Chapter 5: Cleria Belial & First Blood

Cleria Belial POV:

No, no, no, no! Who found out about this?! How'd they trace it back to me, I've only told the people closest to me… Masaomi Yaegaki. He would never. My peerage…? But they've been with me… Who could it be…?

My head is filled with questions I don't have the answers to. And if I did I'm sure the answers would've broken me apart. I have to move quickly before they come and kill me. I'm sure they will try to use my relationship with Masaomi to silence me. Tch, those sly bastards.

"Cleria-sama I've gathered everyone here like you've requested!" My most trusted queen, Iris Berith, has been with me through many experiences. Much like the one we are having now. 

"Good, thank you, Iris." I smile softly at her, appreciating all the hard work she has done for me. 

We were the ones who uncovered the secret of the King Piece after all. Nine of the twelve King Pieces were seized by the Great King Faction when they took control of the Rating Games. 

Due to the Rating Games being tied together with politics and economics, the Old Devils of the Great King Faction sought to manipulate the Rating Games from behind the scenes in to increase their influence and generate more money, by fixing matches by bestowing King Piece to certain Pure-blooded Devils from the 72 Pillars such as Roygun Belphegor and Bedeze Abaddon and using bribery to obtain the commercial rights for the popularity obtained by competing in Rating Games. 

They were judged to be too dangerous since they give massive power boosts to devils- they could increase demonic power by 10 to 100 times- which in turn might give them ideas to turn rogue so the creator Ajuka Beelzebub could only seal them away. Having this kind of information is extremely dangerous, and I thought I could trust my peerage. It seems I was naive. Greed will blind anyone after all. I'm glad I never told the others about the ones I've hidden away. 

I shake away my rampant thoughts and begin gathering up all the documents detailing the information about the King Piece and those who use them. My peerage ask if they can help, but I give them a strained smile and decline. I'm now sure one if not two of them have sold me out. Though it hurts me, and I would rather have faith in them… It makes the most sense. 

Once I finish gathering them, I activate a magic circle on my desk. This magic allows me to copy all of the writing inside the documents and safely transfer it to a bunch of blank paper hidden inside an underground chamber near the forest. It's a fail-safe in case there comes a time when someone tries to send assassins, like today. It's also where I keep my close-guarded secret as proof, and they'll try anything to get their hands on it. 

Right after the documents are copied, they go up in flames. I take a peek at my peerage members and indeed one of them appears to flinch. Beads of sweat begin to appear on him, but I maintain my calm facade and call out to everyone. 

"It seems the Great King Faction has found out about me knowing of the King Piece. I have sensed countless presences beginning to surround my mansion, so we must meet up with Masaomi and hide away for a while. We'll use the underground exits that lead to the forest. I'm sure Masaomi has already noticed the disturbances so he will be there at this time. Does everyone understand!?" I shout, surprising myself but I attribute it to my growing nervousness and agitation. 

They all flinch a bit since I unconsciously released my demonic power but nod along regardless. I give a satisfactory nod and begin walking towards the hidden entrance. 

As soon as we reach the exit in the forest I see Masaomi waving at us. I sigh in relief, perhaps seeing how he is okay has lifted up the dark clouds in my heart. 

"Cleria! A-are you okay?"

"Yes, there is no need to worry. I am a high-ranking devil after all." I puff out my chest in pride, but the uneasiness present on his face does not fade away.

"You know, I'll always be worried regardless of how strong you are Cleria." 

I roll my eyes, but a faint blush spreads over my cheeks at his worried tone of voice. "Yes, yes. Never mind that we must get to the underground bunker. They might appear any sec-"

Right as I was about to finish I sensed countless presences nearing our positions. And by looking at everyone else, it seems they have also sensed them. Damn, they caught up way to fas-. Shit, right, the mole. Dammit!!

"Get ready to fight as we run! Begin preparing your magic and weapons! Once you have charged up, let it loose at them!"

""""Yes, Cleria-sama!""""

Masaomi, you don't have to call me 'sama.' 

We ran and fought them off at the same time, but more seemed to pop up every time we managed to get rid of some of them. There are even some fallen angels! 

I turn around just in time to see my Queen, Iris, grit her teeth and come to a stop. Everyone else does as well. I open my eyes wide, but before I start protesting Iris opens her mouth first and shouts, "RUN, Cleria-sama!! Don't worry about us! We'll buy you some time!!"

"What are y-you saying!!?? There's no way I'll le-"

""""GO, CLERIA-SAMA!!!!"""" 

"Urgh…. But…" I choke up, tears streaming down my face as I gaze at Iris' determined eyes… the words get caught up in my throat. They don't come out. Why are they doing this? We could keep running together… I'm sure we're almost there! NO!

"Cleria… we have to. Do you want to trample on their determination…?"

"Fuck determination! They'll die! I ...don't want them t-to to die for me!!"

"Cleria…"

I stared down Masaomi with tears blurring my vision but I could see his pained look. His hesitation in making me go with him and his hesitation is staying here longer. But soon he turns towards me and slowly speaks to me.

"Cleria. I love you. My priority is you. I will not let you die here! So, come on! We both know we will all die if we keep running together!"

His fervent gaze and passionate speech left me… speechless, and during that time Iris shouted for Masaomi to take me with him forcibly. He shouts at the top of his lungs thank you along with a full blast of holy energy towards the devils they are fighting off giving them enough time to regroup and hold them off. I could only look down as fresh new tears began to form and any semblance of a sentence got caught in my throat… 

We've been running for hours, or maybe it's only been a few minutes. I don't know. All I know is my peerage gave up their lives to allow us to escape. Giving us more time to outrun our pursuers, but in time they'll catch up…

"They're right there! Hurry up you fools!"

Speak of the devil… Wait, are we surrounded?!

"Masaomi! You really are together with a devil. I was expecting more from you my friend. Surrender her to us, and I'll personally go with yo-"

"I'm sorry, but I will never allow you to hurt her, Touji-san!!"

"I see." It seems his friend wanted to give him a way out… but why is the church involved too… Don't tell me?! 

"Masaomi, we're currently surrounded by devils, fallen angels, and exorcists…"

"Looks like it haha. I'll entrust my back to you, Cleria."

"Of course! I still have some fight left in me!" I say with a bit of apprehension but firmly all the same. 

"Hehehe just give up bitch. You're already surrounded, there is no way you two will stand a chance against us all."

"Yeah Yeah! Just give up!"

"Just come with us quietly! We'll treat you both nicely."

They're rather annoying, aren't they? 

As soon as I was about to blast them away, I heard two voices. One appears to be male and the other female. But no matter how much I look around us, I don't see them nor do I sense them. Taking a peek at our enemies, they seem to be as confused as we are. 

"Phew, it looks like they were about to sacrifice themselves till the end huh, J."

"Indeed, Master. But what do you expect, they are up against countless other bats and inferior species."

"Oi, didn't you just diss them all?"

"Fufu, of course not master. I am simply stating a fact."

"Kind of harsh aren't you? Anyways, I'll be fighting. I trust you will stay hidden and protect both of them?"

"Not to worry Master, I will follow your every command!"

Aren't they a tad too carefree? Was my thought when the voice of the male suddenly appeared right in front of Masaomi and me! 

We put up our guards, staring at his peculiar outfit consisting of dark pants and a black overcoat along with a draconic-looking mask. He turned towards us, giving us a reassuring smile while saying, "Not to worry, I am here to help. I'll answer your questions at a later time. Right now make sure you do not move from here."

We were stunned at his words, but something told me I could trust him a bit. I don't know what it was, but it might be my devil instincts and it seems Masaomi agrees with me since he eases up a bit by nodding at the boy. 

I stare at him for a few seconds, wondering if his age is higher than it seems or if he is actually the same age I believe him to be. Is it really possible though? Huh, look at me. I'm so shaken up, that I'll willingly accept the help of a stranger who just gave me a feeling that I could trust him. Regardless I opened my mouth and said, "Thank you… truly…" I then end up choking up a bit at the end so Masaomi brings me into his arms. I end up sobbing more as I relax in his warm embrace. 

Ichijo Ryu POV:

I smile softly at Cleria's thanks and when I turn towards Masaomi I give him a reassuring nod, indicating to leave this to me. 

Once they step away from me, I make sure Jibril has done her part and when I get an affirmative I finally look at all my opponents. I am nervous as hell, but I will have to face off against them sooner or later so it's best to do it now. Besides, if I have the chance to save someone I will definitely do it! Plot be damned! I'll rewrite fate if I have to!

Ha okay, I gotta focus. Can't get ahead of myself, you know. Gotta think of the peace, which I need to work toward but this is difficult when they're working together so blatantly. 

"Okay guys, I will let you leave without any trouble right now, this is mainly for the church because you devils and fallen angels are rogues. Make your choice now, Touji Shidou."

Sorry Irina-chan's dad, didn't mean to make you so pale-faced. I definitely wouldn't forgive myself if I hurt you, how would I face Irina-chan? Hope you understand.

"H-how…..?"

"Doesn't matter how leave now. Your subordinates are hesitating, that's no good in a life or death fight after all and you know it."

"Urk… Everyone retreat!"

Phew, now let's see did any devil or fallen angel retreat… they didn't. That's good. What is this? Why am I looking at them as if they're insects? A deep rumble begins bubbling within the pit of my stomach. Without a moment's hesitation, I call out to Jibril with telepathy. (On second thought, Jibril, can you fly them away to safety? This might get ugly.) 

(Right away!)

As soon as I told her she immediately cast some flying magic on the couple, they were startled at first but I connected them with my telepathy and told them my companion would fly them to safety. They calmed down, but I could see their hesitation in leaving me alone as they flew off. They're kind people, caring for a stranger. Or is it because they're having thoughts about my age? Makes me pretty angry knowing they were about to be killed by these bastards. 

"Hehe, you're all alone boy. Do you really think you have the power to drive us all away?" asked Arrogant Unnamed Devil #1.

"Yeah, all we see is a powerless human with no mana whatsoever. Why don't ya scurry on home, and tell us where you hid those two," said Creepy Fallen Angel #1

I turn and look at the two mobs. They both have black hair, but one of them is lanky while the other is beefed up everywhere. They're red eyes flashed menacingly at me with killing intent, but it just felt like a breeze compared to the pressure Jibril emitted in our first meeting so… yeah these guys are pretty pitiful. 

Alright, it's time. 

Though I wonder why I'm so calm when I'm about to kill them all, am I really fine with this? Plus isn't this pretty irresponsible of me… no not really they're rogues. Hmm, is it my dragon race? Isn't that a super convenient explanation reserved for protagonists? 

I shake my head, banishing my thoughts before I get even more distracted. I then start to condense my rampant aura to around 5 meters around me. I'll be able to control it better this way, then I coat myself in gravity in order to facilitate my movements. You know, make myself lighter or heavier in a flash rather than doing it during battle. Perfect, now I just gotta take out the Dagger of Severing Wings and on with the show!

As soon as the dagger materialized in my right hand, I automatically knew how to use it. Well, only the basics mind you. But this was enough. I dashed towards them, decreasing my gravity, and I was right in front of the cocky devil. My dagger sliced through his neck like a hot knife through butter, perhaps an application of wind magic? That must be it, nice. But I didn't even flinch from that, augh not the time. 

As I redirect my attention to the battle, I jump in once again not leaving any time for them to counterattack. I kicked off the dead guy and landed in the middle of the fallen angels, who were staring at me blankly. They weren't attacking so I filled my dagger with mana and it started to glow a deep green color. Once it was at max capacity I reduced my weight and started spinning as I released the Wind Slashes all around me. Blood and body parts flew everywhere but I managed to redirect it away from me with my gravity and aura. 

Once the fallen angels were all gone I redirected my attention to the devils and that seemed to do the trick since they all started screaming in rage. They literally dashed towards me! I smiled, well what I thought was a smile, since they flinched so it might have been a more bloodthirsty one. I used that second of hesitation to my advantage as I dashed toward the nearest devil and slit his throat, using that momentum I spun and slashed diagonally across another guy's chest. The third devil avoided my first strike but I quickly jumped up, increased my gravity, and stabbed my dagger into his chest. 

This dance continued until there was only one guy left. I had some cuts on my clothes and some scratches on the bottom of my face but nothing too bad. The guy in front of me was stepping back so I immediately teleported in front of him, but he was able to coat his hidden dagger with demonic energy and he got me from my right eye towards my cheek. I cursed myself when that happened so I immediately sent a miniature gravity ball towards his heart and killed him. 

I didn't understand why my Draconic senses failed me, or was it because I was still not used to all the information? I mean, I could smell the overpowering scent of blood and I could hear the restlessness of Cleria and Masaomi. Hmm, perhaps it wasn't life-threatening? No wait, maybe it has more to do with actual battle experience, even if I do have superior senses, and because my mental fatigue was wearing thin over the massive amounts of mana I spent. Sure, I have infinite MP, but what good is that if it gives my mind headaches? Aha, it kinda feels like I'm making up excuses for my blunder... 

But it can't be helped, if I don't have the actual experience of facing a life or death fight it's basically pointless, not even life or death just gotta get more experience fighting man. Sure, I've literally trained for this with the other guys in my clan and my dad showed me the dark side of it all but this was a first with a horde of powerful supernaturals that were out to kill me. 

As I inwardly cursed at my inexperience, I materialized a cloth and wiped the blood from my dagger. I then consciously dematerialized the cloth. I could theoretically heal myself and the scar would be gone but I think it's best to leave it. It is my first fight after all. Plus it's something I could hide just like my other features. Just gotta seal the wound, repair my clothes and mask, and… done! 

"That was tiring… why don't I feel tired? A dragon thing? Or is it my ridiculous stats? Perhaps all of them. Anyways, what do I do with all thi- Oh? That might work," I was in the middle of asking myself what I should do about these bodies until I was hit with an idea. Mainly use the power of my Star Star Fruit to release energy beams to disintegrate all these bodies while I hide the smell with my pheromones. Though just a bit since it might attract people…

I close my eyes, feeling the energy of the fruit all around my body until I finally open them and send that energy towards my outstretched hands. I then imagined countless miniature stars spreading around me and moving towards the bodies, sort of like a homing Dazzling Gleam like in Pokemon. Though the move is spread out in the show and game.

"Homing Starlight Missiles," I mutter and as soon as I do, tiny glittering energy stars shoot out from my hands and start melting, or rather disintegrating, the devils and fallen angels. Ah right, I leave one of each since I promised Jibril she could study them in depth. 

Just gotta spread some pheromones and... there! 

(Okay Jibril, I'm finished here. I'll go to you right now.)

And with that, I disappear from the cleaned-up area, where the massacre happened.