"Asia?" I frowned as I recalled a little incident before scoping the area. "So it was the girl I saw when I arrived. She was being forced inside by that weird boy in the priest clothing."
"You have seen her?!" Ise grabbed my shoulders and stared with such intensity that I had to grab his arms and forced them off me to get some breathing room.
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"I could tell you that there are a few guards keeping watch, and I had caught sight of at least two other Fallen Angels." I started my explanation. "I counted at least twenty priests in dark clothing inside. Also, I peeked through the windows and saw some of them going down a small stairway under the alter, supposedly to an underground basement with the girl. The demented boy stayed behind in the foyer. Judging from his attitude and the manner he ordered everyone around, he would be the one dealing with the security work and the first problem to deal with."
"That is… more information than expected." Kiba remarked before smiling. "You have done this before?"
"Well, this would have to be my first Fallen Angel opponent I'll be facing, otherwise it is a regular walk in the park for me." I shrugged while trying to ignore the feeling of exuberance that had come about since the attack. I guessed the swords in me were happy that I was now back on the battlefield again.
"Let's get going already!" Ise turned to run towards the church head on.
"Hold on one second, I just got one more thing to do." I stopped him before turning to my prisoner. "You stay put here, you will be safe."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She yelled at the top of her voice and making my ears ring slightly. "What the heck type of person are you, huh?! You ought to be grateful that I helped your ass, you stupid piece of!"
"Stille!" I muttered as I touched her forehead and enjoyed the sight of her trying to yell something only to realise that no voice was coming out of her mouth. Man, it took me a long time to perfect that spell, and it was utterly satisfying to finally use it on her. She was really driving me nuts with that voice of hers.
"A silencing spell?" Kiba asked as I proceeded to tie her to the nearest tree and placed an invisibility spell on her. "I don't recall one that is that effective." I merely offered a smirk that made me feel I was replicating Archer's. Damn it.
"Let's go!" With that, we all went straight to the church, with me noting that the other two were able to catch up even when I reinforced my legs. Guess that must have been due their bodies being enhanced as devils.
"So, how do you want to do this?" I asked as we got closer. "Do this the slow but safe way by the back door, or go in guns-blazing through the front door?" Everyone else just sped up towards the church doors with determined faces.
"Guns-blazing it is then." I projected a small dagger and poured s bit of Prana inside. "Allow me to start the fireworks." With that, I shot the blade towards the door and used Bakuya to block my eyes. "You might want to cover your eyes." I warned the others I stopped just a few metres away from the door. Their questioning gazes got their answers in the form of the church doors exploding loudly.
"WHAT THE FU?!" I heard someone shout as Kiba sped up and entered the church through the smoking doorway. I went in second and found myself in the midst of an epic sword fight unfolding in front of me, where Kiba was actively clashing against the demented priest with his sword and speeds which I could barely keep track with my eyes.
"FREED! Where is Asia?!" Ise yelled as a red gauntlet appeared on his left arm and he clenched his fists hard.
"Well, how do you like that, it is the same shitty Devil from before?! And the shitty wizard swordsman who cut off my arm!" Freed gleefully swore as he easily parried blades with Kiba despite having one arm. "Normally Devils would die on the spot when I cut them into pieces, I'm that strong! But you are alive, that's no good, that disrupts my style~ so I should kill you over and over! And for you bloody wizard, I should carve your body up into tiny bitty bits and feed you to the pet monsters we have!"
Seriously, were all the villains in this world this foul-mouthed, or was it just my E-Rank luck that I kept meeting these types of people?
A groaning sound drew my attention to the left side of the church, and I could not help but gawk at the little girl lifting a church pew that was at least five times her size as if she was lifting a pillow. "Get smashed." She said flatly before throwing it hard at the guy, who nimbly dodged it in the nick of time, before getting overwhelmed by Kiba using a sword made seemingly of dark energy that ate away at the light energy and then getting punched hard by Ise.
Seriously, I really need to read up on their system.
"Damn it, I am getting beaten up by some shitty Devils?! This is not happening!" Freed staggered as he wiped the blood off his mouth. "Enough stalling, what are you doing with Asia?!" Ise growled as he came stomping towards him with the jewels on the gauntlet glowing brightly.
"Fine, guess it won't hurt too much since you are going to see her die anyway." Freed sneered as he looked at him. "Just head down the stairs behind the alter, if you hurry you might be able to catch her screaming her lasts bits of life."
"Why you!" Ise raised his arm to punch him, only to stop when I placed my blade in front of him. "Shirou, what are you doing?"
"Go save her." I kept my eye on Freed as I talked. "She does not have much time, and that time could be used better to get to her." Ise alternated his looks between him and me, before growling in agreement. At least he understood the consequences of the situation. "The both of you should also go with him, there were a few guards around when I came." I glanced at the other two devils.
"Are you sure of that course of action?" Kiba narrowed his eyes at the priest who just stuck out his tongue at him. "We should get rid of him now."
"You don't need to worry about that." This time, I gleefully let out a smirk that Archer would be proud of without restraint. "Last time I was interrupted by Raynare, this time I am going to finish the job properly."
"Shirou…" Ise said a little unsteadily at the implications of those words. I decided to adopt a gentler expression and placate him. "Don't worry, I got this. Go and be the hero who saves the princess in distress." That seemed to reassure him enough to put on a determined expression and made his way to the hidden staircase. "Make sure you stay alive after this, Shirou!"
"Don't worry, I intend to." I readied my stance as Freed stood up himself. Now that they were gone, I can finally concentrate on completing the task at hand.
"Oh, so the little doggy of the devils decided to play with me all on his own? All right, I will play with you, by cutting off your limbs first!" Freed jumped forward and swung his blade hard, then quickly throwing a kick to my abdomen when I blocked his blade, forcing me back into one of the pews and making me dodge in time to avoid his blade cutting me in half, bifurcating the pew in the process. I retaliated by throwing in a feint of attacking his neck, and then using the other blade to slash his side.
"Damn you!" Getting a bit of distance from me, he stabbed the blade into the ground and reached for his gun, firing off a few rounds as he tried to regain his footing. I nimbly parried the bullets as I rushed forward, then with a quick swing, I rendered his weapon useless by cutting off the gun barrel.
"Tch!" Freed threw the remains of the gun at me and grabbed his sword to try once more at killing me. By this point it was clear that he was getting extremely impatient at me and just wanted to end it all. Well, if he wanted to end it quickly, I shall oblige.
And it seemed that Lady Luck was on my side tonight.
"HAHA! Got you now!" Freed parried my blades and aimed the tip at my head when his body suddenly stopped, the momentum forcing him to lurch forward and missing me by a mile. A quick snap of my fingers brought down blades taller than him to surround him, the edges threatening to cut into his flesh if he so much as moved from the spot. "Why can't I move damn it?!" Freed struggled to move his body as best as he could between the giant blades. As a reply, I pointed to the ground next to him, where a thin black blade was impaling his shadow into the ground.
It seemed that the explosion I made earlier damaged the structure even further, widening the gaps already present in the roof enough to let moonlight through, casting its rays inside and giving me the opportunity to restrict his movements.
"The hell type of blade is that?!" He demanded while looking extremely pissed. "That, my very demented friend, is a Black Key." I walked forward to look at him with a straight eye.
"This little fellow allows me to restrict your movements via a special rune that acts as a binder on your shadow, essentially trapping you where you stand. Ideal for taking down demons, but works just as well for trash like you." With a quick hit from Bakuya, Freed's blade flew out of his hand and landed a few feet away, the light getting extinguished while leaving behind the handle.
"Any last words?" I raised Kanshou steadily as I aimed for his neck. Freed took one look at me before yelling out in frustration.
"Not fair, you damn shit~!"
"Slash!"
With a light swing, his head hit the floor and rolled towards the entrance, his expression of rage and pain permanently stuck on his face, while his body collapsed to the ground without anything to support it. I took a moment to catch my breath, then uttering a fire spell, set fire to the body parts while containing them within a barrier to avoid the wood from being set ablaze.
Right, what was I supposed to do again? Oh yeah, saving the damsel in distress.
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