A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 42: Butterflies.
Kuoh, Japan.
Dante Andromalius.
They obviously didn't believe the bullshit I sprouted about it being a false alarm, but they also didn't bother asking for more questions. They had nothing they could offer me to explain who Red was.
And honestly, the less they knew, the better.
Sona was more accepting of my silence than Rias, since, despite being a brat when she wanted to, she had a very beautiful brain that she used most of the time.
Rias, on the other hand?
She never stopped pouting at me, giving me very dangerous puppy eyes, as Tandy called them.
It was her favorite weapon, and it was, as her favorite video game would say, super effective.
But after a while, we sat back down…
And Rias started fumbling around, because of course she would. She didn't have any experience getting a peerage member by talking, and, as I said before, she didn't have a single devil bone in her body.
In fact, she was surprisingly shitty at manipulation. It was adorable to see what she wanted to do and how she failed at it.
I watched from the couch with Tandy on my lap and Sona at my side as the heiress of the Gremory household tried to explain the supernatural world to a teenage girl who had spent the last ten minutes alternating between staring at the spot where Red had cracked the floor and staring at me.
I doubted many of Rias's words got through to her.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Isane asked slowly, her eyes focusing on Rias for the first time in around 20 minutes. "The supernatural is real, and you're like, demons? From Christianity?"
"Yes, it's all real," Rias corrected gently. "But the term is devils. If you've read the Bible, you should know human-written works can be inaccurate, and the supernatural likes to keep it that way."
Heh. This world was not prepared for true demons. Not even the original Lucifer could be compared to my kind.
The rest of what she said was interesting, but understandable. The Angels used the Bible to become the world's largest faith, but truthfully speaking, bringing the supernatural into the open would only bring more trouble than it was worth.
Especially in this world. It wasn't ready to bring everything to the open.
Even back home, things were tense at the best of times, and that was only thanks to the very big sticks floating around the cosmos that made everyone avoid rocking the boat too much.
"And you're inviting me to become one under you." Isane's voice was surprisingly curious. "A servant?"
"I don't treat my peerage as servants," Rias looked cross for a moment, earning a laugh from me.
She glared in my direction before looking back at Isane. "My peerage is my family, and I treat them as such."
Isane, for her part, didn't look put out, but her furrowed brow and hesitant glances suggested she had some doubts.
"I want to offer you a chance," Rias said, leaning forward with earnestness. "You have something special, a Sacred Gear. It's a power that was…"
"Is this because weird things happen around me?" Isane interrupted, tensing. "Animals freak out, and my friend Aika's been grabby since puberty. And the less said about the glances some old men throw my way, the better."
That must be the influence of the sealed blessing. Its effect on people was curious and almost made me laugh out loud.
It was interesting that it could still affect the world even after being sealed inside Red's flesh. That had to be a strong blessing.
Rias blinked owlishly before her eyebrows pinched in discomfort, "That must have been hard."
"You have a strong dragon smell, which explains some things. Dragons are the world's strongest beings… basically power made flesh."
"Dragon? That's... awesome," Isane said, arms crossed, chest rising. "I knew something was off for years. Thought I was cursed."
Sona's look told me she'd finally realized why Isane was so troublesome. I sensed her amusement tinged with a hint of pity.
Rias opened her mouth before closing it with a click. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"The point is, you're special, Isane. I can help you understand who you are and give you access to knowledge and items you wouldn't get on your own. Plus, my name will keep you safe from those who want to hurt you because of what you represent."
"Hurt me?" Isane asked, and there was the first hint of real fear. "Why would they want to hurt me? I haven't done anything to anyone!"
"As I said, Dragons are special and have a higher limit than most races that are still around," Rias explained with a frown.
"Is it too late to say I know what Sacred Gear she has?" I asked, barely avoiding smirking.
"You know!?" Both Rias and Isane asked at the same time.
"You're trying to poach the current Red Dragon Empress," I chuckled, noticing Sona's jealousy before she hit it marvelously. I squeezed her knee before continuing.
"Quite a gem you found, and that's not her only surprise. Congratulations, Isane. You're a time bomb poised to go off, and the world will hold its breath to watch the explosion."
Isane grew surprisingly paler, and Rias sent a glare at me for being blunt.
I sighed.
"What happened with the last two wielders, Sona?" I asked calmly.
"They entered the Juggernaut Drive and made a mess after someone killed their family," Sona winced. "They're an example to the wider supernatural world of why pushing them is a bad idea… not that some factions ever learn, including ours."
"Sona!" Rias exclaimed heatedly, "You can't…"
"She's right, and so am I, Rias. Sorry to be blunt, but Isane shouldn't be kept in the dark about what she represents. She's a danger, and you know it, especially since she's in danger now."
"There are fallen angels in this city who have been watching you for weeks," I said calmly, cutting through Rias's no doubt shrill scream that was forming inside her chest. "Sona mentioned them, and while they might not know who she is, that doesn't make it better. If they try their usual methods, things might go smoothly, but apologies if I don't trust them not to fuck it up. Or you, my dear. I wouldn't want you to find a crater instead of a town the next time I visit."
The room went silent.
Isane let out a shocked sob, and I bit back a sigh. Rias shot me a furious look that I absorbed without flinching.
"Dante!" Rias hissed. "I know what I'm doing. I was going…"
"Take twenty more minutes?" I chuckled. "She deserved the truth, Rias. Cushion it later. It's not all doom and gloom."
"What do you mean?" Sona asked after a moment.
"She has amazing potential, more than you can imagine," I said, drawing Isane's attention. "With Rias's help, her family, and me, she can grow strong enough to protect herself and her loved ones if needed. Rias's brother will also serve as a deterrent to most, except the truly foolish. You can ward her place or move them somewhere safe to prevent complications."
Tandy barely concealed a laugh, knowing how I was playing the poor thing. Things weren't that dire, and I didn't lie, but I was catastrophizing to make it easier for both of them.
Isane swallowed hard. "Can you explain it already? And properly this time!"
"Sacred Gears were made by Yahweh and given to humans to protect against the supernatural. Or so they say," I added, ignoring the devils' discomfort.
Isane looked at them curiously before focusing once more on me.
I ignored the glares. Who knew muttering Goldilocks' name could be so amusing?
"You, my dear, have one of the strongest ones. Capable of killing gods if sufficiently trained."
She opened her mouth, but I lifted my hand and continued over her.
"Now, you're weak. Forgive me, but a normal human is just prey for the supernatural. Tandy, Rias, Sona, and Akeno could wipe out your campus instantly."
"And you?" she swallowed thickly after glancing at the four with a hint of nervousness.
"Me? I'm nothing special, my dear. Don't worry your pretty little head about it right now."
Sona and Tandy scoffed in disbelief and amusement, respectively, while Isane looked at me with an open mouth.
I only smiled calmly.
"Fuck… that's hot," Isane murmured under her breath.
And I burst out laughing, with Tandy joining me before Sona groaned into her palms.
Hah. This girl was a riot.
Rias looked like she wanted to strangle me for a moment before shaking her head. Then she turned to Isane with a gentle expression.
"If you join my peerage, you'll be under my protection. Under the protection of the Gremory household. No fallen angel would dare touch you."
Isane was quiet for a long moment. Her eyes went to Kiba, who gave her a small, encouraging nod. Then to Akeno, who smiled warmly. Then to Sona, who watched in silence.
Then to me.
"Is she telling the truth?" Isane asked, and I found it amusing that she was asking the stranger who had run over Rias's recruitment pitch.
I would apologize later, because I knew I wasn't exactly following protocols.
"Every word, her brother is a monster, and very few beings in the world want him to get pissed at them," I snorted. "Rias is an angel in devil clothing, and she will care for you. That, I can promise. She's a sweetheart with a heart of gold; there are very few devils I know that care as much as she does for those under her."
"Her brother?" Isane looked at Rias, who blushed for a moment before sighing.
"My brother is Satan Lucifer. One of the strongest beings in the world and the strongest devil alive." Rias flashed a tiny grin before she smoothed it out, "I don't like depending on him, but you would be worth it, Isane. That's how much potential you have."
Isane gaped in Rias's direction, then she nodded cautiously at Rias, who sighed in relief.
"And the man? The one you grabbed. Who was he?"
"An unfortunate confusion, my dear. Don't worry about him."
She didn't look convinced, but the fear of death was doing most of the heavy lifting.
"Can I think about it?" she asked quietly.
"You can," Rias said before I could speak. "But please, don't take too long. The fallen angels aren't patient."
Isane nodded, stood up shakily, and let Kiba escort her out. The door closed behind them, and Rias immediately turned to me.
"You didn't have to scare her like that, Dante."
"She needed to know," I shrugged. "And now she does. She'll say yes by tomorrow. Fear is a faster motivator than kindness, and with a prize like that dropped into your lap, you don't wait."
"He's not wrong," Sona said reluctantly from beside me.
Rias deflated, slumping back into the couch. "I hate this."
"I know," I nodded calmly. "Which is why I'm going to handle the fallen angel problem for you. Tonight."
Everyone looked at me.
"Don't look so surprised," I snorted. "I'm curious about them. I want to study Isane's Sacred Gear in peace, and I can't do that if some feathered idiots are plotting to rip it out of her. Consider it a freebie."
"Nothing is free with you," Sona muttered, but she was resting her head on my shoulder.
"Call it a down payment on my date," I winked at Rias, who blushed despite the tension.
Later.
Dante Andromalius.
Whatever I was expecting from fallen angels, this wasn't it.
I didn't want to say they were pathetic…
But they were.
I was a bit disappointed, since from the little intelligence I bothered to gather before going after them, it looked like they were a complete cell, four Fallens and a multitude of exorcists who were excommunicated from the church.
But… I was starting to think something else was happening. And I was curious why they had so many people in a place they really shouldn't be.
I left Tandy behind, mostly because while curious, she was more interested in staying with the girls, having a night out, or something like that.
Also, it would be like bringing an atomic bomb against coughing babies, and I didn't want her to get a big head just in case. This was a solo errand, and I was more than enough to get every little secret these pigeons had.
The church was protected by some pathetic wards, mostly aimed at stray humans who might wander inside or something along those lines. It also didn't have the same feeling as other churches I had visited.
Which… weren't many, but the feeling was unique enough to leave a lasting impression. At least back home.
I walked through them like I was taking a stroll. Erasure helped, obviously.
Two of them were inside the main hall, fucking, of all things they could be doing.
I felt my brows rise in disbelief seeing an older man fucking a genuinely attractive, blue-haired fallen. Through their souls, I could see there were no feelings between them, at least nothing compared to the satisfaction of rubbing one out somewhere their father used to inhabit.
Again… a bit pathetic. The majority of Fallen happened centuries ago, if not more. And they were so weak that I couldn't see why Yahweh would bother with them.
Or maybe he was affected by it, with his all-loving heart or whatever he liked to preach.
… Yes, I knew that I was still salty, as Tandy put it. But the brand my Yahweh put on my body stung for thousands of years, and I wasn't that forgiving.
There was a third one upstairs, the strongest of them, while another one stayed with the biggest group of humans below the church.
Interesting.
The sound of their copulation continued as I observed the rest of the church.
It was abandoned, but I already knew that. What was surprising was the lack of holiness in it. Usually, a place where gods were venerated didn't exactly lose its holiness in such a short amount of time.
"Evening," I said pleasantly.
The man almost jumped while the woman created a light spear in her hand, looking at me warily.
I was almost impressed.
"Who the fuck are you?!" The man scrambled backward, summoning his own spear of light.
"My name is Dante Andromalius," I said, not moving in the slightest, "And before you do something stupid, you should dress. At least, if things turn ugly, you won't die with that kind of indignity. I'm here to talk, and how it ends will depend on you two."
Their eyes widened minutely, but they didn't recognize who I was. They did recognize the name and that I was a devil.
Then the woman threw her spear, because of course she would.
It didn't reach my body before the light turned into butterflies, flapping their tiny wings before flying away.
"Really, girl?" I deadpanned. "You are weak. Now, get some clothes before I decide to ask my questions as you are."
The silence that followed was quite amusing, as they ignored my threat while watching the butterflies cover part of the spew.
"Well? Go on. You can call the rest of your lot if you desire, but I suggest you keep them in place. Shoo," I waved my hand airily.
It was like they were under the influence of my magic; they gaped at me before fearfully walking towards the door.
I took a seat in one of the benches, waiting patiently as I sensed the group below in a flurry of movement while someone ran upstairs and called the attention of the strongest in the group.
It wasn't ten minutes later when a group of around twenty-six people stood in front of me, all looking like they were ready for war.
The two I had seen before looked wary, but dejected. The strongest one, another voluptuous fallen, had a sneer on her face while a tiny, tiny blond fallen looked just a bit worried.
The humans, on the other hand, were looking like they wanted nothing more than to rip me apart.
Adorable. They were like angry puppies.
"So, what do you want, devil?" the fallen sneered, and I was compelled to look at her soul.
And what a sad sight it was. Cruelty for the sake of making herself better than what she was, pity in spades, but for herself, blaming everyone for her problems. A manipulative woman who was even worse than Akeno as a sadist.
"To talk," I responded calmly, "but I can see you are prepared for something else. Am I wrong?"
The exorcist's hands tightened against their weapons, while the two new fallen prepared their light spears.
Didn't they have other attacks? They were getting more disappointing by the second.
Funnily enough, the two I met before didn't prepare anything.
I sighed, standing up from the bench.
"So be it. Before you start, my curiosity only belongs to the angels. The rest of you can leave if you desire. You have my word that I won't hunt you down."
Unsurprisingly, no one took my offer.
One particularly unhinged exorcist looked almost foaming at the mouth, "Why would we believe in a devil of all things? Your kind deserves to be purged from this world."
"So be it. Make your move." I shrugged calmly.
There was a multitude of light bullets coming my way, while the rest that didn't have guns but swords ran towards me with enough bloodlust to make me smile, remembering my past.
How nostalgic.
"Dohnaseek, Kalawarna?" The one throwing light spears my way shouted angrily when she saw that the two didn't move a muscle.
The Dark Force came out of my pores, consuming every lick of light that approached me. I made sure to spare the humans from the very bad nightmares that were about to consume them, mostly because it was just sad to play with such pathetic beings.
Everyone gaped in my direction, their weapons, their ace in the hole against devils disappearing under their very eyes as I kept my calm smile.
All stopped, looking a bit worried. All but one.
The unhinged exorcist, with one of the vilest souls I had ever seen, kept his berserker run in my direction, shouting profanities my way.
Maybe with an example, it would be easier. Hopefully.
Also, I didn't particularly like him.
A snap of my fingers and the Dark Force consumed him into the Dark Dimension before he could uppercut me as he intended. I waited around 10 seconds before pulling him out.
The soft thud as his body fell into the ceramic was loud in the silence that appeared once they saw him.
His unkempt silver hair was falling out, like when humans go through chemotherapy and their bodies started failing. Now, he truly was foaming in his mouth, with white bubbles as he said incoherent things that I didn't bother paying attention to. His skin was paler than before, almost ashy, while grey spots showed in every part of his body.
Damn.
"Anyone else want to try?" I asked the group, "Or you can leave. Ah, and don't make a mess leaving town. You're not going to like what happens if you stay here. Ah, if you care about him, you can take this one."
I kicked the almost comatose human in their direction.
As soon as the words left my mouth, everyone ran toward the exit, including the fallen.
And funnily, they ignored the brat writhing on the ground.
I rolled my eyes and waved my hand in their direction.
Their wings were tied together as they dropped to the ground, leaving them wheezing from the pain. Their magic was soon sealed until they answered my questions.
Two minutes later, we were alone.
Another wave, and I pulled the bound bodies toward me, sitting them on the bench while I sat on the altar.
"To start, your names?" I asked.
"Dohnaseek," the first one grunted, not fighting against his bindings.
"Kalawarna," the blue-haired one spoke next, her eyes showing lust and fear.
I barely managed to avoid rolling my eyes. Great, another masochist.
"Mittelt," the tiny one grunted out as she fought against the spell before giving up.
"And you, dear?" I asked the supposed leader.
"I won't answer shit," she spat in my direction. The Dark Force ate it before it could hit me.
A bit of DNA would help for later.
"Really, dear?" I sighed, "Do you truly want me to get it out of you? We have all the time in the world, and I assure you that you won't be the same once I finish."
"You, Kalawarna. What's her name?" I asked the masochist.
"She's called Raynare," she answered primly, earning a smirk.
Heh.
The angry glare sent her way didn't change her calm demeanor.
"Good, good. Now, I was wondering a couple of things. Come here, sit next to me, and grab my hand."
Kalawarna followed my directions without complaint, and part of my mind focused on studying her anatomy and her connection with this world and heaven.
The other part kept the conversation going.
"Who sent you here, and what are your orders? I heard from an adorable devil that you've been sniffing around one potential peerage member, but you haven't approached yet. I want everything."
Mittelt opened her mouth to answer, but Raynare shoulder checked her into silence.
"Lord Azazel won't be happy you ruined his mission," Raynare spat out with vitriol in the blonde's direction.
Dohnaseek flinched hard at that. How curious.
"Start talking," I looked in his direction, "or I'll give you a taste of what that poor guy went through. Two seconds should be enough to break you."
Dohnaseek's composure crumbled faster than I expected.
"It wasn't Azazel," he said, his voice hollow. "The mission papers were forged. I forged them. We are to kill any human with Sacred gear inside Kuoh to weaken the devils here."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Raynare's head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide with something between fury and disbelief. Mittelt gaped openly. Kalawarna's grip on my hand tightened.
"What?" Raynare breathed out.
"The orders weren't real," Dohnaseek repeated, his eyes locked on the floor. "Lord Azazel never authorized this. I was contacted by someone inside the Grigori. Someone higher than me, higher than all of us. They told me to set this up and make it look legitimate."
"And you just did it?" Mittelt shrieked, her small frame shaking with anger. "You dragged us into a fake mission?! You know what they do to traitors?!"
"I didn't have a choice!" His voice cracked. "You think I wanted this? They made it clear that if I refused, I was dead. And no one would have questioned it because no one cares for two-winged Fallen like us!"
Raynare looked like she was about to murder him. Kalawarna just sighed, as if this confirmed something she had already suspected.
I rubbed Kala's hand, earning a tiny smile.
Damn, she was easy.
"Who contacted you?" I asked calmly.
"I don't know their name. They used a proxy. But the magic signature..." he swallowed, "They were powerful. A Cadre, maybe."
This was getting better and better. He was telling the truth, and I also noted that he was supposed to do something important to the world. An action of his would be impactful, to say the least, but as soon as he said the words, the strand of fate broke.
"There was also the nun," Kalawarna said from beside me, and I felt her pulse quicken against my palm.
"What nun?" I asked curiously.
"Twilight Healing," Mittelt muttered angrily, glaring at the male Fallen. "Another Sacred Gear user, the wielder is a girl named Asia Argento. She was supposed to arrive tomorrow, and the plan was to extract her Sacred Gear too, using a ritual under the church."
"The extraction would have killed her," Dohnaseek continued.
That was enough for me to spare them. Either Sona or Rias would love to get their grubby little hands on them. Healing magic was rare enough… Sacred Gears? I only knew of two.
"You're all idiots," I said plainly. "But I suppose I get where you're coming from."
They were silent, looking at the ground and probably thinking about their life choices.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.
Serafall picked up on the second ring.
"Sera, I need Azazel's personal number."
"... Why?" Her voice carried the same suspicion it always did when I called her, wondering if I was going to send her more photos of Sona. As if she didn't rub herself raw with those.
"Because four of his people are sitting in front of me in Kuoh, running a forged mission that he didn't authorize. I'd rather tell him directly than create an incident. You can get some brownie points even if these poor sods don't matter much."
She paused, took a deep breath, then grunted and sent me the number.
"Good girl," I said, grinning even if she couldn't see it, "I'll let you know what Sona has planned for me later. Have a nice day, Sera."
I dialed the number.
Azazel picked up after five rings. His voice was lazy, even if a bit curious.
"Who is this? Not many people have this number."
"Dante Andromalius," I said pleasantly. "I have four of your fallen angels in a church in Kuoh. They're pretty dumb kids, but it appears that the perpetrator didn't have any other option than to forge your orders into messing with Rias and Sona."
The laziness vanished as if it had never been there. "What?"
"You heard me. Three women and one man. Raynare, Kalawarna, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek. The man forged the orders under duress from someone inside your organization. The mission was to weaken the devils by getting rid of Sacred Gear wielders."
"And they're alive?" He asked seriously.
"All four are breathing. I thought that you could get something out of them." I glanced at the group. "After all, it looks like you need all the manpower you can muster. Some of your brothers have been playing games behind your back."
There was another flurry of movement from his side.
"I see," Azazel said quietly. "I'll handle it from my end. What do you want for me to get them back?"
"It's a gift from me, Azazel. Think of it as the start of a beautiful friendship." I looked at the four fallen angels. "One more thing. There's a nun named Asia Argento en route to this location. She's ours now, that should be no problem, right?"
"I wanted to check that one out," he whined, I already liked him more than the idiot that went by that name in my reality, "But whatever, I doubt I'll have time with the mess you dropped into my lap."
"Ah, and Adromalius?" he said just before I could cut off the call.
"I owe you one."
"Text me later," I said, "who knows, we might come to an arrangement with my products. You'll need all the help you can get, after all."
Then I hung up.
Pocketing my phone, I looked at the four fallen angels, who looked a bit lost.
I was starting to feel bad about them.
"You heard the man. You're going home." I waved my hand, and the seals around their magic loosened before disappearing. "I suggest you cooperate with whatever Azazel does next; you should be shielded from whoever is playing games as long as you cooperate. Who knows if we'll meet in the future?"
Dohnaseek nodded, looking relieved as something weighty had lifted off his shoulders. Mittelt was already stretching her wings while sending me a pout. Kalawarna squeezed my hand one last time before standing, and the look she gave me was something I chose to ignore for the moment.
The girl was thirsty.
Raynare was the last to move. She stood slowly, her pride warring visibly with the reality that she had been played from the start.
"Why?" she asked. "Why let us go?"
"You want the truth?" I tilted my head.
She nodded with an unwilling expression.
"Because all of you don't matter much. But a war within the fallen has the opportunity to make me very, very rich. Also, that gives me an in with Azazel, so… two birds, one stone."
She stared at me for a long moment before turning and walking out. Her wings spread at the door, and then they were gone.
I sat alone in the empty church for a minute, listening to the silence.
I pulled out my phone again and typed a message to Sona.
"There's a nun arriving in Kuoh tomorrow. She has a useful sacred gear; you can decide who gets her between Rias and you. Think of it as a freebie."
The response came in seconds.
"Nothing is free with you."
I grinned at my phone.
"Then think about how you'll pay me back, love."
Now, there was only a single question left.
A frown grew on my face as I stared into a crucifix pensively.
What the fuck was going on in Heaven, and why couldn't I feel the Fallen's connection with Yahweh?
Author's note: So, butterflies are flapping their wings even this soon. Rias's peerage will get a new member soon, while Dante earns a lot from barely trying. A war betwen the Fallen should be very profitable for him, eh? Also, Dante is getting closer to the truth about God. Wonder what he'll think.
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