Chapter 46: Fly Swatting
It didn't take long for me to fly my way over to the supposedly abandoned church Rias had marked out. I wasn't worried about anyone spotting a strange, horned flying man soaring through the sky, since thanks to Partial Hypnosis, I could just disguise myself as another amongst Kuoh's strangely abundant crow population.
Of course, with the possible existence of a supernatural threat lurking about, I made sure to conceal my presence with Senjutsu for added measure as I observed the haggard, poorly maintained, soon-to-crumble religious structure from afar. Standing amongst the dense foliage and forestry that surrounded the place.
Heh, talk about convenient. If I do end up getting myself involved in some kind of confrontation here, the Sallos in me is going to have a field day with whoever's unfortunate enough to enter my crosshairs.
Speaking of Sallos…
I chose not to bring it up when I was conversing with my little crimson-haired student earlier, but I happened to notice a document or two with the familiar emblem of a tree with an abundant gathering of roots under it.
House Sallos' emblem.
Good grief… I can't even begin to guess what inspired that girl to go poking her nose where it didn't belong, or more importantly, wasn't wanted. I'm pretty sure I didn't mention anything regarding my maternal bloodline in front of her, although, I did tell Shirone that the meditation technique I was imparting to her originated from Martha.
I suppose it's possible she might have said something to her King.
But how could I have known the mere mention of Senjutsu would make her turn full-on detective!? Curiosity's a natural trait for someone her age and all, but this is definitely something I'm going to need to put a stop to. The only reason I didn't immediately chastise her is because I had a strong feeling that'd only heighten her intrigue.
I know for a fact that whatever information she had tried to dig up ended up coming barren, because pretty much anything and everything regarding my maternal family is classified, for whatever reason.
Even from me.
There was a time when I was younger when I tried asking Martha about my maternal family… which ended up becoming a not-so-pleasant memory for me, and one that ensured I'd never ask again.
If there's one thing that woman hates more than anything, it's having her personal space intruded upon.
If that wasn't already made obvious by the fact that she secludes herself in her private forest around the clock, barring anyone from entering without her explicit permission unless they're seeking their own demise.
And Rias has done exactly that, even though I imagine all she did was request basic information on the house, the kind you'd find in any old book regarding the 72 Pillars.
That information's classified for a reason.
Martha does not want it to be seen, and odds are Rias's attempted investigation was logged. Which means my mother's been made aware of her curiosity. I can't gauge what the woman's exact reaction will be, but I highly doubt it's anything positive.
Fortunately, Rias is in the human world at the moment, and while Martha may be both immensely powerful and cunning. Intruding on territory protected by the Satan Lucifer and Satan Leviathan is beyond even her, or so I hope.
Not to mention that Rias is both the younger sister of one of the said powerhouses and the Heiress to a dukedom. The chances of Martha causing her any harm are exceptionally low, she's far too logical to pull something that stupid.
Besides, it's not like Rias managed to actually extract any of the vaulted information, the security on that file is ridiculously high for some unfathomable reason. I imagine the perks of Rias' family awarded her a fair number of resources, but that doesn't change the fact that she's not yet been made Matriarch. Therefore, she doesn't have complete access to House Gremory's network.
However, the more she pokes and prods, the higher the chance of something happening to her becomes. Martha's patience is about as thin as a strand of spider's silk, this town's protection serves as a superb safeguard, but why let Rias poke the bear when it can be prevented? It's a needless, and quite frankly, stupid risk that any Guardian worth their salt wouldn't allow her to take.
If I absolutely have to, I could strongarm her into stopping as a last resort, but perhaps it'd be smarter for me to reach out to her family instead? The majority of people from Martha's generation have an ill opinion of her anyway, so it'd probably be easier to get them to convince Rias to stop.
As a matter of fact, I think it'd be best to just approach Lord Lucifer. If anyone understands the importance of steering clear of classified information like that, it'd be the Head of Domestic Affairs.
I'll make a mental note to myself to handle that later, for now, I've got a church to investigate.
I stepped out of the brush with Sylvie snugly confined within my robes, making it near-impossible for someone to catch me off-guard unless I were to be attacked by a Satan-Class existence.
The first thing I noticed about the church was the odour that clung tightly to its stony exterior, akin to smoke or charred ash, one which tickled my nostrils and made my nose twitch in discomfort.
Though unfamiliar to me at first, once I realized that my body was demonstrating some kind of innate aversion to the scent, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.
It was the smell of Light Magic, and judging by its sheer potency, I think Rias was right in assuming someone was here. The only question is who? Exorcist? Angel? Or Fallen Angel?
I decided against entering through the front wooden double-door to avoid making any sound or activating any kind of mechanism that'd alert anyone. After all, magic was the only way I could be detected, someone could always place a rudimentary door sensor on the floor, walls, or ceiling.
Then again, maybe that's just my paranoia speaking.
Sue me.
I started to circle the church, keeping on the lookout for a window that was broken enough for me to vault over, as well as any detection barriers or instruments I might have missed during my initial scouting of the area. Granted, I doubt that's possible while I have Sylvie with me.
Here we are, I smirked upon finding a suitable entry point, making sure to coat my feet in a layer of Wind Magic to suppress the sound of my footsteps before sneaking through the window frame.
And once I was able to observe the church's interior, an immediate flash of realization hit me.
Any and all holy artifacts that had once been present with the structure, whether they were crosses, murals, or statues, had been destroyed. Not worn-down, not stolen, not left to gather moss with time's endless march.
Destroyed.
Smashed.
Battered.
It was unmistakably purposeful. I'd even go as far as to describe it as resentful, the way the artifacts had been torn to pieces and scattered all over the floor gave the impression of hate. I could even see a pile of Bibles in the corner of the church, all with gaping holes stabbed right through them, as if someone had taken a knife to each individual one.
Well then, this definitely narrows things down, doesn't it? I doubt an Exorcist would ever do such a thing, and I don't think an Angel is even physically capable of doing so.
This is the work of a Fallen Angel.
Grigori's here.
I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or more concerned than I already am.
On the one hand, I'm a lot less scared of a Fallen Angel than I am of Heaven's fanatical wrath.
On the other hand, we share a border with Grigori in the Underworld, and considering the ceasefire's already fragile state. There's a good chance of me sparking up quite the conflict if I'm not careful. Which probably wouldn't sit very well with Serafall.
Can't say I'm all that interested in getting turned into an ice statue.
But it's not like I can just leave this be, can I? I have a responsibility to protect Kuoh Town and its two princesses. At least one Fallen Angel, and potentially multiple of them, have moved into a devil-protected area without authorization. There's no way I can let that slide.
And if I'm being honest, I think Serafall and Lord Lucifer are the type to prefer war with Grigori over risking anything happening to their little sisters. It might be foolhardy, but I believe it's safe to assume they'd side with me if it came down to it.
Besides, we have the special existences that are Lord Beelzebub and Lord Lucifer, whereas Grigori doesn't. If I were the Governor-General, I'd avoid a war with us at all costs.
Assuming said Governor-General's a man of logic.
One can only hope.
Anyhow, I can worry about Great War Two electric-boogaloo later, for the time being, I should continue investigating. Finding where this Fallen Angel or these Fallen Angels are is of utmost importance.
"Massster, look," Sylvie poked her head out from my collar like usual, pointing her head in the direction of the church's altar at the furthermost end of the room.
"Oh?" I let out an amused hum, noticing a faint but evident sheen of light leaking out from the base of the altar, signalling the existence of something beneath.
A hidden entrance, huh? How novel.
I approached the altar and knelt down, planting the side of my face against the floor beside it, allowing me to pick up on three things thanks to my enhanced hearing.
Faint shuffling, low muttering, and hoarse cackling.
I deliberated on whether or not to deploy my Ki Sense, ultimately deciding that I might as well take my chances with the low odds of a Fallen Angel being able to notice the presence of a Senjutsu practitioner. Even if I get caught, I'm well within my rights here, they're the ones who decided to intrude on devil-owned territory. They only have themselves to blame if this ends up poorly for them.
Phew, fortunately, though, I was able to deploy my Ki Sense without a hitch. And honestly, I'm both a little disappointed and confused with what I've picked up on.
Disappointed, because the two presences I sensed are extremely weak, to the point where I might even be able to knock them out simply by pressuring them down with my raw Ki alone.
Confused, because only one of them appears to be a Fallen Angel, accounting for the abundance of Light Magic stored within their core.
There's a human in there.
There are a few trickles of Light Magic clinging to him, but it's not nearly as potent as the Fallen Angel he's with. His scent might be a little confusing, but he's still mostly human as far as I'm concerned.
Strange.
How very strange.
It couldn't be an Exorcist, could it? No, never in a million years would they collaborate with a Fallen Angel, the resentment between them is much, much too strong.
But when you put a human and Light Magic together, an Exorcist is the only product I can think of.
Ah, my eyes widened, recalling a vague topic I had learned about during one of my many tutoring sessions with Thora.
Unfortunately, it was one conducted with past Alduin's poor level of attentiveness, so I didn't have any in-depth knowledge, however, what I did know would suffice for the time being.
It could be a Stray Exorcist.
From what little I remember, Exorcists who end up being exiled by the church tend to rely on Fallen Angels for support. It makes sense when you think about it, they're both existences that fell from grace after turning on their kind. They have every reason to form a bond of co-dependency with one another with their shared hatred for Christianity.
Oh well, Stray Exorcist or not, the person in question's hardly capable of giving me any trouble. My investigation can continue as planned.
"Sylvie," I whispered, keeping my voice down. "I'm going to go in and see what I can uncover. I need you to stay here and keep watch over me, so no one enters without my knowledge."
She exchanged her silent acknowledgment, slithering off to a discrete corner of the ruined church to maintain her vigilance.
There's a small chance that I might get tunnel visioned while I'm eavesdropping on whatever's transpiring beneath me, but a chance nonetheless, and I'm not particularly in the risk-taking mood. My clash with Tiamat's essence more than worked that urge out of me for at least a month.
===
Raynare, a Fallen Angel that had been assigned to Kuoh Town by the Governor-General himself, breathed a deep sigh of grievance as she looked upon the clerically fitted, silver-haired bishounen standing before her.
Freed Sellzen.
A Stray Exorcist she made the questionable choice of recruiting, one who despite having been once deemed a "genius" by the Catholic Church, ended up being excommunicated because of his overwhelmingly violent urges, and the fact that the Vatican quickly realized he held no faith in their treasured Lord to begin with. The Church valued an Exorcist's talent, but having a mad dog like Freed running around was bound to hurt their reputation far more than his expertise would improve it.
Specifically, their reputation amongst humanity, and the faith they held in them. Or, more importantly, the faith the governments of the world had in them.
Funding was of great importance to them after all.
Besides, Freed Sellzen wasn't a natural being in the first place. They could always make another, only this time accounting for any behavioural misgivings.
Such was the Church's way.
Create, discard, recreate, repeat. Anything could be justified if it brought them the influence and high standing they lusted after with abandon.
As for why Raynare decided to bring the Stray Exorcist into her fold, despite the fact that such an action would be heavily frowned upon by her leader?
Well, she had done so in the pursuit of a side project that'd receive much more than a mere frown from the Governor-General. Honestly, it wouldn't be a stretch to say it'd offend the figurehead on a personal level, not just a political one.
But that was fine!
She'd make sure he never found out, and it's not like there was anything wrong with what she was doing in the first place.
Why? Because it was all for the Governor-General's sake!
Everything she did was! Every action! Every breath! Every thought! It was all to please the Governor-General! It was all for Grigori's benefit!
And because of that, the ends justified the means. What she did was of no consequence since, in the end, it'd make her a more useful asset to Grigori.
Maybe she'd even end up getting a promotion.
Besides, Kokabiel himself, one of Grigori's esteemed Cadres, had encouraged her to follow through with her ambitious scheme. If a figure that high up the food chain had given Raynare his blessing, then surely the Governor-General couldn't hold it against her?
Granted, she'd rather he not find out at all, the Governor-General's undying, nigh fanatical infatuation with their scorned creator's Biblical Armaments spread far and wide. It was common knowledge even to those who resided in the farthest reaches of the known universe.
Even Kokabiel had acknowledged that fact could prove severely problematic for her if their Governor were to become aware of what she was planning, especially considering the device she was storing in her basement.
If she wanted her plan to go off without a hitch, she needed to act both quickly and efficiently so she could get rid of all the evidence before the Governor-General noticed something was awry.
"So," Raynare began, narrowing her lavender-tinted irises. "Have you made any progress? Or will I already have to rethink our partnership before it even properly begins, Sellzen?"
Freed breathed a hoarse cackle, not even mildly perturbed by her demeanour.
"Kekeke! You needn't stress that pretty little face of yours Ray-Ray! Your trusty, reliable, strong, exceedingly handsome Exorcist—!"
"Stray Exorcist," she coughed, followed by a faint snicker.
"Bwah! Same difference!" Freed huffed before plastering on a feigned pout. "Anyhow! As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, Ray-Ray, was that I've already made preparations to deliver our adorable former Holy Maiden unto our doorstep!"
"Preparations?" She raised an eyebrow, dissatisfied by his lack of clarity.
"Why the suspicious look? That girl has nowhere else to go following her banishment, do you really think I, the great Freed Sellzen, a genius Exorcist—!"
"Stray Exorcist."
"AGH! Quit interrupting me Ray-Ray! I'm attempting to give you the good news! Would it kill ya to show a little more appreciation?" He stomped, childishly flailing his arms before sighing and resting his palm against his forehead. "Point being, all I did was throw around a few lofty buzzwords here and there that I learned during my time with the Vatican, alongside a few mentions of empathy, compassion, so on and so forth. And VOILÀ! She took the bait without a second thought! Hehehe, I'm amazing, aren't I?"
Raynare leaned forward, displaying a little more emotion on her face.
"You're certain she'll come here?"
"Sure as can be! She should arrive in no less than a week, and then you'll have your Firelight Peeling or whatever it was—"
"Twilight Healing."
"Fuckin' hell, have you got a fetish for interrupting me or something, woman?" Freed deadpanned, slouching in dejection.
She scoffed. "Oh, please, the concept of anyone having a fetish regarding anything at all involving you is pure fantasy."
"Hmph! How rude, I'll have you know I was quite the heartthrob back at the Vatican," he ran his fingers through his bangs while posing. "The sisters just couldn't get enough of good ol' badboy Freed."
In his defence, he was quite the looker, but any charm his appearance carried could be nullified after exchanging no more than a few words with the detestable man.
"Now then," Freed's posture stiffened as he wiped off a noticeable amount of his flippancy. "I've held up my end of the bargain, isn't it about time you return the favour?"
Despite his behaviour, Freed understood the kind of relationship he had entered with Raynare perfectly. Sure, both Stray Exorcists and Fallen Angels were both existences that had turned their backs on the Church and Heaven, however, that didn't necessarily mean they shared a sense of camaraderie.
One would always believe themselves the other's superior, and even if biological grievances were somehow cast aside, friendliness wasn't exactly a trait commonly associated with such people.
Give and take, that was all there was to it. No matter what happened, that fact would remain forever present between both parties.
And if it were to be disrupted, even just a little, blood would be spilled.
Raynare exhaled, handing Freed a sticky note with an address written down on it.
"He's a businessman contracted to the Gremory's Queen, it's a fairly high-profile contract like you wanted, and once the Queen notices something's happened to her client, it'll hopefully keep the Gremory group scrambling, distracted, and disoriented for a little while."
Of course, Raynare was acting on the assumption that Rias Gremory wasn't aware of the presence of Fallen Angels in her territory.
Or any other devil dwelling in Kuoh Town for that matter.
Freed let out a low, satisfied hum.
"Oh? That's pretty clever of ya' Ray-Ray! By the time they figure out who's responsible for the devil-worshipping dog's execution, you'll have already finished your fun little pet project you've got going on here." His lips curled upwards into a wry, twisted grin. "However, I could always do better than this if you'd just give me the greenlight, you know? You'd have a lot more freedom to move if I just went after the princesses themselves—"
"Stick to the fucking agreement, Freed." She cut him off with a harsh, admonishing glare. "If I find that a blade or bullet so much as grazes someone I haven't explicitly pointed you at, the deal's off, no buts, ands, or ifs. I'll even come hunt you down myself, I have to. Understood?"
Freed raised both his hands. "Woa-hoh! No need to get your tits, which are quite voluptuous, might I add, in a twist! It was just a suggestion!"
Raynare exhaled deeply, sliding her palm down her face in exasperation.
"Just get out of my sight already before I stab you."
"Sheesh, aren't you just a bundle of joy—"
"Now."
A pink spear-like construct brimming with Light Magic appeared in her hand.
"Okey-dokey!" He took off in a sprint towards the exit, finally relieving the Fallen Angel of his tiresome presence.
The deal between them was simple.
He'd deliver a Holy Maiden to her doorstep.
And she'd give him targets to exercise his bloodlust on.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Raynare flicked her wrist, looking down at her watch.
"I still have an hour before Dohnaseek and the rest get back with their reports," she sighed, stretching her arms upwards until her shoulders let out a satisfying pop. "I should properly use that time to get some R&R in."
She too made her departure, leaving the hidden Fallen Angel base unmanned for the time being.
===
'Dohnaseek and the others,' huh? I pondered inwardly while stepping out of the shadows, listening in on 'Ray-Ray' and 'Freed's' conversation hadn't proved to be much of a challenge, as expected.
All I had to do was mask my presence with Senjutsu and erase the sight of me from their field of view with Partial Hypnosis. Honestly, I could've walked up and stood right next to them if I wanted to, and they'd be none the wiser.
More importantly, I'm glad I decided to eavesdrop instead of jumping the gun and apprehending them both.
First of all, I've confirmed that more than one Fallen Angel is operating in Kuoh Town besides the black-haired girl. Unfortunately, she only named one of them, so I'm not sure what the exact number is, but life is rarely ever that convenient. I'm not complaining.
I think it's safe to assume 'Ray-Ray's' the one in charge of the group, I don't see why else the rest would be reporting to her if that weren't the case. Not to mention that she's the one who conjured some kind of a deal with that Stray Exorcist.
Come to think of it, she also mentioned his last name at some point, didn't she? Sellzen, I believe it was?
It seems worth investigating.
Second of all, there's all that talk about luring a "Holy Maiden." As well as whatever that "Twilight Healing", was. From what I understood, that person's a representative— well, former representative, I believe, of the Church.
I guess that's why the Fallen Angel's working with Freed, since he seems to have the means to accomplish that.
Which brings me to the third thing I picked up on, which is the fact that Raynare's handing Freed the location of a human Akeno's contracted with in exchange for his service.
Obviously, I'm not just going to sit back and let one of my students' clients be murdered. I have no qualms with getting rid of Freed, he's not affiliated with the Church anymore, so there'll be no political repercussions following his death.
The Fallen Angels, on the other hand? Now that's a little more complicated.
What I need to know more than anything is whether they're acting independently or if they're acting under Grigori's orders.
If it's the former, I guess I'll just kill them and be done with it.
But if it's the latter, then a call to Serafall might be in order. I have a decent amount of authority here, but I think starting a war might be a little bit above my pay grade.
Anyhow, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'd love to stay here and snoop around through their base, but I've got a Stray Exorcist assassination I need to stop. So that'll have to go on the back burner.
Eh, it's not like this place is especially hard to infiltrate. I could probably come back right after I've dealt with Freed if I'm being frank.
===
Following the address Raynare had given him, Freed found himself standing amidst the wealthier side of Kuoh Town's residential complex. A neighbourhood commonly inhabited by businessmen, government officials, and other citizens of upper-level corporate calibre.
"Sheesh," Freed blew an impressed whistle. He couldn't help but envy the profligate lodgings around him. Unless you were a Bishop or higher back at the Vatican, you wouldn't be able to even dream of living amongst such luxury with the less-than-generous stipends you were awarded. "Maybe I should try pushing Ray-Ray into hooking me up with something like this, Lord knows I deserve it for all my hard work!"
He cackled to himself, ignoring the cautious looks of perturbed residents around him and continuing on his way.
In a neighbourhood such as this, appearing even slightly unruly was more than enough to get the cops called on you.
Seeing a silver-haired, crimson-eyed priest laughing to himself out in public more than fit the description of "unruly." But Freed couldn't care less, by the time the cops arrived, he'd be finished with his fun little excursion and long gone.
The Stray Exorcist was many things, but inefficient wasn't one of them.
Eventually, Freed found himself standing before a luxury condo complex, his eyes switching back and forth between the note in his hands and the individual floors that made up the high-end residential structure.
His target resided on the seventh floor. A man by the name of Matsuda Toshio, CEO of an exceedingly popular news station situated in Kuoh, with a broadcasting reach that extended to a considerable portion of Tokyo's area.
Of course, to obtain such a wide reach, Toshio needed connections. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the most talented man around when it came to securing them. He had done well enough to secure a decent monopoly over Kuoh Town's media, but beyond that? He found himself struggling.
His ambitions of expansion burned hot, but he just didn't have the tools to bring that dream to fruition. Leaving him in a frustrating state of limbo, where his station remained successful, but not nearly as successful as he wanted it to be.
Silver, but never gold.
Once his desperation and greed reached a breaking point, a strange flyer landed in Toshio's mailbox. Promising the help of supernatural creatures known as 'devils'.
At first, it was naught but laughable. A crude joke probably sent out by some weirdo with a little too much free time on their hands.
However, Toshio's greed wouldn't stop tugging at him. To the point where it nearly felt like it was about to tear him in two.
So, with no tangible expectations in mind whatsoever, he bit the bullet.
And lo and behold, a devil had in fact appeared before him. A woman who went by the name of Akeno Himejima, who offered to handle Toshio's cross-company relations in exchange for his monetary commitments.
At first, Toshio had been sceptical, but after naming Akeno as a representative of his company and watching her work her magic with his clients, he was convinced. He couldn't help but be astounded. It was like the word "no" had been completely erased from their vocabulary when she was in a room with them.
For all he knew, she might as well be brainwashing them.
But did he care?
No, not even a little. Whatever she was doing, it was working, it was bringing Toshio the influence and awarding him the connections he sought after in a matter of days. Akeno had even been gracious enough to give him a few tips here and there, of course, after all, the contract she had made with him was for life.
She knew better than to risk having a client cancel on her because they deemed her services no longer useful. Especially when that client was a cutthroat businessman like Toshio. It wasn't like the man took any issue with that stipulation. He was the type to maintain his greed even when he was all old, wrinkly, and grey.
However, unbeknownst to Toshio, making a contract with a devil had caused him to adopt a particular scent. One that only supernatural existences could pick up on, including powered humans who possessed special abilities.
Like Exorcists.
Like Freed, who could feel that scent grow more and more pungent the closer he got to the complex.
Did Akeno ever think to warn him of such a thing?
No, of course not. Why would she? The only other supernaturals in Kuoh Town were Sona and her peerage. And the chances of an Exorcist coming for him were practically null, the town was publicly marked as under the protection of both Lucifer and Leviathan.
"Kekeke! This is gonna be fun! It's about damn time badboy Freed returned to action!" Freed crouched, making full use of his empowered muscles as an artificial human to leap as high as he could. Completely bypassing the complex's lobby security and landing on the first floor's balcony with ballet-like grace.
And then the second.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Then the fifth.
Then the sixth.
And finally, the seventh.
"Yosh! Let's see what we've got here," he started to peer through the balcony window while standing on the railing, cupping his hands around his eyes in the shape of a binocular for whatever reason. "O-TO! I wasn't expecting this!"
Sitting on the living room couch watching television was a man who looked to be in his early 30s, with corporate fashioned, slicked back black hair. He wore a simple outfit consisting of a light-blue dress shirt and black trousers.
Judging from the devil-tainted odour clinging to him, Freed was pretty damn confident he was Matsuda Toshio, his target.
But he wasn't the only one inside.
Sat beside him was a brunette woman of similar age, calmly resting her head against his shoulder. And on his lap was a girl who couldn't be any older than five.
"Who would've thought? The devil-worshipper's a family man!" Freed's sickening grin intensified. "I really ought to thank Ray-Ray. I wasn't expecting to get a three-for-one deal! Guess my luck's starting to turn around, eh? Not bad, not bad at all."
He hopped up, latching onto the balcony's roof and swinging backwards, aiming his feet at the glass panel.
"It looks like it's time for a—" He swung forward, propelling his body into the window. "—FREED SUPERHERO ENTRANCE! ZE!"
His feet slammed through the glass, causing it to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces and alert every member of the Matsuda household.
"WH-WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Toshio jolted upright, quickly standing upright and stepping in front of his wife and daughter in a defensive posture. Which was both admirable and pointless, seeing as he was naught but an ordinary human.
"Who am I? No, no, no. That's not the question you ought to be asking target-kun!" Freed sucked his teeth, comically wagging his finger at him. "The real question is, who are you?" He reached into his clerical coat, withdrawing a silver, encrusted handgun. Which caused Toshio to take a sharp, dread-induced breath. "Stumped? Not to worry! Sensei Freed will give you the answer at the house! You, my friend, are a low-life, pathetic, rat-like existence known as a devil-worshipper!"
Step by step, Freed inched closer to him. Thoroughly enjoying the look of unparalleled terror on Toshio's face as the man looked frantically around his household, probably wondering if there was anything he could do to save himself.
"P-Papa… who's that…?" His daughter nervously tugged at his shirt.
"Excellent question, daughter-kun!" Freed beamed while pointing at her. "I'm none other than the glorious, esteemed, exceptionally handsome Freed Sellzen! An Exorcist who's been sent to, well, exorcise the scourge that is your father from the face of humanity! But you needn't fret, daughter-kun, I'll make sure to send you right with him alongside your Mama! I'm not so crude as to separate a lovely family—"
Freed stopped himself, his trained eyes quickly noticing that something was awry.
"Oi, I'm in the middle of giving you a heartfelt monologue. Isn't it a little rude to turn away before I'm finished? Hmph, not that I expected anything less of someone like you."
Despite the situation, Toshio's attention had somehow been directed elsewhere. His gaze was completely fixated on whatever was looming over Freed's shoulder.
With his curiosity now piqued, he started to track Toshio's gaze, eager to know what could possibly divert his target's attention away from the stunning performance he was puttin—
Slash!
Freed's world went dark.
A force had swept its way through his neck and swiftly lopped his head right off his shoulders.
Before he had the chance to even begin deciphering what had just happened to him, the Stray Exorcist had died.
"Talk about anticlimactic," a blasé voice sighed, swiping his hand across the air to flick the dripping blood coating appendage onto the floor. "Alrighty then, now that that's handled. Let's get the three of you somewhere safe, shall we? His friend's probably going to come check out this place once she realizes he's gone."
===
Whelp, there goes Freed. Can't say it's very surprising seeing as Alduin not only entered Ultimate-Class after his awakening ceremony, but has also successfully consumed Tiamat's blood.
Of course, Freed was only the tip of the iceberg. Whatever's going on in Kuoh, is nowhere near being fully resolved. There's plenty of work to be done.
———
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