Night had wrapped the outskirts of Kuoh Town in a thick, velvet blanket. Lanterns lazily strained their dim light onto the cracked asphalt and weed-choked sidewalks. The air was still, filled with the scent of damp earth and something elusively unsettling. And in this silence, a scene was unfolding—one painfully familiar to this world: demon versus fallen angel. Only this time, the roles were a bit muddled.
My appearance was sudden, like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. The fallen, who had raised her shining spear over a half-dead Issei, spun around. Her beautiful face twisted into a mix of surprise and poorly concealed fear. The crow-black feathers on her back trembled nervously.
"And who are you?.." she hissed, instinctively backing away. Her voice, which a moment ago had been full of furious confidence, now rang with anxiety.
Issei, sprawled on the ground and gasping for air, barely managed to lift his head. Seeing me, he muttered in disbelief, "Iza… yoi?.."
I ignored him. My gaze was locked on the fallen. A mid-rate opponent, judging by her aura. No match for Freed and his artifacts. But still... a fallen angel. A being originally created from light, but one that had chosen darkness. There was always a special, perverted malice in them.
"Just a passerby," I replied lazily, taking another step forward. The asphalt under my boots cracked faintly from the pressure. "I don't like it when people make noise outside. Especially when they're trying to kill my... acquaintance."
A faint smirk touched my lips. Yes, Issei was mostly a burden who was always stumbling into trouble, but he was part of that weird crew that managed to alleviate my boredom, at least somewhat. Besides, this fallen angel was clearly connected to that holy energy I sensed earlier. And that meant she might be the key to something more interesting.
The fallen narrowed her eyes. The fear in her gaze battled with pride and disbelief.
"Acquaintance? This brat is a demon! A lowly spawn that needs to be exterminated! And you... you reek of such power... You're not human! What are you?!"
"The one who's about to break your pretty little wings if you don't get lost." My voice was even, but it held a coldness that would have frozen the blood in any ordinary creature's veins.
That seemed to enrage her. A fallen angel's pride overruled her self-preservation.
"Insolent wretch!" she shrieked. "You think you scared me with your aura? I am Kalawarner, one who serves the true order! I will destroy both you and this whelp!"
She raised the spear of light again. The tip flared blindingly, the air crackling with holy energy. The strike was aimed directly at my chest—fast, sharp, and calculated to pierce any defense.
Issei screamed, "Watch out! That thing burns!"
But I didn't even flinch. I just held out my palm. Casually, as if swatting away a pesky fly.
BAM!
The spear of light slammed into my palm with a deafening crack. The holy energy howled, trying to sear my flesh, but it met an invisible barrier—my own power, my ultimate defense, which simply... erased it. Sparks scattered, showering the ground in glittering dust. The tip of the spear trembled and... disintegrated into tiny fragments of light, which immediately winked out.
Kalawarner froze, her mouth agape. Her eyes, wide with horror, darted from my unharmed palm to the broken shaft in her hand.
"Im... impossible... My spear... Holy power... You..."
"Boring," I cut off her sputtering. "I expected more. Is this all fallen angels are capable of? Throwing glowing sticks?"
My words hit like a slap. Fury flooded her face again, displacing her fear.
"You bastard!" She tossed aside the useless fragment and rushed me. Her movements were fast, honed by years of training. Clawed fingers (she'd clearly transformed her hands) lunged for my eyes, her black wings flapping, kicking up dust and adding to her speed.
But to me, it was all in slow motion. I easily dodged her lunge, simultaneously delivering a short, almost imperceptible elbow strike under her ribs.
CRACK!
A distinct crunch of breaking bones echoed. Kalawarner howled, her body doubling over as her attack choked. She flew back several meters, crashing hard to the ground, spitting up blood as she coughed. Her wings splayed uselessly across the dusty earth.
"Gah... khh... You... broke... my ribs..." she wheezed, staring at me in horror.
"Could have been worse," I shrugged. "I could have broken your neck. Or your spine. Or just ground you into paste. But I'm too lazy."
I walked over, towering above her crumpled figure. Issei, having somehow staggered to his feet, just watched with wide eyes, unable to say a word.
"Why did you attack him?" I asked, nodding toward Issei. "Just hatred for demons? Or was there a more... interesting reason?"
Kalawarner spat blood. "That whelp... he's the wielder... of something dangerous... My mission... was... khh... to eliminate him... before he became a problem..."
"'Wielder?'" I frowned. The Boosted Gear? Looks like the fallen sniffed something out, even if they don't grasp the full picture. "And who gave you that task? Your boss? Azazel? Or someone else?"
"None of your... business..." she hissed, trying to get up, but the pain forced her down again.
"You're mistaken. It's very much my business." I crouched beside her, my voice growing quieter, and all the more sinister for it. "See, I don't like it when feathered hens like you stir up trouble in my city and attack people I know. It disturbs my... peace. And when my peace is disturbed, I get bored. And when I'm bored... I start breaking things. Like fallen angels."
I pressed a finger lightly against her broken rib. She howled again, tears of pain and humiliation squeezing from her eyes.
"Alright... alright, I'll talk!" she wheezed. "The order... it was from Kokabiel... He... he wants a war... He wants to provoke... a new conflict... Eliminating the Red Dragon wielder... was... the first step..."
Kokabiel... I'd heard the name from Rias. One of the Grigori Cadre, known for his warmongering. Looks like something big is brewing. "So, you're just a pawn in his game. Pathetic."
I stood up. Kalawarner stared up at me, primal terror swimming in her eyes. She understood I could do anything I wanted to her.
"What about that other energy?" I asked suddenly. "On my way here, I felt another spike. Pure, warm. Holy. Who was it? An accomplice? Or your target?"
Kalawarner's face twisted. For a moment, something other than fear flashed across it—malice, disgust.
"That... girl... The nun... She... she was here... Healing... that demon..." she nodded at Issei. "Her power... it's disgusting... We were supposed to... capture her... her Sacred Gear... Twilight Healing..."
Twilight Healing? A healing Sacred Gear? And a nun? So that warm energy belonged to her. And she was helping Issei? Interesting.
"Where is she now?" I demanded.
"She fled... khh... When you showed up... she... she hid... In that old church... on the hill..." Kalawarner pointed with a trembling hand toward the silhouette visible in the distance.
"I see," I nodded. "So you failed the mission on all fronts. Didn't kill the demon, and lost the Sacred Gear. Kokabiel won't be pleased."
I turned to leave.
"Wait!" Kalawarner called out weakly. "You... you're just letting me go?"
I glanced back over my shoulder, regarding her with cold indifference. "Why would I kill you? You're not a threat anymore. You're broken and pathetic. Crawl back to your Kokabiel and give him my regards. Tell him there's someone in this town who really doesn't like his peace being disturbed. And if he pokes his nose in here again... actually, no, I'll welcome him with open arms. I'll personally pluck every one of his feathers, tear off each wing, and show him that being cast out of heaven wasn't the worst thing that ever happened to him. Now get lost, before I change my mind."
I watched as she, fighting through the pain, struggled to her feet, leaning against the wall of the house. Her black wings were tattered, one twisted at an unnatural angle. Shooting me one last look full of hatred and fear, she flapped her wings and limped into the night sky, quickly disappearing from view.
I watched her go. A pawn, then. But useful information. Kokabiel... War... And this nun with a healing Sacred Gear.
I turned to Issei. He was still standing there, staring dumbfounded, first at the sky where the fallen had disappeared, then at me.
"You... you just... let her go?" he stammered. "But she... she almost killed me!"
"She was boring," I tossed out. "And broken. Finishing off trash like that is a waste of time. Besides, she gave me some information."
"Information? What kind?"
"None of your business." I walked over and inspected his shoulder. The burn was nasty, but not fatal. "You look like shit. Where's that nun who was healing you?"
Issei flinched, remembering.
"She... yeah, there was a girl... dressed as a nun... She found me wounded after I tried to handle that 'ghost,' which turned out to be Kalawarner's trap... The nun started healing me with her power... and then that winged bitch showed up... She patched me up a bit, and then... I think she ran off when you appeared... I just thought she got scared..."
"I see." I glanced toward the old church on the hill. "So, she's there. Curious."
I turned and started walking out of the alley.
"Hey, wait!" Issei yelled. "Where are you going? What about me? I could... y'know, use a hand..."
"Call your Buchou," I threw over my shoulder. "Have her send someone to pick you up. I have more interesting things to do than babysit a hapless demon."