From the darkness, Shade observed four figures.
The first was a woman with crimson hair, beautiful in appearance, wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform.
Beside her was a woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail and almond-shaped eyes. The third was a short girl with short white hair and yellow eyes.
The last was a blonde man with blue eyes, wearing the male uniform of the same school.
Shade knew who they were: a group of demons led by Rias Gremory, the sister of one of the Demon Kings of the Underworld — or so the information Azazel had given him went.
From what he could feel, that girl was weak. In fact, they were all unimpressive; they couldn't even sense him.
"What the hell happened here?" Rias asked, observing all the chaos and the bodies of the renegade exorcists.
"It seems the information was correct. There was a group of exorcists hiding in the city..." said the black-haired girl, looking around.
"President, these wounds were made by a sword relatively recently," said the blonde, approaching one of the lifeless bodies.
"Be careful. We don't know if whoever did this is still here," Rias said seriously.
Better come out and make a cool entrance, Shade thought, letting his footsteps resonate with an unsettling echo.
Instantly, the group of four demons tensed, preparing for combat.
"Four demons. An heiress, a half-breed, a yokai, and a former human. What a motley group," he commented in a deep voice.
Rias put on a serious but confident face, not letting her uncertainty show.
"Show yourself," Rias said.
"No," the voice replied.
"Why should I show myself? Who are you to order me?"
"I am Rias Gremory, heiress of the Gremory house, and you are in my territory," Rias said in a serious voice as a reddish aura began to emanate from her body.
"So, the Gremory princess who manages this city. I must say you're doing a poor job. You let a group of renegade exorcists infiltrate your territory to do God knows what..." Shade laughed mockingly.
The darkness deepened, becoming so dense that even the demons' vision was blocked, unable to pierce the veil of darkness.
From the front of the group, Shade emerged, holding his black sword, his face hidden by the mask.
Rias didn't flinch at this. She couldn't feel any magical power from that figure — or if he had any, it was weak enough not to pose a real threat. This was just a show.
"Tell me who you are, or I'll have to take measures to deal with your existence."
"I'd like to see you try, princess of the Gremory," Shade replied.
The tension in the room increased until it became tangible. The three demons behind the red-haired woman were ready to fight.
Shade looked at the group before sighing.
"It's a shame, but I don't have time to play." Shade took a step and disappeared before everyone.
"I suppose we'll see each other another time, princess of the Gremory. And as for who I am, just call me the Lord of Darkness," he said, and then his voice faded away.
When he left, the darkness returned to normal, revealing the full image of the church's destruction from the carnage.
"Koneko," Rias said seriously.
"Did you catch his scent or energy?"
"No, President. He emitted no smell, intention, or presence that I could detect."
Rias frowned.
"I see... Let's clean this place and return. We need to talk to Sona about this 'Lord of Darkness.'"
---
Shade moved through Kuoh in the darkness at high speed until he reached the foot of a large building.
Entering the building, he took the elevator, setting aside his mask and clothes.
Upon reaching his destination, he rang the bell, and the door opened, revealing a man in his thirties with blond and black hair and a slight beard on his chin.
The man had a carefree expression.
"Ah, it's you, brat," said Azazel. "Come in."
Shade looked down, noting a place for his shoes. After removing them, he followed Azazel into a luxurious room.
Azazel sat down and handed Shade a racing video game controller, which Shade took.
They both began to play.
"You know, it's quite nice to have something to pass the time every now and then. And Japan is one of the best places to do it."
"I can't argue with that logic. Certainly, the experience here has been quite interesting," Shade replied.
Shade picked up a power-up and threw it at Azazel, who activated a shield.
One of Shade's eyebrows twitched as he fell into a trap.
"Damn cheating bird," he growled, receiving another trap.
"You're really bad at these types of games, Shade."
"Tsk." Shade used the turbo while throwing another power-up that destroyed Azazel's car, leaving him behind.
Amused, Azazel activated another power-up that swapped their positions, winning the match.
"How the hell did you do that?"
"I'm good at these types of games," he replied as if nothing had happened, starting another match.
"So, what happened with your mission?"
"It's complete. Although some small inconveniences came up."
"Oh, really?"
"To begin with, there were four: Raynare, Kalawarner, Dohnasek, and Mittelt. All four acted on their own. Their plan was to use a nun with one of those healing Sacred Gears to extract it."
"A nun? Wouldn't that be a blonde girl with green eyes?"
"Do you know her?"
"Hey, there were rumors about a nun who was called a saint. But after healing a devil, she started being called a witch. Many were looking for her, especially the demons," Azazel explained.
Shade nodded.
"That clears up some doubts I had. Anyway, that group brought her to Japan, to this territory, because they knew it was under the tutelage of two heiress clans. To make a long story short, I found the girl, we became friends, I stopped the fallen and the exorcists, and I also had an encounter with Rias Gremory's group. All in less than two hours."
"Wow. You had quite an adventure," Azazel said, amused.
"Yes."
"So, can I leave Japan now?"
"Not yet. I have another mission for you. This one might take longer."
"What kind of mission?" Shade asked, overtaking Azazel.
Azazel smiled.
"I want you to become a student at Kuoh Academy as my representative."
Shade froze, letting his game character fall off a cliff. Red letters appeared: "Eliminated."
Shade looked at Azazel.
"Do you use drugs, birdbrain?" he asked furiously.
"You don't like the idea?"
"I like freedom. Not being in a confined space with hundreds of teenagers."
"Aren't you a teenager yourself?"
"Tsk."
"The pay will be quite good."
At the mention of the pay, Shade coughed into his hand.
"Alright, I'll accept this assignment. But in exchange, I need you to do something."
"And what would that be?" Azazel asked.
"I want you to make Asia stronger. She's just a fragile human. I want something that keeps her safe."
"I have several artificial Sacred Gears, though I suppose I could also turn her into a fallen angel."
"Is that possible?"
"Yes, I've been doing some research, and it's possible to do so. However, you'd better explain this to that nun girl."
"Fine," Shade said. The darkness around him undulated, and from it emerged four unconscious and bound bodies.
"There are your fallen. They're unconscious. You know what to do with them."
Shade stood up and disappeared into the darkness.
"Wow, the youth these days," Azazel murmured. He then frowned, looking at his four deserter lackeys. He would need to extract information from them about their plan and get to the bottom of the matter.
---
Shade returned home and saw Asia, who was awake.
"Asia, I'm back," Shade said.
The girl turned her face, ran, and hugged him.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Asia, I have something to tell you."
Shade explained his conversation with Azazel and how the demons were looking for her because of her healing power, as it was a rare and valuable power.
Asia understood and took it quite well.
"That's why Azazel offered to turn you into a fallen angel. Under his protection, you'll be safe."
"If I become a fallen angel, can I stay with you?"
"Of course. Whether you become a fallen or prefer to remain human, you'll stay with me. After all, we're friends."
Asia nodded.
"Alright, I'll accept it," Asia said.
Shade stroked the girl's head with a smile.
"Good. Though, it really doesn't bother you?"
"No. It doesn't matter what form I take. As long as I can be with Shade, like this, then I'm happy. Thank you for being my friend!"
"Asia." Shade cried at such tenderness, hugging Asia without being able to contain himself, embracing her.