Kiyoshi sat in his office, thinking. Yesterday evening, Freed left the church accompanied by Asia. The exorcist decided to hunt demon "clients" and took a nun with him for this. When the summoner was dead and the barriers were set, a demon from the Gremory retinue arrived at the house.
After learning that it was Hyodo again, Zankoku did not know whether Issei himself hated the world itself or whether his luck had run out after reincarnating as a demon. After all, the boy had already been on the verge of death several times during the week.
Freed was an experienced and powerful exorcist, so he easily defeated the lesser demon. If the nun had not intervened, thereby breaking the barrier, then the pervert's life would have ended there. But with the arrival of the Gremory heiress and her retinue, the situation changed. Zelzan took the opportunity to escape, leaving Asia with the demons.
After cleaning up the traces, they decided to leave the nun in the care of Hyodo Issei. Which was very stupid, in Kiyoshi's opinion. The Fallen could have attacked Hyodo's house in order to take the prisoner back. In this case, everyone in the house, including ordinary people (Issei's parents), would be dead. If it was a trap, then the half—demon could understand such actions, but according to the observers' reports, they did not find any tracking spells or Gremory's ambush.
In the morning, the guy's head was probably hit by hormones, Zankoku could not explain his actions in any other way. The brown—haired man took the nun on a date. The couple enjoyed the time spent, not realizing that they could be attacked at any moment. This time, Gremory did not fail and kept an eye on her servant.
While the children were having fun, Kiyoshi prepared people to capture the artifact and destroy the enemy. Ten strong and experienced fighters, among whom were both youkai and owners of sacred mechanisms. They were ready to move out at any moment.
There was a knock at the door and Shin entered the room:
— The Fallen took Argento.
— Excellent! — the half—demon was already tired of waiting. — It's time to finally clean up this bug—infested place.
Following Kiyoshi, Shirone got up from the couch. Nekomata and her husband were waiting in his office for the action to begin. The three quickly reached the room, where the prepared fighters were already waiting for them.
— Finally, these bastards deigned to begin their ritual, — Zankoku spoke in front of his subordinates lined up, — and that means it's time for us to act. Four of you will erect a barrier. Your task is to prevent a single enemy from escaping. The rest will go with me to clean up. Leave no one alive! This trash must be destroyed!
— Yes! — a chorus of voices answered.
Having moved a hundred meters from the church, the kitsune observer immediately approached the group:
— Boss, all the fallen and exorcists are inside. No one left the building, — Kirin reported.
— Excellent, — the young man was already barely holding back in anticipation, — Stay here. Soon the demons may descend here. As soon as you sense them, report them, — having received a nod, the half-demon addressed his group:
— As soon as I give the signal, act quickly, but do not rush into trouble. Mostly there are a bunch of weaklings-renegades of the church. Shirone and I will fight the fallen. Let's go!
The doors of the church swung open sharply, which made the people inside wary. Eight people entered the hall, led by a gray-haired young man.
— How lively the church is in the evening hours, — the uninvited guest spoke mockingly, — How many sinners atone for their sins.
— Who the hell are you? — Fried stood at the head of his men. Having prepared his weapons — a lightsaber and a pistol — for the attack, he kept a close eye on the intruders. — Answer immediately why you came, otherwise you won't die so easily!
— So death awaits in any case? Ha, then I will resist, — Kiyoshi extended his hand to the side. His palm entered the fold of his personal space, grabbing the object stored there.
As soon as the katana in its black sheath appeared for all to see, the atmosphere in the room changed. The heavy smell of blood filled the air, making those around feel uncomfortable. The young man's inappropriately cheerful tone added to the discomfort:
— Ah, it looks like he's hungry, — Kiyoshi gently ran his hand over the black hilt, — He hasn't felt blood on himself for over a month.
— What kind of damn blade is this?! I don't remember any swords like this one. — Zelzen became even more cautious and, like the others, prepared for battle.
— This, — the half-demon drew his katana, — is one of the remaining Muramasa blades. By the way, the best example, which is why it was sealed for many years. The kid often drove his owners crazy to enjoy blood and despair to his heart's content. It used to be in one of the temples in Kyoto, but Yasaka gave it to me.
— Kyoto? Yasaka? — Fried was surprised to hear about the leader of the youkai here and when he wanted to ask another question, everyone in the church felt like they were inside a barrier. — What the hell. A barrier?
— Now that the barrier has finally been set up and you can't escape anywhere, — Kiyoshi's smile became bloodthirsty, — It's time to put aside stupid talk and start cleaning up.
Zankoku rushed forward at great speed. If Fried hadn't expected this in advance, he wouldn't have been able to block the attack. When the lightsaber collided with the katana, the blade was enveloped in a dark fog and cut through the obstacle, heading further towards the man's body. The next moment, Fried Zelzen was cut into two parts.
— Two with me, the rest deal with this, — Kiyoshi, without looking at the remaining ten exorcists, went to the pedestal, where, according to the senjutsu sense, there was a passage down.
The traitors of the church wanted to stop them, but the four Hyakki Yakou fighters did not allow them to be distracted for a second. The price of this could be life, as the corpse of the exorcist that appeared proved.
While the number of enemies on the surface was slowly decreasing, Kiyoshi, Shirone and two youkai were walking along the corridor of the underground floor towards the source of magic. Soon they reached their goal. In a spacious hall, a naked blonde was hanging on a cross. Heavy chains fixed their victim and at the same time covered the girl's intimate parts.
There were three fallen angels and sixteen renegade exorcists in the room. As soon as Zankoku's group appeared, everyone turned their attention to them.
— And I was wondering what that noise was upstairs, — Rainer said, standing next to Asia. — It turns out that Hyakii Yakou visited us. What did a bunch of animals want from us? — These words made those around laugh.
This attitude did not please all the members of the yakuza. The yokai bared their fangs, Shirone released her claws, and Kiyoshi extended his blade in front of him:
— Remember — do not touch my people, otherwise you will not see the light of day for several hundred years, — having finished his address to Muramasa, the young man threw it at the nearest enemy. The man, not expecting such an act, did not have time to react and the katana pierced his stomach. — You dared to insult Hyakki Yako, chicken. Do not expect to get off easy. You will beg me for death while I am busy torturing you! — after Zankoku's words, a cry of agony was heard in the room.
The man pierced by the cursed blade lay on the floor screaming in pain. Blood was coming out of his eyes, nose, ears. He waved his arms randomly until he calmed down in an instant. The people around jumped back from the man's body, pointing their weapons at him. The reason for this became clear to everyone when he rose to his feet. The exorcist's eyes turned completely black, and there was a mad smile on his face. With a slow movement, he pulled the katana out of his stomach. Clutching the handle tightly in his hands, the man did not pay attention to the blood flowing from the wound, as if he no longer felt pain. His gaze focused on Kiyoshi.
— They are yours, you can have fun at your leisure, — Muramasa's smile grew even wider at the statement of his master. — Well, we'll take care of the crows. Shirone, take care of the little one, — the half-demon pointed at the short blonde. — You two, kill the blue-haired one, and I'll take care of this bitch. Let the carnage begin. — After these words, an inhuman roar was heard from the man possessed by the blade.
Muramasa didn't care about his body. For him, it was just a sack of meat, a puppet that he could easily replace. The cursed katana had taken thousands of lives during its long existence, driving dozens of owners mad. He knew how easy it was to break a person and bring as much suffering as possible.
Rushing toward his first victim, the possessed one cut off the hands with which his opponent held the sword. Hearing the cries of pain, he burst out laughing. Several bullets could not stop Muramasa. Continuing to laugh, he rushed into the crowd of opponents. Swing, another, another. Three exorcists lost their limbs, but not their lives. A blow from the lightsaber cut off the puppet's hand. In retaliation, Muramasa decapitated the man. It was time to change the vessel. Having chosen a new body, the possessed one rushed toward it, ignoring the attacks. The blade of the cursed sword was covered in black mist, and the puppet pierced its target. The change of body did not take more than a second. A mad smile and laughter came from the new host. The slaughter continued, as its new master wished.
Kalawarner cursed everything in the world now. Herself for going against Azazel's orders. Mittelt for not telling her right away about the yakuza appearing in the city. Reiner for her big mouth. And Hyakki Yako and his cursed boss for attacking them. The girl did not have false hopes. She would not defeat her opponents and would not escape from here. These two youkai were slowly weakening her, inflicting small and insignificant wounds. With their teamwork, they covered each other's shortcomings, not allowing themselves to be injured or their prey to escape. Kalawarner clearly saw that the opponents could have already killed her if they had attacked more riskily, but they did not. With each new wound, the youkai bring the end of the fallen closer. "I hate you, Reiner! I hope you suffer enough before you die" — these were the last thoughts of the girl, seeing the blade approaching her heart.
Shirone, like a real cat, played with her prey. Using senjutsu, she easily dodged the attacks.
— You're tired of dodging, mangy cat. — the fallen roared after another miss.
The blonde has been swinging her weapon for several minutes in vain in an attempt to wound the enemy. Only the fallen herself gets a new wound from the nekomata's claws each time. A new attempt to impale the youkai on the spear ends with the loss of an eye.
— Aaaaah, my eye! Bitch! Scum! Damn youkai. — Pressing one hand to her injured eye, the blonde waved the weapon trying to hook the nekoshou. — As soon as I'm done with you, I'll kill your entire family. Everything dear to you will be destroyed. I promise.
Continuing to curse her opponent, Mittelt didn't notice how rage appeared in the nekoshou's eyes. No longer running away, Shirone parried the fallen girl's spear with one hand and ripped the blonde's stomach open with the other. Jumping back, the nekoshou watched emotionlessly as the blonde, sitting on the floor, tried to put her fallen out intestines back, not paying attention to anything.
— Trash, — snorting, Shirone waved her hand. With the help of youkai magic, wind blades flew after the nekomata's claws. Mittelt's head fell from her neck right into her insides.
Kiyoshi used senjutsu and Toki, causing a purple aura to appear around him. With such a boost, all the attacks of the weak two-winged fallen were unable to cause any damage.
— Fuck! Why can't I hurt you?!— Reiner dealt blow after blow, but the blond either waved the spear away like a fly, or took the blows to the chest and nothing happened.
— You're just a worthless nobody, — the half-demon's voice carried cold fury. He grabbed the spear and squeezed his palm. The fallen's weapon shattered into particles of light. — Trash that dared to insult Hyakki Yako. You are not worthy of even saying the name of my gang.
Closing the distance, Zankoku struck with his hand. The crunch of bones could be heard. The fallen was blown away several meters. Without giving her a chance to come to her senses, Kiyoshi appeared next to her and kicked Reiner into the wall. The brunette cried out in pain upon colliding with the barrier.
— It's not over yet. Stay there for now, — Kiyoshi glanced at the half-conscious fallen girl and turned his attention to the nun. — It looks like the ritual is nearing completion.
Glancing around the room, the blond realized that everyone had already finished. All ten subordinates were standing at the entrance, and Muramasa, having finished off the last exorcists, approached him. The possessed one knelt down in front of Kiyoshi and plunged the blade into his heart.
— Excellent work, — the half-demon grinned at the effect of the cursed sword. Pulling the katana out of its peculiar sheath, he examined the blade. — I'll let you enjoy blood again soon, but for now, rest, Muramasa. — The katana was put into its black sheath and put away in Zankoku's personal space.
When the cursed blade appeared in another dimension, a sigh of relief was heard among the youkai. Muramasa's aura frightened the wielders of senjutsu. Only Kiyoshi could handle this sword without succumbing to its curses thanks to the holy power of the Hymn of Incineration. That was why Yasaka gave him this katana.
— You all did a great job, well done, — Zankoku praised his subordinates with a smile. The entire operation took no more than fifteen minutes. — As soon as we return to the base, you will receive a bonus and two days off. You can celebrate and relax.
The crowd hummed approvingly. Everyone was happy to have a good rest after a good fight.
— Now we will deal with the artifact and you can teleport from here, and I will stay for a while to teach a certain winged person some manners, — following their boss, everyone turned their gaze to the beaten Reiner. Some pitied the silly girl, others gloated, but no one remained indifferent. Everyone in Hyakki Yakou knew the results of Zankoku's "communication" with the fallen angels.
A minute later, a green glow appeared from Argento's chest. Slowly, her sacred mechanism in the form of a ring came out of the girl.
— Shirone, come here, — Kiyoshi carefully took the twilight healing and handed it to his wife. — How are you feeling?
— Good, — the nekomata closed her eyes, feeling a new feeling. — I have knowledge of how to use the mechanism.
— Then can you demonstrate it on that crow?
— Uh-huh.
Shirone approached the battered fallen. The nekoshou's hands glowed green as she touched the girl's chest. Reiner's pale complexion became more normal and her breathing returned to normal. It seemed that the damaged ribs had healed.
— It's done, — the nekomata said, moving away from the patient.
— Good girl, Shirone, — Kiyoshi hugged his wife and kissed her on the top of her head. — With this, you will become much stronger and will be able to heal us, if necessary, — having finished his affection, the half—demon turned to his subordinates: — Untie this nun, leave her somewhere here. Take the artifact and go home.
After seeing off the disappeared people with his eyes, Zankoku turned to the awakened Reiner:
— It's time to deal with you, chicken.