Note: this is a past chapter ( not filler, it's canon), it doesn't focus on the current timeline of the story, reading this chapter won't be mandatory for the understanding of the story, but I would recommend this chapter for a more preferable experience, the choice is yours.
"Know thy self, know thy enemy."
"A thousand battles, a thousand victories." - Sun Tzu
8 Years Ago, Within The UN's Headquarters' Parking Lot…
Elias then strikes the air with all his might, releasing a shockwave of force.
That shockwave completely cut Alastor's right side, all the way from his right shoulder, till the end of his fingertips.
Along with Alastor's lost limb, the UN's headquarters was also cut in half…perfectly.
The cut was filled with brute force and strength, yet it was so intricate.
That is the art of the Rapier.
Alastor suddenly collapses onto the ground and starts screaming in excruciating pain.
"Hey, you've dropped your blade", Elias says as he stares Alastor down, "I personally think that a person can't lose if he's still holding onto his sword or weapon, not to mention, you aren't dead, so pick it up…it's not over".
"Cut the bullshit!", Alastor says as he clinches his fist as he's still on the ground, "I never asked you to be my therapist!".
Alastor then slowly gets back up, barely holding onto his consciousness.
Alastor picks his blade back up and breaks it in half with his knee.
Due to his weapon's overall mechanics, it's able to transform according to its user's needs or state of mind, and in this particular situation, his blade shall take a new form!
The broken fragments of his blade then start to shape shift like a semisolid substance, taking the form of two pistols.
"Don't take me lightly, YOU IMPUDENT MORTAL!", Alastor yells as he fires his firearms towards Elias.
"Your bullets are lifeless, weak ,and slow", Elias says as he effortlessly dodges the bullets, "do you understand the reason behind your sudden weakness?".
Alastor disregards Elias' unexpected inquiry and sprints towards him, ignoring all the consequences that could occur to his frail body, but while the raging bull runs, he must also eventually stop.
Alastor collapses once again, head-first onto the parking lot's asphalt and says, "heh…what an anticlimactic ending", "I've lost, haven't I?".
An uneasy sensation stumbles upon Alastor's consciousness.
It was the sensation of hopelessness and fear.
"I've sworn myself to power beyond my comprehension to finally be one of them, but I somehow got the wrong end of the stick", Alastor says.
"It's not too late to come to your senses, join us", Elias says.
Suddenly, an arrow made up of compounds of Dark Matter pierces Elias' right pectoral muscle, but it wasn't too deep, meaning that it missed his lungs, avoiding anymore fatal damage.
Elias was then able to figure out where the arrow came from due to the arrow's previous trajectory.
It came from what remained of the UN's Headquarters, meaning that it had to have been none other than Lilitu.
Due to the shockwave that had previously occurred, Lilitu had already received some hefty damage to his body, meaning that that arrow was his very last.
"Forgive me, Alastor", Lilitu says as his debilitated body causes him to drop his Dark Matter bow,"I did what I could, but that arrow was my last, so complete what is unfinished".
Lilitu then collapses onto the ground, finally reaching his inevitable fate.
While Elias was blinded by his pain, he finally gets back up to see that Alastor isn't on the ground anymore, he's nowhere around him .
Elias had already removed the arrow from his pectoral muscle.
Unexpectedly, a bullet approaches Elias from behind, but he manages to cut it in half with his Rapier.
"It almost seems like you just emerged from the shadows, it gives off some eerie vibes, doesn't it?", Elias says as he turns towards Alastor who just appeared behind him.
"You view yourself like you're the hero of your story, but you're just as evil and cunning as the worst of us!", Alastor shouts.
The night sky has fallen and the rain has started pouring.
"You ignored my previous question", Elias says, "do you understand the reason behind your sudden weakness?".
Alastor then dashes forward, aiming both of his pistols directly towards Elias.
Bullets are fired, with each subsequent one being shot at a higher velocity than the preceding ones.
Elias then breaks the bullets into minuscule fragments by striking the tip of each bullet with the point of his Rapier.
Apparently, Alastor had shot those bullets to divert Elias' attention away from his physical presence.
Alastor then suddenly appears behind Elias, but now the pistols have shape shifted into his blade once again.
As soon as Alastor lifts his arm to swing his blade, Elias swiftly punctures him before any sort of damage is done to him.
While the Rapier is still within Alastor's body, Elias approaches Alastors' ear and whispers, "don't underestimate me with those cheap tricks of yours, I am the Vice President of the Devil Hunting Organization…I am Captain Elias Katz!".
Elias then removes the Rapier from Alastors' chest.
Why?
Why is it that those who are weak must fall to those who are strong?
Is it completely based on physical strengths and weaknesses?
Is it completely based on one's mentality or state of mind?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
It's instinct and your ability to cope with loss, to rebuild and to restructure after your losses.
That's what distinguishes the strong from the weak, and this ideology is quite glaring, especially within this specific case.
Alastor collapses onto his knees and says, "that Rapier…isn't normal, is it?".
"It never was, you've failed to realize that since the beginning of our battle", Elias says, "this Rapier is infused with my Devil Ability, 'Who Shall Not Be Named', and it led to your defeat because you let loose of your mind's overall stability".
'Who Shall Not Be Named' is a Devil Ability where each time the user's opponent is pierced by his or her weapon, the opponent is diagnosed with a certain disease or disorder, but that disorder or disease is based on the user's name and the letters that make up the name, but also it's based on the chronological order of each stab.
Elias or E-L-I-A-S, has 5 letters, each time his opponent is stabbed, the opponent is diagnosed with a new disease or disorder, but since E is the first letter, after the first stabbing, the opponent would be diagnosed with a disease or disorder that starts with E.
Once the user's name is complete, the subsequent stab would cause an inevitable or an immediate death.
Elias had stabbed Alastor twice, meaning that Alastor had suffered of two diseases without even noticing.
That is the reasoning behind his sudden weakness.
( The shockwave produced at the beginning of the battle didn't have any direct contact with Alastor's body, so it doesn't count )
Even the heroes of a story could be cunning.
"Y'know, I've got something to tell you, Captain Elias", Alastor says.
"Go ahead", Elias says.
"I really despise the dark", Alastor says, "no matter what I do, even when I try to hide, it always finds me once again….".