Ride 12: Re:Lentless
Crackling.
Clanking.
Creeping.
The paradoxical sensation of both warm and chill stirs Takeshi awake, now finding himself lying on the wooden floor.
"... A new Section?" he muttered as he looked around his new surroundings, revealed to be a massive wooden hall inside some sort of longhouse with numerous tables and benches, the former being chock full of freshly-prepared food and drinks that one would find at a renaissance fair or a European Medieval Fantasy tavern, while the latter were barren of any occupants save for a gentle sheet of dust that had settled on the wooden surfaces.
The whole architecture was supported by large wooden pillars and beams, each cradling a lit torch that illuminated the cavernous halls. And at the center of the hall was a massive bonfire with a cauldron of bubbling soup suspended over the inferno by several wrought-iron chains hanging from the dark ceiling, where the smoke seems to disappear into the dimness above. The walls around the longhouse were adorned with several tapestries each depicting differing scenes of battles between armies and heroes fighting against terrible monsters, and several weapons crossed behind shields each with different heraldries.
But what stood out the most was that all of these set pieces, all of this environment, from the furniture to the food and drink, were all roughly several times larger than he was, as if Takeshi had stepped into a tavern accommodating only for literal giants, or as if he were a child's doll in the world of Toy Story.
He tries looking back, but all that could be seen was darkness, as if there were more of the same down in this tunnel.
"... Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Takeshi remarked as he braced himself, gathering his guts to step forward in this brave new world.
As he walked past the roaring bonfire, past the several benches and tables, his tiny feet walked steadily, ready for whatever horrible creature that was waiting for him at the end of his eldritch longhouse.
"Took you long enough."
A rumbling voice echoed from further ahead.
"Well don't just stand there, you damned brat," commanded the master of this terrible domain. "Come closer so I can take a better gander at you."
Takeshi complies with the order as he walks further in, more torches lighting up by themselves with each step the Evil Dragon User took.
As he neared towards the end of this longhouse, a massive throne of wood and iron could be spotted in the distance, occupied by a massive shadow that was around fifteen meters tall and brimming with physique and bulk akin to a seasoned Nordic Berserker.
"... So I've come, Grendel."
Takeshi then walks further in, until he could take a better look at the Evil Dragon's features.
"Guess you're not all talk, brat," snarled the Evil Dragon. "Good. At least you'll last long enough for my amusement."
Upon reaching the very end of the longhouse, Takeshi could now see the terrible Evil Dragon of Wrath in full. A giant bipedal, almost hominid creature covered head to toe with jagged dark-green scales, the gaps between them glowing with an ambiance akin to molten iron, and whose eyes were shining pairs of mercurial silver that cut through the choking darkness. A large pair of jade-colored, metal plate-like wings that were a his body coming from his back that resembled a ruler's furred cape, only covered with more of the same spiky scales instead, and his tail was thick as several trees tied into a bundle, which, combined with several of the rough scales overlapping each other on the spindle, made it a deadly whip to whoever it caught in its lash. A small, stout-looking horn resembling a rhinoceros' coming from his own snout, and his limbs were brimming with titanic muscles and obsidian-black claws and talons that were robust and sharp enough to rend through steel.
Held in one of his hands was a massive, grain silo-sized barrel made of oak, sloshing inside were a bright, topaz-yellow liquid akin to mead, to which the Evil Dragon gulps it down in one go before Takeshi.
"Like the look of your pad," Takeshi commented as he looked around the area. "... Build it yourself?"
"HA! You wish," sneered Grendel as he slammed down his empty barrel that he used as an oversized beer mug. "This prison of mine is merely a recreation of my favorite battlegrounds, the great mead hall, Heorot! There I fought a true man among men, Beowulf, King of Götaland! For a puny mortal, he was one of the few that could actually make me feel pain through my famed scales that broke lesser beings with a single touch! Strong beings like him were the sole reason why I committed all of these atrocities back in my good ol' days! They tend to fight harder when their loved ones are in great peril."
"Already moving onto implied death threats..." sighed Takeshi before he looked around on one of the tables. "... Long shot, but mind if I have a bite?"
"Eh, go ahead," dismissed Grendel. "... Food here tastes like shit anyway. Only the booze is worth keeping around."
Takeshi then unfurled his Devil's wings before flying atop one of the titanic tables before helping himself on one of the suckled pigs the size of a dump truck, biting into its crispy skin akin to armor, but upon the juices spilling out, it was as scrumptious as it was searing on his face.
"... Are you kidding me?!" Takeshi exclaimed as he then began devouring the large swine like Luffy. "I'm eating like a king here!"
"And people have the gall to call me insane for dying with an erection and an orgasm..." grumbled Grendel before drowning himself with another barrel of mead.
As the two occupants had their fill, both let out sighs of satisfaction before going back to speaking terms.
"So..." Takeshi then scratched the back of his head before continuing. "... I did not read up much on Beowulf, nor do I think that the accounts made after your time are... accurate, to say the least. Mind filling me in on what your deal is?"
"You've got balls to make demands in my domain, brat," growled Grendel. "... But given that you have given me a fine appetizer of carnage upon my return, I'll humor you. Once."
"My ears are open and my attention solely to you," Takeshi stated as he sat down on one of the tables cross-legged.
"Then here's what really happened," Grendel said as he began to tell his side of the tale. "As the king of outlanders and monsters beyond all fringes of all civilization, I had beef with them for simply existing. So castle by castle, I rampaged through their walls, armies, and homes, stamping the weak underneath my foot while my lessers who chose to follow me feasted on the scraps. None could stop me. Not their soldiers, not their warriors, and certainly not their gods, who did naught but twiddle their thumbs in fear as they watched their craven worshippers die! I left naught but fire and death, and my eyes sought towards the mainland, where I would continue my rampage unimpeded until the whole world was set ablaze in my name! ... Until he stood in my way."
"... Beowulf," Takeshi answered.
"That man was the apex of his kind, his blows matched my own, his fury burned like mine, and as we tore each other apart, wrecking nearby settlements in our brawl until I, me, Grendel, was pushed back to the Northern mires where I began my tour, was slain by his superior strength... and it was beautiful."
"... I'm no one to judge, Sir Grendel," Takeshi deadpanned. "... Carry on."
"That feeling when my scales were stripped from skin... the pain of his fists crushing my bones and pummeling my muscles as if they were mere meat... the humiliation of being bested while witnessed by my lessers... and the climax of which I achieved when he ripped my arm off and decapitated me with my own claws..." he snickered as he drooled, treating his first death like the best sex he had in his life. "... The closer I got to death... the harder I pushed back... and so did he! Alas, it was a shame that I couldn't fight longer, but I suppose that is my fault for being weak... so I wanted another go."
Takeshi crosses his arms before asking the following question. "... Say, I've been wondering," he began. "... How do you Evil Dragons come back to life after every death?"
Grendel sneers. "As long our souls are still intact, we don't stay dead for long," he revealed. "And unlike your puny human souls, our own cannot be destroyed through any common means! Not even the Deus Trinity could even hope to destroy us! As long as evil exists in the hearts of man, we will come back every time!"
"... Almost makes you guys sound like gods yourselves," Takeshi pointed out.
"And I didn't humor you for being a smart-ass," snarled Grendel before he continued where he left off. "... Anyway, once I came back, I found my mires now slowly being encroached with humans trying to turn my home into one of their 'civilizations,' my mother nowhere to be found, I was the only monster left in the mires, and Beowulf became an octogenarian who was a shell of his former self."
"... Another brawl?" Takeshi deadpanned.
"Obviously," Grendel answered before drinking another barrel of mead. "But this time, the old fucker needed help from his own younglings, and it didn't feel as good as the last time, but I have to admit, forging a sword made out my own bones and claws to best me? ... It wasn't a bad idea, but I was still pissed that they didn't leave me to rot right then and there."
"Wait, wait, wait, so you're saying that [Hrunting] was made from your body parts like a weapon from Monster Hunter?" Takeshi pointed out.
"And those fuckers had the gall to purify it into a Holy Sword," the Evil Dragon grumbled before fetching himself another barrel of mead. "... To make matters even worse, when Beowulf did kill me once more, I saw the light of life leave his eyes before I reentered my cycle of death and rebirth. Old as he was, his fire still burned. Pity that he was mortal, since they don't live long as we do. And after that, my life went downhill. None of the fights before and after my imprisonment felt as great as my time spent with him."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Takeshi remarked semi-sarcastically. "... So how was my performance?"
"If you had let me kill your friends back there, then I would've put you in a passing assessment," Grendel commented. "... Why resist? It's in your blood now."
"If I tried to give any, and I mean, any reason, to a legitimate roid-monster like you, you'd brush it off as an excuse," Takeshi pointed out. "For now, just go with my flow, given that you guys seem to attract fights like flies to manure."
Grendel snickers as he rests his lantern-jawed chin against his fist. "... At least we agree on that much, brat," he smirked. "Do come back soon. I haven't lost hope that you'll fold by the time I see you again."
Takeshi then fades out, leaving the Evil Dragon by himself in his prison.
"I look forward to how the whelp fares in the future," Nidhogg's voice echoed all the way from [Section Náströnd]. "One way or the other, I won't be starved for entertainment."
"He's got guts," snickered Grendel as he downed another barrel full of mead brewed from the gathered pain of his host and victims. "... I like that in a victim."
"So," the Evil Dragon of Envy said. "... Same as usual?"
"None of that subtle-crap that you tried to pull on the brat during your run, Nidhogg," the Evil Dragon of Wrath shot back as he tossed aside his emptied barrel of mead. "Simple and straightforward brawling. If the brat can't handle it, then tough shit!"
"Fair enough," Nidhogg agreed as he slithered back into his slumber. "... Keep me updated."
Grendel's booming laughter rattled the tables and walls of [Section Heorot] as he awaited in anticipation of the inevitable bloodshed.
"By the way, when the fuck did you learn how to spew blizzards?" asked Grendel.
"Oh please, like you have any use for it," Nidhogg deadpanned.
9th of April, 2019 AD
YOU CAN COUNT THE MEDALS: ONE, TWO AND THREE!
LIFE GOES ON ANYTHING GOES COMING UP OOO!
Once the alarm started playing, Takeshi tangled up in his sheets before slipping out of his bed headfirst.
Top of the morning, brat! Takeshi groans in pain as he turns off his alarm, his internal snark being interrupted by his new guest in his brain. Nothing like a good knocking to the noggin to get the blood pumping! So up and at 'em!
All Takeshi could do is groan and suffer in silence as he goes to the sink and freshens up.
What the Hell's this taste?! Grendel barked out.
Toothpaste, deadpanned Nidhogg. Get used to it. It's an everyday ritual.
FUCK YOU! I HATE IT ALREADY! the Evil Dragon of Wrath roared as the crow's feet around Takeshi's eyes deepened while he changed his clothes.
And just when he thought that he could eat in peace during breakfast...
THIS IS WHAT YOU EAT EVERY MORNING?! Grendel roared out as Takeshi squeezed extra hot mustard onto his natto out of pure spite (and Nidhogg's enjoyment). ARE YOU TRYING TO PISS ME OFF ON PURPOSE, BRAT?!
Never took you for a picky eater, deadpanned Takeshi as he continued eating. At least one of you has better table manners.
I'll take that as a compliment, whelp, snickered Nidhogg. ... Now I wonder how it'll taste together with fermented carcasses.
"Thanks for the meal!" Takeshi then took his plates to the sink before hearing the doorbell. "I got it!"
Opening the door, he meets with Akeno, waiting for him just outside, and his eyes being at her massive bosoms as usual.
"... I'm starting to feel a bit insecure, senpai," Takeshi chuckled before Koneko popped up behind her. "Morning, Koneko-chan."
"Morning," she greeted as the two came into his house. "Morning to you too, future mom and dad-in-law."
"Ara, going there already?" Akeno commented with a sly smile as Koneko clung onto Takeshi's arm.
"... He's mine," she reaffirmed with a small pout.
Takeshi instinctively places his face on top of her white haired-head before sighing into it, releasing a wave of dopamine and serotonin after a stressful morning. "... Thank you for being there for me, Koneko-chan."
"... I didn't ask." Takeshi then removes his face from her head. "... I didn't say that you can stop."
"We should get going now," Akeno remarked as the three of them headed for the door as soon as Takeshi got his school bag from upstairs. "We'll be back!"
"Have a nice trip!" Shiori and Hiroto waved their son goodbye as he walked to school with those two girls.
"... You know, I'm okay with Takeshi having a few girls on the side," Hiroto commented.
"Of course you would..." groaned Shiori. "... Then again, Akeno-chan knows her way around the kitchen better than I do. And when I was her age, I was just beating up punks with my pipe."
The father chuckles. "... You know, if our kid does have multiple wives, we might need to move to a bigger house to accommodate all of them and our future grandchildren."
"Then he better bag Rias on the way." The mother grinned. "... There's no way we can afford a mansion with both of our measly paychecks."
After School...
Today was a quiet day after the personal Hell that Takeshi had gone through yesterday. Still though, that didn't mean that he could rest on his laurels.
"Come at me, Yura-san!"
... Especially when another Evil Dragon had awakened.
"Let's see how much you've improved this past month, Ryuugamine-kun!"
In one of the many forests at Kuoh Town's outskirts, a sparring match took place between the Gremory and Sitri Peerage members, with Takeshi donning his armored form while wielding his [Berserk Devastator], parrying Tsubasa's blows with his own during their bout.
"Heavy..." grimaced the Sitri Rook as she pulled back her punches before finding her knuckles all bloodied. "... Guess bare-handed isn't an option."
"LIKE YOU STAND A CHANCE, WENCH!" snarled Grendel as another wave of fury tried to overwhelm Takeshi's mind, the latter barely holding it together. "ENOUGH OF THIS PLAY-FIGHTING! LET ME KILL SOMETHING ALREADY!"
Then, a barrage of icicles were shot from a random direction towards Takeshi, prompting the latter to evade the attack, creating enough of a distance between him and Tsubasa for the Rook to apply basic first-aid onto her injuries.
"And that's another one..." he sighed before looking towards where the shots had come from, spotting Momo from beyond the outcropping. "... Nice save there, Hanakai-san. A second sooner and I might've fucked her up."
"Can't afford to be too careful when dealing with an Evil Dragon embodying the Deadly Sin of Wrath..." the Sitri Bishop sighed. "... Seriously, the way you're on the verge of going berserk when you fight with those things... it's like watching a wild horse trying to throw someone off its back."
"YOU'RE ON THE TOP OF MY SHIT-LIST, WITCH-BITCH!" Then jets of flame then shot out of Takeshi's auxiliary Sacred Gear and propelled his host towards Momo.
But just as Grendel could commit murder, Takeshi hesitates long enough for Tsubasa to attack him from behind with a superpowered lariat, but Grendel tanks the surprise attack from behind as if her attack were mere air, but also then grabs her arm before Takeshi then takes over, transitioning the possible amputation into a grapple that lifted her up into the air, feet pointing towards the sky and her panties shown full view, right before delivering a crushing brainbuster to knock Tsubasa out.
As soon as the fight was over, Takeshi immediately undoes his transformation, suppressing Grendel's influence back into his mind only. "Yura-san! Hanakai-san! Are you two okay?!"
Momo nods. "... Like a wild horse."
"I'm gonna be feeling that for a while..." groaned Tsubasa as she rubbed her bleeding head. "... Seriously, I know Grendel is one mean son of a bitch, but if he could tear through a Rook's defenses like paper before it could achieve Balance Breaker status, then you got one heck of an uphill battle waiting for you, Ryuugamine-kun."
The three then sit down as they discuss their results of Takeshi's [Berserk Devastator].
"Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way," Momo stated. "... That new Sacred Gear of his basically puts you in a state of aggression reaching to the point of murder."
"He ain't subtle like Nidhogg, that's for sure," Takeshi remarked with a grimace as he looked down on his [Cataclysm Zone]. "Moment I enter combat, BAM! I think for now, I should probably save him for when murder is an acceptable option."
"Since when murder isn't an option?!" Grendel barked out from the dark-green gem. "I did not come back to this world just to be greeted by a bunch of literal pussies!"
"That aside, you didn't even flinch when you took a lariat to the back of your head, Ryuugamine-kun," Tsubasa pointed out while ignoring the Evil Dragon's misogynistic comment. "... Think that Sacred Gear of yours is giving you a defense boost?"
"Oh definitely," Takeshi agreed with a nod. "Nor I felt anything... which, I think it makes sense, given that pain is usually considered a hindrance for those 'Berserker'-types... which Grendel fits like a glove."
"So a defense boost, pain inhibition, and implied pyrokinesis if yesterday's reports are to say anything..." Momo grumbled as she crossed her arms. "... Almost makes me wonder what else it can do."
"Why don't you stick around and find out?" threatened Grendel. "I'll put you through the VIP-experience of ass-kicking so fierce that your children and their children will be living as cripples for the rest of their miserable lives."
"Hard pass," everyone vetoed.
"Fuck all of you."
Grendel then retreats back into his prison before Nidhogg takes over.
"So stelpur, how did it go?" deadpanned the Evil Dragon of Envy.
"How do you deal with him?" asked Takeshi.
"I tune out half of what he says," Nidhogg answered.
"Only half?" deadpanned Tsubasa.
"Ara, you're all finished?"
The three then spot Akeno emerging from the other side of the forest, carrying the battered Tsubaki over her shoulder while the former looked immaculate.
"No mercy as usual..." Takeshi nervously chucked as Momo and Tsubasa retrieved their Queen. "... Kinda rich given my own circumstances."
Akeno beams. "Why, thank you for the compliment!"
"Of course you'd take that as a compliment..." groaned Tsubaki as her injuries were being treated by the Bishop and Rook. "... I will catch up someday, so watch your freaking back, Himejima."
Before this proclamation of rivalry could go anywhere, Koneko and Yuuto show up, both of them carrying a dazed Reya and Tomoe on their backs respectively.
"... There's a pattern here, isn't it?" Tsubasa sheepishly grinned.
"... Are you sure... that you guys are... Low-Class Devils?" Reya groaned as she and Tomoe were gently placed on the ground by the Gremory Devils. "... These two are overqualified... of their status."
"You guys are busted... I swear..." Tomoe groaned out before fainting.
Takeshi looked at both Yuuto and Koneko incredulously. "... Suddenly, the fear of losing control of [Berserk Devastator] doesn't sound too bad in comparison."
"Rude," Koneko pouted with her arms crossed.
"They are competent, but their skills and tactics are offset by their lack of offensive power," Yuuto pointed out. "... Having Sacred Gears on our side has proven to be a valuable force multiplier. We really shouldn't take it for granted."
"Perhaps, but one mustn't neglect training in their natural strengths."
The one who had spoken, Sona Sitri, had appeared before the two Peerages' Devils, with Rias following behind, wincing and clutching her arm while slightly stumbling.
"President!" Takeshi then caught her before she could fall. "Are you alright?"
Rias grins through the pain. "... Just a backlash," she reassured as she walked with Takeshi's support. "... Let me walk it off and I'll be fine."
"So it's still a work in progress, then?" Akeno remarked.
"On what?" asked Takeshi.
Rias then sits down with a grunt before explaining. "... You know that my signature ability is the [Power of Destruction], correct?" she pointed out. "... Truth is, the [Power of Destruction] originated from House Bael, of which I inherited through my mother."
"I see," nodded Takeshi. "... So you're inferring that your own family has their own signature trait, correct?"
Rias nods in confirmation. "... Unlike my older brother, I've inherited both the House Bael and Gremory's traits within me, but the former was the first that had manifested due to it being stronger. The latter is still within the realm of possibility, but right now, I'm unable to properly use it without going on the verge of passing out from the strain."
"Guess we're on the same boat then, President," Takeshi remarked as a sign of solidarity. "... Speaking of, President Sitri, what is your House's trait?"
"[Water Manipulation]," she answered bluntly as she conjured an orb of water drawn from her bottle. "... Generously speaking, it's water magic at a discount."
"I don't see a problem with it," Takeshi remarked. "I mean, if JoJo's Bizarre Adventure taught me anything, it is that powers shouldn't be judged on what they can do, but what its user can do with them. I mean, I read the after-action reports during our foray with the Yomi Faction. Water magic at a discount is still water magic."
Sona chuckles slightly. "... Why thank you," she said. "... If I have the time, can you tell me which part of JoJo that I should read up on in order for my powers to become more versatile in application?"
"Try JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 3, Chapter 71," suggested Takeshi. "Or if you're feeling more daring when it comes to expanding your options, try Part 4's Chapter 4."
"Thank you," Sona replied before sitting down with everyone else. "Now, regarding the progress of your newly-acquired Sacred Gear..."
Tsubasa, Momo, and Takeshi let everyone know of [Berserk Devastator]'s capabilities. Even Grendel himself chimed in, if only to make the occasional death threats, as if they were the only coherent sentences he could muster.
"I see..." grumbled Sona as she adjusted her glasses. "... That is indeed a problem."
"So unless all of us have Re:Live on speed dial, I can't use this without running the risk of possibly killing one of you guys, at minimum," Takeshi explained as he vividly remembers him trying to kill Koneko. "... And that's not getting started on yesterday's bullshit."
"Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists on the same day within the same general area?" Tsubaki commented, to which Takeshi notice Akeno flinching upon the mention of the former. "... Should we inform Lord Beelzebub about this?"
"Given how little conclusive evidence we found at the dam's ruins and the fact that Re:Live's investigation still isn't finished, it's wishful thinking at best," Rias pointed out. "All we can do now is wait for them to call us back while they're investigating on their own."
"Of course..." groaned Sona as she massaged her temples. "... And it's not like Lord Beelzebub or any of the Four Great Satans are free to give us peons the time of the day, filial connections aside. Only the first two Devil Kings know how the Underworld remained intact in spite of our flippant leaders."
"I think we should be grateful that this time around, the situation won't escalate to the point where they'll have to get involved-and I jinxed it, didn't I?" Akeno pointed out, to which everyone nodded.
The sun had already begun to set as everyone sat in awkward silence.
"Well I for one welcome that kind of development," Grendel said from the green gem of the Sacred Gear. "Let the players come... so I may drink their blood drawn from their screams of agony!"
"Let's just not think too hard about it and move on with today," Takeshi elected while ignoring Grendel's hype.
"By the way, I found two candidates for my Peerage," Sona brought up as a way to stray from their uncomfortable main topic. "Negotiations will be held tomorrow, and if things go well as I like to, I'll have two new Pawns among my number."
"Can't wait to meet 'em," Takeshi agreed. "It's about time that we got some new blood of our own as well, right President?"
Rias nods in agreement. "In any case, I wish both of us luck on our future endeavors," she addressed. "Now then, we have about a few hours before night falls, so let's fulfill some commissions before we turn in for today! Any objections?"
No one objects.
With that consensus made, everyone then teleports to their respective commissions.
10th of April, 2019 AD
"Bloody Hell, I'm worn out..." groaned Takeshi as last night, he and Akeno were on a joint commission to rescue a child separated from her parents back at Chichibu. ... I know that Devils can go several days without sleep if necessary, but having the two you guys are doing a number on me that I might as well be a regular human being.
We love you too, deadpanned Nidhogg.
I for one, really wished we were retrieving her corpse and returning it to her kin instead, Grendel bemoaned. ... Imagine how exquisite the pain of their loss would've been.
Okay, so you feed off both physical and psychological pain, Takeshi noted as he then turned his attention towards Nidhogg. ... Come to think of it, what do you "feed" off, Nidhogg? I mean, I get "negativity" and possibly "death," but it's too vague for me to tell.
The Evil Dragon of Envy sinisterly chuckles. ... Let's just say that I feed whatever falls onto my lap, he answered just as vaguely. I'm not picky about what I eat, but I'm partial to food that tickles my forked tongue.
He means he'll literally eat garbage and feces if he wants to, Grendel snarked. I hate food that tastes like anything! Only blood and booze are my diet!
Liquid, got it, Takeshi mentally replied before sighing out loud. "... Speaking of, I'm thirsty as fuck. Wonder if the vending machine has anything good-"
But as he was about to turn the corner, he spotted Issei entering the faculty room with a concerned expression.
"... What the fuck?" Curiosity then gets the better of him as he then uses his Devil physiology to hear through the walls and chatter.
Inside the Faculty Office...
"... So, Kiri-sensei."
The slovenly teacher then turned his swivel chair around to face his student.
"Hyoudou," he spoke sternly. "... I have a question."
Opening up his leather bag, he then pulls out a newspaper before slapping it down onto his desk.
"I heard your girlfriend's name was 'Amano Yuuma'," he addressed. "Do you perhaps mean her?"
Issei's pupils shrunk as he then saw the following headline:
OFF-ROADING ACCIDENT OUTSIDE OF KUOH
VICTIM: YORUICHI AYAME (AGE: 24)
SUSPECTED UNDER DRUNK DRIVING
HISTORY OF PHISHING OTHER MEN REVEALED
"... Yuuma-chan?" Issei muttered out in disbelief. "... No. NO! NO WAY!"
"What did I say about date scammers, Hyoudou?" the teacher pointed out before sighing. "... Although in fairness, this happened before you knew, so I can't blame you in the slightest."
"Why?!" he whimpered as he fell to his knees, sniveling and sobbing like a child. "... Was it all a lie?! Yuuma-chan... why?!"
Tatsuya sighs as he lets his student cry for a few moments.
"... By the way, did you check your bank account?" Kiri-sensei asked.
"... N-No," Issei replied, still devastated by this revelation.
"Check it," the teacher ordered, causing Issei to pull out his phone and see that this entire bank account has been emptied out, with the transfer's recipient being none other than Yuuma's phone number. "... Dammit, she struck again."
"... What do you mean, again?!" Issei cried out.
The teacher sighs. "... I fell for her bullshit when I was at Tokyo U," he revealed. "She started scamming desperate men right out of High School by drugging them with crushed sleeping pills spiked into their food or drinks and taking their money. I knew a few guys who got arrested for 'illicit contact with a minor,' some of whom were my closest associates with promising futures before I found them working 9-to-5 at 7-Eleven stores. I got swept up myself when I didn't know any better, and the only reason why I was able to walk free was that I knew a few guys in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and managed to get me out with all charges cleared, but by then, I lost my position as Associate Professor in Criminal Law and got sacked to this place for the next six years at Hakai Academy."
Issei was hyperventilating before he grabbed the teacher by his collar, utterly overwhelmed with clashing emotions that he couldn't process anymore.
"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING MBY TELLING ME ALL THIS?!" he cried out, causing the other staff members to flinch in alarm. "AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT BEING IN GOOD COMPANY OVER A GIRL THAT TOYED WITH MY HEART?!"
Just as the other staff were about to intervene, Kiri-sensei raises his hand, indicating that he got this under control.
"... No doubt about it, you're a fucking dumb kid, Hyoudou," the teacher bluntly addressed. "... So you're just gonna let it end like this?"
Issei's eyes widened as his hand was steadily pried from Tatsuya's clothes as both of them calmed down.
"... Listen, Hyoudou, and listen well," Kiri-sensei began. "If you're gonna hate women for the rest of your life just because of that one bad day, fine, go ahead. But that is the easy way out, the coward's way of making themselves feel good about their own shortcomings and stymieing any potential for future growth. What she did was evil, no doubt about it, but what happens next is entirely dependent on how you deal with the fallout. Are you going to dance and piss on her ashes as a form of post-mortem karma, or are you going to be the bigger man and deal with this like a decent human being?"
Issei grits his teeth. "... How am I supposed to deal with all this?"
Tatsuya sighs before explaining. "... Hyoudou, before I give you my answer, I have to ask," he said. "How did you become like this? The whole 'Harem King'-bullshit that you always dream of. Is it solely because of teenage hormones, or is it something deeper than that?"
The boy looks away. "... When my grandpa died, I said I wanted to make his dreams come true at his stead."
"That's it?" Kiri-sensei deadpanned, utterly unimpressed. "... Personal relationship with family aside, you gave up your individuality for that malarkey of a dream? Get real, Hyoudou. This is reality. You're not going to score a single girl if your perception of the opposite sex is that shallow."
"So what am I supposed to do, dammit?!" he exclaimed as he began to cry. "... I'm just a pervert, and people just keep telling me to stop."
"Occam's razor, Hyoudou," Tatsuya bluntly answered. "If people are telling you to do the same thing, then maybe take their advice to heart and grow up. As soon as those hormones are gone, you'll realize you've wasted your fucking life, and not even jacking off will feel good anymore. Tell me, besides your 'Harem King'-dream, what else do you have to look forward to in your future?"
Issei tries to refute that, but ultimately comes up short on anything meaningful.
He was now made to face reality. The Pervert Trio as a group was unsustainable in the long-term.
"... I don't know," he answered before breaking down. "I DON'T KNOW DAMMIT! I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO NEXT!"
"Then reevaluate your whole life," Kiri-sensei advised. "Look back beyond grandpa's wish and see what else you can pull from your existence. Your friends, your family, anything. You're Second Year, Hyoudou. High School is not going to last forever."
Kiri-sensei then stands up from his desk before walking past Issei.
"But if you want a girlfriend, then here's my advice," he said as he stopped behind his student. "Stop using porn and eroge as a basis and treat them like human beings. If Yuuma-chan wasn't enough of a wake up call to tell you that girls are human like you, then you're beyond help. But at the very least, build trust with the opposite sex, and don't take the first 'yes' you hear after a confessional. All relationships are built on hard-earned trust, and if it were easy, then all value put into humanity is lost."
Kiri-sensei then reaches for the door before opening it, finding Eiji and Naoto eavesdropping from behind the door.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't suspend you two for violating confidentiality," snarled the teacher.
"Kiri-sensei!" Issei cried out. "... How do I get started?"
The slovenly-looking teacher scoffs before walking past the rest of the Pervert Trio and Aika as he walks into the halls.
"Figure it out for yourself," he answered. "But before that, you might want to visit the police to get your money back!"
Issei sighs as he walks out of the faculty room, walking past his friends and Aika, now thinking deeply about his place in life and how he spent it.
"... Dude, I think we fucked up big time," Eiji pointed out, regretting his decision to follow Issei.
"He made his bed and shat in it," Naoto dismissed. "Let him reap the consequences of his folly."
"Wow, Ryuugamine-kun was right about you guys," Aika scoffed. "You guys suck as friends."
Elsewhere, Takeshi sighs before walking away.
"... Goddammit," he grumbled with a heavy heart, now feeling the need to help Issei through his crisis, but unable to figure out how. "... I hope you enjoyed yourselves."
Oh, it was a delight, Nidhogg commented.
Not to my liking, complained Grendel. Not enough pain to offset the taste of bitterness.
11th of April, 2019 AD
"You know, this is the second time we rode together like this," Takeshi said as he rode on his motorcycle with Akeno all the way from Chichibu after completing their mission of looking for someone's lost dog (who miraculously survived, albeit with an injured leg). "... You know, with all the shit happening across Japan just the last month, you'd expect the Shinto Pantheon to at least give a damn."
"Tell me about it..." she grumbled as she held herself around Takeshi's waist while pressing her boobs against his back (not that there's any other option, but neither side were complaining). "... In fact, the incident with the Yomi Faction was a rare exception. Or the fact that all of the Five Principal Clans got involved in the efforts to stymie their efforts proactively."
Takeshi grumbles. "... Are they that big of dicks?" he pointed out. "Sounds extremely counterproductive in the long-term."
"Trust me, those five families will do anything to keep their positions of power, even if it means committing acts that defy all common sense," Akeno stated with venom. "... It's a good thing Tsubaki's family left the Clan before she could become one of those reprobates."
Takeshi chooses to not press any further as he then checks his phone's map. "... We're almost there, senpai," he pointed out as he slowed down at the next intersection. "... I have to point out that this is my first time visiting a girl's house."
"Ara, and that time at Koneko's new apartment didn't count?" Akeno teased as the bike stopped before a stone stairway.
"Touché." Both Takeshi and Akeno then make their way upstairs before stopping before an old, but well-maintained Shinto shrine. "... Huh, so this is your pad, senpai? I thought us Devils can't enter sacred places without suffering some consequences. Excluding when Zenkō Temple was taken over by Hisaya's group..."
Akeno chuckles before she steps underneath the torii gate, passing through it without struggle. "Come on in! It'll be okay!"
Takeshi grimaces as he takes a step forward, and upon passing through the torii gate, a sensation of pain stung his whole body like a curtain of barbed wire.
"Ow, ow ow ow ow..." he grimaced as [Cataclysm Zone] manifested around his waist.
"Aw, suck it up, brat," sneered Grendel. "I took showers underneath waterfalls that hurt way more than this!"
"Wait, you take showers?!" Takeshi pointed out.
"It's so that those pansies won't run when they catch my scent of spilled blood!" the Evil Dragon of Wrath pointed out as Takeshi finally succeeds passing through the gate, albeit in slight pain.
"Hm, that's strange," Akeno commented as she helped Takeshi get back up to his feet. "Normally, even Kiba-kun was fine passing through the first time."
"I think I have three guesses on who's responsible." Takeshi then pointed to his manifested Sacred Gear. "... And the first two don't count."
"At least our synchronization isn't one-sided, whelp," Nidhogg taunted. "... I think that is what other people call 'joint liability'."
"Yeah, yeah... laugh it up," Takeshi groaned as he and Akeno sat down before the offering box. "... Still I like the look of this place. So senpai, what's your story around here?"
Akeno sighs before explaining. "... The old priest who used to run this place passed away, and the President let me stay here after pulling a few strings."
"Have to say, you got yourself a pretty sweet deal," Takeshi replied. "... So, how did this all happen?"
Akeno's expression becomes downcast before stating the following. "... How much do you know about the Five Principal Clans?"
Takeshi racked his head before shaking his head. "... Aside from Shinra-san's passing mentions of them around last month, no freaking clue."
She hesitates for a moment, but Akeno chooses to open the Pandora's box that she'd promised herself to open.
"... The Five Principal Clans are Japan's greatest onmyōji and mystics after Abe no Seimei that serves the Shinto Pantheon for over a millennia," she began. "Each family has been blessed with the powers of the Five Auspicious Beasts that each represented an element rooted in the Chinese Wuxing, with each Clan's heads known to be reaching towards Ultimate-Class in terms of strength."
"OHOHOHO! I REMEMBER FIGHTING THAT SON OF A BITCH DURING MY VISIT THERE!" cackled Grendel. "The only thing I didn't like about him was that he didn't even throw a single punch himself. Only letting his pet Yōkai do all the fighting for him. At least those fuckers came close to making me bleed before Takemikazuchi skewered me with his serrated sword imbued with lightning!"
"... Admittedly, I am curious about your travel stories, Grendel, but right now it's senpai's turn," Takeshi remarked. "Don't worry, you'll get your turn on the podium soon."
Grendel grumbles before retreating, allowing Akeno to continue uninterrupted.
"Thank you," she remarked before continuing. "... So as for the five families, each of them has their own respective Sacred Beasts that they draw their powers from. The Kushihashi Clan are blessed by Seiryu, the Azure Dragon bearing the element of [Wood]. The Doumon Clan are blessed by Genbu, the Black Tortoise bearing the element of [Water]. The Shinra Clan, Tsubaki's relatives, are blessed by Byakko, the White Tiger bearing the element of [Metal]. And... There is the Himejima Clan, representing Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird bearing the element of [Fire]. And the Nakiri Clan are blessed by Ouryuu, the Yellow Dragon with the element of [Earth]."
Takeshi immediately connects the dots between her tone and what she'd said. "... I take it that there's significant bad blood between you and them?"
Akeno nods, looking as if she's trying not to cry. "... When I heard your story of how you nearly lost everything in 2011... it also made me relive some of my painful past."
Normally, she wouldn't share her trauma with the others aside from Rias, but after seeing how open Takeshi was with her when he was forced to relive his own trauma, an epiphany was formed in her mind that she shouldn't keep it under wraps anymore.
If she was going to earn Takeshi's confidence as he did with her's, then she must confront her own past head on. But at least this time around, she wasn't alone.
"... Come with me."
The two then go around the back and find an isolated tombstone reading the following:
Himejima Shuri
Showa 53 - Heisei 24
Tears fell from Akeno's eyes as both she and Takeshi laid their sights upon the lonely grave.
"... I've made peace with the fact that my mother died all those years ago," she stated as she placed a sotoba marker written with a prayer next to her stone. "... But all I can hear were her muffled screams as she protected me with her life as I ran, trying to be strong in the face of death."
An overwhelming sense of rage creeped upon Takeshi's back like a demon. "... Who did this?" he snarled. "And why?!"
Akeno sighs before clapping her hands in prayer. "... If I said my own family, would you believe me?"
Unable to hold it in any longer, he smashes his fist into the stone-tiled floor in rage, forming a sizable crack across the masonry upon impact.
"... I'm so sorry," he apologized. "... But no one deserves that kind of fate."
Akeno smiles before embracing him. "You're too kind, Ryuugamine," she stated. "To be angry on my behalf... you're truly a kind soul."
The two stand in each other's arms in silence before returning back to the shrine's offering box.
"... I was only ten years old when my whole life went to Hell," she explained. "I was left effectively homeless for over a year and half, finding food out of dumpsters and the wilderness until I found myself at Nagano. I suppose the rest is history."
Takeshi bitterly chuckles. "Guess our President has a knack for finding people on the verge of death and making them her own, huh?" he pointed out. "... Still though, you had it rough, senpai. Why would your own family do such a thing while you were just a child?"
Akeno looks down at her lap before explaining. "... My mother married a man against her whole family's wishes. And if you thought that Kyoto's Yōkai were a bunch of prudes, the Himejima Clan makes them look casual in comparison."
Takeshi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with how they carried themselves. "... And that was enough grounds to get her lynched?!"
"The Five Principal Clans directly serve the Shinto Pantheon, the latter holding sway over what the former can and cannot do," Akeno explained as her severe expression hid the years of pain that scarred her very soul. "... They can make all the excuses they want, but I will never forgive them for killing my mother in cold blood."
"What about your father?" asked Takeshi. "Where the Hell was he this whole time?!"
Normally, Akeno would lie about him, but she can't afford to deceive him anymore.
Not only Nidhogg's empathy reading would pick up on that, but Takeshi was nothing but honest to her and the rest of ORC. To do so would be to spit upon their collective goodwill.
"... He's dead to me," she snarled silently, a mix of anger and sorrow hidden behind her facade. "... That coward left my mother to die."
"I understand," Takeshi replied, now knowing where it hurt her the most. "... I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that by yourself."
"Thank you," she answered before leaning her head onto his shoulder. "... And I'm sorry that I'm putting all of this on you when you're hurt even worse than I am."
"Hey, they say that misery loves company," Takeshi pointed out. "... But seriously, senpai, you and ORC healed me. So let me help you heal in return."
Akeno looked at him in surprise. "... Really?"
"Sure, I may be out of my depth on how deep your quagmire runs, but I won't abandon you as you and the others didn't abandon me upon learning that I have seven of the worst Evil Dragons grafted onto my very soul."
"Of which, we take great pleasure in," Nidhogg hissed. "... Your sordid past, I mean. It's scrumptious."
"You're a fucking coward, wench!" Grendel snarled. "What's stopping you from committing familicide as retribution?!"
"Glad to see that you guys care so much in your own ways, but let's not jump the gun," Takeshi suggested before suppressing their influence. "... Still though, if we do run into your chickenshit of a dad again... let's try and talk it out first before we consider beating his head in together, okay?"
Akeno chuckles at her kouhai's suggestion. "... I'm not against it."
The two then share a laugh before Akeno then goes into the shrine itself before coming back out with a cool pair of ramune soda bottles from her mini-fridge (solar-powered).
"You know, I never thought that my life would reach the point where I would have people that I could call my dearest friends," Takeshi remarked as he drank from his bottle. "I... always thought that I would be alone, focused solely on my studies in order to live a quiet life... but maybe deep down, all I did was run away. Run away from the reality of my circumstances."
"I know," Akeno replied as she looked at the setting sun through her glass bottle's marble. "... President told me and the rest of ORC everything about you."
Takeshi chuckles bitterly. "... If I said that I didn't tell everything, would you believe me?" he pointed out. "... I'm sorry for keeping things under wraps, but I could only give away so much until it got too personal."
"No, no, I understand," Akeno agreed, admitting quietly that she didn't tell the whole story herself. "... Take your time, Ryuugamine. It's your choice to share or not."
Takeshi smiles as he faces Akeno. "I trust you guys enough to let you know," he reassured. "... At least enough to get it off my chest."
Akeno nods as Takeshi begins explaining the rest of his own story.
"... On the outside, my family of three, myself included, are the perfect picture of an ideal modern Japanese household," he stated. "It's true for the most part, but for the rest of the Ryuugamine Family... there have been some cases where some members weren't as lucky."
"... Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was before and after the 2011 Earthquake, correct?" Akeno asked, to which Takeshi bitterly chuckled.
"Trust me senpai, some of my extended family wished that they died back in 2011," he refuted bitterly. "... My uncle from my dad's side, Masaki, he and I were practically best friends, since he was the one who made me into a Tokusatsu fanboy that you know today. Hell, he was the one who named me after the Kamen Rider Ichigo himself."
Akeno chuckles, wondering how animated the conversation was.
"He and his wife Chidori were running a prominent fried chicken joint at Osaka, and his stuff were the stuff of legends, almost to the point when where he would cook for our family gatherings, a war ensued on who could get the most pieces of his cooking before it ran out. Simply put, my uncle was my goddamn hero. He was on the top of the world, and I wanted to meet him at the pinnacle."
Akeno kept listening as she picked up several usages of past tense when Takeshi mentioned his uncle.
"And then, the market fucking crashed again in 2012, and he lost everything in a blink of an eye," Takeshi recalled. "His chicken farm went into a foreclosure from the bank he borrowed from, his suppliers pulled out and he couldn't secure another, and the rest of his investments went to shit, right down to closing down his restaurant that he poured his very being into. Then soon after, my uncle's wife divorced him and he was left a shell of his former self."
Akeno couldn't contemplate which was worse. To have the man you used to look up to forsake you at your greatest hour of need, or to watch him fall from grace so extravagantly like how the original Devil King Lucifer fell from Heaven.
"My dad tried reaching out to him, but my uncle was still holding onto whatever pride he had left in himself, but all he did was push others away as he left himself to rot," Takeshi continued his story with a darkening expression hiding sorrow and confusion. "... Then the week after, we received a call from the coroner that they found his body washed ashore in Fukushima Prefecture. I... inherited all of his Tokusatsu merchandise that he left on his will, along with a life insurance policy that would be shared equally among the rest of the extended family."
"... I'm so sorry," Akeno wept as she cried for him in his place.
"... Thank you," he reciprocated with a faint smile. "... His life was the sole anchor that saved my childlike wonder towards my own. It was his choice to name me after a superhero that made me seek out the statue on that fateful day. It was because of him... that I lived."
Akeno smiled as she was now grateful for the very reason why he is alive to this day. "... Your whole family is kind, Ryuugamine," she said. "... Your sorrow runs deeper than mine because you love them, unlike mine, who show nothing but scorn for my existence."
Takeshi smiles. "... Your pain is not invalid, senpai," he reassured. "Suffering is suffering, regardless where it's rooted. It's only how one acts upon them that should be scrutinized."
Akeno nods in agreement, remembering the after-action reports on Takeshi's retrieved testimony from Hisaya's fall to darkness (that he recorded on his phone on that day).
"... I like to say that the rest of my family was as strong as me, but reality can be too cruel for its own good," he bemoaned. "... My mom's niece, Hiyori, had it rough like the rest of my mom's side of the family."
Akeno listened, wondering how two different members of the same family have taken different paths.
"... My mom and Hiyori are third and fourth-generation zainichi Koreans respectively," he revealed. "Her family got the raw end of the deal, forced to stay in Japan after World War II ended, unable to be repatriated because neither country wanted them, so they were stuck living in Osaka ever since. Did you know that my mom's dream job was to be a journalist?"
"... I take it that her dreams were crushed?" Akeno pointed out.
"Right out of the gate, given that no one in her family could get a legal job," Takeshi replied. "So, she basically skipped all of High School due to being unable to fit in, and made her living by shaking down other people as a delinquent. It's through sheer luck that she and my dad met on that day. Granted, the chances of her getting a well-paying job were next to nothing, but she got by working part-time. If anything, coming from a precarious position made her rethink her life, so she went to vocational school and got a job permit. It was because of that she and her side of the family reconnected, enough for Hiyori to try out for track and field for Rio's 2016 Olympics to represent Japan."
Akeno knew where the story was heading, given that she watched the Olympics and didn't recall the name "Ryuugamine Hiyori" showing up on the bracket.
"They disqualified her after she was caught doping," Takeshi revealed. "I think she was so desperate to pull herself and her family out of the gutter around that time that she was willing to do whatever it took to win. She was banned from competing in track and field for life, and last time I heard her, she's working several odd jobs to keep herself afloat... and we never heard from her ever again, and... I think the weight of failure was too much for her to bear."
Akeno gasped in shock at his family's turbulent history playing out like Greek myths, of how their desire to rise above their destinies ended with them falling from their own hubris and desperation.
"... It's because of them that I want to grow," he revealed. "I want to grow so that their failures won't have been in vain. I want to continue living, despite whatever destiny throws at me. And I'm glad I did... because I met you guys. Now I have a reason to live beyond just living a peaceful life. I want to make all of you proud! I want to show the world that I won't live this life in vain!"
Akeno hugs Takeshi for his bravery to live his life in spite of the Hell around him, now cursing herself of her own cowardice that she excused as bitterness, but chooses to forgive herself now that she found someone she could trust with her life.
"... Thank you for being here with me, Takeshi," she whispered into his ear. "... Can I tell you the rest of my story in another time?"
"I will wait," he replied. "... Healing takes time, but as long as we're open with each other."
The two share a small chuckle before breaking off.
"Come to think of it, senpai, this place, even though it's out of the way, still has some energy akin to holy magic that those Stray Exorcists used back at Chichibu, right?" asked Takeshi.
"Not as potent, but the principle is about the same," Akeno confirmed.
Takeshi ponders for a moment before coming up with a response.
"Can you... train me how to become more tolerant to holy energies like yourself?" he requested. "... Because let's face it, those psychos Grendel overcooked wants another go, and I for one, would like to be better prepared for the next round."
Akeno chuckled. "... I like your enthusiasm, Takeshi-chan," she chortled as her "S-mode" activated. "... Can you keep up with me?"
Takeshi knew that he was in for a world of hurt, but without hesitation, he transforms into his armored form of his Sacred Gear.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Bring on the pain, senpai!"
12th of April, 2019 AD
After school, Takeshi walks up to Rias at her desk.
"Hey President," he greeted.
"Hello, Takeshi," she replied as her fingers busied themselves approving and denying the incoming requests. "... I heard from Akeno that you and her trained in holy energy resistance."
Takeshi winces a little as his body could feel the sting of yesterday's training. "... In fairness, pissing off a Stray Exorcist with a penchant for murder wasn't one of my high points," he pointed out. "I'm just preparing for the worst-case scenario, including learning how to use magic for long distance communications in case of emergencies."
"Glad to see that you're prudent as usual," Rias nodded in approval. "... So, do my eyes deceive me, or did you take the request coming from Chichibu?"
"It's just replanting a few thousand flowers at Hitsujiyama Park, President," Takeshi reassured. "I'll come back as soon as I'm done."
"Good," Rias replied. "... Are you sure that you'll be fine on your own?"
Takeshi sighs before nodding. "... Silver lining, the panic attacks mostly stopped yesterday," he explained. "... That and well, I'm not heading into the city itself, which is a silver lining. So I'll be fine."
"Just call us if anything happens, understood?" requested Rias as Takeshi stepped into the magic circle.
"Yeah," he answered. "... Hey, speaking of calling, President, did Re:Live contact us yet?"
Rias shook her head.
"I see," he replied before activating the magic circle. "... Well, in any event, just be sure to notify all of us when it happens, okay?"
"The second it happens," Rias reassured as Takeshi warped to his location.
Once she was left alone in the office, Rias let out a deep sigh before leaning back on her chair, looking up at the ceiling.
"... Sometimes, I can't help but worry about him," she muttered to herself. "He has the will, but does he have the resilience to face his demons-no, no! Focus!"
The red-haired Devil leans forth before resting her head on her arms.
"... Can't dawdle," she remarked before texting the rest of ORC to arrange their next jobs to take place around Chichibu. "... At least I'll secure the general perimeter."
At Hitsujiyama Park...
What the fuck are we doing, brat?! Grendel groaned as his host was replanting the pink moss flowers from the ravaged earth. I am an Evil Dragon! I destroy nature! Not heal it!
We're getting paid for this, deadpanned Takeshi.
Ignore him, he's an idiot, Nidhogg pointed out. Can't go two seconds without destroying something. At least I am able to generalize.
And that's why you're behind me, corpse-breath! the Evil Dragon of Wrath sneered.
Like you're in any better position to talk, meathead, the Evil Dragon of Envy shot back.
Happy place, happy place, la la la... Takeshi thought as the two Dragons began bickering like children at a playground, focusing on restoring the beauty of nature as he and the rest of the on-site workers helped restore the ravaged park after the floodwaters were drained.
About 40% of the park was restored, and normally, it would take until next week to fully restore this whole place. But thanks to Takeshi doing the work of a thousand men thanks to his Devil physiology (still no large-scale elemental magic, due to [Cataclysm Zone] being a bitch as usual, and could repair tools), so thankfully, the work was estimated to be finished before today.
It was a refreshing change of pace from being surrounded in death at every waking moment.
Wimp, scoffed Grendel. A little death never killed anybody.
You do realize that you said a paradox, correct? Nidhogg pointed out in the most caustic manner possible.
DON'T GET SMART WITH ME! roared the Evil Dragon of Wrath. I HATE SMART PEOPLE!
No wonder why you embody the Deadly Sin of Wrath, the Evil Dragon of Envy deadpanned. ... An actual elskan has far superior reading comprehension than you.
Oof. Takeshi mentally winced at Nidhogg's burn (has been learning Icelandic in his spare time) before the two Evil Dragons began bickering again. ... Weren't for the fact that the two of them actually kill people as easily as breathing, they make for a successful comedy duo.
Takeshi elects to have their bickering as background noise while doing his work.
Eventually, he finishes replanting the last flower, fully restoring the park in record time, the tides of pink, periwinkle, lavender, and magenta being seen as far as his and the workers' eyes could witness.
"Thanks a million, Ryuugamine-san!" the foreman (who hired him) remarked. "Without you, we would've had to ask the City Council for an extension!"
"No sweat," Takeshi replied. "... It's April, after all. Gotta get this whole place spruced up before May."
"Still wondering what the heck was with that earthquake over the weekend though..." he remarked as he rubbed his stubbled chin. "... Ugh, I swear, 2011 wasn't enough for the powers that be."
Takeshi flinched upon the mere mention of the year's number. "... Y-Yeah," he stammered. "... No one deserved to go through that kind of shit."
"No kidding..." the older man sighed before a bento truck rolled up to the park's entrance. "Food's here, boys! Come and get 'em!"
"I think I'll have dinner at home..." grumbled the Evil Dragon User before noticing that the truck was also serving drinks as well. "... Eh, I worked hard today. I deserve a treat."
The workers and Takeshi all partake in their reward after successfully restoring the park. As everyone settled in, Takeshi couldn't help but wonder the circumstances behind the incident that caused Chichibu to be flooded.
... Stray Exorcists and Fallen Angels, both of them spotted around Chichibu on the same day, he thought as he looked out to the park's flower field. ... Whatever reason they have to justify this indiscriminate destruction... I'll make sure that they'll pay for every life that they've snuffed out.
Now you're speaking my language! Grendel cackled from his prison. Let that bullshit you call "justice" overwhelm you... and let it fuel the flames of your wrath!
As long as death comes on our lap, I care not for motive, Nidhogg snickers from the depths. ... As usual, I'll be waiting with my mouth open. Pray that you're not the one falling in.
Takeshi sighs before chugging his can of Calpico empty. As he walked back to throw away his can at the recycling bin, he noticed that there were now less people crowded around the bento truck.
"Where the Hell did everyone go...?" he muttered before he noticed a small commotion happening elsewhere.
From a short distance where he was standing, the workers and the foreman had surrounded a girl whose features were obscured before her. They all seemed to be transfixed by her mere presence, as if they were mere mortals basking in the presence of a goddess.
"Did anyone see her before?" one asked with awe.
"A foreigner babe..." another said with reverence.
"She's like the girl of my dreams..." the third swooned.
"I would like to serve her until my body is dust..." the foreman declared.
The girl did not pay any mind, as if she was used to people staring at her.
Okay, some supernatural bullshit is happening, Takeshi pointed out. ... Counter supernatural bullshit with my own?
But just as he could make the judgment call, the girl then turned her sights towards him, causing his heart to skip a beat at her appearance.
She was roughly around her age, with waist-length midnight-black hair that had a braided strand on each side and a pair of ocean-blue eyes. Her fair skin was practically glowing under the sunset, and her figure was perfectly symmetrical, with it being not too curvaceous or childlike, and her casual clothing of a pink wool sweater, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of beige pumps bound with shoelaces made sure that even dressed plainly, she was nothing but perfection.
However, just before he could fall for her beauty, he snaps out of it before activating his predisposition to cause the entranced men to scatter.
The two then stood facing each other long after the others had left, leaving just the two of them in the recently-restored Hitsujiyama Park.
... She has a hint of danger to her, Takeshi thought.
Instinctively, he tries to discreetly reach for his phone, but the girl's eyes were like that of a hawk's.
"... Screw it, straightforward it is," he sighed before approaching her. "... Hey, sorry that a bunch of guys were crowding around you back there."
The girl looked away dispassionately as she resumed painting. "... I'm used to it," she answered. "... You speak Greek?"
Takeshi knew that he can't bullshit with the girl anymore given how perceptive she'd proven herself to be. So instead, he reveals his Devil wings from his back.
"Yeah, I was working to restore this place," he answered honestly before sitting down next to where she was standing. "... You know that there are better places to have a vacation, right?"
The girl stares off to the sunset before continuing her work. "... Can it be a vacation if one has no home to return to?"
"Ah, another vagabond," Takeshi remarked at this worryingly-common trend of young people in the supernatural world left to fend for themselves. "... My apologies."
"No need," she replied as her brush continued their strokes on the canvas. "... My life is the way it is, though, and that cannot change."
Takeshi then leans into what the girl was painting, and it depicted all of the flower fields of Hitsujiyama Park in all of its fluorescent glory.
"... Beautiful," he commented with a genuine smile. "... A welcome change in scenery compared to the rest of the outside."
"Drawing like this has always helped me calm me down," the girl said as she put the finishing touches on her piece. "Unlike life, art can be beautiful as one would want it to be. No ugliness, no disappointment, no suffering... a perfect world of one's own creation. Don't you think so?"
Takeshi scratches the back of his head in contemplation. "... I'm no philosopher nor an artist," he answered bluntly. "But... if I had it my way, I wouldn't take back the times where I suffered just for my own self-gratification."
He and the girl then looked out towards the restored park's flowers, to which compared to the painting, wasn't immaculate, but there was a hint of its own unique beauty after its initial state of ruin.
"To continue living in spite of everything wrong with this world..." he shared with a smile. "... I think that is my definition of true beauty."
The girl looks away in shame. "... So, you think I'm unsightly?"
"Hm?"
"Nevermind." The girl then hands him the finished landscape painting. "... Keep it. Careful, the paint is still wet."
"... Are you sure?" Takeshi asked as he reached out for her. "It looks like you worked really hard on it."
The girl smiles melancholically. "... Consider it a thanks for assisting a total stranger like me."
"Wait!" Takeshi called out towards the girl as she walked out of the park. "... I didn't get your name!"
The girl stops in her tracks before answering.
"... Pandora," she answered. "... Farewell."
As soon as the girl was gone, he then immediately puts the painting away in his magic circle before texting the following to everyone at ORC that he was conducting a pursuit. After seeing that the coast was clear, he then flies off in search of her.
... Should we just tell the brat what that wench's deal is? suggested Grendel.
Nidhogg snickers. ... Don't ruin the surprise, he vetoed. Let the whelp figure it out on his own. It'll hurt him more.
Elsewhere...
"Welcome back, dear Pandora," a butler-dressed man greeted. "How was today's outing? Meet anyone in particular-?"
"Spare me the pleasantries, Turel," she bitterly replied. "... That act of yours is pretentious as it is annoying."
The butler then sprouts out two pairs of blackened Angel's wings out of his back. "Ah, but it is what a civilized being does, my dear," he replied before moving onto business. "... That boy, Takeshi Ryuugamine, the fiftieth Evil Dragon User... did your Charm work on him?"
Pandora shook her head. "... When I did... something impeded me," she explained as she vividly recalled what happened. "... Something... malevolent."
Unbeknownst to Takeshi himself, Pandora had tried to beguile him with her special ability like she inadvertently did to those other men back at the park. However, even when she amplified her gift to its maximum output, all it did was make her face the two Evil Dragons head on.
She was no stranger to feeling helpless, but at that moment, Pandora felt utterly insignificant in the face of two of the seven most evilest beings in all of history.
"Pity," Turel sighed as he shook his head.
"Come now, he's an Evil Dragon User," Lailah pointed out as she crossed her arms. "He's a package deal, after all. So if we were attempting to beguile him, we first have to get past the Evil Dragons themselves first."
"Speaking of..." Turel then turned to Pandora. "... How many?"
"... Two," she answered with barely a whisper. "... Little wonder why he didn't hesitate revealing himself. He's more than confident that he could kill me before I could squeal."
"In any event, I think this is a golden opportunity to launch our counterattack," the Fallen Angel with three pairs of wings suggested.
"So soon?" Turel protested before Lailah let out a loud sigh of exasperation.
"... Okay, our little Freed has been chomping at the bit more than usual after he came back with about half of his face burned off," she explained. "Same goes for the rest of our little wayward children of the Deus Trinity after their prior outing. So I'd say... let them go out and play with their new toys."
Turel ponders for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "... Very well," he agreed. "Can Mittelt join us for tonight's excursion?"
Lailah shook her head. "... She asked me if I could train her to become strong enough to avenge her fallen friends," she explained. "... Forgive me, but I can't neglect my own charges."
"Understandable," Turel nodded before turning to Pandora. "... Dear Pandora, may I ask for you to put in some additional hard work for tonight?"
"... Why?" she asked curtly before being handed a phone that read the following:
Spotted someone suspicious. Female, long black hair, wearing pink sweater, blue jeans, and beige pumps, around 16-17 years of age. Track my personal seal as I give pursuit.
"It's a good thing our secret benefactors provided us with several burner phones and a note on how to intercept texts from certain cell numbers," the Fallen Angel answered as he gestures towards an open duffel bag packed to the brim with said aforementioned objects laid next to a rack connected with several smartphones having magic circles on their touch screens, with the bots working overtime to intercept texts between the Gremory Peerage to ensure that they can't communicate with either magic or phone, the latter case being covered via robocalls. "... In a way, even without him falling to your Charm, he has nothing but you on his mind right now. Are you picking up on what I'm implying?"
Pandora sighs in defeat as she stands up from her seat. "... I understand."
Turel chuckles as he turns towards Lailah. "Inform the others," he stated. "And tell them to not make so much noise this time around... except for when dealing with the Evil Dragon User."
Meanwhile...
Flying throughout the air, Takeshi frantically searched for Pandora around Chichibu.
Whelp, what is the likelihood that she even lives around here? Nidhogg pointed out.
Call me schizoid paranoiac, but I get the feeling that she's important! he thought as he searched for her from the air.
It better be worth searching for her, brat, warned Grendel. Otherwise, I'll take it out on you.
Takeshi grumbles as he keeps searching for her, now closing his eyes to recall how he felt in her presence.
He recalled a sense of differing and conflicting emotions akin to a whirlpool. A mix of sorrow and resignation drowning out her hopes and dreams.
... I know it too well, he thought as he kept searching, using Nidhogg's empathic reading skill to read the mood throughout Chichibu City as he headed towards its outskirts.
... Whelp, don't tell me you fell for her, taunted Nidhogg.
Takeshi grumbles in frustration. I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about her! he mentally replied. ... Ever since I saved Koneko from Hisaya... I... I have this feeling... feeling that I can't abandon her! I have to talk to her!
Fuck your feelings! There better be a slaughter waiting at the end of this saccharine crap! roared Grendel as his host flew past Mt. Bukō and towards the forest beyond the mountain.
Takeshi then sensed the familiar feeling, drawing him like a Siren's song.
"... Pandora."
Closing himself in towards the forlorn sense of loneliness that grew stronger the closer he flew towards another direction, Takeshi beelines towards a certain clearing, finding the girl painting in the middle of the ring of trees.
"Pandora!" Takeshi lands before he runs towards the girl. "I'm so glad I could find you out here!"
The girl barely looked up from her canvas resting on her easel. "... And pray tell, what brought you all the way out in the wilderness?"
"... I... I forgot to tell you my name," he stammered.
THAT'S THE SOLE REASON WHY YOU WASTED THREE FUCKING HOURS LOOKING FOR SOME BITCH?! Grendel ranted, utterly upset at the outcome of this diversion.
Takeshi grumbles to himself before continuing. "... My name is-!"
"Takeshi Ryuugamine." Pandora addressed him in Western order before he could answer. "... The fiftieth Evil Dragon User."
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Takeshi instinctively cartwheels out of the way of gunfire.
"Aw fuck, not having depth perception fucking sucks!" a familiar, vitriolic voice groaned out behind the trees. "I USED TO BE 20/20 BEFORE YOU PUNCHED ONE OF THEM OUT!"
The Devil looks towards where the shots came from, revealing Freed Sellzen and his signature Beretta 92FS Inox pointed towards him, and said Stray Exorcist now sporting a massive eyepatch over his left eye and burn scar resembling a sun. His hands were now gloved, implying that they were replaced with prosthetics after both of them suffered irreparable damage after having both guns he held earlier this week explode from within.
"... You're with that psycho?!" Takeshi pointed out as Pandora snapped her paintbrush brush in her hand.
"... I told you 'farewell'," she said as she gritted her teeth before setting her own painting ablaze, burning it away until it revealed an expression of saddened rage before the cindered canvas. "... You brought this upon yourself!"
*FWOOSH*
Enveloping herself in dark flames, Pandora's casual clothing burns away before being replaced with a ritualistic black dress and a veil that she then pulls down over her face.
"Oh?! Is that the sign?!" Freed cackled out before ripping off his shirt, revealing a dark metallic chest plate with an exposed core of golden light underneath it. "Guess that's our cue, boys and girls! IT'S PAYBACK TIME!"
Slamming his fist into the center portion, a low hum was heard before his whole body was encased in metal plates that slide out from underneath his main torso armor, forming into a full suit around himself. His head was then encased with a basic visored helmet, right on cue as twelve other Stray Exorcists dressed in the same battle armor emerged from the forest, surrounding Takeshi's perimeter as Freed completed his transformation.
"Man, you gotta love Grigori tech! Now I can take revenge while looking good doing it!" Freed cackled as he then generated a pair of holy energy blades from his wrists.
"No, what you schmucks look like are a bunch of bootleg ZECTroopers," groaned Takeshi as he manifested [Cataclysm Zone] around his waist. "... Let me show you fakers how it's really done."
"SHOOT HIM BEFORE HE TRANSFORMS!" an armored nun screamed out as she and her fellows fired holy energy shots towards Takeshi while Freed pulled Pandora away from the line of fire before shooting out his own blades as projectiles.
"DAI DAI HENSHIN!"
"[Malice Rise]!"
*KABOOM*
The blasts engulf Takeshi's entire form and leave nothing more than a giant dust explosion where he stood.
"Ding-dong, the Devil's dead~! The filthy Devil is dead~!" Freed sang in celebration. "Cutting their heads off and delivering judgment~! Thanks to none other than Freed-!"
*CRACK*
Now Playing: "Don't Lose Your Mind" by S.S.P.D. Steel Sound Police Dept. (from Kamen Rider Drive)
From the smoke then emerged an omnidirectional wave of permafrost that spread out like wildfire, causing the Stray Exorcists to flee by flying with their jet thrusters, but three of them get caught by their heels before completely freezing solid.
"[Abyss Rage Awakening]!"
Takeshi then lets out a shrill roar that disperses both the smoke that surrounds him and shatters his frozen victims into powder, his red eyes glowing menacingly like a predator out on his hunt.
"... Limiters off, Nidhogg," Takeshi ordered as he revealed his Balance Breaker form. "WE'RE KILLING THESE BASTARDS HERE AND NOW!"
Nidhogg snickers as the central blood beryl glinted with each octave. "... 99,999 years left, whelp. Watch yourself."
Then the Stray Exorcists then all flew towards Takeshi, generating blades of holy energy from their wrists.
"DIE YOU SHITTY DEVIL!" Freed shrieked as he and his cohorts charged at him from all directions. "TURN TO DUST AND VANISH FOR MY AMUSEMENT!"
Utilizing a breakout tactic, Takeshi first spins around 360 degrees to generate a wing of serrated ash that knocks away the enemy combatants before selecting one to run towards to escape his encirclement.
Picking one, he then generates a line of ash with a clawed end before pulling himself towards that Stray Exorcist like a grappling hook, closing in the distance before unleashing his [Helfrost] onto the enemy, splitting him in twain and shattering his remains after his [Mayhem Striker] passes through his body.
"Good, good, your handling of my powers is improving," Nidhogg approved as Takeshi then dodged another holy energy shot before flicking a wave of sharpened ash towards the armored combatants, knocking them away as sparks flew from their armor. "... The holy energy is still not to my tastes."
"Good to know," acknowledged Takeshi as he then blasts another wave of [Helfrost] at the other group of Stray Exorcists, freezing them in place before he then flies towards them to finish them off with a single swing with a boost from his wings.
"Fuck, that guy's ice magic is a pain in the ass!" growled Freed as he and the others got back up to their feet. "Oi! Calamity Witch! Get rid of this annoying cold front!"
Pandora grumbles before generating an orb of light-blue light, humming as it spun around, causing the [Helfrost]'s ice to begin receding, including those around the Stray Exorcists that Takeshi was flying towards.
"WHAT?!"
*SLASH*
*CLANG*
Rather than a one-hit polykill with his [Mayhem Striker], the Evil Dragon User only succeeds in killing the first two while the rest either were stuck back or managed to hastily parry his attack with their holy energy blades.
"... I feel like I'm being disrespected here, whelp," Nidhogg commented at this sudden shift in fortunes. "... Is this my own 'taking the L'-episode?!"
"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!" Takeshi then drops his dane axe before pressing both sides of his [Cataclysm Zone].
"[Charge]!" announced the Sacred Gear. "[Malice Overflow]!"
"SURROUND HIM!" one of the Stray Exorcists orders as he and his cohorts all close in towards Takeshi as he was about to pull off his finisher, extending their holy energy blades from their wrists to interrupt him.
They instead get bitten in two by the manifested Nidhogg, with one unfortunate nun being throttled around like a chew toy by the ashen Evil Dragon before being put out of her undignified misery.
"I respect a quick kill," Nidhogg praised as Takeshi unfurled both pairs of his wings. "Send all of these choir krakkar to Helvíti, whelp."
Takeshi then takes off towards the sky to deliver his finishing flying kick.
"[Abyss Blast Fever]-!"
*BONK*
But just as he was about to reach the apex, an impenetrable barrier made of holy magic blocked him from flying any higher, his head hitting the proverbial ceiling and causing him to come careening back down to the ground.
"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING MEEEEEE?!" Takeshi screamed indignantly as his wings failed him as the ashen Nidhogg dissipates back into his incorporeal form.
"It's a good thing that Lady Lailah let us borrow her own relics to erect a holy barrier..." one of the surviving nuns sighed in relief.
Freed then bursts out laughing until he is sick in the stomach. "OKAY! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! KEHAHAHAHA!" he cackled before he then rallied the rest of his fellow heretics. "FISH THAT BASTARD OUT OF THE SKY!"
Slung out from their wrists, several strands of thread made of holy energy all shot towards the falling Takeshi, wrapping him up like a fly caught in a spider's web, searing him all over with the excess of holy energy that caused him to scream in agony.
"And that's not the best part...!"
The lines that bound Takeshi from all directions then emitting voltage that shocks him within his own armor, frying the Devil as he fell back towards the earth, to which then Pandora follows up by summoning a verdant orb of energy before spinning it around its axis, summoning a massive hammer of wind that stamps the falling Takeshi into the earth as hard as she could.
*KABOOM!*
With that titanic piledriver, all that was sticking out of the cratered earth was Takeshi's legs. Freed scoffs at this and fishes him out of the dirt with his holy magic thread, right as his Balance Breaker was dismissed, leaving him only in his base form.
"Um, Brother Superior?" one of the Stray Exorcists said while Freed was emptying his pistol at the downed Evil Dragon User.
"LET ME FUCKING FINISH!" Freed screamed back as he began kicking Takeshi after emptying his gun, stomping on his motionless armored body before exhausting himself. "... Okay, I'm done."
Walking back to his subordinates, the remaining Stray Exorcists then all aim their wrist blasters at the downed Takeshi as Pandora watches from behind the firing squad, turning her head away in both shame and pity.
"Well, I'd like to say it was fun, but you were such an asshole that I don't like you," declared Freed. "... And with that, ADIOS, DEVIL SCUM!"
The holy energy shots all sped towards the downed Takeshi, but they neglected to acknowledge the fact that said Devil was lying face-down.
Meaning they couldn't see the gem's color change from black to green.
"I take back what I said earlier..." the Evil Dragon snickered. "... THIS WAS WORTH THE WAIT!"
"[Transfer]!"
*KABOOM*
The holy energy blasts landed a direct hit, but no one was celebrating.
"... Did I just hear something before he exploded?" one of them pointed out as the flames from the explosion began to warp unnaturally. "... I hate it when I'm right."
Emerging from the holy inferno was none other than Takeshi himself, his limbs covered with green-scaled greaves and gauntlets, and sporting a mouthpiece akin to that of a Dragon's maw.
Now Playing: "Spinnin' Around" by Takeshi Hagino (from Kamen Rider Ryuki)
"[Berserk Devastator]!" the Sacred Gear announced as the host was completely taken over, as evident by his silver eyes behind the grill visor and the bassy roar that expanded the flames to the surrounding forest.
"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU NOT DEAD AFTER ALL THAT?!" Freed cried out, losing what little/nonexistent composure he had left.
Grendel then belts out a laughter dripping with condescension and sadism.
"Because not even your so-called 'God' can truly kill me," boasted the Evil Dragon of Wrath as he clashes his fists together, sounding akin to a hammer banging on an anvil. "... Thanks for the wake-up call. NOW ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE FAVOR!"
All of the vents on the Sacred Gear open up before every last one of them spews large jets of flame that blow back all of the Stray Exorcists and Pandora, as if they were standing before a space shuttle that was taking off.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" One of the nuns then turned towards Pandora. "YOU THERE! PUT OUT THE FIRE!"
Pandora then summons a red orb of energy before trying to spin it on its axle, but Grendel takes notice, and takes it as equal umbrage.
"Nuh uh uh."
From [Cataclysm Zone]'s central gem, a heavy wave of bloodlust was unleashed throughout the forest, overwhelming everyone's minds with unholy anger. All they could ever think of was now gone. None of them were able to think of anything else but MURDER.
"... No... NO! PLEASE!" begged Pandora as her red orb began to violently pulsate, the fire elementals she'd charmed suddenly losing control beyond her threshold. "PLEASE CALM DOWN-!"
*BOOM*
All of her elemental nodes then explode like overclocked light bulbs, which was then followed up by Pandora's own eyes combusting before also exploding. Her pained screams filled the crackling air as the Calamity Witch flailed on the ground before passing out from her injuries.
"I bet that felt pretty good, huh?" snickered Grendel as he turned towards the rest of the blood-crazed Stray Exorcists. "... Don't worry. THE BEST HAS YET TO COME!"
Both the overtaken Devil and the frenzied heretics both charged at each other like maddened beasts, completely brainwashed by Grendel's infectious madness.
"DIE, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" One then swung down a pair of energy blades towards Grendel, only for the latter to grab both arms before ripping both of them out of their sockets and then planting both blades into the user's eyes, stripping him one of his senses to amplify the pain he was suffering from the loss of his limbs.
Another tried to fire a point-blank holy energy shot at his head, but the mouthpiece opens up before biting the hand down, causing the the nun to flinch in pain before Grendel then kicked one of her knees in so hard that it bent the other way, causing her to also suffer great agony before buckling down, allowing the Evil Dragon of Wrath to grab her by her neck and set her on fire, cooking her inside of her armor until her flesh melted into a protein-based sludge.
The third then clasped his hands together, forming a buzz-saw like energy blade that he then hammer-fisted down onto Grendel's neck, the serrated edge spinning wildly around its axis, but unable to even so much as get past the base armor's paint job.
"That tickled." Grendel then grabbed the Stray Exorcist by his helmet in a skull-crusher grip, lifting him up one-handed as the gauntlet's claws dug into his helmet and skull, drawing blood from his claws as his prey flailed helplessly, both high on rage and fear. "Let me show you how it's really done!"
One of the serrated disks from his grieves' heel began revving until it spun as fast as a rotary saw. With it, Grendel then dropped the heretic priest onto the trajectory of his high kick crotch-first.
The Stray Exorcists gargled in unfathomable pain as he felt his cock and balls ripped apart before the rest of his body followed. Grendel's scorching heated buzzsaw split open the young man like a lobster tail, spilling out his soft, cooked innards from his hard shell.
The last Stray Exorcist not named Freed then fired a rapid volley of holy energy shots, to which Grendel simply walked through them as if he were taking a shower. As soon as he closed the gap, the nun then tries to deliver a holy-energy infused punch, but Grendel tanks it no problem, grabbing the limb before winding back his own punch.
"How cute," taunted the Evil Dragon. "A woman trying to fight a man. Get on my fucking level, wench."
Jets of flame then ignited from the gauntlet as Grendel then delivers a devastating uppercut that struck dead center into the nun's chest, instantly shattering through the armor's protective magic circle and through the armor plating, breaching through her muscles and bones, left impaled on the Evil Dragon's hand, groaning her infected rage subsided into nothing short of abject horror.
"P-Please..." she begged.
Grendel sneers as he then sets her ablaze from within her body, incinerating her inside-out until nothing but her ashes scattered to the winds that fed the surrounding flames.
"... Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Freed ranted as he overclocks his armor's performance, turning the holy energy blades to the size of Final Fantasy VII's Buster Swords. "DAMN YOU!"
Even after the blades struck Grendel head on, the weapons of God's light shattered first.
"My favorite kind of pain..." Grendel drooled in anticipation. "... When all hope for salvation is lost."
Spinning his other heel-disk, Grendel then delivers a side kick that saws through one of Freed's armored legs before he then followed up with grabbing both of his arms, twisting them around each other into a knot until the resulting hypertension both ripped them off and flung Freed into the night sky like a bloody boomerang that was thrown upwards.
Propelling himself upwards with his thrusters, Grendel then launches himself towards the careening Freed, reaching out towards him and striking his palm into this central chest armor. Once making contact, he then doubles the thrusters' outputs before rocketing up towards the barrier's sky limit.
*SHATTER!*
The enclosure is broken by the Evil Dragon's machinations, relishing in every infliction of agony he could deliver onto this lunatic wayward child of God.
"WEAK LITTLE SHITS LIKE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BREATH THE SAME AIR AS ME!" roared Grendel as he then grabbed Freed by his head. "DIE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"
Then the Evil Dragon redirects his thrusters upwards, altering his flight trajectory downwards to then slam the limbless Stray Exorcists back to the same spot of Earth where he had fallen.
Roaring with rage, Grendel then delivers his own variation of the brainbuster, burying Freed's entire body underground like a meteorite. Once the deed was done, Grendel proudly walked out of the trench in triumph, cackling at the devastation he'd ushered in his wake.
"NOW THAT WAS A GOOD FIGHT!" the Evil Dragon cackled out. "... I still have room for more, though."
He then looks at Pandora, completely unconscious as the flames raged around her. But just then, he heard flapping wings coming from behind himself.
Turning around, he spots Rias, Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko descending, which then causes the Evil Dragon to snicker in anticipation of his next course for blood.
"Not again...!" Rias cursed as Grendel limbers up.
"No wonder why the brat is so fond of you lot..." he chuckled as his jets began warming up. "... You just can't leave him alone for long, can you?!"
The thrusters then all flared up in full brilliance.
"FINE BY ME!" Grendel then launched himself into the ORC's reach.
"NOW!" ordered Rias as her eyes then glowed bright red, locking all of Grendel's limbs as he loses all sense of motor functions.
"[FULL RELEASE: GRAVITY NAIL]!" Yuuto then summons six chain-bound broadswords that intensifies the gravity around the Evil Dragon that taken over the Devil as both Koneko and Akeno went in to try and manually turn off the Sacred Gear, with Koneko boosting her strength with her Rook piece's powers and Senjutsu, while Akeno used her Queen piece to do just about the same.
"WHICH BUTTONS DO WE PRESS?!" Koneko panicked as she and Akeno tried pushing random buttons in hopes of doing something.
"IF WE GET THROUGH THIS, THEN WE BETTER COME UP WITH A COUNTERMEASURE IN CASE OF FUTURE RAMPAGES!" Akeno screamed as she did the same, with neither producing any results.
"I CAN'T HOLD IT ANY LONGER!" Rias cried out as her eyes and nose began bleeding profusely.
"PRESIDENT!" Yuuto cried out as three swords broke instantly.
"GET OFF!"
The Evil Dragon of Wrath then blasts a heavy shockwave that sends the rest of ORC flying across the burning forest's clearing.
"Nobody touches me..." He then raised his flaming fist towards Rias' bleeding head. "... UNLESS THEY'RE FIGHTING ME-!"
"That's enough."
Just before Takeshi's body could kill Rias, Re:Live teleports from behind him before grabbing him from behind.
"Take a nap."
They then lift the Evil Dragon User up as they arch their backs behind into a bridging German suplex. After being knocked out, Takeshi's transformation was undone, with him being lifted up by his ankle before being dropped.
"... Where the Hell were you all this time?" asked Koneko before Re:Live tossed her a burner phone as he walked towards the eyeless girl lying around the flames.
"Conducting cyber warfare," they replied before checking her pulse. "... Still alive. Good, we have our lead."
"Wait, she's our lead?!" Akeno pointed towards the girl held in their arms.
Re:Live sighs before slinging Pandora up over their left shoulder before picking up Takeshi underneath their other arm. "Take me back to ORC. I finished with my investigations around here. Now all that is left to do is to connect our clues."
"Can't we do that back at your base camp?" asked Yuuto before Re:Live pointed their thumb towards the now-burning Mt. Bukō. "... I stand corrected."
Rias groans deliriously as she is helped up by Akeno. "... Good idea," she muttered. "... Mind taking us there?"
Re:Live then causes a spatial ripple in the air before it teleports everyone at the clearing back to Kuoh.
As soon as the coast was clear, Lailah and Mittelt descended towards the ruined forest.
"Lady Lailah, why did we let those Devils take our Calamity Witch?" asked the lesser Fallen Angel.
Lailah confidently smirks before excavating Freed from his earthen prison, still heaving underneath his shattered armor and visage.
"... There's a saying from a certain Japanese sword master and a Chinese martial artist and American movie star that I'd like to paraphrase," she explained as her three pairs of black wings unfurled. "... 'Let them cut your flesh, so you may come closer to taking their life'."
To Be Continued...
And concludes the reboot's "Chapter 12." Went better than I thought, but still ran into some issues on the way. Mainly, having to combat the fear of making this chapter too long, and cutting a few promised features out (and hopefully moving it to the following chapter).
So yeah. Pandora's in ORC's custody a chapter early. And Freed's still alive even after losing all of his limbs and suffering low-intensity atmospheric re-entry. Guy may be a scumbag, but he has a piece of madness that fuels his resilience.
And speaking of Pandora, she's now blind. Because of Grendel. Further complications will be ahead as they discover more about here. But don't worry, the reboot-exclusive content replacing the original fallout will be worth it.
Yeah, the Evil Dragon of Wrath has new abilities exclusive to this reboot. Mainly, his mere rage is so infectious that it also doubles as an atypical form of anti-magic. Spirits go berserk and out of control, and potential magic users just give up on logic and will try and melee their opponents. Also, wrecking several pieces of Grigori equipment with his fists and flames. Combined with his tendency to take over Takeshi's body every time he goes into battle, he's gonna be a tough one to synchronize with.
Speaking of the Evil Dragons, Nidhogg and Grendel are easily the most murderous "Boke and Tsukkomi" duo in existence, with Grendel starting up shit from what he doesn't like, to which Nidhogg throws shade at the former's expense. Also, Grendel's on a liquid diet of alcohol and blood and hates eating actual food (making his own [Section Heorot] a sort of an "Ironic Hell"). Expect Nidhogg to play the "straight man" as more Evil Dragons show up.
And speaking of the Grigori tech, the Fallen Angels apparently learned how to conduct cyber warfare via intercepting Takeshi's texts and calls, turning Rias' countermeasure on its head and allowing him to be separated from the rest of the Peerage. Speaking of Takeshi, his arc this time around is "healing" and "gratitude." He's opening up more to the others and now has stated the desire to help his fellow Peerage members through their own demons.
Oh, and Re:Live showed up at the end, but in their defense, they didn't waste the whole week doing nothing. Now all that's left is for them to conduct a thorough investigation of the gathered clues.
See you in the next chapter, where hopefully, I can add the things I wanted to for this chapter and introduce Pandora properly (and maybe heal her eyes in the process, or should I keep her blind?). Until then.
OC Fancast:
- Pandora: Mao Ichimichi (JPN), Alison Sumrall (ENG)