When night falls, the town becomes quiet as people are too afraid to leave their home after the discovery of a homicide case about the mysteriously missing victims in the warehouse fire.
This is perfect for Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri. They make use of the lack of people wandering outside at night to do a full check on the town to flush out the Stray Devils. However, they aren't the only ones with the same thoughts.
Leo who scouted and confirmed the locations of several Stray Devils went on an excursion with Mittelt who insisted to tag along and Ophis which he might as well bring since no one will be looking after her and better if Leo keep her in sight.
———
"That's the second one for tonight." Leo cleaned the blood sticking on his Saw Cleaver while Mittelt use her light spear to dig the corpse for Evil Piece before she presented it to Leo like an excited child playing a game.
"Thanks." Leo said and gave her outstretched head a pat and rub.
"Hehehe… Let's go hunt more, Leo." Mittelt giggled happily and excitedly offered to continue hunting to earn more praise from Leo. Leo agrees and they continue to the next location.
The hunt had been very easy especially when Mittelt's Light Spear and Holy Power was very effective against Stray Devils. It's too effective that Leo felt like an idiot to use Lightning Power instead of Holy Power. But Leo later figures out why not use both which is more potent than using either one.
———
Meanwhile with Rias.
"Another one killed."
"Buchou! Akeno! You have to see this!" Issei called when Kiba finished inspecting the corpse of the Stray Devil.
The hole on the heart is the most obvious with its Evil Piece dugged out. But what Kiba wants to focus on isn't that but several wounds that littered the corpse. Scorch marks and scars that indicate Lightning Power were inflicted but that also isn't what is important. What's important is the fact the lightning scorch mark also has an obvious trace of Holy Power which made Rias instantly look at Akeno.
Only Rias and Akeno knew the significance of this injury. Akeno immediately became upset after learning this.
"It's Holy Lightning… But how?! It should be impossible. Unless…" Akeno's eyes become chilled like the artic instantly.
The only other answer other than her or Baraqiel caused this is someone other than her inherited her father's power and the significance of that means her father forgot about her mother and seeing another woman and having another child other than her. Her contempt for her father increased another degree.
Baraqiel somewhere felt a chill down his spine not knowing why or what happened.
"What should we do now, Buchou?" Kiba asked as Issei and him moved away from the Stray Devils corpse meanwhile Koneko seems to be oddly too interested in it.
"I will contact Sona first and share the leads we got." Rias replied and quickly used her communication magic to talk with Sona.
Meanwhile Issei frowned and didn't understand why Rias and Sona were bothered about this mission.
"What is it, Issei?" Akeno noticed his expression and asked with a curious smile.
"Why are Buchou and Kaichou bothered with someone killing the Stray Devils? Isn't it better for us because it's lower their population and less humans become their victims." Issei asked innocently.
"I am interested too." Asia joined with Issei asking Akeno who was helpless and didn't know how to reply without making them see the Devil race in a bad light.
"Hmn…" Akeno pondering and pondering. But she couldn't find one and gave up. "It's a matter of politics and it's difficult to really explain. But in short, if Buchou and Sona were to be found incompetent to govern Kuoh Town, their right might be retracted back by the Youkai Faction."
"What! That's really bad!" Issei instantly panicked and imagined he would be forced to leave behind his friends and family and live in the Underworld with Rias.
Akeno thanked Satan, Issei and Asia are quite simple minded and gullible to be tricked that easily.
After all, the source of all this problem is because Rias procrastinates her duty and responsibility to indulge her hobby at the sacrifice of human life. She doesn't even fulfill her role properly as governor and the human that died didn't even bother her since they are of no importance and just toys for them with the exception of Issei's parents that have their importance elevated due to Issei having Boosted Gear and her Peerage member.
———
Somewhere deep in the woods around Kuoh Town, the sound of weapons clashing and surroundings being devastated can be heard. Fire had spread everywhere and causing a forest fire while two individuals inside were fighting relentlessly despite the choking smoke and boiling hot temperature within it.
Leo looks unusually serious unlike his previous two battles with these Stray Devils.
"Taste my Sacred Gear, Hellfire Sword!" The half human half wolf Stray Devil swung his Sacred Gear that looks like a saber coated with deep orange flame which distorts the air with its sheer heat.
Leo grimaced at the incoming attack. Dodging is difficult because of the trees. Blocking is not possible because the fire can be freely manipulated to attack him.
Leo backstepped and quickly aimed his flintlock pistol on the Stray Devil's face before pulling the trigger without hesitation. His opponent raised his blade and blocked the bullet.
Clicking his tongue, Leo knows he cannot keep this going any longer. Not just because of the fire but also the Devil Heiresses will soon arrive.
"I have to finish this quickly." Leo whispers to himself and coats his weapons with Lightning and follows with Holy Power.
"You have Holy Power! Impossible! Humans can never use Holy Power! Only the Angels could!" The Stray Devil was caught by surprise and panicked when Leo suddenly swung his cleaver coated with Holy Lightning at him.
*Clang!*
Brutal sound of metal clashing against metal as spark intensified but overshadowed by the Holy Lightning and Hellfire fighting over supremacy. The Stray Devil were physically stronger and pushed Leo's Saw Cleaver back. But Leo suddenly pulled out his Hunter Pistol and aimed it at the Stray Devil.
*Bang!* *Thum*
The bullet hit the Stray Devil and its magical property temporarily stunned the Stray Devil for a few seconds. Leo quickly abandoned his Saw Cleaver for a moment and quickly approached the Stray Devil before driving his entire arm into his enemy's gut and then he ripped out whatever he could grasp.
"GAHH!" The Stray Devil howled in pain.
What Leo just performed is a visceral attack, an attack that involves staggering or basically stunning the opponent before sinking his arm into its soft abdomen to rip out its internal organs.
Staining his arm with his enemy's blood, Leo can feel his mind start to become clouded. He can hear a low growl coming from himself, the beast within him starting to stir awake from the scent of the blood.
"Leo? Are you alright?" Mittelt and Ophis came out of hiding once Leo dealt with the Stray Devil.
Leo wasn't responding, his eyes were in a daze as if he were looking at something invisible. He was watching the memories of the Stray Devil, the strong and important memories carried within the Blood Echoes he just absorbed.
(Okay. Previously, I forgot to add this memory viewing thing which is supposed to happen when a Hunter absorbs Blood Echoes. It's in the lore and an explanation why Hunter can go from nobody to god killer. They absorb memories that contain fighting style, skills, etc.)
"Leo?" Mittelt sprouted her wings and flew to Leo's eyes level before checking him with concern.
Mittelt spread open his eyes socket, checking his temperature and everything. But Leo isn't responding as his eyes dart everywhere as if he is in deep sleep while murmuring weird things.
"Don't disturb… He is becoming stronger." Ophis suddenly interrupts Mittelt when she is about to resort to more extreme ways to wake Leo up.
"He is getting stronger?" Mittelt is confused and asks Ophis.
Ophis nods and points at Leo. Mittelt was doubtful and looked at Leo. When she observed carefully, she noticed his body had indeed become more toned, his height increased slightly and his shoulder became broader His previously adolescent appearance became more manly. His loose clothes become tight and hugging his lean but muscular body.
Mittelt felt the heat grow within her lower body like an ember slowly becoming a blazing fire when she is looking at Leo's new appearance. A feeling she promised herself to never indulge in when she meets Leo who she thinks is her Father, the deceased Biblical God.
'If it's Father, it should be alright, right?' Mittelt asked herself.
Angels are forbidden to love fellow angels and humans romantically or they will become Fallen. But if it's their creator himself? It should be alright, right? They are his creation, it's normal to have such feelings, Mittelt rationalizes in her mind.
After three minutes, Leo snapped out of his daze and saw the two in front of him. Ophis looked expressionless as usual but Mittelt were blushing and bashfully looking at him while her thighs were rubbing against each other.
"Mittelt? Are you alright?" Leo asked with concern. He touched her forehead thinking she probably caught a cold or something.
"Fwah! Ah! N-Nothing." She flustered and hyperventilating for a moment. She quickly thinks of something to divert Leo's attention. "Ah, right. Let's quickly take the Evil Piece and leave before the Devil arrives."
Leo nods and moves towards the dead Stray Devil but his eyes still linger on Mittelt with concern.
"The Evil Piece usually is in the center of the chest." Mittelt added.
Leo then followed the instructions and cut open the corpse with his cleaver and found a chess piece made of emerald green clear crystal.
"A knight piece." Mittelt says once she saw the Evil Piece.
Leo put it into his inventory before he told everyone to move but before they could, a voice came from behind the treelines and stopped his group from leaving.
"I am Sona Sitri, the governor of this town assigned by the Maou Satans and the Council of Elders. I would appreciate it if you stay still for a moment or else, I have to keep you here by force." A voice spoke with an authoritative tone ordered Leo and the others to stay put.
Then, a figure of a girl emerged from within the trees and walked out with a group of ladies and a boy.
"Good evening." Sona Sitri greeted while her eyes scanned over the three.
"Good evening too." Leo responded with courtesy.
"May I ask why am I being stopped?" Leo asked while he saw the other group were tense as if they were prepared to fight. Definitely not here just to talk.
Sona at first frowned but after a few seconds of silence, she nodded. "Yes. I believe that you are charged for illegally trespassing my territory and working with a wanted criminal." Sona said when she turned her gaze to Mittelt.
"Trespassing?" Leo acts oblivious and appears shocked by the accusations. "Isn't this a neutral ground?"
"Yes. It's a neutral ground but it belongs to the Devil race and we do not allow members of other factions to enter without permission." Sona responded.
"I see. Forgive me, but I only became aware of the supernatural world for a short while and still unaware of such a rule that human territory was owned by the Devils." Leo said with a slight mocking tone at her claims on Kuoh Town.
A small frown appears on Sona's face.
"What are you trying to imply?" Her voice became stern and the tension between them was getting higher.
"Exactly as it is. Since when do the Devil have the right to claim human territory?"
Leo was angry of course at the Devil. Because of their Peerage system and their greed, they created Stray Devil which prey on innocent humans. They created this mess and they turn blind eyes on this matter yet they dare to claim they own this town.
If Leo were the one from before, he would ignore such matter and turn a blind eye on it. But since he entered the Hunter's Dream, he saw the horror in Yharnam and he saw the parallel of it with Kuoh Town. Humans turn into beasts because of the greed of the Healing Church. Humans turn into monsters because of the greed of the Devil. The innocent humans caught within it were helpless.
How many people have lost a family member, a friend and a lover because of the Stray Devil?
It's uncountable! He saw a large pile of corpses when fighting the Arachne Stray Devil and this one he recently killed, he found a large pile of corpses too.
Leo took the Hunter's Oath. He is a warrior who took an oath to defend the innocent, to slay the beast and anything that threatens the life of the innocent. He cannot sit still looking at these Devil treating humans as nothing but replaceable toys.
"This is a right given to me by the Maou Satans and the Council of Elders." She repeated the exact words she spoke earlier.
"And what right do they have to decide?"
"What right?" Sona asked. "This is an agreement made by the Youkai and Shinto faction with the Devil race." She explained patiently despite not needing to.
"Youkai? Shinto?" Leo laughed at the answer. "All I heard is nothing but nonsense. Do they have the right to represent the humans living in this town? Do they ask the residents of Kuoh Town if they want to be governed by Devils like you?"
"I think the answer is obvious." Leo shut his eyes and stepped aside to show the pile of corpses and skeletons in the Stray Devils lair.
Sona fell silent as she saw the pile of corpses and skeletons. Indeed, if she made a public vote to the residents of this city after they learned about this, no one would agree. However, that's if she were going to do a vote.
"So what? This is an agreement agreed by both sides and you, a nobody has no right to speak of this. Especially someone who is colluding with a criminal." Sona said her ultimatum which can be translated as I don't give a fuck. "Anyway, surrender or we will apprehend you by force."
Sona's peerage instantly becomes battle ready when they receive the words from Sona.
"You want to arrest me?" Leo asked as if he just heard something ridiculous and laughed.
"You! How dare you disrespect Kaichou! I had enough of this!" A boy with blond hair angrily stepped forward and manifested his Sacred Gear before shooting a line at Leo.
"Leo!" Mittelt quickly created a Light Spear and blocked the line for Leo.
"You want to arrest me?" Leo said after he stopped laughing. "Not even the Maou would dare!" Leo releases his bloodlust which causes Sona and her Peerage to recoil from shock and fear.
"Sona!" Rias that just arrived, screamed
"Kaichou!" Sona's and Rias' peerage panicked when Leo suddenly vanished and reappeared with his weapon already swinging towards her neck.
—————
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