From my shadowed vantage point, the church felt like a tomb. My Combat Intuition wasn't just a hum anymore; it was a screaming siren in my skull, every instinct telling me to flee. Inside, Asia's gentle light was being smothered by four corrosive, cold auras.
I saw the flicker of unholy light through the grimy windows. They were starting. Now.
My fingers trembled as I dialed Rias.
She answered on the second ring. "Issei?"
"President," I hissed, my voice tight. "The abandoned church. Raynare has Asia. Three others with her. They're doing the ritual now."
A sharp intake of breath. "Issei, listen carefully. Do not move. A full group of Fallen is a death sentence for you. Stay hidden. We are coming. That is an order."
The line went dead. The logical, kingly command hung in the air. Wait. Survive.
But then I heard it, faint but clear through the stone—Asia's voice, trembling with tears. "Why? Sister Raynare, why?"
I saw the memory of her smile over ramen, her faith that "God will watch over me." Logic shattered.
"I'm sorry, President," I whispered to the silent phone, and I moved.
I burst through a rotten side door into a dark chapel. The scene in the main hall was a nightmare. Asia was on her knees in a pulsating purple circle, sobbing. Dohnaseek and Kalawarner flanked her, while Raynare stood before her, a spear of light forming in her hand.
"Such a pure, useless soul," Raynare cooed. "Your gear will be better off with us."
"Leave her alone!" I roared, stepping out of the shadows.
The reaction was instantaneous. Kalawarner and Dohnaseek spun around, hands glowing. But it was Raynare's reaction that mattered.
Her head snapped toward me. Her eyes, which a moment before were filled with cruel glee, widened in pure, unadulterated shock. The light spear in her hand flickered, nearly dissipating.
"You!?" she gasped, her voice a disbelieving whisper. "The human... I killed you! I felt your life end! I left you dead in the park!"
Her composure cracked. This was impossible. A ghost stood before her.
In that moment of stunned hesitation, I charged. I had no technique, no plan. Just raw, enhanced speed and a body full of desperate fury. I aimed straight for Raynare, hoping to tackle her, to break the circle.
I never made it.
A blur of pink and white slammed into me from the side. Mittelt.
"Where do you think you're going, trash?" she sneered, grabbing me by the throat and hurling me across the room like a ragdoll.
I crashed into a wooden pew, splintering it. Pain flared through my back. I scrambled up, only for a volley of her sharpened feathers to pepper my chest and legs. I tried to dodge, my instincts screaming, but there were too many. Searing lines of fire opened on my body. I cried out, stumbling back.
"Persistent little bug," Mittelt laughed, floating toward me. She didn't even bother with another technique. She simply backhanded me.
The impact was monstrous. My head snapped to the side, and I felt a tooth loosen. I hit the stone floor hard, skidding to a stop at the base of a pillar. Blood filled my mouth. My vision swam.
"ISSEI!" Asia screamed.
Through a haze of pain, I saw Raynare had regained her composure, her shock replaced by a colder, more vindictive fury. "Finish him, Mittelt. Permanently this time."
Mittelt stood over me, a long, cruel spear of light forming in her hand. "With pleasure. You should have stayed dead."
I tried to push myself up. My arms buckled. I was spent. My demonic energy was drained from the hits I'd taken. My body was a map of cuts and bruises. I had nothing left. No points. No tricks.
This was it. I had failed. Asia would die, and I would follow.
*No.*
The thought was a final, silent roar from the very core of my being. It wasn't just a refusal to die. It was a vow. A promise to the girl who shared her ramen. A scream of defiance against the fate that had already killed me once.
*I WILL PROTECT HER!*
I poured everything—every shred of my will, my memories, my desperation, my soul—into that single, internal scream. I directed it inward, toward the slumbering, silent power I knew was there. The power that was my birthright in this world.
**AWAKEN!**
Something answered.
A heat, unlike anything I had ever felt, erupted from the very fabric of my soul. It was ancient, draconic, and infinitely powerful. A brilliant, emerald green light exploded from my left arm, so intense it forced Mittelt to stagger back, shielding her eyes.
The light coalesced, solidified. The pain in my body vanished, replaced by a torrent of overwhelming, raw power. I looked down.