-----
-----
Night in Kuou Town was unusually quiet, with only a few people wandering the streets.
A gentle breeze blew, stirring the clouds and covering the bright moon, making the night even darker.
But in this deep darkness, something far more ominous seemed to lurk.
A few figures soared through the night sky, their very presence radiating malice.
With jet-black wings, they descended slowly from different directions, landing in a secluded park.
Leading them was a girl with long black hair.
She glanced coldly at the others and asked, "Did you find Asia's whereabouts?"
"We sure did, Lady Raynare!"
A girl with twin ponytails replied playfully, "And guess what? Talk about fate—the one who's harboring Asia is the same devil who killed that trash Freed."
"Oh really?"
Raynare twirled a strand of her black hair, her beautiful face cold as ice. "Kalawarner, you're up. You can handle it, right?"
"I'll carry out your orders."
The one who answered was a tall, graceful woman.
"Lady Raynare, let me go too," said the only male among them. "Freed may have been human, but he wasn't weak."
"In that case, I'm coming too. Don't think you can leave me out!" the twin-tailed girl chimed in eagerly. "That sacred gear in the nun's body—I, Mittelt, will personally offer it up."
"True. That way, we can make absolutely sure," Kalawarner agreed. "Plus, I heard the Governor was pretty pleased with that sacred gear taken from that human last time."
"Once we get Asia's too, Lady Raynare, you're definitely going to stand out among the fallen angels," Donaseek added.
"Alright then, I'm leaving this to you all."
A dreamy smile crossed Raynare's face, as if she could already see a bright future ahead of her.
But just then, a teasing voice cut through her fantasy.
"Nice dream and all... but it ends here."
"Who's there!?"
The four of them instantly turned to the direction of the voice.
There, in the shadows of the dim park, stood a stunning guy and a beautiful girl.
"Oh wow, so these are the so-called fallen angels? What's with the wings—why do they look like crow feathers?"
Utter disdain was written all over Utaha's face as she looked at the four of them.
Demon wings were so much prettier than those.
"But... isn't it kinda four-on-two?" she added, instinctively wrapping her arm around Minato's.
Minato: "..."
Was this woman bold or scared?
She was the one mocking them a second ago.
He had to admit though—it felt pretty nice.
Minato moved his arm a little and said, "You're really packing, huh."
Utaha blinked, then her face turned bright red. "Pervert! Can you not say stuff like that right now?!"
"Don't worry. They're just a bunch of weaklings."
Watching the two of them casually flirt in front of them, Raynare and the others' faces darkened.
These two clearly didn't see them as a threat at all.
"You lowly devils, don't get cocky!"
Donaseek roared, launching himself into the sky and throwing something forward.
Buzz!
A brilliant light burst through the darkness—Donaseek was holding a glowing white spear made entirely of light.
Even as fallen angels, they still retained the power of light.
"This power..."
Utaha frowned deeply.
As a devil, her instincts recoiled at the dangerous, revolting energy.
Shiiing!
The spear of light tore through the air with a loud boom, blasting toward Minato and Utaha like a missile.
Raynare sneered coldly at their lack of movement.
"Just like I thought—devils are nothing but trash, can't even han—"
She never finished the sentence.
Because right then—
A magic circle appeared in front of them, and a surge of crackling blue lightning shattered the light spear and swallowed Donaseek whole.
BOOM!!!
The sky trembled with the force of it.
The whole park lit up like it was midday.
Silence fell across the area.
Everyone—Raynare, Kalawarner, Mittelt, even Utaha—stood there in complete shock.
Moments later—
A charred corpse dropped lifelessly from the sky.
"W-Wait... he's dead? Just like that?"
Utaha instinctively hugged Minato tighter. "That was a fallen angel, right?"
Fallen angels—supposedly the natural enemies of devils. And he got vaporized in one shot?
She always figured her master was strong, but this was just nuts.
"Told you they were weak."
Minato shook his head, clearly unimpressed. He looked at the other three and asked, "By the way, that human you mentioned—his name wouldn't happen to be Issei Hyoudou, would it?"
"How'd you know that?!"
Mittelt blurted out, then her face twisted in rage. "You damn devil! You killed Donaseek!"
Raynare and Kalawarner exchanged a glance, their bodies tensing up.
This devil… was no ordinary enemy.
"So it was you guys."
Minato nodded in realization and raised a hand. "As a thank-you gift, I'll give you a painless death."
Buzz...
As soon as he spoke, a gorgeous pale blue magic circle appeared in the air.
The pressure from his magic was so intense it made the air ripple visibly in all directions.
"Kill him!"
Raynare, Kalawarner, and Mittelt shouted, bursting into action with their light spears in hand.
The terrifying pressure from his spell sent chills down their spines.
They had to stop him before he finished the spell—he looked like the type who specialized in magic, so if they could just get in close—
BOOM!
Too late.
A roaring wave of thunder exploded outward.
Their light spears shattered like they were made of paper.
The three of them were frozen with terror as the overwhelming aura of death closed in on them.
"No!"
They let out screams of fury and despair—but it was useless.
The lightning engulfed them completely, and their consciousness began to fade.
In their final moments—
All they could see were those blood-red eyes, full of coldness and apathy.
"So this is what painless feels like..."
That was their last thought, before everything went black.
Meanwhile, Utaha's eyes were wide with shock.
Her master… was terrifying.
Was this his true self?
Minato looked at her and asked, "You okay?"
"I—I'm fine!"
Utaha snapped out of it and quickly let go of his arm.
"Ugh… if I'd known, I wouldn't have said anything."
Minato flexed his arm slightly.
He had to admit—it felt pretty good.
Yep, no matter how you slice it, her master was a total perv… Utaha finally calmed down.
She glanced at the three corpses, eyes sparkling. "Honestly, I thought you'd let them go or keep one. I mean—they were all cute girls."
"I don't fall for every girl I see, you know."
"Is that so? Wow, for once, you're not totally delusional."
"They were enemies. I don't have the habit of showing mercy to my enemies."
Minato sighed. "And besides, calling them cute girls? Compared to you, they don't even come close."
"..."
Utaha froze, her toes curling inside her shoes.
But despite herself, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"....."