Chapter 55 - Disguise

My heart raced when I saw this portal. The figure emerging from the magical portal was an old woman, hunched over by the weight of years. However, her eyes sparkled with a vitality that didn't match her frail appearance.

She was dressed in formal attire, as if she had just left a ball. As she took her first steps, the wood of the floor creaked under her feet. But then something began to change. With each step she took, her figure changed. Her thinning gray hair began to darken, becoming a cascade of glossy black strands. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out until they disappeared completely, revealing pale, flawless skin. Her eyes became more penetrating, an intense yellow that seemed to burn with new fire. Two cat ears protruded from her hair, perking up with attention.

The formal clothes hugged her body, forming a black kimono-like an outfit that exudes elegance.

It was then that I realized that something was wrong, for I recognized her immediately. It was Kuroka Toujou.

The initial shock almost paralyzed me. What was Kuroka doing here? Wasn't it too early for me to meet her? Did the Vali team act earlier because I killed Phenex?

'I knew that my action would have consequences, but I didn't imagine that it would mean attracting the Vali Luficer and thus the Albion right now.' I thought.

I remained silent and peered through the crack in the door as Kuroka completely transformed before my eyes. The portal behind her disappeared as the light of the magic circle faded.

She took a few steps forward, examining her surroundings with her alert eyes. I retreated further into the shadows, trying to make my presence as insignificant as possible, knowing that Kuroka knew senjutsu and could somehow detect me.

Kuroka let out a sigh of relief and started talking to herself:

"It was hard to spend hours talking about books just to get that magic portal circle in place," she said with a note of exasperation in her voice. "But it was worth it. These people don't even know what's going on under their noses."

I remained motionless, holding my breath to avoid being discovered. The mention of books reminded me of the book club party the Tanakas were having. That meant Kuroka had infiltrated that party, hiding behind the facade of a harmless guest, which explained the way she looked a few seconds ago. Her cunning was impressive.

The room was completely silent in the early morning hours, only the occasional sound of the wooden floor creaking under Kuroka's careful footsteps.

The atmosphere was tense for me, almost palpable as I struggled to remain invisible in the darkness.

Kuroka walked slowly, examining every detail of her surroundings.

'I have to be careful.' I thought, keeping my breathing as easy as possible. There was no room for mistakes.

She stopped in front of a double wooden door carved with various details. It looked like the entrance to an important room. Without hesitation, she pushed the door open, revealing an immaculate room with glass cases displaying even more priceless artifacts than those in the main hall.

Kuroka entered the room with the grace of a panther, her eyes quickly scanning the room before settling on one of the display cases.

What was she looking for? What could be so important to justify such an act? Was she doing this for the Vali team or was she doing it on her own?

Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she found what she was looking for: a small necklace-like amulet with precious stones.

'Ah, so that's what she wants.'

Kuroka raised one of her hands and her nails lengthened, sharp as blades. With surgical precision, she began to cut the glass of the shop window, delicately tracing a circle. The sound was barely audible, a slight scratch. The perfect circle she had cut shone briefly before it was permanently loose, and Kuroka carefully removed it, placing it on the niche without a sound.

She reached through the hole she had made in the glass and her fingers were about to touch the amulet. Then I moved quickly, stepped out of the shadows and wrapped my left hand tightly around her neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, holding her neck.

She didn't answer right away. Her hand, on the verge of touching the amulet, hesitated before slowly pulling back. Kuroka didn't look scared, just curious and maybe a little annoyed.

"Who are you? I don't recognize your scent. You're not one of the humans here, and you're certainly no ordinary devil."

"That doesn't matter now. What matters is what you're doing here, Kuroka Toujou. You know that this city is Gremory territory, right?"

She raised an eyebrow, a small, enigmatic smile forming on her lips. "Oh, you know me? That makes things more interesting." Kuroka tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. "But I ask again, who are you? You don't look like one of Rias Gremory's pieces to me. She's the one doing the devil's work in this town, isn't she?"

"You don't care who I am."

"Hmm. I can see you're a hard nut to crack, but do you think brute force alone is enough to hold me?"

I squeezed her neck a little tighter, feeling her muscles contract under my fingers. "Try something and see what happens."

She was silent for a moment, just studying me. Then a slow smile formed on her lips. "You're interesting, only I couldn't be less intimidated."

Suddenly, I felt an intense pressure against my hand, as if something was holding back my strength. It was her Touki, a life force that made her stronger than usual. Before I could react, Kuroka moved with impressive speed, twisting and slipping out of my grip.

Her feet landed softly on the ground after a frighteningly fast leap, while a white aura pulsed around her. "Did you really think you could trap me like that? What would you do next? Call the police? What a naive devil." Kuroka flexed her fingers, and I realized how serious this was going to get. "Now get out of my way so you don't get hurt. The artifact on your side is all I want."

I raised my boosted hand and felt the familiar energy wrap around my arm. "Don't underestimate what I can do. I won't let you walk out of here with that amulet."

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NEXT CHAPTERS:

Chapter 56 - Kuroka

Chapter 57 - Jealousy

Chapter 58 - Legs Relaxed (R-18)

Chapter 59 - Abandoned Factory

Chapter 60 - The Two Female Exorcists

Chapter 61 - Project Excalibur

Chapter 62 - Surprise from Asia (R-18)

Chapter 63 - A nun with no regrets (R-18)

Chapter 64 - The Servant and the Master (R-18)

Chapter 65 - Rias Gremory's Bottom Lips

Chapter 66 - Search Plan