Grigori, the central organization of the Fallen Angel faction. Teacher Azazel and the other leaders were once part of the Biblical God's army, but they fell after defying His will to grant knowledge to humanity—though I'm sure some just fell because they had 'naughty' hearts. Some are original angels who fell, while others are the offspring of Fallen Angels.
Angels are bound by countless restrictions, but once you fall, those chains vanish. Apparently, that leads to a general tendency for them to... let loose. It's like a student who spent four years grinding for a job and then decides to make their final semester as chaotic as possible. Well, maybe not quite. It's more like moving from a soul-crushing corporate job to a super-lax startup—you're bound to overdo it.
By the way, it's incredibly hard for Angels to reproduce. Normally, the God of the Bible would create more, but He's dead. The Heaven faction operates through the Church, leaving most tasks to human believers. Angels rarely descend to the human world, likely to keep their dwindling numbers safe.
To have children, you have to... well, do the deed. But if an Angel thinks too much about the "lust" of it, they fall. They have to view reproduction as purely holy, projecting only "love" without a shred of "desire." Basically, they have to remain in a permanent "enlightened state" during the act. If they slip up, they fall. For an Angel, making a baby is a life-threatening gamble. No wonder their population is shrinking.
So, your choices are: live as a high-minded, celibate Angel, or fall and party. That's a bit extreme, isn't it? Those who can't shake their angelic seriousness even after falling end up like Shemhaza. I could practically see the Vice Governor's gray hairs from here.
+++
"So this is the Grigori facility... Is everyone working here a Fallen Angel?"
"Yeah. This is a research center near our Underworld headquarters. Aside from the test subjects, you won't find many non-fallen here."
I followed Teacher Azazel through the complex, glancing around curiously. After jumping through several magic circles, we reached a hallway with observation windows overlooking a massive laboratory. Below us, rows of machines and monitors hummed as people in white coats scurried about. They didn't have their wings out—probably because of all the precision equipment—だが there was no doubt they were all Fallen.
"We'll meet with Barakiel first, then you're going in for a physical," Azazel said.
"A physical?"
"Blood samples, full-body scans—the usual stuff you do in the human world. After that, I want to run some tests on your Sacred Gear, but we'll play that by ear. Shemhaza arrives tomorrow, so we might save the deep analysis for him and focus on gear experiments first."
Teacher Azazel already had the schedule mapped out. As long as it wasn't dangerous, I didn't mind. He mentioned that when Ajuka tried to analyze my partner, the Gear used Concept Deletion to block the scan. He didn't know why, so he was being cautious this time. I made a mental note to tell my partner, "Don't delete the equipment this time."
I was getting nervous about meeting Barakiel. I've met Tannin, Lord Mephisto, and Ajuka, and I was a stiff, awkward mess every time. High-ranking devils are just so elegant and refined that a commoner like me can't help but feel out of place.
Meeting Azazel was nerve-wracking too, but that was because he started our relationship by trying to dissect me. Then I ended up petting his wings, so... it was a very "true to his desires" kind of introduction. Barakiel is supposed to be a stern, warrior-type, so I really wanted to make a good impression.
"This facility focuses on the study of the supernatural, specifically Sacred Gears," Azazel explained.
"I see... Hey, Teacher. Are those Sacred Gears on that desk?"
"Hmm? Oh, those are the Twin Palms of White Flame, a fire-attribute Gear. The one next to it is the Stellar Red Arrow. Both are common fire types. They're likely comparing their output and aura consumption."
Azazel could identify them at a glance. I felt a surge of curiosity. Aside from Lavinia, I'd never seen other Gears. I peered through the glass, looking for the owners, but there were no humans in sight—only researchers in white coats. Then, one of the researchers picked up a Gear, equipped it, and began firing flames into a sensor.
"Teacher, how is that researcher using the Gear? Is it a separate-unit type like my spear?"
"No," Azazel replied casually. "The hosts of those Gears are dead. Normally, when a host dies, the Gear vanishes to find a new one... but Grigori has the technology to extract a Sacred Gear and keep it active. We study and store them here."
My stomach did a somersault. As a Sacred Gear user, that hit way too close to home. I remembered Raynareextracting Asia's Gear, and the Half-Vampire Valerie having her Longinus stolen. Even Saji ended up with four Vritra Gears that used to belong to other people.
"We mostly take them from people who were hostile to us, or those whose Gears went berserk and became a danger," Azazel continued. "But I won't lie—some people get blinded by the power. We've had idiots who thought we should just harvest every useful Gear we find for research."
"That's..."
"I stopped them, obviously. For one thing, only the original host can truly master a Gear. Because they're linked by the soul, they can draw out its full potential. A stolen Gear won't cooperate with us. No matter how powerful it is, if you can't hit the maximum output, it's useless."
That explained a lot. Stolen Gears were never as good as the real thing. Raynare couldn't heal fast enough to stop Issei, even though Asia's Twilight Healing was supposed to be top-tier. It's why Kokabiel looked down on them—why bother with a fragile human and a Gear when you can just throw a spear of light?
"That's why I told you not to wander off. There are 'eccentric' researchers here who might get ideas. This place is full of geniuses who are a little too dedicated to their work."
"U-Um... Teacher? My Gear won't get extracted, right?"
"Relax. Extraction requires a complex ritual. And like I said, your Gear has a will of its own. If someone tried to pull it out, it would just delete the ritual site and everything in it. Honestly, you're probably the person leastlikely to have their Gear stolen in the entire world."
Azazel gave me a look that was half-exasperation and half-pity. Apparently, my partner's overprotectiveness had broken another death flag. I didn't know whether to be happy or terrified, so I just settled for a dry laugh.
+++
We kept walking through the high-tech corridors until we reached a room that looked nothing like a lab. It was filled with racks, surgical tables, whips, blunt instruments, and drills. It looked like a medieval torture chamber.
"Pffft!"
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?! We were just in a high-tech lab and now we're looking at a dungeon from the Spanish Inquisition!"
"Hmm? Oh, you mean the training equipment for Sacred Gear users?"
"I request a correction! I strongly request that you stop calling that 'training equipment'!!"
Apparently, Grigori puts a lot of effort into developing "tools" for Sacred Gear users. My suppression bracelet was made here too. Great. But could someone please explain the bloodstains on that rack? It looked like it was haunted by the ghosts of a thousand test subjects.
Then, I saw them. Researchers were adjusting a crane that was swaying a massive, spiked object. My eyes went dead. I knew what it was. The most infamous tradition of Grigori.
"...Teacher, is that an Iron Ball?"
"Yeah. The ultimate iron ball, crafted with the pinnacle of Fallen Angel technology. It's the first rite of passage for any Gear user. We don't hold back."
Azazel looked incredibly proud. I thanked every god I knew that I wasn't an official member of Grigori.
"Looks like they're testing a new model. Want to watch?"
"Absolutely not."
I answered instantly. Don't show a healthy middle schooler a torture session and call it training. But if they were testing it, that meant there was a subject. Was it a human? Surely even Fallen Angels wouldn't be that cruel... wait, was a Fallen Angel taking the hit for the sake of science?
I squinted, using a vision-enhancement spell to see the person strapped to the rack. It was a man. A massive, muscular man with slicked-back black hair and a dignified beard. He looked like the definition of a warrior.
...Wait. I recognized him.
"Oh? That's Barakiel. He was bored waiting for us, so I guess he decided to kill time by taking a few hits from the new iron ball."
"The first contact with a Fallen Angel leader is like this?! I'm being guarded by a man who gets hit by iron balls for fun?!"
The truth came out. It was Barakiel. I'd been so nervous about meeting him, but this was too much. How was I supposed to look him in the eye after this?
"Hey, Barakiel! We're here!" Azazel called out.
"Hm? Azazel? You're early. I was just getting a light workout in. Forgive me, could you wait a moment? My subordinates worked hard on this prototype, and as their superior, I want to be the first to verify their efforts."
"Typical. Always looking out for the staff," Azazel chuckled.
"They're just casually chatting! These adults are out of their minds!" I hissed.
Azazel pulled up a monitor, showing a giant, high-definition feed of the bearded man strapped to the rack. This was the worst 'nice to meet you' in history.
"Azazel, is the boy with you?"
"Yeah, he's right here. He can only hear you for now... go ahead, Kana. Introduce yourself. I've made it so the researchers can't hear you."
"I'll say it again: you really want me to introduce myself now?!"
"Forgive my appearance, boy. I am Barakiel, an officer of Grigori. I will greet you properly later, but for now... it is a pleasure."
"...I see. This is the 'Fallen Angel Pace.' Um, I'm Souma Kuramoto. I'm already worried about whether I can survive this culture, but... it's a pleasure to meet you too."
I bowed deeply to the audio feed. At least he seemed to realize this wasn't a normal situation. He really was Azazel's friend—the 'eccentricity' was off the charts. I'd been in Grigori for twenty minutes and I already wanted to go home.
"Alright, begin the test!" Barakiel roared. "I expect a performance that surpasses all previous iron balls! Come at me!!"
"...Teacher, does he do this often?"
"All the time. He's the Iron Ball Specialist. He's taken more hits than anyone else in history. His sacrifice paves the way for future Sacred Gear users."
"...Wow."
I'd underestimated this organization. I needed to harden my heart, or the 'Fallen Angel Quality' would swallow my sanity. I finally understood how much of a hero Issei was for staying sane in this place.
"—Ngh! OHHHHH! YES! This exquisite, piercing pain! You've improved your craft, men! But it's not enough to satisfy me yet! Give me more! Make my whole body numb with—OHHHHH! YESSS!!"
"Listen to him," Azazel noted analytically. "This iron ball is a massive success."
"Stop analyzing it!"
Thankfully, he turned off the monitor. The sounds of a masochistic Fallen Angel leader were etched into my brain forever. I made a solemn vow: Never bring Lavinia or Lin here.
+++
Chapter 35: A Battle That Cannot Be Lost
"The day of the final showdown between the Vortex Bunch and the Magical Girl and her Merry Friends of Kuoh has finally arrived..."
"'Merry Friends'..."
"Hey, the Boss is right! They've got a headless knight roaming the streets, ninjas in the shadows, a white gorilla teaming up with the magical girl for CQC, and a giant fish with legs that went to the ocean with the Salmon King and never came back! The shopping district is constantly playing some weird rap called 'Shirikodama Magical Ballad'!"
"The elementary schoolers are scary too! A girl with chestnut hair and another with braided glasses are leading a gang of 'Super Kids.' They punch our members in the vitals while screaming 'Amen!' and swinging sticks so the magical girls can focus on the executives! The Boss said they have natural talent!"
The members of the Vortex Bunch were shaking. They had set up a base near Kuoh to conquer the town, but the 'normal citizens' were resisting with terrifying efficiency.
Kaiser Vortex, the leader, slammed his staff down. "I shall head to the front lines myself!"
"The Boss is going?!"
"With his Yin-Yang arts, he will plunge Kuoh into a storm of Super-Bad-Luck!"
The executives stepped forward: Count Pentagram, the Yin-Yang master; Director Tiger, the beastman in an Osaka Tigers jersey; and General Pork Bone, the ramen-themed monster with his legendary 'Last Butalion' move.
"And I shall go as well," a small, puppy-sized creature said, stepping forward. "To protect the Boss is my duty."
"Final Death Sisa!"
This was the mascot of the Vortex Bunch, and his barrier was absolute. He could strip magical girls of their power just by being near them.
"Hahaha! With the Boss and the Four Supreme Generals, nothing can stop us! The only weakness of Final Death Sisa is beautiful women, but since the magical girl is... that, it won't be a problem!"
"Yeah! There isn't a single woman on the front lines of Kuoh Town anyway! Even though the enemy is supposed to be a magical girl!"
The evil organization cheered. The final battle was about to begin.
***
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