Location: Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Kyoto
Event: Kuoh Academy Second Year School Trip
The school trip was supposed to be for second-year students only. This meant Issei, Kiba, and Asia were the primary attendees.
However, Raiden sat in the First Class car, eating a bento box the size of a suitcase.
"Why are you here?" Issei whispered, looking around nervously. "You aren't a student! You're the 'Janitor'!"
"I'm 'Special Security Detail'," Raiden replied, swallowing a whole fried shrimp. "Runeas paid for the ticket. She said Kyoto has good tofu."
Sitting next to Raiden was a woman wearing a sun hat, sunglasses, and a trench coat that screamed 'I am a spy.'
"Shhh! Issei-kun!" the woman hissed. "I am not Serafall Leviathan! I am... uh... Levia-chan, the tour guide!"
Raiden sighed. "Serafall, your magical girl wand is poking me in the ribs."
"It's essential equipment for the trip!" Serafall whispered loudly. "Kyoto is the land of Youkai! I need to make sure my Raiden-chan doesn't get seduced by a fox girl!"
Ravel Phenex (via earpiece): "She has a point, Raiden-sama. The Kyuubi (Nine-Tailed Fox) clan is famous for their charm magic. Please try not to accidentally marry the local daimyo."
"No promises," Raiden grunted. "If the dowry is food, I might consider it."
Location: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Time: Afternoon
Raiden inevitably wandered off. The temples were boring, but the smell of street food was enticing. He was holding three skewers of grilled dango when he sensed a disturbance.
Clang. Clang.
The sound of steel clashing.
Raiden walked off the path, cutting through the dense bamboo.
In a clearing, a small girl with blonde hair and fox ears was backing away from three men in gray cloaks.
Kunou, the Princess of the Kyoto Youkai.
"Stay back!" Kunou shouted, holding a small dagger. "My mother will destroy you!"
"Grab her," one of the men said. "The boss needs the blood of the Kyuubi."
The men lunged.
Crunch.
A skewer stick flew through the air faster than a bullet. It pierced the hand of the lead attacker, pinning him to a bamboo stalk.
"AAAAHH!"
The men froze. They turned to see Raiden leaning against a tree, finishing his dango.
"You interrupted my snack," Raiden said, his voice dropping the temperature in the grove. "And you're bullying a kid. That's low, even for trash."
"Who are you?!" the second man shouted, drawing a magic sword. "We are the Hero Faction! We are clearing the world of monsters!"
"Hero Faction?" Raiden pushed off the tree. "I heard you guys are chewy."
He blurred.
Raiden appeared in front of the swordsman. He didn't punch. He opened his mouth and bit the magic sword.
Snap.
The blade shattered in his teeth. He spat out the shards like shotgun pellets, shredding the attacker's cloak and knocking him out.
The third man ran. Raiden let him go.
"Tell your boss I'm in town," Raiden called out.
He turned to Kunou. The little fox girl was shaking, her ears flattened against her head.
"Are you going to eat me too?" Kunou asked, teary-eyed.
Raiden looked at her.
"No. Too much fur."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a spare dango skewer.
"Here. Eat. Sugar helps with shock."
Kunou took the dango hesitantly. She took a bite. Her eyes lit up.
"Delicious..."
"Come on," Raiden turned around. "I'll take you back to your mom. I assume she's the one with the massive energy signature at the shrine?"
Kunou blushed, quickly fixing her kimono. "I am Kunou! Daughter of Yasaka! I... I command you to carry me! My legs are wobbly!"
Raiden smirked. "Fine. But you owe me dinner."
Location: Yasaka Shrine (Hidden Inner Sanctum)
Raiden walked into the main hall carrying Kunou on his shoulders.
Dozens of armed Youkai guards pointed spears at him.
"Unhand the Princess!"
"Wait!" Kunou jumped down. "He saved me! Stand down!"
From behind a screen, a woman emerged. She was tall, voluptuous, and radiated an aura of golden fire. She had nine golden tails swaying behind her.
Yasaka, the Leader of the West.
She looked at Raiden. Her eyes narrowed, her fox instincts screaming PREDATOR.
But she smiled politely.
"My apologies," Yasaka bowed slightly. "And my gratitude. You are... Raiden, correct? The 'Glutton' of the Devils."
"Word travels fast," Raiden noted.
"We keep an eye on dangerous individuals," Yasaka admitted. "You smell of Lucifer. And Leviathan. And... Fallen Angels. You are a walking cocktail of factions."
"I like variety."
Yasaka stepped closer. "The Hero Faction has been targeting us. They seek to kidnap me to summon a power that can rival the Gods. I fear a large attack is imminent."
She looked at Raiden with a calculating gaze.
"Devils and Youkai do not always get along. But... would you be interested in a job? I can offer payment in ancient spirit wine and the finest beef in Japan."
Raiden's eyes glowed. "You had me at beef."
Suddenly, the sky turned purple.
A barrier erected over the entire city of Kyoto.
"The True Longinus..." Raiden looked up. "Here they come."
Location: Togetsukyo Bridge
Enemy: The Hero Faction Vanguard
The Gremory group (Rias, Issei, etc.) was already engaging the foot soldiers on the bridge.
Issei was boosting. Kiba was slashing.
But the heavy hitters landed in front of Raiden.
A tall man with silver hair and four demonic arms on his back dropped from the sky.
Siegfried, the descend of the Dragon Slayer Siegfried. Wielder of the Demonic Sword Gram (replica) and several Dragon Arms.
"So you are the Eater," Siegfried drew a massive sword. "I am Siegfried. I slay Dragons. You possess the aura of a Dragon... let's see if you bleed like one."
Raiden cracked his neck.
"A Dragon Slayer? Finally, a toothpick."
Siegfried charged. "Dragon Slayer Art: Balmung!"
A wave of destructive energy slashed toward Raiden.
Raiden didn't dodge.
[King of Gluttony: Void Skin]
The attack hit Raiden's chest and vanished. It wasn't blocked; it was absorbed into his pores.
"What?!" Siegfried gasped.
Raiden lunged, grabbing two of Siegfried's dragon arms.
"These aren't your arms," Raiden whispered. "They're stolen Sacred Gears. Stolen goods taste better."
Rip.
Raiden tore one of the dragon arms straight off Siegfried's back.
"GRAAAHH!" Siegfried screamed, blood spraying.
Raiden tossed the arm into the air and—in a move that horrified everyone present—his shadow rose up and swallowed it.
[System Alert: Assimilated [Twice Critical] fragment. Physical Strength +15%]
"Give me the rest," Raiden said, advancing on the terrified 'Hero'.
Before Raiden could finish Siegfried, a beam of pure, holy light shot from the sky.
It was so concentrated that Raiden's instincts screamed DANGER.
Raiden crossed his arms.
BOOM.
The beam hit him, driving him into the river below. The water evaporated instantly.
Hovering above the bridge was a young man in a school uniform, holding a spear that pulsed with the light of God.
Cao Cao. Wielder of the True Longinus (The Spear that pierced Jesus Christ).
"Siegfried, retreat," Cao Cao ordered calmly. "You cannot beat him. He is a natural counter to energy attacks."
Raiden exploded out of the steam, landing on the bridge railing. His shirt was burned off, revealing the glowing tattoos of Gluttony on his torso. He looked annoyed.
"That stung," Raiden spat out a mouthful of blood. "That spear... it's not just light. It's 'Will'. The Will of the Bible God."
"Correct," Cao Cao smiled, spinning the spear. "The True Longinus is the ultimate weapon of humanity. It rejects the supernatural. It rejects you, monster."
"You talk too much," Raiden wiped his mouth.
"I am merely curious," Cao Cao pointed the spear tip at Raiden. "They say you can eat anything. Can you eat the concept of 'Holiness' itself? Can you eat the wrath of God?"
Cao Cao's eye shone.
"Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin." (Seven Treasures).
Seven orbs of light appeared around Cao Cao.
"Abilities of the Spear. One breaks weapons. One seals women. One destroys magic."
He launched an orb at Raiden.
Raiden grinned. His aura flared—a mix of black void and the purple Lucifer pride.
"God is dead, Cao Cao," Raiden crouched, ready to launch himself. "His spear is just a utensil."
Ravel (Radio): "Raiden-sama! Don't engage directly! That spear can negate your Gluttony if it hits the core! Yasaka has been captured while you were fighting Siegfried!"
Raiden froze.
He looked toward the shrine. The golden aura of Yasaka was gone. Kidnapped in the chaos.
Cao Cao bowed theatrically.
"While you played with my vanguard, my shadows took the Fox. We have what we need to summon the Great Red. Farewell, Eater."
Cao Cao and Siegfried vanished in a mist.
Raiden stood on the bridge, the water boiling beneath him.
He was pissed.
Not because they took Yasaka.
But because Cao Cao ran away before Raiden could taste the spear.
"Issei!" Raiden shouted at the Red Dragon Emperor who was helping wounded civilians.
"Y-Yes?!"
"Get your gear. We're going to the Nijo Castle."
Raiden's eyes turned into vertical dragon slits.
"Tonight, we dine on Heroes."