The Fallen Angels must have noticed the intrusion by now.
It wasn't as if he hadn't thought of this before, but Zaydas still had his selfish reasons and plans for waiting until now to attack these Fallen Angels and the heretics who allied with them.
If he waited for the original plot to progress and then interfered, it could yield more AP. His goal had always been—and always would be—to earn more AP.
And if he didn't act this way, perhaps meeting Asia wouldn't be so simple.
Of course, there was a case similar to Ai Hoshino, where he had changed things before the original plot unfolded, but in this situation, he preferred to forgo earning more AP to avoid an undesirable scenario.
"Zaydas-san, what are you..." Asia's voice was tearful; she couldn't even complete her conjecture as she spoke.
"Asia-chan, I'm a Devil." He turned to them. "But even so, I won't close my eyes when I see something like this happening in the city under my jurisdiction. Don't you understand yet? The Fallen Angels didn't take you in—they want what you possess. And the moment they get it, you'll die."
He told the truth. It wasn't a lie when he said all this. Unlike the original plot, perhaps they already had the ritual ready—Zaydas could sense it from there.
He had interfered, rendering Issei completely useless in such a scenario. Perhaps that's why recent events led him to walk that day, and perhaps that's why Asia stopped in front of him.
It wasn't something he had planned, though he didn't deny his interest in turning her into a Devil as part of his Peerage.
Asia took a while to respond, wrestling with an internal conflict: "But wouldn't it be better this way? Someone like me doesn't deserve your protection."
When Zaydas heard this, his expression changed.
"Why do you undervalue yourself so much? Even for the life of that fake priest who uses God as an excuse to kill and rape, you cried for him," Zaydas said. "And you, Asia-chan, who's going to cry for you?"
"Who's going to cry for me?" She looked confused.
It seemed she had never thought about it, nor even considered the possibility of it happening.
"I don't know you that well, but from what I've observed, I know you're a shy and very kind girl. However, Asia-chan, even angels can be selfish when it comes to protecting their own safety." Zaydas cast a glance toward the church. "Right now, you should be asking me for help to avoid becoming a human sacrifice in a vile ritual where they'd steal your Sacred Gear. Not thinking that you're not worth saving or that maybe it's better this way."
"I..." It was undeniable. She was like an open book, showing her surprise at his ability to guess what she was thinking.
She had always believed. Even after being judged as a heretic, even when no one reached out to help her, Asia maintained her faith. She believed that if she could overcome this trial, God might someday make her dream come true. That was what she clung to.
Making friends, planting flowers with them, buying books, strolling at night... Simple things, but ones she had always dreamed of experiencing, as she had never had the chance to have a single friend.
But if she were truly used in a ritual and died, would that really be part of the plan God had for her?
"What luck..."
A girl with Fallen Angel wings descended from the sky.
Flapping her wings, she looked at them and briefly introduced herself: "Well, my fans know me as Mittelt."
Mittelt was a girl with blonde hair tied in pigtails and blue eyes. She wore a Gothic Lolita outfit.
She struck an elegant pose after introducing herself.
"I am Zaydas."
"Ah, that doesn't matter. Now hand over the girl," she said with a smile on her face, though her actions contradicted her carefree appearance. Then she added coldly: "She is the key piece for the ceremony that is about to begin. Don't interfere."
"Piece..." Asia turned pale. "Ceremony... So it's true. They lured me here to..."
"Hahaha, you still don't get it?" The Fallen Angel Mittelt laughed, cruelty lacing her voice. "But it doesn't matter whether you know now or not, little flower. Raynare-sama wants your Sacred Gear, and now that you're here, there's no more reason to hide it."
She tilted her head, her smile becoming even crueler. "Yes, you're nothing but a simple disposable piece whose only value lies in that Sacred Gear inside you. Got it?"
With a theatrical gesture, she placed her index finger against her own head, spinning it mockingly.
Zaydas looked surprised at the Fallen Angel Mittelt: 'Did she come here to help me?'
"I'm a disposable piece...?" Asia murmured, her voice trembling.
"No, you're not," Zaydas responded firmly, his voice filled with conviction. "Don't listen to her, Asia-chan. You know what you need to do now, don't you?"
With tears streaming down her face, she turned to him, hesitation and fear reflected in her every move. "Z-Zaydas-san... can you help me?" Her voice broke as she closed her eyes and clasped her hands, fearing the answer.
"It would be my pleasure," he replied with a reassuring smile.
"Ugh! How disgusting~!" Mittelt mocked, placing her finger in her throat in an exaggerated gesture, pretending to vomit. "And you, Devil-san, do you really think you're going to—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Zaydas acted. A woodcutting axe materialized in his hand, and he advanced with impressive speed. The air around him seemed to have no time to react; the movement was silent yet devastating.
Whoosh!
Mittelt had the sensation of being struck by lightning. In a single blow, the axe blade came down from above, splitting her from head to waist, cutting her body into two halves.
The two parts fell apart, but for a brief moment, she still seemed conscious, as if her mind was struggling to accept the reality of what had just happened. Then, life left her, and her body disintegrated into dust. Black feathers fell from her wings, scattering around like a silent, funereal rain.
[+19 AP]
Asia, who had opened her eyes, saw it but couldn't properly react.
She thought he was strong before, but it seemed she hadn't even seen the tip of the iceberg.
From the sky, two other Fallen Angels arrived.
"Zaydas-san."
"It's alright," he assured her.
"I can't believe Mittelt was killed."
The first to speak was a middle-aged man with short black hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a black hat that gave him a stern appearance. Beside him stood a tall, stout woman with brown eyes and long navy-blue hair covering her right eye.
Shouting in rage, the woman exclaimed, "Don't think you'll get away with this, Devil! Prepare to die!"
"Where are you looking?"
"Damn it..."
"Vomit!"
"Dohnaseek!" The woman turned abruptly, almost as if by instinct. What she saw left her in shock: Dohnaseek was standing, but with a grotesque, deep cut across his back. The blow had been so brutal that his spinal cord had been torn out, dangling grotesquely.
"I..." The look of pain on Dohnaseek's face lasted only a few seconds before the life left his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.
[+11 AP]
"Don't bother saying anything," Zaydas spoke calmly, his demeanor unshaken. "You should have already noticed the difference between us, shouldn't you?"
Grinding her teeth, the woman turned desperately, taking flight to escape into the sky.
For a moment, she believed she had escaped. However, something unexpected appeared in her path, leaving her confused. Then she saw something that was both beautiful and terrifying: a luminous streak, like the trail of a shooting star, cutting through the sky toward her.
It was too late when she realized it was the effect of a blade advancing at high speed.
"Ahhhh!" She screamed in despair as she was sliced in half. Her body quickly disintegrated into dark ashes that scattered into the air, vanishing completely.
[+26 AP]
***
***
"Twilight Healing will soon be mine!" Raynare exclaimed loudly, her expression ecstatic as she looked at the nearly completed ritual.
However, her expression changed when she felt the presence of her subordinates disappearing one by one.
'How is this possible?' Her heart began to race.
She might have had the courage to orchestrate something like this, but she feared death.
A pair of black wings spread from her back. "I'll go investigate—continue the ritual!"
"Yes!"
Outside, she arrived just in time to witness Kalawarna being sliced in half by an axe.
It was as if she were a simple piece of firewood waiting to be split in two. It was horrifying!
"Who is he?" She didn't recognize him at first, but that hair color made her think of a certain Devil family.
'It can't be, right?' she thought. 'If it really is a Gremory, I...'
Without thinking twice, she fled into the sky. 'I'll remember this!!'
She didn't bother warning the heretics; in fact, she hoped they would serve as a shield to ensure her safe escape.
***
***
People began to approach, and Zaydas sensed the presence of a Fallen Angel—Raynare.
However, he had to make a choice: leave Asia behind to chase after Raynare, or stay and eliminate the heretics.
In the end, he chose to stay.
*****
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