The leader took another step forward, gravel crunching under his shoes.
"You think you can just waltz in and steal our goddesses?" he shouted, voice cracking just slightly on "goddesses." "We've protected their honor for years! No transfer student is gonna—"
Silas tilted his head, purple eyes catching the golden glow of the setting sun. For a split second, they shimmered—faintly unnatural, faintly dangerous.
"Get a load of this guy," he muttered lazily.
The buff leader's face turned an even darker shade of red.
"You cocky bastard—!"
He lunged.
It was a decent punch. Heavy. Straight. Backed by actual gym strength and righteous delusion. His fist cut through the air with a solid whoosh as he drove it toward Silas's face.
Silas didn't move.
BAM.
The punch connected squarely with his cheek. The impact echoed in the quiet park. For a moment, everything went silent.
Leaves stopped rustling.
The others froze. Silas stood exactly where he had been. Head unmoved. No reaction.
Instead—
A sharp cracking sound.
The leader's expression shifted from triumphant fury… to confusion.
Then pain. A horrifying, bone-deep pain.
"AAAAAHHH—!" he screamed, clutching his fist and hopping back like he'd just punched a brick wall. "M-my hand—!"
His knuckles were already swelling. The skin split slightly, blood beading along his fingers. Silas slowly rolled his jaw, as if testing whether the punch had at least been interesting.
"…You done?" he asked casually.
The others looked between their leader and Silas. Then panic flickered in their eyes.
"Ahhhh, get him, boys!" the leader shrieked, cradling his injured hand like it had personally betrayed him.
They charged.
One swung the bokken overhead with a shout that cracked halfway through. Another aimed a wild haymaker. Two tried to tackle him at the same time.
Silas exhaled softly.
'I should try not to kill them by mistake,' he thought.
The bokken came down first. Silas raised a hand casually—and caught it mid-swing.
The wood stopped dead. The guy holding it blinked. Silas squeezed it.
Crack.
The wooden sword splintered like dry twigs, fragments falling to the ground between them.
"…Eh?" the boy whispered.
Silas flicked the broken handle aside and stepped forward. The two trying to tackle him slammed into his torso.
It was like running into a steel pillar. They bounced off. One fell flat on his back, wind knocked out of him with a pathetic wheeze. The other stumbled sideways, dizzy.
The haymaker came next. Silas leaned back slightly, the fist grazing past his nose. He sighed.
Then he tapped the attacker's chest.
Just a tap.
The boy flew.
Not too much of course —just enough that his feet left the ground and he skidded several meters across the dirt before rolling to a stop in a dazed heap.
Silas stepped forward once. Twice. His presence shifted..The air around him felt heavier. Thicker. Like gravity itself had decided to pay closer attention.
The remaining ones froze. Their instincts screamed. Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Silas looked at them with mild irritation, purple eyes glowing faintly now—barely perceptible, but enough to make their skin crawl.
"I'm not stealing anyone," he said calmly. "And they're not your 'goddesses.'" He took another step. They flinched.
"If you want to worship someone, go join a religion."
One of them dropped his fists entirely.
"S-sorry—!"
Another tried to back away, tripping over his own feet.
The leader, still clutching his swollen hand, glared up at Silas with watery eyes. "Y-you monster…"
Silas crouched slightly so they were eye level. His smile returned. "You hit first," he reminded him.
Then he stood, brushing imaginary dust off his blazer.
"Dont let me see you again," he added lazily as he began walking away down the path, hands in his pockets, the golden sunset framing him like something straight out of a dramatic anime ending.
Behind him— Groans. Sniffling. And the shattered pride of the Kuoh Academy Rias and Akeno Fanclub Defense Force.
Silas didn't look back.
'That was lowkey lame. Maybe fighting Rias's fiaince will be fun' he thought.
.....
After a quick shower and change at his apartment—trading the school uniform for dark jeans, a fitted black long-sleeve shirt that hugged his lean-muscular frame, and a lightweight dark gray jacket—Silas headed back out.
The evening air had cooled, carrying the faint scent of street food from nearby vendors and the distant hum of city traffic. He moved with easy, unhurried strides, purple eyes scanning the streets out of habit more than necessity.
By the time he reached the old school building, the sky had deepened to a rich indigo streaked with fading orange.
The windows of the Occult Research Club room glowed softly with warm lamplight. He climbed the stairs two at a time, slid the door open without knocking, and stepped inside.
The peerage had already changed out of their uniforms into more casual clothes—clearly ready for a night that might involve running, fighting, or at least getting a little dirty.
Rias wore high-waisted black leggings and a loose crimson off-shoulder sweater that slipped just enough to show one pale shoulder, her hair tied back in a high ponytail that left a few loose strands framing her face.
Akeno had opted for a dark purple cropped hoodie over a white tank top and fitted shorts, her long ponytail swapped for loose waves that cascaded down her back.
Kiba was in simple gray joggers and a fitted white T-shirt that showed off his athletic build without being flashy.
Koneko—ever practical—wore an oversized black hoodie (probably borrowed from someone) over bike shorts, the sleeves rolled up multiple times so her small hands poked out, and her white hair pinned back with the usual cat clips.
They all turned as he entered.
"You're a bit late," Rias said, rising from the sofa with a teasing smile. "What held you?"
Silas closed the door behind him and leaned against it casually, hands in his jacket pockets.
"Did you know you had a fan club?" he asked, voice dry but amused. "I ran into a bit of trouble with them on my way home."
Rias blinked, genuinely confused. Her head tilted like a curious cat.
"No… I did not. Akeno, did you know about them?"
Akeno leaned back against the table, crossing her arms under her chest with a knowing little smile.
"Yes, they have an actual registered club. 'Rias Gremory & Akeno Himejima Appreciation Society'—or something equally dramatic. Half the school is in it, technically. They meet in empty classrooms, trade photos, write fanfiction, hold 'strategy meetings' about how to get noticed by you two. It's adorable in a pathetic sort of way."
Kiba nodded from where he was leaning against the wall, arms folded.
"I've heard of them as well. Some of my classmates are part of it. They have membership cards. Laminated."
Koneko, perched on the arm of the sofa with a fresh lollipop in her mouth, gave a tiny shrug.
"…Creepy."
Rias stared at them all in disbelief, cheeks slowly turning pink.
"Wow. How did Sona allow that to happen? The Student Council approves *clubs* like that?"
Akeno giggled, covering her mouth.
"She probably thinks it's harmless school spirit. Or she just hasn't gotten around to shutting it down yet. Either way… they're mostly harmless. Mostly."
Rias rubbed her temple, then looked back at Silas with a mix of embarrassment and curiosity.
"Oh well… I'm sure it wasn't a problem for you, right Silas?"
He smiled—slow, confident, with just a hint of that predatory edge.
"Yeah. It wasn't."
He didn't elaborate. The way he said it—calm, almost amused—made it clear the "trouble" had ended very one-sidedly. No one pressed him for details; they all just exchanged knowing glances. Koneko's lollipop stick tilted slightly upward in silent approval.
Rias cleared her throat, shaking off the embarrassment, and gestured for everyone to gather around the low table.
A large folded map of Kuoh Town lay spread out, with a red circle marked over an area in the eastern industrial district.
"Alright," she said, voice shifting to her natural leader mode—firm, focused, authoritative. "Let's get to tonight's business."
She tapped the circled area on the map.
"The stray we're targeting is a mid-class devil—formerly a low-ranking member of a minor pillar house that got wiped out in a territory dispute decades ago. He's been hiding in the human world ever since, but lately he's gotten sloppy. Feeding on humans without contracts, leaving bodies drained in alleys, even attacking a few low-level youkai that wandered too close. The energy signatures are unmistakable—corrupted demonic residue mixed with panic and hunger."
She traced a few lines outward from the circle.
"He's holed up in an abandoned warehouse here—old textile factory, lots of cover, multiple exits. We've confirmed he's alone; no familiars, no allies. But he's desperate, so he'll fight dirty—illusions, shadow manipulation, maybe some basic fire if he's got any reserves left."
Rias looked up, meeting each of their eyes in turn—lingering longest on Silas.
"Kiba will take point on speed and containment. Koneko handles close-range suppression. Akeno provides ranged support and crowd control if things spill out. I'll finish it with Power of Destruction once we've pinned him."
She straightened, blue-green eyes steady on Silas.
"You're still just observing unless you want in. But if you do join… follow my lead. We don't want collateral damage in the human district."
Silas pushed off the doorframe and walked over to the table, leaning down to study the map for a moment. "Got it. I'll hang back and watch how you all work. But if he gets past you—or if things look like they're about to spill into the streets—don't hesitate to call me in."
Rias smiled—small, grateful, and a little excited.
"Thank you."
Akeno clapped her hands once, light and playful.
"Then let's move~ Sunset's already passed. Our stray should be getting hungry soon."
Koneko hopped off the sofa arm, cracking her knuckles quietly.
"…Let's go punch him."
Kiba offered a polite nod to Silas.
"After you."
Silas smirked, gesturing toward the door. "Lead the way, Princess."
Rias rolled her eyes at the nickname but didn't correct him. Instead, she headed out first—peerage falling in behind her, Silas right in the middle like he'd always belonged there.
The night air greeted them as they stepped outside.
And somewhere in the shadows of Kuoh's eastern edge, a doomed stray devil had no idea what kind of hunting party was coming for him.
TO BE CONTINUED