Chapter 8: The Fallen, The Saved, and The Broken Butterfly
The air inside the old church was thick with the stench of rot and ancient incense. Above, the sky was a bruised purple as Rias and Akeno held the perimeter against the mid-rank Fallen Angels.
"You're not going to help them?" one of the Fallen girls sneered, her black wings buffeting the air. "You're letting your precious little peerage walk into a slaughterhouse."
Rias stood perfectly still, her crimson hair a sharp contrast against the moonlight. "I'm not helping them because I don't need to," she replied, her voice cold and unwavering. "I've bet on their potential. My pieces don't need a King to hold their hands for every move."
The Descent into Hell
Below, the heavy oak doors of the sanctuary shattered inward.
"Kiba! Sword!" Lucian shouted.
Without breaking stride, Kiba manifested a silver blade and tossed it through the air. Lucian caught it, his eyes flaring a brilliant, pulsating red.
[Copy: Sword Birth - Output 20%]
The output was pitiful compared to Kiba's, but it was enough to stabilize the steel. Beside him, Koneko smashed through a stone pillar, her tiny fists carrying the weight of a mountain.
"Ahaha! More vermin!" Freed Sellzen screamed, perched atop the altar. He moved like a twitching insect, his light-blade humming. "Come closer! I'll carve a cross into your pretty faces!"
"Shut up and die!" Issei roared, the Boosted Gear pulsing on his arm.
The fight was a blur of steel and light. Lucian played the Bishop's role with frantic precision. He wasn't the hammer; he was the glue. He threw up [Barriers] to catch Freed's light-bullets and snapped off [Speed Boost] spells on Kiba.
"Kiba, left! Koneko, now!" Lucian commanded.
They cornered the priest. Issei delivered a promotion-boosted punch that sent Freed flying, while Lucian and Kiba closed in from the flanks. Freed, sensing the end, threw a flash-bomb that blinded the room.
"Next time, puppies! Next time!" his manic laughter faded as he vanished into the shadows of the rafters.
"Forget him!" Lucian coughed, waving away the smoke. "The ritual! Downstairs!"
The Price of a Soul
They found her in the basement. Asia was suspended in a halo of sickly green light, her screams having already faded into a haunting silence.
Raynare stood over her, clutching a pair of glowing rings. The Twilight Healing.
"Asia!" Issei lunged forward, but a wall of light spears slammed into the floor, pinning him back.
"You're too late, little dragon," Raynare mocked, her voice dripping with venom. She tossed Asia's limp body toward Issei like a discarded rag. "You wanted her? Here. Take the corpse. It was fun playing house with you, Issei, but dolls are meant to be broken."
Issei caught her, his voice cracking into a primal sob. "Asia... no... please..."
"Kiba, Koneko, take him out of here!" Lucian shouted, stepping forward. His mana was bottoming out, his nose bleeding from the constant use of his Red Eyes. "I'll buy you the window!"
"Lucian, you're at your limit!" Kiba warned.
"Go!"
The Bishop's Stand
Lucian stood alone against Raynare. Above, Rias felt the shift in the air. One of the Fallen girls laughed. "Look at that. Your little cousin is about to be turned into a pincereion. He can't even stand straight."
That was the mistake.
Rias's aura exploded. The stone beneath her feet disintegrated. "You dare," she whispered, her eyes glowing with a terrifying, abyssal light, "insult a member of my house? You dare mock the blood of Gremory?"
In an instant, the three Fallen Angels were gone—erased by a tidal wave of Destruction so absolute that not even their screams remained.
"Ara ara," Akeno murmured, adjusting her preset uniform. "You really shouldn't have made her personal."
Downstairs, Lucian was fighting for his life. He had dropped the sword, his mana too thin to maintain the copy. He manifested a [Shield of Ruin], but Raynare was relentless.
"Aizen-sama will be so pleased," she purred, her light-rod glowing. "A Gremory with a copy ability? You're a much better prize than a nun."
STAB.
The light-rod punched through Lucian's stomach.
"Gah!" Lucian fell to his knees, blood coughing out of his mouth.
"So weak," Raynare mocked, twisting the rod. "Issei loved me, you know. He was so easy to break. And you... you're just a footnote."
Lucian looked up, a manic, bloody grin on his face. "Footnote? Maybe. But I'm the one... who writes the ending."
He grabbed the light-rod with his bare hands, the holy energy searing his palms. He didn't use a spell. He didn't copy a technique. He channeled every remaining ounce of his Power of Destruction into a single, localized burst.
[ABYSS BREAK]
Half the church basement vanished in a silent, purple flash. Raynare screamed as her left wing was vaporized, the force of the blast throwing her through the stone walls.
Lucian collapsed, his vision fading. Before he hit the cold floor, a soft, familiar warmth caught him.
Tamamo, in her adult form—a tall, breathtaking fox-woman with flowing white robes—held him close. "You're a reckless fool, Master," she whispered, her voice like silk.
"I know," Lucian gasped. "Did he... did he get the punch?"
Outside, a [BOOSTED GEAR GIFT] roared. Issei, fueled by grief and Lucian's opening, delivered a punch that sent Raynare crashing through the stained glass.
The Aftermath
Rias arrived moments later. She didn't wait for the dramatic monologue. She saw the blood on the floor, saw Kiba rushing to take Lucian from Tamamo's arms, and her heart nearly stopped.
"Kiba! Get him to the clubroom! Akeno, healing spells, now!"
She turned to Issei, who was clutching Asia's body. The scene played out like the canon—the desperation, the revival, the second Bishop piece. But Rias's mind was elsewhere. Her hands were shaking as she placed the piece in Asia's chest.
Two Days Later
Lucian woke up on the velvet sofa of the ORC. His stomach was bandaged, and his mana felt like a dry well, but he was alive.
Across the room, Asia was giggling, showing Issei how she could now heal with Devil magic.
"Hey," Lucian croaked. "Quiet down. Some of us are... technically dead."
"Lucian-san!" Issei and Asia rushed over, but they were intercepted.
Rias stepped out from behind the desk. She looked tired, but her eyes were sharp. She walked over and, without a word, sat on the edge of the sofa and pulled Lucian's head into her lap.
Lucian froze. The "two bouncy balloons" he had joked about in his head were now a very literal reality against the back of his neck.
"Rias? What are you—"
"Be quiet," she whispered, her hand stroking his hair. "You ignored my orders. You nearly got yourself killed. You're a troublesome, reckless, idiotic Bishop."
She leaned down and kissed the top of his head—a soft, lingering touch that felt nothing like a cousinly affection.
"Don't make me worry like that again," she murmured. "If Sirzechs knew I let you get impaled, he'd burn the world down. And I... I might help him."
Lucian sat there, dazed and confused. Wait. This isn't the anime scene. This is supposed to be Issei's moment. What the hell happened to the plot?
Tamamo appeared on the coffee table, munching on a grape. "Simp," she whispered. "My Master is a total simp."
Issei watched from the corner, his jaw dropping. He looked at Asia, then back at the "Main Heroine" hugging his tutor.
Lucian closed his eyes, leaning into the warmth. The plot is officially broken, he thought. And honestly? I think I prefer this version.