Toshio POV
"As far as what I had to deal with, that's all that happened. Those three demons were tough, and I'm grateful that the demon woman's power didn't work on me, otherwise we would have all likely perished." I recounted the events as I experienced them to the group before me, which included Serafall, Kunou, Sona, Tsubaki, Kunou's head bodyguard, Nurarihyon, and a slew of other Yokai elders.
There was a Yokai doctor tending to my wounds as I spoke. Her revealing yukata wasn't distracting at all. Nope.
There wasn't much they could do at this point, but the vie— effort was appreciated.
"So no leads on mother after all," Kunou stated dejectedly.
"If I had to guess, they need time. Otherwise, what would have been the point of stationing such a high-profile group of guards at that node if they were done with it?" Kunou and the group of Yokai had determined that the leyline was already beyond reverting back. They needed Yasaka's power to fix it.
"My theory is that they need time for whatever ritual they're doing. We need to recover anyway." I didn't want to wait, but myself and Rias' group were in no shape to fight. Rias hadn't left the room they laid her in. Akeno was with her last I checked before attending this meeting. Apparently Rias' silent tears hadn't stopped since we left that underground chamber.
Akeno hadn't been doing much better, but she was holding it in better than the others.
Kiba was behaving like he did in the Holy Sword arc of the anime, distant, with a thousand-yard stare, and difficult to rouse his attention.
Now knowing just how much damage Aeshama did, I wished I'd spent longer causing her pain rather than the quick death I'd given her, even though killing her quickly was the logical thing to do.
"No. We are not waiting another minute while mother is out there undergoing who knows what at the hands of the demon scum!" Kunou was obviously opposed to the idea of waiting.
"The Yokai will find them and march on them as soon as their hideout is discovered." Kunou's eyes were glowing with her budding power, clearly showing the anger and impatience she was feeling.
"Princess, respectfully, how do you know we'll even find their hideout? We may be wasting precious resources and fatiguing our warriors unnecessarily. I believe there is merit to waiting." I side-eyed Nurarihyon with unhidden suspicion. Him agreeing with me? I was already wary of him, but this seemed too good to be true.
"Elder Nurarihyon, I'm the active leader of the Yokai in my mother's absence, so you will do what I say!" She stomped her foot to emphasize her point. She was clearly showing her age.
"Might I suggest we send scouts to scour for their location but hold off on direct conflict until our devil allies have recovered?" The kitsune elder spoke up. After our latest feats, she had become more supportive of the devil alliance, despite her earlier suspicion.
"I believe that to be best. Though, if we find where they are, waiting more than a day may be tactically inefficient," I offered. I turned toward Kunou.
"Kunou, I know you want to save her. I do too. But if we aren't smart about this, we'll end up losing anyway." She huffed but calmed down. She crossed her arms and looked at me with a pleading look. My gaze remained steady. She relented, dropping her arms.
"Okay, but we don't stop looking until we find it!" I gave her a small nod of approval. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I didn't have to look, as my energy sense can pick out Serafall's massive aura from anyone.
"I'm going to see if I can get some reinforcements, but on such short notice, I'm not sure who I'll manage to get." She looked down at me before glancing at everyone else. I was one of the few sitting since I was still being "treated."
"Toshi-tan is right. I'll help with the scouting efforts myself. Levia-tan knows a thing or two about finding bad guys!" I wanted to cringe at her declaration, but I only managed to give a small smile. I heard the audible facepalm from Sona somewhere to my left. If I weren't so exhausted, I might have laughed.
"I see. Then if my role as an advisor in this matter is no longer required, I'll excuse myself. I have much to help prepare." I again eyed "Nura-tan" with suspicion. He was up to something. I could feel it.
"Bye Nura-tan! See you later!" Serfall shouted while giving an overexaggerated wave. He cringed and paused midstep before walking out of the room quicker than before.
Now I needed to talk to Rias and her peerage.
XXX
I excused myself from the meeting, citing exhaustion and the need to check on my friends. Nobody objected—not after seeing the state I'd returned in. The Youkai doctor had done what she could, but my shoulder was still barely functional, and the new scar tissue across my chest and abdomen pulled uncomfortably with every movement.
I couldn't wait for sleep to heal me again.
I found Akeno in the hallway outside the room they'd given me. She was standing perfectly still, her back pressed against the wall, staring at nothing. Her violet eyes were red-rimmed, her usual grace replaced by something fragile and uncertain.
"Akeno," I said quietly.
She flinched at my voice, then looked at me with an expression that made my chest ache. Fear, guilt, and something else I couldn't quite identify warred across her features.
"I... I was waiting for you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. After what I—" Her voice broke.
I moved closer, careful to keep my movements slow and non-threatening. "Come on. Let's talk inside."
She nodded mutely and followed me into my temporary room. It was simple—traditional tatami mats, a low table, and a futon that had been laid out for sleeping. I sat down on the edge of the futon with a wince, my body protesting the movement.
Akeno hesitated at the doorway, like she wasn't sure she had permission to enter. I patted the space beside me, and after a moment's hesitation, she closed the door and moved to sit next to me.
Her hands immediately went to my chest, hovering over the scar tissue where her lightning had punched through. The hole had closed thanks to my incomplete regeneration, but the mark remained, at least until morning.
"I did this to you," she whispered, and tears began to fall silently down her cheeks. "I hurt you. I almost killed you."
I covered her hands with my good one, feeling them tremble beneath my palm. "Akeno, what did that demon make you see?"
She shook her head, her tears falling faster. "I can't—I don't want to—"
"You don't have to tell me everything," I said gently. "But keeping it locked inside isn't going to help. Whatever she showed you, whatever nightmare she trapped you in... it wasn't real."
Akeno's breath hitched. Her fingers traced the scar tissue with infinite gentleness, like she was trying to memorize every ridge and valley of the damage she'd caused.
"It felt so real to me," she finally said, her voice trembling. "I was... I was in a coffin. Buried alive. I could feel the wood pressing against me from all sides, and I couldn't move, couldn't breathe properly. The darkness was overwhelming."
Her hands were shaking harder now, and I squeezed them gently, trying to anchor her.
"I heard voices. People I knew, walking past. Calling out for me. But when I screamed, when I begged for help..." She swallowed hard. "They just kept walking. Like they couldn't hear me. Or like they didn't care. Like they abandoned me."
I felt anger building in my chest—not at Akeno, but at what had been done to her. The calculated cruelty of targeting her deepest fears.
"Then the coffin opened," she continued, her voice becoming more strained. "And I saw my father. Baraqiel. He was standing there, looking down at me with that same distant expression he always wore. He said such horrible things to me."
She paused, taking a shuddering breath.
"Then his face changed. It became yours, Toshio. But you weren't... you weren't you. The way you looked at me..." Her voice cracked completely. "You said I was too damaged. Too needy. That I was exhausting, and you were tired of trying to fix what my father had broken. You said I was pathetic for thinking anyone could love someone as twisted as me."
My chest tightened. I knew those words hadn't come from me, knew that demon had crafted them specifically to break Akeno's spirit, but hearing them still made me want to resurrect Aeshama just so I could kill her again more slowly.
"I'm sorry," Akeno whispered. "I know it wasn't really you, but it felt so real. Everything he—you—said, was everything I've always been afraid of. Every fear I've hidden from everyone."
"Keep going," I said quietly. "What happened next?"
She was silent for a long moment, her tears falling onto our joined hands.
"Then my mother appeared," she finally said, and her voice was so small I barely heard it. "She was exactly as I remembered her. Beautiful and kind and looking at me with so much love. I thought... I thought maybe it was over. That the nightmare was ending. She hugged me. Comforted me."
She pulled one hand free from mine to cover her mouth, a sob escaping despite her attempt to contain it.
"But then you were there again. The twisted version of you. You had a sword, and you..." She couldn't finish the sentence. Her whole body was shaking now.
"He killed her," I said softly, understanding. I refused to say "I." That was a version of me that would never exist in any reality I had control over.
Akeno nodded frantically, fresh tears streaming down her face. "Right in front of me. You drove the blade through her heart, and she was smiling the entire time." I gently pulled her toward me, embracing her in a hug that lasted about a minute. She pulled away to continue.
"When I woke up and saw you there, covered in blood, I thought—I thought the nightmare was still real. I was so scared of that version of you. I couldn't use magic in that hell, so I just reacted." Her voice ended in a whisper. She continued.
Then I thought that you really were going to abandon me, betray me, like he did. That you'd finally seen what I really am and decided I wasn't worth the effort."
"Akeno," I said, and I let every ounce of warmth I felt for her color my voice. "Look at me."
She raised her tear-stained face, her violet eyes meeting mine.
"Do you think I'm a hybrid freak?" The question came out small and vulnerable, so unlike her usual confident persona. She unfurled both her wings, one devil, one fallen angel.
"Do you think I'm a monster because of what I am?"
I moved my hand from hers to cup her face, my thumb brushing away her tears.
"I already knew," I said simply.
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I already knew about your Fallen Angel heritage. I could tell based on my unique way of sensing energy—the way your spiritual signature combines devil and fallen angel characteristics. It's distinctive once you know what to look for." I couldn't really tell her I knew because of memories I shouldn't have, so this was my most plausible excuse. It's even true.
"You knew?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "But you never said anything. You never—"
"It never mattered to me," I said firmly, holding her gaze. "Not even a little. You're Akeno. That's what matters. Not what blood flows through your veins or what kind of wings you have. Just you."
I paused, making sure she was really hearing me.
"And I was waiting for you to tell me on your terms, in your own time. I didn't want to push you or make you feel like you had to explain yourself to me. That secret was yours to share when you felt ready, not mine to take from you."
Her breath caught, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks—but these felt different somehow. Less desperate, less broken.
"You really don't care?" she whispered. "About what I am? About the darkness inside me? About how twisted and—"
"Akeno." I cut her off gently but firmly. "I've seen who you are. Not just the beautiful woman who plays at being carefree and flirtatious. I've seen you in battle, protecting the people you care about. I've seen you worry about your friends. I've seen your loyalty to Rias. I've seen your love for me. None of that is twisted or wrong."
I moved my thumb to trace the line of her jaw.
"That demon showed you a version of me that doesn't exist. That will never exist. Because the real me knows exactly who you are, and I'm not going anywhere."
She stared at me for a long moment, searching my face for any hint of deception or hidden revulsion. I let her look, keeping my expression open and honest.
"You mean that," she finally said, and it wasn't quite a question. More like she was testing the words, seeing if they felt true.
"I do."
Something shifted in her expression. The fragility was still there, the trauma from whatever hell Aeshama had put her through, but underneath it I saw something else emerging. Relief, maybe. Or hope.
"Toshio," she said softly, and then she was leaning forward, closing the distance between us.
Her lips met mine with a gentleness that surprised me. Not the playful, teasing kisses she'd stolen before, but something deeper and more vulnerable. Like she was asking a question she was afraid to voice aloud.
I kissed her back carefully, mindful of how fragile she felt in this moment and how easy it would be to break whatever trust was being offered here.
When we finally pulled apart, her forehead came to rest against mine. Her breath was warm against my face, and I could feel the tension slowly bleeding out of her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For not leaving. For staying even when I hurt you. For not getting angry. For accepting me. For... for everything."
"You don't need to thank me for caring about you," I said quietly. "For loving you."
She pulled back enough to look at me properly, and I saw something shift in her violet eyes. Some decision being made.
"I need to check on Rias," she said. "Can you check on Kiba?" As if remembering my wounds, she began to lightly press me down.
"No of course not; you need rest." I resisted. "I'm okay, Akeno. At least okay enough to see how he's doing." She hesitated briefly, then nodded. She helped me up.
"I think he's in the room across from yours."
"Maybe, but he's outside right now. I think I know why." I gave her a small but loving kiss.
"I'll come by Rias' room when I'm done, okay?" She nodded with a small smile. As we exited the room, I pulled her into one more gentle hug.
"It'll be okay, Akeno. And we'll stop the demons from hurting anyone else." She nodded against my chest, and then we parted.
XXX
I was tempted to shunpo there, but I was tired and in pain, so I just decided to walk. I had notifications to go through anyway. Kiba likely wasn't going anywhere for a while, so I didn't have to hurry.
{Level up! 46 → 47}
{Level up! 47 → 48}
{Level up! 48 → 49}
{Level up! 49 → 50}
{Level up! 50 → 51}
{Level up! 51 → 52}
...
{Level up! 110 → 111 (31,800/41,000)}
Well, that was a massive boost. I suppose receiving 1,293,000 XP from 4 enemies will do. Rather than level costs increasing by 100, once I hit level 50, each increment went to 500. Then once I hit level 100, that cost went up to 1000 more between each level. I was now on a similar level as many impressive humans.
But then I wondered why I didn't feel any kind of power boost, until I saw the next notification.
{CRITICAL! Must sleep to apply level rewards.}
That was new. I couldn't tell if it was from the injuries or the sudden influx of computations and transformations the system had to do. It didn't matter much to me. I just wanted to sleep anyway.
{Level 50 reached! You can now equip 3 titles!}
{Level 100 reached! You've reached the pinnacle of what most humans can achieve! By unlocking the different energy systems possible for the host, you have met the requirements for #*&#^%@^?*———— ERROR.
Host must ??? to meet the final requirement.}
I'm sure the two Yokai guards I passed were bemused by the utter confusion on my face as I stared into seemingly nothing in front of me. Now what did all that mean?
{Notice: Host is nearing level cap of 150 for race: Human}
{Mythic Physique Runestone acquired!: Raises Physique one letter grade rank, up to a maximum of SS+.}
{Mythic Hohō Runestone acquired!: Raises Hohō one letter grade rank, up to a maximum of SS+.}
{Notice: Host has received all runestone rewards available up to level 50.}
Well that sucked. No more free stat increases. Though I haven't used any since I haven't had the skills to increase those particular ones. But speaking of…
{Pursuit of the Flash Goddess ranked up! Rank 1 → 2}
Move with unmatched speed, chasing she who dances faster than lightning and leaves no footprints behind. You have only begun to understand the dance between two flashes.}
{Hohō can now be upgraded to SS+!}
I immediately used my accumulated runestones. I had plenty to spare from all the levels I'd obtained.
{Hohō grade increased! S+ → SS-}
{Hohō grade increased! SS- → SS}
{Hohō grade increased! SS → SS+}
I was irritated I couldn't really test it right now, but it could wait until tomorrow. I did notice that my footsteps were a bit softer and quieter, though.
{Level 100 reached! Physique can now be upgraded to SS+!}
Now that was interesting. Did that mean if I didn't have a skill to unlock the potential early, that reaching a certain level would? I used my runestones on this as well.
{Physique grade increased! S+ → SS-}
{Physique grade increased! SS- → SS}
{Physique grade increased! SS → SS+}
{Aeshama, Master of Illusion and Horror slain!
Title Earned! Defeater of Horrors: Allies within 10 meters of you are affected 50% less by mind control, illusions, and mental manipulation.}
If only I could have had that to help my friends from being impacted so strongly from that demon's power.
{Physical Damage Nullificationranked up! Rank 5 → 6}
I would certainly hope a hole getting blasted through my chest would increase this.
{Shinken no Tenketsu – True Sword of the Celestial Pulse ranked up! Rank 5 → 6}
All that plus the incomplete high-speed regeneration (which is so cool that I have, even though it's the incomplete form) and ranking up Wave Motion Beam. Not bad for a single fight. Now to look at my status.
{Status
Name: Toshio Amano
Title: Zanjutsu Prodigy
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 110 (31,800/41,000)
Health: 100/100%
Reiryoku: 213,150→ 13,428,450
Ki: 500/500
Physique: SS+
Zanjutsu: S+
Hohō: SS+
Hakuda: A+
Spiritual Potential: B
Soul Resonance: 65%}
If it weren't for my human race limitation, I'd say I was looking pretty powerful. What did those question marks mean, though? I was obviously close to some kind of evolution to something else, but I didn't know what or how to trigger it. But I'd worry about that later.
I walked up to Kiba, sitting on the Tori gate, staring at the stars.
"You know, I don't think you're supposed to sit up there." He glanced over his shoulder at me, apparently not amused at my humor.
"You're not going to make a cripple jump all the way up there, are you?" That didn't mean I was going to stop trying. He snorted, then took a deep breath. He jumped down, landing gracefully in front of me. He had a half-smile.
Success!
"How are you feeling?" I found his question humorous considering that's what I was going to ask him.
"Eh, a hole through the chest never killed anybody. So I'll live. Nothing a little sleep can't solve." I attempted a shrug, but my still inoperable shoulder didn't move.
"Tell that to all the dead guys with holes through their chests."
"I'm sure they wouldn't be very good listeners, but I'll let them know next time I see one." I wondered if my straight face and even tone, along with my delivery, were what got me a chuckle from him.
"I'm sure you didn't just come to tell me to stop violating temple decorum. And you should be resting. Did you need something?" Kiba became slightly guarded after asking that.
"I know what Aeshama did to Akeno and Rias was devastating. I just heard what she did to Akeno. Your experience couldn't have been any better." He looked down at that.
"I'm not telling you that you have to talk about it, but holding it in will cause more damage than letting it out. And before you go down that train of thought, you do NOT deserve the damage." His head snapped up at me, a glare in his eyes.
"And what do you know? How could you know what I do and don't deserve?" His tone was icy.
I met his glare evenly, keeping my voice calm despite the ice in his tone.
"Because I've been there, Kiba. Maybe not in the exact same way, but I know what it's like to be haunted by the people you couldn't save." I took a breath, feeling the pull of scar tissue across my chest. "In my previous—in a previous experience, I watched people I cared about slip away while I stood helpless. I know what guilt tastes like when it sits in your throat for years." I corrected myself from saying life; slipping with that would have prompted questions I wasn't ready to answer.
His glare faltered slightly, confusion flickering across his features.
"I know what it's like to replay every moment, wondering if you could have done something different. Something better. I know the weight of survivor's guilt, and I know how easy it is to convince yourself that you deserved to suffer because you're the one who made it out."
He hadn't spoken of what he went through, so I shouldn't have known what he was talking about, or even how to relate to him. But I could use the excuse that Rias told me a little about it and I filled in the gaps.
The irony of it though, I didn't ever think about what I could have done to save other people, just myself once that reactor exploded. Not in some sense of self-preservation, but more out of a deep need to know the solution to an impossible-to-solve puzzle. But that wasn't going to help him here.
Kiba's hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"But here's what I also know," I continued, "torturing yourself doesn't honor the dead. It doesn't make their sacrifice mean anything. It just adds another victim to the list."
"You don't understand," he said, his voice strained. "The children from the Holy Sword Project, they—" He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he realized what he'd just revealed.
I nodded slowly. "I figured it was something like that. Apparently Aeshama was good at finding the deepest wounds and ripping them open, then adding a few more."
Kiba turned away from me, his shoulders tense. "They were all there. Every single child who died in that facility. They looked exactly as I remembered them—pale, broken, bearing the marks of what had been done to them." His voice cracked. "They asked me why I survived. Why I was special. Why they had to die while I got to live."
I waited, letting him continue at his own pace.
"Then Valper appeared." The name came out like poison.
"He said he'd heal whatever damage they caused, that he couldn't let me die too soon. And then the children... they attacked me. With scalpels and broken holy swords. They carved into me while I just knelt there, unable to move, unable to fight back."
His hand went to his chest, as if he could still feel the phantom wounds.
"The worst part wasn't the pain. It was their eyes. They looked at me with such hatred, such betrayal. Like I'd personally chosen to let them die." He took a shuddering breath. "And maybe I did. Maybe if I'd been stronger, smarter, less scared—"
"Stop." I said it firmly enough that he actually turned to look at me. "That's the guilt talking, not logic. You were a child, Kiba. A victim just like them. You didn't choose who lived and who died any more than they did."
"But I did live," he said, and his voice was hollow. "I got out. I survived. I found a new life with Rias and her peerage." I let him continue.
"For now, that's enough. But it hasn't changed my ultimate mission. I must find and destroy all pieces of Excalibur." The conviction in his voice was palpable.
I stayed silent, weighing my next words carefully. Kiba's determination to destroy the Excalibur fragments was understandable given his trauma, but I knew from my meta-knowledge that his path would eventually lead somewhere different. Still, pushing too hard now would only make him defensive.
"That's a goal worth pursuing," I said finally. "But don't let it consume you to the point where you can't see anything else. The children who died—they wouldn't want you to throw your life away on a revenge quest that leaves you hollow inside."
He looked at me sharply. "How would you know what they'd want?"
"Because no one who cares about you wants to see you destroy yourself," I replied. "Not them, not Rias, not your peerage. And I'm guessing that deep down, you know that too."
Kiba was quiet for a long moment, his blue eyes distant as he stared out at the darkened shrine grounds.
"The illusion felt so real," he said softly. "Even now, knowing it wasn't, I can still feel their hands on me. Still hear their voices asking why I abandoned them."
"That's going to take time to fade," I admitted. "Trauma doesn't just disappear because you know it was fake. Your brain experienced it as real, so the emotional impact is real."
I moved to stand beside him, ignoring the protest from my shoulder.
"But here's what you need to remember—you didn't abandon them. You survived. And you've used that survival to become someone who protects others now. That matters, Kiba. That means something."
He didn't respond immediately, but I saw some of the tension ease from his shoulders.
"Rias told me a little about what happened to you," I continued, taking a calculated risk with the half-truth. "Not everything, but enough. She's worried about you. They all are."
"I know," he said quietly. "I just... I need time to process this. To figure out how to move forward."
"That's fair. Just don't isolate yourself completely. Your friends want to help, even if they don't know exactly how."
Kiba nodded slowly, then turned to look at me with something approaching gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you, Toshio. For checking on me. For not trying to tell me everything will be fine or that I should just get over it."
"That would be a lie, and you'd know it," I replied. "Things aren't fine. But they can get better with time and the right support."
He managed a small smile. "You're surprisingly good at this. The whole... supportive friend thing."
I snorted. "Don't spread that around. I have a reputation for being emotionally distant to maintain."
That got a genuine laugh out of him, brief but genuine.
"I should go check on Rias and Akeno," I said. "But if you need to talk more, or just want someone to tell you, 'Everything will be fine…'" His half-hearted, wry scowl almost made me erupt in cachinnation.
"… I'm your guy."
"Thanks man." He motioned toward the temple entrance. "Let's both go, though. I'm actually pretty worried about Rias-buchou." With that, we both headed back inside.