[16] The young demons

Shiki stopped at a safe distance, making sure that the young demons did not feel uncomfortable because of his presence.

He didn't want to cause unnecessary inconvenience; he had fulfilled his goal and was ready to leave, but he thought that at least he should be courteous and say hello.

With a relaxed gesture, he raised his hand in greeting, while the moon shone brightly in the night sky, which was split in two by a luminous arrow that seemed to defy the darkness.

"Good night, Sitri-san, Gremory-san! Sorry for the interference at this time in your territory. I just came to take care of a small problem that was causing some discomfort," Shiki said in a clear voice, making sure that his words reached them despite the distance that separated them.

Sona Sitri, a young woman with short dark purple hair, stared at him from her place. Her eyes of the same tone shone with a mixture of curiosity and caution behind her glasses, giving her an air of intellectuality that distinguished her.

As supervisor of the city of Kuoh and heiress of the prestigious Sitri clan in the underworld, in addition to being the younger sister of the powerful Maou Serafall Leviathan, Sona did not allow herself to let her guard down, but she could not ignore the courtesy that Shiki showed either.

Sona adjusted her glasses with a calculated gesture, her gaze fixed on Shiki while asking her question: "If you already know my name and that of my clan, could you tell me yours?"

Shiki nodded slowly, recognizing that it was logical that she wanted to know his name after causing so much commotion in her territory.

"If you promise me that you won't reveal my name to strangers, I can tell you," Shiki replied with a slight smile on his lips.

He knew that Sona, with her vast resources, could investigate his identity if she wanted to. After all, in her hurry, she had put aside the precaution of wearing a mask... or at least, that's what she thought.

While Sona was watching him, his mind had already begun to draw up a plan.

'If she lives in society as a human, it shouldn't take so long to find it,' she thought to herself, sure that her network of information and contacts would allow her to reveal the mystery quickly. But just as her mind began to focus on that goal, Shiki interrupted her thoughts with a comment that upset her.

"Ah, by the way," Shiki said, touching his face with a mischievous expression, "don't bother investigating my identity based on this face, since it's false."

Shiki isn't that stupid, okay?

Although he has an overwhelming force and is not too worried about being attacked, he understands that it makes no sense to attract lunatics or terrorists to the door of his house.

At the end of the day, it is better to avoid unnecessary problems, especially when he has close friends who are only human and cannot protect themselves if they want to threaten him.

Shiki has made enough friends, people he values deeply and is willing to defend at any cost.

In fact, he leaves nothing to chance when it comes to his safety and that of his loved ones.

Therefore, he has taken additional measures to ensure that they are always protected. His time clones, invisible and practically undetectable, are kept hidden in the shadows, ready to intervene if any threat arises.

However, Shiki knows that the best defense is to avoid the conflict before it begins.

Tranquility is a luxury that he values, and there is no better way to preserve it than by staying under the radar.

So, before meeting people like Sona and Rías, he took a simple but crucial precaution: he used the power of [Haniel] to change his face.

(A/N: they didn't see her face since she was with her back to her when she spoke to Ghi Bree, and the battle in the sky was at a tremendous speed and at a very high height, so they didn't see anything even with her magic).

His face had undergone a subtle but effective transformation. Now, instead of the appearance that belonged to him, he wore a common face, one that would easily be lost in the crowd.

His hair was black, simple, and undistinguished, and his features lacked any distinctive feature that could attract glances or raise suspicions.

It was the face of someone you could cross on the street and forget instantly.

The only thing he left from his previous appearance was his patch.

Sona's lips twisted a little, but she just nodded.

"Well, let's leave my true identity for later. For now, you can call me Archer," Shiki said serenely, his carefree tone as if that didn't matter more.

'It occurred to me right now because I just used an arrow to kill Ghi Bree,' he thought with a spark of internal humor.

"Archer-san, then. You can call me Sona Sitri," Sona replied, shortening the distance between them with a step, intrigued by the undisturbed calm of that stranger. He didn't perceive any hostility in him, which was as disconcerting as it was reassuring.

"Sitri-san," Shiki nodded politely, before turning his gaze to the other demons present, as if he had barely noticed them.

"Could they at least show up? It's a little uncomfortable not to know who I'm addressing," he said, moving calmly until he was a few meters away from them, "I only know the heiress of the Gremory clan and that of the Sitri clan."

"You can call me Rías Gremory," presented Rías, the girl with red hair and blue eyes, with a confident voice.

Shiki looked at the others with slight curiosity but couldn't help but wonder,

'Why does everyone wear their school uniform?' It was night, and it was a bit strange that they were in uniform.

Rías continued, pointing to a beautiful girl with long black hair and violet eyes that shone with a touch of malice.

Shiki noticed that she had an impressive body, although the idea seemed a little rude to him.

"She is my Queen, Akeno Himejima."

"Fu-fu~ a pleasure to meet you," Akeno replied with a giggle, which seemed to hide a dangerous game.

Rías continued to introduce her group.

"She is my Tower, Koneko Toujo."

The little girl with white hair and golden eyes nodded briefly. Shiki thought that this loli kuudere looked like a cat; he could almost imagine her with ears and a tail.

"He is my knight, Kiba Yuuto," she pointed out to the blond boy who smiled with natural elegance.

"A pleasure," Kiba greeted politely, his smile so perfect that it seemed to be taken from a magazine.

'Ikemen,' was the first thought that crossed Shiki's mind, without being able to avoid it.

"My Bishop, Asia Argento," Rías continued, introducing the blonde girl who looked absently at the clouds in the sky, already beginning to meet again.

"Ah! A pleasure," Asia bowed with charming innocence, like a well-educated girl.

"And this is my Pawn," Rías finally said, pointing to the last member of her group.

"Hyodou Issei," the boy simply nodded, somewhat uncomfortable because of the approach that suddenly fell on him.

Shiki looked at Issei for a moment, feeling the latent power that was sealed inside him.

'I read in [Rasiel] that the bearer of the [Boosted Gear] was in Kuoh... so it's this guy... although it seems that D. Draig is still sleeping,' he reflected, his mind working in the background.

After Rías presented all the present members of her nobility, Sona presented her own.

Tsubaki Shinra, her Queen, was a girl with long black hair and light brown eyes. She also wore glasses and was the wearer of the [Mirror Alice], a Sacred Gear.

Her Tower, Tsubasa Yura, was a tall girl with blue hair up to her shoulders and matching eyes.

One of her gentlemen, Tomoe Meguri, had reddish hair and brown eyes. His hair had bangs and an antenna that protruded from the top.

One of her Bishops, Reya Kusaka, was a thin girl with long brown hair that ended in two short braids and matching eyes. She also wore a blue ribbon.

Her other Bishop, Momo Hanakai, was a girl with white hair and blue and green eyes.

One of her Pawns, Ruruko Nimura, was a little girl with brown hair in two pigtails and green eyes. Her hair had a couple of green clips.

And her Pawn, Saji Genshirou, was a boy with short blond hair and gray eyes. He was also the owner of the [Absorption Line], one of the Sacred Gears that holds the soul of Vritra, the Black Dragon, one of the Five Dragon Kings.

After several presentations, the atmosphere became less uncomfortable.

Sona asked Shiki, "Could you better explain what you came to do in our territory?"

Shiki, with a calm expression, replied:

"I came to finish that guy, but I understand that that's not a very complete explanation."

Rías, still intrigued, added: "Who was that guy? He looked like a street demon, but he didn't have the kind of repulsive mana they usually have. And he can't be a monster, since he spoke and seemed rational."

Sona continued, with growing concern: "And he was as powerful as a Maximum class. It's rare that our barrier didn't detect it when it entered Kuoh."

Shiki, with a distant look at the ruined factory, responded calmly: "Well, that guy was not a demon or from this planet. He used technology to hide his presence, so he was an alien."

"Extraterrestrial?" everyone asked in unison.

Shiki nodded. "Yes, extraterrestrial."

His words were met with skeptical looks. Shiki laughed, trying to lighten the tension:

"Why is it so hard to believe? In my opinion, this world is much rarer than simple extraterrestrials. Demons, angels, gods, dragons, not to mention the Great Red or Ophis. All that is much rarer than an alien."

Most, including Issei, nodded their heads, recognizing that the world in which they lived was, in fact, quite strange. However, doubt was still present.

"If you need proof that you're an extraterrestrial, your spaceship should be hidden in your territory. With your magic, it shouldn't take long to find it, should it?" Shiki suggested.

Sona and Rías nodded, understanding that evidence was key to accepting Shiki's story.

Issei, with curiosity, approached Shiki. "And why would an extraterrestrial look for you? Are you also one or something like that?"

"No, no," Shiki denied with a smile. "I know someone who is an alien. Ghi Bree, the alien I fought, wanted to do unpleasant things with my acquaintance who is also an alien."

Shiki didn't offer more details; there was still not enough trust to share everything.

"I see," Issei said, looking up at the sky with admiration. "But you are very strong; you split the clouds in two."

"Yes," Kiba agreed, impressed. "And you don't seem to be older than us."

Koneko also agreed, her gaze attentive to Shiki.

"Was that spear and those chains a Sacred Gear?" a girl from Sona's nobility asked with curiosity.

Sona quickly intervened: "Don't be rude, Ruruko."

"Yes, Kaichou!" Ruruko replied, noting that her question could be too direct.

It didn't bother Shiki. His powers were not of this world, so it didn't bother him that they thought they were Sacred Gear.

After the conversation calmed down and the misunderstandings were clarified, Shiki was preparing to leave.

Rías Gremory and Sona Sitri gave him a piece of paper with a magic circle drawn on it. "This serves to summon us and make small requests," Rías explained. It was her way of keeping in touch and ensuring future communications.

"Well, I'll summon you one of these days," Shiki said as he accepted the paper.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, but it's quite late and I have to go," he added. Then, he tore the space, opening a black crack that seemed to devour the light.

Everyone looked at the crack with astonishment while Shiki waved his hand as a sign of farewell. "Goodbye."

"Take care, Archer-san," Sona said, while

Akeno, with a playful giggle, added: "Don't forget not to use your summoning contract."

"Yes, yes," Shiki replied with a smile before going through the crack, which closed after his disappearance.

Once Shiki was gone, Rías and Sona exchanged glances.

"I should inform Oni-sama," Rías said seriously.

Sona nodded. "I will also inform One-sama."

Rías, with a thoughtful look, asked aloud, "I wonder if I could make him join my nobility."

Sona looked at her friend with an expression of caution and replied, "I don't think someone so powerful would suddenly become a demon."

Rías nodded, understanding the difficulty of the situation, but she couldn't help but feel growing concern, especially with the approach of the day when she had to marry the unpleasant Phenex.

After Shiki said goodbye and left, everyone at the site looked at the factory in ruins.

The magnitude of the destruction was considerable, and they couldn't help but think about the amount of work that would involve repairing everything.

'He didn't repair his disaster!' they thought in unison, feeling a mixture of frustration and resignation.

With no other choice, they began to use their magic to restore the factory to its original state. The process was laborious and required considerable effort on the part of all of them, but with the magic of Rías, Sona, and the rest, they finally managed to return the factory to its former splendor.