Ryuya was starting to lose his patience with this disgusting priest.
Even though he had reincarnated as a Devil, deep down, he still leaned toward the side of humanity. When he discovered that humans and Devils could coexist peacefully in this world, he actually found that rather nice.
Devils had their own laws as well. Those who acted recklessly and harmed humans were branded as Stray Devils—enemies hunted by both Devils and angels alike.
Yet the priest standing before him was no different from one of those strays.
Suddenly, a sharp scream cut through the clash between them.
"Kyah!!"
Both of them turned toward the sound.
…A familiar face?
"Asia?" Ryuya's eyes narrowed slightly.
The girl standing there was none other than the blonde nun he'd met before.
So, she was with this lunatic priest too...?
Freed chuckled when he saw her.
"Well, well, isn't this my lovely assistant, Sister~ Asia? What's wrong? All done setting up the barrier?"
But Asia didn't respond to either of them. Her eyes were fixed on the direction of the collapsed wall — from her angle, she could still see part of the mangled body trapped beneath the rubble.
"Heh? Thanks for that cute scream! Oh right, this must be your first time seeing a corpse like that, huh? Come on—look real close, real close! That's what happens to filthy humans who let Devils tempt them~!"
Freed's crazed laughter and rapid, manic tone made the blonde nun's face turn completely pale.
"H-how could this be…"
She looked utterly shaken, her body trembling as she stumbled two steps back. Her expression was filled with fear and disbelief.
Ryuya watched her carefully—and suddenly, he understood.
Asia hadn't known what was happening.
She wasn't working with this priest.
Of course. A pure-hearted, innocent girl like her could never take part in something as vile as murder and mutilation.
Ryuya's gaze hardened again as he turned back to Freed.
Magic began to surge from him, powerfully and without restraint.
The Sword of the King in his hand pulsed with energy, radiating waves of Demonic power.
Vmmm—
The blade thrummed faintly, as though it were trembling in excitement, yearning for battle.
Ryuya inhaled sharply, drawing in air to fuel his body. His legs tensed—then exploded with strength!
His figure vanished.
The speed was so great that he completely disappeared from sight—faster than the human eye could track.
Freed, though utterly deranged, wasn't weak. His instincts flared; he swung his light-saber in the direction of the incoming power.
Clang! The holy blade met Ryuya's strike—just barely.
But in the next instant, Freed felt a crushing force surge through his sword. His weapon was knocked violently backward—slamming into his own body.
"Gah—!!"
He was hurled through the air, blood spraying wildly as he smashed into the far wall.
BOOM!!
Another wall collapsed under the impact.
That one strike from Ryuya had nearly snapped him in half.
Even before becoming a Devil, Ryuya's Sword of the King had been powerful enough to slay a Fallen Angel in a single blow. Now, with his strength vastly amplified, its destructive power had multiplied several times over.
Ryuya nodded slightly, satisfied.
Though that strike had seemed simple on the surface, its force had been tightly contained. It wasn't like his earlier wild, radiant swings that burst with light and wasted energy.
Those dazzling sword-lights might've looked beautiful, but they scattered too much power.
This time, Ryuya's control over his Demonic energy was near perfection—so subtle that even the priest hadn't realized how deadly that strike truly was.
And for that, he paid the price.
Seeing the priest slam into the wall and rebound before collapsing to the floor, gasping and coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, Ryuya didn't hesitate for even a second—he dashed forward again, ready to finish him off with one decisive strike.
"Not good! Time to bail!!"
Realizing he was no match for Ryuya, Freed's eyes flashed with fear. He fumbled into his pocket, pulled out a small capsule, and hurled it to the ground with all his strength.
Flash!!
A blinding burst of holy light exploded outward. The radiance hit Ryuya like a wave, scorching his skin wherever it touched—every inch of him burned with sharp pain.
He was forced to halt his attack, summoning the Shield to block in front of him.
When the light finally faded, Freed's figure had completely vanished from sight.
"...He ran?"
Ryuya frowned, his expression twisting in irritation.
A holy flash grenade? Seriously? That kind of dirty trick actually existed...?
Tch.
Nearby, Asia stood frozen—her eyes locked not on Ryuya's face, but on the black, Demonic wings unfurled behind his back.
"Mr. Ryuya... you're... a Devil?"
Ryuya's tone was cool as he spoke. "And what are you doing with a guy like that?"
Until he understood where she stood, he wasn't about to let his guard down.
"I—I came here on the Church's orders," Asia stammered. "I didn't know... it would be like this..."
She glanced toward the half-buried corpse beneath the rubble, her pale face growing even whiter, trembling in horror.
"You saw it yourself," Ryuya said calmly. "That guy was a lunatic."
"...I'm sorry."
Asia's voice was small, lost, and trembling. Then she seemed to gather her courage and said, "Mr. Ryuya, please—let me heal you. Your skin's been badly burned..."
A gentle light began to glow from her hands.
Holy light?
Ryuya instinctively wanted to refuse, but his eyes widened when he felt it—the pain fading, the burns rapidly closing and regenerating.
Wait... she's a nun, right?
She's using holy magic.
So how is it healing a Devil like him?
Ryuya's gaze fell to her hands.
At some point, two silver-white rings had appeared on her delicate fingers. A wave of life energy flowed from them into his body, soothing and warm.
"A Sacred Gear...?" he murmured under his breath.
He wasn't as clueless as he used to be. The source of Asia's power was obvious—it came from those silver rings.
"Yes," Asia nodded softly. "It's the gift the Lord bestowed upon me. This Sacred Gear is called [Twilight Healing]—or, as it's sometimes called, The Smile of the Holy Mother. I thank the Almighty for granting me the power to heal others..."
Ryuya fell silent.
This ability... it wasn't simple at all.
A nun who could heal Devils? That power was absurdly overpowered... almost unnatural.
The healing from The Smile of the Holy Mother worked so effectively that within moments, all of Ryuya's burns had completely disappeared. Feeling no trace of deception from her, he finally lowered his guard.
"So," he asked, "what do you plan to do now? Are you going back to the Church?"
Ryuya watched her carefully. If she intended to return, he'd have to think hard about what that would mean—for both sides.
"I... I don't know..."
Asia's expression was lost and conflicted. After witnessing Freed's cruelty, she clearly no longer wished to work with him—but that also meant leaving the Church entirely.
Before Ryuya could say more, he sensed a familiar pulse of energy and turned his gaze toward the distance.
A Demonic teleportation circle had appeared—not far away.
Looks like Rias and the others had arrived.
…
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