It seems like the Occult Research Club's game will be a fiery one, considering how much they trained for baseball. Well, I have a good feeling about it.
Meanwhile, with Issei Hyoudou: I have a bad feeling.
While I watched the game from afar, I got curious about the name. I didn't understand what Sona meant by Shitori style. Rias, I get it, she's an otaku after all, but Sona was a surprise. Maybe it's time for me to use those crystals.
[Scene Change]
In the bathroom, Haru is seen vomiting heavily into the toilet.
Damn… "cough" I shouldn't have… "cough" … used those crystals… "cough" … "cough… cough… coooofff, damn."
After three hours of vomiting everything in his guts and a good cold shower, Haru left the bathroom.
"You should stop drinking alcohol, Haru," Sona warned.
"That's what calms me down; I'll never stop drinking. Besides, I'm pretty resistant to alcohol," Haru said.
"It'll still kill you," Tsubaki said.
"Doesn't matter, I've been dead since the moment my mother abandoned me," Haru said, lying down on the bed.
"I'm sorry," Tsubaki apologized.
"Haru," Rias was hesitant about whether to ask, but she decided to. "Could you talk about your childhood?"
"Don't remind me of that," Haru said in a different tone, shedding a tear from his eye as he fell asleep. The three girls felt a chill down their spines hearing Haru sound so cold.
"It seems like his mother is horrible," Sona said, looking sadly at Haru.
"He said she abandoned him. I wonder what his life was like after she left him," Rias said curiously.
"Tsubaki," Sona said, seeing Tsubaki lying on top of Haru.
"It's better not to touch that subject; it's too sensitive for him. I don't want to see him suffer," Tsubaki said, caressing Haru's face.
"You're right," Sona said, lying on his left side.
"Everyone has something they don't want to remember," Rias said, lying on his right side.
"Good night, Haru," the three said at the same time.
[Flashback]
"That boy."
"Yes, it's him."
"The devil's spawn."
"What's this demon doing here? GET OUT OF HERE, DEMON!" a nun shouted, throwing a stone at the boy—no, it wasn't a stone, it was a large piece of brick.
The boy appeared to be 9 years old, with a larger body than other boys his age. He didn't seem skinny; in fact, you could see some formed muscles. The boy's eyes were black as eternal darkness, his hair black with some red strands, curly and reaching the nape of his neck, but if you ran your hand through it, you'd notice it was quite smooth. He wore dark shorts, a white shirt, and a black cape. This was Wellington, currently known as Haru Kurokami, about 11 to 12 years before his death.
"Hey, bitch," Wellington said, slowly standing up after the brick hit his head. Picking up the brick from the ground, he said, "Next time," then threw the brick with a strength a child shouldn't have, "I'll kill you," he said as the nun fell, screaming in pain with a broken nose.
The people nearby didn't help the nun. That's society for you. No matter how much they talk about equal rights, people don't help anyone out of their own will. They only help to feel good about themselves or to rub it in someone's face, or even the person they helped.
This life is shit. I still don't understand the meaning of life or the love of God these idiots talk about. All I see is a bunch of blind, hypocritical, and arrogant people.
My life was shit from the moment I was born. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I remember things I saw when I was just a few months old. I didn't know why I had such a good memory since birth. When I was two months old, apparently, my father, who I have no memories of, dug a two-meter-deep grave to bury me alive. My mother took me away before that happened and left. I learned to speak at four months old, started crawling at five months, and by six months, I was walking and talking without issues. I even climbed tall things.
At nine months old, my mother abandoned me in front of a police station. From there, I was sent to an orphanage.
The bitches there kept the other kids away from me. They said I was the devil's spawn, the Antichrist. I didn't understand what that meant until I was five, when they drugged me and left me in another city by the roadside.
I went hungry, thirsty, suffered in 40-degree heat all day, and the nights were freezing too. But over time, the heat didn't bother me anymore, nor did the cold of the night.
It was also around that time that I drank my first beer. It was past midnight, and I was dying of thirst when I fell near a brown bottle. I saw liquid inside, grabbed it, and chugged it all down my throat. Honestly, the taste was better than the food they gave me at the orphanage. My food was different from the other kids'. Later, I found out it was all expired or rotten.
"Look at the devil!" a child shouted, seeing Wellington pass by. The other kids followed suit.
Names like that, I was already used to. I didn't know what they meant until I slept near a church where they were talking. Since that day, I've hated the existence called God. After all, it's all His fault that people like me suffer.
I've been called so many names that I feel like I'm world-famous.
After hours of walking, Wellington arrived at an abandoned place.
"There's the devil's spawn," a 14-year-old boy said. This boy was big, heavy, around 100 kilos.
"How's the vibe, Mad Dog?" Wellington said to the 14-year-old kid.
"Nothing much. By the way, the Angel of Death wants to talk to you," Mad Dog said.
"I see. Looks like we'll have some fun tonight," Wellington said, entering the place.
Arriving at a dark-skinned boy with smooth black hair and dark brown eyes, Wellington said, "What did you want to talk about, Angel of Death?"
"It's about this new girl I brought," the Angel of Death showed a girl with white hair and blue eyes, apparently 10 years old.
"What happened to her?" Wellington asked, having an idea.
"A priest tried to rape her. Me, the Angel of Life, and the others saved her before anything happened," the Angel of Death said.
"I see. Let's teach that trash a lesson," Wellington asked.
"Yeah, tonight after the church service, we'll show him how a woman feels," the Angel of Death replied.
"Hahaha, I'm sure Mad Dog will love wrecking that priest," Wellington said.
"He's not called Mad Dog for nothing, after all," the Angel of Death said.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab a beer and sleep," Wellington said.
"Be careful, Wellington. You'll die from beer one of these days," the Angel of Death said.
"When that day comes, William, I'll punch my father's face in hell," Wellington said.
"And if you go to heaven?" the Angel of Death, known as William, asked.
"I'll fuck God's ass," Wellington replied, heading somewhere.
"Take care, friend," William said, leaving to gather those who didn't like priests and those who hated rapists.
William, I still remember the day I met him. He was in the same situation as that girl. After I helped him, he and his two younger brothers joined us. Their parents abandoned them in the city during a trip, saying they'd be right back. They waited three days at the airport for their bastard parents.
Mad Dog was with me when I saved him from that shitty rapist. Well, the rapist got an incredible lesson on how his victims felt. There's no one here who hates rapists more than Mad Dog.
Mad Dog, he ran away from home after killing his father, who raped him day after day. I met him when I was in a tough fight—three older guys, I was six years old. He ended up helping me out. We gathered a lot of street kids in this abandoned place.
There are a lot of us here, each with their nickname, but there are those like me who didn't abandon their names. I won't abandon my name; it's a reminder of my bitch of a mother.
Wellington then fell asleep.
Later, at 10 p.m., everyone was gathering outside to head to the priest's house.
"Here, eat," Wellington said, handing food to the white-haired girl. "No need to be afraid; no one here will hurt you." The girl took the food and started eating.
It must be tough for her. I don't blame her; many here are still traumatized by things that happened in the past.
"Hey, Angel of Life, where's your brother?" Wellington asked, approaching a white boy with brown hair slicked back.
"He's with Vamp," he replied.
"Thanks," Wellington said, leaving.
Vamp, the vampire, was also abandoned at an orphanage. The orphanage kicked him out when he turned seven. He's the oldest here, currently 17. I'm the only one who gets into fights with him.
But I don't like him, definitely. No matter how much he says he's my friend and all, I still don't like liars. The biggest problem is he contradicts himself a lot; it gets irritating.
"Death, Vamp, it's time to go. There's one hour until he gets home. Let's invade and wait inside," Wellington said, catching their attention. Vamp is tall, white, with brown eyes and black hair.
"Let's go then. I want to get this over with," Vamp said.
Forty minutes after arriving at the priest's house and breaking in by climbing the wall, everyone was inside.
"Don't forget to grab that bastard priest's food," Vamp said. "What are you two doing?" Vamp asked, looking at Wellington and William on the computer.
"Watching Naruto," William said.
"Make room for one more," Vamp said.
They watched the entire episode.
"Naruto seems gay chasing Sasuke like that," Wellington said.
"And Sasuke's a fag pretending to be an avenger," William said.
"Looks like he's here. It's time, get ready," Vamp said.
What happened next was a beating. The priest got thrashed with pieces of wood, metal, and you know that horse-shaped thing we found in his house. After the beating, it was Mad Dog's turn. He went there, pulled down the priest's pants, and got ready. But what we saw was horrific—the priest's ass was already wrecked; from the hole, it looked like a horse had raped him.
"Let's go. Don't forget his food, take everything," Vamp said.
"Damn, I wanted to teach that priest a lesson, but it seems someone got there first," Mad Dog said.
"Not someone, a horse," Wellington said, looking at the priest's ass.
Three months after that happened, the girl got very close to me during that time. She wouldn't leave my side; she always said she'd stay by me. A lot of time passed, a year. The girl confessed to me, saying she loved me. I accepted her, and we lost our virginity at 12 years old. But when I was 14, it happened. It was an attack by a gang. We had beaten up the leader's brother, a certified pedophile. I woke up with her by my side; unbelievably, she slept more than I did. After I woke her up, we left the place. We were hearing gunshots everywhere, screams, and more screams from kids—not just kids, but babies too, who lived there being cared for by their siblings.
When I ran into a hallway, one of them was there. He pointed a gun at me. She jumped, pushing me out of the way, taking the bullet in my place. At that moment, it was like time stopped. I don't know what happened to me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. I ran straight at the bastard. He had no more ammo in his gun. All I did was jump on him when I got close, and with the knife in hand, I slit his throat.
Blood, I was covered in blood as I cut every piece of him.
[Flashback End]
Opening his blue eyes, Haru sees the ceiling. Looking around, he finds nothing except a blue screen in front of him. Rias, Sona, and Tsubaki were already preparing breakfast.
"That dream again. When will I forget her, Yui?"
Yui, that name, was the nickname she chose. I guess we were too addicted to anime.
"I never thanked Mad Dog for getting me out of there. I had already killed more than ten of them; I was covered in blood," Haru said to himself, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
I took twenty shots and didn't die; none were fatal. They were calling me a demon while I killed them.
The two holy sword wielders are about to arrive. It was yesterday that Rias beat up Kiba after hunting a stray devil right after the club tournament.
Taking a shower and getting ready to go have breakfast, Haru remembered that moment.
[Flashback]
"I lost my brothers, Wellington. My little brother, I was arranging a school for him to have a better life, but now they're both gone," William said, shedding tears.
"A lot of people died today. Vamp, he ran off alone when it all started," Mad Dog said.
"Jefferson's nothing but a lying coward. When things get serious, he always hides," Wellington said.
"He's just a piece of shit," William said.
"Hey, William, I'm going to kill them, all of them, one by one. Will you help me?" Wellington asked.
"Of course, partner, there's no forgiveness for them," William replied.
"And you, Bruno, you in?" Wellington asked Mad Dog.
"Hell yeah, I'll teach that leader's ass a lesson," Bruno, known as Mad Dog, said.
"If we survive, we'll get the hell out of this cursed city and follow your little brother's dream, William. We'll find a place and study to get out of this shitty life."
"Alright," the two said.
When the three of us went to take them down, Bruno died saving me again. I never thanked him for the first time he saved me. I remember in the end, the leader's son escaped the massacre we carried out. The one who escaped was the same one who ran me over with a truck six years later.
[Flashback End]
Looks like they're here. Observation Haki is really useful; I can feel the holy energy at Issei's house.
But Issei's concern for Kiba is weird. He was really worried last night when Kiba left.
I still feel my stomach churning. I really shouldn't have used those blood crystals.
Since I got the Thunder God Slayer, my Observation Haki got stronger, almost three times the range.
"Hey, Rias."
"Oh, hmm, what is it, Haru-humhumm," she said, sucking the tip.
"Aren't you going to check out that holy energy at Issei's house?"
"What?" Surprised, Rias fixed her clothes and left.
Going down to the living room, Haru sits on the couch and turns on the TV.
Devils need to improve their senses; all they do is follow their instincts.
I still can't believe that yesterday I got that damned name again.
[Devil's Spawn: Player's Original Title/Unknown Passive]
It even has an effect without me using it. I hoped I'd never be called that again.
My nightmares got worse. I never went to her since I was reborn in this world.
Most of it was before the group was formed, the time when I ate food taken from the trash or leftovers I stole from restaurants. Water was more like beer I took from the bar. Whenever I asked for water, everyone refused me.
At least after we moved to another city, I went back when I was 18 and fucked all the daughters of the people in that city.
But in the end, I didn't need to keep the name Wellington, devil's spawn. It was my mother's fault. I found out she had four more kids—three girls and a boy. One of them left home; the others will do the same when they're old enough.
"I'd better stop thinking about this."
"Stop thinking about what, Haru?" Rias said, hugging Haru from behind.
"Nothing much. So, the holy energy owners are gone already?"
"Yeah, I thought they were in danger," Rias said with a thoughtful expression.
"If they were in danger, I'd save Asia," Haru said with a smile.
"And Issei?" Rias asked. "I'd try to remember to bring flowers to his funeral," Haru replied.
"How mean of you, Haru," she said, smiling amusedly.
"You guys took a while, Sona, Tsubaki," Haru said, seeing the two who had just walked in the door. "A lot of work today," Sona replied. "Hmm, so have you given Akeno permission yet?" Haru asked. "I haven't had time to talk to her alone yet," Sona said. "Permission for what, exactly?" Haru asked, looking straight into Sona's eyes. "J-just for something with the student council, it's not that important," Haru noticed Sona got tense and let it go. "Alright, I'm going to sleep; I'm still kind of tired." Haru then kissed each of them and went to his room.
"Rias, people from the church came to Kuoh Academy today with holy swords," Sona said, heading to the kitchen.
"I already know, they went to Issei's house," Rias said.
"To Hyoudou's? Why?" Sona asked.
"I don't know," Rias said.
[Flashback]
[Wellington at 13 years old]
"Bang, I can't believe this," Wellington said, punching a sandbag.
"Calm down, devil's spawn. The people in this city are crazy, but that's no reason to lose your head," Mad Dog said, trying to calm Wellington.
"I agree with Wellington, Mad Dog. I still can't believe they sacrificed a baby," William said.
"Are you okay, Yui?" Wellington asked.
"Yeah, just… those files," she said.
"It doesn't matter anymore. My mother was nothing but a satanic whore who fucked a bunch of other crazy satanists," Wellington said, sitting on a bench.
"But… it was just a… baby," Yui said, starting to cry again.
"This world is rotten," Wellington said, looking at the ceiling.
[Flashback End]
Yesterday, I had another dream about the past, and it was unpleasant. It was about the dark side of the city where I lived.
But now I'm at the Occult Research Club with the guests, Xenovia and Irina. Honestly, it's not worth checking their stats.
Kiba keeps staring at them with a terrible look.
The first to speak was Shidou Irina. "Recently, the holy swords Excaliburs, which were kept by the Vatican's headquarters: the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, were stolen."
"The Excalibur itself doesn't exist," Rias said, looking at a confused Issei. "I'm sorry. One of my servants recently became a devil, so can we continue this conversation by explaining about Excalibur?" Irina agreed with Rias's request.
She doesn't seem as cheerful as shown in the anime, Haru thought, staring intensely at Irina.
"Ise-kun. The Excalibur broke during the war a long time ago," Irina said, looking at Issei.
"Now, it looks like this," Xenovia took the sword from the cloth and showed it to Issei and Haru, but Haru just had his eyes closed, ignoring everything.
"This is the Excalibur?" Issei said, trembling with fear.
"The Excalibur was shattered into pieces during the war long ago. The fragments were collected and given a new form through alchemy. Seven swords were made. This is one of them," Xenovia explained.
"So this Excalibur isn't the real one, but a new one made afterward?" Issei asked.
"The Excalibur I have is the Excalibur Destruction. It's one of the seven holy swords that were created. The Catholic Church is in control of this one," Xenovia wrapped it back in the cloth.
Irina took out something that looked like a long rope; the rope took the shape of a katana. "Mine is the Excalibur Mimic. I can change its form into anything I want, so it's very convenient to carry. As it is, each Excalibur has its unique ability. This one is in the possession of the Protestant Church," she said proudly.
"Irina… There's no reason to tell these devils the capabilities of the Excaliburs, is there?"
"Ara, Xenovia. Even though they're devils, we still have to build a relationship of trust with them in this situation. Besides, even if my sword's ability is revealed, I won't lose to any of the devils here," Shidou Irina said confidently.
"Calm down. Don't go after them, Kiba," Rias said professionally. "If you step in now, everything would be in vain! The worst thing would be starting a battle. There's no way there wouldn't be deaths against the Excaliburs."
"So, what do the stolen Excaliburs have to do with this country located in the east of the world?" Rias continued with the same attitude.
"The Catholic Church was in possession of two Excaliburs, including mine. The Protestant Church also had two. The Eastern Orthodox Church had two as well. The last one disappeared in the previous war between God, devils, and fallen angels. One Excalibur was stolen from each church. Those who stole them fled to Japan and brought them to this city," Xenovia said.
Rias put her hand on her forehead and said, "It seems my territory is full of incidents. So, who stole the Excaliburs?"
"The ones who stole them were the Grigori," Rias's eyes widened in surprise.
"The holy swords were taken by the fallen angels' organization? No doubt. But surely, it must be the fallen angels who stole them. For high-class devils, holy swords aren't of much interest," Rias said.
"We know that the main culprit behind the theft of the Excaliburs is one of the leaders of the Grigori, Kokabiel," Xenovia said.
"Kokabiel… One of the leaders of the fallen angels who survived the previous wars, from ancient times… I never expected to hear the same name as the one who appeared in the Bible," Rias said.
Haru opened his eyes, looking at Rias. Why is she smiling? Haru thought, looking at her.
"We sent priest exorcists to this city in secret, but they kept being killed," Xenovia said.
"Our request… No, our order is that no devils interfere in the battle between us and the fallen angels for the Excaliburs. In other words, we came here to tell you not to interfere in this incident."
Rias's eyes changed after hearing how Xenovia spoke.
"That way of speaking. Is it a restriction? Are you thinking we might collaborate with the fallen angels? That maybe we'd join them to do something with the Excaliburs?"
"The headquarters thinks it's not impossible," there was a chill in Rias's eyes.
"The higher-ups don't trust devils or fallen angels. We were ordered that if the holy swords were taken from God's side, then the devils would also be happy to have them? The fallen angels could profit from it too. For these reasons, it wouldn't be strange for them to form an alliance with you. That's why we're giving you a warning. If you form an alliance with Kokabiel, the leader of the fallen angels, we'll eliminate all of you. Even if you're the younger sister of a Maou, according to our boss," Xenovia said casually, unbothered by the glint in Rias's eyes.
"If you know I'm the sister of a Maou, then that means you have a lot of connections with the church's higher-ups. So I'll say this: We will not form an alliance with the fallen angels, ever. In the name of the Gremory household, I won't do anything that would tarnish our Maou's name!" She had turned the situation controversial for both sides. But Xenovia laughed.
"Fu. Hearing that is good enough. I had to warn you just in case Kokabiel is hiding in the city along with three Excaliburs. If something happens, I'd be the only one hated by the bunch at the church's headquarters. Well, we won't ask for cooperation. If you had to form a temporary alliance with God's side, it would affect the balance of the three factions. Especially if it's the younger sister of a Maou."
After hearing Xenovia, Rias softened her expression and sighed.
"Where are the people from the Eastern Orthodox Church?" Rias asked.
"They have someone on standby for this case. They're planning to protect the last Excalibur if Irina and I fail," Xenovia replied.
"So it's just the two of you? You want to retrieve the Excaliburs from the leader of the fallen angels with just the two of you? That's reckless. Are you trying to die?" Rias said with a shocked voice.
But Shidou Irina and Xenovia said with firm eyes: "Yes."
"I share the same opinion as Irina, but if possible, I don't want to die," Xenovia said.
"You came to Japan prepared to die? The belief in your doctrine is extreme, as always."
"Don't speak ill of our beliefs, Rias Gremory," Xenovia said.