Chapter 19 - Boosted Gear
Issei Hyoudou hung on the crucifix, his life hanging by a thread—but surprisingly, he was still alive.
Evan, seeing no reason to let him die, infused him with a bit of life energy to keep him from drawing his last breath.
After all, he had already taken the Red Dragon Emperor's Sacred Gear from him. Whether they'd interact again in the future was another matter.
Aside from Issei, Evan sensed another life sign. He pushed open a door half-hidden beneath the debris, revealing a blonde girl fast asleep. Her blonde hair fanned out around her, her face still slightly childish—clearly of European descent.
The carnage and noise outside didn't disturb her, though her tense expression suggested she wasn't sleeping well.
Evan recognized her: Asia Argento, a former Saint of the Vatican's church, exiled for healing a devil.
With nowhere to go, she was targeted by Raynare, who brought her to Kuoh Town's church to strip her Sacred Gear.
Evan shook his head at the choice—in the original story, Raynare had traveled all this way just to forcibly remove Asia's Sacred Gear. It made "twice the effort for half the result" sound like an understatement.
"You've slept long enough," he said, activating his senjutsu to dispel the sleeping spell holding her captive.
Asia stirred, pressing a hand to her forehead, letting out a soft moan of pain. Sleeping for days would leave anyone groggy.
"Where am I?" she asked, blinking in confusion, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
Moments earlier, she recalled stepping off a train. Then a Fallen Angel found her and brought her to a church, and she remembered nothing after that.
"You've been asleep for a million years. The world outside has long since ended," Evan said, startling her.
She looked up and saw a man with a smooth, fair face, handsome yet stern, with the faintest hint of a smile.
At the sight of him, Asia's fear of this strange place melted away.
She stared blankly. Compared to an angel's face, his seemed more radiant—an angel lacked three parts of his handsomeness and charm, she thought.
But then, through the wide-open door, she glimpsed the blood-soaked scene beyond.
Aside from kagune, ghouls look human in appearance, making the massacre of shattered bodies and dismembered limbs jarring.
Asia retched reflexively, though her empty stomach led to dry-heaving.
Satisfied that she had her wits, Evan offered no further help.
Suddenly—Bang!
The blocked entrance to the underground chamber was smashed open from outside.
Koneko, hoisting a massive chunk of rock, hammered away at the blockage. Her small frame belied impressive strength, an almost comical contrast.
"What's going on here?" Rias's voice carried from beyond the gap. She, Akeno, and Koneko caught the overwhelming stench of blood.
They'd gone to investigate the disturbance in the city center, only to find someone had already handled the rampaging ghouls.
Worried something else was afoot, Kiba stayed behind to liaise with authorities, while the three dashed to the church.
After the ghouls attacked, one of Rias's familiars nearby detected a surge of unusual energy. Rias had long monitored the Fallen Angels infiltrating Kuoh, waiting for an opportunity to confront them.
"Fallen Angels!" Akeno noticed the three cowering in the corner. Instantly, the trio of devils braced for a fight.
Yet the Fallen Angels had no will left to battle; they clung to each other in fear, their terrified gazes directed deeper into the chapel. Something there frightened them more than devils—and considering the mangled ghoul remains strewn everywhere, a fierce struggle had clearly taken place.
"Yo," a voice drew their attention. Emerging from the shadows was a man they knew well. Upon seeing his face, Rias froze, wide-eyed.
"Evan? What are you doing here?"
She'd learned from Kiba that Evan subdued the ghouls behind the terror incident, but he'd vanished by the time Kiba arrived. Rias assumed he'd gone home. She never expected to find him here.
"I guessed," Evan said, tapping a finger to his temple, his face calm.
"These ghouls… did you kill them all?" Rias asked, spotting a gooey mess on the wall with a smashed skull—apparently the wanted Aogiri Tree leader, Tatara. And he lay here, dead?
Shock filled her expression, while Akeno and Koneko inhaled sharply. The corpses showed a fight ended by pure, brutal domination.
In such a cramped space, even they'd struggle against so many ghouls. Only Koneko and Kiba were adept at melee; Rias and Akeno relied on ranged demonic power, cumbersome in close quarters.
"I never knew you were this strong," Rias murmured, her tone slightly resentful. Evan had once again shattered her understanding.
Every time she saw him, he upended her preconceptions. But this was no time to chat.
"So, Evan, would you mind telling me what happened here?"
"Didn't you say you wanted my assistance?" Evan said with a faint smile.
"Here's the result. If you want more details, ask the Fallen Angels over there. I left them alive on purpose."
"So, you did it because of our agreement," Rias said, surprised and a bit moved. She'd proposed that arrangement to get closer to him, never expecting he'd take it to heart.
Gazing at his familiar face, her heart raced for reasons she couldn't explain.
"I keep my promises," Evan said, his smile fading to a neutral expression.
"I'll leave the cleanup to you, if that's all right?"
He paused for her reply, but Rias, lost in thought, didn't respond. Akeno nudged her discreetly, snapping her back. Flustered, Rias spoke, "Huh? Right, um, yes, we'll handle it. I'm the lord of Kuoh Town, after all, and I haven't helped much with the main issue. The least I can do is deal with the aftermath."
Rias pulled herself together, puffing out her chest in confidence.
"And thank you, Evan. Truly."
"It's nothing. I got something out of it too," Evan shrugged. Then, the others noticed a blonde girl in a nun's habit standing quietly behind him.
Her emerald-green eyes shone like gemstones.
Asia, having caught bits of conversation, understood these tall, buxom ladies were the devils ruling this city. As a former Saint raised in the Church, she'd been taught devils were evil.
Though she once used her Sacred Gear to heal a devil, her fear of them hadn't lessened.
"Who is she?" Rias asked, intrigued that a defenseless nun would be here.
"Asia Argento, a Saint from the Church. I'm sure you've heard—she was framed and ended up here," Evan said concisely. A quick investigation would confirm it.
Asia's expression flickered at "framed." Had she not healed that devil, she might still be safe in the Church. But did she regret it? No. She believed her God-given healing power was meant to save lives—any life, regardless of rank or race.
"President, there's another Kuoh Academy student here—his aura's weak, but he's alive," Koneko called from a distance. Rias turned and saw Issei Hyoudou, still in his school uniform, lying with barely any life. Shock overtook her face.
"Why did the Fallen Angels bring him here?" She knew Raynare had lured Issei, yet she'd held back to uncover the full plot.
"President, it looks like his Sacred Gear is gone," Akeno added.
"Huh?" Rias blinked, perplexed.
"It's with me," Evan said before they could process further, raising the crimson gauntlet on his arm.
Red plating wrapped the forearm, a green gem at the back of the hand, edges overlapping like dragon scales.
"It looked like a normal gauntlet, so that's what the Fallen Angels were after, right? But why would they want a Sacred Gear like that? It's just a common one."
"It's not common. It's one of the Longinus, the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor," Evan stated. Everyone froze.
Even the three Fallen Angels in the corner snapped to attention, Raynare among them, their blood-streaked faces showing disbelief.
"A Longinus?"
"It's actually a Longinus?"
"We thought it was just an ordinary Sacred Gear!"
Raynare's main target was always Asia's healing-type Sacred Gear.
Stripping Issei's was a test for the ritual and a small "reward" for her subordinates. But who'd have guessed that gauntlet they dismissed as low-level was a Longinus? If Raynare had claimed it, she might have risen to supreme Fallen Angel status.
The thought of Tatara ruining everything filled her with rage.
"You've told us all this. Aren't you afraid I'll report it?" Rias asked, half-joking, reining in her shock.
"You won't. And even if word spreads, I don't care," Evan said. With the Red Dragon Emperor's Longinus, his future path would be smoother.
Let other factions watch—one enemy shows up, I kill one. A group appears, I kill a group.
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