Leaving the restaurant, the half-demon and the nekoshou followed their target. For an hour, Kiyoshi watched what seemed like an ordinary date. The teenager was chatting with the girl with a stupid, happy smile, trying to cheer up his companion, sometimes turning his lustful gaze to her chest. The guy just felt happiness mixed with love, as senjutsu suggested. The fallen girl was happily chatting with Hyodo and often laughed at his jokes, but unlike her outward manifestations, her emotions were the opposite: hatred, disgust, and anticipation were growing with each passing minute. When the sun began to slowly disappear behind the horizon, the couple headed towards the park.
As they approached, the number of people became less and less, until there was no one left in the area. The teenager seemed not to notice this change as he followed his companion. Unlike him, Shirone and Kiyoshi understood that the climax of the date would soon come. They completely hid their presence, moving slowly among the trees of the park.
Stopping near the fountain, the fallen created a barrier, separating part of the park from the outside world. Confirming that there were no strangers in the area, she dropped her mask.
— Pervert, — the nekomata gave her verdict when the fallen's outfit changed.
— I agree, — Kiyoshi looked at this BDSM lover in surprise. — Instead of normal armor, wearing something like this, — the blond shook his head, — How can these strips of fabric that cover almost nothing help save you from the enemy?
— She can quickly take them off to beg for her life in exchange for her body, — Shirone suggested with a grin.
— Ha-ha-ha, yes. Just right for a fallen one, — Zankoku quietly laughed imagining such a picture.
While the couple were discussing various options, the fallen attacked Issei. Using a spear, she pierced the guy's stomach. The fallen girl looked at her dying "boyfriend" with a mocking look and flew away.
— Shall we move? — the white-haired girl asked her husband.
— She won't hide from you that quickly anyway. Let her fly away and then... — the couple's attention was drawn to the red magic circle that appeared near the dying man.
The appearance of the Gremory heiress here was unexpected for Kiyoshi. This made him think about what was happening for a while.
— I see, ha-ha, — the blond man let out a laugh, realizing what was happening here. — It could have been done much better.
— What are you talking about? — Shirone asked, watching Rias open the box with the chess pieces.
— That redhead showed up here at a very opportune time. The demons couldn't have missed the owner of the mechanism in their territory, nor could the fallen angels have taken an interest in him.
— So they allowed him to be killed, — the nekoshou stated rather than asked a question.
— Yes. Gremory was definitely monitoring their movements. Otherwise, she wouldn't have appeared here right after the crow left, — Zankoku saw how the pawns disappeared one by one in the teenager's body, — To save a man when he was dying and would cling to any opportunity to survive. Basically, a choice without a choice.
— I don't think she cares about this pervert's choice, — the girl said, looking at the demon with hatred. She still remembered how she and her sister were held captive.
— Demons, what can you expect from them, — the blond stroked the nekomata with a grin, distracting her from the surging memories. — Let's go. This is none of our business.
Trying not to think about the past, Shirone remembered Kiyoshi's words:
— You said that we can do better. What did you mean?
— When the boy joins the demonic life, sooner or later he will realize that his transformation is not so simple. This will affect his loyalty. And the fallen angels acted stupidly, — Kiyoshi imagined what he would do: — If everything you told me about him is true, then it would be easier to simply seduce him with some useless but pretty girl, and then control him through her. Even weak dragon carriers can be very useful, and if it is a piece of Vritra, then even more so.
Following the trail of the black-winged one, they continued the conversation:
— Although it is unlikely, but if this boy is one of the heavenly dragons, then now the demons will have a longinus carrier with hatred for the fallen in their hands. Not very good news for the chickens. Therefore, it is better to use the owners of sacred mechanisms and make them loyal to you than to make a dangerous enemy for yourself. But if he becomes dangerous, then it is better to play it safe and, — Zankoku did not finish the sentence. They reached their destination in silence.
— She flew all the way here, — the pair looked at the task ahead. — There are barriers set up there. I can't sense what's inside or how many people are there.
— An abandoned church, — Kiyoshi tried to sense the holy power with curiosity. — A suitable hiding place for them. Vera has already left this place, — the blond looked at the old building for a while until Shirone took his hand:
— Let's go home.
— Yes. It's time to end our date.
On the way back, Kiyoshi contacted his subordinates who specialized in stealth and ordered them to keep an eye on the fallen. In half a day, they had already found out that there were at least three fallen angels and at least a dozen apostates of the church in the church. Zankoku was very surprised that so many opponents had gathered under the demons' noses, and they didn't even know about it.
After the blond picked up Shirone after school, one of the observers contacted him:
— Boss, one fallen left the church.
— Excellent, — a bloodthirsty smile appeared on the blond's face, — where did he go?
— At first, he was flying near the outskirts of the city, but abruptly changed direction towards the park.
— Again the park, — muttered the half—demon, — Do you feel anything in that direction?
— Yes. — the guy confirmed, — I sense a source of demonic energy. No stronger than a mid-level demon.
— Good. Continue following the target. I'll teleport straight to the park, and we'll meet there.
— Got it. — Having received the instructions, the youkai disconnected the connection.
Kiyoshi looked at the curious nekomata and asked:
— Do you want to come with me?
— What do you want to do? — the girl answered the question with a question.
— I'm going to capture the fallen and find out all the known information.
Hearing these words and seeing the anticipation in her husband's eyes, Shirone wrinkled her nose from the memories.
— No. I'd rather stay home, — she settled more comfortably on the couch, hugging the pillow. — You'll probably torment the poor guy again and it will drag on for a long time.
— I'll try not to linger. Don't be bored, — having kissed his wife goodbye, Zankoku moved to the park.
Finding himself among the trees, the blond strengthened his senjutsu concealment, but left a small Ki leak. Such a trick is impossible to notice if the person is not a senjutsu user. Having reached the source of demonic energy, the leader of Hyakki Yako saw yesterday's victim of the fallen one.
The brown-haired man examined the fountain for any evidence. The reincarnated demon did not even try to hide his presence, which attracted attention to himself.
— Boss, the black-winged one will appear now, — a young guy with a black fox tail and ears appeared next to Kiyoshi.
— Excellent work Kirin. Let's watch the show for now, — the fox nodded and began to watch with a smile.
A man dressed in a coat and hat appeared in front of the demon, alerting the teenager.
— How surprising to meet someone like you in this place, — the fallen one said with undisguised malice. — Who is your master? Which house do you belong to?
— What are you talking about? — Hyodo was scared by the thirst for blood. He had no idea what this psycho was talking about. — I don't quite understand what master or house you're talking about.
— Are you pretending? Or are you a renegade and are already starting to go crazy, — sensing danger, the teenager turned around in an attempt to escape. — In that case, no one will complain that I got rid of the trash.
A pair of black wings opened behind the speaker. He soared up, quickly catching up with his victim. White particles of light formed a spear in his hands. With an accurate throw, the fallen wounded the demon in the stomach.
— Aaaah, — the brown-haired man screamed from the enormous pain. The guy's hands were covered in his own blood.
— Light is destructive for people like you, but I'm surprised you're still alive. Usually, one attack is enough for lower creatures. So your body is much stronger, — the fallen created a new spear, — I wonder how much you can withstand.
Before the fallen could make another throw, a ball of crimson energy hit his hand. With the appearance of the Gremory heiress on the scene, Kiyoshi lost interest in what was happening. While the demoness and the fallen were exchanging words, Zankoku voiced the next plan:
— As soon as the crow flies far enough from this place, create a barrier, and I will take care of the capture, — Kirin nodded in response.
Having voiced his final threat, the man left the Gremory heiress. Flying through the sky, the fallen suddenly felt himself in a barrier. Hanging in place, he looked around in surprise.
Kiyoshi took advantage of this pause. Having nourished his body with Toki, a purple aura appeared around the half—demon's figure. With increased speed, the blond appeared behind the angel, catching him off guard. A powerful blow sent the black-winged one to the ground. Cracks appeared on the asphalt from the fallen's fall. As soon as he tried to get up, his head was pressed into the ground, knocking him unconscious.
— That's all. — Zankoku grabbed the fallen by the collar. — Thank you for your help. You can return to the church.
— It will be done, Boss, — the fox saluted and left the blond.
— Well, it's time for us to get to know each other better, — with a smile that did not bode well, the half—demon teleported into one of the rooms belonging to Hyakki Yako.
After half an hour, the doors opened and Kiyoshi came out of the room. A calm and good-natured smile did not go well with his hands smeared with dried blood. While the subordinates tried to hide their fear, carefully looking away from their boss, Shinichi approached the blond.
— Here, — he handed his friend a rag. — You finished quickly today.
— Shirone asked not to linger, so I did not drag out the pleasure, — throwing aside the already crimson rag, Kiyoshi addressed the frozen guys, — clean up there, — when the door to the room was almost closed, he added, — and throw the head in the freezer. I want to give it to the rest of the fallen at our next meeting.
— Y-yes, Boss, — seeing the "work" of his leader, the man could not hold back the trembling in his voice.
— Eh, I understand the reason for your actions, but the others consider you a butcher and are afraid, — the brunette complained with a sigh.
— It doesn't matter. The main thing is that they do their job properly, — the two of them went to the blond's office.
— So, what did you find out, — Shin asked, sitting down opposite his friend.
— Quite a few interesting things, — the half—demon poured alcohol into glasses and passed the drink before continuing: — There are four fallen angels in total, or rather three now. They used to be Azazel's subordinates, but they betrayed him, defecting to Kokabiel.
The room sank into silence for a while. Both young men took a sip from their glasses and enjoyed the taste.
— They have about three dozen renegade exorcists at their disposal, — Kiyoshi continued to share the information he had received, — Among them, Freed Zelzan stands out. He's completely crazy, but has the best skills of all this rabble. The leader of the fallen group is the girl who killed that guy yesterday. I told you about her appearance.
— A dark-haired BDSM lover? — Shin chuckled, voicing the description of his friend.
— Exactly! — the blond saluted with his hand holding a drink, — Once you see her, you won't be mistaken. There's also a small, childlike blonde and a blue-haired woman, — seeing the reproachful look, Zankoku replied, — Don't look at me like that. That's how that fallen one described them. So, — pretending to cough, the young man continued his speech:
— In four days, a nun from Europe should arrive in this city. Asia Argento is a bearer of twilight healing. She used to have the title of a holy maiden, but was thrown out of the church for healing a demon.
— They abandoned a healer for such a ridiculous reason?
— The churchmen are just too stupid. The story is generally murky. Even the fallen suspected something was wrong with this demon, but decided to take advantage of the opportunity. In the basement of this church, there is an artifact in the shape of a cross that can extract a holy mechanism from its bearer. Unfortunately, a person will not survive this process.
— A useful thing, — Shinichi cupped his chin, thinking about what he heard, — We need to take this cross for ourselves. Then we can provide ourselves with any mechanisms and pass them on to trusted people.
— That's natural. I won't let such a treasure go. However, they won't be able to use it on a nun right away. The fallen will need a few days to tune it.
— What should we do? Should we deal with the angels right away and take the cross for ourselves?
— No. I want to get the twilight healing for myself, but if we attack now, the demons will notice and quickly run to the church. It's better to let the fallen make all the preparations for us, and we'll take all the fruits of their labor.
— Then we'll also need to keep an eye on Argento, — the brunette adjusted his glasses.
— No big deal. We already know all the necessary information about the church, so leave a couple of people to watch it. Let them take turns, and the free one will follow the nun.
— Good. That's what we'll do, — having decided on their plans, they clinked their glasses, finished the rest, and went about their business.