[A/N: I've rewrote chap 10 and added some more dialogue]
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After finishing the last sip of his tea, Meguna placed the cup back onto the table and responded. "Sure, why not?"
A small smile appeared on Rias's face. She had expected him to refuse at first, especially considering how little interest he usually showed toward anything involving devil affairs.
She called for the rest of her peerage to prepare for the mission. Kiba was the first to arrive and not long after Koneko entered as well.
Even Issei, despite still looking somewhat nervous about the idea of facing a stray devil for the first time, tried to stand confidently beside the others.
Kiba noticing Meguna sitting on the couch asked. "Ah, Fushi-san, are you also coming with us?"
Meguna simply raised a hand in response, acknowledging him without saying a word.
Seeing this, Kiba gave a polite nod and replied, "Well, it's good to know you're familiarising yourself with us."
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Rias and her peerage then gathered together with Meguna also joining them. Once everyone was ready, Rias raised her hand and activated the teleportation magic circle beneath them.
In an instant, the magic circle lit up, and the group vanished as their bodies were instantly transported.
They then reappeared in the forest. At a distance, a large abandoned mansion was seen standing among the trees.
Meguna looked around for a moment before inwardly remarking, 'Not gonna lie, Gremory, this teleportation magic is quite convenient. I might learn it.'
The technique certainly had its advantages. Being able to travel long distances instantly would save a great deal of time.
Rias walked ahead while the rest of her peerage, along with Meguna, followed closely behind.
As they moved through the forest path toward the mansion, Rias spoke up. "So, Fushi-san, why did you decide to come along with us? Is it to entertain yourself, or are you curious about how we exorcise strays?"
Meguna responded calmly, "There's not much I could be doing at home anyway. Just playing games and things like that.
Akeno let out a soft laugh. "Seems like you live a pretty boring life," she said lightly. "Why don't you for a change, try interacting with others as well?"
In the past, meguna had been an arrogant loner who believed that interacting with others or forming bonds would only interfere with his goals of achieving a better life. However, in this life, he was slightly more open to change though that part of his ego and detachment still remained, buried beneath his calm exterior.
When they reach the mansion Rias pushed old wooden door open as it creaked slightly. The group followed and entered. Dust filled the air, and the interior looked just as abandoned as the outside. Cracked walls and dim corridors was present throughout the mansion.
"Issei," Rias called out.
"Yes, Buchou," Issei responded quickly, straightening his posture as he looked ahead.
"Are you familiar with chess?" Rias asked as she continued walking forward.
"Chess? Like a board game?" Issei responded, tilting his head slightly in confusion.
Meguna, who was walking just in front of him, spoke up in a calm tone. "She's asking if you know how chess works and what each piece does."
"Oh, well… I think I do," Issei replied thoughtfully. "The rooks move in straight lines vertically and horizontally, the bishops move diagonally, the knights can jump over other pieces, the queen moves like both a rook and a bishop, and the king is the one you have to protect."
Rias nodded lightly. "You aren't wrong. I the master am the king. I have the empress my queen, my cavalier the knight, my tank the rook, my clergyman the bishop, and my soldiers the pawns. Devils with titles of nobility grant the characteristics of chess pieces to their servants. We call them Evil Pieces."
"I see," Issei responded, understanding how the system worked.
Then Koneko stopped, her ears twitched slightly as she sensed something.
"She's here," Koneko said.
Then, from somewhere deeper inside the mansion, a creepy voice echoed through the halls. "I smell something bad… but at the same time, I smell something delicious. Will it be sweet?"
From the side of the hallway, a woman slowly stepped into view. As everyone looked up, they saw her standing there her upper body fully exposed.
Issei, upon seeing her immediately shouted, "Boobs!"
'What the hell is wrong with this guy? Can he not take anything seriously for even a second?' he thought facepalming inwardly at Issei's reaction.
Rias stepped forward and clarified calmly, "Stray Devil type: Visor." She continued, "Nefarious beings who abandon their masters to satisfy their own twisted desires. They more than deserve death for their sins."
"In the name of Duke Gremory, I'll kick your ass," Rias declared with a confident grin spreading across her face.
Meguna watched her from the side, his hands still resting inside his pockets. 'Not bad,' his mind remarked. 'But a little too cliché.'
The stray devil let out a disturbing laugh before speaking again. "What an insolent little girl," she hissed while holding her chest. "I'll cover you in blood as red as your hair."
"A stray devil, huh…" Issei muttered as he stared at her. Then, with a shameless grin forming on his face, he added, "She honestly just looks like some kind of exhibitionist."
Meguna smacked the back of Issei's head. "Ow!" Issei cried out as he grabbed his head. "The hell, dude?!"
Koneko, standing nearby, let a small smile form as she quietly observed the exchange, clearly amused.
Meguna's eyes twitched slightly as the shadow around the lower half of the stray devil's body grew clearer. Her true form beneath it reveal itself to be completely different, monstrous lower body that contrasted sharply with her human upper half.
As she lewdly touched her chest, a magic circle began to form around her nipple, glowing ominously before releasing beams of energy.
Rias and her peerage quickly ducked and scattered to avoid the attack. Meguna, however, raised his hand and blocked the beams head on.
BOOM!
He then waved his hand lightly brushing off the smoke from his hand, before slipping it back into his pocket. The beams had pierced through the surrounding walls, leaving several clean holes scattered across the structure.
Rias and the rest of her peerage looked toward Meguna in surprise, clearly taken aback by how effortlessly he had neutralized the attack.
Turning her attention back to the stray rias ordered "Yuuto,"
Kiba in a burst of speed, dashed toward the stray devil and cleanly sliced off several of the monstrous arms attached to her lower body.
AAAAARh!
The stray devil screamed in pain before her body suddenly began transforming grotesquely. The mouth attached to her lower body suddenly lunged toward Koneko.
"Koneko!" Issei shouted instinctively. Before the attack could trap her properly, Koneko forced herself free with brute strength and sent the creature flying several meters away with a powerful strike.
The stray devil crashed against the floor and twitched violently. Rias then turned toward her queen.
Akeno stepped forward gracefully, her gentle smile still present despite the chaotic scene around her. "Ara, ara… now what am I supposed to do with you?" she said softly.
At that moment, one of the stray devil's severed arms suddenly began crawling across the floor before launching itself toward rias.
"Buchou!" Issei yelled as he rushed forward.
But before Issei could even reach her, the arm was suddenly sliced apart into five separate pieces.
The severed fragments dropped onto the ground. Issei stopped moving while Rias stared briefly at the remains of the arm.
They then turned their face towards meguna. One of his hands had slipped out of his pocket, two fingers pointed toward the spot where the arm had been moments ago.
"What?" Meguna said, his expression completely neutral. "I'm not about to let my accomplice get hurt am I?." Although rias had already trusted his strength enough to make a deal with him, hearing him casually acknowledge their agreement in the middle of battle was reassuring.
Akeno's smile widened slightly as she glanced toward Meguna before it returned back to the stray devil. Bolts of lightning rained down relentlessly onto the stray, illuminating the dark mansion with violent flashes of light.
The stray devil screamed in agony as more and more electricity surged through its body, burning its flesh while the entire room shook from the force of the attack. Even Issei flinched slightly at the sight.
"That's enough, Akeno," Rias said, and the attacks stopped, leaving the stray devil twitching weakly on the broken floor.
Rias then slowly began walking toward stray, intending to finish things herself. But before she could take another step, Meguna's voice cut through the room.
"Hey, Gremory," he called out. "How about you let me handle this?" Rias looked at him with slight confusion for a moment. After a brief pause, she nodded. "Very well. Just don't do anything reckless."
A faint grin appeared on Meguna's face as he approached the injured stray. "Seems like a bug like you is in pain," he said casually while looking down at the barely moving creature. "Let me help you with that." He placed his hands on the stray and began using Reverse Cursed Technique. Burn marks disappeared as her flesh and severed limbs rapidly grew back.
Rias's eyes widened in shocked."Fushi-san, what are you doing?!" she shouted.
"Relax," he replied calmly. "A bug like this isn't escaping this house anyway."
The stray devil stared at her restored body in disbelief. Then her expression twisted into rage. She immediately lunged at Meguna, swinging her claws at him.
Meguna vanished in an instant and grabbed the stray devil by the head as he slammed it onto the floor.
BAM!
The ground shattered beneath the impact as a crater formed across the floor.
When the group saw Meguna again, they noticed something different about him. Dark tattoos had appeared across his face, and an extra pair of eyes had opened just above his cheekbones. Now, the atmosphere around him felt heavier.
Meguna slowly circled around the stray devil while speaking casually. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked mockingly. "You're not finished already, are you?"
"Y-You bastard human…" the stray devil growled painfully. Meguna's smile widened slightly. "That's it, come on, Gambare, gambare (try harder)" His voice carried amusement as he mocked the struggling devil.
The stray devil then grabbed onto Meguna's legs and screamed hysterically. "Die, human!" the stray devil violently swung Meguna's body and attempted to throw him across the room.
Slash!
The limb was severed halfway through the motion, spinning through the air before crashing onto the floor. Meguna merely slid back a few meters, then casually sat down on the floor, resting his chin against his fist.
"Seems like you're mistaking me for a human, stray," he said calmly as he watched the creature.
"Also," he continued, "how exactly are you planning to beat me with no limbs?"
THUD!
The stray looked toward where her arm had been, only to realize it had already fallen off. In the next moment, both of her legs detached as well, and her body collapsed onto the floor, screaming in panic as blood spilled out and her form fell apart.
Thud!
Meguna slowly started laughing maniacally, at the sight, as though he was truly enjoying himself.
Rias and her peerage silently stared at him. Their expressions carried a mixture of amusement and unease. Part of them found his behavior strangely entertaining, especially after watching the stray devil get completely overwhelmed, yet at the same time there was something deeply unsettling about the way Meguna treated the entire fight.
The stray devil, now trembling violently with tears in her eyes, screamed desperately. "Kill me!"
Meguna then slowly stood up and began walking toward her. "Come on, come on," he said mockingly. "I went pretty easy on you."
"No… kill me! I can't take it anymore!" the stray devil pleaded once again.
Meguna let out a long sigh before crouching down beside it. "Looks like it can't be helped."
He placed his hand against her head then muttered. "Cleave."
SHRRK!
The stray devil's body disintegrated where she laid as blood splattered across the floor with her form torn apart beyond recovery.
As Meguna stood up, he slipped his hands back into his pockets. He then walked back toward the group, his expression returning to normal as the markings faded away.
Stopping in front of Rias and her peerage, he simply said. "I had my fun, Gremory."
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