Chapter 20: Fine's Experiment
Years Ago.
Fine's immortal soul had no recollection of how it manifested in this "place," taking the form of the last person she had when she died, Ryoko Sakurai, only slightly younger. She awoke on a beach, lost somewhere in Europe, naked and disoriented. A glance at the sky confirmed that nothing was as it should be, the moon was intact, shining brightly in the dark night. This was not the world she came from. That much was obvious. She needed to find help, given how weak she was.
Wandering through the streets in dirty rags, she sneaked through neighborhoods until she was found by a passing "nun."
"Ironic, that a servant of God would help a priestess like me" Fine thought as the woman led her to a sort of orphanage. Given food and shelter, she soon met the only woman in charge of the place, Griselda Quarta, who was training a group of children in swordsmanship.
Those were the most peaceful days Fine had in a long time. Despite having to wear a nun's habit, the only clothing available, she was able to rest in this humble place. After everything that had happened with Hibiki and the other candidates, the priestess simply wanted to relax while gathering information about this world that she is lost.
The only downside of it was a little parasite in the form of a blue-haired little girl who wouldn't stop asking her questions or bothering her after training. After eavesdropping on her conversation with Griselda, Fine noticed the girl, Xenovia, looked at her with eyes full of devotion or admiration, believing her to be a possible saint sent by God, or even an angel, given how beautiful she was.
Ha… a very naive girl…
Fine decided to use her as a tool to learn what was really going on in this place. For her own amusement, she seems to have listened to a fairytale about exorcists in training, warriors meant to hunt demons and fight the enemies of God. The biggest surprise, however, was that the "Sister" Griselda did not deny the story. Worse yet, Fine was forced to sell the girl, to avoid suspicion or being labeled as a potential spy from the "other" factions, as the terrifying exorcist had put it during her interrogation, very intimidating with a sword to her throat.
God, and here I thought Fudo Kazanari was the last person I'd meet in life with such a friendless face. Forgive me, Xenovia.
As compensation, she spent a few hours with the crying girl, petting her and singing to her as she recovered from a beating received during training at the hands of the veteran "exorcist". Her company wasn't so bad anymore, like a pet, she might say.
With the revelation of their secret also came the truth about a hidden world, a supernatural one. A secret that made the Illuminati seem like a joke in comparison. Understanding that this was now her reality, Fine knew she had to find a way to climb the ranks of this world and improve her studies. Staying with the Church was not an option, no matter how much sweet little Xenovia wished otherwise.
With a few earnings and forged false paperwork to integrate herself without raising suspicion, Fine was ready to pursue her new goals. She left a farewell gift for the troublesome cute girl before abandoning the institute at night. In just a few years, she had no trouble finding work as a researcher, but her minor discoveries or advances in technology were nothing compared to what she truly wished to achieve. With a bit of deception, blackmail, and a touch of alchemy, she quickly climbed to the top and soon gained control of the conglomerate, shaping it to her liking.
Her resumed research of the world eventually led her back to her past studies on the so-called supernatural world. She confirmed the existence of countless anomalies, people, places, alternate dimensions, and complex systems far beyond anything she had ever imagined from the world she came from.
So Griselda was right. The world is much larger than I thought, and too unknown for me to walk through it carelessly. Perhaps I should learn more about these beings if I don't want to be caught off guard.
After an exhaustive investigation into potential threats, she realized that she could not advance further without dirtying her hands. However, there was one major problem: there were no capable fighters on her side. She can barely fight with blessed objects. If she wanted to face something more stronger than a human being, she would be needing her relics: the Nehushtan armor, Solomon's staff, or the sword Durandal. All three were either nonexistent or yet to be discovered.
The knowledge Griselda had given her wasn't particularly useful if they are not demons, she needed more fire power. She had heard rumors that the Church had found Durandal a few year with spies, but Fine chose not to start a war with one of the "apparently" most powerful factions in this world, especially not with any familiar faces there. Griselda, for starters. Knowing her strength, Fine had no desire to face her in battle.
Instead, she turned her attention back to the Symphogear system to see what she could extract from it. To her relief, she found that she wouldn't need to conduct Linker experiments again. Apparently, humans in this world were naturally more compatible with various relics than she had expected. However, the relics themselves were scarce, mere worn-down fossils or useless weapons without names. There were only two significant findings for her.
Two shattered Symphogear pendants, an extremely odd discovery. "But there aren't supposed to be Noises in this world. How do Symphogears exist here?" They had been found at the bottom of the ocean, an incomplete Gungnir and a fragmented Shénshòujìng. The latter would take considerable time to restore, while the former was useless without a proper application of alchemy. It would never awaken without a massive source of Phonic Gain, the energy of songs.
Even so, neither would be of use to her anytime soon.
What a coincidence that they were found in the same place where Hibiki and her friend had lost theirs. Perhaps I wasn't the only one who came from another world. A person might make sense with me as evidence… But an object now too? If that's the case, then Nehushtan should be here too, maybe in tokyo.
For now, she would search for another method. With alchemy, she could make something work.
She managed to refine the creation of Noises with modifications less deadly, but they weren't infallible in real combat, not without sufficient knowledge of those supernaturals. They could only be used to entrap and psychologically affect targets. From the "subjects" she caught in her traps, she broke them down to extract information. A war between three Christian factions, the existence of pagan gods, and groups of different species and deities… The sheer reality of it all overwhelmed her.
No wonder I couldn't find relics. There are no relics because the gods didn't perish with them, and the custodians are something completely different here. Gungnir here would be still in odin's hands
But after some time, probably when Xenovia may have grown into a young woman, she received an activation signal, a relic resonating with a song. After completing the progress, it was identified: the Nehushtan armor, located in a town in Japan, Kuoh. There was activity for only a brief moment before it vanished. The fact that it disappeared without a trace made her think about how supernatural beings had been able to evade detection before.
Someone has the armor, and nothing good can come from someone I don't know yet.
She decided to take a flight to Japan, she had to retrieve it somehow. Tracking the movements of this individual, they appeared in Kuoh from time to time before vanishing again. On her way there, she came to a conclusion based on reports of the war between the three factions: a ceasefire and devastating losses that forced old enemies to reach that agreement. The small signals from the anomalies indicated that "God" was no longer alive, leaving the angels and the Church without a ruler. The fallen angels and demons had suffered astronomical casualties, enough to stop the war.
That would have been frustrating if she had still been a believer, or if this had been the god she remembered being in love with. But her mind was already too stressed and fragmented to dwell on how foolish she had once been. What irritated her most was that there were people like Xenovia, who blindly believed in God and would easily break if the truth were revealed to them.
Upon arriving at the airport, she waited for a signal from Nehushtan to appear, only to encounter a rather peculiar person. A small true nun with a sweet personality, Asia Argento, but more than that, Fine was interested in her because she had an unusual signal within her. Engaging in conversation, the girl spoke about how new she was to the outside world and how she had been sent somewhere after being excommunicated.
Isolated and unaware of the world. A recipe for tragedy no doubt.
Clearly, she was being manipulated or deceived. Fine decided to stay close to her, pretending to build a friendship. When one of her guards was injured in an accident of her experiments, the young girl demonstrated what she called "God's gift to her", a pair of rings that emitted a green light, healing the wound within seconds. At that moment, Fine's interest in the young girl grew, and she detained her indefinitely while extracting information about those abilities.
The distraction kept her expectant and with good fortune. Just a few days later, she began receiving the signal of another relic, Ichaival. It surprised her. It was in the same place where Nehushtan had appeared, and it was slightly activating due to its surroundings or problem with the user. With a clear goal in mind, she "helped" Asia fail to secure transportation until her preparations were complete, her destination was Kuoh. On the night of the seventh day, Asia and Fine were in the shopping district, where she finally saw her.
The user of the bow, Chris Yukine, a person she certainly would have preferred not to encounter. If she had been a different person, maybe a naive girl, convincing her or recruiting her would have been easy. This Chris was probably the same one Fine had committed atrocities to turn her into a puppet, she wouldn't hesitate to attack and blow her up a thousand times without blinking in fury. Without Nehushtan, her shield was too weak to confront her directly.
Her soul was in doubt as to whether it could still reincarnate or not, but she didn't want to find out against that teenage girl, there would be no descendants of hers here. Therefore, she would keep an eye on the girl without interfering. With all the data collected, she found that Chris had lived in Kuoh since childhood, had living parents, the same ones, and was now a student at Kuoh Academy. However, it was no coincidence that Ichaival had appeared at the same time as her.
Maybe She knows something with Nehushtan.
Alongside her were supernatural beings and a boy with a signal similar to Asia's. The reports on the boy were interesting, better than nothing for the others. Issei Hyoudou, Chris's neighbor and fellow student at the now-coed academy. He had a rather unflattering reputation and a very peculiar personality and taste for the female body. But it seems he managed to befriend the aggressive girl somehow.
With this, she decided to use Asia to spy on the personalities of both and observe their reactions with her gift, as well as send the nun to her destination with a safety measure in place and under surveillance. To her surprise, their looks and conversation led her to suspect that they were affiliated with supernatural beings, but not to clearly join in.
The mention of "Sacred Gears" seemed to be the designation for the gifts of God that Asia had spoken about. She wasn't the only one who could use her gift, though she doubted that the boy had the same ability, given the clear differences in their statistics, especially in his left hand. It was evident that the boy possessed more power than he could currently access. "It would be a specimen worth studying, but first, I must learn their movements."
The infiltration into the school was, as Fine would define it, "too easy." Beings of great power tend to ignore enemies with little supernatural presence, if almost zero. Swapping out janitors or cafeteria staff wasn't difficult, and with small robots equipped with microphones, high-definition cameras, and free movement like insects, she was able to infiltrate every classroom, clubroom, the cafeteria, and, of course, the two most notable clubs.
The Student Council and the Occult Research Club, the main hubs of supernatural activity. She gathered names and fake records on everyone there, and it wasn't hard to conclude that these were demons.
One of them didn't even bother to hide her Gremory surname, a duke of Hell. So the other one… Shitori is probably Sitri. Please. Too obvious.
Their activities ranged from the mundane duties of a normal club with strange mentions of contracts and services. To Fine, it seemed more like community service or special delivery. For Chris to have no conflict with them, I can deduce that these contracts have no real consequences for human society. But that didn't matter much when she received her opportunity within the Occult Research Club. A report about what they called "an order from an archduke to hunt a Stray demon."
What mattered most about this hunt was that both Chris and Issei had been invited to join them. That was perfect. She quickly extracted the information the moment the kids left for their classes. It was a bit difficult to pinpoint the location without asking the locals, as these demons kept all their documents in writing, nothing digitized. Very old-fashioned.
After that, they arrived at the so-called "haunted house", more like a haunted mansion for how big it was. It was sturdier than it looked, but it would serve as a good cage for rats.
Fine's agents set up the equipment as quickly as possible, making sure not to disturb the creature in the main hall. It seemed to be asleep, despite the sun still being in the sky. "Like a vampire, though the stench of rotten flesh and blood was far from pleasant."
Once the systems were ready and control was established in a hidden position, she gave her men the day off. Of course, that was only so they could be positioned as her double-edged sword.
As soon as those kids eliminated the demon—which she was eager to witness, especially if they struggled—she would unleash the Noises upon them, trapping them and beginning her test of their abilities.
She had something prepared for Chris in case she tried to help them, but her true goal was to overwhelm her, break her spirit, and if that boy was more important than he appeared, shatter her completely.
Fine had a clear advantage in all of this, no matter how much had changed, after all her time with the other candidates, Chris Yukine was still just a girl filled with guilt and a fragile heart. It wouldn't be hard to corner her, and by the end, the sword would become the most obvious threat to those she held dear.
I'm even grateful to know that your parents are still alive. I feel like I'm taking this too personally, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a grudge against you and the other girls. I would consider this a small revenge while I study my specimens for future experiments. If she refuses to cooperate… well, I'll just take the Ichaival.
The wait was exhausting, not knowing the exact time the demons would arrive. But the call from one of her agents eased her doubts about the operation.
"Yes. James. What is it?"
"Madam, we've been informed that a bicycle just left the academy a few moments ago, carrying the two individuals of interest to you."
"Their destination?"
"Given that they're heading in the opposite direction of their homes, we can deduce they're on their way to your location."
"Excellent. Estimated time of arrival?"
"I'd say around three hours of travel. The boy must have quite the stamina."
"No doubt. But that's good news for me. Are you all in position?"
"Yes, Madam. However, there's a slight issue, the women under investigation have gone out shopping."
"Oh? Did you see them leave?"
"Not just that. We ran into them by chance and, as an excuse, asked if there was a noodle stand nearby. One of our men offered to help them. Thanks to their directions, we're not far from the designated location. But with the ladies absent, wouldn't that complicate your plan? Our agent accompanying them could…"
"Not exactly, James. I don't need actual evidence of them being there. A single photo of the residence will be enough to send the message. Just make sure they return safe and sound."
"Understood. Let us know if anything urgent comes up."
"I will. Enjoy your dinner."
"You too, Madam, if you've realized that four hours in the woods wouldn't be great without a souvenir. Enjoy it."
"As long as it doesn't attract a bear, I think I will."
Ending the call, she spotted a water heater and a cup of instant noodles. She sat down and waited, enjoying her ramen. Delicious. Now I understand why Masahito Shibata was always eating noodles every time we saw him at the meetings to convince him about the Symphogear system, Genjuro. They're really good.
After a few hours, the expected duo arrived right on time. The young man was practically gasping for air, almost looking like he was about to throw up. While the kids waited for the others, Fine watched through the screen as the Noises cornered the demon, preventing it from escaping or coming after her.
The demon's desperation was entertaining. Watching it struggle with its spears, unable to harm them, as its stress levels skyrocketed. The simulation was traumatizing, the way they surrounded it, and with a mere touch, its body began to crack apart. A slow and agonizing process.
When the other four members of the ORC finally arrived, she decided to end the game. The beast, luckily, was still conscious. She didn't want to make things too easy for the group.
Rias's explanation about a kind of hierarchy was quite interesting. From the abilities of her servants to the demon competitions known as Rating Games, similar to chess.
Now that she mentions it, every time we hunted down demons, we ended up with chess pieces. Damn it, if I had known, I wouldn't have thrown them in the trash for being useless to me.
From the conversation, it was also clear that the young Issei aspired to become a high-class demon and obtain those pieces. Given his reputation at the academy, Fine assumed it had something to do with having female servants. It was strange that Chris neither objected nor agreed with this, perhaps out of respect, she simply chose not to say anything. Maybe she wasn't the same Chris Yukine.
But when they faced the demon, her interest peaked. The girl attempted to interrogate the beast about a possible noise attack sign, she clearly knew about them. However it, driven by either its nature or fear, attacked her with her lance. The blond boy, sharing the same anomaly as Asia and Issei, took the lead and saved her.
Fine began taking notes while the Gremory girl explained the functions of the chess pieces through a demonstration with her companions: Knight, Rook, and Queen. No examples yet for the missing pieces, the Bishop and the Pawn. When it was the so-called "King's" turn to eliminate the stray demon, she displayed power that far exceeded expectations.
If this is the strength of a young noble or high-class demon… then what kind of absurd madness awaits me at the top? It'll be interesting to see how they fare against the Noises.
As soon as she allowed the Noises to move in, it didn't take long for Chris to sing her verse and transform on the spot. She attacked without mercy, her firepower tearing into the walls where the weapons had been scattered.
Had the walls not been there to serve as a shield, she might have wiped out the first wave entirely. But as the Noises regenerated, Chris's stress levels began to rise, just as Fine had anticipated.
What was unfolding before Chris was a nightmare. The very creatures that had terrorized her world had followed her into this one. Knowing that this world had never encountered the threat posed by the Noises, she couldn't shake the horrifying possibility—was this the result of Zelretch's experiment, or worse, had she unknowingly brought them with her? Had the threats from her world followed her here?
The group stood surrounded, on high alert, their guards up against the bizarre creatures. The description of what these things could do with a single touch was enough to keep even Rias's group from making the first move. They could be reckless at times, but they weren't stupid enough to charge blindly at an unknown enemy.
Issei was sweating as he raised his fists into a defensive stance. He didn't know why, but his gauntlet, the itch he had been feeling, had turned into an icy chill, as if it were warning him about the creatures that just stood there, motionless.
Chris remained firm, even after unleashing a devastating barrage, but there was hesitation in her voice when she realized the Noises were recovering. Then, the room's lighting shifted, bathing everything in a different hue. And the Noises began to move. Akeno was the first to notice the change in the atmosphere.
"Here they come! Get ready!" Rias commanded.
Outside, Fine watched everything unfold through the surveillance cameras. Beside her, a computer processed data, analyzing her next test subjects.
From what I can see, they already have some understanding of what they're facing. That should make this much more entertaining. Let's begin the test… First, I'll separate them.
One of the Noises, the humanoid-type, lunged at the group, aiming for the center.
"Watch out!" Chris shouted, dashing toward them.
"Split up!" Rias ordered, grabbing Issei by the waist and spreading her wings. The others scattered, avoiding the attack as Chris riddled the creature with bullets from her revolver.
However, even after unloading an entire magazine, the Noise got back up as if nothing had happened. The bullets clattered uselessly to the ground.
"W-Why won't they fall…?"
The regeneration time is much higher than that of any standard Noise. Perfect… it means that you alone are just barely at their level. You'll need much more firepower to take it down, but given the weapons you always use, that would be a disadvantage in your current situation. Is it?
"Chris-san, what's wrong?"
"The Noises aren't supposed to be this resilient. There's no doubt they're Noises. My Symphogear should be more than enough to eliminate them! They're not Alca-Noises, so they can't harm me… but they just won't die. All I can do is push them back!"
"Yukine-san, stay calm. Don't panic." Akeno spoke up, noticing her kouhai struggling against the feeling of helplessness. "Rias?"
The young demons backed away as the Noises steadily advanced. They weren't rushing—they were toying with them, slowly cutting off every escape route. Rias exchanged a glance with Akeno and nodded.
"We need to get out of here. Fast. Find an exit!"
"On it, Buchou!"
Before anyone else could act, Issei had already grabbed a chair. Empowered by Touki, he hurled it with full force at the nearest wall, aiming to break through. The chair smashed through, passing the Noises and leaving a gaping hole. But then, something strange happened. Neither the chair nor the debris made it through, they simply stopped and fall, as if hitting an invisible force, leaving everyone stunned.
Chris quickly fired a barrage from her crossbows, keeping the Noises at bay, while Rias approached the hole and reached out. The moment her hand touched the air beyond, she felt resistance.
"A barrier…?" As her aura made contact with it, she winced, closing one eye from the strain. "It's strong… and it's covering a wide area."
With the Noises closing in, Chris, feeling tense, opened the compartments on her hips, revealing her missiles.
"I'll take them out and blast an exit!" But just as she was about to fire, a hand stopped her. Akeno. "Akeno-senpai? Why?"
"Yukine-san, the foundation of this house isn't strong enough to withstand missile blasts indoors. If the barrier covers the entire house, there will be nowhere to go if the building collapses. We'll definitely need more firepower, but not high-caliber weapons like that, it'll only make things worse."
Chris was at a loss for words. Akeno was right. She closed the missile compartments and thought of another option. She remembered what they had learned during Issei's training. This would be her first time trying it. Her weapon would take time to change form. Akeno gave her a nod, signaling that she would stay by her side while Rias punched a hole through the ceiling and grabbed Issei.
"Everyone, get to the upper floor when you can! We'll regroup there!"
Good plan. Fine muttered to herself.
Each member of the team followed suit. Koneko jumped through the ceiling, breaking into the first floor with a single leap, while Kiba slashed open a door in his path—only to be met with more Noises waiting on the staircase.
"That's not good… at all." Kiba muttered, a drop of sweat running down his forehead. He immediately changed course, sprinting in another direction.
Not the best plan… but good enough. This will give me a chance to see how they handle things on their own.
Koneko was in trouble too. Noises were waiting on the other side of her entry point as well. It was clear now, the house was completely overrun. Tensed, Koneko knew she was at the greatest disadvantage. Using her wings to stay airborne, she grabbed whatever she could find and threw it at the Noises. However, they weren't affected at all. But then… she noticed something.
"They're… slow when phasing through things."
Testing her theory, she threw a couch at them.
Not to hit them, but to create a bridge she could leap across to reach the next room.
Clever. The girl is more resourceful than I initially thought. Let's see how the others are doing.
Meanwhile, Kiba had reached a back room. But… there was no way out. He pressed his hand against the wall, hoping the barrier didn't reach that far. Unfortunate. It was still there.
And the Noises were closing in, surrounding him in overwhelming numbers. Summoning two swords, Kiba took a deep breath. It was reckless… maybe even crazy. But he had to see—could they be cut?
Ha. The first fool. I suppose a swordsman always longs to die like a noble knight.
To Fine's surprise, Kiba's slash had succeeded,the Noise vanished into dust. The other creatures halted for a moment, while the priestess analyzed the data she had just received from the young man.
—How...? How did he do that? There's no visible anomaly. Could it be…?
Then, Kiba's voice came through the communicator.
"I did it… My Sacred Gear." His tone carried frustration. "Had I known, I would have given the others some swords too."
A brilliant glow formed around his hands, and in an instant, multiple swords emerged from the ground—each with a unique shape and edge. Gripping two of them, he smirked confidently.
"Looks like I have the advantage now. Get ready." I need to reach the others.
So Sacred Gears can affect the Noises after all… Must be due to their properties. I'll have to investigate this when I get the chance. Hmm… And even though I can detect Symphogears, Sacred Gears are much rarer.
Meanwhile…
In the main hall, Akeno and Chris stood back-to-back, holding their ground. Akeno raised her hands, summoning lightning and hurling it at the Noises. The creatures flickered from the impact, their movements slowing momentarily, but the effect was brief. They rushed at her again. Just as the first one lunged forward, a small explosion pulverized it before it could even reach her. Akeno turned. Chris stood beside her, a shotgun in one hand.
Another shotgun materialized in her other hand, catching Fine slightly off guard.
Shotguns? That's new for you, Chris.
"Akeno-senpai, do that again! I'll finish them off!"
"A-Alright!"
With the combination of lightning and shotgun blasts, the two began clearing out the Noises surrounding them.
That girl… Her lightning is strong enough to interfere with the Noises' bodies. If only it weren't just simple electricity, she could eliminate them entirely. Her expected capabilities are lower than what the analysis suggests based on her anatomy… It seems she's a hybrid. The boy didn't have that hybridization—his blood records show nothing abnormal, a normal human. But them… some kind of strange core is what's manifesting that energy. Must be the Evil Pieces.
Kiba had just finished off the last Noise in the room. He tried to regroup with the others or at least send a message to Issei. More Noises passed through the walls in the hallway ahead, but Kiba assumed he could easily slip past them.
However, the first Noise he encountered lunged at him with a sharp, stinger-like appendage. If not for his speed, he would have been hit, but instead, the attack shattered his phone.
"Damn it. No choice, then." Kiba took a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs.
"ISSEI! WE CAN USE OUR SACRED GEARS AGAINST THEM! PROTECT BUCHOU FOR ME!"
A Noise cut him off with an attack, but Kiba had already raised his guard. He simply grinned as he pushed the creature back into the others. Still, a new worry crept into his mind, Koneko had no protection from this.
I just hope she hears me and gets to Issei and Buchou… or returns to Chris and Akeno.
Before Kiba's shout…
Akeno and Chris had already taken down most of the Noises in the room—but they were exhausted, barely able to stand.
"There's too many… Noises. How is this happening?"
"Something's not right about all of this, especially this place. We need to get back to Rias and Issei. let's go Yukine-san"
"Yeah."
As they moved through the hallway on the next floor, they were suddenly stopped by a strange group of Noises, these ones resembled lamp posts, with spiked tips at the top. Before they could react, others burst through the wall behind them. Chris aimed her shotgun, ready to fire, but the lamp-post Noises suddenly shot out a web-like substance, wrapping tightly around her arm.
Before she could break free, she was yanked away, pulled down another path. Leaving Akeno surrounded.
"Akeno-senpai!"
Akeno, however, heard something before speaking to Chris.
"Yukine-san. Issei can defend himself using his Gear, but he doesn't know that yet. One of us has to warn him. When or if you break free, scream very loud. Rias will hear you. I have something else to check."
With that, Akeno threw herself against the wall, smashing through it and continuing down a different corridor.
All you can do is run. Not very impressive.
The Noises immediately turned away, ignoring Chris, as well as the lamp-post Noises still restraining her arms. She struggled as hard as she could, but she wasn't budging.
Seeing the situation, she realized, someone wanted to keep her here. The real targets were the others.
"ISSEI! USE YOUR SACRED GEAR!"
As soon as she finished shouting, she pulled with all her strength, then improvised, choosing something less explosive but sharp enough to cut through what was holding her.
On the Top Floor, Rias continued to impress Fine with every use of her Power of Destruction. Each sphere she conjured consumed a Noise completely, disintegrating it beyond regeneration.
Even though it's not a Sacred Gear, this power can destroy the Noises… It might be interesting to capture her.
Meanwhile, Issei lagged behind, struggling with the frustration of being unable to fight back while merely dodging the creatures.
Suddenly, Rias's keen hearing caught the message. She turned to Issei, positioning herself back-to-back with him.
"Ise. You can use your Sacred Gear."
"I… can?"
"Yes. It seems you can use it against the Noises. Just try throwing punches with your left hand."
"Understood, Buchou!"
As said, when Issei touched the noise with a left hook, it disappeared. Rias seems more calm with this.
"Go the other way, Koneko is coming up from there."
"What about you?"
"Akeno and I noticed something. We need to reach a specific point. If I run into her, we'll have an answer."
"It's clear that 'our enemy' separated us on purpose. But we still have a card up our sleeve."
"Alright."
Issei hesitated for a moment, then a Noise lunged at him.
Rias was about to intervene, but before she could—BAM!
Not a punch this time, but to everyone's surprise. It was with a brutal kick imbued with Touki, Issei sent the creature flying into the wall, not destroying it but pushing, this stopped the Noises's advance. Rias and Fine were stunned into silence.
"Oops… I did that without thinking. Guess I was getting irritated."
"Heh… Seriously?"
Rias chuckled, amazed at how this boy never stopped surprising her since she first saw him improve with Chris. She had definitely underestimated him.
"Alright, Issei. Bring Koneko back. Safe and sound."
"I will, Buchou."
"I'm counting on you."
With that, the two split up, while Fine continued analyzing the situation.
Could his Sacred Gear be more than just that gauntlet? That aura… it's his own. I don't understand. These data points are irregular. But this still isn't the potential I was expecting… I'll have to pay closer attention. And it seems they're planning something. Fine smirk. Go ahead, demons. Try to escape me. You won't succeed.
Fine kept her eyes on everyone she could find, there where some missing, but someone had already broken free from her trap.
Through the smoke of a recent explosion, the lamp-post Noise crashed to the floor, an enormous arrow piercing through it. Standing over it, Chris held a massive crossbow, now turning into a rifle, which she promptly swung like a club, smashing the Noise into oblivion. She was getting angry.
Fine's experiment continued, but unlike the stray devil, the Gremory pieces and the two humans refused to go down without a fight….