I was walking the deserted streets, returning from the district with the old church. The air was cool, but a faint spark still burned inside me—the aftertaste of a short but brutal skirmish. Raynare's broken wings, her humiliated wail, the fear in the fallen's eyes… It was… almost amusing. They came as predators and crawled away like beaten curs. Weaklings.
I stopped under a dim streetlight, mulling over the information I'd received. Kokabiel. One of the upper echelons of the fallen angels, one who craved war. It looked like he'd decided to stir up the hornet's nest, starting by eliminating the wielder of the Red Dragon—Issei. And, while he was at it, get his hands on a valuable Sacred Gear—Twilight Healing, possessed by that naive nun, Asia.
Kokabiel's plan was bold, but predictable. Old warmongers always dream of a rematch, of reclaiming past glory through blood and destruction. Boring. But dangerous. A war between the factions would mean chaos, which would inevitably spill over into this city, disrupting my fragile semblance of peace. And I couldn't allow that. Not out of altruism, of course. Simply because it would create needless trouble for me.
This meant the information about Kokabiel was worth passing on to those who could actually deal with it. To Rias Gremory. She, with her demonic peerage and connections, was better equipped for such games. Let them deal with the fallen's intrigues. My job is to crush those who stand in my way.
And what about Asia? The nun with the healing power, exiled by the Church, hunted by the fallen… Her fate didn't particularly concern me. I gave her advice—go to Rias. Whether she follows it is her business. I wasn't about to save every lost sheep. Although… something about her naive faith, her desperate attempt to do good in this rotten world, struck a strange chord. Perhaps just the contrast with the surrounding filth.
It was time to head back. Not to my apartment—that was too far and pointless. It was worth dropping in on Issei. Not to help him, but to make sure he'd contacted Rias and raised the alarm. And, perhaps, to toss in a few details about what happened, without getting into the specifics of my "conversation" with the fallen.
...
When I got back to the abandoned house, the scene was different. Rias, Akeno, and Kiba were already there, standing next to Issei, who was still sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall and wincing in pain. A magic teleportation circle glowed dimly nearby, dispersing the night's gloom.
Rias stood over Issei, her face pale with rage, but her voice remained deceptively calm, though it rang with steel.
"Issei, can you talk? What happened here? Who attacked?"
"B-Buchou…" Issei struggled to lift his head, his gaze clouded by pain. "Fallen… angels… One… with black wings… a spear of light… She said… her name was… Kalawarner… Wanted… to kill me…"
Akeno was already kneeling beside him, her hands glowing softly with healing magic, trying to ease his pain and close the burn on his shoulder.
"Fallen angels… again," Rias hissed, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "They dared attack my servant! On my territory!"
Kiba was inspecting the battle site, his face serious.
"There are traces of strong holy energy here. And… someone else's. Very powerful, but not demonic or angelic."
He looked up and his gaze met mine. I was standing a short distance away, in the shadows, observing the scene.
"Izayoi?" Kiba raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You were here?"
Everyone turned to me. Rias bored into me with her blue-green eyes.
"Yeah, was passing by," I answered casually, stepping out of the shadows. "Heard a noise, decided to check it out. Caught the end of the show. One of the feathered types was trying to finish off your Pawn."
"And you intervened?" Rias's voice was tense.
"Had to. I don't like all the noise." I shrugged. "The one who called herself Kalawarner turned out to be a weakling. I… roughened her up a bit. She flew off. There were two others, but they were complete trash. One got knocked out, the other… isn't in great shape either. Looked like he scrambled off after his friend."
I intentionally kept quiet about Raynare. No need for them to know all the details of my "entertainment." The result was what mattered.
Rias looked from Issei back to me. "You drove them off? Alone?"
"There were only three. Hardly an army," I huffed. "By the way, that Kalawarner mentioned a name. Kokabiel. Looks like he's the one who gave the order to eliminate Issei."
The name Kokabiel made Rias and Akeno tense up even more.
"Kokabiel…" Akeno whispered, her smile gone, replaced by a cold fury. "That madman… he really does want to start a war."
"Attacking my Pawn is a direct declaration of war on the Gremory clan!" Rias declared, her voice gaining strength and authority. "They've crossed the line!"
"There was someone else," Issei added, recovering slightly under Akeno's magic. "A girl… a nun… She was healing me… before the fallen attacked…"
Rias and Akeno exchanged a look. Kiba frowned.
"A nun? Here?" Rias looked at me. "Did you see her?"
"I did," I confirmed. "Blonde, green eyes, dressed like a nun. She was radiating a warm, holy energy. The fallen were hunting her, too. They wanted her Sacred Gear—Twilight Healing."
"Twilight Healing?!" Rias exclaimed. "One of the rarest healing Gears! No wonder Kokabiel sent his dogs after her! Where is she now?"
"She fled to the old church on the hill when I showed up," I answered. "I dropped in there. Talked to her. Name's Asia Argento. The Church exiled her. The fallen are after her. I advised her to seek you out for protection."
Rias listened intently, her gaze turning thoughtful.
"Asia Argento… An exiled nun with the power to heal… And Kokabiel, thirsting for war… This situation is getting more serious."
She looked at Akeno and Kiba.
"Akeno, stay with Issei, help him get to the club. You can give him proper treatment there. Kiba, you're with me. We have to find this girl, Asia. Her power could be invaluable, and we cannot let her fall into Kokabiel's hands."
Kiba nodded.
"And you, Izayoi?" Rias looked at me again. "Will you help us? You've already saved her once."
I smirked.
"I did what I felt like doing. Save her again? Why? These are your demonic squabbles."
"But Kokabiel is a common threat!" Rias retorted. "If he starts a war, it will affect everyone! Including you. Besides, this girl, Asia… she doesn't deserve this fate."
"Fate is a funny thing," I muttered. "Fine. I have nothing better to do this evening anyway. I can take a walk with you to the church. But don't expect me to be her babysitter. If she gets into another mess because of her own stupidity, that's her problem."
Rias smiled faintly. It seemed she'd expected that answer.
"Very well. Let's go. Kiba, be ready."
Akeno helped Issei to his feet, supporting him.
"Be careful, Rias, Kiba-kun, Izayoi-kun."