Ride 2: Re:Visit

14th of March, 2019 AD

YOU CAN COUNT THE MEDALS: ONE, TWO AND THREE!

LIFE GOES ON ANYTHING GOES COMING UP OOO!

The trumpets then blare from his phone again, causing Takeshi to fall out of his bed once again with the blanket wrapped around his whole body, landing face-first onto the wooden floor of his room-

"... Wait," he then felt the floor where his cheek lay being coarser than his own room. "... This isn't my room!"

Whipping the blanket off of himself, he then finds himself inside a Victorian-style room with numerous burnt-out candles on various cabinets and a single coffee table where his head nearly missed. Thankfully, his phone was on the coffee table, allowing him to turn off the alarm before exploring the rest of the room. He then checks himself, still in his biker attire, minus the leather jacket and muffler.

Throughout his exploration, he noticed where he'd slept on was one of the two leather couches in dark-teal-green in color, as evident in one of them having his body's imprint that was slowly disappearing. Several portraits of different people were hung around the walls. A few potted plants were stationed at the few corners on the tiled floor (he'd landed on the carpeted floor at the center of the room), a large, fancy desk sat at one end of the room, accompanied with a plush armchair behind it.

"... Okay, I'm either in A) a rich person's manor," he spoke to himself as he looked at his phone, reading 7:00 AM, "or B) in another world where my phone plan is still connected."

Shaking his head, Takeshi then comes to another conclusion.

"Fuck, this place is dim..." he grumbled to himself as he groped around the walls. "... Where are the goddamn lights?!"

Feeling a brush of cloth against his hand, Takeshi then surmises that it was a curtain. Taking a blind leap, he then unfurls it, causing sunlight to spill into the semi-gothic room and into his unprepared eyes.

"ARGH! TOO BRIGHT!" he recoiled back. "TOO BRIGHT-!"

THUMP

Then the events of last night then came back like a speeding train striking him from behind. Instinctively, he then lifts up his shirt, and finds a massive patched-over scar akin to a spear stab's on where his stomach was at.

"... Shit," he then realized what had happened. "... Last night was real-?!"

Then from behind him, the door opened, causing him to instinctively go into a fighting stance.

"Oh good," a young lady's voice said, with Takeshi being familiar with it. "You're finally awake."

Coming through the open door was none other than Rias Gremory herself. AKA, one of the two "Queens of Kuoh". AKA, the same girl who'd saved his ass last night.

"... Hi senpai," Takeshi sheepishly greeted as he relaxed his stance. "... Is this all a dream, or did everything that I think that happened last night for real?"

Rias sighs as she shakes her head before sitting down on the couch. "... First, sit down," she ordered calmly. "... I know that it's a lot to take in, and that you're most likely very confused right now."

"Understatement of the freaking century..." Takeshi grumbled to himself before sitting down, accidentally stepping on the blanket he'd left on the floor before picking it up. "... Excuse the mess I've made."

Rias shook her head. "No need to worry," she reassured. "You quite went through an ordeal last night-"

Takeshi's stomach then grumbles like a hungry beast's growl, interrupting her.

"... You want something to eat?" Rias requested as she took out her phone.

"And some coffee, if possible," Takeshi added.

Rias then goes into her UberEats app before ordering some nikudon bowls from the nearest Yoshinoya. "Food will be here in about a couple minutes," the girl then gets up from her seat before heading towards the door. "As for coffee, we only have instant coffee. Is that okay?"

Takeshi gives her a thumbs-up before she leaves the room. While she was gone, Takeshi then thought of the various reasons of how he survived an IRL kaijin attack, had his motorcycle completely wrecked...

... And the fact that he didn't get back home last night.

"... AW CRAP!" he then opened his phone to check how many missed calls and texts he had-

"Don't worry, I made sure to tell your parents," Rias remarked as she came back into the room with a pair of steaming cups in her hands before setting them down on the table between the two of them. "... Just told them that you got stabbed on your way home and I took you to a local doctor after calling the police."

"... That's not very reassuring," he pointed out before sipping on his hot drink. "But... for what you did for me last night... Thank you, senpai. Legit, I owe you my life."

"Think nothing of it," Rias reassured as she drank from her cup. "... Now, have you calmed down?"

Takeshi nods before taking a deep breath. "... So," he then gestured around his surroundings. "... Where am I?"

"Legally speaking, we're in one of Kuoh Academy's unused school buildings that has been around before it went co-ed," she explained. "But in truth, that's just a front. We are in the Occult Research Club, or ORC for short."

"Occult Research Club... Occult Research... AH!" Takeshi then exclaimed. "Isn't that the club that got shut down due to a lack of membership?!"

Rias lightly chuckles. "Again, as a front," she pointed out. "We're still in operation, just not officially."

Then the cogs inside Takeshi's brain turned as he instinctively put the pieces given together.

"... If I'm correct, then I assume that the whole 'Occult Research' that this club does isn't just some hobbyist crackpot nonsense," Takeshi surmised, "but an actual, legit, paranormal investigation team?!"

Rias lightly applauded. "Good job," she praised. "I'm glad you're a fast learner."

Then from behind the doors, a knock was heard. "President," a young man's voice said, "food's here."

"Come on in," Rias ordered, the doors opening to reveal Kiba Yuuto coming inside the room that they were in, carrying the bag of food she'd ordered earlier on. "Oh, good morning, Ryuugamine-kun. I'm glad to see that you're alive and well."

"... Normally, I'd have several follow-up questions, but I think I'm getting the pattern here," Takeshi remarked after recovering from his stupor. "... Himejima-senpai's in the loop too?"

Both Rias and Yuuto nodded.

"Proper introductions will be held later," Yuuto reassured as he headed back out. "Also, your uniform and bag has been delivered to you from home and your motorcycle's repair bill has already been paid for, with it being ready for pick-up by the end of this week."

As soon as the boy left, Rias and Takeshi then picked up their bowls before eating.

"Itadakimasu," both then eat their bowls of meat and rice before finishing their small breakfasts.

"So..." Takeshi spoke out, "... what am I exactly doing here?"

"... Normally, I'd planned to take you back to your home after finding you, but given that you manifested a Sacred Gear just last night, I had to move you somewhere else more... secure," answered Rias. "Don't worry, your house is in good hands thanks to one of my associates. No one inside has been disturbed in the slightest."

"Thank God..." sighed Takeshi, to which he noticed Rias clutching her left arm tighter for a moment. "... So that snake lady... she's still out there?"

"Unfortunately, she's not alone," answered Rias. "... We suspected and just confirmed last night that she's part of a Cluster. Normally, these groups of Strays keep a low profile, but the murders that played out throughout this month betray the common practice of fugitives... almost as if they're taunting us to do something..."

Takeshi's head then racked itself to figure out what she was saying. The words "Strays" and "Cluster" swam in his mind, both spoken in English to his normally-Japanese mental lexicon. However, Rias' statement gave enough away to allow him to surmise enough information that A) the snake lady kaijin was part of a group, and B) she's not alone and will strike back when given the opportunity.

"... Wait," he spoke out. "... What about the other guys I saw back at the Redevelopment Area?!"

"Don't worry, they're safe," Rias answered. "I'd also taken measures to erase their memories of all events that led up to last night."

Takeshi was about to protest the ethics of erasing people's memories ala-Men in Black, but given that it's hinted (to him) that magic was the sole reason why he was able to live past last night's ordeal gave him enough incentive to shut him up.

"... I accept the consequences of last night and will not question your methods given that it saved lives from that monster," he pointed out. "Now with that out of the way, I have to ask, senpai. Who are you really?"

Rias chuckles before standing up. "... I think it's better to just show you."

From her back then unfurled a pair of bat-like wings, with Takeshi recognizing them as the same ones found on that snake-lady's back.

"... Senpai," Takeshi's voice trembled. "... You're...?"

She nods. "Yes," answered Rias, "I'm-"

"You're a bat-kaijin?!" Takeshi answered preemptively, causing Rias to stumble where she'd stood.

The winged girl sighs as she retracts her wings. "... Well, that's one way to put it," she half-chuckled at his hasty answer before composing herself. "But no, the truth is, I'm actually a Devil."

Normally, a regular person would freak the fuck out at the chance of running into what the popular consensus depicts as creatures representing evil and sin, but oddly enough, Takeshi's heart felt more at awe rather than fear.

In a way, deep down, Rias Gremory was just like him, only able to keep her devilish features better hidden than him.

"... Sheesh, what am I supposed to tell my parents about this?" Takeshi muttered to himself. "That the first girl that my hands laid on happened to be from Hell?"

"Please keep that little detail hush-hush," she requested. "Or else I'll have to erase your memories and not save your life next time around just to uphold the masquerade."

"Okay okay! Fine! I'll keep it a secret!" he replied, pleasing Rias. "... After all, you saved my fucking life. I just can't be a real man if I dishonored that great of a debt out of spite."

"Speaking of, it's actually because of your manifestation of that armor was the sole reason why we were able to find you in state to save your life," Rias pointed out before pulling out a plastic bag with sharp, pointed, and bloodied teeth akin to a beast's fangs inside of its transparent containment. "You even managed to hurt her despite being a bona-fide human. That's no small feat."

Takeshi's heart was lightened of its burden upon hearing that, now understanding that last night wasn't in complete vain.

"Now with that out of the way," Rias remarked, "I have to ask one more thing: are you able to move around on your own?"

"A little numb, but I think I can bum through school," he answered.

"Good," Rias nodded. "Then can you humor me by coming to ORC after school? I'd like to finish our conversation properly."

"I'll bite," he replied as he followed her outside. "... Wait, my jacket-!"

"Don't worry, it's being repaired as we speak," she reassured as Takeshi stopped by where his school uniform and bag were waiting for him. "... Also, I have to ask, but where did that alarm of yours come from?"

"Oh, you mean 'Anything Goes' from Kamen Rider OOO?" Takeshi's eyes brightened. "It's a jam I liked when I was in Elementary School."

"Yes yes, but was it loud enough for me to hear it from the other side of the hallway," Rias remarked.

"Well, it's not like anyone lives here like if it's Steven Spielberg's 'The Terminal,' ..." Takeshi shrugged. "... Right?"

Rias turns back before raising an eyebrow.

"... I'll apologize later," he bowed his head before heading back inside to change. "... Provided if I run into whoever is living here."

"Good."

Elsewhere Outside of Kuoh Town...

"FUCK!" hissed Selia as her scratches were being tended by a witch with light blue hair and green eyes holding a pair of pliers and a cotton ball soaked with disinfectant alcohol. "... Can't you ussse your magic to tend my woundsss, Arnett?!"

"And give our signal away like you did?" the witch rebuked before slapping on a patch onto her shoulder, causing the Lamia to flinch. "Just because I use magic doesn't mean I have an infinite supply of it, Selia."

"Pah! Why did she even let you live, I know not nor I give a shit!" a bellicose comment was snarled out from a giant bearded man wearing a fur jacket with a messy mop of brown hair with a lower half of a giant horse akin to a Clydesdale's, his mighty hooves clopping across the forested floor and into the cavern where his associates were sequestered at. "You're the weakest of us, so it was only a matter of time when you get caught red-handed!"

"Fuck you, Denasss!" the Lamia hissed at the Centaur. "I could've had her! That Gremory bitch wasss mine for the taking-!"

"Enough," an authoritative voice called out from the depths of the cave, revealing itself to be a curvaceous woman with an extremely provocative outfit akin to a sultan's harem woman's bedlah, a pair of pointed ears akin to an elf's, a mop of silver hair that complimented her fair and unmarred skin, a pair of bat wings and a imp-like tail coming out of her back and rear respectively, and a crystal ball orbiting around her. "... We're all fellow Strays here. The last thing we need is infighting, so keep your murder-boners in your pants until our enemies come to us."

Denas grumbles before moving his hand away from his longsword as Selias dismisses her envenomated hand.

"Fine," the Lamia grumbled before slithering past the Succubus. "... Like I need to take hisss ssshit."

Nell sighs in consternation of having to be her friends' designated babysitter. "... It's always those two."

"It is a bit much," spoke a metallic voice that came from a man in a medieval-esque suit of armor, whose neck was lit with a torch of blue flame in lieu of his head, and said head being carried under his left arm. "But as always, thank you for being patient with them."

"Ah, Valdes," she said to the Dullahan. "I trust that the hunt went well?"

"Sadly, no," the headless man reported. "I ran into some interference on my way towards my designated target before the latter slipped away."

"One of the other Peerages' affiliates, I suppose?" asked Nell as she looked over her crystal ball for surveillance footage filmed around Valdes' designated route, only for it to show nothing but static. "... Shit, guess our interloper is onto us as well."

"No, they inferred that they're a lone actor," answered the Dullahan. "... They then let me go to serve as a warning."

"Concerning," Nell then switches channels on her crystal ball to get into contact with her other associates. "Enishi, Talon, where are you guys right now?"

The crystal ball then plays static before clearing up into a concise signal.

"Some asshole in a cloak got in the way of our hunt," growled a guttural voice. "We're bugging out in one of the abandoned warehouses owned by our benefactor's middleman."

Nell then looks at the Dullahan for confirmation, to which he nodes his disembodied head.

"The very same," Valdes confirmed. "And no, the cloak obscured their identity completely even as I tried to remove it. Wouldn't come off no matter how hard I tugged."

"What's weird is that the same asshole intercepted me in my hunt as well!" another, higher-pitched voice spoke out. "We both went out at the same time and took us both down in seconds! I'm trying to glue my wing back together after that prick ripped it out!"

"In any event, hold tight," Nell requested before shutting off communications. "... Alright, so I need to show you something first."

Her orb then shows footage of a teenage male manifesting a chrome belt with a black orb at the center of its buckle before transforming into an armored warrior that fended off Selia by himself, forcing the latter to resort to using all of her powers to take him down.

"A Sacred Gear," the Dullahan observed. "... And fully manifested too."

"Not exactly," the Succubus answered. "If this is fully manifested, then it's too weak to be counted as a Sacred Gear. No, this feels something akin to a hatchling who'd just come out of his egg."

"Did I hear 'Sacred Gear'?!" Denas bellowed as he trotted in on the conversation. "Now that's someone worth running my weapons through!"

"Glad to know where your dick long as your leg is pointed towards..." yawned Arnett before she joined in. "... So, what do we do about the kid now that he has a Sacred Gear?"

Before Nell can make the judgment call, her orb then receives an outside signal with the following read:

"Meet me in the warehouse just by Kuoh Town's borders. Get there before 12:00 PM. You'll know which one."

After School...

"Fucking finally..." yawned Takeshi as he walked out of the main school building after going through today's classes with a numb stomach scar and his mind burdened with supernatural revelations that made note-taking harder than it usually was.

Thankfully, he avoided the Perverted Trio's daily brainrot by bumming out at the Nurse's Office for the whole duration of lunchtime.

He then checked his phone, with the following text from his mom reading the following:

"Are you okay?"

He replies with the following message:

"I'm alright. Gremory-senpai and her friends took good care of me. I'll text when I go home."

Then hearing a loud commotion that made Takeshi nearly drop his phone, he spotted Kiba Yuuto, surrounded by a swarm of hormone-addled teenage girls of Kuoh Academy's student body.

"... Issei would kill to be in his position," he mused to himself before sighing. "... Alright, show's over, ladies!"

He then turns on his "predisposition" to scare the girls that were about to suffocate Yuuto with their bodies, scattering them away from him, allowing the princely young man to catch his breath.

"... Thank you," he replied as he took a deep breath.

"Please take me to Gremory-senpai," requested Takeshi as Yuuto then escorted him out of plain sight and towards the wooded area where the old school building where ORC was located.

Looking up, he then stops before resuming his walk with Yuuto, both of them entering the building and roaming its halls until arriving at the same place where Takeshi himself had woken up just this morning.

"President," Yuuto said as he escorted Takeshi in, "I brought Ryuugamine-kun."

"Good work," Rias replied. "Please, both of you, have a seat."

The room was now occupied with some familiar faces and one stranger. The former was Himejima Akeno, the other "Queen of Kuoh" who was the ideal traditional Japanese beauty, confirming Takeshi's suspicions of her being involved due to her close affiliation with Rias Gremory herself. The latter was a petite white-haired girl in Kuoh Academy's girls' uniform with a catlike presence to her, currently finishing up her taiyaki.

Almost cute enough to pet, but a subtle sense of danger was felt around her stoic demeanor. Takeshi then found himself sitting next to her whereas Yuuto situated himself next to Akeno without a word. Both pairs were sitting next to the coffee table with a tray of an entire tea set kitted out for all of the seat's occupants.

"Thank you all for coming, especially you, Ryuugamine-kun," Rias spoke as she went back towards her desk after closing the door. "Now, to begin our former introductions, I am Rias Gremory, second-year of Kuoh Academy's High School Division, and President of the Occult Research Club."

"You already know me as Kiba Yuuto, first-year of Kuoh Academy's High School Division," the blonde young man bowed his head in formality. "And I'd like to introduce myself as a member of the Occult Research Club, Ryuugamine-kun."

"You're welcome," Takeshi bowed his head back before a cup of tea was offered to him by Akeno.

"Ara, no need to be so tense," the alluring beauty of a high schooler reassured, her voice having a calming effect akin to a balm applied on a bad burn. "You already know me as Himejima Akeno, a second-year student of Kuoh Academy's High School division. But I am also the Vice-President of the Occult Research Club. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ryuugamine-kun."

Takeshi tried not to freak out at her otherworldly allure before sipping his tea, calming his nerves thanks to it being a lavender blend. "... Likewise, Himejima-senpai."

"Ufufufu..." she chuckled affectionately. "We'll get along just fine."

Takeshi then turns his head towards the petite girl sitting next to him, trying to figure out how to best approach her without absolutely blowing it.

However, before he could even try, the girl beats him to the punch.

"... You smell like pickled ginger."

Takeshi suddenly becomes self-conscious as he begins smelling himself to see if anything was wrong, but before he could get her attention, she already was in the process of evading his eye contact.

"Forgive her, she's a bit aloof around strangers," Rias pointed out. "... Anywho, her name is Toujou Koneko, third-year in Kuoh Academy's Junior High Division, and a member of Occult Research Club."

"Nice to meet you, Toujou-san," Takeshi bowed his head at the white-haired girl, the latter still looking away from him.

"Give her some time," Yuuto interjected.

"Now with the introductions out of the way," Rias remarked, "is there anything you'd like to ask, Ryuugamine-kun?"

"Yes, there is," he replied. "... Are all of you Devils like Gremory-senpai? Just asking for transparency's sake."

The three of them then stand up before unfurling their bat-like wings from their backs and manifesting through their clothes. Takeshi then gets up and touches Yuuto's wings to see if they're real, of which it was confirmed by the leathery feeling as his finger stroked the membrane, causing him to flinch a little.

"Yep, no doubt about it," he nodded before sitting back down. "... Also, sorry if my request sounded rude, but in my defense, I mistakenly referred to Gremory-senpai as a bat-kaijin the first I saw her wings."

The three members of ORC snort as they try their best to hold in their laughter before Rias clears her throat out loud, causing them to go back to their seats.

"Moving on..." she remarked. "So, Ryuugamine-kun, are you aware of Christianity and the Bible?"

"A bit," he answered. "I know little factoids about how Christianity was imported to Japan by the Portuguese after making maritime trade arrangements with Oda Nobunaga. I know that the 1638's Shimabara Rebellion was one of the most infamous examples of Japanese Christians retaliating after being persecuted by the Tokugawa Shogunate which ended in failure and in Amakusa Shirō's execution and later made martyr. And I also know that the Bible in general is the big book of all Christians, serving as their religious scripture and as their collective moral guidelines of their faith, with the Devils serving as the 'do not'-examples within the dynamic."

"Correct," Rias nodded. "We Devils are one of the three mystical races recorded in the scripture. We hail from the Underworld, or where Christians refer to as 'Hell,' tasked with fulfilling requests from humans that invoke our presence. In exchange, we receive an appropriate price from them."

Takeshi was taken aback by her claim. "... So," he began, admittedly a little scared, "... what kind of 'price' are you talking about?"

"If you're thinking of the recipients forced to offer up the blood of their firstborns or anything like that, that practice has entirely ceased," Rias reassured with slight mirth in her voice before holding up her phone, showing off her Venmo account. "Nowadays, we offer our services through monetary means. Cash and other gifts worth our services are also accepted as a fee."

"... So less 'offer me your souls'-kind and more like generalist-odd jobs on top of paranormal investigations?" Takeshi remarked before turning towards the other three members of ORC. "... Curious, but what kind of jobs have you all accepted the most recently?"

"Math tutoring for three kids," Yuuto sheepishly recalled. "... Three... very rich kids."

"Had to fill in for a fitting model that had to call in sick on that day," Akeno shared, with Takeshi wondering who was that model to have that much of a bombshell bod.

"... Bodyguard," Koneko muttered. "... Idol fans are lunatics."

"Izakaya bartending," Rias admitted. ".. Granted, that was about... two to three years prior. Nowadays, I just approve of requests coming from our potential clients."

"I see," Takeshi nodded before going back to the main topic. "... So far, you mentioned Devils. What of the other two out of three races?"

"Those would be the Angels and the Fallen Angels, the latter being the former who fell to sin and now run errant from the former's direct superior, Deus Trinity, the God of Christianity," explained Rias. "And the former needs no further elaboration."

"Wait," Takeshi raised his hand. "... You're saying that Devils and Fallen Angels aren't one and the same?"

"A common misconception," Rias remarked. "... Although, the sole exceptions are the first two Satans, Devil Kings Lucifer and Satan... but that's a story for another time. But just as a simplification, Devils have bat wings, Angels have white feathered wings, and Fallen Angels have black feathered wings."

"Also, I'd like to mention that each race is aligned with their own organizations and their hierarchies," explained Yuuto. "The Angels all serve the Deus Trinity directly, going from lowest to highest, that being Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim. The Devils are under the scrutiny of the authority of the Four Great Satans, those positions being helmed by the Houses Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus, but as you saw with that snake-woman last night, there exists a criminal designation known as 'Strays,' who are beholden to no one but their own desires, making them threats that need to be dealt with. And finally, the Fallen Angels have annexed a part of the Underworld and established the Grigori, a cabal of the thirteen of the strongest Fallen Angels whose job is to keep the rest of their kind in line so they don't go... extinct."

That last word, "extinct," catches Takeshi's attention. "... Kinda have a hunch, but did those three factions go to war or something?"

"It ended six centuries ago, thankfully," Akeno remarked as she sipped her tea, her hands slightly trembling with suppressed rage that Takeshi could sense from across the table. "... Those organizations were established to keep the uneasy peace between the three races, but due to numerous... conflicts of interests, both in and out, there are several sub-factions within each race who are... shall we say, a bit naughty."

"... It's a cold war," Koneko pointed out. "... Everyone's burnt out to keep fighting like they used to."

Takeshi then slumps back onto his seat upon the (metaphorical) lore nuke that nearly blew up his brain like Hiroshima, trying to wrap his head around everything that has been told to him. Then an errant thought was sparked inside the recesses of his mind.

"... Hey," he spoke out before pivoting his neck to face Rias. "... Long shot, but if Christianity is real... then does that mean, hypothetically, that other faiths and religions, along with their gods and histories... are they all real as you guys are?"

Rias' eyes widened before smiling. "Why yes!" she replied. "It's another common misconception that Christianity is considered the one and true faith when the history of faith itself is varied as it is long. Japan itself allowed Christianity in after Oda-sama himself negotiated with the Shinto Pantheon on their behalf to open up Japan to the rest of the world, at least spiritually. Since then, we were allowed to practice our faith and businesses here, since the Shinto kami subsisted on voluntary worship rather than the Christian evangelical-approach."

"You seem like one of the exceptions to those who subscribe to that popular misconception, Ryuugamine-kun," Yuuto pointed out. "... Are you perhaps spiritually sensitive enough to pick up on that by instinct?"

"Nah, I just played Shin Megami Tensei ever since the release of Nocturne," he replied. "The whole video game franchise loves to mash up different pantheons and faiths like how the Super Hero Taisen films bashes together various Tokusatsu franchises. Kinda surprised that the real world follows the same rules of engagement-"

Then, another errant thought crossed his mind.

"... Wanna see the game's take on Mara?" asked Takeshi as he took out his phone.

"You mean either the lesser goddess of death from the Hindu Pantheon?" asked Akeno.

"Or the Buddhist beings of evil representing fear, lust, greed, and ignorance?" Rias pointed out.

"Or creatures from Germanic-Slavic folklore that hail bad dreams that are popularly referred to as 'Nightmares'?" Yuuto interjected.

"Nope," Takeshi then smirked behind his phone after turning off his Google's safe search. "I'm talking about this."

He then shows SMT's Mara, who can generally and generously be described as all three interpretations combined into an amalgam.

Its vile image causes Koneko to hiss before leaping and scrambling away from her like a cat who had a cucumber dropped next to it, Yuuto to cringe so violently that he flipped back off of the couch in shock and lands his head on the floor, Rias to freeze up stiff in horror as if she were suffering a literal daymare, and Akeno to snort before laughing out loud at the image.

"Ufufufu," Akeno giggled as her laughter quieted. "Takeshi-chan is one naughty boy!"

Koneko was then spotted poking her head from behind Rias' desk, hissing at him before retreating, and for a moment, Takeshi swore he saw a pair of cat ears coming out from the top of her head.

And as for Rias...

"Give me your phone, Ryuugamine-kun," she ordered robotically as the Devil began glowing in a red aura. "... I must destroy that very image from the face of this earth-!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Akeno then squeezes Rias' face into her ample bosom to calm her down while Yuuto gets up, nursing his aching head. "... Better?"

Rias nods as Takeshi reads the room and promptly erases the image from his search history.

"Good, now back on topic," she reassured before looking at the tea set. "... After I get us some more tea."

She leaves before coming back soon after as Takeshi now found himself sitting alone on the couch, with Koneko now leering at him, peeking her head out from behind where Yuuto sat.

"... So," he began. "... With the Strays considered the criminals of the Underworld, I suppose the 'Cluster' Gremory-senpai mentioned earlier is like several of them forming up into a semi-cohesive group?"

Rias cleared her throat before answering. "... Yes," she then sipped on her lavender tea. "Strays are usually Reincarnated Devils that escaped their masters' and usually stir up shit in the mortal plane, and that's where we come in."

"Just as Strays form Clusters, we Reincarnated Devils form Peerages around a master, or in this case, our President," Yuuto then gestured towards Rias. "ORC is the name that the Gremory Peerage go by legally. Your claims of 'paranormal investigations' does indeed involve us tracking down Strays and possible Clusters before either apprehending them..."

"Or waste them," Takeshi pointed out, much to everyone's surprise. "... What? That crazy snake-bitch almost gutted me last night. I'll sleep better after she's put down like the stray animal that she is."

Rias sighs before speaking. "... Our deadline to deal with the recently-confirmed Cluster is the end of this week," she addressed before switching to another topic, given that Takeshi had picked up enough to get what's what. "... So with that, I'd like to talk about something that caught our interest."

Takeshi then looked down at his torso. "... Oh, you mean my belt from last night?"

"Yes, that," Yuuto nodded. "According to President Gremory, that Stray had called it a 'Sacred Gear'."

"I think it's as good a time as any to test and see it for ourselves!" Akeno suggested. "And it's a good way to stretch our legs after a prolonged meeting. So what do you say, President?"

Rias nods before getting up from her seat. "Sure," she agreed. "We can use the fresh air."

The meeting room of ORC was then vacated by all of its occupants.

At the Abandoned Warehouse...

"Thisss ssshithole again?!" Selia hissed as she and the rest of her assembled Cluster gathered at the exact same empty warehouse where she'd first found Ryo and his band of punks. "Can't ssshe have picked a better ssspot?!"

Denas grumbles as one of his hooves crush one of the steel cans underneath. "... What a dump!" he growled as he rapped his finger on his sheathed longsword's handle. "No wonder this place is so beneath notice!"

"It's not like our last base was any cleaner," Arnett pointed out as she looked around the place. "... Where are Enishi and Talon?"

"Hold on," Nell then conjured her orb before getting their signal. "A spatial boundary? Guess they're putting this place on stealth mode for a reason."

"Let's open it then," Valdes interjected as their Succubus leader then imbued her magic into her orb as a small spatial gap opened before them.

Once opened, the five of them then enter into the wormhole, ending up inside a small, liminal space where their companions were waiting, tending to their wounds and injuries.

One was a tall-looking Japanese man with short black hair who forgo a shirt and pair of footwear in favor of wearing a pair of dark-blue hakama-pants with a shimenawa-style rope tied around his waist, with his injuries being wrapped in bandages. Another was a copper-skinned creature with a pair of bat-like wings wearing only a loincloth fashioned from sheepskin, with one of his wings being reapplied back onto his back with a tube of industrial-grade superglue held gently in his right hand.

"Enishi! Talon!" the Succubus greeted the pair waiting for them. "You're alright!"

Enishi growled as he flexed his claws from his fingernails. "... That fucker is going to pay for making fools of us," he growled with his canine-like teeth bared. "I swear!"

"Save some for me too, Enishi," the copper Gargoyle pointed out as he tried to reattach his torn-off wing. "... This pain ain't going away until I see him put down to the ground."

The five of the gathered Cluster then looked around before settling in themselves.

"So, I'd like to announce something," Nell spoke. "Apparently, Selias has run into a Sacred Gear user."

"Huh," the shirtless man huffed. "... No wonder why she looks as if she's missing a few teeth."

"I SSSTILL HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO TEAR FLESSSH!" the Lamia hissed as she was restrained by Valdes and Arnett.

"Sheesh, your temper has always been an issue," the witch grumbled.

"She's the youngest and the least experienced among us," the Dullahan remarked. "Selia, repose. He's a friend."

The hot-blooded Lamia then calms down after being restrained for a while. "... Sssorry," she apologized. "But that greenhorn got the better of me and I refussse to let it ssstand!"

"Well good on you, since that's part of my plan."

From above, a red-colored spider web-like magic formation appeared before eight, spindly legs akin to a spider's descended from it before a human half of a raven-haired woman dressed in a red leather jacket over a white crop top made herself known to the Cluster.

"Cordelia!" Nell exclaimed.

"I'm glad to see that all of you are alright," the Arachne greeted as her legs then set down on the dirt.

"Enough of that!" Denas bellowed out. "Where were you this whole time?! Aside from saving Selia's scrawny ass at the last minute, we haven't seen you ever since you helped us escape!"

"Oh, just a little milk run," Cordelia then reveals her loot to the rest of the Cluster.

"... No freaking way," Arnett remarked with suppressed elation. "... You sneak!"

"One of my more... challenging heists," the Arachne declared before closing her sack of loot. "Now, a little birdie told me that you are all being bullied by some mean Peerages?"

"Gremory, specifically," Valdes pointed out. "And given that bloodline's powers..."

The Arachne then looks around their overall team composition of the gathered Cluster. "... We are in need of more firepower," she remarked before pulling out her smartphone. "Thankfully, I foresaw this and have planned accordingly."

"Ssso what now?" asked the Lamia.

"We wait," she answers. "This pocket space of my own making should last us until tonight, of which, our help shall arrive."

The gathered Cluster then waited until help arrived.

"... Hey," Denas asked. "When you aided our escape, why did you make us kill in certain ways when we arrived in this town?"

"A test of your competency, to show my client that you Strays aren't all bark without bite," Cordelia answered. "And admittedly, killing in certain methods can be fun in its own way, no?"

The Centaur scoffs as he recalled how he can only kill the driver of a car passing by a certain corner posted within each set timeframe. "I had to pick out glass shards between my hooves for a week!"

"Killing someone whose heads are that of my exact size?" Valdes remarked with apprehension. "Less likely than you think."

The rest of the Strays agreed that before their discovery by the Gremory Peerage, their self-imposed rules of engagement/killing established by Cordelia, their middleman, was nothing short of tedious.

"Well, I'd like to say that as soon as we engage the Peerage, the restrictions are to be dropped!" the Arachne announced. "Anything goes from there!"

"Good," Selia hissed in anticipation. "... Sssoon, that Sssacred Gear brat will die by my hands!"

Outside the ORC Building...

"Before we begin," Rias announced as the rest of ORC gathered around Takeshi, "I'd like to go over the basics of what Sacred Gears are and how they generally function."

"I'm listening," Takeshi replied as he stood before the club members.

"Sacred Gears are artifacts created by the Deus Trinity and bestowed upon certain humans since birth, but its physical manifestation depends on... actually, no one can know for certain, but it's implied that it's likely to occur during times of great stress or resolve," Rias explained. "For example, many historical figures, such as Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms Period of China, Leonardo da Vinci of Renaissance Italy, and Heracles of Greek Myth, rose to prominence by utilizing their Sacred Gears that they were born with. Each bestowed artifact comes with a variety of powers for their users, ranging from the mundane to the apocalyptic should if the user is either incentivized or driven to that state."

Takeshi's eyes widened upon hearing that last part. "... Yikes," he remarked before looking down at his waist. "... So potentially, I may or may not be carrying an Earth-shattering bomb on my person simply because I was born with it?"

"Unlikely, and thankfully for all of us," Rias reassured, calming Takeshi down. "Only a very, very select few of the Sacred Gears hold such cataclysmic potential, and if that were the case, every single Pantheon across the whole world has subscribed to the system of tracking and locking that thing down in the most secure of vaults known to all."

Takeshi sighs in relief before his mind comes across another thought. "... Say, if you claim that various figures of significant historical value used Sacred Gears to reach the acclaim they've come to be associated with..." he then hesitates for a moment before asking the following. "I have two questions regarding that little detail. One, does your inference mean that every historical figure up to the modern day are Sacred Gear users? And two, I've noticed the disconnect between said history and the methods... Does that mean you guys have been doing this whole Men in Black-shit since time immemorial?"

"To answer the first, no," Rias shook her head. "Only about 70% of historical figures throughout the world's collective history were Sacred Gear users, and just because one has a Sacred Gear doesn't mean that they're destined to join the rank of legends."

"Some chose to live out quiet lives despite their great power, the rest died ignoble deaths due to their hubris," Yuuto elaborated as he then manifested a pair of swords from his hands. "Take for instance, my Sacred Gear, [Sword Birth]. It allows me to spontaneously create blades of varying attributes, but due to how the modern era works, I have little incentive to... well you know."

"Yeah, I can see why being able to create swords like EMIYA doesn't match with the whole 'live a normal life'-philosophy that you're going for," Takeshi nodded. "Still though, that Sacred Gear of yours sounds really cool. So are elemental blades a thing for you?"

Yuuto nods as he then manifests a sword made of blue flames that makes the ambient temperature drop slightly. "This one of my creations, [Flame Delete]," he stated. "Its flames are so cold that they freeze-burn all that they touch."

"What's your most powerful blade in your arsenal?!" asked Takeshi, his excitement rising. "Any concept-destroying ones? Or any swords akin to the legendary [Excalibur]?!"

Yuuto then suddenly tenses up before he dismisses his [Flame Delete] from his hand. "... Sorry, but I'm nowhere near strong enough to make a sword that can destroy concepts such as 'Death'," he remarked with a slight reprehension in his voice. "... And as for my strongest sword... it's nowhere near completion just yet."

Takeshi immediately reads the room and begins apologizing. "My bad for possibly offending you."

"... It's okay," Yuuto sighs as he calms down and takes a step back towards Akeno, whose presence calms him down.

"As for your second question," Rias continued, "... I don't know what this whole 'Men in Black-shit' you're inferring to, but if you mean that we of the supernatural take active measures to keep the supernatural away from the common consensus, then yes."

Rias then pulls out her smartphone as an example.

"For instance, people can record supernatural phenomenons with modern day technology, but you'd be surprised how many can dismiss it as cheap CGI or special effects," she explained. "That in itself is thanks to our recent digital censorship campaign spurred by numerous Pantheons and even the Four Great Satans. But if, by some rare happenstance, that the masquerade is compromised, the chaos that will ensue from it will be catastrophic."

"Duly noted," Takeshi nodded. "... Now with the ethics and history surrounding the Sacred Gears out of the way, can we get started?"

"Of course," Rias nodded. "And yes, this whole perimeter has several anti-detection and human-warding barriers established 24/7. People are only allowed inside the domain with our permission, so go nuts."

"For the record," Yuuto spoke up, now calmed down from his prior state of behavior, "I had to pick up your food in front of the school gates."

"Right, thanks for doing that," Takeshi bowed his head before he then got started, only for him to immediately run into an issue. "... How do I manifest my Sacred Gear again?"

"It's simple, Ryuugamine-kun," Rias answered. "First, close your eyes and see yourself having it."

Takeshi follows suit, blinking out as he then enters into a state of focus, drawing upon an image that he'd felt last night.

Power. A sensation of pure, unrefined power that ran through his veins on that very day. An awakening of becoming something else entirely. Someone strong. Someone powerful.

A hero. A goddamn superhero.

Motioning his hands around his waist, a warm glow was felt on his fingers. As soon as Takeshi opened his eyes, there was the chrome belt with a black orb at its central buckle. "... It worked!"

"Good," Rias approvingly nodded. "The more you do it, the more it will become second nature to you."

Takeshi nods as he then knows what to do next.

Emulating his favorite character from his favorite Kamen Rider Series, he then mirrors his iconic pose before the reflective surface of the window.

"Henshin!"

The Sacred Gear's gem then glows, manifesting a basic armored form around his whole body.

"Alright, I'm already getting the hang of this!" Takeshi exclaimed with excitement as he faced back towards ORC.

Rias however, looked a little skeptical. "... Hm, I haven't gotten a proper read on what you can do with that just yet," she thought out loud. "... Ryuugamine-kun, can you humor me on one more request?"

"Sure," the armored teen replied. "What is it?"

Rias then steps back as Koneko steps forth.

"... Fight me," she ordered as she readied herself.

"Don't worry, I'll stop her before she goes too far," Rias reassured.

"... Okay," nodded Takeshi as he stepped forth before Koneko as he got into his own fighting stance. "... I'm in your hands, Toujou-san-"

Before he could finish, the petite girl was already done closing in on him.

"It has already started."

*WHAM*

She then delivers a wicked blow with her fist, striking Takeshi in his armored chest that sent him flying into a magically-erected barrier around the two, his back bouncing off of it before landing face-down on the ground.

"... Tough nut to crack," Koneko remarked as Takeshi struggled to get up, feeling as if he was struck by a speeding truck. "... Not that impressive."

Upon hearing that, Takeshi gets up before making his offensive towards her with his own punch. However, just as it connected, Koneko simply takes the resounding blow to her body without even flinching, much to his shock.

"You're strong," Koneko complimented before she grabbed his wrist in an iron-death grip that he couldn't escape from. "... Not enough."

She then suddenly kicks one of his legs back to quickly knock him off balance before executing a perfect over-the-shoulder judo throw.

*BOOM*

As soon as his helmeted head landed onto the dirt, an eruption from the impact was heard before Takeshi blacked out.

Around the Abandoned Warehouses...

Scouring through the alleyways of old buildings and rusted sheet metal was the cloaked figure, roaming out of sight from the public eye as they pulled out their phone.

"So what's our plan?" spoke the phone's speakers as they listened in on one of their many bugs they've planted throughout Kuoh Town.

"Simple. We divide the labor depending on our specialties," spoke another voice as they continued listening in. "Selia is the only one who has prior experience facing that Sacred Gear whelp, so she'll be ready to face him... but not without some help."

"Ssscrew you!" hissed another. "I'm more than enough to face an upssstart human!"

"Don't worry, it's not like we'll be denying your vengeance entirely," spoke the main voice. "Think of me and Talon as... diversions."

"Fine with me," said a metallic drone. "... Still need more time for the glue to settle in before I can use it."

They continued listening in on the Cluster's plans of attack before they took out a tally counter before clicking it into a "002."

"An ordeal awaits," they spoke. "... I'll have to step in right as they make their move."

After One Ass-Kicking...

"... Ow," groaned Takeshi as he woke up, looking up towards a familiar-looking ceiling. "... Deja vu?"

"Ah, you're awake," Rias remarked as she closed her book while sitting across from where Takeshi was laid. "Are you okay, Ryuugamine-kun?"

"Aside from my head feeling like it was caved in by a sledgehammer, I'm great," groaned Takeshi as he sat back up, greeted by the rest of the ORC waiting for him to wake up. "... So, how did I do?"

"Expected for a first-timer," Yuuto bluntly addressed. "You have the raw power, but none of the coordination."

"Yeah, I figured an overnight mastery wasn't the case..." bemoaned Takeshi as he then thought of one more thing. "... Also, one more question, but did anyone take a picture of my Sacred Gear's armor? The window was too blurry to see my own reflection and last night I was too busy fighting for my life, so I couldn't make it out how I looked."

"Here," Koneko then showed him the picture of him in his Sacred Gear after being pulled out of the caved-in ground on her phone, causing Takeshi to groan at the sorry sight.

"No wonder why I got my ass laid out twice in a row!" he complained. "That form is just an undersuit!"

"... Undersuit?" Akeno asked.

"In Kamen Rider terminology, it's the weakest form meant to serve as a base for the other, stronger forms to be built atop of," he explained as he then takes out his phone before showing everyone Kuuga's [Growing Form] compared to his "default" [Mighty Form]. "For reference, my suit of armor is like the white one."

"That... actually makes a lot of sense," Rias agreed. "... Ryuugamine-kun, I have to be blunt with you, but the way your Sacred Gear is right now is worryingly weak compared to the common fare."

Takeshi's eyes widened before facing Yuuto. "... Can we trade?"

"I don't know, can you live without a heart or brain?" he replied bluntly. "... Forgive me, Ryuugamine-kun, but Sacred Gears are tethered to our souls from the moment we're born with the mere potential of them. Anything to tamper with them will result in nothing short of instant death."

"Ah," Takeshi then bows his head. "... My apologies."

"Ara, no need to apologize," Akeno reassured. "... Although, you might want to apologize to Koneko-chan."

Takeshi then turned towards Koneko, the latter not so much as making eye contact towards him.

It takes him no less than two seconds to figure out that Koneko was the one living here. And that his alarm might've spooked her this morning.

"... I'm so sorry for waking you up early," Takeshi apologized.

"To be fair, she's legally a minor and can't live without supervision," Yuuto pointed out. "So she's staying here until she enter first year of High School."

"Help me pack my stuff and I'll forgive you," Koneko huffed.

"Deal," he nodded before facing Rias. "... So, what now?"

"The way I see it, you have two options," she spoke. "Either forget everything and go back to living a normal life... or stick around and get stronger. Sacred Gear or not, it's ultimately your choice."

Takeshi then looks at his hand before thinking over this whole Matrix-style choice. Question is, even though he has a Sacred Gear and can choose to live a normal life, can he truly stake himself to maintaining that life the way he is now?

Can he guarantee the peace of mind for his life and family if the Strays then target his family as another hunt when he ultimately chooses to refrain from using his powers to protect them?

"... No."

He then gets up from the couch where he laid, faces Rias Gremory with a determined look in his eyes, and then lowers his head and back in a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"PLEASE!" he begged earnestly. "HELP ME GROW STRONGER! I'M TOO WEAK TO PROTECT MY NORMAL LIFE! I CANNOT WALK AWAY FROM THE DANGER THAT IS PRESENT IN OUR TOWN! POWER... I NEED POWER TO PROTECT ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME!"

"... Raise your head, Ryuugamine Takeshi," Rias spoke, with Takeshi facing her as she offered her hand. "I'll be there to guide you along with the rest of ORC. The question is, are you ready for what's to come? Are you resolved to cast away your peace for the sake of what you believe in?"

Takeshi, with resolve beating in his heart and inflamed by desire, then takes Rias' hand.

"... I accept!"

As he took her hand, a faint thump was felt throughout the soul that it found itself trapped in.

"Power..." a deep voice hissed from the darkness. "... Power... to bring... ruin."

It snickers as it retreats back into the darkness.

"... Soon."

To Be Continued...

And there we have the reboot's "Chapter 2."

As one may notice, a lot of liberties had to be taken to make the story flow better while expanding upon a few things. And also, again, cutting the chapter's original length to make the story flow better while cutting the padding since Takeshi now has to go through a mini-training arc before he can actually/realistically be prepared to hold his own.

That said, the arc villains have also deviated. In that they have a new member, Cordelia the Arachne. Unlike the rest of the Cluster, she's an outsider doubling as their collective benefactor's middleman. And an accomplished thief to boot. That's enough of a deviance for our time-traveler to directly intervene.

With that out of the way, some more things to address regarding the characters:

Takeshi is a bit more calmer than his initial run, but retaining some of his goofiness, such as initially mistaking Rias as a bat-kaijin or when bemoaning at his Sacred Gear's out-of-the-box armor set. That said, he's more savvy when it comes to the supernatural, and in turn, he knows what's at stake, and that's not counting the fact that he nearly died last night, and his would-be murderer is still out there. Yeah, he's a bit more grounded now. Also, he's a film buff on top of his Tokusatsu and video game-buff, which is based off post-resurrection Itadori Yuji from Jujutsu Kaisen. Then again, it's not like the control of his "predisposition" was mastered overnight. Might as well kill some time in-between. ... And use his "predisposition" to get the best seats in the house.

For Rias (and ORC to an extant), she's also a bit more blunt on her assessment since she failed to kill Selia like in the original fic's run due to outside intervention, and seeing that Takeshi's Sacred Gear is now visible in terms of power-boosting, she's taking extra precautions for dealing with the Cluster and Takeshi's well-being, even offering him an out if he's not up for it. Also, the whole point of the "Mara" conversation is to prove that the different worlds' pantheons exist besides hearsay (while showing them that they're not completely infallible by the Great Member's glory).

And for Takeshi's Sacred Gear, it's the definition of a "Magikarp Power." Here, it's flat-out evaluated as the WEAKEST Sacred Gear in terms of power and utility... at least, INITIALLY.

So the next chapter is going to be "Training" and "Recruitment" before the reboot's "Chapter 4" will be the night where everything shall be decided once and for all.

Look forward to it.

Toku References:

- The allusion to the snake, bat (Rias, initially as a mistake-gag), and spider (Cordelia) is a reference to the Shocker Kaijin Trio from the original Kamen Rider.

- Takeshi's transformation pose is lifted from Akiyama Ren/Kamen Rider Knight from Kamen Rider Ryuki.

OC Fancast:

Arnett: Ikumi Hasegawa (JPN), Liza Ortiz (ENG)

Denas: Kentarō Itō (JPN), Justin Cook (ENG)

Nell: Yui Horie (JPN), Carol-Anne Day (ENG)

Valdes: Yutaka Aoyama (JPN), Spike Spencer (ENG)

Enishi: Junichi Yanagita (JPN), Dave Wittenberg (ENG)

Talon: Taketora (JPN), Kent Williams (ENG)

Cordelia: Yuko Kaida (JPN), Eva Christensen (ENG)