Heather followed me up the long shrine stairs towards our destination. "Layla…are all your adventures like this? This just feels like we've been doing a bunch of fetch quests back to back," Heather lamented. "And now we're walking up a staircase taller than any we had at Hogwarts…" She added. Her voice laced with irritation.
I sighed. "They're not usually this boring. The problem is we came here with almost no intel. That was on me. I should have asked Lady Death about this universe before just coming here."
"What? Were you too distracted by her tits or something?" Heather asked while giggling.
"You're too young to ask questions like that! …And yes, I was!" Heather and I both laughed. The two of us continued to climb the unnecessarily long staircase.
I explained to Heather that we couldn't fly directly up there because there was a tricky barrier preventing that. Yokai shrines could only be accessed from the front entrance. Attempting to enter any other way will result in you just finding a deserted empty shrine…
"I smell blood…" Heather said as we made it to the top. It was unfortunately a smell she had become intimately familiar with throughout her life. "This–this is horrible!" Heather exclaimed. The shrine grounds were littered with Yokai bodies!
I could also see the bodies of exorcists scattered around as well. A battle had just occurred here recently.
Very recently. The blood on the ground wasn't dried yet.
BOOM!
A pillar of Blue Fox Fire, that I recognized, went up on the other side of the shrine building. "Come on!" I grabbed hold of Heather and took to the air. I flew over the Ancient Japanese building with Heather in my arms.
Heather had gotten quieter and was calmly taking in the gruesome sights below. "The Ancient One warned me that I would see terrible things in the future if I agreed to become her apprentice," Heather said. "The supernatural is dangerous, she said…" Heather trailed off.
"Do you regret accepting her offer? You can still back out? You can be just a regular girl, you know. I can send you home right now," I offered.
Heather shook her head. I love magic! I wouldn't give it up for anything. I also wanted to start helping people myself. Otherwise, what have all of my months of training been for?" She said. "No! This guy killed all these Yokai for what reason!? Let me try and fight him first!"
I nodded. "If you're sure…"
…
"Hahahaha! Filthy Yokai scum! You're the last one left!" A young man's voice shouted out. He was Japanese but wearing an exorcist uniform. He had a red gauntlet over his left arm. It was drenched in blood.
"Damn you, Red Dragon! I will have revenge! Even if I die! I will curse you for the atrocities you've committed!" The fox girl, currently facing Issei Hyoudou, spat out angrily. She had tears in her eyes as she lobbed balls of blue fire towards Issei. He was able to dodge all of them before they exploded with the force of grenades.
I noticed that this version of Kunou wasn't a child. She looked older. She looked to be around the same age as Heather, give or take a year. I could see that Kunou was heavily wounded. She had gash marks raked across her form that matched the bloody gauntlet Issei had. Kunou seemed to be on her last legs and was swaying back and forth–probably from blood loss.
"Die!" Issei screamed and charged forwards. His left hand reared back, preparing to deliver the final blow.
I quickly conjured a Lightspear and hurled it directly in front of his path. He was so distracted with Kunou that I could have taken his head off, but unfortunately, I needed him alive for now. Heather also claimed she wanted to face him.
Issei saw the purple spear slam into the ground in front of him, and his eyes widened in shock! He quickly jumped backward and looked around. His eyes landed on me, who was hovering in the air nearby with Heather in my arms.
I descended towards the ground.
"Angel-sama! Why are you stopping me from killing this beast!?" Issei asked when he saw my wings. "We've almost completely cleaned my homeland of them! She's the last one!"
I cringed at hearing that. Kunou was the last living Yokai?
Heather hopped out of my arms and glared at Issei. "How could you do this!? How could you murder a whole race!?"
Issei looked Heather over. "I can tell that you're a human and have even had the blessings of the Angels like me! Why do you care about these pagan abominations? The only beings who should inhabit this Earth are God, his Angels, and we humans! Everyone else should be eradicated! With this, I'm one step closer to cleansing this barbaric country!" Issei said as he spread his arms wide and smiled at all the Yokai bodies scattered around.
"Isn't this your home country?" Heather asked.
Issei scowled at the reminder. "I was born here, but thankfully my friend Irina and her family rescued me from my wicked pagan parents! They took me in so I could be properly raised by the church!"
[So basically, the church found out about his Sacred Gear and abducted him as a child to turn into their killing machine...]
'That sounds about right.' I agreed with the system. This Issei had been brainwashed since a young age and had probably committed uncountable atrocities.
I didn't know if Heather came to the same conclusion, but the girl pulled out her wand and started casting spells at Issei. He ducked out of the way of some of them, and others splashed harmlessly against his gauntlet.
"Fine then, traitor to humanity! You can die too!"
{BOOST!}
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