In the deafening silence that fell, broken only by Misaki's frightened breathing and Issei's muffled groan, Jin continued to impassively hold the spear of light. He clenched his fingers. A quiet sound, like cracking ice, rang out. Thin dark fractures ran along the shining blade, quickly spreading across its entire length. A moment later, the holy weapon shattered with a soft chime into a myriad of glowing shards, which, after swirling in the air, melted away without a trace, leaving behind only the faint smell of ozone.
The tension in the distorted space of the barrier became almost palpable. Jin slowly turned his head toward Issei, who was still sitting on the fountain's rim, staring at him with his jaw hanging open. A universal weariness was written in Jin's gaze.
"Well, what are you doing here?" he asked, and his voice held not a drop of surprise or panic, only a dull irritation.
'Great,' it flashed through his mind as he glanced sideways at the pale, uncomprehending Misaki. 'Now I'll have to explain to a normal girl why the sky is purple and all the rest. What a goddamn headache.'
He hadn't even finished the thought when, in another part of the park not far from them, a bright crimson light flared. From a magic circle that tore open in the air, bearing the crest of a griffin's head, stepped a group of teenagers. In the lead, with the air of a queen surveying her domain, walked a girl with incredible, fiery-crimson hair, her figure, clad in a school uniform, the very picture of aristocratic pride. Following her was a tall beauty with blue-black hair in a long ponytail; her sweet smile and curvaceous figure gave a deceptive impression of softness, but her movements held the dangerous grace of a predator. Beside her stood a petite girl with ash-blond hair and an almost doll-like, impassive face; she silently scanned the scene with large hazel eyes that held no emotion.
'Of course they'd show up,' Jin sighed wearily again, rolling his eyes internally. The theater of the absurd had just been joined by its main cast.
"Fallen Angel!" the crimson-haired girl's voice rang out, imperious and cold, echoing off the barrier's invisible walls. "I, Rias Gremory, heiress of the Gremory clan and mistress of this territory, demand an explanation! What are you doing here, and by what right do you attack a student of my academy?!"
Dohnaseek, having recovered from his initial shock, sneered contemptuously.
"Demons… And a Gremory, no less. I have no intention of answering to spawn like you! I am here to finish the job Raynare failed to complete!"
Unwilling to waste time talking, he roared, and a spear of light flared to life in each of his hands. With one sharp, powerful motion, he hurled them toward Rias's group. Akeno and Koneko reacted instantly: the priestess of thunder created a shield of lightning before her, which absorbed one spear with a crackle, while the petite Rook simply stepped aside, and the second spear harmlessly embedded itself in the ground where she had just stood. Dohnaseek himself, not waiting for the result, rushed toward his original target. He hoped that while the demons were distracted, he could finally finish Issei.
Creating a third spear in his hand, he drew back, but Jin once again stood in his path. This time, the fallen decided not to throw his weapon. He poured all his fury and power into one chopping blow, turning the spear into a semblance of a shining blade aimed at cutting Jin in half.
Jin looked seriously at the fallen charging him. He didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, he made a subtle movement, turning halfway toward the attack, as if giving the blade more room to strike. Time, for everyone, seemed to slow down again. The shining blade of the spear approached with a whoosh, its sharp edge, vibrating with holy energy, was already centimeters from his body. And at that very last moment, Jin raised his hand. He simply put it in the blade's path, palm open. A hissing sizzle rang out, like the sound of red-hot metal being plunged into water. The holy blade slammed into his palm and... stopped. Jin had caught it. Simply caught it, like catching a thrown ball. His fingers closed around the shining matter, and the energy raging in the spear began to die, as if being sucked into a bottomless abyss. No burn, no scratch. Only a wisp of smoke rising from his palm.
Misaki, still standing behind him, let out a choked sob, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief. Issei, Rias, and her peerage froze, stunned by what they had seen. Even Kiba, who already knew of Jin's incredible strength, couldn't hide his amazement. To catch a chopping blow from a spear of light with a bare hand... this was beyond anything they knew to be possible.
Dohnaseek froze half a meter from Jin, his hand still gripping the shaft of the useless weapon. A mask of absolute, animalistic terror was frozen on his face. He understood. Before him was a monster. Something that did not obey the laws of this world.
This realization broke his will. He let go of the spear, which immediately dissipated in Jin's hand, and, without a word, spun around sharply. With a flap of his black wings, he shot away at a desperate speed, crashing into the barrier wall. With a sound of cracking, the fallen angel broke through the magical barricade and disappeared into the night sky.
The barrier, having lost its source, flickered and disintegrated. The violet haze over the park dissipated, returning the ordinary nightscape. The silence, broken only by the splashing of the fountain, became normal again, not ominous. But for Misaki, the world would never be the same.
She stared at Jin, her body wracked with tremors. The purple sky, the winged man, the glowing spears, the boy catching them with his bare hands... Her mind refused to accept this reality. It was a dream, a nightmare. She recoiled from Jin, her face twisted in horror.
"You... who are you?... What... what was that?..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Misaki, calm down, I..." Jin began, taking a step toward her, but she cried out and stumbled back even further.
In his violet eyes, which held no magic, she now saw something monstrous. In his calmness, a threat. He wasn't human. He was one of them. One of those monsters.
Terrified by his gaze, by his outstretched hand, she turned and, sobbing, bolted away, fleeing from the park, from this nightmare, from him.
Jin froze with his hand outstretched, watching her go. He felt nothing. No regret, no anger. Only a dull, heavy emptiness.
"It's better this way."
Rias Gremory's confident, melodic voice sounded from behind him. She approached, her peerage following her.
"Ordinary humans shouldn't touch our world. It's too dangerous for their sanity. Don't worry, we'll find her later and erase her memories of this evening. For her, it will be nothing more than a bad dream."
She stopped in front of him, a polite but slightly predatory smile playing on her lips.
"And now, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Rias Gremory. And it seems we have finally met, Izayoi Jin. I've heard a lot about you."
Jin slowly lowered his hand and sighed heavily again, staring down the dark path where Misaki had disappeared. New problems. And new, annoying acquaintances.