when I get the chance and get more info about Ki too. It's wise to have a backup source of power, seeing how some people have anti-magic tech. I knew going for a balanced build was a good idea. Eliminating all weaknesses is what anyone should do before they try to acquire more power. If I'd gone full mage, even if I've gotten a lot more powerful, it wouldn't matter much once I get hit by something like that magic disrupting smoke bomb.

Of course, that's not all the stuff I got. Two more stat milestone perks, a Cryomancy Spellbook, and a Rare Gacha Token. This beginning arc of DxD did more for me in a day than I got from training in safety for a week. I knew that sticking around Kuoh was only gonna accelerate my growth. The more danger I'm in, and the stronger the enemy, the more the levels and quests I'll get.

[Child of Magic] - Perk - 1000 WIS

Strange. Magic seems to look fondly upon your existence and lends its hand when needed, and you in turn enjoy its presence whenever it's around. You've somehow gained the favor of magic itself.

When your MP reaches 0, you will immediately absorb all ambient magic nearby to refill your reserves. Any given area has a finite amount of magic to draw on in this way.

[Intrinsic Knowledge] - Perk - 1000 INT

You know this isn't enough. You recognize that there's something waiting beyond these limiting walls of refinement. Your spells can be stronger, faster, and tougher than before. True temperament awaits.

All spells have their maximum refinement level increased by 5

I really do love the Gamer power. Just that instance of actual battle made me almost twice as strong as I was a day ago. As soon as I go back home, I don't think I'll be sleeping. I'll be in the dungeon all night testing my powers and ranking up my Ice Magic Control. With so many of the requirements being cut, I should rank up in a single night.

Then I can read the spellbooks and practice these new spells. Frost Cloak, Frozen Soldier, and the book I got from the quest, Cold Mist. There's also the Gacha Token I haven't used yet, but I'll do it when I'm training in the dungeon alone.

Honestly, at this point, I'm looking forward to Kokabiel showing himself. If weaklings like those Fallen and their squads of pathetic Stray Exorcists gave me so much, I wonder what a Cadre would do to my growth.

Of course, I'm not the only one who grew stronger. Like I predicted before, awakening a Sacred Gear does in fact increase one's natural power. Ichi went from 300-500 in his physicals to 500-700, least being DEX and most being STR.

It's good to have my close allies become powerful, but it's also a little threatening. Two boosts is enough for him to kill me before I realize what's happening. I know Ichiban would never do anything like that, but I still don't like it.

Perhaps it's just me being prideful, wanting to become the most powerful in our group or 'party' as Ichi likes to call it, or maybe I feel threatened. I honestly don't know. It's a weird, unpleasant feeling. I hate it.

I'll have to fix that. The problem with the Boosted Gear is that without it, the user is not powerful enough to handle actual threats. It makes you reliant on it, likely complacent too, as you only need to work on your stamina to use it to its full potential. Same with Divine Dividing, though that one is trickier to deal with.

If a Boosted Gear user focused on refining their 'base' form, then they could've conquered this world ages ago. Imagine someone like Sirzechs with it? How strong could a monster like him become after five or four boosts?

I glance at Ichiban, who has a satisfied smile on his face as he pats Issei on the back, saying how good of a job we did against the Fallen as they all sit on the ground in a circle, a couple of empty pizza boxes stacked on top of each other in the middle. Issei looks a little shaken up, likely from almost losing his life, but he's relieved. Even though she doesn't understand a lot, Asia looks a little happy too.

What I'm saying is simple. The best way to deal with a Boosted Gear user is to kill them before they get any chance to boost or unleash their Balance Breaker and to do that, I need more physical power. Dodging once is all they need to turn the tides against me, so I mustn't give them any window to do that.

Hell, growing physically is a must. Every 'mage' in DxD is fast enough to outpace regular bullets, and I'm pretty sure Sirzechs and the other Satans are way, way above that. They're the kind of people who'd think said bullets are frozen in time from how slow they are. A slap from them would be enough to turn me into a pile of gore.

I can't do much against that. I can't hit someone that I can't keep up with at all, so I must become as fast and as strong as they are to be able to match them. I have to eradicate every weakness I have so I can live in this world without fear.

I turn my head to the other side, looking at our prisoners. All of them are out cold, so I have no worries about them waking up and trying to escape. Even if they try to, Ichiban and I are more than powerful enough to knock them back on their asses without much effort. And if they're smart enough, they'll know that trying to run is futile. I won't hesitate to slaughter them if they do, because then I'd have an excuse to kill.

"Yo, Akane." Ichi addresses me, prompting me to let out a hum of acknowledgment. "You sure the Yakuza are coming to get them? It's getting kinda late."

"I don't know what's taking them so long," I respond with a shrug. "But it'd be weird of them not to."

"Well, what do we do with them if they don't come?" Issei questions, scratching his head. "I mean, we can't just keep them here, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll handle it if that's the case." I say.

Issei's expression turns into one of worry from the implication but refrains from continuing this line of questioning.

"By the way, there's something I wanted to talk about." Ichiban crosses his legs, looking at me quizzically. "What was that weird power before? You pulled some weird sword out of thin air. How did you do that?"

I still for a few moments, internally debating whether I should lie or tell the truth. I can probably come up with a lie pretty easily, but this wouldn't help at all. He's talking about the inventory, and the inventory isn't exclusive to ice-based weaponry. So saying it's part of my ice magic isn't a wise idea. I'm gonna have to pull more bullshit out of there whenever I'm in a fight at some point.

Telling the truth will save me from explaining later, but I think the Yakuza are listening in on us here. That'll reveal the inventory not just to this group, but the entire Tojo Clan, or at least the higher-ranked members of it.

…Though, what about twisting the truth a little bit?

"It's some weird power I discovered around the same time I was able to use magic," I answer, prompting them to lean in to listen closely. "I can put stuff in it and pull it out whenever I want."

"Woah…" Issei's eyes widen. "That's so useful. What kind of stuff can you put in it?"

"Small things, usually crap that doesn't weigh over 25 Kilograms." I lie. "And I can't put more than three things at a time."

If I can't lie or tell the truth, then half of each should do the trick. The 'appear weak when you are strong' part of that Sun Tzu quote likely extends to certain powers as well. Downplay your strength so people gloss over you and don't give you as much attention as they should.

"Damn, that's a pretty great power to have." Ichi grins. "It's like your very own inventory space!"

I flinch slightly, quickly calming myself down and reminding myself that this moron is a video game addict, it's normal for him to think that way. For a second there I thought he figured out what it was, and that scared the hell out of me.

"Y-yeah. I guess that's true." I clear my throat and try to change the subject. "Anyway, you two can go home. I'll stay here and keep watch."

"You sure?" Ichiban raises a brow. "I don't mind staying late personally. I don't have anything to do, to be honest."

"It's fine, you three go on ahead. You need to rest." I wave it off and smile. "I barely suffered any damage from the battle, and my magic is nowhere near taxing as a Sacred Gear."

"Well, alright." Ichiban relented. "I'd be lying if I said I'm not tired. This Boosted Gear took a lot out of me."

I nod in understanding as both boys stand up, and Issei bows deeply to me. "Thank you for saving my life again."

"It's what I do." A teasing smirk blooms on my face as I say that.

Ichi rolls his eyes and scoffs, but doesn't deny it, while Issei blushes and chuckles nervously, looking away from me.

40 Reputation with Issei Hyoudou [90/100]

Forty in one go? That's pretty amazing. Just a bit and I get a stat increase. What would Issei give? I'm guessing either END or STR. Same with Ichiban actually. Good, physical stats are what I need right now.

I glance at Asia, who looks pretty tired. "Go with them, they'll walk you home. I'll be there in an hour or two."

"Eh?" She blinks in confusion "But who's going to stay with you?"

"It'll be alright," I assure her, patting her head. "Just listen to what I say, okay? You've done well tonight, I think you deserve some rest."

10 Affection with Asia Argento [10/100]

15 Loyalty with Asia Argento [15/100]

"I-if you say so," Asia responds shyly.

I like it when they're obedient.

"Ichiban, Issei, take Asia with you please," I tell the boys, who are about to leave. "Walk her to my house. Here."

I take my keys out of my pocket and throw them at Ichiban, who catches them easily, saying, "Got it. See you tomorrow, Akane."

The three exit the warehouse, leaving me all alone. I turn my head to the unconscious prisoners, eyes narrowing in thought. You know, I don't quite know what Kokabiel is thinking. What does he want exactly? How is killing the Sacred Gear users any help to him? He wants war, that much I remember, but why go about it this way?

Wouldn't targeting me, Haruka or the devil heiresses be a better option? Though pissing off two factions at the same time wouldn't lead to war, it'll just bring about the destruction of the Grigori in its entirety.

I don't get it.

I get out of my seat, taking a half-empty water bottle off the floor as I approach the bound Raynare. Squatting down to her level, I open the bottle and splash her with water, waking her up as she gasps in surprise and shock. She freezes as she sees me, and as soon as she tries to escape, Ice Spears form around me and point at her, stopping her attempt.

"You have nowhere to go," I say blandly. "Settle down, answer my questions truthfully, and I promise I won't hurt you."

30 Obedience with Raynare [30/100]

She nods slowly, nervous sweat mixed with water trailing down her pale face.

"What were you doing in Kuoh?" I question her. "What were you hoping to achieve?"

I know I'm being watched, which is why I'm making sure I don't go too far in this little interrogation. I need answers myself, I refuse to let the Yakuza do anything for me anymore. With their track record, I don't trust them one bit.

"W-we were sent here to kill the two Sacred Gear users in Kuoh." She answers, shaken from my casual warning. "And if possible, get rid of the bodies."

"Why?" I frown. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial if you recruited them? Pretty stupid to just kill them. It doesn't benefit anybody."

"I-I don't know." She stammers. "Those are the orders we were given."

"By whom?"

"Cadre Kokabiel." Raynare answers without hesitation, surprising me a little. "He did not give us context or a reason, and he's known for killing his subordinates if they defy him. I-I couldn't say no."

"I see." So everything is going according to canon for now. "You were basically forced to do his bidding, then."

"Yes." She nods, getting a little more comfortable as the ice weaponry around me dissipates. "If you ask me, I think he wanted to light a spark between the Tojo Clan and the Devils to start another war."

My frown deepens at how cooperative she is. Weird, feels like she wants to help me for some reason.

"And why do you think that?"

"The Grigori can't fight three factions at once, they'll get crushed." Raynare elaborates. "So hoping to gain an advantage, Kokabiel wants the Tojo and Devils to fight, weaken each other before he forces Lord Azazel's hand to swoop in and crush both. Heaven should still be too weak to risk intervening."

"And what makes you think Azazel will listen?"

"There will be a riot if he doesn't." She answers. "There's still animosity between the Devils and the Grigori. With a golden chance to crush them along with the Tojo, all Fallen Angels would be all for it."

Alright, this makes more sense. Still a horrible plan in my opinion. To be honest, I'm the main reason why their shitty plan didn't work since I knew about it. Perhaps it would've gotten complicated if I didn't have my metaknowledge.

"Makes sense," I look her right in the eyes. "Is there any reason why you've been so willing to tell me everything you know? I'm not complaining, but I thought you'd show a little bit of resistance or loyalty to your faction."

A look of anger and hate crosses her face as she growls out a response.

"That bastard sent us on a suicide mission. He knew we'd die here by you or the Devils." A tired, spiteful smirk then took over her face. "So if I'm dying anyway, I'd do anything to fuck him and his stupid plan over. He doesn't deserve my loyalty."

I blink in surprise at her response before an impressed smile takes over my face. Of course that's how she feels, it's to be expected. I know I'd be pissed the fuck off if someone just threw me away like this as if I'm nothing more than garbage.

I'll admit, I am a bit impressed with this show of spite. She didn't wail and cry in despair like she did against Rias in canon, she stood her ground even after acknowledging her fate like this. I've always found this kind of defiance and spite pretty…

Attractive? I think that's the word I'm looking for. I like my boys with a bit of fighting in them.

Maybe Raynare does have a use after all.

"Regardless, you've been pretty helpful." I pat her head with a smug grin, making her scowl. "So the least I can do for you is put a word in with the Tojo Clan. Perhaps the Yakuza will be more lenient with you if I tell them to."

"Huh?" Her scowl drops as she looks at me in shock. "You… You'd do that?"

"Sure. I do feel pretty bad for you after all. Being stuck between a rock and hard place must've been stressful." I really don't. "Who knows, you might eventually be sent back to the Grigori too. I'm sure you miss your home."

50 Reputation with Raynare [20/100]

25 Loyalty with Raynare [-25/100]

"I-I…" She stutters, shocked at my mercy before bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, truly. I'm in your debt."

"Your friends won't get the same treatment, though." I point at Freed and Ed.

"I couldn't care less about them." Raynare scoffs. "I'd be more than happy to kill them myself."

Same.

Just then, the door opens and my mother walks in, hesitating as she sees me. I immediately notice that something is off about her. Her presence is different. It feels… colder, more refined, not as dead and weak as before. Not to mention, while her irises are still as black as charcoal, her pupils changed to light blue instead.

But the biggest and most noticeable change is how the tips of her hair are white now instead of black.

Seeing this change, I use Observe on her, seeing a huge difference compared to the first time I did.

Name: Mizuki Amamiya

Title: Loving Mother

HP – 175,000

MP – 80,000

SP – 55,000

Race – Human

LVL - 264

STR - 1302

END - 930

DEX - 1655

INT – 1342

WIS – 1194

CHA – 931

LUK – 150

Reputation – 100

Affection – 95

Obedience – 50

Loyalty – 100

Thoughts about you – Loves you more than anything in the world. Is a little worried that you might share the sadistic tendencies of her assassin clan, but trusts you completely.

Why and how did she become so fucking strong? What the hell happened to her? Is she okay?

I resist a scowl from appearing on my face as that thought of concern crosses my mind for a split second, quickly forgetting about it. I don't know what she was doing the whole time we were fighting, but a part of me is kinda glad she didn't get involved. It's proof of my strength, I don't need someone holding my hand, even if it's safer that way.

Then, someone else enters the warehouse, someone I don't recognize. A middle-aged man wearing a blue dress shirt and black pants. He looks so… average? Like, someone I'd forget 3 seconds after seeing him I suppose. There's nothing really special about him.

However, using Observe on him to check made that scowl I tried to hide appear anyway as my blood boiled. Oh look, now the fuckers finally show themselves.

Name: Haruki Nishida

Title: Captain of the Majima Family

HP – 54,000

MP – 5000

SP – 25,000

Race – Human

LVL - 135

STR - 545

END - 445

DEX - 501

INT – 1640

WIS – 2051

CHA – 100

LUK – 10

Reputation – 40

Affection – 00

Obedience – 50

Loyalty – -80

Thoughts about you – Oddly admires you even for how little he's seen of you. Thinks you have a bright future ahead of you. Is extremely exasperated about his boss' plans for you and feels very guilty for not helping you

I don't even bother waiting for him to introduce himself as I couldn't control my anger anymore, rushing towards him and smashing my fist into his cheek, sending him crashing into the wall. My mother flinches at this but quickly stops me before I can begin pummeling this moron some more, her newfound strength keeping me away from him.

" Akane, calm down. He's not an enemy-"

"Whose side are they on?!" I scream. "Why the fuck didn't they send any kind of assistance, huh?! Did they hope I'd die there?!"

"Akane, relax. Beating him up won't solve anything." My mother tries to calm me down. "This guy isn't at fault. If you want to beat someone up, I can drag his patriarch here by the ear."

I can feel my strength increasing as I struggle, but seeing the man slowly stand up and bow makes me relax a little. I'm still pissed off, but as Mizuki said, this isn't gonna solve anything. I have to control my anger - I just told myself that this was proof of our strength, that we don't need their help.

Calm down. Anger is a hindrance here. Don't let it control you.

"I'm very, very sorry for what my boss did to you, Mizuki-san, Akane-san!" He apologizes profusely, nursing his cheek. "Oyaji only wants the best for you, but his methods sometimes aren't the best. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you can forgive him!"

My scowl drops as I'm able to take a deep breath through my nose. My anger doesn't evaporate immediately, but I can control myself now. My mother lets me go as I stop my struggle, sighing in relief.

"Don't apologize, Nishida. I know you wouldn't let this happen if it was in your power." Mizuki says. "However, Majima is gonna need to do more if he wants my forgiveness."

"I-I understand." He nods, rubbing his cheek in pain.

"I'm not apologizing," I say, referring to the haymaker I just delivered to him.

"N-no, I understand." He winces at my bluntness, then looks at the prisoners. "I'll take them for questioning now if you don't mind."

Mizuki glares at them and responds evenly. "Go ahead."

Nishida nods and walks towards them as Raynare looks at him, then me in worry. Obviously, she's not intimidated by him, but by which family he comes from. Mother did say that the Majima Family is the most powerful in the Tojo Clan and that their patriarch is batshit crazy. A captain usually means his right-hand man, so seeing this barely superhuman guy makes me question her claims.

He's not that powerful, even I can take him on, but I assume that he's more of an advisor kind. Less brawn, more brain. That's what his mental stats lead me to believe anyway.

He crouches next to the prisoners and pulls a strange device out of his pocket - some sort of a square-shaped, blue and silver device. Nishida sticks it on Freed's body before backing away, and all of a sudden a giant blue bubble appears from the device, encasing all three prisoners inside it. I watch with wide eyes as the bubble floats and snaps out of existence.

What kind of device was that thing?

The captain heads towards the exit, and before he leaves, he turns around and gives us one last respectful bow.

"Thank you so much. Oyaji has a message for you, Akane-san." He says "He says he's looking forward to how strong you can become."

"…Okay?"

"Tell him he can shove that knife up his ass." My mother scowls, surprising me with her aggressive response. "Fuckin' bastard."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Wait, before you go." I stop him, making him look at me curiously. "Go easy on the Fallen girl. She kinda didn't have a choice in the matter."

He looks at me for a few seconds, puzzled that I'd ask him that, but he nods anyway. "Of course."

With that, the man leaves me alone with my mother, who looks at me just as puzzled as he was. "What do you mean by that?"

"I talked to her earlier before you two came in," I explain. "She said a Cadre forced her and her squad to go to Kuoh on what she called a 'Suicide Mission' on pain of death, so I felt pretty bad for her. Cadre's name is Kokabiel."

"Of course, it's that Warmonger dipshit." My mother growls then calms herself down as she rubs the bridge of her nose. "Makes sense. I heard there was tension brewing inside the Grigori with Kokabiel being more aggressive in his stance."

"Since when?" I raise a brow. "I thought you stopped being involved ages ago."

"It's been like that for a couple of years, and I do visit the Tojo Clan headquarters now and then, to say hi to Daigo mostly." She shrugs, then a guilty frown takes over her face. "Akane, I'm so sorry for not-"

"Stop." I cut her off. "From the way this Nishida guy apologized, I assume this was outside your ability, and you couldn't help rather than wouldn't. Am I right?"

"Y-yes." She nods, surprised at my assessment. "I saw the battle, but both Akiyama and I couldn't help you."

"Then you have no reason to apologize," I say. "It's these Majima Family assholes that are at fault."

"I…I suppose you're right." She rubs her arm, startled at how quick I am at understanding. "S-still, I just want to say that I promise this will never happen again. I'll always be by your side."

"I ruined your cool moment."

"S-shut up!" She blushes in embarrassment. "You know how tough it was to come up with a shonen-like speech?"

"I like how you didn't even bother to deny that this was your intention."

"Ugh, whatever. As I was saying," She scoffs with a pout before smiling. "I'm very proud of how you handled yourself. A little brutal, but to see you lead your friends so well was very impressive."

"Yeah, I know I'm awesome."

"It wouldn't hurt you to act modestly every now and then."

"I am being modest."

She only gives me an unamused look, prompting me to point out the changes in her appearance.

"By the way, what's up with your hair and eyes?" I tilt my head.

"What's up with yours?" She raises a brow.

I blink in confusion, taking out my phone to see my reflection as I brush the hair obscuring my left eye back. My eyes are red still, but the once black pupils have turned light blue like my mother's. No wonder Issei was looking at me funny earlier. I guess this is part of the visible changes when you awaken the Yuki Onna blood. My hair didn't change, though. Still purely black.

"Huh, this is kinda weird to see. I thought you said my blood wasn't strong enough for this?" I say.

"I never said that, but I won't lie; that's what I thought," Mizuki nods. "Maybe it was the adrenaline from that battle that made it show up."

Well, I know why, but I'm not saying anything, so I just hum in response.

"But it's pretty late to talk about this stuff." She says. "How about we talk about it tomorrow? I can tie it with your magic training too if you'd like."

"Will you explain why you have it too?"

"I will." She nods.

"Then sure, I can wait." I shrug. "I'm kinda tired anyway."

That's a lie of course. I'm willing to wait, but I'm not tired. I'm pretty excited to use my new spells and choose the next class which I've already decided on ages ago. I wonder if I can replicate techniques from games or anime? It should be possible, right? After all, DxD is—or was—an anime world. I have a couple of ideas, and I really hope I'm able to pull at least some of them off.

The look on Ichiban's face would be priceless~

(Shun Akiyama)

He stood atop a pile of rubble, staring at the destroyed church, a cloud of smoke leaving his mouth as he exhaled. He took the lit cigarette and flicked it away as he looked around a little more. He arrived here before the Yakuza to see if there were any survivors, anyone he can at least save.

For questioning of course. While Shun does hate bloodshed, he's not naive and nice enough to save people who tried to kill his niece out of the goodness of his heart. He needs to know what the hell is going on with the Grigori and what could've pushed them to do something so drastic.

Using Suzaku's powers, Shun enhanced his senses to the max, eyes turning into a bright, fiery color. He scanned the empty battlefield, sensing two life forces in the distance, one very weak, and the other extremely powerful.

And far more malicious.

Shun rushed forward, fire exploding from his calves to propel himself. He almost recognized the evil presence, It was so familiar, it's at the tip of his tongue, and yet, it eludes him. What is that? What kind of supernatural creature is it? No, it can't be anything other than a human. It didn't feel like an Angel or a Devil, or anything of that sort. Not one bit.

He arrived almost instantaneously but spotted nobody. This evil and familiar presence had simply vanished as soon as he arrived. What the hell was that? He did sense someone here, but now they're gone. How did they escape so quickly?

Shun looked around and recognized the body of that blue-haired Fallen Angel. Blood poured from her forehead, a look of pure horror etched on her face. She was dead, but it wasn't the church collapsing that killed her.

Shun approached the corpse, crouching beside it to inspect it, grimacing at the bullet-shaped hole in her forehead. Was she what he just sensed? She'd been murdered by someone, that much is clear, likely by the same malicious presence who was just here before he arrived.

Who could it be? A Tojo Clan Yakuza? No, they wouldn't simply leave the corpse like this. They'd take it for examination before sending it back to the Grigori. What would they gain from this? Who could be powerful enough to do all of this without anybody noticing?

This isn't something the Majima Family can handle on their own. Something of this scale must be reported back to Daigo directly.

Whatever it was, Shun had a horrible feeling about it.

And for once in his life, he hoped he was wrong.

A tiny, aftermath chapter that I finished in around two days. Deliberately short so I can be done with most of the system-y things immediately.

Discord Server link: (Discord . gg / Rjjzt8erYK) no spaces. It's a relatively new server, but I might post exclusive content there. No, I'm not bribing you to join.

If you want to support me, here's my pat reon link: (Pat reon dot com / Mirlnir)