(...Continuing)
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[A few minutes earlier]
Right before Micael and the others teleported out of the Orc's room, Mari, Asia, Miyako, and Francisco were in the living room watching TV.
Mari was eating ice cream with her feet up on the couch, while Asia sat beside her holding a pillow.
Sitting on armchairs placed side by side were Miyako and Francisco.
The four of them were watching a Japanese game show.
"Are shows like this common in Japan?" Asia asked Mari with a curious and almost fascinated look while watching.
"Yeah, there's a bunch of these here. It's basically part of the culture." Mari answered while shoving another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"Mm." Asia hummed, eyes glued to the screen.
While they were watching TV, the mood was relaxed, peaceful—felt like just another usual Friday.
But that peaceful vibe didn't last.
Boooom!
An explosion sounded in the distance, and the rumble made the house shake slightly as they were caught off guard.
"What was that?" Asia asked, startled, dropping the pillow.
"Was that an explosion?" Raising an eyebrow, Mari sat up from the couch.
"I'll take a look." Just as Francisco stood up from the couch, the Micael Clone came down the stairs.
"No, you all stay here." He passed by them and, without waiting for a response, opened the door and walked out.
Taking a few steps forward, he stopped on the tiled ground and looked in the direction the sound had come from.
That's when he saw the second floor of a house a bit farther away going up in flames.
Micael frowned at the sight. It seemed like some sort of accident, although his paranoia immediately made him suspicious even though nothing felt particularly off.
"What happened?"
Hearing his father, he looked back and saw the four of them coming out the door.
He replied as his gaze returned to the burning house. "A house caught fire, must've been a gas leak or something." His expression stayed wary. "Anyway, let's—"
"Noooooooooo!"
A loud, agonized scream cut him off before he could finish. Turning to look, he saw people nearby running toward a woman.
She was covered in soot and staggering, being helped by those around her as she held something in her arms.
It was a baby.
Micael frowned even more. Judging by the limpness of the baby's limbs and the woman's desperate scream, the child was probably already dead.
It was a truly miserable and heartbreaking sight, but Micael just grew more suspicious. In other circumstances, he might've gone over to help, but his paranoia kept him frozen.
So he didn't move. However, the others didn't feel the same way he did.
"Micael."
Hearing Miyako, he looked at her and saw her frowning too as she stared at him. She didn't say anything else, but he understood what she wanted.
"No." He refused without hesitation.
Miyako frowned deeper at his immediate response. "Micael, we can't—"
"No." He replied calmly, looking at her.
Needless to say, his second interruption didn't please her, but she didn't scold him like she normally would for that kind of disrespect—because she understood.
But just because she understood didn't mean she liked it. "Listen, my son, just because—"
"I already said no."
Micael kept staring at her, making it clear nothing she said would change his mind.
This time, Francisco was the one who spoke. "Micael, you don't—"
"I already said no, Dad. Don't make me say it a fifth time."
Micael stared at the man, who was also frowning.
Mari, standing nearby, glanced between them, equally grim. "You're not gonna—"
But before she could finish, Asia, who had been silently watching them argue with growing anxiety, turned her eyes back toward the crying woman in the distance.
Realizing Micael wasn't going to help, Asia couldn't stay still anymore and ran toward the gate.
Micael Clone quickly grabbed her arm as she reached him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I have to help her." Asia looked almost desperate, her eyes locked on the woman far ahead.
"I get that you want to help, but don't forget your situation—this could be a trap." Micael glared at her.
Asia looked at him in distress, then turned her eyes back to the woman, her cries echoing in the background.
Asia looked back at Micael, her trembling eyes staring into his before she murmured, "I can't just stand here and watch." She then tried to pull her arm away—something she surprisingly managed.
Freed from his grip, she immediately ran toward the gate.
"Shit." The Micael Clone chased after her, frustrated that she slipped away and ignored his warning—something she could only do because he was an extremely weakened version.
The girl opened the gate quickly, her body passing through as she ran.
But fortunately, Micael managed to catch up and grabbed her arm. "Wait!"
Unfortunately, his body had already passed beyond the barrier.
Shooo! Bang!
"Kyaaah!"
"Micael!"
Falling to the ground from the force of the wind, Asia looked dazedly at the spot where Micael had been moments ago.
Alongside Francisco, Miyako, and Mari—who had screamed—they watched as white smoke and dust momentarily covered the area before dispersing.
What they saw next was a spear of light piercing the ground where Micael's clone had stood, cracks spreading across the asphalt from the force, the spear soon dissipating into particles of light.
"AHAHAHAHA! I knew it! You're one stupid little bitch!"
The shrill and all-too-familiar laughter echoed around them, and Asia and the others looked up—only to see Freed being carried by Dohnaseek, along with Raynare and two other female fallen angels.
"M-Mr. Freed… Miss Raynare..." Asia stuttered, still shaken from her spot on the ground.
Freed grinned even wider while Raynare just stared at her coldly.
The four soon landed on the ground, with Freed continuing to talk. "I always thought you were kinda dumb, but to think you were this stupid, tsk tsk. At least it works in our favor. Get up. You're coming with us now." He said as he stepped closer and reached out his hand once he stopped in front of her.
Asia just stared at him, not reacting, still processing the sudden shift in events.
Seeing her lack of response, Freed grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
"Agh." Asia let out a small cry from the tight grip on her arm.
But Freed only tightened his hold as he leaned closer to her face. She flinched back, but he ignored it, whispering near her ear. "This time, there's no white knight to save you." He smiled maniacally, clearly enjoying her discomfort and fear.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...
But the sound of several gunshots distracted him.
Looking to the side, he saw Raynare nearby blocking the bullets with a spinning light spear.
With a stoic look, Francisco held a pistol and fired several times, only stopping when the empty click of the magazine echoed.
Freed raised an eyebrow at that. Unexpected.
Then, just after Francisco ran out of bullets, Mari came running from the doorway, stopping at the edge of the barrier and throwing something.
Raynare caught it between her fingers—it was a kitchen knife.
"Get away from her, you ugly son of a bitch!" Mari shouted, a scowl on her face.
Freed looked at her silently before smiling. "Ara ara, looks like that bastard's family is really tight-knit, huh~? I wonder how he'd react if something happened to you guys, hehe~"
"Freed, we don't have time for this."
But he was cut off as Raynare spoke, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
Freed scowled in annoyance, then gave a light smirk. "Fine, before we go, let's give 'em a little farewell gift." He then grabbed Asia's chin and turned her head toward the people who had gone to the burning house.
That act made Asia go pale. Mari, who had furrowed her brow even more, thinking he was going to assault her, also paled. Miyako tensed, while Francisco frowned.
Then, as if it were the signal, Dohnaseek, Raynare, and the other two unknown fallen angels formed spears of light in their hands.
From Asia's perspective, the group of people stood frozen, their eyes blank like they were hypnotized—and then a sonic boom exploded.
Chunks of flesh and blood sprayed out like rain, painting the ground and nearby houses red as everyone was blown apart by the light spears that also destroyed more houses, killing even more people.
Asia only had time to widen her eyes. It was so fast she couldn't even look away—her skin going pale as the horror of the scene hit her like a punch to the chest.
"Gyahahahahahah~!" Freed laughed like he'd just seen the funniest thing in the world.
"Oh my god…" Completely in shock, Miyako went pale and covered her mouth. Francisco beside her kept his tense frown, not looking away.
Mari, just as pale, looked on as shocked as her mother, covering her mouth as nausea rose in her throat.
The strong, metallic stench of blood reached them, and Freed simply smiled in satisfaction.
"Freed."
Called again, he snapped out of his daze. "Alright, alright, let's go." Letting himself be carried by Dohnaseek, he gripped Asia by the arm as they rose into the sky, the girl not resisting, her teary eyes fixed on the carnage below.
Realizing they were leaving, Mari snapped out of her state of disgust and horror. "Don't think you bastards are getting away! My brother's gonna find you and kill every last one of you!" she shouted, fists clenched, her voice full of fury.
Pausing mid-ascent, Raynare turned slightly to her, her eyes calmly meeting Mari's. "Don't worry. We'll be waiting for your brother."
As they resumed their ascent, Freed chimed in before disappearing. "It was a pleasure meeting you! Wish I had more time to rape you two and leave you as a little gift for that bastard—but oh well, maybe next time~! Hahaha!" He smiled wickedly as he looked at Mari and Miyako.
While Miyako frowned in disgust and Francisco stared at Freed with a blank look, Mari flipped him off and shouted, "Try saying that in front of my brother, you tiny-dick motherfucker!"
Still fuming with rage, Freed and the others finally flew off, disappearing quickly into the distance.
And just after they left—literally thirty seconds later—a sonic boom sounded in the distance, and Grayfia appeared in front of the house, her eyes scanning them for injuries.
Seeing none of them were hurt and the barrier still intact, she then looked to the side where blood and body parts were scattered, her mind already racing to piece together what had happened.
She landed on the ground, staying silent while guarding the family.
Seeing Grayfia and recognizing her, Mari asked anxiously, "Hey, where's Micael?"
Turning her gaze to her, Grayfia answered calmly, hands clasped in front of her. "He's already on his way."
And true to her words, almost a minute later, another sonic boom was heard—but unlike Grayfia's arrival, Micael's entrance was anything but smooth.
His body shot in like lightning, shattering windows and cracking asphalt until he came to an abrupt stop in front of his house, his bare feet punching holes in the ground from the force, sending out a powerful gust of wind.
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(Continue...)