8 Chapter 8

The sound of thunder was heard throughout the forest, followed by a blinding light and the smell of ozone. The blast of holy lightning slammed into the Devil, but he was no slouch. Before it hit him, black water surged, forming a protective shield that absorbed most of the attack.

Due to the hastily created defense, the holy lightning still hit the shark Devil, though most of the damage was mitigated. His skin sizzled, turning into a sickly black burn, but the shark Devil didn't even let out a grunt of pain as he was pushed back.

Baraqiel descended in front of Josh, his ten black wings proudly sprouted from his back. He took a glance at the heavily breathing teenager before scowling at the Devil.

"Torafuzar Forneus." Baraqiel recognized the heir of one of the remaining Devil clans. The Fallen Angels kept tabs on most heirs, but he knew him for a different reason. Torafuzar was in the top ten of the Rating Games and was a known powerhouse.

"Baraqiel. I wasn't expecting to meet one of the cadres." Torafuzar's tone was calm as he rubbed the burned spot on his skin. His eyes turned to Josh. "And you came out just as I was about to kill him. Interesting. Now I really want to reincarnate him."

"I can't let you do that." Holy lightning danced around Baraqiel's body, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The Fallen Angel couldn't allow Josh to die here. He had connected with the teenager, as both of them had lost their families and shared the same pain. Azazel also wouldn't be happy if Josh died and would find a way to punish him. That wasn't what scared Baraqiel, though.

Azazel, at most, would send him on tedious tasks or shove the paperwork he hated doing on him. No, it was Lavinia that terrified him. Not only was she considered as one of the most skilled magicians, but her Sacred Gear absolutely frightened him.

Absolute Demise, one of the thirteen Longinus types, an artifact that had the power to kill a god. And Lavinia was the strongest user know to date. If she put her mind to it, she could freeze an entire country when utilizing Absolute Demise's full power.

As much as Baraqiel didn't want to admit it, Lavinia could kill him even though she was just a human. She was that strong, especially if she entered her Balance Breaker. Then again, Sacred Gears were artifacts created by God, so maybe this was something expected from a user of one of the thirteen strongest.

"You don't have a choice." Torafuzar chuckled. "He doesn't have that much time left since I hit him with my black water of darkness. I just have to wait for a few more minutes."

Torafuzar was confident in his win. He excelled at endurance fights. His black water slowly killed his targets while his spectacular defense endured all attacks. There was very little Baraqiel could do to save the teenager in the current situation.

The Fallen Angel's response was something he anticipated. The holy lightning gathered in front of Baraqiel, and like a cannon, it shot forward, obliterating anything in its path.

A very scary attack, but Torafuzar was prepared for it this time. He was already channeling his demonic power, just waiting for the right moment, and his black water was summoned in a split second.

However, this attack was even stronger than the previous one, and it smashed through his defenses. Torafuzar was sent flying back like a ragdoll, but he regained his balance and landed on his feet. His body was heavily burned, yet he was smiling in anticipation. This would be a great fight!

Torafuzar's expression quickly changed. Baraqiel was gone alongside the teenager. Looking in the air, he barely spotted a dot disappearing in the distance.

"Tsk. Guess I have to find someone else to exchange with Kyoka. She would've loved to play with an interesting exorcist like that. And I missed on a fight with a cadre." Torafuzar's voice was laced with disappointment. With a sigh, his wings sprouted, and he flew away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Josh was in a world of pain. His insides were boiling, his skin burned. Everything hurt, and it was getting worse by the second. Baraqiel said something to him as he carried Josh in the air, but the words didn't reach him. He was in too much pain.

Baraqiel descended on the ground as Josh's breathing was becoming shallower. He felt the Fallen Angel pouring something into his mouth before the pain lessened. Josh still felt like he was being cooked alive, but it was more bearable. Baraqiel picked him up again as his world turned to darkness.

The next time he opened his eyes, Josh was lying on a bed. He was weak and exhausted from whatever that black water had done to him. Though he had survived. Whatever Baraqiel had given him had saved his life. Or at least prolonged it long enough for someone else to fix him.

Josh fell unconscious soon after. He continued waking up and falling asleep for some time. If someone was tending to him, they weren't present whenever he was awake.

There was finally someone else there when he woke up. Baraqiel was sitting next to him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Josh..." Baraqiel's voice carried a sad emotion. "I'm sorry. I should've acted before you were hit by Torafuzar."

"It's... fine." Josh didn't blame him. It was just his bad luck at play.

"Who was that Devil?" Josh asked before Baraqiel could say anything else. He wasn't sure if he remembered right, but he recalled the two exchanging words.

"Torafuzar Forneus. An ultimate-class Devil and number five on the Rating Game ranking." Baraqiel informed him. He didn't mention Torafuzar only had half a Peerage, however. With a full team, he might even give the number one a run for his money. Though Diehauser was in a league of his own.

"My spells didn't even damage him. He just walked through them." Josh looked at the ceiling in disappointment. The low-class Devils had died by his hands, but Torafuzar wasn't even fazed by his attacks.

"Although he is one of the younger Devils, Torafuzar is one of the most powerful ones bar the old monsters and the Satans. His strongest attribute is also his defense, so your attacks not working isn't surprising." Baraqiel told him, recalling how even Torafuzar endured his holy lightning, an attack which would've incinerated most Devils.

"You just weren't ready to face someone like him yet. You entered the supernatural world just two months ago, after all." Baraqiel didn't mention that he didn't think Josh could ever fight equally against Torafuzar with his wood magic. It just wasn't strong enough.

"When will I recover?" Josh asked. He needed to complete one more mission, and he would be free to make use of his Sacred Gear's full capabilities.

Wood-Make worked against low-class Devils, and maybe it would work against the more powerful Devils if he increased his Magical Core, but his eyes were on a different type of magic, one specifically designed to kill Devils.

"I gave you a Phenex Tear, and the carbon was removed from your body. You should fully recover in about a week." Baraqiel informed him.

"I have to leave now, but Lavinia will come to check up on you shortly." Baraqiel stood up with a frown on his face. "Again, I'm sorry." He added just as he left the room.

Josh didn't get to meet with Lavinia since he fell asleep afterward. Though he found a note left by her, wishing him to get better faster. She had to go on a mission with her team, but she promised to come back and check on him as soon as they were done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week passed, and Josh was discharged. He wasted no time and went directly to Azazel's office. One more mission, that's all he needed to do before he was free.

"Well, look's who's up and about." Azazel greeted him while drawing schematics for his experiments and looking at a porn magazine at the same time. The Governor had an interesting way of multitasking.

"What's my last mission?" Josh cut to the chase.

"You're in that much of a hurry to leave?" Azazel raised his eyebrow. "Don't you know how sad Lavinia will be when her poor Jo-Jo is gone?"

Josh just stared at him, refusing to take the bait.

"Tsk, so emotionless." Azazel shook his head before smiling. "Well, it so happens that I've already picked your last mission."

"What is it?" Josh asked impatiently.

"You'll be going to school." Azazel told him with an impish look.

"I'm sorry?" Josh couldn't see how that could even be considered a mission.

"You have one more year left of high school, and I found the perfect place for you to attend."

That thought hadn't even passed through Josh's mind, considering what happened with his life. His parents would've wanted him to finish high school, but he was sure this wasn't why Azazel chose something like this. The Governor wasn't that considerate.

"Where's the catch?" Josh asked.

"The catch is that the school used to be an all-girls one until a couple of years ago." Azazel replied with a dreamy look in his eyes and a lecherous expression. "Maybe you will mellow down a bit. Get yourself another girlfriend or two. Sex helps with stress. Take it from someone with experience."

"That's not the catch." Josh didn't believe him.

"No. No, it's not." Azazel squared his shoulders and took a more serious attitude.

"The school you will be going to is in a place of interest. Lots of intriguing people seem to be in Kuoh Town. There are at least three mutated Sacred Gears there, and I want you to keep tabs on them and sent me whatever information you gather." Azazel explained.

Josh thought about it. This was a solo mission from what it looked, which meant there won't be anyone to protect him if someone like Torafuzar appears. However, he could enter Earthland freely, allowing him to focus on increasing his magical power and obtaining new magics.

"Who am I supposed to spy on?" Josh asked.

"Well, for starters, there are two Devils heiresses with their interesting Peerages." Azazel smirked, seeing Josh narrow his eyes at him.

"Yes, I am sending you into Devil territory, but..." Azazel quickly added before Josh could say a word. "They aren't like the Devils you've encountered so far. The two are... nice. Hell, if you don't know they are Devils, you won't even consider it as a thought."

"C-..." Josh opened his mouth, but Azazel interrupted him.

"No, you can't kill them. Like, seriously, don't even think about it. Both of them are the siblings of Satans. If you touch either of them, there is nothing I can do to save you." Azazel knew how much Serafall and Sirzechs pampered their sisters. If Josh harmed either of them, then he was as good as dead.

"And you are sending me there? Are you crazy?" Josh asked in outrage. The Satans were even stronger than Shalba and Torafuzar!

"As long as you don't do anything stupid, then it shouldn't be a problem. It will also serve as a good experience for you to be in contact with Devils unlike the ones you've met so far."

"What if they do something stupid? What if one of them tries to kill me so they can reincarnate me as part of their peerage?" One Devil already tried doing that.

"Hmm." Azazel took a thinking pose. "They won't go that far. From what I've gathered, not a single one of their Peerage members was killed by them and forcefully reincarnated. Though if you get in a fight with a supernatural being, they might let you die and then 'save your life' by adding you to their Peerage."

"So, I just have to keep my head down and avoid fights?" And focus on improving his strength, but that was left unsaid.

"Sure, but gathering information is your priority." Azazel picked a stack of papers and looked them over.

"You can check over your targets over here, but the important ones are the following, Erza Scarlet, a reincarnated Devil of Rias Gremory's Peerage. She has a mutated Sword Birth, which allows her to create both weapons and armors. From what I've heard, Erza's pretty good at it as well."

That was unquestionably a very useful Sacred Gear. No matter the situation, the user would always be able to create weapons and armors on demand. They could also outfit their allies as well.

"The second one, Ultear Milkovich, again from Rias' Peerage. Owner of a mutated Forbidden Balor View, which allows her to control time. She also happens to be a very skilled magician as well."

The ability to control time?! That one was freaking scary. How wasn't Forbidden Balor View a Longinus with such an ability? Unless there were limitations to it. Those were probably listed in the information Azazel had for him.

"In Sona Sitri's Peerage, there's Kagura Mikazuchi, owner of Honjo Masamune. Since you are born and raised in Japan, I don't need to explain that one to you, do I?"

Honjo Masamune, the legendary sword that represented the shogunate for hundreds of years, Josh wasn't sure how he felt about the blade being owned by a Devil.

"And Mirajane Strauss, owner of the mutated Take Over Sacred Gear. Normally, it's supposed to absorb only animals and allows the user to turn into them, but hers seems to work on demonic beings as well. Although she is only a Pawn, she has Taken Over other Devils, so she may as well be another Queen."

Those were just the reincarnated Devils! All of them had such powerful Sacred Gears, and Josh knew he stood no chance against them at the moment. Given enough time, he would surpass them, and he firmly believed in that. If he didn't... well, he would never get his revenge, so that wasn't an option.

"And lastly, I heard the Red Dragon Emperor, the owner of the Boosted Gear, is also in town. Keep an eye on him, but know that he will try to fight you if you catch his eye." Azazel finished up with the significant people, dropping a bomb in the end.

"What?!"

"He's kind of stupid and a battle maniac, so avoid him if you don't want to fight him. Or don't if you want to get some battle experience since he won't kill you."

That was... good to know?

"Anything else I should be aware of?" Josh asked.

"Oh, I'm lending you my mansion there. You can stay there for free. It has everything that you need, and you can even pretend to be some rich kid and invite girls over for some fun." Azazel winked at him.

Josh didn't need to pretend to be rich since he actually had quite a lot of money. When Azazel told him he paid well, he meant it. His bank account could last him his entire life as long as he didn't spend his money willy-nilly.

"Everything that I need, meaning there's enough alcohol to make a river." Josh said, knowing how Azazel's brain worked.

"Exactly! Imagine what kind of parties you can pull off!" He wasn't even surprised by that statement.

Josh rolled his eyes. He wasn't planning on staying in the mansion. Azazel more than likely had a way to spy on him there, so he planned on getting a small one-room apartment.

"Anyway, school starts in a month, so you can leave now and get accustomed to Kuoh Town. You don't have to worry about paperwork since that has already been taken care of."

"When is Lavinia expected to return from her mission?" At the very least, Josh wanted to meet with her before leaving.

"Hohoho, why am I not surprised? Lavinia will be back tomorrow as long as nothing unexpected happened during her mission." Azazel informed him with a knowing smirk.

"I will leave the day after tomorrow then." Josh said and turned around.

"Oh, and don't forget to send a report every week." Azazel said as he watched him leave. Once Josh was out of his office, a smirk formed on his face. "Let's see how you will surprise me next."

Azazel wasn't stupid. Josh obviously was out for vengeance, but he refused to join the Grigori, which should've been his best chance for revenge. As he currently was, Josh had no way of fighting against a high-class Devil, let alone someone like Shalba or Torafuzar.

Obviously, there was more to his Sacred Gear, which he hasn't shown. Knowing that Josh wouldn't reveal it with him around, he decided to send him away.

There was a possibility that Azazel was wrong, but he had gathered all the data he could if that was the case. But if it wasn't? Well, he was interested to see how much his only successful experiment could accomplish.

Would it compare to his father's greatest works?

Or would it be mediocre?

Either way, it was a win in Azazel's book since no one else had successfully created a Sacred Gear before.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Josh exited the bus with his baggage in hand. He didn't have much with him and only carried a few clothes alongside a pair of light swords and guns.

Kuoh was a small town, but there were a surprising number of interesting individuals, as Azazel called them. Even the siblings of two of the Satans lived there.

From what Josh gathered, the Devils had made a deal with the Shinto faction that allowed them to become 'Second Owners of Kuoh.' It was assumed to be a beneficial deal for the Shinto Gods since the Devils paid a heavy price, but maybe that wasn't the case. At least Azazel didn't believe so since even he wanted a piece of Kuoh.

Josh walked through the streets, getting accustomed to the place he would spend one year. This mission was a blessing in disguise since he could work on increasing his strength without the prying eyes of Azazel.

Using the maps function of his phone, Josh finally arrived at his home for the foreseeable future. It was an apartment block in the poorer side of Kuoh, but he didn't care. After all, he won't be staying most of the time.

Josh dropped his baggage once he opened his one-room apartment. He didn't even bother checking it out and immediately entered his mindscape, where he was greeted by the purple Exceed.

"I want to visit Earthland."