"My name is Freed Sellzen. I belong to a certain organization of exorcists. Just because I introduced myself doesn't mean I accept your presence. In fact, I don't even want to remember your name in my memory, so please, keep that in mind. It's fine, because you're going to die here. Guarantee me that."
Antares didn't even blink. He looked at the cuts on his body with an expression of pure boredom.
His finger lightly traced over one of the wounds, and he clicked his tongue. "Oh… a rusty sword…" He muttered. "So you're this bad?"
Freed froze mid-pose. "What?"
Antares sighed and shook his head as if disappointed. "You heard me. These cuts are awful. If you had angled the blade diagonally instead of holding it like a cheap rapier, your strikes would have been deeper and more effective."
He glanced at the corpses, studying the carnage with cold eyes. "Besides… killing like this is cruel. But the worst part is doing it without an ounce of skill. At least do it properly, you know?"
Freed's grin faltered. "Yes, yes! I did kill them!" He raised his arms theatrically. "Because they were habitual criminals who summoned demons! So I had to kill them."
Antares stared at him. No emotion. No reaction. No interest.
"I didn't ask you anything."
Freed's expression froze.
Antares continued, "Since when does anyone need a justification to kill?"
For a moment, silence consumed the alleyway.
Freed expected shock, fear, anger… some kind of human reaction.
But all he saw was disinterest.
Antares didn't bother judging the dead. He didn't ask for their stories. He didn't care about their reasons.
He simply didn't care.
'This guy is insane…!' A cold shiver ran down Freed's spine. 'How can he talk like that so casually?!'
Antares tilted his head and smiled. But it wasn't a human smile.
It was the smile of something beyond human.
"Now that I think about it… something intrigues me." He took a step forward, and Freed felt a crushing weight press down on his shoulders.
"Why are you killing humans when you're supposed to be killing demons?" Antares' grin widened. "Don't tell me it's because you're punishing them… Killing those weaker than you is just cowardice, you know?"
Freed's eyes widened. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
"Y-you son of a—!!!" The burst of rage made him act on instinct. He pulled his holy sword with one hand and drew his gun with the other.
But it was too fast. Too fast even for his own eyes to follow.
In an instant—Antares was already in front of him.
"Ah, that's not gonna happen."
Antares' hand clamped down on Freed's wrist, stopping him from even lifting the weapon.
The impact felt like his arm had been caught in solid iron.
A suffocating pressure crashed down on Freed, like an invisible hand was squeezing the air from his lungs.
His chest locked up, refusing to inhale, as a dreadful chill crawled up his spine.
His instincts screamed—RUN, RUN, RUN!
But his body wouldn't move.
His eyes met Antares', and what he saw made his stomach churn.
Bloodlust.
"It's been a while since I've wanted to kill someone…"
The demon's voice was low, almost a raspy whisper, but it carried such an overwhelming weight that Freed's chest tightened.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
A warm breath escaped Antares' mouth—deep and heavy, like a predator ready to devour its prey.
"Let's start with you."
His eyes glowed red, burning like smoldering embers.
And then, the Boosted Gear manifested.
The crimson metal surged across his arm, gleaming under the dim alleyway light.
Before Freed could react— CRACK!
The pain was instant.
Horrific.
At first, he couldn't even scream—his brain failed to process what had just happened.
Then the agony hit him like a tidal wave.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
Freed's throat tore from his own scream.
His hand… his hand was wrong. Completely wrong.
He looked at his own arm and saw the bones piercing through the skin, white shards protruding amidst the thick, crimson red.
The pistol fell to the ground, clattering with an insignificant metallic echo against the brutal reality before him.
But Antares didn't let go of his wrist.
No.
The grip tightened even more.
Freed felt the muscles in his hand tearing, the ligaments snapping one by one.
His eyes trembled, dilated, unable to contain the overwhelming torrent of despair.
"Stop… STOP!!!" But Antares just smiled.
That cruel smile. Amused. As if breaking his hand was nothing more than a dull pastime.
Freed tried to pull his arm back, tried to struggle, tried anything—
But the pain was suffocating, a chain that bound him there, helpless, before something he could not defeat.
And for the first time, Freed felt something he had never felt before. Fear.
Freed gasped, sweat mixed with blood trickling down his face as his broken arm trembled uselessly at his side. His body screamed in agony, his senses flickering in and out in uncontrollable waves of torment.
Antares still held his other arm, squeezing slowly, crushing the bones bit by bit—not all at once, but gradually, making sure to savor every moment of the torture.
Freed opened his mouth to scream again, but all that came out was a ragged sob.
And then, Antares heard it.
A sound.
A small whimper.
Faint.
Almost imperceptible.
His eyes shifted, spotting something further back, hidden in the shadows of the alley.
A girl.
Cowering against the wall, her body trembling, her eyes wide with pure terror.
Asia Argento.
Antares' breathing slowed.
He felt something strange upon seeing her there.
Something he didn't want to feel.
"So, you're here…" he murmured, eyes narrowing.
And then—
[Class Mission Continuation… Protect Asia Argento]
The System appeared once more.
This girl…
She was under the System's protection.
Antares looked at Freed, feeling a growing rage—but before he could completely crush the fallen priest, he noticed something.
A flicker of understanding passed through Freed's deranged eyes.
"Ah… ahahahaha!"
Freed laughed, spitting blood.
He staggered, his knees weak… but his eyes were locked onto Asia now.
He understood.
He knew what he needed to do to get out of there alive.
Before Antares could react, Freed reached into his coat, pulling out a second pistol.
Not to shoot at him.
To shoot at Asia.
"Die, you heretic bitch!" The gunshot rang out.
Antares moved.
But Freed wasn't that stupid.
The shot was only a diversion.
As soon as Antares lunged to protect Asia, Freed threw a holy flash grenade to the ground.
BOOM!
The blinding explosion lit up the alley.
Antares roared, his eyes burning from the blessed light. His body instinctively tried to resist, but the irritation and temporary blindness gave him a split second of vulnerability—
And Freed took advantage of it.
He dashed forward, grabbing Asia by the wrist with his functional hand and yanking her toward him.
Asia screamed, struggling, but Freed already had his blade pressed against her throat.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… easy there, little monster," he whispered, his manic eyes trembling with excitement.
Antares blinked rapidly, trying to recover his vision, only to see the priest holding Asia as a human shield, a deranged grin splitting his bloodied face.
"The tables have turned, huh?!" Freed cackled, pulling Asia closer as she silently sobbed, trying to break free. "COME ON, GET CLOSER, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL SLIT HER PRETTY LITTLE THROAT FIRST IF YOU MOVE..."
Antares growled, fury boiling inside him—
But before he could advance, a crimson glow flared to life on the ground between them.
A magic circle.
The crest of the Gremory Family.
Intense light swallowed the alley.
"Looks like you're not the one who needs help..." Kiba stepped out of the portal.
"...Oh my! What a troublesome situation we have here!" Akeno appeared, smiling.
"...Exorcist," Koneko muttered.
"Now the whole demon brigade has arrived!" Freed sneered, pressing the blade harder against Asia's throat.
"Sorry, but he's one of ours," Kiba said, pointing his sword at him.
"HAHAHA, SO THAT'S IT! Who's the top and who's the bottom?!" Freed mocked, stepping back slightly…
Asia kept struggling, but his strength was overwhelming.
"I never thought I'd hear a priest use such vulgar language," Kiba said, eyeing him.
"You first-class demon scum!" Freed spat, grinning. "Hunting filth like you is what keeps me alive!"
"Even a demon likes to choose their opponent... well... I just wanted to choose a husband," Akeno said, tilting her head downward with a mischievous smile, her gaze drifting toward Antares.
"Ohhh! What a love-struck look!" Freed taunted Akeno. "Is that love? Or is it a deadly glare?!" He laughed maniacally. "I love giving and receiving those killer looks—so much that I can't stand it anymore!!"
Suddenly—
"Then I'll erase that look."
A red and black beam of energy shot directly at Freed's face.
"You really beat him up, my lovely servant," Rias said, looking at Antares. "He can't even fight without using a hostage… how pathetic." She sneered at Freed.
As the dust settled, half of Freed's face was disfigured—fortunately, the attack didn't touch Asia, as if Rias had calculated the strike perfectly.
'If that crazy redhead had killed her!' Antares screamed internally.
Freed had used his light sword to deflect part of the damage, but he still took the hit.
"You okay?" Rias asked, her voice laced with concern.
Antares sighed, feeling the fragile girl still trembling in his arms. "I was going to kill that bastard..." He glanced at Freed, lying on the ground, bloody and battered. "...But as you can see..."
Rias understood immediately.
Asia was still there.
She curled up in his arms, her tear-filled eyes wide, her body trembling like a wounded bird.
Before Rias could respond, a teasing voice purred beside Antares.
"My, my… my dear Ise has so much trouble fulfilling contracts, doesn't he?"
Akeno appeared beside him, a playful smile dancing on her lips. She stepped closer, just enough for their bodies to almost touch.
And then—
Rias did the same.
She slid up beside Antares, pressing softly against him, her gaze softening.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know there was an exorcist here. The barrier prevented me from sensing it sooner."
"You bitch! Heal me!"
Freed's shrill voice shattered the moment.
Before anyone could react, he delivered a brutal kick to Asia's stomach.
A dry, sickening sound echoed.
The girl let out a pained whimper, collapsing to the ground, clutching her abdomen as tears streamed down her face.
A deadly silence filled the air.
Until—
"Hey, you piece of shit. Stop."
Antares' aura exploded.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
Each breath felt crushingly dense.
Freed's eyes widened.
Rias, seeing the raw fury in Antares' gaze, immediately understood—he wanted to protect that girl.
Her eyes shifted to Freed, filled with utter disgust.
"I don't forgive those who harm my servants." Her voice was ice-cold, laced with authority and hate. "Especially vulgar scum like you."
Rias' crimson aura flared, rippling around her like furious flames.
Freed took a step back.
"Oh, my, my… isn't all this power dangerous?" He sneered, trying to mask the fear in his voice. "Really dangerous..."
Koneko, who had already been ready to attack, suddenly noticed something.
"...Fallen Angels."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Freed burst into insane laughter.
"Well, well, looks like the tables have turned! You're about to be punished by the Fallen Angels!"
At that moment, a dark portal began forming above him and Asia.
A teleportation circle.
"The President." Akeno murmured, her eyes narrowing.
Rias didn't hesitate.
"Recovering Issei is the priority now." She raised her hand. "Akeno, prepare the jump."
"Yes."
Akeno immediately started conjuring the Gremory teleportation spell.
"Koneko, hold Issei," Rias ordered, not taking her eyes off the forming portal. "He's pretending to be tough, but that exorcist made him burn a lot of demonic energy."
Antares frowned.
'Huh? I'm perfectly fine.'
But then… he felt Rias' gaze on him.
She knew.
He was exhausted.
The fight against Freed and the continuous use of his aura had drained a significant amount of his strength, even if he tried to ignore it.
And then, his eyes met hers.
Asia.
She stared at him, tears rolling down her face, lips trembling.
The dark portal glowed above her head.
They were about to take her.
Antares clenched his teeth, his fists tightening.
"Take her."
Rias looked at him, surprised.
"That's impossible. Only those of my family can jump with this magic circle."
"Damn it..."
He tasted the bitter frustration in his mouth.
He would have to come back for Asia.
But before he could react, the Gremory family's teleportation activated.
The world around him dissolved into red light.
The last thing he saw...
Were Asia's eyes.
Filled with despair.
And then... she was gone.
*
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