Ten days was a long time to wait for a duel.
Normally, a fighter would spend every single minute of those ten days training, sweating, and preparing for the battle.
But Elias didn't have to train at all.
His body was already perfect. He had the raw physical strength of a Dragon, the heavy magic of a Devil, and the holy light of an Angel.
His Adaptivity made him totally immune to any tricks Riser might try to use.
To Elias, Riser Phenex wasn't a scary boss; he was just a waiting game.
Since he had a free afternoon, Elias decided to spend it with the girl he loved.
He and Dee went on a date in Kuoh town. The weather was beautiful.
They walked hand in hand through the busy streets, sharing a box of sweet crepes and looking at the shop windows.
As they were walking through the central park, Elias noticed someone standing near a large fountain.
It was a young girl wearing a classic white nun's habit.
She had long, beautiful blonde hair and soft green eyes.
She was holding a map upside down and looking around frantically.
With her drooping shoulders and big, watery eyes, she looked exactly like a sad, lost puppy.
This was Asia Argento.
Elias stopped walking. He felt a little bad for her.
"Let's go say hi,"
Elias told Dee. Dee smiled and nodded, following him over.
When Elias became a Devil, his brain had adapted in many different ways.
One of those ways was language.
He could now perfectly understand and speak every single language in the world without even thinking about it.
"Excuse me,"
Elias said, his voice soft and gentle so he wouldn't scare her.
"Are you okay? You look a little lost."
Asia jumped slightly. She turned around and looked at Elias and Dee.
When she heard Elias speak perfectly in her native language, her green eyes lit up with huge relief.
"O-Oh! Yes!"
Asia stammered, bowing her head quickly. She seemed very shy.
"I am so sorry to bother you. I just arrived in Japan today. I am looking for the local church, but I am not very good with maps. I think I walked in the wrong direction."
Elias looked at the map in her small hands.
He knew where the church was. It was an old, abandoned building near the edge of the woods.
It wasn't a place where people usually went to pray anymore.
Elias was about to point his finger and give her the directions she needed.
But suddenly, Dee stepped closer to him.
Dee looked at the sweet, innocent blonde nun.
Her dark eyes seemed to look right through Asia, staring deeply at the girl's soul and her future.
Dee gently grabbed Elias's sleeve.
She leaned up and whispered quietly in his ear. Her voice was no longer playful. It was the calm, serious voice of the Goddess of Death.
"Eli,"
Dee whispered.
"You have to help her. Do not just give her directions."
Elias frowned slightly, keeping his voice low.
"Why? Is there something bad at that church?"
"Yes,"
Dee answered, her eyes locked on Asia.
"I can see it. If you let her go to that church by herself today... She is going to die. A very painful, terrible death."
Elias felt a cold chill run down his spine. He looked back at Asia. The sweet nun was just giving him a hopeful, innocent smile, completely unaware of the dark fate waiting for her.
Elias tightened his grip on Dee's hand.
He had died enough times to know how awful it felt.
He was not going to let a lost puppy walk into a trap.
Elias gave Asia a warm, comforting smile.
"You know what?"
Elias said kindly.
"That church is actually very hard to find. The streets around here are confusing. Why don't my girlfriend and I walk you there?"
Asia's face brightened like the morning sun.
"Really? You would do that for me?"
Asia asked, clasping her hands together in pure joy.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! You are truly kind people!"
"It is no problem at all,"
Elias said.
He looked at Dee, and they shared a quiet, serious look.
The walk to the old church was quiet and peaceful.
Asia happily told them about her long trip to Japan.
But as the abandoned church finally came into view through the trees,
Elias's body tensed.
His new, sharp senses picked up something very dark and dangerous hiding inside the dusty building.
It was the heavy, dirty magic of rogue Fallen Angels. They were waiting in the shadows.
Asia didn't notice anything. She just saw the building and smiled brightly.
"We are here!"
Asia cheered, taking a happy step toward the wooden doors.
Elias quickly reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder to stop her.
"Wait, Asia,"
Elias said, putting on a worried face.
Asia looked at him, confused.
"Is something wrong, Elias-san?"
"Look at the building,"
Elias pointed at the rotten wood, the broken windows, and the holes in the roof.
"This place is in a terrible state. It has been abandoned for years. The floorboards are probably rotten. If you go inside, the roof might collapse right on top of you. It is way too dangerous."
Asia frowned, her shoulders slumping.
"Oh no,"
She whispered sadly.
"But the church told me to come here. I don't have anywhere else to sleep tonight."
Elias smiled warmly at her.
"You don't have to sleep in a broken building. My family lives in a beautiful, safe shrine not too far from here. We have plenty of extra rooms. You can stay with us for the time being."
Dee nodded happily and hugged Asia's arm.
"Yes! You should come with us! Shuri makes the best dinner, and you will be perfectly safe."
Asia blushed brightly. She felt so touched by their kindness, but she was too polite.
"I couldn't,"
Asia said quickly, waving her hands.
"You two have already helped me so much! I really don't want to bother your family. I am sure the church is fine inside..."
SNAP! CRASH!
Just as Asia said those words, a loud, comical noise echoed through the yard.
The large, rusty metal cross sitting on top of the church roof suddenly broke off.
It slid down the broken tiles and smashed right into the ground in front of the doors, sending a cloud of dirt into the air.
Asia squeaked in fear and instantly hid behind Elias's back, trembling like a leaf.
"See?"
Elias said smoothly, trying hard not to laugh.
"I told you it was going to collapse."
Asia peeked out from behind him. Her eyes were huge.
"O-Okay,"
Asia stammered.
"Maybe it is a little dangerous. If it is truly okay... I would love to stay with you."
"Let's go home, then,"
Dee smiled, taking Asia's hand and leading her away from the creepy building.
Elias walked behind them.
As he turned his back to the church, his eyes glowed a faint red for just a second.
Inside the dark church, the rogue Fallen Angels were completely panicked.
They had seen the little nun walking up to the doors. They had grabbed their light spears, ready to jump out, kidnap her, and take her power.
But they couldn't take a single step.
Every single Fallen Angel inside the building was pinned firmly to the floor.
Thick, glowing black chains were wrapped tightly around their legs and chests.
It was a binding spell. But it wasn't just any binding spell.
It was an upgraded version of Tohsaka Rin's magecraft.
When Elias had broken her spell back at the library, his Adaptivity didn't just copy it—it perfected it.
While Elias was talking to Asia outside, he had secretly cast the spell through the walls without chanting a single word.
He made the invisible chains into solid black iron, trapping the monsters inside so they couldn't ruin his date or hurt the sweet girl.
They were stuck there like flies in a spiderweb.
Elias put his hands in his pockets and smiled as he followed Dee and Asia back to the shrine.
Saving people was much easier when you had endless, overpowered magic.
Read up to chapter 48 at [email protected]/jelopy_jelopy for only $5