GREMORY MANSION – KUOH
The main room of the mansion remained filled with tension while Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki discussed the best way to act against the Fallen Angels. The conversation had already moved beyond suspicion a long time ago. Now the problem was real, and everyone there understood that.
Gasper remained seated near the window with one hand over his eye, maintaining a direct connection with one of the bats spread throughout Kuoh.
Then his expression changed.
Rias noticed immediately.
"What is it, Gasper-kun?"
Gasper slowly removed his hand from his face before answering.
"I have to go, Rias."
Rias slightly frowned.
"Go where?"
"Kill some people and save others."
Silence immediately fell across the room.
Sona was the first to react.
"We can't act without a plan, Gasper."
"You can't." Gasper stood up from the sofa without changing his tone. "I do whatever I want."
Tsubaki slightly narrowed her eyes after hearing that, but before Sona could respond again, Rias had already stood up.
"Then I'm going with you."
Gasper looked at her for a moment.
'I need someone to protect the humans after I get them out of there.'
The decision came quickly.
"Fine." He extended his hand toward her. "Come here."
"I'm going too." Akeno immediately stepped forward.
"No, Akeno." Gasper answered without hesitation. "Prepare the living room to receive the kidnapped humans."
Akeno froze for a second while he continued.
"Sona, Tsubaki… you two prepare ways to hypnotize and heal some of them. Depending on their mental state, that might be necessary."
Sona slowly adjusted her glasses.
"So you really found the kidnapped people."
"I found them." Gasper answered dryly.
The atmosphere became even heavier after the direct confirmation.
Rias approached him without hesitation while demonic energy began appearing around both of them.
SHUUUN.
The magic circle of the House of Gremory appeared beneath them, spreading red light through the room before space itself began to distort.
Seconds later, both of them completely disappeared.
SHUUUN.
The magic circle vanished from the room together with the demonic pressure left behind by the teleportation, and the atmosphere remained silent for a few moments after the two departed.
Akeno slowly let out a breath before finally turning toward the exit.
"Let's go." Her tone was much more serious now, leaving no room for teasing. "I'm going to prepare the room for the humans."
Sona lightly nodded while adjusting her glasses, maintaining her calm posture even as the situation began accelerating.
"Yes." She shifted her gaze toward Tsubaki right afterward. "We need to organize everything before they arrive."
Tsubaki confirmed without hesitation.
Akeno opened the room door first, and the three left the place shortly afterward while the Gremory mansion began entering a true state of preparation for conflict.
Because at that moment, nobody had any more doubts.
The situation in Kuoh had finally truly begun.
___
ABANDONED HOUSE – KUOH
"I told you to stop crying, kid."
Kael slowly advanced toward the child, the irritation becoming increasingly obvious on his face while the sound of crying continued echoing through the abandoned house.
The woman immediately crawled across the floor, ignoring her own pain while trying to reach her son.
"No… please!" She desperately grabbed his leg. "Hit me! Leave my son alone!"
Kael looked at her like she was trash.
The child's crying had surpassed the limit of his patience a long time ago.
And deep down…
He had already decided to kill the boy from the beginning.
"M-Mom…"
The child's voice came out between sobs while he tried to crawl backward across the floor without managing to stop trembling.
Selene watched everything in silence.
And at that moment, her thoughts became completely cold.
'I'm going to kill you now.'
Outside the house, hidden among the shadows, Darius continued observing through the opening in the destroyed wall without changing his expression.
'Magnus was right…'
His gaze remained fixed on Selene.
'That woman really is a traitor.'
But he didn't move.
'I'll let her do whatever she wants.'
Darius slowly slid his hand toward the sword attached to his back.
The sacred energy of Excalibur slowly started leaking from the still-sheathed blade while he watched Selene approach Kael.
'And when she lets her guard down… I'll kill her.'
Kael completely ignored the woman clinging to his leg and raised his hand toward the boy.
Then—
CRRSHHH.
Bones started cracking grotesquely right in front of him.
The child's shadow violently expanded across the floor while the small body seemed to deform at an absurd speed. The skin tore apart in several places, the arms grew unnaturally, and the neck slowly twisted until it became completely inverted.
The head turned backward.
The creature's eyes opened entirely white.
Its mouth distorted into an impossible smile while the deformed body stared directly at Kael.
Kael froze.
'What the fuck is that…?!'
Every trace of arrogance instantly vanished from Kael's face.
His eyes widened completely while his body locked up before the grotesque creature created by Selene's illusion. The twisted head, the deformed limbs, and the impossible smile made his brain freeze before he could even react.
The boy, still fallen on the floor in tears, slowly opened his eyes and saw Kael standing there unable to move.
Paralyzed.
Consumed by pure terror.
Selene appeared beside them instantly, the dagger already firmly in her hand while she watched Kael unable to even breathe properly.
"Run to your mother, kid."
Her voice came out low.
Cold.
The boy didn't hesitate. He stumbled across the floor running toward the woman while crying desperately, grabbing onto her immediately.
"Mom!"
The woman instantly pulled her son tightly against her chest while trembling all over.
"It's okay…" Her voice broke between tears. "It's okay… mommy's here…"
"The monster…" The boy pointed fearfully at Kael. "The monster's gonna get us…"
"Don't look." She pressed the boy's face against her shoulder. "Don't look back…"
Kael remained motionless.
His eyes locked onto the illusion.
Sweat ran down his face while his breathing came out heavy and completely uncontrolled.
Selene watched that for a few seconds before a small smile slowly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
'Illusion magic really is useful.'
She started walking behind him without making practically any sound. The dagger slowly rose in her hand while her gaze lost every trace of hesitation.
"Now die… you son of a bitch."
The sentence came out almost like a whisper.
And then—
SCHLK.
The blade pierced through Kael's chest from behind.
His eyes widened even further instantly.
"GHHH—?!"
Blood immediately came out of his mouth while his entire body locked from the pain. Kael slowly lowered his gaze until he saw the dagger's tip piercing through his own chest.
"Y-You…"
His voice came out failing.
Selene violently pulled the blade back out, spraying blood across the floor before shoving his body forward.
THUD.
Kael fell to his knees coughing blood while trying to understand what had just happened.
Selene raised the dagger again.
"Now enjoy your trip to hell."
But before the strike could finish—
SLASH.
A brutal slash crossed through her back.
"AH—?!"
Selene's body was launched forward while blood exploded through the air from the impact. The dagger escaped her hand and spun across the floor of the abandoned house.
CLANG.
She slammed against the wall before collapsing to her knees coughing blood while trying to breathe.
Behind her…
Darius held the unsheathed Excalibur.
The sacred sword glowed covered in fresh blood while his gaze remained completely cold.
"Traitors die like this."
Selene tried lifting her head while blood ran from her mouth.
"Y-You…"
Her vision started failing for a moment due to the pain burning through the wound across her back.
Then—
SHUUUN.
A red magic circle appeared in the center of the abandoned house, spreading demonic light throughout the destroyed environment. The symbol of the House of Gremory rotated across the floor while two figures appeared within the magic.
Gasper.
Rias.
Demonic pressure instantly filled the place.
Darius widened his eyes after recognizing the energy.
"Devils…"
But he realized too late that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because Gasper wasn't calm.
The bloodlust in his eyes was so overwhelming that even Selene felt her body freeze despite the pain.
Darius tried to raise Excalibur.
Tried.
CRRSH.
His right arm simply disappeared.
Blood exploded through the air before his mind could even understand what had happened.
"AAAAAAAHHHH—!!"
The scream echoed throughout the entire house while Darius stared desperately at his mutilated shoulder. The severed arm still spun across the floor covered in blood beside the fallen Excalibur.
THUD.
He tried grabbing the sword with his other arm.
But Gasper was already standing in front of him.
CRACK.
The second arm was brutally ripped off.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed through the building while blood splattered across walls, floor, and destroyed furniture.
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
Darius collapsed to his knees screaming in pain while staring at his mutilated shoulders unable to accept what was happening.
"N-NO—!!"
His eyes finally understood.
This wasn't a fight.
It was an execution.
Rias immediately shifted her attention toward the woman and child lying on the floor. Her hand rose while red particles of demonic magic started filling the environment.
SHHH.
The woman lost consciousness first, slowly collapsing while still holding her son in her arms. The boy tried keeping his eyes open for a few seconds before passing out as well.
The two remained together.
Protected.
Darius continued trying to crawl backward using only his legs while crying from pain and despair.
"H-HELP—"
The shadows beneath him slowly started moving.
Gasper watched all of it without any emotion on his face.
"You make too much noise."
SHHHHH.
The shadows pierced through Darius's body like black spears.
"GHHKK—!!"
Blood instantly came out of his mouth while his eyes widened completely one last time.
His body froze.
And seconds later collapsed lifelessly.
THUD.
Silence returned to the abandoned house.
Selene watched everything completely terrified. Blood still flowed from her back, but at that moment the pain wasn't her biggest problem anymore.
Because now there were two devils inside that house.
And one of them had massacred Darius without even giving him a chance to react.
Rias turned her attention back toward Gasper right afterward.
"I'm taking the humans first."
"Go." Gasper answered without taking his eyes off Selene. "I'll finish things here."
"Yes, Gasper-kun."
Another magic circle instantly appeared.
SHUUUN.
The woman and child disappeared enveloped by red teleportation light while demonic energy briefly illuminated the destroyed house.
Seconds later, Rias disappeared as well.
Silence returned once more.
Now only these remained:
Gasper.
Selene.
The unconscious Kael.
And Darius's corpse pierced apart across the floor.
Gasper slowly started walking toward her while shadows moved around his body like living creatures.
Selene tried backing away.
But her body failed.
She collapsed to her knees again coughing blood onto the floor.
His footsteps stopped directly in front of her.
"Now…" Gasper's gaze slowly lowered toward her. "What should I do with you?"
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