The moment Nero's finger brushed Takamatsu Hikari's forehead, a sliver of demonic energy surged into her. But this wasn't your run-of-the-mill power—it was laced with the prototype essence of the "Original Sin Crystal: Sloth."
And just like that, Hikari dropped into a deep sleep.
"What the hell are you doing to her?!"
Nero hadn't expected Rikishi to lose it so fast. The second Hikari hit the ground, Rikishi went berserk, ditching her fight with her demonized shadow. She raised her massive bow and fired a thick, glowing arrow straight at Nero.
What's her deal? Can't tell friend from foe?
Grumbling internally, Nero grabbed Hikari by the collar and leaped aside, slashing the demonic arrow apart with a burst of sword energy. Landing smoothly, Nero hoisted their unconscious hostage and snapped at Rikishi, "You trying to hit your own friend or what?"
"Tch."
Rikishi had already obliterated her demonic shadow with a high-powered shot and now stood glaring at Nero from a distance. Hearing Nero's words, she gritted her teeth and lowered her bow.
"Guess you're not exactly Miss Popular," Kairin quipped, shielding Muku as she appeared nearby. "Two interventions, two attacks. Rough day."
"Still better than being a demon everybody hates," Nero shot back coolly, tossing Hikari to Aine behind them. "Watch her. Don't get caught in the crossfire."
"Uh… okay?" Aine caught Hikari, looking utterly confused. After a beat, she blinked and asked, "Wait, aren't you with her?"
"You seem more like our kind of people," Kairin called from a distance, smirking.
Nero glanced down at their tailcoat. Okay, sure, they were all rocking masks, but their style wasn't exactly screaming "same team" as Kairin's crew.
Maybe Rikishi mistaking Nero for one of Kairin's allies wasn't entirely her fault. Nero didn't buy it, though.
"You're not with them?" Rikishi finally caught on.
"Do I look like a demon to you?" Nero fired back, not waiting for an answer. They turned to "Fear"—Kairin—and grinned. "Your mission's a bust. How about we have a little chat instead?"
Rikishi's bow snapped up, now aimed at Kairin and Muku. "Kairin, it's time you spilled it. What's your game? Why are you after Hikari?"
They answered, but it wasn't Kairin who spoke—it was Muku.
"We were… tricked."
Her words were brief, heavy.
"Tricked? By who?" Rikishi pressed, clearly not getting it.
She wanted more, but Kairin wasn't playing along. Instead, she shouted toward the rooftop behind Nero, "Amoris! How long are you gonna screw around?"
"Ugh… you guys can't handle this?"
A lazy, sultry voice drifted down. "Big sis doesn't wanna get her hands dirty."
As the words landed, several tiger-sized demonic cats leaped from the rooftop, their malevolent aura thick as they surrounded Aine. The distant voice purred, "Just grab the girl, yeah? Let's not make this messy."
Aine, clutching Hikari, froze as the massive beasts closed in, trembling like a leaf. But in a blink, the cats collapsed, blood spraying. Nero stood unmoved, wiping their blade with a handkerchief. "Think you can snatch someone from me without showing your face? That's just insulting."
"Ah! My babies!"
Amoris let out a half-fake scream before her tone darkened, a sly chuckle creeping in. "Oh, but you just fell for it~"
The blood pooling on the ground hissed, black miasma erupting to engulf Aine and Hikari. Amoris's voice turned honeyed, seductive. "Come on now… join my 'fan club'~"
It was clear as day: Amoris's power wasn't just about controlling animals—she could puppet people, too. Rikishi didn't hesitate, firing off attacks at Kairin, Muku, and the mystery figure on the rooftop. Nero, unfazed, reached into the miasma to pull the girls out.
As a half-demon, a descendant of Sparda, Nero wasn't about to be swayed by some cheap trick. Aine? Nero figured as long as she wasn't fully demonized, she'd be fine.
No way Amoris could turn someone into a demon that easily. If she could, why would Agnus bother with all that effort on the Ascension Ceremony? It'd make him look like a clown. Plus, if it was that simple, Kairin and Muku wouldn't have bothered with this whole song and dance to kidnap Hikari.
Nero yanked the two girls from the miasma. Hikari was still out cold, unchanged. Aine, though? Her eyes glowed red with obvious hostility. She lunged, trying to drag Hikari away from Nero. No choice—Nero tapped her with the same Sloth-infused trick, and Aine crumpled, asleep.
"What?! That didn't work either?"
Amoris's voice finally carried a hint of panic. "No way! I am not getting punished by the boss!"
Kairin, dodging Rikishi's attacks with Muku in tow, groaned. "Then quit slacking, you lazy idiot!"
"Give it up," Nero said, casually swatting away a shadowy dagger Kairin flung. "Your mission's dead in the water."
"Fine, we're out," Kairin decided, grabbing Muku's hand. The two melted into the shadows. Amoris's presence vanished just as quickly.
"Still running like cowards," Nero muttered. With escape skills like that, even Nero's Yamato, which could slice through dimensions, couldn't catch them without a Phantom Sword marker planted first.
What bugged Nero, though, was the uncertainty. Were these demonized girls good or evil? Sure, they were demons now, but they clearly hadn't lost their human memories or reasoning—same as Nero's brother-in-arms, Credo. They were kidnapping girls, yeah, but where were those girls going? Were they even alive?
On the flip side, the exorcist girls opposing them—Rikishi's crew—had their own issues. That "Little Ace" backing them was shady as hell. And then there was "Death," the former exorcist Wakaba Muku, dropping a bombshell:
They were tricked.
Who was "they"? Who did the tricking? Muku didn't spell it out, but Nero's gut screamed one thing: the exorcist girls were being played by Little Ace.
Because miracles and magic always come with a price. A thing that lures girls into fighting for it with promises of "wishes"?
That's no hero. That's a devil in disguise.