Underworld.
Me, Azazel, and Sirzechs hovered above the clouds, hidden by my closed field, and watched the train traveling along invisible tracks, carrying Sona and Rias and their retinues.
I hadn't noticed this before, but the air in the Underworld is so... stuffy. The already high mana concentration in the human world is elevated to a degree here. As a result, it's all a bit uncomfortable. But right now, in this particular case, that factor didn't spoil my mood in the slightest.
- Romani-san, is this really necessary? - Sirzechs asked worriedly, looking at the train.
- And you do realize that Serafall will eat you for breakfast if her little sister gets even a scratch, right? After all, Sona has nothing to do with this," Azazel added.
- The answer to both questions is yes," I answered and grinned and looked at Sirzechs, "Dear visitor! At the end of the performance, your sister will feel a wide range of heated emotions! These include: shock, depression, frustration, despair, pity, and…
- I get it! You don't have to list all of that! - He glared at me furiously and interrupted me- What if she breaks? What if the change is so drastic that it becomes impossible to put her on the right path?
- Oh? Don't worry about that. If that happens, I'll fix it. - I waved it off, to which Sirzechs gritted his teeth loudly.
- And? How exactly is this going to happen? Will you take the case personally? - Azazel asked.
- Nope. The servants will take on that role.
- Servants? - Sirzechs raised an eyebrow. Did we…
- The contract is broken. By someone and something," I grinned and got a look of incredulity on the two leaders' faces, then snapped my fingers. In the next second, Asako emerged from my shadow and ducked a knee - You may begin. No killing or wounds to vital organs. Pure intimidation and demonstration of superiority.
As soon as I finished speaking, the Hundred Face dissolved into the shadows, and Azazel and Sirzechs looked at the spot where the Assassin had disappeared from.
- Who was that? - The scarlet Demon Lord asked - I have never seen this Servant and I couldn't sense her now.
- The Servant Assassin, I presume? - Azazel spoke up.
- One of the nineteen leaders of the Hashashin. The height of infiltration and secrecy. Ordinary people know next to nothing about them, but not you, do you?
At my words, their eyes went wide and visible goosebumps ran across their skin. Especially Azazel's.
- That's... alarming. Even Sirzechs and I couldn't detect her presence. Her magic signature was so insignificant that I wrote it off as a windfall," he said and rubbed his forehead, smiling bitterly, "Perfect assassins in Father's service, eh?
Sirzechs on the other hand, unlike Azazel, looked like he was once again tensely thinking about something as he stared at the spot where Asako had disappeared. I wonder what was on his mind?
I created a cup of coffee and prepared to watch the spectacle.
Good timing for a good explosion, eh?
BOOM
And the next moment there was an explosion.
-0-
As the train carried Rias and her entourage through the skies of the Underworld, they relaxed as much as they could. Kiba was playing console games with Gasper. Koneko was munching on candy. Asia slept on the shoulder of Issei, who was delighted by it.
Sona and her entourage left the Gremory wagon and headed closer to the lead locomotive.
Rias had recently managed to join her entourage with Zenobia, who preferred practicing with her sword to a quiet rest. The reason for her joining was simple - it was her own choice. At first Rias didn't understand how that could be the reason, but later Zenobia explained.
She suddenly wondered, "What if God is dead, who was leading her down the path of an exorcist?", "Was it her own choice?", "What was she really killing demons for?". And after a little thought, Zenobia decided to take a different path. A path she had never considered.
Become a demon.
If she didn't know what to do, why not choose something she never would have chosen before? How much would her worldview and personality change if she did just that?
Ultimately, Zenobia became a demon in order to know herself.
To her adopted daughter's actions, Griselda only tacitly accepted it and let her go, as they would not be enemies because of the peace treaty. When asked why she didn't ask Romany for advice, Zenobia quoted the Wizard's words, albeit taken out of context, "A foolish but choice." Those around her simply had to accept her position, as any clarification was ignored due to Zenobia's own character.
But not all of Rias' entourage had a clear head. The white crow turned out to be Akeno. The frown and disgruntled expression had not left her face since she had returned to the club room. At that moment, lightning discharges passed through her body every now and then, showing that it was best not to touch her. Even Issei hadn't risked interacting with Akeno in any way since that moment. Her fingers drummed rhythmically on the armrest, expressing her owner's thoughtfulness as she sat alone a little further away from the others.
Nodding to herself, Rias still decided to find out the reason and made her way towards the Queen of her retinue. And when she almost reached Akeno, it happened.
BOOM
A deafening explosion pierced the hearing like a dragon to a clear sky. Nearly a third of its entire length had been torn away, leaving a mangled and disorderly interior, and blue lightning containing remnants of mana ran along the edges of the damaged portion of the train car. All sections of the train on the side of the explosion fell to the ground, creating distinctive sounds, and the train hovered in the air and did not move. Rias' entire entourage as well as herself were blown into the surviving section of the train car.
- What happened?! - Rias exclaimed, and her hands lit up with the power of Destruction.
- Are we under attack?! - Akeno supported her, spreading her wings and charging her Holy Lightning. Koneko and Zenobia got into a fighting stance, Kiba created his Holy Demon Sword, and Gasper hid behind Rias.
- Asia, are you alright!!! - Issei shouted worriedly with his Amplification Mechanism activated, standing next to Akeno and holding Asia in his arms.
- Y-yes... T-thank you, Issei-san," she replied stuttering, and then looked at the people around her, "Is anyone hurt?
- No," Rias answered for everyone, taking a preliminary look at her entourage, "Who had the nerve to attack us in Gremory territory? The Old Satan faction?
Her mind was in turmoil, which was mixed with anger and pride. Everything had been just fine until now. The train had already shown itself over her family's territory, and then she and her retinue were suddenly attacked.
Rias tried to contact Sirzechs, but no luck. Nor with Sona, nor with Greyfia, nor with everyone. It was as if something was blocking the magic, preventing the incident from being reported to anyone.
There were no warnings or alerts from her family. Or even from the barriers created around the territories. So the attack had been planned before the trip so no one would know anything.
Rias panicked. She was afraid of losing members of her retinue. She was afraid of losing her friend. Fear of the unknown coursed through her mind as her eyes frantically searched for signs of the attackers without missing every possible detail.
The next moment the shadows in the ruined part of the wagon lengthened. Instead of the familiar shapes, repeating objects, reclining objects, a great pool of darkness formed.
- Who are you?! How dare you attack us?! - Rias shouted furiously, unleashing waves of power.
In response to her questions, out of the shadows appeared... a skull. White, pure and perfect. Fear overtook Rias' thoughts with renewed vigor, tearing apart her worried mind more and more.
W-who are they? Where did they come from? How long have they been watching us?
The skull was followed by... darkness. Darkness-soaked clothes and skin slowly rose from the puddle.
One.
Two.
Three.
And then another, another, and another. Until eighty shadows with white skulls on their faces stood before her eyes.
Each one was different.
Some were tall, some were short. Some with hair, some without. Some were female and some were male. Rias noticed even old men and children among this crowd.
In the space they were spread out in, they should have been cramped. Or rather, they shouldn't have fit at all, but they didn't. Some silhouettes were peeking out from the shadows of other silhouettes.
And standing in front of all of them was a woman with long blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her body didn't have a single drop of fat. Her skin exposed the trained muscles her clothes revealed.
In one sharp movement, a pair of knives appeared in her hands, sharp and shining in the light. And following her, the other eighty-seven did the same. In an instant, one hundred and seventy-six knives were pointed at the eight demon schoolboys, shining viciously in the hands of the dark silhouettes.
Seeing this, Rias' heart, and everyone else's as well, skipped a beat and threatened to stop from the fear that was building up.
There was no thought of "fight" here. There was no thought of 'negotiate' here. Only...
RUN.
-0-
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