This boy…this demon stretched out his hand like the grim reaper—his hand was aiming…it was aiming for his eye!
"MMMGH! MM! MM!"
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|DxD|
.
The Black Power mansion was well-known amongst the locals. What was first known as a foreign magnate's estate was slowly revealed over the decades to be the central headquarters of the Black Power gang.
Rumours of screams coming from there at night had circulated throughout the town, making this fortress a forbidden area at night. If the law couldn't touch it, what makes them think they could?
What no one would ever deign to think was in just one day—no, in less than an hour, this urban legend would become a sea of blood. This gang that had existed for over thirty years met its end at the hands of two boys who were just passing by.
If the upper-echelon of this powerful gang knew the entire reason for the absolute decimation was because of their greedy subordinates, they would faint from anger. It was unfortunate most of them already lost their lives and one was already being tortured to death.
The elderly man experienced a swift fall from luxury to a life worse than death. There was no time to run, no time to call for reinforcements, and no time to plan or negotiate. His tongue, the greatest weapon that served him during these decades was ripped out of him. No matter how much he cried, he lost his greatest asset in negotiating his release.
Money did not sway them. There was no hesitation when his torturer shoved that burning rod through his arms. Those cursed words when he was promised days of suffering still haunted him to this very moment.
Now…the cause for all of this approached him with nary a single sign of wavering or hesitation. Morality did not cloud those demonic eyes. The way that demon extended his fingers suggested he had plans for something far, far worse.
"Mmm?!?! MMMMMM!!!!"
When the elderly man realised Igor's intentions, he cried out into his gag. He desperately tried to shake his head, but a second set of fingers clamped on the sides of his temple.
A side glance revealed who was responsible. It was his torturer glaring at him with glowing green eyes like a dragon. His breaths grew rapid and his inhales, sharper. Fresh streams of sweat poured out and his tired heart beat faster. Two monsters of considerable power held him within their grasp…and there was nothing he could do.
"Are you taking his eye?"
His torturer questioned.
"Yes. He doesn't need it."
The demon answered as if they weren't talking about ripping out his vital organ. Igor's fingers were close to his eye and with every blink, they grew closer.
His eyelashes scraped against the tips of his fingers. It triggered an involuntary response in his body to blink rapidly and clear the obstruction. His hands instinctively tried to move, but the iron rod secured him to the pole.
"MMMMGH!"
It was almost like this demon was drawing it out on purpose, to feed off his suffering. The elderly man pleaded to every god he knew this would stop, but it didn't. Three fingers went around his eye socket. He squeezed his eye shut in resistance—as if he could compare to Igor in strength.
The fingers moved forward like a hydraulic press—slow and unstoppable. They made it behind his socket, forcing his eye to open. One squeeze, and his eye popped out its socket. A second squeeze, and a stinging sensation assaulted him. A third squeeze…
"MMMMMMNNNNNNNNGHHHHH!!!!!!"
*SQUELCH!*
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|DxD|
.
"Pull it out slowly, brother."
Atid continued to hold the man's head in place while Igor ripped out his eye. Splurts of blood accompanied the gory action and dirtied Igor's fingers until his nails were dyed red. When Igor withdrew his hand, a red thread was pulled out along with the eyeball.
"That's the optic nerve. You need to pull it out gently."
The man's eye was a gaping mess of blood and nerve fluid. Blood vessels pumped out blood while the optic nerve stubbornly clung on. Igor gently pulled his hand back and Atid delighted at the extent of pain the man felt.
"Yes! Feel it!"
The man had already passed out three times from the pain. This would be the fourth time. The greater his pain, the greater his resentment, and the higher the chances of him becoming a malicious spirit. A resentful soul would make a precious ingredient for alchemy-smithing.
"MMMMNGHHHHH!!!!"
Atid kept him conscious through carefully controlled doses of electricity. When Igor pulled, the optic nerve started tearing off from the inside. The amount of pain the elderly male must be going through must be unimaginable, but compared to raping children to death, this was still too little.
[If we had not arrived, that little girl would've suffered the same fate too by today's end, partner.]
[Exactly!]
To make children suck his…thing…
"No no no no no no no no."
Atid almost cooed at the man. A gentle application of electricity woke him and the first thing that greeted the old man's singular eye…was a sadistic smile taking delight in his pain.
"You can't fall asleep, sir. You can't fall asleep when we're just getting started. Do it, brother."
*Rip!*
"MMMMMMMMMNNNNNNGGGHHHHH!!!!"
The optic nerve snapped in the middle, leaving a messy red thread that flopped right by his nose.
"Ohhhh. You applied too much strength, Igor. Let me get that."
Atid grabbed the nerve and finished the job by ripping it out from base. It wasn't surprising when the man screamed once more. Atid smiled to himself at the quality of his gag.
[I believe you are the third host I've had who has such special hobbies.]
[Hobby or not, consider this my vain desire to end the life of a basta—]
Atid's thoughts were cut off when the man suddenly vomited and defecated himself at the same time. Dribbles of undigested food trailed to the floor and Atid reflexively stepped back. He'd taken great care to not dirty any piece of his expensive clothing.
He wondered why the man started vomiting until he remembered Igor was reading the man's memories. A flash of flames on his hand burnt away the blood and the optic nerve before he adjusted the cuffs of his sleeve.
"Don't kill him, brother. I need him conscious and cognisant."
"..."
Igor's eyes remained closed, yet his brows furrowed deeper and deeper with each passing second. He restrained his desire to crush the man's head to oblivion. The disgusting sights he saw made him wish he took his time torturing the inhabitants of this mansion.
The regret tore through him like a tsunami. When children screamed in pain when this man raped them, guards would jokingly ask for turns while maids would turn a blind eye even when it happened in front of them. Every single one of those bastards should've been flayed alive, not mercifully granted a swift death.
"Damnit…"
He grit his teeth and focused on his goal. He needed to find the people who dared do this to Jeanne, who dared traffic children to the depraved members of society. It was like an obsession for him now. He couldn't faithfully return to his training unless he eliminated all of these scum.
Atid stood to the side, fully aware of what Igor was doing. As he gazed at the dying man, part of himself wondered if he was involving himself too much, but…when his mind flashed to the sight he saw in the office, to the abused little girl used as a toy for sexual relief…
*Grits Teeth!*
…he had more than half-a-mind to saw this man's genitals off and feed them to him. He wanted to gouge out his remaining eye and make him swallow it. He wanted to--
"I never expected humanity could fall to such depravity."
Atid's inner thoughts were interrupted by Igor's words. He raised his head to see his friend in an eerily calm state. It was a complete contrast from his earlier snarl.
"I thought I'd seen it all. To think I was this blind to the true nature of people."
Igor withdrew his hand from the man's cheek. It took every fibre of his being to not tear it off. The blonde did not truly consider himself to be a century-old man. Nearly nine decades of his life have been spent inside the time chamber. Such isolation could not contribute much to life experience.
But he truly, truly did not expect there'd be an entire organisation solely dedicated to trafficking children and selling them to those with debased desires and ritual purposes. This man, one whom he didn't want to know the name of was a mere executive of the Black Power.
This seemingly small gang had ties with much larger organizations and there was a whole trade that stank of supernatural involvement.
"Atid. Please flay this man alive. Someone like him who bathed in the blood of children must not leave this world with a complete corpse."
Boys and girls with less-than promising aspects were sacrificed for rituals. Cripples of all kinds, sufferers of various syndromes—all would be used in various rituals. The rest would be sold. To know something like this exists made Igor wonder if people truly had no bottom-lines.
"I'll go and heal that girl."
Igor was about to vanish, but not before giving the man one last look. Red eyes pierced into his soul and with a force of power, he seared the name of this seemingly lowly slave into his mind.
{Her name is Jeanne. Remember that as you slowly die.}
.
|DxD|
.
Nearly an hour had passed since Igor and Atid scouted this mansion. Dogs previously paraded by guards as deterrents now feasted on the corpse of their former masters without reservation. Crows, vultures, and other carnivorous creatures flooded the estate and gorged themselves on the flesh of the fallen.
What every creature did have as an instinctive concession however, was to never approach the central building with the balcony on it. The appetizing smell of fresh corpses inside the mansion attracted more than a few sniffs, but the dangerous aura coming from the top prevented even the most daring of scavengers to enter.
It was for the best. The producers of such powerful auras were not in the greatest of moods, especially Igor. When he appeared in the office, he deliberately didn't show himself to the girl. He watched her with a complicated gaze, fully aware of what might've happened if he never came. It was fortunate he arrived before the man went too far. He didn't have the chance to defile her mouth with his…
*Fists clench!*
Once more, Igor had to prevent himself from turning back and killing him on the spot. Atid was a professional and he'd make sure this man would die a slow and painful death. What he couldn't fathom was how this little girl stayed sane…or was she perhaps broken already?
He couldn't bring himself to read all of her memories. He did not have the self-control to not explode with killing intent. All he saw were handcuffs and the faces of people he wanted to find by the end of this week.
This whole trafficking ring—he'd make sure to dismantle it in its entirety. One day wouldn't be enough to eliminate it, but it certainly would be enough to find some leads.
"Jeanne."
"?"
The little girl perked up and turned around to face Igor. The blonde could see she responded not to her name, but to his voice. Her eyes were no different from a person watching paint dry. It made Igor wonder if her mental faculties were still there, but a brief sense of her body told him her brain activity was in normal ranges.
"Jeanne. Your name is Jeanne."
He walked over and crouched down so he could be face-to-face with her.
"I'll take you to someone who can take care of you."
"..."
*Grab*
Jeanne said nothing but grabbed onto his coat with her tiny hand. Her eyes never once deviated from his, but her meaning was clear without needing to say anything.
Sigh…
Igor's head fell in thought. Perhaps he was getting a bit too sentimental, but he couldn't muster the will to tear this child's hand from his coat. Those cold blue eyes had imprinted on him and without intending it, he was now responsible for her.
"Jeanne…"
He ruffled her hair a bit, yet her grip on his coat never loosened. Her eyes never left his and for a moment, he wondered. Did he see a bit of himself in her?
"..."
No. To compare himself to her would be barbarous. He'd seen enough from that scum's memories to know her life was hell for these past few years, far worse than his. He dared not try and draw parallels for while he was alone, his life was rarely in anyone else's hands.
"I've already involved myself this far. The least I could do is see it all to the end."
He already had a few faces in his mind that needed to be separated from their necks, especially the leader of the Black Power.
"Jeanne. I'll take you on a little trip. If you see anyone you don't like, point at them and I'll kill them."
.
|DxD|
.
Rating Games Arena, Underworld
.
The Underworld was shaking with the roars of the crowd—both from rage and awe. Fans gripped their seats until their knuckles went white. The fight between Rias's and Riser's peerage was panning out to be the talk of the year.
The battle was going extremely well for Rias. What they expected to be her loss was turning into her sheer overwhelming victory because of one wildcard—Asia Argento. Her power far eclipsed all estimations. This little blonde with the cutest smile imaginable was a machine on the battlefield, and Rias certainly would agree.
Asia was like a tank. The little blonde she signed as her contracted help raised up a storm the moment the games started.
Rias didn't have to do anything. To be accurate, she couldn't do anything. Asia ignored the battle plan and charged towards Riser's base head-on and swiftly gained the upper-hand. Her powerful punches were instant one-shot knockouts that eliminated Riser's peerage like flies.
The instant she saw Asia's power, Rias knew neither herself nor her peerage could hope to fight alongside Asia. The little blonde machine was too fast. The best she and her peerage could do was not be deadweight.
Kiba was assigned to protect her and Gasper while Asia wrought havoc upon her foes. Besides missing two pawns and a bishop, Riser had filled all the other peerage positions, yet none of his servants could stop Asia in her tracks.
His queen's bomb magic could do nothing to this sturdy tank nor could his fire. His two rooks were already eliminated from trying to fight her in close combat along with all of his pawns. Now all that remained were two knights to take flank and use their speed to—
BOOOOM!
.
.
.
Silence…
In this vast expanse of land with no structure, Asia crossed what must've been three-hundred-metres at the very least in an instant. Riser's knight had absolutely no chance to dodge. It was fortunate that before her chest could cave in, the arena's mechanism kicked in and teleported her out before she was grievously injured by Asia's punch.
What couldn't be teleported away was the ground which now hosted a crater the size of a room. In it, a torn piece of fabric remained alongside a nervous little blonde.
"Hihihi~. I didn't think she'd be that slow, you know? I thought being a knight meant she'd be fast so I sped up to match her~!"
She scratched the back of her head with a light smile.
"{Riser Phenex's knight, Karlamine, has been retired.}"
Grayfia Lucifuge's voice sounded across the arena. Asia had just punched one of Riser's knights into oblivion, sending her to the recovery word. It had happened far faster than anyone expected.
"Still, this is fun~!"
The few people who bet on Rias's victory were beyond the woman. This little lass was a one-man army capable of eliminating the majority of Riser's peerage without a single scratch. As expected of Dimori's younger sister.
[She's a damned monster…]
Fists clenched as Riser for the first time in his life, was at odds on what to do. Their arena was a battlefield with two castles on opposite sides. It was Rias who put in this seemingly strange request, but he knew now it was this girl who wanted a nice open area…to hunt.
"I'm going to punch you~!"
"Damnit…"
Her words were spoken with such childish innocence that Riser would've found it cute, if it weren't HIS servants being punched!
"Yubelluna!"
"On it!"
His purple-haired queen unfurled her wings and rose into the skies. Asia was too fast and any attempts to bypass and her reach Rias were met with swift eliminations. Riser couldn't understand. Both of them were high-class, but why was he so terribly outmatched?
FUUSH!
There was no time to dwell on that. Wings of fire burst to life around him, allowing him to soar further into the air. His only bishop, Mihae, and his last knight, Mirana, remained on the ground to coordinate a four-pronged assault.
With all the flashy moves Asia used to take out his pawns, a human like her must be low on energy by now.
"Begin!"
Vwong! Vwong!
"Ah?"
Asia sensed the large amount of energy from the magic circles Riser and his queen were releasing. Simultaneously, she was aware of his knight approaching her while the bishop circled around her.
This was a well-coordinated move designed to restrain her, but she wasn't scared. She raised her foot…and slammed it down.
"Hhup!"
BOOOOOOOM!
The ground shook as cracks spread all over. The deep booming sound from Asia's stomp caused the whole area to shake and wobble, even disrupting the foundations of the castles behind them.
Riser and Yubelluna were almost interrupted by the sudden shaking, but with his knight and bishop now immobilized, he couldn't risk them being eliminated.
"Do it now, Yubelluna!"
"Yes!"
Riser released consecutive fireballs designed to restrain Asia to one spot while Yubelluna prepared to unleash her strongest magic.
"It won't be that easy!"
Down on the ground, Asia had an eager grin as she crouched down and dug her fingers into the hardened earth.
*Crack!*
"Hhoppa!"
A monstrously huge slab of earth was lifted by her tiny form like a ramp. Its thickness alone was comparable to a woman who could make a scale give an error message.
Its height was no taller than an average door, but the width was longer than a house. A massive slab that could easily weigh dozens of tons was treated like a shield against Riser's attacks.
"Damnit!"
The third son of the Phenex was on the verge of panicking. Never in his entire life did he encounter such an unbelievable scene. It truly put into perspective how weak he was…to even be bested by a human.
"RIAS GREMORY! ARE YOU TRULY INCAPABLE OF FIGHTING BY YOURSELF?! DO YOU HAVE TO RELY ON A HU—"
Tswii!
"[Rising Sun Fist!]"
Gu!
.
.
.
Silence…
A fist was firmly planted into his stomach. It was over.
Ka…DRUUUUUU!
Asia tore a whole through Riser's abdomen with a powerful blast of energy. The blast wave penetrated through him like sword pillar, creating a long corona of mana behind him. His wings disappeared and his eyes dilated.
"Ah…ah…"
He slumped over Asia's shoulder like a ragdoll. She cut off the power supply and removed her fist from Riser's abdomen, letting the man fall towards the ground like a lump of clay. No matter how good the Phenex regeneration was, it meant nothing if he couldn't access his demonic power.
"..."
Yubelluna could do nothing but watch in complete shock. Her King had healed even after losing half of his head, yet he couldn't heal from a mere hole in his stomach. It made her recall the words Riser muttered multiple times throughout the fight—no, the massacre.
"Monster…"
Riser didn't even reach the ground before a light covered him.
"{Riser Phenex, the King, has been retired. The match is over. Rias Gremory's team is victorious.}"
"..."
Yubelluna was rendered silent. One single human girl defeated their entire peerage. Her king was defeated in front of her. Such a sight…was she a failure?
"That was fun~! Let's fight again sometime, okay?"
"..."
Yubelluna had no response to Asia's enthusiastic request. This girl, after fighting them, was still brimming with vitality and looked like she could go another round. From the beginning, it was…hopeless.
.
|DxD|
.
The rating game was over. With Riser's defeat, everyone was teleported back. Spectators were in shock. Those who bet on Riser's victory were on the verge of rioting. Rias Gremory should not have won. It was supposed to be something impossible. But what made it possible was Asia Argento, the precious little sister of one Igor von Dimori.
Born in 1992, she was only eleven years old yet she could already take out Riser's entire peerage single-handedly. She was no anomaly like her older brother. Her birth was traceable to anyone with the right connections. From birth until now, she was a normal human with no special ancestry aside from a healing Sacred Gear.
Who knew a human could demolish the son of a noble clan? No one did. No one expected it to happen, not from someone this young! The Phenex wore stony faces at Riser's defeat, especially the clan head. His son's defeat would draw mockery and put into question the strength of their clan.
Yet no matter the repercussions, no one would dare take them out on Asia. No one would dare to scorn that person's little sister. Titles and politics mattered naught to him. Certain families missing their clan heads could testify to that.
Luzan Phenex, the father of Riser Phenex had no thoughts of pursuing Asia's presence in the rating game. Not only would it serve no purpose other than to smear the Phenex name, it'd make them enemies of someone who wouldn't care for their clan's significance before wiping them out.
.
|DxD|
.
Shuri was satisfied with the reactions of the Phenex. The handle on her blade relaxed when it was clear they wouldn't act. She leaned back on her seat, silently impressed with how comfortable they are. Devils really knew how to offer luxury.
Speaking of devils, she spotted Sirzechs coming towards her. Shuri slowly put down her glass and stood up to meet his handshake.
"Asia's strength truly surprised me, Shuri-san, especially at such a young age."
"It's only because she's fervent with her training, Sirzechs-san."
"Indeed it is so. Perhaps this display will finally motivate my sister to begin training as well."
"Fufufu~. Let's hope so—"
"Mother!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a very frantic Akeno. Her daughter had an expression of wild panic on her face, her eyes wide from worry.
"Mother! We can't find Asia!"
"..."
A pit the size of a watermelon formed in her stomach. Shuri narrowed her eyes and spread her senses outwards and indeed, there was no sign of Asia. Her eyes darkened as a horrifying realisation seeped in.
"Sirzechs."
"I know."
The situation was serious and Sirzechs knew it. He flared his energy and four subordinates in golden armour instantly flashed towards him.
"Activate the barrier. Make sure no one leaves the Underworld."
The guards vanished like the wind, leaving Sirzechs in thought. Asia's disappearance was completely unexpected. If this wasn't some prank the lass pulled, then the consequences would be extremely dire.
"Shuri-san. Please contact Aurelia. We'll need her help if we want to find Asia as soon as possible."
.
|DxD|
.
Remote Desert, Australia
.
Sand expanded as far as the eye could see. Mountain dunes filled the view without a single shred of greenery. This region had not a single lick of modern engineering, no sign of human presence, atleast…on the surface.
Tswii!
Igor appeared in this particularly uninteresting region. His hand was on Jeanne's shoulder, his aura protecting her from the Sun's harsh gaze. His attempt at teleportation had revealed to him a mystery within this girl's body.
Her soul…it was stronger than normal. Not only that, but he sensed something deep within her, something dormant and confined. The duration of the Instant Transmission was short, not nearly enough time to carefully analyse what exactly he sensed within this girl.
What he did know clearly however was the abnormal strength of her soul was the result of reincarnation and although brief, he was aware this seemingly ordinary girl contained a soul-bound tool within her…a sacred gear.
It was a surprising discovery and one that increased his suspicion of other races involved in this trafficking ring. The way her sacred gear was suppressed was too abnormal to be natural.
"Jeanne. After this, I'll send you to an old man I know. He'll take care of you."
He gave her shoulder a comforting rub. He didn't know if she could feel his sentiments, but he held some hint of admiration for such a young girl who could endure.
"In the meantime, I want you to see with your very eyes how I end those who engage in such depravity."
His eyes peered down below. He could 'see' a large network of tunnels situating almost a hundred metres deep below the surface. Hundreds of energy signatures were down there, though they were mostly dampened by the presence of barrier wards.
Anyone below Ultimate-Class would be hard-pressed to find it unless they were sensors. Today was unfortunate for them.
"Hmph."
He raised his leg and with pure physical strength, smashed down.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
An ear-piercing explosion of absolute destruction rang out. Sand rose into the sky in a massive spiraling mess of chaos. The impact alone was so large that not only did the earthquake directly crush the tunnels underneath, but the entire zone was visible from even the cheapest satellite.
It was estimated hundreds of alarms would be blaring, but that wasn't his concern. Jeanne, protected by his aura, briefly widened her eyes at the destruction before falling to complete neutrality once more. Her grip on his coat however, did not weaken for even the slightest moment.
"Come."
He slowly flew down the crater, carefully 'watching' the people scatter below. The wards protected their 'sanctuary' from collapsing in one go, but most of the tunnels, especially the one directly below him had completely collapsed.
He landed just a few measly metres above the tunnels. Unlike the detection magic, the magic barrier protecting this entire place was enough to deter High-Ultimate Class combatants. For such a remote location, whoever developed it was exceedingly cautious.
Regretfully, he never had the intention to end their lives so easily from the beginning.
"Humph."
BOOOOOOM!
.
AN
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Sorry for missing the scheduled upload time. I was finished with the chapter, but wasn't satisfied with its quality. By then, it was already too late at night and I was tired from work. Couldn't upload it when I could barely keep my eyes open.
I did check for grammar and corrected some I missed last night, but I might've missed a few still. If you see any, please notify me in the comments or review section for Fanfiction.net.
Chapter 9 is still coming tomorrow so there's no change. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and until tomorrow.