(1st POV)
"We steal a sacred gear." I said with a grin on my face.
I kept my gaze locked on her emerald-green eyes, waiting for some sort of reaction, shock, confusion, anything. But… nothing came.
She just stared at me, unfazed. Based on her expression, I could tell… she was not surprised by my words at all. It appeared more like she was reading a book only she could read.
"…Is something wrong?" I asked. She was acting strange all of a sudden. Usually, she'd exaggerate anything I say or maybe flirt or even tease me for my craziness.
"Aww, did I surprise you?"
Ah, there she goes. Her tone had her usual teasing edge to it.
What the hell was she on about?
"As much as I appreciate your idea," she said, "I think it'd bring me more trouble than it's worth."
Trouble?
What harm would owning a Sacred Gear that wasn't even a Longinus bring? I wondered.
"What kind of trouble?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
She didn't look away or blink. "Sacred Gears are made by the Biblical God. Having one is enough to make me a walking target for Heaven. I… don't know how God would react if He found out about my… otherworldly devil powers."
She paused, uncertainty written in her eyes. "My powers… they're fueled by humanity's fear of bombs. You think something like that could go unnoticed by God? Who is probably one of the strongest beings in the world?"
Her voice was calm, but there was harsh truth buried in it. She was scared… of God? At least that's how it appeared to me.
But for someone who didn't know the truth, her logic almost made sense to me.
She actually believed that if she stole a Sacred Gear, God Himself might notice… and smite her for being a devil who fed on humanity's fear. He would most likely see her as a threat to humanity itself.
After all, nuclear weapons exist in this world, unlike in Chainsaw Man, where Pochita erased the Nuclear Bomb Devil. If Reze ever reached her full potential, she might actually become powerful enough to topple entire factions.
But honestly? I couldn't blame her. Looking at this world's history, the Biblical God wasn't just an ordinary god… he was a force of nature. He had a mixed reputation in the supernatural world—both of awe and fear.
There was this one story that really stood out to me. It was the legend of the so-called Wise King, blessed directly by God, Solomon. Turns out the legend's real… and the guy actually made all 72 pillar devils his bitches. No wonder the devils removed that part from history.
I guess they didn't like remembering the days when one human enslaved almost their entire race.
Makima told me about its legitimacy, after our… first night together.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Her brow furrowed. "What's so funny, Aleks-kun?"
Should I tell her? Once I dropped that bomb, there'd be no going back.
I took a slow breath. "Once you hear this, you can't unhear it. Are you sure?"
"Umm… okay?" She tilted her head, half confused.
"God… is dead." I said as if I was revealing the secrets of the Universe.
For a moment she didn't react. And then…
"For real?" Reze asked, as she smoothly shifted our positions.
Before I could blink, she was straddling me, her face dangerously close to me.
"I believe you," she said, her tone was as calm as ever.
I froze. Seriously? No freak outs or anything?
This girl… the more time I spend with her, the more I see her different sides.
"You're joking, right?"
"You believe me? Just like that?" I asked, disbelief creeping into my voice.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully, while her eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Hmmm… I was a little shocked at first, but then I thought about it. You killed a God-class evil dragon, made Makima obsessed with you, and that whole Sebastian mess? You always surprise me… but you never forget to watch my back."
She smirked, voice low and teasing.
"I'd be the fool to think you'd joke about something like this with that serious expression."
"So tell me, Aleks-kun," she leaned closer, "Is there anything you're not capable of?"
I froze for a moment, words caught in my throat. Knowing how she saw me… it felt strange, but strangely good.
"Yeah… forgetting the two women stuck in my mind," I blurted without much thought.
Forgetting Reze and Makima was an impossibility. I had come too far to let myself be detached from them.
These two…
(Image: This is what he is thinking 😂)
I pictured the two of them with me, the three of us living a happy life together. A man could dream… even if it was the kind of dream that could get him killed one day.
Her green eyes narrowed, never leaving mine. That's when I realized I'd stepped on a landmine. Reze never liked it when I brought up Makima… and now I'd made it worse.
I sighed. "Forget it. I didn't mean to bring that up."
She suddenly grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to look at her. Her grip was tighter than usual. Maybe I had managed to piss her off.
"Tell me who they are, Aleks-kun~" she asked with a smile that was anything but gentle.
"Reze, you know exactly who I'm talking about."
"No. Say it. I want to hear it from your mouth."
"It's you…" I let my gaze linger on her, "…and Makima."
Her smile faltered for just a second before snapping back into place.
"Makima, huh?" Reze's smile curved just enough to sting. "You've got Stockholm syndrome, Aleks-kun. Maybe it's time you meet a psychiatrist?"
She pushed herself off me and settled beside me, her knees drawn close to her, as her fingers loosely rested on them. Her gaze wandered to the cherry blossoms swaying around us.
Her eyes stayed locked on the blossoms, and then her tone dropped.
"Seriously… Makima's going to get you killed one day, probably while calling it 'love.'"
I shuddered at the thought. Makima was becoming a bit like a Yandere. If it ever came to that… I guess I'd—
"Anyway," she cut in, snapping me out of it, "as much as I'd love to keep talking about your unhealthy love for Miss Makima, we're getting sidetracked."
Her eyes slid back to mine, sharp again.
"So… how exactly are we stealing a Sacred Gear? And please tell me you're not crazy enough to infiltrate Grigori."
Her words yanked me out of my thoughts. I pushed myself upright and sat beside her.
"Nope. We're not infiltrating Grigori."
"That's… reassuring." Reze heaved a sigh of relief.
"But," I said with a grin creeping back onto my face, "we are going after Azazel, the Governor General of Grigori."
"…Huh?" She blinked slowly, she looked amused contrary to her words.
"You're serious? I mean he's no match for you, so it is a possible option. But… why would you go that far?"
She leaned back as she gave some thought on my plan. And then a slowly, smile formed on her face.
"This isn't just about stealing sacred gear is it? You've got a personal grudge against him, don't you?"
"A grudge?" I scoffed, clenching my fists. "I want to strangle that piece of shit. He sent a fallen angel after my family. If it wasn't for me, that bitch would've killed them all."
Thinking about that nameless fallen angel stirred up memories I'd wanted to forget.
From what I know, Azazel usually orders his underlings to eliminate Sacred Gear users deemed talentless,
those who pose more of a threat than a benefit to the world.
Yana might have been a normal human once, but she was far from being talentless.
Those fallen angels always hide behind the "protecting the world" bullshit, when their only goal is to save their asses from being targeted.
Fucking scums.
How many humans have died because of their whims?
No matter what happens, one thing will never change…
…I hate those monkeys.
Then I felt Reze's hands cup my cheeks. I looked up to see her studying me with a curious expression.
"Hmmm… you're not sick. Strange. I swear I felt heat radiating from your body."
"You really hate him, huh?" she teased softly.
I didn't blink and kept my tone calm.
"Reze… are you with me on this?" I asked, offering her my hand.
Her gaze locked onto mine, she did not back down. Then a genuine smile crept up on her face.
"Always. I'll always stand by you, Aleks-kun." Her tone was soft yet reassuring.
She reached out and intertwined her fingers with mine.
***
(3rd POV)
Same day, around 11 pm.
Azazel was having a what you call productive day off. To him, this was his usual day where he spent half the day in leisure by the excuse of observing the pawn of Rias Gremory's peerage.
Drinking booze, smashing baddies, researching sacred gears and potentially recruiting their users to Grigori, this was all his usual gig nowadays.
Currently he had temporarily relocated to an apartment complex he had bought, two stops away from Kuoh City.
On the second floor of the apartment, he sat on his luxurious chair holding a handheld console, playing the most recent launch of P*kemon on his Switch.
But instead of focusing on the game, his mind was focused elsewhere. He had been trying to solve this mystery for a few years by now.
He had been puzzled about the resignation of his field agents, Tobio and Lavinia, roughly three years ago.
He was shocked hearing a tragic incident happening, which cost the lives of three members of the Slash Dog team.
While he believed he was not that heartless, he was glad it was Tobio and Lavinia who survived.
To him, they were some of his best agents whom he had carefully garnered their trust.
Longinus users are always the most valuable asset to factions like Grigori.
Naturally, he prioritized their safety over others like Kouki, Natsume, etc.
He couldn't picture why they would resign and leave Grigori. To him, trauma was one thing, while leaving Grigori was a completely different thing.
All he knew was they were working for the Supernatural Public Safety Bureau, under the woman named Makima.
That woman… he felt chills just from her gaze. A kind of feeling he had never even felt since the Great War.
Maybe she had something to do with Tobio and Lavinia. He had been trying to investigate her for years now, but he'd never managed to find anything valuable.
To someone as smart as him, this task felt impossible.
Azazel put down his Switch with a frustrated sigh, eyes narrowing as he rubbed his temples.
"Three years, and still no clue…" he muttered. "That woman… how the hell does she manage to keep her secrets so well?" He was beginning to crash out, for someone as calm and reserved as him, this was a rare moment.
He took a long sip from his sake cocktail and stretched his arms wide.
"Haa, I wish I could fondle some breasts right now."
Then his gaze shifted past the half-finished sake on the table, until it landed on the wall. An antique, probably very expensive angel-themed clock ticked away with that faint clicking sound.
11:07 p.m.
"Anytime now, huh," Azazel murmured.
He wasn't even hungry, but pizza was different. Besides alcohol, he loved pizza very much. To him it was almost like a ritual. He had always made time for it, even in his busy schedule.
Outside, the hallway beyond his door was dead quiet.
The clock continued ticking until…
DING DONG
The doorbell rang.
He stood and slowly headed towards the door. The room feeling even quieter now.
His hand curled around the knob, feeling the metal cool under his fingers.
Click.
The door swung open.
A young Russian woman stood in the doorway, standing about five foot five inches tall. She had shoulder-length purple hair and beautiful emerald-green eyes. But what really caught Azazel's attention was the thin black choker circling her neck.
She wore a familiar pizza delivery uniform, firmly holding a steaming cardboard box in her right hand. Azazel didn't need to open it to know what it was: pepperoni with truffle, his favorite.
"Hello there~ Here's your order, sir," she said with enthusiasm, a smile creeping across her face.
Azazel raised a brow. She was not the usual delivery girl.
"You're new? Where's Rina-chan?" he asked, recalling the timid delivery girl who had been bringing him pizza almost every night this month. Her habit of constantly botching or bringing the wrong order was something he found quite amusing.
"My name's Reze, рад встрече!" she said, lifting her cap in a polite gesture. "Just moved here recently with my boyfriend. Night shifts have kept me busy all night… gotta hit my rent quotas somehow."
Azazel gave a slow nod. But inwardly, he was analyzing her. He felt no supernatural aura from her. She looked completely human as far as his senses could tell. And yet, something about her heart… it gave him creeps.
"Well, thanks for the delivery, Reze-chan. I'll be—" he wasted no time, he did not wish to associate himself with her any further.
He began to close the door, but her hand slid forward, palm pressing against the edge, her smile never faltering.
"What's the rush? I'm new in town, thought I could chat with someone friendly. My boyfriend's also new here."
Her words were simple, but Azazel couldn't help but suspect an ulterior motive behind them.
Azazel's eyes narrowed. "Tempting. But I've got urgent work. My apologies…"
"I see…" She tilted her head, voice calm yet sweet. "Shame. I thought tonight would've been perfect for…"
"For?"
Her smile vanished, while her fingers brushed her choker.
"…you to die."
And then she pulled her pin.
BOOM
***
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Author's Note:
What do you guys think of Reze's character from Chainsaw Man?
Have I done a better job portraying her here? Lemme know!
Also, don't forget to vote! Have a nice day, see ya next time! ✌️