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On the outskirts of Kyoto, inside an abandoned church, black feathers drifted slowly through the air.
"Took quite a beating, didn't you, Baraqiel?"
Nailed to the cross atop the church roof, Baraqiel slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the man below.
Dressed in a pristine white suit with a purple tie, his blond-and-black hair gave him a rough, streetwise look—more delinquent than leader of the fallen angels.
Azazel. The current Governor-General of the fallen angels.
"Honestly, when I got the report, it scared the hell out of me."
Standing in front of the church, Azazel shrugged up at him. "Even you lost. Since when did yokai get that strong?"
Baraqiel fell silent for a moment before replying. "It's not the yokai. It's that man."
His gaze drifted, slipping back into memory.
"Speed, strength, control… every quality that defines a true powerhouse—I was completely outclassed. Losing like that… was only natural."
"Oh?"
For the first time, Azazel's expression turned serious.
"That new yokai leader—Ryo Yagami—is really that strong?"
Even in less than half a day, the fallen angels' intelligence network had already gathered plenty of information.
And this sudden, unknown powerhouse named Ryo Yagami had Azazel deeply wary.
Baraqiel's strength was on par with his own. Without tricks, even Azazel would struggle to beat him.
And yet Baraqiel had been crushed effortlessly—pinned to a cross without even the chance to fight back.
Only a handful of beings in the world's top tier could do something like that.
And people on that level didn't just appear out of nowhere.
"…So what, one of the Strongest Beings just decided to mess with us?" Azazel's tone turned flippant again.
He suspected Ryo might be one of the Top 10 Strongest Beings in disguise.
Otherwise, there was no explanation.
"Not them."
Baraqiel shook his head, dismissing the idea.
"I don't think he was hiding anything. But… he said something that stuck with me."
Ignoring the nail driven through his palm, Baraqiel forcibly tore his hand free. Blood poured down as he reached up and pulled off the piece of women's clothing hanging from his face, his expression stiff with discomfort.
"What did he say?" Azazel raised an eyebrow.
Baraqiel clenched the fabric tightly, his voice low.
"'I heard you're into that kind of thing, so I'll use this to humiliate you. Tsk, a man who couldn't even protect his own wife.'"
"…Whoa."
Azazel's face shifted.
"There's no way that girl—Akeno—could be connected to a monster like that... right?"
He knew Baraqiel's past all too well. Which was exactly why this made no sense.
Years ago, Baraqiel had secretly fallen in love with a direct member of the Himejima Family, one of the Five Great Families. They had a daughter together—Akeno Himejima—and planned to live quietly until she grew up.
But peace didn't last.
During a conflict, Azazel had to recall Baraqiel to the fallen angels' headquarters.
His enemies seized that opportunity after learning about his family from those within the Himejima family who resented him. They then orchestrated the killing of Baraqiel's wife.
Baraqiel later wiped out those enemies, but due to the alliance of the Five Great Exorcist Families—and pressure from angels, devils, and other factions—he couldn't eliminate the Himejima Family.
The family head who orchestrated his wife's death was still alive to this day.
As for Baraqiel's… particular tendencies, only Azazel and his daughter Akeno knew.
In fact, fewer than ten people in the entire world knew the truth behind his wife's death—and most of them were high-ranking fallen angels.
Under those circumstances, the only possible leak would be Akeno herself… who harbored resentment toward her father.
But… that girl, who had only recently come under the protection of the Gremory family, knowing someone strong enough to defeat Baraqiel?
"Sirzechs Lucifer hasn't left the Underworld lately," Azazel muttered, his expression uneasy.
"I know," Baraqiel replied.
The only person Akeno could know who could reliably defeat him would be Sirzechs—the Super being who surpassed the limits of devils.
And yet…
"Even Sirzechs couldn't have injured me that easily."
Baraqiel pressed a hand to his chest, still feeling the lingering pain.
One strike.
Just one.
He hadn't even seen it and he was already defeated.
That kind of power wasn't Sirzechs'.
"…Damn."
Azazel scratched his cheek, clearly annoyed. "In this day and age, how does a monster like that still show up?"
Then he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Well… if Vali heard about this, he'd probably be thrilled."
Only his battle-crazed adopted son would get excited about a new powerhouse appearing.
For Azazel, who had to worry about the survival of the fallen angels, this was nothing but a headache.
The number of monsters in the world kept growing.
The fallen angels, on the other hand, were dwindling—fewer in number, weaker than before.
"A few years ago, I was laughing at Michael for playing it safe—recalling all the angels to Heaven, sealing themselves off, barely even controlling the Church anymore. But now…"
He sighed, "Turns out he was right. I was the idiot."
If the fallen angels had a private realm like Heaven, things would be different.
Whether to fight or make peace would be entirely their choice.
But they didn't have that luxury.
Azazel looked up at Baraqiel, who had just pulled himself free from the cross, his expression heavy.
"…That unknown powerhouse. Do you think he's an enemy?"
.
.
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