~ 10 minutes earlier
"Kusakabe, haven't we checked enough of these buildings?" Panda pointed out to the grade-one sorcerer. The senior shivered a bit, the two were perlustrating the area in front of the Shibuya Stream seeking survivors to escort to the safe zone, but truth be told the coat-sporting swordsman was doing everything in his power to stall and keep the cursed corpse occupied so that they wouldn't go to the Fukutoshin line, which entrance was literally around the corner. The reason was very simple, Kusakabe did not want to die at the moment, and he knew that down in B5F there were only powerful curses whom he had absolutely no will to go up against, so he kept making excuses, relying heavily on Panda's poor sense of direction to buy himself some time. The problem is, the fewer people were around the sharper the corpse's nose became, it was only a matter of minutes before he might find the entrance and accidentally go to B5F by himself, something that the sorcerer wanted to avoid as well. The reason was very simple, Kusakabe did not want to be left alone in Shibuya at the moment.
"They might be still in the curtain, but thanks to Inumaki the civilians are somewhere safe. Shouldn't we go look for Satoru already? Toge confirmed his sealing too, so we better hurry up..."
"Gojo... isn't the only person that matters, you know?!" Kusakabe retorted, shocking the pseudo-bear. "What if a schoolgirl is hiding somewhere and we didn't find her? We might as well be accomplices to the ruination of a bright future full of promise." The reasoning had its effect on Panda, who got back immediately to searching once he was told so, leaving no stone unturned as the adult said. Kusakabe could now let out a sigh of relief, his gaze landed on the fairly new building, he had a look inside, the place was disseminated with carcasses of transfigured humans left and right, whoever's done that must have been a force of nature. Right as he looked upwards, the night sky was momentarily illuminated as if it was daytime by a blinding light, shielding his vision with his left hand he could make up the contours of a large fire pit burning on the roof of the building. Kusakabe had the tendency to ignore whatever could potentially be deadly, but there was a limit where his cowardice ended and his courage started, and those white flames were too much of a warning to let it slide.
"Panda! Come back here! We're getting inside!" He yelled.
"Huh?! Again?! But we already went through the place or do you humans have short-term memories?!"
"There's no time for complaining, just get in there!" As soon as he expressed his order, the light died out as quickly as it appeared, the sudden lack of light attracted their attention upwards once again. What followed was a rapid succession of the loudest explosions he heard in a while, the windows shattered under the blast pressure, the shards now raining down on the two. 'The hell is happening up there?' The sorcerer thought as he rushed into the Shibuya Stream.
~ back to the present
/ Che sia vita o morte OST \_
Gabriele coughed up blood, palming over the fresh wound Romulus had just inflicted on him, he mentally cursed at the warm and viscous sensation at the touch, at the way the old and new blood were blending and staining his body as a macabre symbol of his failure. He couldn't accept it, this way of succumbing, outclassed by his opponent without putting up much of a fight, tears tinted in crimson came naturally into his eyes while his breathing became more and more ragged, also due to the agony of the injury. The Empyrean was talking, but the words hardly reached his ears as his heart pounded so loudly in his skull, his conscience slipping in and out of total darkness with each beat. All he could do was gaze at the paladin's back, pacing away from the landing pad, at least he could die aware that everyone could still save themselves.
In his blurry vision, however, he caught a glimpse of something twitching on the ground, a small bird, or rather half of it giving its last signs of life. But Gabriele could tell that something was wrong by how the guts were splurging out toward West, following the imaginary line with his gaze he soon found the head of the unfortunate bird. 'That's strange, it looks like it was grabbed by each end and pulled apart.' he thought.
Because it was
Gabriele instinctively looked to his left, the Entity crouched next to the upper half of the bird, cradling the disembodied torso in their hands with a look of melancholy.
'What are you doing out in the open?!'
I'll be fine, there's so much cursed energy in this district that they won't notice me right away
The Entity then posed the torso back to the ground and turned to look Gabriele in the eyes. Without warning, his mind was flooded with so much information in an instant, that the former exorcist held his head trying to endure the massive headache. The pain however was short-lived, and with it came a new, battle-changing revelation. 'Am I... inside a loop?' this thought was terrifying by itself but the implications were even worse, how many had he had this exact thought? How many times had he fought this battle?
You seem to forget everything with each activation
'Aren't you affected by this as well?'
Apparently, it's like a small domain, though be careful
They pointed at the bird corpse at their feet, Gabriele glanced at the other half in front of him, then he understood, as if it was pulled apart, half of its body was still inside the area at the moment of the chant's activation and that half was forced to follow the path backward beyond the physiological limits of its bone and flesh. He was gonna use it as a warning, by being its caster the Empyrean knew its applications to the details, and with an opponent who could simply fly away or fight from the safety of distance, this chant was an excellent deterrent, to keep him within fighting range. This didn't mean he couldn't exploit it to his advantage: 'I'm getting a bit delirious from the bloodloss, I may switch off my brain completely and focus entirely on killing the Empyrean. So will you please guide my fierceness against my enemies?' Picking up his sword from the ground, he rose back to his feet without Romulus noticing. In the meantime, the Entity vanished into nothingness, settled to assist from a more concealed spot, not before giving their response.
Always brother
"Yo!" he called out to them. Slowly the Empyrean turned, and their gaze was met by the sight of the Seraph, standing on his feet with the weapon firmly grasped in his right hand while he slid his left palm along the edge of the blade. A smile spread across his face, his teeth just as bloody as the visage it adorned. "Do you know the extent of my cursed technique?" Romulus was left quite puzzled, did he just cut his palm open? "If you don't know, that's fine... apparently telling you about my technique is considered a binding vow with oneself, which would only make it stronger. Don't wanna make it too easy for me."
"Do you think you're in the position to provoke me, Seraph?" Romulus replied, questioning whether it was the time loops that made him insane or simply not enough oxygen had reached his brain.
"I got nothing to lose... besides I got you all figured out." The Templar did not give too much weight to this statement, taking it as a poor attempt to bluff them. There was no way he could know, anyone who stood within the five-meter radius area of effect could not preserve the information gathered prior to the rewind, with themselves as the sole exception. Not even Romulus's comrades knew about their hidden chant, and whoever had the misfortune to fall victim to it never lived to tell the tale. So how could he know? Unless...it was a result of his cursed technique, he has gained a mental fortitude that made him immune to this condition, but that gesture, that hand slit over the blade, the blood smearing over the pristine platinum steel, was what threw the Empyrean off, making them think of a totally different technique.
The former exorcist dashed forward in the blink of an eye, Romulus raised their weapon in time to shield the first downward blow which soon turned into a streak of powerful strikes. The seraph was attacking with a ferocity on par with that of a wild beast, the animalistic look in his bloody eyes instilled a dread never felt before in the paladin's mind. 'What's going on with him?! Is he aiming to break my sword?' The Empyrean thought, Gabriele was breathing with his mouth open, his movements weren't dictated by a cold, calculated tactic like before when their comrade was still alive but by a feral instinct that shouldn't belong in a human.
Every blow was thrown with the very clear intent to kill them.
Romulus deflected the last attack to the side and with a deep lunge, they buried their blade in Gabriele's shoulder. What they did not expect was for the teen to push forward and grab their wrist so as to keep the sword blocked, the templar's eyes went wide under their mask as they watched the Seraph slice horizontally, with the edge closing into their neck as to chop their head off.
Hidden chant: Ouroboros
The flow of time inverted at their command just before the sword could put an end to their life, the two were back to square one but the Empyrean was significantly shaken by the previous event. 'That was close, he's acting more like an exorcist now than the whole time we had been together...' They immediately raised their blade on a defensive stand, this time he knew what to expect from him ready to counterattack, no matter how strong and unpredictable he was at the moment, once the path was traced he was condemned to follow it to the letter. The former exorcist dashed forward in a blink of an eye, however halfway through the dash his wings materialized behind his back, spreading in all their glory. The Empyrean was stunned, this was impossible, he could not have possibly changed his strategy without trying it in the first place. 'Besides, I got you all figured out... Then he wasn't bluffing earlier!' Romulus had to adjust again, but as Gabriele swung his sword, the blood present on the blade flew directly on the templar's mask and over the eyeholes, temporarily blinding them. They had no time to clean their vision free of the opaque and slashed the air blindly, not finding anything to meet their blade.
"Maldito sea, you cowardly brat!" They exclaimed as they wiped the blood off, their voice no longer as monotonous and emotionless as they usually had but now carrying the anger they were feeling. Once their sight was restored, they looked for Gabriele, only to stand in horror that not only he was gone, but the space was filled by the same cloud of feathers from earlier. Knowing in advance the danger of this attack Romulus was ready to trigger their chant at a second's notice, watching the feathers dance slowly as they hung in the air. Suddenly, the Seraph blitzed through the cloud, weapon ready to cut them in half. "Got you!" The Empyrean yelled before triggering the chant, going back in time by just half a second to counter it. The distance between the clueless teen and Romulus's blade was mere inches, an average person has a reaction time of around 250-300 milliseconds, and that time wouldn't be enough to dodge it or parry the blow.
"Game over, fallen angel." The templar said as they swung the sword downwards.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
The sound of the bells echoed within the cathedral's marble walls decorated from top to bottom with religious imagery, the Empyrean snapped his eyes open, confusion afflicted his mind as he appeared disoriented at the center of the nave facing towards the entrance. It was chilly inside the house of God, the cold caressing the skin of his face like a gesture of affection, his dark brown irides frantically moved to each angle and crevice of the building, not sure about what he was looking for. "So that's how you look beneath the mask, beyond the role..." The man instantly spun in place as soon as he heard him talk, the philistine was standing near the altar, a large wooden cross behind him towering over his head, illuminated by an enormous rose window. Romulus immediately touched his face, expecting to grasp a mask but his digits found only flesh. How long has it been since his skin was last warmed by the sunlight? So long he had forgotten how his face even looked like. "What have you done to me, Seraph?" He demanded to know, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"Does it matter now?" Gabriele responded, his figure basking in the natural light. He looked... solemn...almost angelic. How ironic.
"Your actions have condemned humanity to be forever persecuted by cursed monstrosities. Had you carried out God's will like you were supposed to, the world would have been free of those demons by now!"
"God's will? Or the Church's?" the hall fell silent, "Let me ask you one thing, for what reason have you joined the Exorcists?"
The Empyrean did not even care to answer, almost laughing at the teen's naive question. "We have been chosen by God to guide his flock, whenever curses manifest we're the one who intervenes and keeps the situation under control. We were there in Galicia, we were there in Rio, and since then neither of those places know what a curse crisis is while the heretics can not eradicate them from their own turf." Romulus pointed his accusatory finger at the young man in front of him, " I tell you why, because this land is cursed! It spreads its disease like an infected limb and you want to sit idle and wait for the virus to come up with the vaccine? Don't make me laugh!"
"When an extremely infectious disease has already taken one of your limbs, you do not wait for the vaccine. You go there and you cut it!"
"You call them heretics, you denounce their ways as cancerous to your handiwork. And yet, you're the ones constantly sabotaging at any given moment." Gabriele calmly affirmed, and then he turned towards the wooden cross. Joining his hand in devotion, he spared a prayer to those currently fighting in Shibuya, may the good Lord watch over them. He then turned again, unsheathing his sword, and step by step he approached the opposing man.
"This war has run its course. It's time for the grudges of the old to be buried and forgotten, for the two factions to mend and fight the real enemy that threatens the common people, no longer hatred shall be tolerated or indoctrinated."
The Empyrean slowly stepped back, blindly patting his left hip for his sword and finding none. Before certain death, his confidence crumbled to the point of becoming frightful of his own shadow. "C-curse you, Seraph! Never for the rest of your life shall you experience true peace!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, but as he closed the distance between them, the former exorcist assumed more and more the semblance of a demon as his eyes turned blood red. Once he was at arm's reach, Gabriele put a hand on the center of the man's chest...
And pushed.
Suddenly they were catapulted back at the Shibuya Stream, The Empyrean had all their equipment, the chant was still active, and in their head, there was still a chance of victory. But their balance was lost, they were falling backward as a result of the push, Gabriele looked apathetic, just as he was after executing their comrade, 'Foolish child! you're gonna regret not killing me when you had the chance!' they thought.
"Today is the day the clock ticks an hour closer to a new era..." the teen's voice resonated loudly in their mind, right at the moment the Empyrean was about to trigger the chant.
" As the pride of Saint Michael, I shall usher the world to the new dawn."
Hidden chant: Ouroboros
"Don't care. I prefer dying knowing you can't perform the cleanse anymore than plain genocide." Said the young man, adjusting his own grip, dead set on his goal, only to realize that his taunting words did not reach anyone. In fact, what was standing before was the decapitated remnants of the Empyrean, which ungracefully fell to the floor at a mere breath of the wind. Gabriele stared at the corpse in confusion, having absolutely no idea of what had just occurred. As soon as the idea of victory settled in his brain, the fatigue of five energy-draining battles came to claim his body, his legs gave out entirely, the teen held on to his sword to not fall face-first against the ground. He was exhausted, panting as if he had just run a marathon. But he did it.
He saved everyone in Shibuya, the mission was done, he had defeated the two Empyreans and saved his friends from certain death. The battle was over, but certainly the war was still going, though he was gonna need to rest a few minutes and then he would head downstairs and save as many civilians as he could. The former exorcist took a deep breather ignoring his aching lungs, a comfy bed did not sound so bad, he softly laughed at the assonance of the two words. God, the hemorrhage was taking a toll on him.
He lifted his stare from the ground, his turquoise eyes were greeted by the presence of a tall, bulking man dressed in a white sweater and black pants, Gabriele did not know what to expect from him but his mind flashed all the red alarms. Was he an ally or an enemy? He didn't know, but it took one look into his black scleras to be certain of one thing, this guy was bad news. He attempted to get up, but his legs were dormant and unresponsive, he was forced to just stare as the man made his way to him. Panic ensued, the teen's hands curled into fists and proceeded to hit his legs in the hope of waking them up but it was all useless, this man, this... he didn't know how to describe it but he was invisible, or rather imperceptible. His divine essence did not capt anything, it was impossible to imagine and yet here he was, this man did not possess a crumb of cursed energy, and yet he had this aura that enveloped his whole being.
He stopped a few feet from the downed boy, he was looking down on the former exorcist who on his part wished to be elsewhere, a new sensation pervaded in his subconscious. He was in the presence of the death incarnate.
Long, endless minutes went by with just the two staring at each other, Gabriele thought he had made peace with the concept of dying one day, these were the risks of his job, but this was different. Gone was the romantic idea of an honorable death he nurtured as an exorcist, for the first time he was welcoming his demise with nothing but dread and regrets, fearing the incoming strike that would end his life. However it never came, instead, the ominous threat walked past him, uttering something he did not fully comprehend, then he disappeared, away to claim someone else's life, and all Gabriele could do was laugh. He laughed like he didn't have a care in the world, a silent laugh of who had stared directly at Death twice and got away with it both times. A good laugh it was, he thought before passing out on the ground.