The sun was starting to set, casting long, orange shadows across the streets.
Elias waved goodbye to Rin and started walking back to the shrine. It had been a good day of training. He felt very comfortable with his new magic skills.
But as he walked down a quiet street near the edge of town, Elias stopped.
The wind had stopped blowing. The distant sounds of cars and people completely vanished. The street suddenly felt very cold and empty.
Elias's sharp dragon senses tingled. Someone was watching him.
He looked around. The space around him looked a little blurry, like looking through thick glass.
He reached out his hand and touched the air. A dark, purple ripple appeared.
It was a magical barrier. He had been completely isolated from the real world.
"I know you are there,"
Elias said calmly, keeping his hands in his pockets.
"You can come out now."
From the dark shadows of the alleyways, five figures stepped out.
They were wearing dark, heavy cloaks. Their eyes glowed with an angry, violent red light.
Elias could feel their aura. They were Devils, but their magic felt dirty and wild, full of hatred.
Elias remembered Zeoticus's warning. These must be the rogues from the Old Satan Faction. Lord Phenex must have really complained to his old friends.
"Are you the Thorne boy?"
The leader of the Devils asked. His voice sounded like grinding stones.
"Yes,"
Elias answered simply.
"And I am guessing you are not here to invite me to a party."
"We are here to erase a mistake,"
The leader growled. He pulled out a long, jagged sword covered in dark flames.
The other four Devils summoned spears and whips made of dark magic. Without another word, they all charged at Elias at the same time.
They were fast. They were definitely veteran fighters who had survived the old civil war. A normal high-class Devil would have been in serious trouble.
But Elias was not a normal Devil.
The leader swung his burning sword right at Elias's neck. Elias didn't even blink. He just raised two fingers and caught the heavy blade in mid-air.
Clang!
The Devil's eyes went wide with shock.
"Too slow,"
Elias said.
With a simple flick of his wrist, Elias shattered the sword into pieces. He then spun around and kicked the leader in the chest.
The terrifying force of his dragon strength sent the Devil flying into a brick wall, knocking him out instantly.
The other four Devils attacked, but it was completely useless. Elias dodged their magic whips easily. He moved like a shadow, striking with quick, heavy punches.
In less than a minute, all five veteran Devils were groaning on the ground, completely beaten.
Elias hadn't even taken his left hand out of his pocket.
Elias walked over to the leader, who was barely waking up.
Elias reached down and grabbed the man by the collar of his cloak, lifting him into the air.
"Alright,"
Elias said, his voice turning serious.
"Let's have a little chat. Who exactly sent you? Where is your hideout?"
Elias wanted to interrogate him and get some useful information.
But the leader just glared at Elias with pure hatred. He didn't look scared at all.
Instead, he smiled a very crazy, ugly smile.
"For the true Satan..."
The leader whispered.
Suddenly, a strange, glowing black symbol appeared on the leader's forehead.
The same symbol appeared on the other four defeated Devils on the ground.
Elias's eyes widened. He quickly dropped the leader and jumped back.
Whoosh!
Dark, magical fire erupted from the inside of their bodies. They didn't even scream.
In just three seconds, all five Devils burned themselves away, leaving nothing behind but a pile of gray ash on the street.
They had used a suicide curse.
The purple magical barrier slowly faded away. The normal sounds of the city returned.
Elias stood alone in the quiet street, looking down at the piles of ash. He scratched his head, feeling deeply confused.
"Why would they do that?"
Elias muttered to himself.
He didn't understand the logic. Why would a secret, dangerous organization send a group of lackeys just to attack him, fail, and instantly kill themselves?
It didn't accomplish anything. They just wasted five good fighters for absolutely no reason.
Elias let out a long sigh and started walking home again.
He remembered all the anime and comic books he used to see back in his old world.
The bad guys always sent weak minions first to test the hero, even if it meant wasting lives.
"It must be a villain thing,"
Elias decided, shaking his head.
He wasn't going to worry about it too much. If the Old Satan Faction wanted to keep sending bad guys to die uselessly, he was more than happy to keep beating them up.
Elias walked up the familiar stone steps of the shrine.
The cool evening air was a nice change from the strange fight in the alleyway.
As soon as he opened the front door, Dee skipped into the hallway and gave him a happy, welcoming hug.
"Welcome back, Eli!"
Dee smiled brightly.
"I'm back,"
Elias said, returning her hug.
"How was everything here today? Was Asia okay?"
Dee followed him into the kitchen. She picked up a fresh apple from a bowl on the table.
"It was mostly quiet,"
Dee said casually, taking a loud bite.
"Oh, except for a little bit of trouble this afternoon. A group of rogue Fallen Angels tried to sneak in and kidnap Asia while you were at the university."
Elias stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened. He knew Asia had a rare and powerful healing ability that bad guys might want.
"What?!"
Elias asked, stepping closer to Dee.
"Is she okay? Did they hurt her or Shuri-kaa san?"
Dee waved her free hand, looking completely relaxed.
"Don't worry, Eli. Asia was taking a nap in her room. She didn't even wake up. Shuri was safe in the garden."
"Then what happened to the Fallen Angels?"
Elias asked, confused.
"I deleted them,"
Dee said simply.
Elias blinked.
"Deleted them?"
"Yep,"
Dee nodded. For a split second, her dark eyes flashed with an ancient, absolute power.
"They tried to step into our home and hurt our new friend. So, I just erased their existence from the world. They are completely gone. Poof!"
Elias let out a long breath and smiled. He reached out and gently patted her head.
"Thank you for protecting them, Dee,"
Elias said. Having the Goddess of Death watching the house was definitely the best home security system in the multiverse.
Just as Elias sat down at the kitchen table, the front sliding door opened again.
Rias and Akeno walked inside. Rias looked very tired.
She was rubbing her temples and had a deep frown on her face.
She looked like she had a terrible headache.
But the moment Rias walked into the kitchen and saw Elias, her whole face lit up.
Her bad mood completely vanished.
She gave him a huge, sweet smile and immediately walked over to his side.
"Elias!"
Rias said, looking at him with bright eyes.
"I am so glad you are here. I really needed to see you today."
"Rough day at the Occult Research Club?"
Elias asked kindly, offering her a chair.
Akeno giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"You could say that, Onii-chan. We had some very annoying guests in Kuoh town today."
Rias groaned and sat down heavily in the chair. She crossed her arms in frustration.
"It was terrible,"
Rias complained, pouting slightly.
"Two exorcists from the Church came right into my territory. They were so incredibly rude!"
"Exorcists?"
Elias asked. He didn't know much about the Church in this world.
"What did they want from the Devils?"
"They are looking for stolen holy swords,"
Rias explained, her blue eyes flashing with annoyance.
"Their names are Xenovia and Irina. They walked right into my club room and demanded that we stay out of their business. They basically threatened us if we got involved!"
Rias sighed and leaned closer to Elias, seeking his comforting presence.
"They acted like they owned the town,"
Rias muttered.
"I try so hard to keep Kuoh peaceful, but they treat us like dirt just because we are Devils."
Elias listened quietly. It sounded like the rogue Fallen Angels trying to kidnap Asia and these exorcists looking for holy swords were part of a bigger mess.
"Don't worry about them,"
Elias said, giving Rias an encouraging smile.
"If these exorcists start causing real trouble in your town, I'll deal with them myself."
...
Jelopy: The Holy Grail War is coming. Time to die Matou Zouken! Leave Sakura alone!
...
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