… Although perhaps I overestimated how easy this plan would be to carry out.
As I walked about the park, I released my demonic presence to any who had the ability to sense it. The plan sounded so easy on paper. Release Demonic Power, lure Freed in, signal Yuuki, proceed to pummel Freed to a pulp, take the Excalibur, and then destroy the Excalibur. For a guy like Freed, I had thought he would come running, but…
This was boring.
I could not deny that thought.
Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that I'm able to help Yuuki, but that doesn't change the fact that walking aimlessly around, trying to get attacked purposely, was boring. Until the attack happened, there was nothing to do.
On the bright side, releasing my Demonic Power was rather easy. Compared to manipulating it into specific shapes, it was as easy and simple as breathing.
But still, it did nothing to attract the attention of a certain sadistic psychopath. Either he was smart enough to notice it was a trap and avoid it (I cringe at the thought) or he wasn't in the area. Either way, until something happened, I was bored.
I pretty much went in circles, traveling around the whole length of the park. I even got into the habit of counting the number of times I passed by a certain rock on the ground (198 and counting).
Almost two hours passed.
After my legs got tired of walking, I decided to just sit on a bench nearby and wait. If Freed wanted to kill me, he'd have to come to me. Spreading my Demonic Power around an area was clearly not working.
I leaned back in my seat, sighing. "Shit. I didn't even tell Mito-nee that I'd be home late… geez. That's going to be a lecture when I get home." I groaned. "'Course, I could always just sneak in through a window or something. Or maybe use a teleportation circle. Yeah. That could work."
Then whole world froze. There was a sudden tightening in my muscles and my body reacted before I could even realize the hostile presence I sensed.
I leaped forward, rolling out of the way just as a large blade cut down the center of the bench where I had been sitting. There was a bit more of an explosive power in that attack than there should have been.
I smirked, excited that things have finally kicked into high gear. "Ha! About time you showed up!" I raised my fists, ready for a fight.
The figure before me said nothing and wore a robe that hid his features. In his hands was a large sword that honestly looked badass. If I were a swordsman, I really would have killed to have a badass-looking sword like that. I know he was my enemy, but it was just such a cool-looking sword. However, I would never have been able to wield that sword even if I DID manage to get my hands on it.
Reason: It was a Holy Sword.
Just like how I sensed it back when I was near the Church operated by the Fallen Angels or like what I sensed from the Excalibur that Freed wielded before, he wielded a Holy Sword.
"Huh. While I would have preferred that you showed up earlier, it's better late than never." I raised a hand. "Let's go! Divine Dividing!" There was a light on my back as my Sacred Gear's wings appeared out of thin air.
"Hmph. So this is the current Hakuryuukou." E-Eh? That… That's not Freed's voice. "While I'm impressed you managed to avoid my first strike, your life ends at my hands."
Despite being shocked at it being not-Freed, I quickly recovered as the female Exorcist (I'm judging by the sound of her voice) lunged at me with her large Holy Sword. I dodged to the side, but the Exorcist quickly swung her blade sideways, slamming right into me. I would have been cut pretty badly if I hadn't used Divine Dividing's wings to guard against the attack. To be honest, I made up the guard on the spot. I didn't even know that my Sacred Gear's wings could bend like that. However, it was wrong to assume that that was the end of the attack. Just as I thought I was in the clear, the Exorcist brought up her leg and delivered a powerful kick right to my face, smashing right into my face and sending me flying and tumbling against the ground. This lady was strong because it felt like my face had been smashed into a wall when her attack hit (Trust me. I know what I'm talking about).
I quickly recovered and got back to my feet. I sighed to myself. "Damn. It's neat I fulfilled the conditions but to do it because I was on the receiving end again was just embarrassing." Oh well. My wings began glowing.
[Divide!]
I felt a surge of power enter my body.
"I see… so this is the Hakuryuukou's power." The Exorcist noted. From my current position, I managed to catch a glimpse of dark-blue hair underneath the Exorcist's cloak. She grabbed the hood of her cloak and threw it away, revealing her full body to me. "I truly feel only at half strength. I will defeat you before you have the chance to use it again."
My eyes widened, surprised by the woman's attire.
She was a young woman, perhaps just about my age, with chin-length blue hair with a green fringe on the right side and dark yellow eyes. Her attire consisted of some sort of battle suit, which consisted of a black, skin-tight, short sleeved unitard with pauldrons, matching fingerless gloves that extend to her biceps, and thigh-high boots, all of which were adorned with straps. The suit was skin tight and left NOTHING to the imagination. Her body was well-toned and admittedly kind of sexy.
I felt myself blush before looking away, feeling somewhat ashamed for checking out an enemy in the midst of battle.
"Hmph. I admit you're a bit tougher than I would have expected. I guess all you Exorcists are nothing to scoff at." I said, feeling some respect for my opponent's strength.
"Still your tongue, Devil." The blue-haired Exorcist commanded. "Now… tell me where they are. Where have you hidden them?"
I stared.
"Well?"
"You told me to still my tongue." I complained before grinning. Nothing like screwing with an enemy to loosen up in the middle of a battle.
It was subtle, but I could see a flicker of irritation on the Exorcist's face. I had a knack for pissing people off when I really wanted to.
"Then I will consign you to death here, Devil." She readied her sword to attack me again.
It was fun, but mostly I was confused. I had no idea what this girl was talking about. What are "they"? What did she mean "where have you hidden them"?
Of course, I didn't have enough time to think further on that as an Exorcist came falling through the air in front of me, swinging her heavy sword down on my head. If it hadn't been for my Knight speed allowing me to move back in time, I would have been beheaded there and then. Instead, her sword stabbed into the ground in front of me. I expected her to pick up her sword and lunge at me. What I didn't expect was—
*DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*
The ground shook with tremendous force and I was knocked back into the air by a powerful blast that was centered around the impact area where the Exorcist's blade had struck.
Such power! This was truly a powerful Holy Sword that this Exorcist wielded!
I spread out my wings and flew into the air, trying to get out of the Exorcist's range. "Geez! What's with that power?!"
"That is the only part of the power of the Holy Sword, Excalibur. Even in fragments, just this will be enough to erase heretics and Devils such as yourself." The Exorcist threatened.
My eyes widened in shock. "E-Excalibur?!" W-What?! H-How could that sword be Excalibur?! Freed had Excalibur! Unless of course one of them was lying. There's no way they can both have THE legendary Excalibur! "Just who the Hell are you!? Why do you have that sword!?"
"I see no reason to introduce myself to a Devil whom I am about to slay." Then the Exorcist leaped into the air at me.
[Divide!]
Even with the extra loss in strength, she showed no signs of wariness or exhaustion as she once again swung her blade down on my mid-air. I was incredibly shocked by her agility. I never thought a normal human could move that quickly or that high, but then again, I have seen far more surprising things. Thinking fast, I gave my left wing a huge flap, creating enough force to blow me to the right of the supposed-Excalibur blade, missing me by perhaps half a millimeter. Before the Exorcist could hit the ground, I held out my hand and released a powerful bolt of lightning at her. I was nowhere near as skilled as Akeno-san, but my lightning was still fairly potent.
The Exorcist spun around in mid-air, holding out the flat of her blade to take the brunt of the attack. She was knocked backwards and hit the ground rolling, but she was mostly unscathed except for a few scratches and a bruise or two. I unleashed another powerful blast of fire that exploded at the ground near the Exorcist. I thought she was done for until she came bounding out of the smoke, unaffected by the attack other than some dirt on her face and clothes (if you can call her outfit clothes). She lunged into the air again swinging her sword at me. I used my aerial mobility to swerve out of the way, but the Exorcist swung her sword around at me, but I caught it at the end of my wing, grunting under the force of the blow. I couldn't put it off any longer. I extended my hand, ready to signal Yuuki—
Then I realized my mistake as the blade made contact.
*DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*
I was blown right out of the air, sent spiraling all the way to the ground and hitting it hard, creating a Ruto-shaped crater.
I groaned in pain as my wings started glowing again.
[Divide!]
I spat up blood. That was not a good side. The pain of being exploded and smashed into the ground was bad enough, but if some of my internal organs were damaged and I was bleeding, then this fight would not last much longer. If I didn't hurry, I would be knocked out by blood loss rather than actual injury or exhaustion. Still, that attack was pretty severe. I wouldn't survive a direct attack if she stuck that sword in me. I was about to get up from the ground when a heavy foot stomped on my left hand.
You know the sound that you hear when you use a nutcracker to break open the shell of a walnut?
It was that kind of crunch that could be heard.
And it was my kind of scream of pain that could be heard.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The pain was intense. It was like every bone in my hand had been crushed by this brutal Exorcist. I bit my tongue, trying to silence my screams. I slammed my other fist against the ground, suppressing screams of pain as the Exorcist proceeded to twist her foot down on my hand to increase my pain and suffering.
"You can end your own suffering now, Devil." The Exorcist offered. "Just tell me where they are and I will make it quick. If you tell me where your leader is and take me to them, I may consider sparing your life."
I grunted. There was no way I was going to take this bitch anywhere near Serafall! I don't even know what "they" are! This girl was speaking gibberish and nonsense! But still, there was no way I would be able to get out of this until I gave some concessions. It was either die or betray my loved ones. I would never do the latter, but I didn't want to do the former either. I had to think on my feet. I had to think fast!
"Alright alright!" I screamed in apparent pain. "I'll tell you everything I know! I swear! Please spare me! I don't want to betray my leader, but I don't want to die either!" The Exorcist ceased the pressure she was putting on my broken hand and seemed somewhat satisfied with my response.
The Exorcist held her supposed Excalibur sword at her side. "You had best speak quickly, Devil. My patience is wearing thin."
I breathed in and out, trying to suppress laughter at how she bought that. "Alright… Alright. I'll tell you everything… For example, THIS IS A PUUUUUUNCH!" Faster than the Exorcist could react, I lunged forward, slamming my fist into the gut of the Exorcist. She was caught by surprise as I knocked the wind out of her and knocked her back several feet.
I quickly recovered, getting back to my feet, ready to fight.
[Divide!]
The Exorcist coughed several times, clutching her stomach which I had punched with all of the Rook-level strength I could muster. Even if this woman was strong, impressively so, she was still just a human and possessed the same frailty that all humans possess. In terms of physical ability, I was superior to this woman because my Devil body is more durable.
"How cowardly!" The Exorcist spat at me. "But I suppose you Devils were never meant to have a sense of honor!" That irritated me.
"Oh! Coming from the girl who picked a fight using a SNEAK ATTACK if I may remind you!" I retorted.
"Silence!" I clearly got the better of her in that one. "You die here and now, Devil!"
I gave a "bring it" gesture to her. "I'll take you on here and now!"
The Exorcist shook her head. "I had thought that I could end this easily on my own, but I've wasted enough time here."
I was about to ask what she meant when I felt the point of a blade poke the back of my neck. It didn't cut me, but just making contact with the blade was enough to leave a slight burning sensation.
A Holy Sword.
That was when I began sweating.
"Sorry it took so long, Xenovia!" Another girl. Geez. Before I hadn't seen a single female in Church battlewear and today I see two. Both of them wanted to kill me also. "I thought you had it for a second, but I was mistaken. Amen! God, please forgive me for my mistake!"
"It's fine." The other Exorcist, Xenovia, assured the second girl. "But I don't think this Devil will be cooperative. It was troublesome enough dealing with the Fallen Angel, but if the Devils are involved, this mission becomes so much more complicated."
"Ah. I suppose we should exorcise this Devil in the name of God then."
My heart stopped.
"Fallen Angels"?! Don't tell me that these girls are trying to hurt Raynare and the others?! Even if we were once enemies, they were now my friends and I didn't want to let anyone hurt them!... But what did they mean that the Devils are involved? Involved with what? And what "mission" are they talking about?
Nothing about this battle had made the slightest bit of sense. I figured these girls might be working with Freed, but now… everything was too confusing…
And I was going to die without understanding why. That was what most terrified me. But I wouldn't show weakness, not to these two.
I clenched my fists at my side as the Exorcist, Xenovia, placed her own Excalibur at my throat. If I was going to die, I would die in defiance.
"Go ahead!" I screamed at the two Exorcists, causing them to flinch in surprise. "Go ahead and kill me! Pick a fight with all of Devil-kind if that's what your goal is! But mark my words: My bro Haru is going to hunt you down and kick your asses!" That's right. Even if I died, I could count on Haru to become stronger and defeat my killers. Serafall would cry, but Sona and the others would be there for her. I leave everyone in good hands.
"Farewell, Devil." Xenovia pulled back her sword to swing, ready to behead me. I closed my eyes and—
"WAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
""Eh?""
Both Xenovia and I were taken by surprise as Xenovia's comrade tackled her from the side, knocking her to the ground with the second girl on top.
Xenovia looked at her comrade in confusion. "What has gotten into you?!"
The second Exorcist quickly got up, waving her arms frantically. "Just give me a second! There's something I have to figure out!" Then she turned to me. Mentally, I was smacking myself across the face, scolding myself for not having run while they were distracted. "You… Haru… Would you happen to mean Namikaze Haru?"
I frowned. How did she know, Haru?... Then again, he did become more well-known after he defeated Riser. It would not be surprising if some of the Exorcists knew who he was.
"Yes. What of it?" I asked with hostility. The second Exorcist stood up, her eyes going wide.
"How… How do you know him?!" These questions were getting disturbingly personal.
"I… We've been best friends ever since we were little. Why did you ask?"
"It's you Ru-chan…"
My eyes went wide. "W-What did you call me?" I stumbled back and fell to the ground as a result.
"Sorry… It's been ten years. I honestly didn't recognize you." The second Exorcist stood up from the ground and pulled down her hood, revealing her face to me. She was another girl about my age with long, chestnut hair and violet eyes. Her hair was tied into twintails, each held with a blue scrunchy. The corners of her eyes filled with tears, but she was smiling. "Even if it's in this situation, I'm really happy to see you again, Ru-chan!"
That was when an image flashed in front of my eyes. A cute tomboy with more courage than Haru and I put together. The first person not to be off-put by my distant and loner disposition.
"I-Iri?" N-No way… "Iri…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WORKING WITH FREED?!"
""What?""
That was the response of the two now-identified Exorcists who stared at me with dot-like eyes.
"OK… I'm getting some shocked reactions… Erm…" It felt like I was seriously missing something. "So… you're… you're NOT working with Freed?"
"You mean… Freed Sellzen?" Irina asked. "Oh Heavens no!" She crossed her arms now. "I serve my Lord with every part of my being. If I shamed Him by allying with one such as that person, I could only pray that He would strike me down before I stained my soul any further."
I paused, turning to Xenovia. "You…I… I never asked if you were a Stray Exorcist or not, did I?" I had assumed she was because of how she preemptively attacked me, but…
Xenovia shook her head. "No. We did not exchange too many words, but I recall that that question was not one of them."
"But if… wait a minute… Oh…" Then I face-palmed, covering my face in my hands. "Oh my Maou. I… I feel sooooo embarrassed right now!" I felt so stupid! This fight had been started based on a total misunderstanding! "OK… I feel like we all have a bit of discussion to do."
"Clearly we do." Irina agreed.
"For now, let's return to my house where we can discuss this and I can rest from the horrible injuries your partner inflicted on me." I raised my hands in surrender when Xenovia prepared to raise her sword to attack me again. "Before we do, however, let's clarify: I'm not working with the people you're after and you're not working with/for the guy I'm after, okay? For now, let's just trust each other on this, OK?"
Irina turned to Xenovia, clasping her hands together. "Please, Xenovia? Ru-chan is the one I've told you about for so long! If I can't trust him, I can't trust anybody else in the whole wide world, not even God Himself!" Iri paused, making a small prayer of apology to the big man upstairs. "Pleeeeeaaaasssse?!" Xenovia's eyes went wide and gestured to me.
"He is the one you told me about?" For some odd reason, I felt insulted at this girl's doubt.
Irina nodded excitedly. "Yes."
Xenovia looked from her to me before she wrapped her sword in a cloth. "Very well. We will hear what he has to say."
And that was how I reunited with my first love.