Chapter 47: The Leviathan's Ultimatum
To say Toshio was confused would be a criminal understatement.
One moment, he had been lounging on his living room couch, watching some television with his beautiful wife Niwa and his treasured daughter Seki.
The next, his balcony window had been smashed open by a swinging, silver-haired, red-eyed priest who somehow climbed all the way up to the seventh floor of the condo complex he resided in.
Then, the said priest went on to not only threaten his life, but that of his family, all in the name of him being a "devil-worshipper", only to get immediately decapitated seconds later by a quad-horned, ash-haired man.
And now, he found himself in his saviour's residence. His wife and daughter had been put to sleep through some magical means and set to rest on an exceedingly lavish-looking couch.
"Don't worry," his saviour began, completely ignoring the blank look of sheer, utter bewilderment on Toshio's face. "Your wife and daughter didn't actually see me murder that troublesome little cockroach, to them, it just looked like he vanished out of thin air. You're the only one who saw all the gore."
Of course, his saviour was none other than Alduin. Who had stalked Freed all the way to Toshio's house while keeping his presence concealed, and struck right before the Stray Exorcist had the chance to do any damage.
"W-who… are you…?" Toshio croaked, experiencing a fair amount of nausea each time the sight of Freed's execution resurfaced in his mind. "T-that person back there… w-why… why was he trying to—!?"
Alduin held his hand out, gesturing for him to quieten.
"First of all, I suggest you take a deep breath and try to calm down. You're safe. You're wife's safe. And you're daughter's safe. You don't need to worry about any harm coming to them anymore, alright?" His voice remained calm as Thora approached the two of them, wordlessly setting down a cup of tea in front of the startled businessman.
Toshio swallowed a nervous gulp, taking a moment to glance at his family's sleeping figures.
"A-alright…" He replied, his voice still noticeably shaky, and his posture still plagued with immense unease, understandably so. "A-are they—?"
"They're just asleep. I'll wake them up when it's appropriate to do so." Alduin nudged the cup of tea closer to him, silently urging Toshio to take a sip to soothe his nerves. "And to answer your first question, who I am isn't of any consequence to you, since chances are you'll never see or hear from me again once I allow you and your family to return to your abode. As for your second, that man attacked you because of your connection with Akeno Himejima, or more specifically, your contract with her."
Toshio's eyes shot wide open as if he had come to some kind of realization.
"A-Akeno-san!? She's the one who—!?"
"No, she is not responsible for that attack. I'd appreciate it if you didn't jump to any conclusions before I'm done speaking." Alduin was quick to admonish him and shut down his blatantly incorrect train of thought, causing Toshio's posture to deflate out of pure intimidation. "That man attacked you simply because you were contracted to a devil, he would've done so regardless of who you made a contract with."
"O-oh…" Toshio lowered his gaze, taking a sip of Thora's freshly brewed tea, and pausing for a little while to gather his thoughts. "U-uhm… if you know Akeno-san… does that mean you're also a devil?" Though he was still clearly distraught, his voice had begun to sound slightly more composed.
"I am," Alduin affirmed plainly. "I'll spare you the details since it'll all sound like flat-out gibberish to you, but that man was a rogue element of sorts, working with people who aren't supposed to be here. There's a chance they'll come inspect your residence when they realize he's dead, which is why I've moved you and your family here for the time being while I'm handling the situation."
"…I see," Toshio hesitated to inquire any further, unsure whether Alduin would find his questioning bothersome or not. "Is Akeno-san… aware of what just happened?"
"No, Akeno's currently busy with something, I'll let her know at a later time." Alduin was fully aware of the effect his words had on the Lighting Priestess when they were on the rooftop. "I've got somewhere to be in a minute, so I'll have Thora help you get comfortable for now—"
Alduin paused, sensing the demonic power stored within his Foreign Affairs badge begin to pulsate. Signalling that he was getting an incoming transmission from one of his two satanic bosses, Serafall.
Talk about convenient timing…
"Well, you get the gist. The only rules I have for you while you're here are, one, don't touch my garden. And two, do whatever Thora tells you to do. Other than you, you're free to do as you please."
"…Understood," he nodded stiffly. "If you don't mind me asking… how long do you think it'll take before we're… safe?"
"That depends on when I get the information I want," he shrugged, intent on deciphering whether the Fallen Angels were operating with or without Grigori's backing. "Could take a day or two, or maybe more than a week. Can't really promise a timeframe for you, I'm just working with what I have."
"Oh…" Toshio sounded a little dejected but refused to voice any of his discontent.
Like Alduin said, his family was safe, and that took precedence over all else.
===
I entered my bedroom, or my and Thora's bedroom, I suppose, closed the door behind me, and conjured a sound-suppressing barrier with the snap of my fingers for the sake of privacy. I figured it was a common courtesy when you were directly reporting to a Satan. A reality I'm still kind of struggling to wrap my head around, but I'm sure I'll get there with time.
I laid the bleeping badge down on the mattress and responded to its call with a wisp of my own demonic power, accepting Serafall's transmission as a hologram of the woman popped into existence.
Honestly, I had no clue this thing was capable of cross-realm communication until now.
The Underworld truly is quite technologically blessed, isn't it?
"Alduin," she began. "I hope this isn't a bad time?" Despite her words, I could tell by her face that she quite frankly couldn't care less.
Not that I mind, truth be told, after our initial meeting during Sona's birthday, I've come to realize that Serafall and I are pretty abrasive with one another when we're conversing.
I've decided to just chalk it down as one of the quirks of our employee-employer relationship because, in hindsight, I'm happy that she chose to drop her odd Magical Girl persona around me in favour of her sophisticated one. It makes our talks feel more… genuine.
"Not really, I've encountered a minor situation, but I can tell by your tone you're calling me with something on your mind as well. So I'll keep it myself for a little while." I plastered on a dry smile as she raised a single brow. "What's up?"
"I'm calling you for two reasons. First off, Sirzechs wants to know how you've taken to the role of Rias' mentor." She exhaled, clearly having the same initial reaction as me.
Already? It's literally only been a day. I get that Lord Lucifer's affection towards Rias is strong, but sheesh.
Oh well, it's no trouble to me.
"I think I've set a good starting foundation for Rias and her subordinates," I decided to just recount the starting objectives I had set for everyone. "Rias has begun training her control over the Power of Destruction. Akeno's mentally steeling herself to start utilizing her Holy Lightning properly. Kiba's starting to explore the limitations of Sword Birth while honing his creative prowess. I've started using my Senjutsu knowledge to aid Koneko in taming her Nekoshou abilities. And last but not least, I've found that having Gasper consume my draconic blood gives him the temporary ability to activate and deactivate Forbidden Balor View at will. I'm hoping that through repetition, he might be able to develop something more permanent."
The look of genuine astoundment on her face, admittedly, brought me a bit of satisfaction. I highly doubt either her or Lord Lucifer were expecting me to make that much progress on day one.
I myself am fairly shocked by my own abilities. Then again, after living a whole life that consisted of nothing but training in House Buné, it'd be pretty damn embarrassing if I ended up without any worthwhile teaching prowess, wouldn't it?
She narrowed her eyes with evident, but not total, suspicion. "You're not overhyping your progress, are you?"
"Nope," I popped the 'p'. "You're welcome to come inspect them for yourself if you need confirmation."
She let out an inquisitive hum. "No, that won't be necessary. Rias' is Sirzechs' concern, not mine." A curious, mildly mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "However, if you really have made that much headway so soon, then maybe I should have you serve as Sona's mentor as well. It'd be a shame if the scales of their rivalry were to be tipped by an unfair advantage, wouldn't it?"
I replied with an amused hum. "If you want me to take on additional responsibility, I'll be expecting additional pay."
"Oh? Tiamat's blood isn't enough for you? What a greedy boy you are," she chuckled, presumably expecting my response. "Speaking of which, have you consumed it yet?"
My expression tightened as I recalled Tiamat's trial.
"I have," I confirmed proudly. "The trial was quite the challenge—"
"You don't need to elaborate, Alduin. That knowledge belongs to your house, and your house alone. I'm just glad to know that you've gone stronger. Kuoh will be in safer hands because of it." She said with a firm, appreciative nod.
I sheepishly scratched my nape, a little caught off guard by her sudden show of altruism. I sometimes forget that side of her because of our usual back-and-forth.
"Now then, as for the second reason I'm calling you. You'll be getting a visitor this evening. They'll arrive directly at the teleportation circle I've placed inside your house, so make sure they're properly received."
My mouth went slightly agape.
"…You put a teleportation circle in my house without me knowing?"
"And?" She scoffed. "You seem to be forgetting that I'm the one who organized that residence for you in the first place, besides, the circle's personally controlled by me. No one can enter or exit without my authorization."
"Still… don't you think that's a little…" I sighed, quickly realizing that this conversation wouldn't amount to anything. "Nevermind. So? Who's going to be my esteemed guest for the night?"
"Rias and Sirzechs' Mother. Venelana, she informed me that she has a private matter she'd like to talk to you about, one she's deemed rather urgent, hence why I've arranged same-day transportation for her."
Eh?
That's certainly… unexpected. Don't tell me Rias complained about my training methods or something to her?
No, I doubt that's the case. Despite her faults, she's not the type to enjoy leaning on her family members all that much. Let alone whine to them. Still, a face-to-face meeting with House Gremory's Lady definitely isn't something I thought would be on today's itinerary…
Maybe she's just curious to see how her daughter's progressing? Unlike Lord Lucifer, she's never met me in person, so I can understand her coming to visit in order to inspect the person responsible for Rias' training.
However, would that really classify as 'urgent'? I know House Gremory's got quite the reputation for their prudence and all, but doing this only a day after I arrived in Kuoh seems a bit excessive if you ask me.
"Alduin? Is something the matter?" She asked with narrowed eyes, noticing my momentary deliberation.
I sucked my teeth. "…Well, you know how I mentioned that I've encountered a minor situation here?"
"I'm listening…" She immediately caught on to the fact that what I had discovered wasn't so minor.
"So uh, I may or may not have discovered a cell of Fallen Angels operating in Kuoh Town… and I'm going to go ahead and make the safe assumption that they aren't doing so with you or Lord Lucifer's permission?"
Serafall blanked for a second, blinking repeatedly. Her expression gradually began to shift with hostility as my words started to settle in.
"Fucking crows…" She snarled. "I never should've trusted that blonde-streaked smug bastard… all that talk about keeping the peace and then he goes and pulls something like this. Stationing his grubby little minions in my little sister's town… despicable." The venom in her voice was palpable. For a second, I thought she was about to pop over here herself and hand them a personal execution.
"They're using the town's abandoned church as a hideout to conduct their operations. I've confirmed the presence of at least two," I saw 'Ray-Ray' in person, and heard mention of the one named 'Dohnaseek.' "But I haven't killed any of them yet, since I'm not sure if they're operating independently or under Grigori's jurisdiction. Not to mention they're also pretty damn weak, neither Sona nor Rias is in any actual danger with them around."
She nodded her approval. "Good thinking, despite the itch I'm getting to waltz over to Grigori and raise it to the ground myself, I'm not exactly in the mood for an international incident at the moment." She fell into thought, probably considering what she was about to do next. "What else have you discovered? Anything else I should know about?"
"Yes, the Fallen Angels are, or were, collaborating with a Stray Exorcist."
"Oh?" This time, she seemed far more intrigued than irritated. I guess she shares my sentiment on how inconsequential such a person was.
"He went by the name of Freed Sellzen. He made some kind of a deal with the Fallen Angels, which resulted in him getting the address of a human Akeno made a contract with, whom he was planning on assassinating." A satisfied grin crept up my face. "I already went ahead and dealt with him before he could do any damage. He's no longer a problem."
"I see," she let out a disinterested hum. "Can't say I'm surprised, Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists getting in bed with one another is hardly anything new. Although… you wouldn't happen to know anything more about that deal you just mentioned, would you?"
I scratched my cheek, still a bit uncertain on the topic. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to rummage through the Fallen Angel's lair to learn more since I was busy tailing Freed.
"From what I heard while I was spying on them, the Fallen Angel mentioned luring someone called the 'Holy Maiden' to Kuoh Town. All I know is that she had some kind of connection to the Church and ended up being exiled by them." I snapped my fingers in a moment of recollection. "Ah! They also said something about securing Twilight Healing, I believe it was called. I'm not really sure what it means, though."
"Twilight Healing?" She pursed her lips. "The Sacred Gear?"
"Is that what it is?" I tilted my head. Now that I've started training Rias' peerage, I gotta admit I'm a lot more curious about the subject than before.
"It isn't a Longinus, however, the fact that it possesses a recovery-factor makes it, or rather its possessor, highly sought after by all factions. You of all people should be well aware of how important healing abilities are amongst all walks of life." I replied with an affirming nod. "If that's what the Fallen Angels are after, then I have even more reason to believe Grigori's behind their presence. Their Governor practically collects Sacred Gears like a squirrel hoards nuts."
"So I've heard," I chuckled lightly. "What would you like me to do next? I have no concerns regarding Rias or Sona's safety at the moment, but I have a pretty good opportunity to do a little more digging if I act quickly."
I recalled the Fallen Angel mentioning that her subordinates would be gathering to make their reports in an hour, and that was about half an hour ago, giving me more than enough time to sneak back into their lair for another eavesdropping session.
"Go ahead, the more information you gather, the better." Her face twisted into a warped, sadistic grin. "In the meantime, I'm going to phone up a certain Governor to demand an explanation. Once I've got one, I'll inform you whether an execution's in order or not."
"Sounds good to me," upon realizing something, I adopted a questioning look. "Oh, and what about Lady Gremory? Will her visit be postponed until the situation's handled?"
"That won't be necessary," she wore an amused smile. "Trust me, Venelana's more than capable of handling herself around a few crows. She'll probably prove helpful if anything."
"Gotcha," I chose not to refute Serafall's judgment.
If what I've heard from Sebastian is true, Venelana's the true man of the Gremory House. Which makes sense to me, come to think of it, she's the one who possesses the Power of Destruction between them, and her monicker was earned, not inherited.
Should she be willing to offer a helping hand, who am I to refuse?
===
"I'm bored," a light silver-haired, leather jacket-wearing young man groaned, his chin resting atop his knuckles as his feet dangled over the edge of a strange-looking building's rooftop. One most would think belonged to the set of a sci-fi movie or something of that nature.
"Partner," a pair of bright-blue, shimmering, translucent, pentagon-shaped wings protruded out of his back, supported by a white, mechanical frame. "I understand your thirst for battle better than anyone," a voice started to speak into the young man's mind through the wings, their glow intensifying in tandem with its words. "And while it has served your growth well, surely you can handle at least a short dose of abstinence? You only just sparred with a Cadre two days ago."
"It's not just that, Albion," he sighed, slouching further. "The quantity of battles are one thing, the quality another. I've been sparring with them for practically my whole life, it's starting to get dull. I know their abilities, I know their fighting styles, hell, I even have their mid-combat tells memorized down to the last minute detail. Where's the fun in that? I might as well fight droids for the rest of time."
"I see," the deep, reverberant voice mused. "You crave a new challenge."
"Precisely!" His eyes lit up at just the thought of it alone. "Hey, come to think of it, isn't it about time the Red One awakens? It's been more than a decade since you woke up within me, surely your rival's had enough time to resonate with his host? I know I pulled it off at an unusually early time, but my patience can only last so long. You know that."
"I do, and I also know that you know that's not how it works. I've yet to detect the Red One's awakening, and whining about it certainly won't change anything. Logically speaking, it's possible he hasn't even found a host to reside in yet."
"Ugh, at this rate I'll be all old and wrinkly like Azazel before your damned counterpart wakes his draconic ass up." He allowed himself to fall backwards, giving himself a moment to look up at the Underworld's mauve sky as his heart longed for battle, like usual.
"Hmph, how rude. I'll have you know this little ol' face of mine still has centuries of charm left in it." The rooftop door opened wide, and a mildly offended, clearly older voice followed.
The wing-bearing youth neglected to turn his head, already knowing full well who the gradually approaching footsteps belonged to.
"What do you want, Azazel?" He grumbled. "Unless you've got an interesting battle in store for me, I suggest you hurry up and get lost. I'm not in the mood to listen to you ramble about whatever science mumbo-jumbo you're working on." He shooed the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels away with his hand.
Azazel breathed a heavy sigh. "There you go again. Battle. Battle. Battle. Good grief Vali, how long is it going to take you to learn that there are other things to life? Like women! You're a young dragon for crying out loud! You should be out there looking to stick your dick into anything with a pulse! Yet here you are, lying on a rooftop all by yourself, remaining a kissless virgin while everyone else your age is out there getting it on! As your foster father, my heart aches for you."
"You're one to talk," Vali rolled his eyes. "You're no different than me with your strange little contraptions. When's the last time an egghead like you had a woman in his bed? I'm willing to bet you're piping the servant droids you have running around the place while no one's watching." He scoffed mockingly.
"It's different for me, I have no need for sex anymore." Azazel insisted with crossed arms.
"Oh? How's that?"
"As you so eloquently put it, I'm old. I've already experienced most of what life has to offer," he stepped closer, standing on the rooftop's edge and looking down upon the Grigori Institute in all its scientific glory. "You, on the other hand, have ignored all of that in favour of your lust for battle, which, as incomprehensible as it might be to you, you can pursue while doing other things with your time." His voice grew a little sterner, expressing genuine concern. "Fighting and fucking aren't mutually exclusive," though, his choice of vocabulary weakened the effect of his words somewhat.
Vali clicked his tongue. "If you want me to get out and about so badly, then maybe you should remove those shitty little restrictions of yours keeping me in the Underworld."
"Oh, believe me, if I thought there was even a remote chance that you'd do anything other than attack the first interesting thing you saw up on the surface, I'd gladly let you do as you please." Azazel pinched his nose-bridge. "Albion, tell me you see how problematic Vali's stubbornness is? I mean, for fuck's sake, Grigori's literally teeming with bodacious babes, and each time they approach him all he does is death stare them like he's about to tear 'em from limb to limb!"
"Mm. I will admit, when I was my Partner's age, I was a lot more… eager with my pursuits of the opposite gender. It served as a good way for me to work off the steam that accumulated thanks to my lifestyle of constant combat and training."
"SEE? Even Albion sees the problem with your behaviour! And practically every creature in existence deemed him a battle-driven maniac when he was active!"
Vali simply closed his eyes, choosing to give the Governor the silent treatment.
"Oh, real mature," he rolled his eyes, crouching down and putting his hand on Vali's shoulder. "You know, Vali, if you have a preference towards men, you can just tell me. I'm a Fallen Angel, I'm quite literally the last person who would judge you for your kinks or fetishes."
"Shut. Up." The corner of Vali's mouth twitched, his instincts urging him to give Azazel a solid right hook to the cheek.
"I'm serious. Go on, what's your type? You want a twink? Someone muscley? Lean perhaps? Another dragon? Another devil? Maybe even another draconic-devil? You name it, I'll get it for you."
Vali didn't hesitate to swing at him, only for his punch to end up being caught by his foster father, who knew him all too well to get caught off-guard.
"Always quick to resort to violence," Azazel shook his head disapprovingly and exhaled. "Whatever am I going to do with you—"
"Lord Azazel," the voice of Grigori's Vice Governor-General, a droopy-looking, white-haired, purple beret-wearing man by the name of Shemhazai, called out to him. "You're needed in your office, you have a top-priority incoming transmission."
Azazel knitted his brow with a mix of intrigue and alarm.
"From?"
"Serafall."
A jolt of shock flashed across both his and Vali's faces.
"🎶 Uh oh, somebody's in trouble! 🎶" Vali quipped in a sing-songy tune, snickering.
"Not necessarily, Serafall calling me doesn't guarantee that she wants to speak to me about something negative."
Both his adopted son and second-in-command shot him a blank, disbelieving stare.
Who was he kidding? It was definitely something negative. Serafall wasn't the type to call him if she had anything else on her mind.
And to be honest, he kind of already had a solid idea of what could've possibly attracted the Leviathan's ire.
Azazel immediately returned to his office. He took a deep breath before sitting down on his chair and pressing a button that deployed a sound-suppressing barrier around the room.
And without further ado, he accepted Serafall's call through a computer that'd make NASA look like cavemen. A hologram of the scowling Satan appeared in front of his desk immediately after.
"Azazel," she spoke, her voice teeming with indignation. "Explain yourself, now."
He chuckled nervously. "Sorry, you're going to need to be a little bit more specific than that."
"Crows. My little sister's town." Her glare intensified. "Is that specification enough for you? Soon-to-be-dead Governor-General of Grigori?" From the look on her face, Azazel could decipher that her words were more a promise rather than a threat.
He swallowed a nervous gulp, realizing that his theory about the reason behind Serafall's call had just been proven true.
"…Serafall, there's a perfectly good explanation for all this—"
"Oh? So you are aware of their presence there?" She let out an ominous hum. "Alright, stay put, I'm coming over there to slaughter you now."
"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" He pleaded, noticing her starting to reach elsewhere, presumably to end the call. "They're not there for anything malicious! I swear! Scientist's honor!"
She wore an amused smirk. "That might've meant something to Ajuka, but not me."
"Just hear me out! I only stationed them in Kuoh to keep a watch out for Sacred Gears! Their assignment is strictly observational! They won't harm so much as a hair on anyone in Kuoh's body, I promise!"
"That's bullshit and you know it." Serafall snarled, appalled by the Governor's audacity to tell her such a bold-faced lie.
"…Huh?" He wore a look of genuine confusion.
"Don't 'huh' me. My agent not only discovered your hidden pathetic little cell of crows before you informed us of their presence, which I bet you were totally planning to do, but he also found them conspiring with a Stray Exorcist, who they sent to kill a human contracted to Rias Gremory's Queen. Oh, and also something about luring a 'Holy Maiden' to Kuoh? One possessing Twilight Healing? But I'm sure that has nothing to do with you, right? It's not like you have a thing for collecting Sacred Gears. Oh wait…"
To say Azazel was positively starstruck would be an understatement of biblical proportions.
No… he couldn't even begin to wrap his head around what he had just heard.
One task.
He had given Raynare and her stooges one incomprehensibly simple task. Sit in Kuoh and watch for Sacred Gear possessors. That was literally the one and only order he had given them. Strictly informing them that they were forbidden from doing anything else, anything at all, because of the town's protected status.
Was he aware of their dim-witted nature? Absolutely.
Had he given them the assignment anyway? Yes.
Why? Because he was also aware of their fanatical, usually tiresome obsession with him. Even if he couldn't count on their intelligence, he could count on their desperate eagerness to please him. Which should've been more than enough to keep Raynare and the lot in line.
Yet somehow… they had strayed from that. A notion Azazel believed to be impossible, but one that had occurred regardless.
At present, he wanted nothing more than to march over to Kuoh and snap the necks of his outlandishly moronic subordinates himself.
"Serafall…" He hesitated, realizing that he needed to choose his words carefully. "I know we're not on the best of terms, but you know me, I've always been a pacifist at heart. Hell, it's why I so readily encouraged the ceasefire agreement in the first place despite my subordinates' discontent. You know I wouldn't do something like this—"
"No, Azazel, I actually don't know, because I'm not a fucking mind-reader." She spat, her tone laced with venom. "What I do know is that my agent uncovered the operations of your subordinates, and that Grigori encroached on and trespassed on another faction's territory. Specifically, the territory where my little sister's stationed. Whether what they did happened with or without your knowing is, frankly, irrelevant if you ask me. As their leader, you're obligated to take responsibility for their actions."
The Governor gulped, knowing full well how much the Leviathan obsessed over her younger sibling. He knew that was the true reason behind Serafall's wrath, the political implications were naught but an afterthought to her.
Azazel couldn't help but swallow a nervous gulp, realizing there was a chance that negotiation wasn't even going to be an option for him.
"…I can make this right, we both have no desire for war more than anything, don't we? My subordinates clearly overstepped, and you're right in saying that I should take responsibility for that. Which is why on top of offering reparations for their misdeeds, I'll go in person and discipline—"
"Kill them."
"W-what…?"
"You heard me." Her voice lowered, her fury taking on a colder demeanour. "You're right, our side's current intention is to avoid war with Grigori, despite us being more than capable of crushing you all like lambs to the slaughter. However, mere 'discipline' isn't going to cut it here. They violated our internationally agreed terms by intruding on Sona's territory, and if they really did so without your prior knowledge. You should have no qualms delivering the appropriate punishment. Especially if it's for the sake of avoiding conflict, which you are so allegedly inclined towards."
"H-hold on just a second…"
She ignored him. "My agent will be watching you, and if you so much as deviate from what I'm demanding of you, even remotely, I will wipe every last one of you pathetic creatures myself. Believe me."
"Serafall—!"
She hung up without another word, leaving Azazel to brood on her ultimatum.
The Governor, out of sheer frustration, proceeded to bite down on his lower lip, drawing a trail of blood that trickled down his chin.
"Fuck."
===
So, that was eventful wasn't it? Poor Azazel isn't going to be getting away with a slap on the wrist this time, but maybe that's to be expected when a Satan's one of the first people to find out about Raynare's misdeeds instead of Rias herself.
———
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