Chapter 234: Dead Snakes Shouldn't Act Up
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The heavy air in the Occult Research Club room from earlier was gone as if my presence alone brought relief to the atmosphere. They knew things hadn't quite ended and that more enemies could come at any time now, but with me walking in, those worries seemed pointless.
I scanned the room, noting the familiar faces. Kiba gave me a nod of respect, and I returned it with a brief one of my own before my eyes landed on Koneko, who was off to the side, standing relaxed. My [Jade Perception] had noticed her earlier, when the fight was still going on. Back then she was acting as if she expected something to break through at any second. Even her body language was tense and ready for a fight. Now, she slouched on the couch and sighed.
It felt nice seeing so many people relax at my sight. Not everyone, though. My head turned to the side. What's this? Even right now, there was a source of tension coming from the corner of the room.
Saji sat there, trembling like he was about to explode at any second. His hand was gripping his chest so tightly that I wouldn't be surprised if his fingers punched through his ribcage.
Sweat dripped down his face, his breathing was ragged, and there was this dark aura swirling around him. I could feel the energy radiating off of him, it was quite wild and dangerous. Familiar, though.
"The Black Dragon King, Vritra," I muttered, my eyes narrowing. My words made everyone turn to Saji. The two peerage groups were chatting among themselves, with Akeno thanking Sona, when I spoke. "It's reacting."
Everyone turned to them. Koneko's cautiousness returned immediately and she stepped toward him. "Saji… are you alright?"
"Koneko, step back," I yanked her back with a Sage's natural telekinetic control over the world. It was useless to reach out to him now.
His pupils were blown wide, and a low growl rumbled out of his throat. His body was shaking harder, barely containing whatever was surging through him.
"...Saji, answer me." Sona's voice was sharp and commanding, but even she couldn't break through whatever had a grip on him. "Saji, are you in there?!"
He wasn't. The guy was too far gone, lost to the power that was clearly building up inside of him.
I stepped forward in front of everyone, knowing what was to come.
A guttural, inhuman sound ripped from Saji's throat as he got to his feet, unsteady but powerful. His eyes burned with a dangerous red glow, and the temperature in the room dropped as the dark energy around him intensified.
His Sacred Gear—[Absorption Line]—came to life, the tendrils snaking out from both his hands like they had a mind of their own, hungry and writhing.
"You…" His voice was low and filled with rage. He sounded too deep for a human, and his bloodshot eyes locked onto me, full of fury. "You killed them… You killed them all…"
I raised an eyebrow, not moving from my spot against the wall. "The black dragons you're talking about, I assume?" My tone was flat. "I apologize, but I had no other choice." The strength I had absorbed from them was useful, it had made the battles in Pangeal much, much easier.
Unfortunately, I knew my words wouldn't help the situation. His body tensed, he blinked, and then he growled as the black tendrils lashed out toward me in a blur of movement. They were fast, I'd give him that. But not fast enough.
My hand shot up, catching the dark energy mid-air, the lines writhing in my grip. The room was silent for a moment as I looked down at the struggling tendrils in my hand. Then, with a simple squeeze of Dark Solar Qi, I shattered them into nothing.
And yet, instead of calming down, Saji winced in pain and the aura around him flared again, more violent than before. Vritra was raging inside him, trying to tear through the boy's body to get to me.
"You killed them…" The possessed Saji repeated, his voice trembling with fury. "The black dragons… you slaughtered them when they did nothing to you!"
"Get over it, man," I replied calmly. I had no reason to justify myself, I knew what I did. "Or if you think you can do something about it, go ahead. Try."
Saji let out a roar of fury, his Sacred Gear fully unleashed as he charged at me.
His body was a blur of dark energy, claws, fangs, and black tendrils all swirling around him. The force behind his attacks had increased tenfold, as he grew wild and desperate. But it didn't matter. I didn't move. Every swing, every slash, I dodged with ease, like he was moving in slow motion.
Because he was. Compared to my senses, he was like a snail. This man needed to choose his opponents better. My eyes tracked his movements, unimpressed. His strikes had no control, just raw anger driving him forward.
It was obvious to everyone in the room—Saji was no match for me. But he didn't stop. So I decided to stop him myself.
"Enough." My voice cut through the chaos, and in an instant, I moved.
One moment Saji was attacking, the next, I was behind him, my hand resting on the back of his neck. There was no force, no spectacle—just a simple touch. His body went limp in an instant. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious before he even hit the ground.
The dark energy that had filled the room faded, leaving only the sound of Saji's ragged breathing. The Sacred Gear vanished from his forearms, revealing flesh that looked like it was put through a chainsaw, bleeding and wounded—it looked grotesque.
I straightened up, brushing off my hands like I'd just swatted a fly. Weak. As I was about to take a step back, Koneko rushed to Saji's side, her hands trembling slightly as she knelt beside him. "Please… don't hurt him too much," she said and I blinked. Her voice was soft, almost pleading. "He didn't mean it. He's still part of the peerage…"
I glanced down at her, holding back a frown. "I am not going to kill him, he was being possessed by the dragon inside him." My tone was calm, but there was a hint of irritation. "He'll live."
Koneko let out a breath, relief flooding her features as she gently cradled Saji's head. "Thank you." I felt a little annoyed, but I ignored it. She saw him as a family member, it made sense.
With Saji out cold, the room finally settled since the dark energy was gone. I turned my gaze to Sona, who had been watching everything unfold in silence, her face pale with shock.
"Let's quit wasting any further time," I said, "What did you want to talk about, and what's the situation with these recent attacks?"
Sona blinked, snapping out of her daze. "Yes… thank you again." She sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Let's sit down first before we start."
****
Akeno took a seat near the back, her usual teasing expression still nowhere to be seen. We haven't known each other for long, but this girl was never that great at hiding things when it came to me. She was frustrated that Saji dared to attack me, and had no idea how to make amends with me. She was worrying too much.
Sona sat ahead, and I took my place opposite her at the large table in the center. I leaned back, crossing my arms, my gaze sweeping over the room once more. Everyone was on edge, even if they didn't show it outright.
She looked at Akeno and seeing the girl's expression she sighed, realizing that all talk was on her shoulders. "As you've seen, the attacks are dangerous. And they've become more frequent," she began. "Our barrier has been breached multiple times, and we're constantly on the defensive. We need to secure the area around Kuoh Academy."
I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Do you have any information on who is responsible for these attacks?" Although I spoke calmly, a hint of annoyance was present. It annoyed me that some random group was targeting my friends, my Sect as Rias' peerage was part of my responsibility.
Sona shook her head, her voice filled with frustration. "No idea. We've tried tracking the mercenaries, but they're always from different factions. Someone is hiring them, but we don't know who. All we know is they've been after Gasper, and now they're growing bolder."
My gaze drifted over to Gasper, who was sitting in one dark corner of the room instead of on the table, trembling like a leaf. The sight of him made me pause for a second. He seemed oddly… familiar. I guess it was common to feel that way, one time-stopping vampire to another.
"...I'll take care of it," I turned back to Sona, who blinked as her expression brightened.
"Really?"
"Yes. I should start by roaming the area. My divine presence is powerful, and I guess I do have fame to back it up too," I killed Thor and messed up half of Vedas overnight. I didn't talk about this before, but I was quite the celebrity in the supernatural side of the world, with fan pages and stuff. "If any mercenary is lurking in Kuoh, they would likely drop this job and flee. And any unrelated supernatural troublemaker should leave Kuoh from my presence too. And if they don't, I'm always here to cut their lives short."
I had plans regarding the changes around the world, regarding Quetzalcoatl. But first I had to take care of all these small details so that they wouldn't grow bigger.
The room fell silent again, and I could feel the weight of my words settle over them. They didn't doubt the effect of my words, Sona already looked as if the storm had passed, and Akeno too looked lighter.
Then, a voice broke the quiet. "I'll go with you."
I turned my head toward the sound, raising an eyebrow as I saw Koneko standing there, her golden eyes locked onto me. Her voice had not been a suggestion, but a declaration. She always talked like that.
"You want to come with me?" I asked.
Koneko nodded, her expression as hard as ever. "You shouldn't go alone. You have enemies too, and they're stronger than ours. I wanna go with you."
I couldn't help but let out a sigh, my gaze softening as I considered her offer. I knew she meant well, but if it was as she said if one of my enemies truly came to find me, she'd only be a liability. I appreciated the concern, but I didn't want to drag her into something that could get messy.
"I'll be fine alone, Koneko," I said, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "You don't need to worry."
"I want to go," she pressed, her tone unwavering. "I can help."
I shook my head. "No. Stay here and rest. Look after the peerage. I'll handle it." Koneko's brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't argue. She didn't look pleased either, however.
"...Come here," I said, and she walked over. I looked into her eyes, and when I did nothing for a few seconds, she closed her eyes. She somehow knew what I was about to do.
The [White Tiger] Icon formed overhead, and Metamorphosis Transformation took over me, changing me into a tall, powerful hybrid tiger. I leaned over and captured her lips—like last time, direct contact like this was the best way to share memories.
I ignored the gasps of the people around me, even those who had seen us do it last time, as I carefully cherry-picked some techniques she could use. I didn't want to repeat a scene like last time by showing her memories she shouldn't know about, so I remained extra careful as I poured the information inside her head.
My Tiger Icon helped resonate the techniques into her so that she could use it as if she was very experienced using it. Last time I only gave her one technique, but this time I decided to drop a dozen. She'll manage.
The kiss ended soon, and she gasped, looking into my eyes with a hazy look as she almost jumped back into the kiss. When I straightened up, she looked disappointed and wiped her lips. "...Can I go with you now?"
"You can't," I yanked Tsubaki's tie and wiped my lips, making her blink. "Train on these powers. They'll help you protect your friends better."
"...Oh." She blinked and didn't entirely look disappointed. She would love to protect her family, and her peerage, if all she had to do was train on these skills.
Before I could say anything else, however, Tsubaki leaned forward. She had been sitting beside me, and now she put her face right in front of mine. Her expression was serious as she spoke up. "If you're going, let me come with you."
I sighed. "No?"
Tsubaki cleared her throat, her hands clasped in front of her. "I know the city well, and its supernatural spots, since I grew up in the Byakko Household. I'm quite powerful, too. As Sona's Queen, it's my responsibility to protect Kuoh Academy, and besides… I owe you for saving me earlier."
"Hey, if you wanna go as Sona's Queen, why can't I?" Akeno chimed in.
"You have to look after the Peerage since Rias' not going to," Tsubaki said, and Akeno couldn't argue against it.
I studied her for a moment, her resolve clear in her eyes. I knew what she was trying to do, and I think Sona did too. But she didn't stop her Queen. Tsubaki wasn't asking because she was worried about me; she had an… ulterior motive.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You don't owe me anything, Tsubaki."
She hesitated at my subtle rejection, quickly shaking her head. "It's not about repayment. I want to help. I can't sit by and do nothing while this threat looms over us."
"...Alright," I said finally. "You can come."
Tsubaki's expression brightened, and she gave a nod of gratitude. "Thank you."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Koneko shoot Tsubaki a look, but she didn't say anything. I knew she wasn't thrilled about being left behind, but she wouldn't argue. I already gave her a task to keep her busy.
Sona, who had been watching the exchange silently, finally spoke up. "Be careful out there. The people targeting us aren't just typical mercenaries anymore. This werewolf guy was Ultimate Class, the next one might be stronger. We can't afford to underestimate them."
I gave a brief nod. "I know."
A bit later, with the rest of the group staying behind, we took off through the window with Tsubaki in my arms.
I had a feeling that, instead of some mercenary, the possible troublemaker would be someone we already knew.
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