Chapter 20
Sona on the Attack! The Demonic Power of Sona Sitri's Peerages!
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Night fell once more, the moon shining brightly in the sky. At that moment, Ryuma decided to linger near Kuoh Academy. He stood in the shadows, his pitch-black eyes scanning the surroundings, missing no detail. His arms were crossed, his dark hair swaying in the cold night wind as he observed in silence.
Then, his eyes flickered as he sensed movement in the distance. This was no ordinary human; he recognized the powerful aura of a high-ranking Devil. It turned out to be Sona Sitri, the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy, whom he had previously encountered and warned.
Beside her stood a long-haired, black-haired girl wearing glasses—Tsubaki Shinra, the Student Council Vice President.
He wasn't here without reason. He wasn't stalking like a pervert; Ryuma was on guard, anticipating something might happen. The creature wasn't targeting just Rias, the being he had encountered in his true form—a Seraph, guardian of heaven—but also other high-ranking Devils, including Sona Sitri, heir to the noble Sitri family and one of the 72 pillars of the underworld.
From a distance, Ryuma heard the hurried footsteps of someone running. He retreated slightly, melting into the darkness of the night and the dense foliage. From there, he was almost completely invisible, his aura practically undetectable. Even Sona Sitri, a high-ranking devil, remained completely unaware of his presence, demonstrating the extraordinary skill with which he concealed his aura.
It turned out the newcomers were two girls Ryuma recognized as members of the Student Council. Both possessed familiar auras—the unmistakable aura of devils.
One of them was Momo Hanakai, a girl with a pretty face and long hair cascading down her back. Her figure was undeniably beautiful, but her expression was now etched with worry and a hint of fear.
Beside her was Reya Kusaka, another member of the Student Council. Reya had a similarly attractive face, her brown hair braided into twin pigtails that matched her brown eyes. A blue headband adorned her head, giving her a slightly more endearing appearance than the others.
"Momo, Reya...? What's wrong? Why are you running?" Sona narrowed her eyes slightly behind her glasses, her voice gentle yet firm, with a hint of concern on her face.
"President... Saji... He's been captured by a group of Fallen Angels!" Reya gasped, her usually soft voice now filled with panic.
"Tomoe and Tsubasa are already there. They're trying to save Saji, but..." Momo slowly lowered her gaze, clutching the hem of her Kuoh Academy skirt so tightly that her palms flushed red. Her voice trembled, revealing her deep concern for her friends. "There are Exorcists armed with full holy equipment too, not just Fallen Angels."
Sona's eyes widened in shock. She never imagined that what had happened to Rias's family would happen to her own. The Fallen Angels had been causing trouble lately, endangering not only her peerages, Rias, and herself, but also the entire world.
If they achieved their goals, it would plunge the world into another great war. Moreover, Ryuma's words from earlier that afternoon still echoed in her mind—a warning, as if he had foreseen this very situation.
"Be careful."
The words now connected to the current situation. Sona didn't know if Ryuma was part of the fallen angels who had captured one of her pawns, Saji, or if he was actually on their side. Regardless, Sona knew he wasn't an ordinary human; he was something more.
But that was something she needed to investigate later. Why had he warned her? Was he a fallen angel defecting from his master by warning her? She had to find out.
"We need to get there immediately!" Sona declared firmly. No matter what happened, she would save the pawn she cherished so dearly. "Foolish Saji..."
"Understood, President," Tsubaki replied, beginning to conjure a white demonic magic circle around them. The circle expanded until its radiant light enveloped them all.
In the blink of an eye, they all vanished from Ryuma's sight, swallowed by the shadows. He knew this was the work of the creature he had encountered earlier. Whatever its plans or desires for this war, it had to be triggered. But one thing was certain: he wouldn't let it happen.
Slowly, he emerged from the darkness of the night, approaching the spot where Sona and her peerages had stood moments before. Only silence remained; they had undoubtedly already moved to where Saji was being held, where a battle was now inevitable.
"Exorcist..." Ryuma murmured, tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky, its darkness pierced by countless twinkling stars.
The term "Exorcist" was familiar to Ryuma. It referred to an organization formed to combat Devils in the human world, composed of humans equipped with sacred artifacts that were deadly to Devils, making them humanity's primary defense. However, it had been a long time since he had last seen them, and he was curious about how the Exorcists had changed over the years.
His eyes began to glow crimson as he focused on a distant point radiating immense power. He knew that whatever was happening there meant a battle was underway. Sona Sitri... The girl's image resurfaced in his mind, and he knew he had something he needed to do for her.
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Boom!!!
The sound of an explosion echoed through the room, where Sona and her peerages were locked in battle against fallen angels—no, Exorcists too. They had bound Saji to the center of the altar, his body chained, his hands and feet tied to the edges, surrounded by flickering candles. He was unconscious, his face bearing clear signs of abuse: scrapes, bruises, the marks of torture inflicted by the fallen angels.
"How dare you capture my Pawn! I won't let you leave this place!" Sona roared, her voice icy and filled with fury. She was no longer the calm, dignified girl she usually was; she was utterly enraged.
Sona immediately began conjuring magic circles on both hands. The circles glowed with a silvery-blue light, the Sitri family crest emblazoned at their centers. For a few seconds, the radiant light illuminated the entire room, forcing the Exorcists guarding the altar to retreat. From within the magic circles, massive lions made of water materialized. They surged forward, tearing apart the Exorcists in their path.
"You can't defeat her." A young man with jet-black hair descended slowly from the sky, a wide grin plastered across his face. His sharp eyes locked onto Sona. "Sona of the noble Sitri family. Younger sister of Serafall Leviathan. I've found the perfect target for this."
"Fallen Angel... A filthy creature like you can only bring chaos to this peaceful world." Sona retorted, crossing her arms over her petite chest. Her eyes flickered briefly toward Saji's location. "Did you kidnap my Pawn to steal his precious Sacred Gear?"
The young man merely chuckled at Sona's question, then spread his wings wide, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. He was clearly a Fallen Angel, but Sona noticed something peculiar: he also possessed a devil wing paired with his fallen angel wing, indicating mixed blood between Fallen Angel and Devil.
"I suppose I can't hide my plans from you, can I, heir to the noble Sitri family?" The young man shook his head slightly, then pointed at Saji, who was still unconscious. More specifically, he pointed at the black dragon-head bracelet on Saji's wrist—the materialized form of the Sacred Gear stored within his body. "I never imagined that not only the Pawns of the noble Gremory family would possess Sacred Gears, but he would too."
"President," Tsubaki said, slowly approaching Sona, her eyes sharp with caution. "He's a hybrid. We must be extremely careful."
Sona didn't say a word, her gaze fixed on the young man with a menacing fury. Though he was a hybrid of Fallen Angel and Devil, she felt no fear; she would save Saji by any means necessary.
At the young man's command, the Exorcists surged forward again, armed with swords and holy firearms capable of inflicting fatal wounds on devils kind. Sona knew she was outnumbered; dozens of Exorcists now surrounded her from all directions.
High above, the young man simply grinned widely as he slowly descended to land beside the altar where Saji was chained. A curtain covered the right side of the altar, and when it was drawn back, a little girl was revealed, her neck bound by chains. The girl was covered in wounds. Unable to speak, she could only weep silently, her wide eyes betraying overwhelming terror beneath her innocent facade.
"As you requested..." From the shadows emerged a man in a black fedora, a pair of fallen angel wings drooping from his back—none other than Dohnaseek. "I've prepared this girl as a replacement vessel for the Sacred Gear. We'll use her as a temporary container while we wait for the spark Kokabiel will ignite."
"Kokabiel?" The young man glanced briefly at Dohnaseek, a soft chuckle escaping his lips at the mention of the fallen angel's name. "That decrepit fallen angel took an eternity just to ignite a spark."
Turning his body, the young man looked down at Dohnaseek, noticing the fresh wound on his shoulder and the bruises on his face. Dohnaseek's condition was pitiful, but there was no pity in the young man's eyes. He only cared about the success of his plan, regardless of what happened to Dohnaseek, who was merely a pawn in his scheme.
"You look like a mess, Dohnaseek. If you want to retire, just tell me. I'll find a replacement more competent than you." The young man's words sent shivers down Dohnaseek's spine. It was a genuine threat, delivered in an ice-cold voice, his piercing gaze boring straight into Dohnaseek's soul.
"I promise this won't affect your plans in any way. I'll handle it myself." Dohnaseek replied, bowing his head in a gesture of both respect and fear toward the young man's overwhelming presence.
"You know best what needs to be done, Dohnaseek. Do whatever you deem necessary to maintain your position here." With those words, the young man strode past Dohnaseek, then leaped with such force that he landed on the second floor of the chamber.
Torn between fear, relief, and panic, Dohnaseek exhaled deeply as he shifted his gaze between Sona and her peerages. They were completely surrounded by the Exorcist forces, with no escape route. Their only options were to annihilate or be annihilated. Grinning widely, he gave a slow nod to the Exorcists, who were awaiting his command. The nod was as good as saying, "Destroy them."
"Destroy them! Filthy devils!" Instantly, the entire Exorcist force surged into action, unleashing a barrage of holy fire from their firearms.
The bullets they fired glowed with a golden light, their sacred aura causing Sona's entire peerages to shudder uncomfortably. With lightning-fast reflexes, Sona conjured a demonic magic circle before her, manifesting a colossal sea serpent that coiled around her and her family, shielding them all with its massive body.
The barrage of gunfire from the Exorcists gradually subsided, and one by one, they began to advance, especially those armed with holy swords. Their blades glowed with a golden light, radiating an aura that was deeply unsettling to Sona and her peerages.
To the young man observing from the second-floor balcony, the battle seemed like a spectacle. He sat there with a wide grin, while Dohnaseek began performing a ritual and the Exorcist forces restrained Sona's movements.
"Tsubasa!"
Suddenly, the colossal sea serpent Sona had created to protect herself and her peerages began to stir. Tsubasa emerged from the serpent's maw, leaping onto its back and slamming her sword into the floor.
Blammm!!!
The room shuddered violently, sending several Exorcist soldiers flying backward. But the assault didn't end there. Behind Tsubasa stood Momo, Reya, and Tomoe, already poised for battle. They split apart, driving back the Exorcist forces, shattering their formation and clearing a path to the altar.
"You fools! Don't let them through!" Dohnaseek, seeing Sona's movements begin to push back the Exorcist forces, immediately spread his fallen angel wings, intending to descend directly into the fight.
Before Dohnaseek could take flight to assist the Exorcist forces, he noticed a faint glow emanating from the second floor. Glancing upward, he saw the young man pointing the index finger of his right hand at Sona's sea serpent, which was still protecting her. Seeing this, Momo decided to retreat, intending to warn Sona, but it was too late.
Swooshhh!!!
The light radiating from the young man's right index finger suddenly fractured, its brilliance flooding the room. Instantly, all of Sona's peerages, even Momo, collapsed to their knees, their bodies trembling violently.
Their demonic souls felt burned, as if they were being roasted alive. Just before the light could obliterate Sona's sea serpent, Tsubaki suddenly emerged from behind the creature. She swiftly conjured magic circles on both palms, creating a mirror that she directed toward the approaching beam of light.
Tingggg!!! Blarrr!!
The mirror instantly redirected the beam of light back at the young man, but he swiftly leaped upward to evade his own attack. The second floor shattered, debris cascading downward, crushing several Exorcists who couldn't escape. Sona's peerages rose again, the path to the altar now wide open. The Exorcist forces began to retreat, dodging the still-falling debris.
"Intriguing." The young man reappeared, standing beside Saji's chained form. He grinned widely, as if thoroughly entertained by the display of power from Sona's peerages.
"Hey! Hurry up and finish it!" Dohnaseek barked at the Exorcists performing the ritual. They began to take out knives and slice into the little girl's right shoulder.
Blood gushed from the girl's right shoulder. She couldn't scream, her body frozen, though tears streamed endlessly from her wide eyes, betraying the agony she endured. This inhuman spectacle made Tsubasa's blood boil. She couldn't let this innocent child become a sacrifice in this twisted ritual. With a roar, she charged forward, her sword cleaving through the Exorcist formation.
"How dare you sacrifice an innocent child?!"
"Wait, Tsubasa!"
Clang! Clang!
The Exorcists couldn't stop her. Tsubasa's swordsmanship was truly exceptional; she effortlessly felled several Exorcists without sustaining a single scratch.
Tsubasa completely ignored Reya's attempts to restrain her, continuing to move forward, cleaving through the Exorcists toward the altar.
Just as she was about to touch the little girl, she was startled by a gust of wind that struck her left cheek.
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the young man who had been standing beside Saji was now right beside her on her left side—he was incredibly fast.
A blinding light struck her face, making his eyes feel like they were burning. But almost immediately, she felt something slam into her from the side.
"Watch out!"
Boom!
A tremendous explosion shook the room once more as the young man's spear of light missed Tsubasa's face. The spear pierced through the air and slammed into the wall, shattering it and leaving a massive hole. Tsubasa collapsed to the floor, blood soaking her face, yet she felt no pain.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, but instead of seeing her own injuries, she saw Reya lying nearby with a seared wound on her right shoulder. The wound was blistering, the skin melting slightly—the effects of light on devils were truly fatal. Reya had saved her.
"Reya...!" Tsubasa frantically tried to touch Reya's wound, but her hand only blistered from the searing heat.
"Ahhh..." Reya could only groan in agony, the burning sensation utterly unbearable.
"Ah, what a pity. You shouldn't have to suffer like this." Slowly, the young man began walking toward Tsubasa and Reya, his eyes sharp and his voice as cold as ice.
The ground trembled violently. The young man's eyes widened slightly as he sensed an overwhelmingly powerful demonic aura emanating from behind the sea serpent that still encircled Sona's position. All of the Exorcists instantly fell to their knees, unable to withstand such an intense demonic presence.
"So that's it?! Show me what the Sitri nobles possess!" The young man shouted, spreading his arms wide toward the radiating aura as if welcoming it.
Swooooshhh!!! Crack!!!
The floor began to crack, followed by the sea serpents that had previously surrounded Sona shattering instantly. Jets of water erupted in all directions, sending the Exorcist forces crashing into the walls.
There, the young man saw an enormous sea dragon, so large that it shattered the room's ceiling, unable to contain the colossal creature. Yet instead of fear, he grinned widely as the water-formed dragon surged toward him with incredible speed.
Blarr!!!
With a mighty swing of its tail, the sea dragon hurled the young man out of the room. But the attack didn't end there; the dragon began to pursue him relentlessly. Most of the Exorcist forces had already fallen, victims of Sona's earlier assault. Seizing this opportunity, Tsubaki and Momo rushed toward Saji and severed the chains binding him.
"Saji! Saji! Can you hear me?" Tsubaki gently slapped Saji's cheeks repeatedly, trying to rouse him, but he remained unconscious.
"Momo, save the little girl! I'll take care of Saji!" Tsubaki said, pointing toward the girl still lying on the altar, silently weeping as she clutched the gaping wound on her right shoulder.
"Right...!"
Tsubaki effortlessly lifted Saji's body and jogged toward Sona, who stood at the far end of the room, still controlling the sea dragon she had created. Meanwhile, Momo regained her footing and rushed to the little girl's side, kneeling beside her. The girl's eyes met Momo's, as if trying to convey the unbearable pain she was enduring. With tears welling in her eyes, Momo slowly began to untie the chains binding the girl's small body, unaware that a far greater threat remained undefeated.
"Perhaps you've forgotten something, Miss?"
Momo's hair stood on end as she heard Dohnaseek's terrifying voice right beside her ear, his breath hot against her neck. She whirled around, but it was too late. With his spear of light, Dohnaseek thrust it straight at her face. Fortunately, Momo's reflexes were still sharp; she managed to block the spear, though both of her hands were pierced and scorched in return.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The searing pain and intense heat erupting from her palms made Momo wince in agony, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at Dohnaseek's face, now adorned with a wide, gleeful grin at her suffering. With a single blow to her beautiful face, Momo's body was sent flying across the room, crashing into the wall before collapsing unconscious.
"Damn fallen angel!" Tsubasa roared, her eyes wide and glistening with fury. She struggled to her feet, gripping her sword tightly.
"Oh...? Was I too rough on a woman? I suppose I-"
Before Dohnaseek could finish his sentence, he was suddenly sent flying backward, crashing into the wall and even being hurled out of the room. Tsubasa gasped in shock, but her surprise quickly turned into a smile when she saw the sea dragon Sona had conjured hovering in the air. It was this dragon that knocked Dohnaseek out.
"Tsubasa, bring Reya here!" Sona's command instantly made Tsubasa nod. She swiftly scooped up Reya's limp body and sprinted toward her.
"Tomoe, take care of Momo." Sona glanced at Tomoe, who immediately rushed to the unconscious Momo, hoisted her up, and carried her back to Sona.
"The astonishing power I anticipated would come from Leviathan's younger sister."
From high above, the young man who had been hurled out of the room earlier now grinned widely, completely unscathed, as if the sea dragon Sona's attack had been utterly meaningless to him. But that wide grin instantly twisted into a sadistic sneer as he raised his hand, conjuring a radiant sphere of light above his head. The blinding brilliance forced all of Sona's peerages who tried to look at him to shield their eyes.
"I can't see..." Tomoe sighed, covering her eyes with her hands.
"Tsubaki, can you reverse it?" Tsubasa asked, her eyes tightly shut, unable to open them even a bit.
"I'm trying..." Tsubaki replied, aiming her mirror at the young man. But the light's radiance remained unchanged, only growing brighter.
Beams of light began to emerge from the sides of the glowing sphere, shining downward and causing the floor to melt like paper under a scorching laser. Unlike her peerages, Sona didn't cover her eyes; she merely narrowed them slightly behind her glasses. With a gesture, she once again commanded the sea dragon materialized from her power.
The sea dragon roared with tremendous force, unleashing a gale-force wind toward the young man, causing his light to flicker wildly. The opportunity was now wide open. With the blinding light extinguished, Sona could see clearly. She twisted her left hand sideways, commanding the sea dragon to open its jaws and attempt to devour the young man from the side.
"I think you'd be perfect to succeed Serafall Leviathan in the future. Even your Leviathan form is nearly flawless," The young man said, flapping his wings downward to evade the sea dragon's razor-sharp attack, which had nearly swallowed him whole.
"Stop your babbling! My future is none of your concern!" Sona retorted coldly, clenching her fists. Instantly, the sea dragon she controlled unleashed a torrent of water from its mouth toward the young man.
"Mhmm. Cold as ice. I suppose you're not much different from your sister." But suddenly, the young man drew the sword sheathed at his right hip, revealing its pristine white blade with jagged patterns along the sharpened edge.
Blasst!!
The sea dragon Sona controlled was struck by the young man's sword, throwing the water dragon off balance and causing it to lurch to one side. The wind howled fiercely as Sona struggled to stabilize her power, which had been disrupted by a single blow from him. She realized the vast gulf between their strengths.
One by one, the Exorcist forces began to rise to their feet. Dohnaseek appeared, flying beside the young man, causing Sona to narrow her eyes. The condition of her peerages made it impossible to continue the fight. She had already retrieved Saji, but the little girl gazed at her with teary eyes, as if pleading to be freed from this place as well.
A difficult choice. Deep down, she didn't want to leave the little girl behind, but she also couldn't risk her peerages getting hurt even worse than this, let alone losing one of them. No. Sona refused to let that happen. She slowly backed away, commanding the sea dragon to coil around her, forming a protective barrier.
She had decided to retreat, though her heart screamed that she couldn't abandon the poor child. The Exorcist forces began to advance, followed by the young man's chilling laughter, relishing the thought that Sona Sitri would soon be within his grasp.
"There's no escape, Sona Sitri... You will be mine!" The young man declared, followed by a thunderous laugh.
Sona's heart pounded at his words. Mine? Ugh... The mere thought made her want to vomit. Though her anger burned at the humiliation, she couldn't act rashly, especially after seeing Momo and Reya's dire condition. She had to get out of here.
Teppp!! Teppp!
"Hmm?"
From the entrance of the room, Sona heard approaching footsteps. She sensed no devil or fallen angel aura, only... the sound of footsteps. The young man also raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing the uninvited guest—a guy wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform identical to Saji's. The newcomer had jet-black hair that obscured his eyes, the strands shifting with each gust of wind.
One by one, Sona's peerages began to turn, their gazes fixed on the source of the approaching footsteps.
Sona, Tsubaki, Tsubasa, and Tomoe were instantly stunned, their eyes widening as they recognized the lone figure who had arrived.
Alone.
Dohnaseek was no different.
Instead of being surprised, he glared in terror, haunted by the trauma inflicted by that figure.
The figure who had reduced him to a sniveling child in the face of death.
Cold sweat began to soak his body the moment he uttered the title he had given to that figure.
The words escaped Dohnaseek's and Sona's lips simultaneously, yet their meanings...
One was filled with fear, panic, and rage...
The other with shock, disbelief, and worry...
"Angel of Death..." / "Ryuma?"
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