6 chapter 6

In front of the abandoned church, two forces were facing each other. On one side was a group of 23 stray exorcists as well as a fallen angel, on the other a single hooded figure.

"Mouu, master made me wear something like that, not cute at all." The hooded figure said as it removed the cloth to reveal her looks.

She was a young girl of about 13 or 14 years old, she was quite pale with short hair, black on the outside but vibrant blue on the inside. Not only that, she also had a dark blue headband and a ballerina outfit with several tones of blue. even her eyes were a deep blue with eye-shadows also in blue.

"Much better now, wouldn't you guys say?" The girl said with a big smile, her teeth showing as being like fangs. As her voice rang she stroked a pose almost as if she was a ballerina dancing to a tune only she could hear, it was a perfect positioning even.

Mittelt, seeing this, and fearing what sort of power this girl might have reacted by shouting.

"Attack, you numb skuls!" Mittelt wanted to figure out what this enemy could do, and for that, these stray exorcists were ideal test subjects to test the enemy. Even if they all died, Mittelt would at least be able to gauge the enemy and think and strategy against her, or run away and leave the others behind. She was no fool and did not want to die in a stupid mission when it wasn't needed.

As the stray exorcists obeyed their boss, like good goons of goons should, dozens of light bullets kept firing at their enemy who raised her hand in a languid and calm manner.

With just a single move, a water wall came out of the earth and blocked all the light bullets.

"Weak, weak, weak. You guys have fancy toys but are really weak." The girl said as she shook her head. "This is enough to deal with you."

As she said this around thirty crystals were launched on the ground and an alchemic circle appeared for each of them. From said circles, several weird creatures appeared. They were bright with some looking somewhat humanoid while others looked like slugs.

Mittelt, in the distance, squinted her eyes and thought that this newcomer might have the Annihilation Maker as she was 'creating' weird new monsters out of seemingly nowhere.

This line of thought was quickly cut, however, when screams started to echo and Mittelt saw a scene she never expected to see. Those weird creatures moved quickly in a way as if they were jelly and the stray exorcists were too slow to react as many were hit by these creatures.

Normally if someone was hit one would expect there to have some form of impact or maybe blood, but neither happened as, when the monster and the stray exorcist touched, both quickly started to turn into dust. The strays could only yell in fright as they saw this and some ran away or tried to use others as meat shields, but nothing worked.

Only after half of them died did they figure out that their light swords were actually able to injure these creatures. However, even if they could injure them they were unable to kill them as any amputated part simply became more of those creatures that kept attacking the strays.

"Quite interesting, wouldn't you say?" The girl said, her voice coming from right behind Mittelt's ears as the fallen jumped away in fright as she felt the girl's mouth so close to her own ears.

The girl just smiled as she waved her hand forward, water concentrated in it from the atmosphere and was sent like a drill at Mittelt who answered with a light spear. The two collided in midair and the water strike won in this conflict, but it was slow down just enough for Mittelt to avoid it.

'She is strong.' Mittelt thought as she saw this.

The blue girl just sighed and started to wonder if she really HAD to keep this enemy alive. Sure, her master has told her that she should do her best to capture the enemy, but this fallen angel was so weak that controlling the water pressure so as to NOT kill her was not so easy.

"How about we dance some more, little miss angel?" The blue girl said with a menacing smile, the screams of the stray exorcists could still be heard as they desperately hoped to survive the cacophony of death.

Mittelt gulped and cold sweat rolled down her face as she realized that-

///----///

"We are so fucked." Kalawaner said as she continued to try and hide from the enemy in the room she and the few survivors huddled together as to run from that stylish monster.

Dohnaseek, meanwhile, was doing his level best to stop the bleeding as he used a strap of cloth as a tourniquet for his now missing hand.

With gritted teeth from the pain he was currently experiencing as blood drained from his body he said.

"Less talking, more fighting."

"Easy for you to say, you battle maniac." Kalawarner said in anger. "I am not like you that LIKE to fight. I just came over because it was supposed to be an easy job where the most we could face are some devil kings that would back away for fear of a war, no one said anything about a psycho coin-tossing monster."

"What even is that, that THING? Her movements are not something a human person should be able to do, and I have never seen skills like those." One of the remaining stray exorcists questioned, clutching his leg that had four holes in it. He was one of the ones with the least amount of injuries as no vitals were damaged, and yet the injury was quite severe.

Kalawarner looks pensive as she also did not understand that being. It looked like a beautiful woman in her early twenties, true, but it also had a distinct impression that it was not a person properly and her skills did not match any sacred gear she knew, magic, or racial trait.

Dohnaseek, by her side, spoke up.

"Perhaps that thing is a yet unknown Avatar Type sacred gear. We know that the final target should have some form of Sacred Gear, so perhaps it is that thing." Dohnaseek proposed and the others nodded their heads.

Even if Sacred Gears have been around for a long time many new ones could be found as older models mutated or had not awakened in previous hosts, an yet unknown Sacred Gear appearing wouldn't be too shocking a reality.

Dohnaseek then came to a decision and said.

"We are retreating."

Hearing the most militant member of those in this unity saying such a thing the others were quite shocked and one of the exorcists said.

"Sir, we are abandoning the mission?"

Dohnaseek nodded heavily.

"I am heavily injured and I don't see how we can defeat it. Even if we do I can't say how much we would lose from this fight, and that is if the devil heiresses don't decide to show up to clean us up. It is better if we just escape now with those two Sacred Gear users instead of dying to capture a third one."

Kalawarner, who did not want to die due to greed, nodded as well.

"I agree, we should just escape already."

With that decision set and no longer hesitating, the two were about to call Raynare who was on the floor below with the prisoners as to tell her to run away as well when-

BANG

"That won't do." The 'monster' said as she kicked the heavy door open. Looking at her everyone felt dread as she moved forward. "Master told me to capture or kill you all, and I don't intend to flashily fail my first job."

"SHOOT, SHOOT!" Kalawarner said as she and the rest all started using all their projectile attacks at the monster who avoided all of them while managing to somehow make jojo poses all the while.

She then flashed her hands and coins could be seen in between her fingers and she threw said coins to the ground. At impact, the coins transformed and from the ground several small mountains of coper raised quickly, lessening the size of the room considerably and burring several of the remaining few inside.

The survivors of this attack were by no means lucky though as more coins came, but this time they were being flicked at them with speed and power above that of a machine gun and with a penetrative force that was no joke.

By the time the dust settled only the two fallen were left alive and, even then, they were clearly injured.

"... I guess this was a bit too flashy for you." The woman said as she gazed down at her defeated foes with disinterest, the enemies too weak for her to take seriously and needing to try harder not to kill them instead.

///----///

Ace, meanwhile, was moving with his hand on his sword as he followed his sense of smell on this labyrinthic underground. This place was created by the church while Kuoh was considered a neutral ground between it and the devils, as the headquarters of the town and banker in case of an enemy attack the whole church's underground was created with the intention of being extremely hard to navigate if you do not know the way, thus it taking Ace some time to find the route he should follow.

Thankfully, the sense of smell of the Tamado family he got while healing Tanjiro's father was simply too great and it was all too simple for him to find the trace of where Isane was coming from, thus meeting her being merely a question of time.

While moving and paying more attention to his nose, Ace felt a metallic smell growing as time passes and he showed a smirk as he felt it.

"Buying the autoscorrers was truly a good call, they are working nicely."

Originally Ace did not desire to buy sentient beings from other worlds, not due to any moral dilemma in itself as he knew that he was not in a good position and an armageddon would happen within the year (being choosy about how to survive is stupid), but he mostly avoided it because of potential troubles to explain how he even got those beings. Try to explain how unique races or people with 'unknown' heritage or powers come from, it would be quite a big headache for sure.

However, with how Isane was captured by the exorcists and with her safety status yet unknown, Ace couldn't stop to consider so much regarding outsiders. Family comes first.

Family ALWAYS comes first.

As such, improve his strength, obtain useful allies, save his family, and THEN deal with the consequences after everything is settled, that is the way to go.

Turning a corner Ace stopped as he felt the scent of people approaching quickly in his direction. With a hand on the handle of his sword Ace took a position and a breath could be heard.

"We need to g-"

That was as far as the two stray exorcists that were trying to go support the others got, their heads leaving their bodies as Ace's figure passed by them.

Do not underestimate the speed, power, and swordsmanship talent and skill of a Hashira, even if a retired one. The former fire Hashira, even if he wasted away considerably after retirement, was still someone who managed to survive as a Demon Slayer for over twenty years without any serious debilitating injury, his strength and skills were at least as good as that of his son Rengoku while he was at his peak state.

Not only that, the skills obtained were accumulated together with Ace's already developed physique and skills. This was the result of the accumulation of physique and training of the sword, in this entire church the only beings he was not confident of being able to defeat or even draw are actually the autoscorrers that belonged to him.

As he continued in his way Ace did not show even a trace of hesitance, whoever appeared in his way was cut down all the same.

When he got close enough to where Isane was Ace saw something he could not accept.

A white-haired stray exorcist was dragging a struggling Isane. As soon as their eyes met the exorcist pulled her up to be in front of him and pointed a gun straight at her head.

"Don't even try, devil lover. Take one more step and I will give the bitch one extra hole, and this one ain't for pleasure." The exorcist said.

"Onii!" Isane said, calling him in the endearing way she likes calling him in the past.

The exorcist, hearing her shout, got irritated and pushed the gun deeper into her head and said.

"Shut the fuck up, whore. What part of me painting these walls with your shitty brains did you not get?"

Seeing Isane's desperate eyes Ace spoke.

"How about we make a deal, you let her go unharmed and peacefully as soon as we get to your boss and I won't open you up like a fish right now before ending your miserable existence?"

The exorcist just laughed at that, his tongue coming out of his mouth and completely ruining his handsome face.

"Sure, as long as you accompany me to meet our boss lady. I heard she wanted your sacred gear, so you meet her nice and good and I will release this bitch." The stray said and Ace nodded.

"I agree to your terms, pleasure doing business with you." Ace said as he relaxed.

The exorcist looks slightly shocked, not knowing what to do. One must understand that Ace's battle intent and pressure were extremely shocking, emanating the pressure of a Hashira fully as he was not yet able to properly control his skills at the moment.

Having Ace so suddenly stop and relax like that, for an experienced fighter like the exorcist it was more than a bit jarring.

"So, lead me to your boss." Ace said with a pleasant smile and the exorcist actually laughed at that.

"You are a crazy motherfucker, you actually believe me just like that?"

"We have a deal, I go with you to meet your boss and you release Isane." Ace said easily enough, knowing that after a deal was struck one should never try to escape it or pay the consequences, but the exorcist did not yet understand this fact so he simply snickered at Ace's actions.

"Sure, if that is what you wish."

Isane wanted to say something, tell Ace to go away and escape, but when she tried to speak her hair was pulled hard by the exorcist who snarled at her.

"Don't say anything, you little whore, otherwise I will make sure to put your mouth for better use later!" The exorcist said and moved her along, Ace calmly walking beside him even as Isane sent pleading looks for him to escape.

As they moved they kept hearing the screams of death and pain coming from up above as well as the sound of conflict, the walls could be seen shaking as that happened and some dust falling down from up above.

The exorcist heard all this and said.

"Are those your friends?"

"Not quite, you can think of the ones currently mowing down your forces as my recently acquired subordinates." Ace explained, he had no reason to lie to a soon-to-be-dead man anyway. Ace did fully intend to see Freed have his life squished beneath his feet soon enough anyway.

The exorcist heard the words of Ace regarding the fate of his 'allies' and shrugged at that. He honestly didn't care if every single other person here died, especially those female exorcists and the fallen girls. He could have plenty of fun with their corpses at any rate, just as he intended to enjoy the body of the 'whore' he was pushing to her death currently. Just thinking on defiling her body after her very soul was ripped apart, using her as merely a fleshy and somewhat warm onahole, it was exhilarating for the maniac exorcist.

Yes, he, Freed Selzein, was a psychotic lunatic who was into necrophilia. Just thinking on how he could enjoy the aftermath of the fight was enough for him to get a hard-on right now as he pushed Isane her way, her eyes widened as she felt that and her struggling getting worse as fear of what the lunatic might do started to settle in her mind.

Ace acted as if he saw nothing, just moving along to reach the destination faster.

Freed smiled even further as their destination appeared in front of them. An unadorned heavy metal door that had an ominous feeling to it.

Entering it Ace saw Raynare standing there, by her side was Asia who was currently strapped into a device for Sacred Gear Extraction.

"Well done, Freed. At least we won't get out of this situation empty-handed." Raynare said with a vicious smile, certain that she could and would take all the sacred gears for her own soon enough.

Freed was about to answer when Ace spoke up.

"Well, it seems like I did my part of the deal. Shouldn't you do the same now?"

Freed, hearing this, actually laughed and pointed his gun straight at Ace.

"As if I would do that idio-"

And that was as far as Freed could go. No, not because Ace acted against him or anything, but for a simpler reason.

Breach of contract.

From the moment Ace entered a deal with Freed a contract using the Merchant Essence was in effect. After both sides accepted a deal openly they have to follow through with it or deal with the consequences. Those differ, for Ace some of the functions of his essence would be sealed if he were to break any contract with the duration of said sealing changing depending on the contract and the payment received.

For others, there was a payment in the form of power. The more relevant and meaningful their part of the contract was, the heavier their payment in power must be, magic energy goes first, then their physical and mental attributes, and if that isn't enough there is their memories and finally their life expectancy and vitality.

As such, Freed who has refused to fulfill his side of the deal was now paying the price for it. Normally refusing to release a normal girl wouldn't cost much, but Isane had a Longinus in her body. Her value, according to the Essence, was extremely high and, as such, him refusing to release her had an equally harsh penalty.

In moments Freed began to change, his once lustrous white hair turned opaque and lifeless, his vivid eyes growing dim and blind, his skin turning brittle and dry, his muscles turning from full of strength to those of a corpse. He was still alive, but his memories and experience with training in everything regarding exorcist related matters as well as all secrets he knew that had any sort of value were gone, his body was a dry husk that lacked vitality and was as weak as a coma patient who just woke up after a decade in bed, he had no more supernatural energy or power of any kind inside his body as even the artificial bloodline of Siegfried he carried was taken away from him. Even whatever potential he might have had to any and all areas was fully gone, even if he recovered he'd never again be able to be even adequately capable in anything in his miserable existence.

The loos of his bloodline was the only reason he even was alive at the moment since the value of said bloodline was quite high, but even then he was only barely alive at this point and at most had two more days to live as his lifespan was taken away as well with no chance of recovery. His five senses were dulled to the extreme and he no longer was able to hear, smell, see, taste, or feel touch properly.

Raynare, Asia, and Isane saw this in shock, not understanding what was going on. As for Ace, he just smiled as he felt his own body changing and adapting as everything taken from the offended party was passed over to him. Freed was not particularly strong, but his body was naturally well above that of a normal human, his bloodline had traces of dragon energy from Siegfried, and his reserves of magic energy were comparable to those of a low to mid class devil.

Those things weren't that much, but they still complemented Ace's own powers further and made him even stronger as he smiled down at the barely alive husk that was Freed and said.

"Didn't your non-existing mommy tell you, you better keep your promises. Oh, and before I forget, thank you for the patronage."

///----///

AN

So, can we all agree that breaking a contract with Ace is NOT the best of ideas? Because it really isn't. The cost is forcefully extracted to compensate for the contract, with mostly bad effects in the end.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this beatdown and what happens next. I am thinking that this Merchant Essence is way too fun to write, how no one tried to do anything with it before and always goes for the Archmage essence instead makes me wonder if they ignore how awesome this essence can be.

Quick question, I will open a third world soon and I am torn between a few words and would like you guy's opinion on which one to use. They are:

- Soul Eater (get Crona's black blood then match it with the blood demon arts from demon slayer, just think how BS that combination would be)

- Hunter X Hunter (get Nen and perhaps the hatsu of Illumi or the nen amount of one of the Royal Guards)

- RWBY (Get aura from Ironwood, take away one of the Maiden's powers, and get a metric fucking ton of Dust from Jaques in exchange for a few years of life span, I wonder for how much Dust would be worth in DxD and how many more words would Ace be able to unlock like this)

- BTTH (get a deal with Xiao Yan, information about his father's location after the kidnapping for his Green Lotus Core Flame. Xiao Yan suffers from thinking he is always the smartest person around and can outsmart the other side, let's see what happens with him when he tries to do that now)

- MHA (trade with AFO, a phenex tear in exchange for getting Overhaul's quirk and transferring it to Ace. It may sound bad, but I rather doubt AFO would actually even WANT to make Tomura take his place if AFO's own body was perfectly healed so the total danger would actually decrease for the final war)

You guys decide, but if you have a different idea that would be interesting I am willing to hear it out.