Having successfully infiltrated the abandoned church, the cold, foul air instantly enveloped everyone. It carried a faint stench of blood and despair that turned their stomachs.
Inside the dilapidated main hall, moonlight streamed through the broken stained-glass windows, casting strange, mottled patterns of light that only deepened the gloom.
Rias quickly gave a signal. The team immediately spread out into a defensive formation.
Kiba Yuuto silently slipped into the shadow of the left pillar, his Demonic Sword half-drawn as he stayed wary of any enemies that might emerge from the depths of the hall.
Akeno Himejima's fingertips crackled with nearly imperceptible lightning power. Her perception spread outward like a spiderweb, searching for magical traps or hidden barriers.
Koneko Toujou crouched low like a true cat, her sharp gaze sweeping every corner and dark crevice where an enemy might be hiding.
Shin suppressed his mental fatigue and discomfort. He closed his eyes once more and silently formed hand seals, concentrating his remaining True Qi and consciousness to fully execute the Spirit Detection Technique.
This time, his target was no longer the outer guards or traps, but the precise source of that faint yet pure aura of light—filled with painful struggle.
In his world of perception, the entire interior structure of the church appeared as a blurry, three-dimensional model shrouded in dark purple, foul energy. The pure speck of light representing Asia Argento flickered like a candle in the wind, located deep within the model—roughly in the direction of what should have been the clergy's lounge or storage room, behind the main hall.
That speck of light was extremely dim, seemingly wrapped and corroded by a thick layer of constantly writhing dark sludge. Every faint flicker was accompanied by intense waves of pain, like a drowning person struggling desperately.
"In the back… in the room slightly to the left…" Shin's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling, partly from the massive consumption of True Qi and partly because the painful scene he perceived stirred his compassion. "Her aura… is extremely weak, and she is in great pain! She is being restrained by a very powerful dark force!"
A cold light flashed in Rias's emerald eyes. Without hesitation, she commanded, "Yuuto, Akeno, open the way! Koneko, Shin, follow up! Maintain silence, and finish this quickly!"
"Yes!"
Kiba Yuuto shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, silently rushing toward the corridor behind the main hall. His figure wove through the shadows, perfectly avoiding the scattered rubble and rotten wood on the floor.
Akeno followed closely. With a light wave of her hand, several subtle streaks of lightning power shot out like spirit snakes, precisely annihilating the weak warning magic runes they discovered along the way without causing any energy detonation.
The corridor was deep and dark, filled with a heavier smell of mold and a strange odor… a mix of disinfectant and decay. Most of the doors on both sides were rotten and broken, like gaping black mouths.
Shin's Spirit Detection Technique acted as the most precise navigation, constantly guiding them: "The third door on the left… that's the spot! The source of the restraining power is inside!"
Kiba Yuuto stopped abruptly in front of the target door. He listened intently for a moment, then shook his head at Rias, indicating there was no sound of guards moving inside.
Rias's gaze sharpened. She nodded to Koneko.
Koneko Toujou stepped forward silently and placed her small hand on the seemingly heavy wooden door. Instead of ramming or destroying it, she applied subtle force to her palm, shaking the door with precise skill.
Click…
An extremely faint sound of wood cracking echoed. The inner bolt of the door was instantly shattered by her terrifying brute strength. The entire process was virtually silent.
Kiba Yuuto immediately pushed the door open gently and slipped inside sideways, his Demonic Sword held horizontally before him as he vigilantly scanned the room.
Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Shin quickly filed in and gently pulled the door shut behind them.
The scene inside the room made everyone gasp.
This appeared to be a modified secret room. There were no windows, only a magic lamp hanging from the ceiling that emitted a pale white light, illuminating the small, oppressive space. The air was thick with the nauseating smell of blood and chemicals.
In the center of the room stood a metal bed resembling an operating table. Asia Argento was firmly restrained on it.
She was still wearing her Kuoh Academy uniform, but the clothes were now messy and dirty, stained with dark red marks. Her slender wrists and ankles were tightly locked by metal shackles that shimmered with a dark purplish-black light. The shackles were engraved with twisted Fallen Angel runes, constantly emitting corrosive dark energy that wrapped around and tormented her limbs like living things, leaving clearly visible bloody marks.
Her beautiful golden hair was spread messily across the cold metal table. Her originally fair, jade-like face was now paper-white, completely drained of color, with unshed tears clinging to her long eyelashes. Her sapphire-blue eyes were tightly closed, her brows furrowed in pain, and her lips were bitten white, even showing a trace of blood.
Most shocking of all, around her neck was the necklace Shin had glimpsed before. At this moment, the pendant was emitting a dense, heart-stopping purplish-black light. Like a living dark heart, it tightly adhered to her skin. Streaks of dark energy extended from the pendant, wrapping around her neck like venomous snakes and even spreading toward her heart—seemingly drawing out her vitality and Holy Power while simultaneously injecting immense pain back into her.
Her body occasionally twitched. Every twitch was accompanied by an extremely faint, painful moan, as if squeezed from the depths of her soul. That faint, originally pure and warm Power of Light was being ruthlessly suppressed, corroded, and polluted by the dark shackles, growing increasingly dim.
This was a holy life being cruelly desecrated and tormented by darkness.
"Asia!" Kiba Yuuto gasped, his eyes filled with shock and rage. His knuckles turned white from gripping his sword so tightly. "These Fallen Angels… to be so cruel!"
The gentle smile on Akeno's face had completely vanished, replaced by cold fury. Lightning power crackled at her fingertips, showing how utterly enraged she was.
In Koneko's amber eyes, a cold flame rarely seen also ignited. Her small hands clenched tightly into fists.
Rias's expression was terribly grim. The pride and wrath of the Gremory Family burned in her eyes. She quickly walked up to the bed and carefully examined the shackles and necklace restraining Asia, frowning. "This is a high-level Fallen Angel Binding Spell. Forcibly breaking it might harm her—or even trigger a more vicious backlash…"
Shin stood by the door, looking at the tragic scene before him. It felt as if his chest were blocked by a giant stone, making it difficult to breathe. Although he had been mentally prepared, seeing such a vibrant and kind girl treated so cruelly still filled him with boundless anger and heartache.
The concepts of 'Compassion' (Ci) and 'Benevolence' (Ren) deep within his Dao Heart were strongly stirred. An uncontrollable urge to immediately destroy those dark shackles surged within him, but he forcibly suppressed the impulse. Reckless action would only harm Asia.
Just then, perhaps sensing the aura of living people or startled by Rias and the others approaching, Asia's long eyelashes fluttered. She painfully opened her eyes.
Her sapphire-blue eyes filled with confusion and immense fear, as if she were still immersed in an endless nightmare. When her blurry vision gradually focused and she recognized Rias, Akeno, and the others gathered by the bed, her fear was instantly replaced by great panic.
"No… don't come closer…" Her voice was hoarse and weak, laced with tears and filled with desperate pleading. "Go quickly… please… leave this place quickly… she… she will kill you… she will know…"
She seemed to recognize Rias as a celebrity at the academy, but she didn't believe they were there to save her. Instead, she thought their arrival would only attract a far greater calamity and harm themselves.
As her emotions flared, the necklace pendant suddenly flashed. An even stronger surge of dark energy erupted instantly!
"Agh—!"
Asia immediately let out a painful shriek. Her body convulsed violently. The faint spark of life that had just appeared in her eyes was instantly submerged by intense agony, and tears rolled down like broken pearls.
"Asia!" Rias's heart clenched, but she dared not touch her recklessly.
Shin could hold back no longer. He stepped forward and said urgently, "President! That necklace is the core! It's not just restraining her—it's monitoring and punishing her! We must prioritize dealing with it!"
His Spirit Detection Technique could clearly "see" that the energy of the necklace and the shackles came from the same source, but the necklace was the core element most closely linked to the caster and directly tormenting Asia's consciousness.
Just as Rias gritted her teeth, preparing to risk trying to forcibly break the necklace's restraint—
A female voice, full of mockery, arrogance, and cold murderous intent, suddenly sounded from the doorway of the secret room. It echoed as if coming from the depths of the Nine Hells, clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Oh my, oh my~? I wondered who was so bold as to break into my private collection room… So it turns out little kitties sneaked in~"
The secret room door, which had been gently pulled shut, silently crumbled into dust.
A tall, seductive figure leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, surveying everyone in the room with a playful, cruel gaze—like sizing up prey. She had long, deep purple hair, a beautiful but wicked appearance, and a cold curve played at the corner of her lips.
An overwhelming and foul Fallen Angel Light Power emanated from her, instantly filling the entire secret room like a tangible dark tide.
The Fallen Angel Executive—Raynare—had finally appeared!
Her gaze finally settled on Asia, restrained on the bed. She licked her lips, her smile growing even more cruel. "And it looks like… you wanted to touch my toy?"
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of High School DxD: The Quiet Immortal Who Guides Devils (Part 1) is now available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
✅ Part 1 Complete — 116 Chapters
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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Thank you all for your continued support and happy reading! 💙