10. Dogs and Dragons
On any other day, Anos might have been amused by the way Gremory slowly abandons any proper expression of decorum; the one she had been careful to wear at all times.
Looking at her now would leave one to question her out of burning concern or curiosity. The soft twitch of her lip, the increased beat of the heart. The indication of ramshackle emotion.
"He's being followed," Rias abruptly speaks, her voice just loud enough to clear through the air; an admission of worry.
Yes, on any other day, Anos thinks, "You seem quite worked up over a problem with an obvious solution." He speaks, his cherry-eyes beat onto her like hammer to the skull.
Overthinking the simplest things for no reason and ignoring the solution when it literally presents itself openly to her. That is what he was communicating to the redhead.
Rias almost flinches when she recognizes the comment, her skin prickles and indecision wars on her face. Her expression suggests an idea she's been pondering for several moments now.
Her eyes were also filled with intent, searching for purpose and never leaving the 3D model map. How exactly could she? It would be difficult to not notice one of the sigils on the display; it's been glowing a constant, pulsing red. Obviously some activity that needed to be attended to. Greater in the fact that it was tailing a certain Pawn, and even more so in its trace detection of Holy magic.
Then again, she's only been waiting until the familiars investigated. Going in blind was not the intention. Sadly, said familiars were stretched too thin in scouting the other areas. There was little reason to believe there would be much time to send them over.
Besides, this specified spot could be an entrapment— it is a possibility Rias has considered, so the question remains: was throwing caution to the wind in her best interest?
...
Rias straightens, "Let's go, everyone,"
Akeno is already making preparations for the magic circle before Rias is even done with the sentence. Similarly, Kiba and Koneko stand near their Queen in half the time she needs to finish. After a moment, the entire peerage looks to Anos in anticipation.
From across the room, he stands from the sofa, and in a single step, he's already beside them. Anos wishes he could say he was surprised, but telling a white lie for a devil's desperation is not a thought he entertains.
Let it also be known that he wasn't tagging along for Rias' sake. No, he has not yet seen the pure potential of Issei's Gear yet, and if anyone happened to be in the way... well, in a way, death could be seen as mercy.
—————
Hyoudou Issei is a simple boy; a simple boy who's had to deal with a great many things over the past few days.
He has tasted death and been reborn anew. He has found that every supernatural superstition he has ever known has come to be real. He has learned that he is now a devil, and a member of a prestigious peerage at that. He has come to realize the world is nothing like the way he understands it.
Life has taken an interesting turn for him.
A thought he contemplates as he makes his way through the streets; carefree. His bicycle isn't moving anywhere fast, he's practically doing the equivalent of taking a stroll along the sidewalk. It's no surprise as this evening was the same as all others: deliver fliers, answer contracts, and pray to Lucifer he gets to do something cooler— or at least not so cruel.
Issei didn't exactly enjoy doing contracts. There were some real weirdos out there, and he's not talking Motohama's loli visual novel collection weird, but worse! There are things no man was ever meant to see, you know?
Thankfully he's done for the day, and he doesn't have any plans of staying out at this time. It's approaching dark now as the evening blends past noon. Not many people are around during this time. Which was unfortunate, less chance to see a ten out of ten that so happened to be walking around the neighborhood.
So yes— he's back off to the ORC after these last few turns in this neighborhood.
That is until something whistles over Issei's head and detonates mere inches in front of his bicycle's path.
It was an odd spectacle, in the way the air around Issei ignites and he is violently thrown off course -- explosively rolling onto his back before sliding to a shoulder-shattering stop a pace away from a gutter.
A couple of meters away from this is a lone and uniquely-dressed, white-haired man. He stands on a streetlight with a strange elegance and a disturbing grin from his lips. His face illuminated by the beam of light from a saber in his right hand with his left occupying a smoking gun.
Issei would have commented on how badass it looked. But he isn't really concerned with that -- his vision wouldn't let him either way. Everything is blurry and his ears ring louder than the previous explosion.
It's a wonder the boy could even hear the man introduce himself as he jumps off the streetlight with a mock bow, hitting the pavement in the same way and axe meets a tree, "The name's Freed Sellzen. Sorry if I got the order wrong, I usually kill first then proceed with the talking," he pauses, "or the naughty bits~"
Hearing that, Issei stumbles as the little sense he still has comes in shades. It is the small echoe of a voice in Issei's head that lets him focus enough to get up. He even manages the activation of his Twice Critical.
Though, the blur of motion from Freed makes the effort without reward. A bullet blessed and soaked in Holy water finds its way into Issei's already shattered-shoulder. To the Pawn's credit, he still tries to find his footing even while his body screams in protest.
Freed looks on and whistles in bemusement before shooting three more Holy bullets in Issei's leg. The Pawn cries and collapses in agony, Freed speaks once more, "Oi, devil trash, stay down, I like my target on all fours you know!"
Through the pain, Issei openly cringes. How he maintains consciousness is anyone's guess. Desperation; it would be a fine answer.
Issei presses a hand to his side, there is blood where injuries aren't even dealt. When Issei strains to look down, it is red, so much red; same as Gremory-senpai's hair. No, he can't think like that. Not now. He needs to focus.
And focus he does, in the near background, he hears laughter. Obnoxious and inhuman; Freed circles him with a glint in his eyes. There's another sound, also. If Freed was just the least bit louder, one would have missed it.
Bleeding out doesn't deter Issei from sneaking a look. It's hard to move, hard to breathe, but he does it successfully and he's thankful for it. In his sights are the Gremory sigil in the form of an airborne magic circle.
In the next moment, the glittering Knight of Gremory crosses blades with Freed. Kiba actually pushes the exorcist back and almost off his feet completely, forcing the priest to switch to his hand gun and open fire. Koneko-chan is next up and she moves to tear a door from some house off its hinges to fend off Freed's stray bullets.
The expression Issei wears is the absolute mix of gratitude, surprise, and the greatest form of confusion.
Those feelings whisk away when he sees Akeno and Rias not far behind. The latter screams his name— at least he thinks so over the ringing in his ears— rushing to his side. Just when the world had gotten so much darker did crimson spark another life. Issei is oddly lucky in a way.
"B-Buchou?" Issei murmurs, he feels the blood on his lips, and its hard for him to hear what his King says. His muscles feel heavy, his chest is pounding. He can feel Rias' hand over his wounds, trying to mend them closed with her healing magic.
She's failing.
His eyes almost fully close. Before they do, another person steps through the magic circle. Cerise eyes and pitch black hair. Issei's seen him before, 'Is that..?'
The man steps around him. Rias says something, he replies. After, he looks to Issei.
Issei's chest stills. The man holds out a hand to him. Magic flares, and Hyoudou gasps.
He takes a forlorn breath and promptly passes into unconsciousness.
Anos lowers his hand and looks to Rias. She seems a little too distraught, so he softens his gaze, taking on a smile that does well to ease her, "He'll be up in a few moments."
Just like that, Rias felt just the least bit better. And that was enough for now.
A couple meters away, a cackle pricks everyone's ears.
"Really, for a bunch of Devil trash, I'm impressed. Really making my night here people!" Freed shoots another round of holy bullets near enough at Kiba's feet, it forces the teen to retreat back.
Freed surveys his situation, "Awkward, I'm usually the one gang banging..."
He says this without shame, mind you.
"Your foul mouth is quite impressive," Akeno says in a stitched-smile. She tilts her head as she draws in his attention. Freed ogles her figure in no uncertain way before cleanly dodging a bolt of lighting from the false heaven overhead.
"Oh?" Akeno remarks as Freed fixes his attire, unbothered.
It was sort of impressive, in the same way it is impressive to navigate your way through the dark with only one sense afforded to you. Seems some humans could hold their own in this world after all.
Anos could not personally recall a single human he's seen in this world that could react to lighting in the way Freed did just now.
The sounds of Gremory ordering her peerage to prepare a teleportation circle echoes over his shoulder. It isn't so much of a retreat as it is a reposition, because that would imply Rias' worried instead of simply being practical.
Freed clearly isn't any ordinary priest. He shows himself to be more unhinged by the second and even still was he able to react to Rias' Queen in a casual sense.
In the same way Anos notices Freed, the exorcist takes notice of him. Freed is practically forced to as Anos is the only one who hasn't made an effort to move to the portal, "What's a pretty-boy human like you doing around a bunch of sin-loving devils?"
Funny, he sounds almost normal as he asks this.
"Oooooh, oh, oh, don't answer that! The Lord will bless me for killing a sinner associate like you and then those devils bitches! Maybe he'll even reward me after I'm done doing dirty dirty things with—"
"You, keep silent."
Freed's body froze on the spot.
He struggles, of course. They all do at first. That is when their eyes squeeze shut. Next would be the realization that breathing becomes a labored chore. Afterward, one would feel their lungs tremble as if their chest caught on fire from the inside. Freed has felt the strain pounding at the edges of what's left of his own bodily autonomy, impulses flooding the nerves without purpose.
Freed can feel all of this before he isn't able to feel anything at all.
Rias is the last to leave and the first to notice the exorcist's position, she also isn't exactly surprised when she realizes Anos has made no effort to move along with them. She's facing his back but his body language communicates enough. Getting to Issei was what was important for her, the same thing was true for Anos.
'To a point,' The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess surmises as the portal closes entirely.
When Anos walks forward, his footsteps diminish all other sounds. Freed looked like a man in the face of a meteor. The maddened priests' body is not his own any longer. Compelled by the commands of a Demon in human form.
Said Demon raises a hand.
"Behelius."
Behind the restrained priest are the faint swirls of darkness, the swirls form the shape of a coffin before solidifying. The coffin itself encompasses Freed with the lid yet to close.
Behelius was a unique spell. It maintains its strength through the magic of the corpse within its confines. The lid can only be opened by the caster with nothing external being able to bring an end to the pain.
Anos drew a cross over the shape of the spell. Particles of darkness followed the movement of his hand and covered the construct. It was a spell originally used for torture, but it was an extremely safe place to prolong a continued cycle of death.
That's right. Inside the coffin of darkness, death repeated for eternity. In short, the corpse was in a constantly fresh state and at no risk of truly perishing. Powerful magic barriers and wards prevented external destruction, so the torture couldn't be ended prematurely. Defenses powered by death were quite firm, after all.
In exchange for pseudo-immortality, one just had to die over and over until the end of time.
The only release from this endlessly painful death is to open the lid by the caster's will.
For Freed, he will get no such solace. Anos concludes this so as the lid seals shut and the coffin sinks beneath the ground.
—————
As soon as Anos' back to the club house, he's greeted by quite the picture. Gremory looks as if a caretaker at Hyoudou's side.
There's a brief second where Anos wonders how Rias is feeling at present. Even he would be annoyed by the fallen faction and their constant and consistent need to take Issei's life at any given moment.
Then again, the comedy of the matter would come at her own expense. Fate itself would seem to mock Rias for anything it thinks it can get away with. And fate has never seemed to be a gentle mistress for anyone -- especially a devil with much to lose.
Anos sat himself down on one of the couches. Sitting on the right end of it, he placed his elbow against the armrest. His enclosed fist lightly met his cheek as he looked to the Pawn. Issei was still not moving, aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest. All the other peerage members were looking at him too.
"You can wake up now, Hyoudou." Anos orders.
There's a brief silence after the call-out, and suddenly Issei's face stretches down. Annoyed.
"Jerk. Let me enjoy this!" Issei callously replies, the obvious insinuation being the fact that his head laid on Rias' lap with his head very near her breasts. Such close contact with a woman, the woman in question being the Rias Gremory. Someone Issei has listed as the most attractive women in Kuoh Academy by a wide margin, quite possibly all of Japan even.
It doesn't help that he also recognizes who he's talking to: Anos Voldigoad. The man who steals all the attention of every girl in the academy!
That damn guy, stealing away all the women. It didn't even matter if they were a year or two younger than him, the girls in Issei's class would happily attest to that. The most popular rumors at Kuoh put him with Himejima-senpai or Gremory-senpai. Maybe even both for Lucifer's sake!
Damn it! Being the Harem King was Issei's dream! How dare Anos get it the way?! At this rate, he'll have no one left to add to his harem!
As Issei silently fumes, Gremory sighs and sits herself on the couch opposite to Anos. All after she gently set Issei's head down. Her Queen— Akeno, stood beside Rias and the redhead began.
"I appreciate your help Anos, this is all very generous of you," Rias says, with the implication that she should and would repay him.
"Who do you think you're talking to, Rias?" Anos replies matter-of-fact, he isn't being humble about this however, "As if I'd let some madden fool get in the way of my interests."
Rias had been prepared to answer before she was beaten on that front. And the one who speaks is in fact a reinvigorated Issei of all things.
"Voldigoad-senpai, Buchou-senpai, on a first name basis?!" Issei said suddenly, getting up with a hand to his chest and surprise in his voice. "When?! How?! Why?!"
"You're more worried about something so trivial over the fact that you nearly died?" Anos asks, and somehow he isn't surprised with Issei's outburst and more so his lack of awareness of what he should be acknowledging.
"You're right. I did die. Almost more than once even," Issei said, with actual sincerity not known to anyone in the room before tonight, "but Buchou was kind enough to bring me back. I owe her now, because with her help, I can finally achieve all I've ever wanted if I just work hard enough."
Rias actually couldn't stop the smile on her face at Issei, she turned over at Anos who didn't utter a word. He seemed not to care for this declaration. Rias did take notice of his chuckle, however brief it was.
"Well then, let me hear it, what is it that you want?" Anos asks with minor interest. A smile tugging at his lips.
In the spur of the moment, Rias felt a pang in her stomach at the question directed at Issei. As if her own self-preservation was at stake. Unfortunately for her, Issei didn't waste any time.
"To be the Harem King and have a peerage with the best oppai out there!!!" Issei yelled out to the ceiling and then very likely the starry sky beyond it.
The room was awfully silent now. All eyes swivel to Anos who... seems unbothered by this? Almost shrugging it off in a sense. Like it was nothing. It truly was nothing; there was no need to overreact to the answer given.
It was childish and idiotic, sure, but it was rather tame with what could've been said from this generation's Red Dragon Emperor.
The research the demon-turned-human had conducted for the past user's of Boosted Gear weren't all that squeaky clean. His own experiences could have emphasized how truly unthinkable Issei's wants could have been.
Spoils of war and all that, but Anos certainly wasn't the most enthusiastic about it. Some of his fellow demon's had lived for that kind of thing in less than ideal ways, he found it rather pathetic to be so obsessed with what lies between their legs.
But in the end, he supposes it would be one of those... what did the humans call it? Oh yes, a phase. All that was needed was greater maturity and that was that.
"You know, Hyoudou," Anos returned, "Few people can say something so vulgar like that to my face."
"Well its about time someone did hotshot! And another thing! I'll become so awesomely strong and cool that I'll attract all the biggest oppai in the world! Not you! How's that sound, huh?!" Issei boldly declared.
"Sounds wonderful," Anos brushed him off without much to his voice. Rias almost laughed at his response. Akeno giggled, Kiba chuckled, and even Koneko cracked a smile.
Turning to Rias, Anos spoke again, "Congratulations, Gremory, you've picked a rather rowdy subordinate."
Rias felt her cheeks reddening, of how Anos took the revelation of her newest recruit, even when it seemed to go relatively well. Rias didn't know why, but she felt a need to please Anos; as if she wanted him to be untroubled in her presence.
It was as if she wanted to prove herself to this man before her, but she did not quite understand why as of yet.
But for the moment, as she saw how Issei kept constantly and consistently goading— or at the very least making an attempt of the word to the cherry-eyed man, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she could let the thought elude her and just enjoy the scene.
—————
Sona Sitri, ever-stoic and disciplined, found herself standing outside her sister's office room. There is an air of measured caution that surrounds her and she hesitates for a moment before finding the resolve to enter.
She takes a deep breath, and sighs. It's too heavy of a breath to be just an expulsion of air. She lifts a heavy hand to the door handle, she pauses, and she braves on.
Pushing open the door, she steps into the vibrant and whimsical room of her overly affectionate elder sister. Despite being one of the four Satans, her sister's office did not show any of the décor that one would come to expect; it being just a place chalk-full of magical girl figurines and cosplay outfits everywhere her violet eyes could see. It was akin to an inside joke, and not a particularly funny one either.
Nonetheless, ensuing Sona's half-step into crossing the threshold that is her sister's work space, a shapely figure practically launches itself towards her, arms outstretched and prompt for a bone-crushing embrace.
"Oooo! My So-tan finally came to visit her loving big sister! I missed you so much, give me a hug or better yet, a kiss~"
Sona gracefully side steps her older sister's incoming hug. It didn't matter much in the fact that Serafall was faster than her, she had already predicted the excitable Satan's movement long before it even started.
The violet-eyed beauty sighed softly, a few heartbeats after evading the initial embrace, watching her sister slide down the door with her face. Mind you, after smacking into it with enough force to bring down the whole room, if not, the building itself.
"Onee-sama." Sona lulls her speech to assure her words got through to the Leviathan. "As the Satan in charge of foreign affairs, you shouldn't let even your family have you act with any less tact. Please, this is a sensitive matter."
Hearing her tone, Serafall pouted, her exuberant expression meeting her rosy faced sister. "Aww, So-tan, don't be like that! What could be more important than seeing your loving family?"
Serafall watches her precious little sister gingerly and almost nervously adjust her oval glasses, also watching her take a calming breath. To the Sitri, it seems that her sister wasn't made aware yet so the burden was placed onto her.
Finally exhaling, Sona spoke— only for her words to come out in a murmur.
Her little sister's voice was guarded, Sona is a flush of a devil in the face of Serafall, she always is, but this time felt a little different. This is interesting to the Leviathan because it means the reason doesn't directly involve herself.
Serafall tilted her head just a bit, a cute expression on her face tied together with curious eyes. "What was that, my sweet So-tan~?"
Sona felt her face burn. She spoke again.
"I'm engaged!"
Her voice was so much louder than she wanted it to be. 'Damn it.'
Hopefully she didn't reveal more than intended in the way she composed herself, but upon considering the large, mischievous smile upon Serafall's face... she wasn't so sure.
Perhaps she should have chosen her words with more grace, because the next thoughts— and words— Serafall most definitely has are...
"To who?"
The elder sister's intrigue has peaked and Sona feels unsure as to which way to respond. In the end, a decision was made. Sona leans forward, voice low as if imparting some great secret. The Sitri could only pray to Lucifer that Serafall did not go overboard.