Hello There

Disclaimer: I own neither High School DxD nor Demon Slayer. This story is purely fan fiction. Please support the official release.

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●Muichiro's POV●

It's a lot more spacious here than I initially thought. At least as many rooms as the house upstairs.

I thought the outside smelled bad, but down here, I am forced to use only my eyes and ears to navigate.

More like using my nose would put me out of commission immediately.

Neither do I dare touch the walls covered in some mysterious black stains.

The hallway I am currently walking through is the only place that has at least some semblance of light, albeit said light was so weak it made no difference at all in giving me little to no visibility beyond a few feet ahead.

Well, I would keep myself on my toes regardless of the morbid and nyctophobic ambiance.

As I keep walking, I come across some footprints.

The same footprints I found on the crime scene earlier.

Good. I'm getting closer. Adrenaline courses through my system in murderous anticipation.

All of a sudden, quiet, joyous mumblings fill the air as I get closer to the end of the hall. I grab the handle of my katana in expectation of a fight.

Huddling close to the wall, I take a peek around the corner.

It was a lounge as dark as the rest of this Godforsaken place. Some crates lay around, most of them being empty.

Some presumably containing weapons, their distinct scent of steel filling the room

In one corner was the biggest crate of all.

Focusing my gaze on the insides, I can see some kind of machine. Compared to the metal within the other crates, this one seems to be of incomparatively higher quality. There is some weird kind of holy aura surrounding it too...

Well, leaving that for later. My focus shifts to the one sitting on top of it.

A man with white, shoulder-length hair and red eyes. He wore an overcoat on top of some kind of ornate uniform. A nasty grin spreads across his face as he guzzles down a bottle of what I assume is wine.

Blood stains his left cheek, presumably not his own.

So that's him, huh? That misbegotten son of a bitch?

My anger builds up with every inch I sneak closer to him, using the wooden boxes as cover. I should still be undetected...

However, it seems that assumption couldn't have been more mistaken.

"Hah~ That's some good booze. If only I had some meat to go with it..." Slamming the bottle down next to him, his head jerks violently in my direction. "I suppose your flesh will have to do!!"

Before I knew it, a sound akin to thunder erupted as he raised his hand and I found myself face to face with a small, pointy piece of metal.

I've seen that thing before. I believe it was called a gun.

Seriously? How rusty am I? How low I have fallen, to be detected by a lowlife such as this motherfucker...

Everything moves in slow motion as I think.

From what I read and watched on the devil-net, it was defined as a device able to propel a projectile called a bullet through explosive force, similar to a bow and arrow, yet small enough to fit in one hand.

Mankind has created one truly lethal weapon, huh?

Well, doesn't matter.

I quickly draw my blade and slash it in two.

"Oho? So you managed to block that, huh? Impressive, aren't you~?"

No, I slashed it, not blocked. They are different.

Not like I said that out loud though.

Well, cat's out of the bag. No point in trying to hide anymore.

I rush him.

He doesn't stay still, firing his weapon at me. All projectiles were aimed at different parts of my body.

Without slowing down, I slash apart the ones heading for my knees and tilt my head to the side to dodge the last.

Surprise briefly flickers in his eyes at the display, before filling up with a mad glint.

My sword sails towards his knees, an attempt to take away his mobility first.

"Ah, ah, ah~!" Still sitting, light bursts forth from his hand and forms a bright blazing sword to meet my blade, locking it in place. "Say, that's a nifty-looking sword you have there. Can I have it?"

Without answering, I push more power into my arms, overpowering him and forcing him to backflip and fire a few more shots at me, all of which I deflect this time.

Landing on his feet a few meters away, he still had that same maddening grin on his face with a gaze still carrying the look of a cat playing with a mouse.

"How did you get here, anyway? I'm sure the door was locked. Breaking and entering is a crime, you know? You could go to jail for that~!" Walking in a circle across the room, he addresses me as one would a child.

I keep my silence and observe him from afar. From the twitching of his hands to the joints in his feet. Everything about the way he moved screamed relaxed.

I was still no opponent in his eyes.

"Still not talking? Come on~ I let you run around and inspect the place. You could at least entertain the questions of this reverent father!"

My eyes widen a bit at that.

A priest? This bastard is a priest?!

"Oh, that seemed to get something out of you. Goodness, are kids these days this disrespectful to their elders or is it just you?"

Looking at his attire now though, it does resemble the vestments of the liturgy I found online...

Seeing me still not answering, annoyance finally appears on his face, accentuated by him raising his light sword at me.

"Still not gonna talk to me, huh? I see, I see... Then I suppose you don't need your tongue anymore." With that, he disappears before reappearing in front of me.

With the tip of his sword inches from my face.

I deflect his blade before it can spear through my mouth and counterattack with a slash at his stomach.

Only for him to pull back his own to block it before it could touch the priest's garb.

With my blade held down, he points the barrel of his weapon in my face and pulls the trigger, but I shove it to the side before metal could fly. The ringing in my ear is quite annoying...

Sparks fly as we dance around the room, smashing through crates. Their contents spill out before either of us picks them up and throws them towards the other.

I must admit. He is skilled.

Compared to Raynare, whose inexperience shone through during our fight, this motherfucker knew how to use his brain. He isn't just throwing around his attacks and hoping they will hit me.

Capitalizing on his flexibility, his strikes come from weird angles, slipping through my openings to slash my sides open.

He shoots his gun at my head but aims his blade at my stomach and limbs due to his preference for causing someone as much pain as possible with his sword.

Not to mention the shots he sneaks from his gun are getting quite pesky...

Perhaps he saw my eyes narrowing, the lunatic let out a mad cackle and intensified his onslaught.

"What's wrong?! Don't you wanna say something yet?! At least leave some last words before I fillet you!"

Shockwaves resound between us with every swing of our blades as gunshots litter the surrounding walls with bullet holes.

In the whirlwind of slashes mixed with the occasional punches and kicks...

"Was it you?"

Even as my katana came close to slicing his neck open, the look of a maniac still graced his face.

"Hmm~? Finally! For a second, I thought you were mut-"

"The woman in the alley with the long black hair. Was it you?"

Perhaps taking that as a signal, he disengages, jumping back and holding his gun under his chin in deep thought.

Tension rose as we remained like that for a few moments, my grip on my blade tightening further the longer he took.

"Ahh~ Yeah, that's me. What about it?"

"...Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" He raises a brow. "Ah, right. You must not be aware, but she is evil, you see! Or rather, she was! Hahaha! She was associating with a filthy devil, after all! Gasp! Shocker! Am I right?!"

Screaming with religious fervor, he spreads his arms and pushes out his chest.

"So I, as a most faithful servant of God, brought down divine retribution and slew her like the heretic she was! Ah, just remembering how she tried crawling away after I broke her limbs and slashed her tendons gets me all hot and bothered!"

Veins pop out on my temple.

This... This is a servant of the Abrahamic God? This monster?

This demon...

"Water Breathing, First Form:..." Taking a deep breath, I ignore the foul stench assaulting my lungs. "...Water Surface Slash."

"Hmm?"

He reacts late as I shunpo in front of him. Surprise blooms in his expression as his eyes dilate.

My blade nicks his neck, stopping short of his jugular before being met with his own.

It doesn't stop there though.

My momentum carries me forward, over his shoulder.

"Second Form: Water Wheel."

That's when the screaming started.

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●Kalawarner's POV●

"Hey Kala, Raynare's been acting all weird since that night, don't you think?" Twirling her hair on her finger, Mittelt asks.

I only offer an absentminded nod in response.

The moon glows above as we sit atop one of the houses near our base. We suggested staying at this specific location as a surveillance point for if the Devil Heiresses' peerages come around, but we both know that is never gonna happen.

We just wanted to get the hell out of that stuffy church.

"Right? In the middle of the night, we receive a distress signal all of a sudden. And it's from her of all people! Hahaha!" Oblivious to me ignoring her, she prattles on. "Too bad you were on patrol for potential sacred gear wielders that night. You should have seen her face after she got teleported in the middle of the aisle. She looked spooked out of her damn mind!"

I must admit, I do feel some satisfaction at that. She has been hounding our asses since day one, going Azazel-sama this, Azazel-sama that...

It feels good to see her going through shit for a change.

Though that begs the question...

"What even happened that night? I remember her acting all giddy and shit about finally finding a super powerful sacred gear, even claiming it to be Longinus Class." Elbows on her knees and hands on her chin, her legs dangle over the roof's ledge as she scoffs. "It's kinda worrying how she never took her hand off her neck after that. Maybe she likes getting choked, but has no one to do it for her?"

Did she fight someone, perhaps? If so, then who?

One specific image pops up, long dark hair, and a katana...

A shiver runs across my back as the picture of a certain boy is painted.

I still see those empty eyes in my dreams sometimes, and I wake up in a cold sweat every time it happens.

There's no way, right? Don't be ridiculous. If he was the one who beat her, then this entire mission is already a failure, no?

We haven't even fought the two rulers yet. What would become of us if some powerful wildcard showed up?

"There's no point in thinking too much about it." I don't know if I'm saying it to Mittelt or myself at this point. "The past few weeks have been hectic enough as is. It would do no good to pile on more stress."

And I don't want to even entertain the possibility of fighting that guy ever again.

My blonde companion hums in agreement.

"Hey, what do you thin-"

Her words are cut short as both our communicators buzz in our pockets.

My eyes go wide as I look at the sender, Mittelt's were much the same.

It was the shitty priest after all.

A filthy human. I mean, all humans were filthy in my eyes, but this one in particular was a special case.

He proclaims himself as a man of the Creator, yet he revels and bathes in the very sin His doctrines condemn. Honestly, he would fit right in with our lot given how much he tramples on His name.

He possesses considerable strength as well. Pretty much the same amount as Raynare herself.

So even if I scorn him in my heart, I still consider him to be a very important asset to the completion of our mission objective.

He should be in the hideout the more desolate part of Kuoh Town. Desolate because of us, of course. Hypnotizing the humans to leave and killing the rest who were unlucky enough to stay was a simple task.

For him to send a distress signal at a time like this...

Hostile forces powerful enough to overpower him must have invaded.

The extractor!!

"Mittelt!" Without waiting for her response, I begin conjuring a teleportation spell for both of us.

"On it!" She, on the other hand, informs our allies about the oncoming battle and where to rendezvous.

It doesn't take a few moments later when I finish. My view shifted from the calm night sky to a near-completely destroyed basement.

Dust clouds my vision.

Flapping my wings blows some of it away, giving me a good look at my surroundings. The lack of sufficient lighting doesn't hinder my focused eyes.

Shattered planks of wood and broken pieces of metal litter the floor. What were once formidable weapons forged by the church to combat devils have been reduced to scrap.

Deep gashes and cracks cover all the walls around us, to the point that it's hard to find any part that isn't damaged.

"What the hell...?" Mittelt shares my feeling of bewilderment.

Just what kind of fight happened here?

This isn't something a single person could do. Have the devil heiress scums and their peerages finally taken action?

Have we been made?

"Wait, what of the extractor?!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Or rather, fancy meeting you here~."

My entire muscle system goes stiff. I do not move. Not even as that dreaded voice comes from my right.

As if timed precisely, the dust completely settles down.

The already darkened floor to my right was stained an even deeper red as I saw something laying in a puddle of blood.

It was an arm.

Even with all my self-control, I couldn't stop my eyes from tracing down the hand, up the arm, until...

"Hello~" With his right foot pressing the priest's bloodied head onto the concrete, the boogeyman greets me with a wave of his hand. "Small world, huh?"

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A/N: I finished it as soon as I could, now give me stones!