66

Hm, this isn't Monday. Still a pretty quick update all things considered so I'm happy with this. I played around with a new character archetype for the Fallen Angel in this chapter so hopefully it's entertaining. It also recontextualizes their earlier interaction in a somewhat humorous light which I find funny. Overall, I'm fairly happy with this chapter though there is always room for improvement. As always, I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter Text

"Here we are, back at Sentry Industries again." I muse aloud as I walk up to the building.

After my call with Suzaku I made my way straight here, the promise of a fight being too enticing to ignore or delay. I even ran, rather than driving, just to get here quicker.

Suffice it to say, I'm excited to judge the strength of the Black Feather Brigade first-hand.

As I look up at the office building from the bottom, the knowledge that this is mostly just a front for a gang that couldn't even be bothered to attack me directly bubbles to the front of my mind.

That they're so cowardly to result to schemes and manipulation to hinder me pisses me off. Yet the fact they accomplished nothing with those schemes…

It bores me.

When I say I'll judge their strength, the keyword is judge.

If they're found lacking, this building won't be standing at the end of this day.

I slap my cheeks and focus on the excitement rather than the less pleasant emotions present. There's no sense in being a downer about their ability when I've yet to experience it. They could even surprise me and show me a good time.

Smiling at that thought, I confidently step through the front door of the office building.

Immediately, I notice a stark difference from last time. There's no receptionist, no workers mulling about, not even a large security presence.

The sole individual at the entrance is the Head of Security from last time wearing a tense frown on his face.

"Ibaraki." He growls lowly, though notably he doesn't look prepared to fight me.

His uniform is the same as last time. While I'm sure it is enchanted or some alchemical creation, it isn't the combat attire I'd expect from someone ready for a fight.

He doesn't even seem to be casting any spells, whether to reinforce himself or attack me.

The issue is that they obviously expected me, given that I can't sense any living being in the office above us.

I frown, realizing he won't even be making an attempt at fighting me, and contemplate forcing him to fight for his life instead.

Rolling my eyes, I finally respond, "What's up, Corpse?"

He only has time to be momentarily confused as I disappear from view and reappear behind him, claws dancing playfully along his neck.

"If you don't want to match your new name, Corpse, I'd make myself scarce," I whisper into his ear, lightly leaking killing intent.

He stiffens and sways on his feet but manages to keep his composure to a manageable degree. Most humans would pass out or at the very least piss themselves with the level of killing intent I'm releasing. Though as a Magician employed here, I'd expect him to have this amount of willpower.

He attempts to speak again but has to clear his throat as no sound comes out, succeeding the second time, "My boss wishes to speak with you."

My claws break through his skin as I press harder, rivulets of blood dripping down his neck, "Does it seem like I'm interested in speaking?"

"Even so," He continues, his voice growing more firm, "He has instructed me to deliver that message and no other."

"So what," I muse with a dangerously flat tone, "I ride down the elevator again and chat with him? No, I want your organization to prove itself. Show me your strength."

The Head of Security almost retorts before pausing, and listening to his earpiece, his expression turning to resignation, "Yes sir."

He sighs, "Very well Ibaraki. My boss has told me he will play your game. Head into the elevator and you will receive the challenge you wish for."

Grinning, I shove him away, ignoring him as he clatters to the ground in favour of dashing towards the elevator.

Spamming the button to call the elevator, I look back over my shoulder.

"What I said still stands. Get a transfer to a different division for all I care but leave my city or die." I bark at him as the elevator arrives.

After entering the elevator and turning around, I watch as he runs out of the building as the doors close.

I slide my hands into the pockets of my jacket and bounce on the balls of my feet, humming a happy tune as the elevator descends.

Like last time, the spell that is tied to the elevator ensures that anyone inside always feels like the elevator is travelling upward. A fact that I'm only aware of because the range of my Ki sense far outstrips what this spell can hide.

The difference between this time and the last is the sheer speed with which the elevator is rocketing downward, and it's still accelerating.

For an opening move, it isn't a bad one - the old trick of dropping the elevator down the shaft. But it isn't enough to phase me.

I can move faster than this elevator is falling, so surviving the fall is a non-issue. I would even go as far as tanking the collision at the bottom to prove that point. Still, I shouldn't underestimate my opponent too much.

Flipping upwards, Touki flickers around my foot as it touches the ceiling, blasting open the roof of the elevator with the sound of shearing metal.

The remains of the elevator continue rocketing ever downward as I free-fall behind them.

When it finally reaches the bottom it does so in a violent collision as spikes pierce through it from the ground and the carcass flattens itself under the bed of spikes.

Reorienting my body, I land lightly, bouncing off the sides of the spikes rather than touching the top.

I do, however, brush the sole of my foot on one of them as I pass.

Alchemically enhanced metal or something exotic for sure. Most likely alchemy since it would be more cost-effective for the materials.

With the momentum of the elevator added on top of that alchemically enhanced sharpness, hm… They might have been able to pierce through my skin.

Though with my Touki active I could've rode the elevator to the bottom easily.

"It doesn't matter either way," I mutter as I kick open the doors to exit the elevator shaft.

With a boom they're launched outward, ripping the housing that encases them and the rails they sit in apart as they fold from the impact.

Since they're sliding doors they aren't exactly meant to swing outwards but my foot cares little for how a door 'should' be opened. Even solid walls can become doors if they're kicked hard enough.

I flare my Touki in a burst to clear away the dust I created and get my first look at the interior of the facility.

As I sensed during my first time here, the underground portion of the facility is many times larger than the office building that sits above it. In that way, it's quite similar to what one would envision the 'secret evil research facility' covered by the mundane exterior would look like.

Though the jury is still out on the 'evil' descriptor. Sure they're my enemy at the moment but all they've done is run a gang beneath a public-facing legal operation. I've done the same and I wouldn't say I'm evil.

Questions of morality aside, where the exterior of the office building is slightly more futuristic than the surrounding buildings, the underground facility looks like something from a sci-fi novel.

Sterile colouring and sleek architecture fill the facility, with the floorspace dominated by modular buildings and the occasional boxed shrub. It's a future tech enjoyer's wet dream, completely devoid of a single blade of grass.

My lips curl into a sneer at that. They probably have to keep a few plants littered around the area so the researchers don't kill themselves in this metal box.

The lack of plants isn't the only lack of life in this space. As my Ki sense sweeps the area, I only sense a single person. The Fallen Angel I met last time.

As turrets emerge from every point of my vision, the lack of people suddenly makes a lot more sense.

With no collateral present, this entire facility can be turned into a kill box.

I grin widely as magic circles form at the ends of hundreds of barrels, the ceiling and tops of the buildings becoming a kaleidoscope of colours as dozens of separate spells begin charging.

"Show it to me then!" I shout, my Touki bleeding into my voice as it leaps and buzzes just under my skin, "Prove the worth of these shiny toys!"

A storm of magical beams and bullets fly at me from all directions, and in the brief moments they travel towards me, I tilt my body to dodge the turrets firing Holy Power. The remainder, I counter by releasing the Touki I'm forcefully holding back all at once in an explosion of lifeforce.

The technique, which I had created as a child is an omnidirectional anti-projectile defence, one that I never found much use for. Still, it proves its worth now, either repelling or destroying the magic bullets and disrupting the beams enough for me to change positions.

While my form is still obscured by the spells fired from the turrets, I summon my bow and take aim.

My arrows release sharp cries as they're loosed before disappearing. I spare them little attention as I aim and fire at another target, again and again in rapid succession. There's no point since there is no other outcome besides hitting their target.

Each arrow only reappears as they pierce the turrets firing the spells powered by Holy Power. While it isn't as dangerous to me as it is to Devils, Holy Power is still significantly more harmful to me than spells powered by mana.

Rather than watching each arrow, the hits are confirmed with each successive explosion as the turrets are destroyed.

In the time it took for me to destroy those turrets, the others were attempting to lock on to my movements. When the turrets figure out they can't keep up with my movements, the magic circles on the barrels change.

A fact that only elevates my glee.

I'm not moving slowly by any means, yet the turrets apparently have a firing mode that can deal with this.

Still, turrets aren't what I came to fight.

Dashing towards the nearest building, I crash through the wall and skid to a stop once inside. Using the brief cover provided by the building,

I take a moment to focus on my Ki sense, pulling up a more clear image of the interior of this facility. At the same time, I breathe deeply, filling my lungs.

It's simple with that image, to mark the location of all the remaining turrets as I draw my bow and point it skyward.

My Ki surges as the interior of this building is filled with blinding golden light, dozens of spectral arrows filling the space.

Breathing out sharply, my bowstring snaps forward, sending the single arrow sitting upon it upward with the others floating around me following close behind.

My hair is blown back as all the arrows fly forth shredding the ceiling, curving outwards towards their designated targets, and disappearing in a flash.

Laughing joyfully, my legs coil and I spring after them. My arms are spread wide as I dismiss my bow and watch as all the turrets in the facility are cut down at once, a chorus of explosions ringing out for me alone.

My laughter is cut off as I snap my hand back to catch a nearly invisible needle that was fired at my eye.

I try to snap the needle between my fingers only for the thing to stubbornly refuse to even bend.

Growling, my Touki flares and yet the damn thing still doesn't appear to be affected.

Deciding to take my anger out on a different target, my eyes slide along the needle's trajectory, to find nothing except for the smallest distortion in the air on top of a building in the distance.

Energy floods from my soul into my third eye and the world blossoms into a new dimension of colour, the true nature of things, their very souls revealed to me.

My assailant becomes visible, though they evidently lack a soul because that isn't revealed to me. It's an android or golem of some sort, merely mimicking life through complex layered spells, technology, or some combination of the two.

With its cloaking rendered useless, I can see its humanoid shape in detail, resembling a mannequin, except in place of one of its arms is a long-barreled rifle, which must have been used to launch the needle.

I kick off the air, accelerating to the nearest building since I can't move at full speed in the air yet.

Once I have proper footing, my Touki shifts to that of the White Tiger and my Ki jolts down the meridians in my legs, bouncing along precise acupoints like a jagged bolt of lightning.

The world slows as I enter a different dimension of speed compared to a moment ago. Without an opponent moving at the same speed as me, like when I fought Byakko, it's as though the world stands still.

I pounce on my new prey, crossing the distance in an instant.

As I land in front of it, I swing a set of Touki-covered claws at the neck of the construct, tearing through it with contemptuous ease. My other set of claws shreds its way through its chest, destroying any internals or breaking any magic circles that animate it.

The construct turns to dust on contact. Either my Touki or the energy animating the construct disintegrated it once its structural integrity was damaged.

The durability of the construct was non-existent, and it was clearly a one-use assassination tool.

Was the plan to distract me with the turrets and make me let my guard down before finishing me off with a single blow?

I can't tell whether I should be offended that they thought I'd fall for that or happy that they knew the turrets wouldn't be able to kill me.

The ground begins to rumble and I glance around my surroundings. The buildings all around, including the one I'm standing on are receding into the ground and a massive magic circle is being formed on the ceiling.

Humming idly, I hop off the building and land on an empty area of the ground. Shoving my hands back in my pockets, I analyse the magic circle.

Or, I should say I attempt to.

The vast majority of it is complete gibberish to me and the parts I can understand don't tell me much. There is a section that relates to dimensional interference that I remember from my research and the construction of my pocket dimension.

Beyond that, I have to either wait to see what happens or break the magic circle before it activates.

I should break it, on the off chance they're trying to send me somewhere terribly deadly but that also sounds fun.

The decision is taken out of my hands as the circle is completed and the spell activates.

Shadows cover the ground as three massive bodies appear above me, crashing down on the ground with a mighty bang.

Each stands ten meters tall at the shoulders and has fur as dark as the shadows they cast with their bodies.

I bite my lip and shake with restrained glee as nine canine heads with maws dripping flames focus their attention on me, their giant red eyes zeroing in on their opponent.

"This doesn't bode well for our continued operations in the area." The Fallen Angel, going by the pseudonym 'David Wattanabe' but better known as Hashmal, remarks dryly as he watches the security feed.

"Hm, there are still some defences left for her to overcome." His superior remarks, though from her expression she doesn't appear to have any faith in those defenses succeeding where the others failed.

"The only true killing blow was the dart." Hashmal grouses, wanting nothing more than to finish his paperwork and go back to sleep. "What are the odds she drops it and we can retrieve it?"

"Zero," Penemue responds, a hint of amusement colouring her otherwise flat response, "She seemed quite upset she couldn't destroy it and will likely make another attempt later."

"It's disgusting that she doesn't even recognize how valuable that needle is. The contempt with which she stared at such rare material is maddening." Hashmal says with a bone-weary sigh.

Even if she's ignorant of the exact material, she should recognize how valuable it is when it doesn't bend under the strength of an Ultimate-class being.

All that effort to find a rare formation of chert in the Underworld with the proper age to absorb the energies of the Underworld, slowly knapping each chunk into individual needles, then painstakingly refining the needles alchemically, all to have one of them fall into the hands of this ignorant gorilla who doesn't even recognize the value of it.

Watching the video feed in the facility as she slaughters three Cerberus with her bare hands causes Hashmal's headache to intensify. While not the strongest creatures, and certainly not approaching the strength of the species' progenitor and the guard of Hades' domain, the hounds that were summoned here are by no means weak.

That combined with the footage uploaded to Urakyoto's various social media and beyond of her tearing dragons apart paints a chilling picture of his opponent.

Why of all places did he have to be assigned to Kyoto?

He fell from Heaven as punishment for his Slothful habits yet since then he's been worked half to death by his brothers and sisters in the Grigori.

A single village was all that was destroyed when he fell asleep on his watch. A mere forty human souls were killed by some manner of beast that has long since gone extinct and been forgotten by this world. Yet his sin has never been forgotten and eternal punishment is what he woke up to.

Hell doesn't exist in the Underworld, but under a desk full covered in paperwork.

Shackles are not physical bondage but the yoke of a boss who gives irrational deadlines.

Torture is not-

"Are you listening, Hashmal?" The voice of his supervisor resounds through the communication spell, breaking him from his internal pity spiral.

"Yes, of course," He responds without turning towards her image, "She's already torn apart the trio of Cerberus and is feasting upon their corpses without care. Now she only has to survive the facility being flooded with toxic gas, radiation, and whatever fancy curses that Research and Development have come up with."

Penemue hums in what could either be approval or disdain. With the secretarial persona she prefers to adopt nowadays, it is hard to tell.

The answer to that question is whether she truly believes he was listening. And he knows that there is little chance of that.

He almost misses the days when droves of men succumbed to madness just to catch a glimpse of her bare flesh… better a cruel seductress that was too enraptured by the pleasures of the flesh than a taskmaster of a supervisor. At least she didn't pile work upon him back then.

This is why Hashmal prefers to sleep and detests work. Sleep heals and refreshes the mind and body. Work deprives the very soul of joy and fulfilment.

"Really now, can you pay attention for a moment?" Penemue sighs getting his attention back. "She survived again if you hadn't noticed. Are we at least recording sufficient data from this?"

"Please." Hashmal scoffs, "As if I'd forget and make myself more work."

"You think I'll record all these observations by hand after she presumably threatens my life. No, that's what automation is for." He mutters under his breath.

"I won't suggest you fight her since I know you would refuse," Penemue leads, "What you must ensure, however, is that our presence remains in Kyoto after this. While the income from our activities there is irrelevant, the information we obtain about the factions present is paramount."

With such powerful factions and beings residing in Kyoto, the importance of this location is without question. Not having immediate knowledge of the movements of the factions here would be a massive loss for the Grigori.

"Yes, yes, I'll even threaten the nuclear option if you'd like." Hashmal bitterly responds, rolling his eyes. "Father forbid, I safely concede in front of this mad demon. Let's test her nerve instead."

"You may offer concessions freely as long as they don't become more valuable than the information we collect from this outpost," Penemue states, ignoring his words.

"Will that be all sister?" Hashmal asks, stretching in his chair as Ibaraki nears his office.

"I will continue monitoring the situation from here but yes." She hesitates a moment longer, "I will approve a week's vacation if you succeed."

Fully awake now and sufficiently motivated, Hashmal turns to the door in time for the intruder to arrive.

I finally tear my way through the last layer of blast doors keeping me from the man I came to fight.

If the defences he set up weren't fun to destroy in their own right I'd be fuming mad by now. I still find the lack of direct confrontation to be cowardly -and the feeling of my body melting from the radiation uncomfortable- but I can appreciate the effort behind it.

Not everyone can be as great as I am, so if they use 'intellectual' methods to try and bridge the gap in ability I can hardly blame them.

Though seriously, radiation is an annoying weapon and I'm still upset about that. The curses and poison I'm already used to countering due to my own training and playing with Shuten.

Having to experience a fresh form of cell destruction and repair it on the fly isn't an experience I want to go through again any time soon. Sure it isn't an aggressive magical effect so it was easy to adapt against but it was surprising.

I shake my head as I feel my fingers pierce through the other side of the door. Finally!

With a grunt, I fold the door back towards me until I can walk comfortably through the gap.

Cracking my neck, I lock eyes with the Fallen Angel from last time, going by David or some other equally fake name.

He has the same bored expression plastered on his face that he was wearing last time. Though at least this time I have his full attention instead of him staring at his computer.

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank you for preparing a warmup for me." I start the confrontation off with genuine praise, "It was an entertaining course of appetizers."

To punctuate my point, I lazily pick my teeth of any remaining Cerberus meat with the needle that was fired at me.

This finally cracks through his bored expression as he stares with… raw grief, of all things? I was expecting annoyance or mild anger at most but that works too, I guess.

I cough to get his attention again, "In light of that, I'll give you the first attack."

The needle returns to my pocket and I hold my arms out wide grinning, waiting to see what he does.

"How magnanimous," He says in a tone that disagrees with his words.

"Think of the vacation." He mutters under his breath. I still hear every word though and am left thoroughly confused.

"As my opening move then, I offer an ultimatum." David stands up from his desk and his wings stretch out behind him. "Give up the notion of fighting me and settle this with a formal contract or I will consign both of us to death in the Dimensional Gap."

I blink at the absurdity of that offer even as an elaborate magic circle spreads out on all surfaces of the office.

Where I could understand the most basic element of the summoning circle for the Cerberus', every single character in this magic circle is utterly alien. I couldn't even say for sure that this spell uses the Merlinian system at all, that's how far out of my depth the spell is.

From the look on the Fallen Angel's face though, he isn't bluffing.

"What makes you think I can't survive the Dimensional Gap?" I muse aloud, airing a thought that even I don't know the answer to.

He shakes his head and chuckles, "Even if you could, how would you return to this world? Could you find your way back before everyone you know withers in the cruel grasp of time?"

That brings my thoughts to a screeching halt.

Could I get back? Is it worth trying to satisfy my lust for battle if it ruins everything else?

I bite my lip in consternation.

I still want to call his bluff and I feel terrible about it.

Would he consign himself to that death just to assure I suffer alongside him?

"I can tell you're still thinking about it." He yawns, "I'd rather welcome death's fluffy embrace and the sweet eternal sleep than sweat my feathers off trying not to die fighting you."

With that statement, I realize the kind of person I'm dealing with.

Not a scheming mastermind who wishes to prove his superiority but someone for whom 'waking up on the wrong side of the bed' is simply waking up at all.

"...Let's talk then," I mutter defeatedly.

The words taste like sewage as they come out yet despite wanting to take them back immediately, I resign myself to this course of action.

"Excellent." He drawls, "I am Hashmal of the Grigori, and I've been tasked with presenting you the terms of the Black Feather Brigade's dissolution."

 I just grumpily slide into the seat on the other side of his desk and listen as he continues.

"Your Golden Dragons will receive all the assets of questionable legality that the Black Feather Brigade obtained in their period of activity. We've decided to step back from the criminal underworld as it were. Call it a change of heart or perhaps seeing the light." He chuckles at his own pun even as I grimace.

"What do you get for all of this?" I can't help but ask.

"How do I put this so you understand?" He questions idly, and I can tell he isn't purposefully making a verbal jab.

If anything that makes it sting more and I end up scowling at him.

"Kyoto is a strategically valuable location for us. While economically it was never a top earner, for intelligence gathering it is fairly important." My eyes narrow and I piece the situation together.

The Principal Clans, the West Yokai Faction, and even Amaterasu through Yasaka's position as High Priestess. They can monitor all of these forces due to their presence here in Kyoto.

'Fairly important', what a joke. This location must be one of the most important in the country of Japan.

For the first time since the beginning of this conversation, I smile.

"You really need to maintain your operations here, huh?" I tease as my smile widens further.

He pales at the certainty in my tone, "Father dammit."

Cackling at the shifting tides of this conversation, I press harder onto the weakness he has revealed. "If you're going to remain in my city, I think it's only right that you pay rent, no?"

"How much?" He sighs in resignation.

A cruel smile splits my expression as I take a moment to delight in his squirming.

Then I savour singing the magic words, "How much is it worth to you~?"

He puts his head in his hands and groans while I smugly bask in my victory.

I think I'll leave this building standing after all.