Time goes back to ten minutes ago.
After feasting on the lunch Cain ordered, Saji Genshirou left the restaurant.
After a brief buffer, he had already accepted the sudden surreal setting.
Having received the enhancement of the blood evolution, Saji Genshirou could feel that he had undergone an all-around transformation.
He had also tried it in the restaurant just now; he could bend a spoon with just a little force.
And besides the changes in strength, he also had a new ability.
Bang!
In the dark alley, a dull sound like a firecracker exploding drifted up.
Under Saji Genshirou's excited gaze, a crimson firelight appeared in his palm.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's so amazing!"
Saji Genshirou toyed with the flames excitedly.
Although he had already experimented with this ability a few times in the restaurant before, as a newly minted'superpowered person,' he was very interested in this supernatural power and couldn't help but want to play with it more.
Unfortunately, his luck this time was a bit poor.
"Dragon Flame?"
A voice rang out from above Saji Genshirou's head.
Saji Genshirou froze for a moment and looked up.
Directly above the alley, a man dressed in a luxurious suit with black wings on his back was flying in mid-air.
His eyes were fixed on the flames in Saji Genshirou's hand, and a look of doubt appeared on his face.
Although his strength wasn't particularly great, Dohnaseek still had the necessary insight.
In the flames in Saji Genshirou's hand, he could sense a slight aura belonging to a dragon.
But compared to true Dragon Flame, this flame was clearly a step down, appearing more like a weakened version.
Faced with this situation, a theory suddenly rose in Dohnaseek's mind.
"Kid, you wouldn't happen to have a Sacred Gear in your body, would you?"
"N-no! This is just my superpower!"
Saji Genshirou replied stutteringly.
Looking at Dohnaseek's conspicuous features, he had already recognized the other's identity, a Fallen Angel.
Having learned about the danger of Fallen Angels from Cain, Saji Genshirou naturally wouldn't admit to having a Sacred Gear; besides, he truly didn't have one right now.
However, Dohnaseek did not let him go.
Descending from the sky, his gaze sized up Saji Genshirou as he let out a cold sneer.
"No Sacred Gear? Do you take me for a blind man? How could a normal person have a dragon's aura?"
"Huh?"
A look of confusion appeared on Saji Genshirou's face.
But before he could reply further, a flash of pure white light streaked past.
The next second, a surge of intense pain arose.
"Arghhhhh!!!"
Saji Genshirou let out a scream, only then noticing that a light spear had pierced through his abdomen.
"Oh?"
Dohnaseek raised an eyebrow.
He had originally planned to conveniently dispose of this newly awakened Sacred Gear User and then leave.
But after piercing Saji Genshirou with the light spear, he found that the other's wound was constantly healing.
Although it couldn't fully recover due to the influence of the light spear, this healing speed was not slow.
Chii!
Dohnaseek pulled out the light spear, and in the next second, he saw the wound on Saji Genshirou's abdomen complete its regeneration.
"Able to summon Dragon Flame, and with this strange regenerative ability... interesting, it seems the Sacred Gear in your body is not simple."
"I... I don't have a Sacred Gear," Saji Genshirou replied, wanting to cry but having no tears. Was this Fallen Angel blind?
On the other side, after hearing Saji Genshirou's explanation, Dohnaseek did not believe his words.
He could feel the dragon's aura on the human before him; it couldn't be fake.
But compared to killing Saji Genshirou, he now had another idea: to steal the other's Sacred Gear.
The Sacred Gear Plunder Ritual was not a one-time thing; as long as preparations were made, it could be used repeatedly.
Just as Raynare wanted to plunder Asia's Sacred Gear, Dohnaseek also wanted to plunder the Sacred Gear inside Saji Genshirou to strengthen himself.
As long as he could obtain enough power, he could go further among the Fallen Angels, perhaps even climbing higher than Raynare.
Thinking of this, Dohnaseek's expression instantly became greedy, and he prepared to knock Saji Genshirou unconscious and take him to the Abandoned Church.
But at that moment, Saji Genshirou, who was just rolling on the ground, suddenly widened his eyes and looked toward the right.
"Eh?"
Dohnaseek froze for a moment and looked as well.
At the entrance of the alley, a black-haired youth had appeared at some unknown time.
"You..."
Bang!
Dohnaseek's head suddenly exploded like a watermelon hitting the ground, and his body slumped over in front of Saji Genshirou.
Saji Genshirou: "!!!"
Never expecting that the Dohnaseek who was just exuding such pressure would die so suddenly, Saji Genshirou was startled.
But soon, he snapped out of this sudden shock and looked forward with a face full of joy.
"Cain! Why are you here!"
"To save you, of course."
Cain lowered his fist and replied slowly.
Those who have received the blood evolution can, to some extent, be regarded as dependents, creating a connection with him.
When his only dependent was attacked, Cain, who was testing his abilities in the suburbs, would naturally sense it.
"Whew, I thought I was going to die."
Saji Genshirou breathed a sigh of relief and climbed up from the ground.
"Cain, that guy just said I have a Sacred Gear. Wasn't my Sacred Gear taken by you?"
"Yes, the Sacred Gear was indeed taken by me, but it left some gifts in your body before it left."
"Gifts?"
"Your flames."
Cain did not hide it and told him the truth.
He had first granted Saji Genshirou the blood evolution and only then taken the Sacred Gear from his body.
Having received the blessing of the blood evolution, the Sacred Gear in Saji Genshirou's body was activated to a certain degree.
The result of this was that Saji Genshirou gained a bit of a dragon's constitution, and the ability he awakened was also Dragon Flame.
A normal person could not possibly have a dragon's aura.
Not to mention that Saji Genshirou acted like a complete novice, wandering into an alley to play with fire.
In Dohnaseek's view, the only explanation for a normal person like Saji Genshirou having a dragon's aura was a Sacred Gear.
"Ah? That's possible?"
Saji Genshirou was dumbfounded after hearing this.
He had just awakened a new ability and couldn't resist playing with it for a while; how did it get mistaken for a Sacred Gear's power?
"Sigh, I finally awakened a superpower and was thinking of playing with it more. It seems I can't use it anymore."
"That's not necessary; I have a way to solve it."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes, since I took your Sacred Gear, I can't slack on the after-sales service."
Cain turned his head to look toward the abandoned old church.
He had originally planned to leave these Fallen Angels for a few more days.
But since Saji Genshirou was attacked by a Fallen Angel, he could no longer sit idly by.
"[partner, wait a moment.]"
Just as Cain was about to set off, Ddraig's voice suddenly rang in his mind: "[This guy's corpse seems to be consumable by the Mist.]"
"The corpse?" Cain paused and looked at the headless corpse with black wings.
When he was with Rias and the others before, Ddraig had never said anything like that.
In other words, living things couldn't be eaten, but corpses that had become dead matter could be consumed by the Mist.
"This is an unexpected pleasant surprise."
Summoning the Mist to consume the corpse, Cain gained a mass of Fallen Angel lineage in his body.
In the next instant, a pair of black wings bloomed behind him.
Very good. Cain nodded with satisfaction.
There was now one more reason to deal with the Fallen Angels.
"You go home first."
Leaving behind a dazed Saji Genshirou, the wings behind Cain flapped gently, kicking up a gust of wind.
In the next instant, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly, and Cain arrived before the abandoned old church in Kuoh Town.
Vast magic power surged up, and the Spirit Devouring Barrier, flickering with lightning, expanded to cover the church.
After Cain finished all this, three Fallen Angels with black wings flew out from within the church.
"A Fallen Angel?"
Raynare, who was at the front, frowned as she noticed the pair of black wings on Cain's back.
Although they were beings from the same camp, Raynare did not relax; instead, she became even more vigilant.
"Who are you? Why are you here?!"
"Dead people don't need to know too much."
Cain glanced toward the church entrance.
These Fallen Angels were not alone.
Summoned by Raynare and the others, many Stray Exorcists and Stray Priests had also gathered in this church.
Sensing that something was wrong, these priests and exorcists rushed out with weapons in hand, staring at Cain with vigilance.
Clearly, as former members of the Church, they understood the principle that being in the same camp did not mean being on the same side.
Especially after hearing Cain's hostile words, their expressions became increasingly grim.
"Damn it! Don't think I won't dare to act just because you're a Fallen Angel. We're both Two-Winged; do you think I'm afraid of you!"
Raynare also became enraged.
She summoned a light spear in each hand, her body emitting a thick murderous aura.
Behind her, the other two Fallen Angels also summoned their weapons, radiating hostility.
Three against one, the advantage is mine!
"I'll give you one last chance!"
Raynare's gaze was fixed on Cain: "Tell me whose subordinate you are and why you appeared at..."
Chii!
Raynare's voice came to an abrupt halt.
Looking at the world spinning before her, a look of confusion appeared on her face, completely unable to understand what had happened.
The next second, a headless corpse entered her vision, giving her a strange sense of familiarity.
"That is..."
A faint murmur dissipated into the air.
In the final moment of her life, Raynare finally realized the truth: that was her own body.
Bang! Bang!
In the dull sound of hitting the ground, Raynare's head and body crashed onto the ground in front of the church one after the other.
As if a mute button had been pressed, the stray exorcists, who were aggressive just a second ago, fell into silence.
A silent atmosphere echoed over the church, and thick terror appeared in everyone's eyes.
But in the next second, the silence was broken.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin."
The corners of Cain's mouth curled up, and a smile appeared on his face.
Relying on the powerful perception brought by Senjutsu, he could be certain that everyone in this church had come out.
Since that was the case, there was no need to waste any more time.
In order to preserve complete corpses, he did not use physical attacks or summon lightning.
The Dismantle from Sukuna was activated at this moment, and invisible blades covered the entire church.
In the next second, the place where church personnel used to pray to God turned into a literal hell.
Blood and severed limbs flew everywhere, and amidst the shrill screams, dozens of stray exorcists and stray priests were turned into minced meat.
The remaining two Fallen Angels in the sky also failed to escape and were caught in the storm of slashes.
In front of Cain, they were no different from ordinary people, and in an instant, they became part of the mountain of corpses.
"[You really are merciless, partner.]"
Looking at the Shura Field in front of him, Ddraig's voice sounded in Cain's mind, filled with some emotion.
He clearly seemed easy to get along with on normal days.
But once he stood on the opposing side, Cain showed no mercy when he acted, being more of a devil than a Devil.
"Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself; I won't do such a stupid thing."
Cain replied with a calm expression.
And more importantly, he needed power.
Although the plot in the original work seemed long, everything actually happened within a year.
A year later, the Evil Gods from the EXE World would descend upon this world.
Those were powerful existences capable of killing the Great Red. Cain couldn't bet everything on the newcomers at the Mist Plaza; his own growth was also very important.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz~!
The Spirit Devouring Barrier flickered with light, sucking the souls of the exorcists and Fallen Angels into Cain's body.
At the same time, the boosted gear activated, and gray-white Mist swept across the entire battlefield.
When everything returned to peace once more, the blood and remains on the ground turned into clumps of strengthening energy, merging into Cain's limbs and bones, strengthening his physical fitness.
"[This Barrier can devour souls?]"
Ddraig finally realized the effect of the Spirit Devouring Barrier and subconsciously linked it with the Mist.
These two abilities, one devouring the soul and the other devouring the body—really left nothing behind when used together.
On the other side, Cain ignored Ddraig's monologue and carefully felt another change within his body.
After devouring Raynare and the other two, they also generated a mass of fallen angel bloodline, which merged with the fallen angel bloodline he already possessed.
Under its influence, the black wings on Cain's back changed from one pair to two pairs, promoting him to a four-winged Fallen Angel, and his aura further increased.
Aside from the fallen angel bloodline provided by Raynare and the others, the other priests and exorcists devoured in the church also decomposed into a second light sphere.
However, this light sphere was not red bloodline power, but a new type of golden light sphere emitting a faint spiritual fluctuation.
Cain merged it into his body, and his soul strength instantly increased by a large margin; at the same time, the voices of some people sounded in his ears.
"[God, please protect me.]"
"[Merciful Heavenly Father, please listen to our prayers, perceive our sorrow and pain, and grant us revelation and wisdom.]"
"[Lord, please bless me.]"
...
"Is this... the power of faith?" Cain realized the essence of these golden light spheres.
Despite being expelled from the church for various reasons, some priests and exorcists still believed in the God of the Bible and prayed to Him.
After being devoured, the power of faith in these people was separated by the Mist, turning into a new type of strengthening energy.
"The strengthening effect is quite good, but the power of faith... forget it, I'll just leave this to chance."
Cain dismissed the idea of hunting the Church.
There was still plenty of time, and the power of faith was not precious enough to be worth breaking his bottom line.
With a thought, he cancelled the Spirit Devouring Barrier. Cain stood in the sky, turned around, and looked behind him.
In his line of sight, a crimson, slender figure was flapping her wings, heading toward the abandoned old church.
...
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.