14

Asia and I stopped at a cafe for lunch. After having sweet drinks and sweeter pastries, we went back to walking around Kuoh. I had plans to pull out all the stops for this pseudo date.

I showed her the park where I first arrived, though I didn't mention that bit, and the aquarium. We spent a couple of hours each in the Arcade and Karaoke place. I even took her by the street full of love hotels that Kuoh had, for some reason. She blushed bright, bright red when I told her what they were really for.

By the time the sun had set, we'd seen most of the town. Asia mentioned that she was supposed to be staying at Kuoh's church.

I shook my head, and said, "That doesn't make any sense. There is a church in Kuoh, but it's been abandoned for a long time. There won't be anyone there to receive you."

"Oh no! What will I do then? Where will I go?" Asia said, wringing her hands with worry.

"Don't worry," I was quick to reassure the ex-nun. "You can come home with me. I'm sure my boss won't mind putting you up for a few nights while we figure out what to do."

The worry on Asia's face disappeared, and she beamed a smile that lit up the night, "Thank you, Taylor. I swear you're a gift from God. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you today."

Like every time Asia had referred to Big G today, I had to hide my flinch. It was only a short walk back to Rias' apartment complex, and, luckily, we didn't run into anything that went bump in the night. I took the time to check the progress of Asia's bond. According to The Binder, Asia trusted me like she had known me her whole life already. Damn, another girl that had been starved of positive attention. I was beginning to think I had the same problem Rias had with collecting broken people. I made a mental note to kill everyone in the Church who had ever ignored or had taken advantage of this girl.

As it turns out, my lack of worry about getting Rias to let Asia stay with us was justified. As soon as Rias learned of the nun's excommunicated status, her devilish greed reared its head. I could tell she was already mentally measuring Asia for piece potential. It's nice to be on the same page as your boss/bonded subordinate. Bondmate? Bonded boss? Whatever our relationship was called.

After the girls were settled and asleep, I snuck out. I had a mission to accomplish tonight. The Fallen Angels camped out in the abandoned church had to go. There was no sense leaving them around where they could dispute my claim on Asia.

Using the cover of night, I let out my wings and took to the sky. Flying as a devil is not so much about flapping your wings, it's more a matter of using magic to propel yourself. And the amount of magic that my Mage reactor produced allowed me to reach speeds that Satan-class devils would struggle to keep up with.

I landed on the roof, and immediately cast a divination spell that allowed me to peek inside. Three of the Fallen Angels were down there, the only one missing being Kalawarner. The only one among the exorcists that I recognized was Freed.

Whatever I did, that man needed to die tonight. He was an absolute psychopath, and his death would hopefully divert some of the mess that became the Excalibur hunt in canon. Kokabiel would inevitably find someone else to wield the Excalibur fragments, but anybody would be a better choice than Freed.

Steeling myself against the brutality I was about to unleash, I opened my mind to the Warp. I put Raynare in the Bond's storage as an afterthought. She'd stay in there forever, or at least until I had a use for her. I held a bar, constructed from pure telekinetic force, across all of the exits, barring the escape routes for the unlucky souls inside.

Reaching inside myself, I located a single glowing ember that was being stoked by my King essence. As I grasped the ember, I felt my essence seem to nod at me solemnly.

Slowly encouraging the flames to grow, I directed the Warpfire into the roof below me. The fire burned everything it touched, even burning the light it gave off causing the flames to appear black. It spread like shadows until Warpfire infused every inch of the church's structure. It gathered strength and waited, coiling in on itself like a snake preparing to strike.

In a single moment, I partially released the tight hold I kept on the Warp flames, and darkness engulfed the church. Paradoxically dark fire burned through everything it touched in an instant, chewing through flesh and souls as it was let run free. I felt the backlash of dozens of deaths and consumed souls race into me through the Warp.

It was over in an instant, the Fallen and exorcists were consumed before they could process what was happening. I fell to my knees on the roof, gasping and throwing all my will into damping down the Warpfire. Eventually, I was successful in putting out the impossible flames. I just kneeled there, overwhelmed and spiritually tired from the destruction I had just wrought.

I let myself fall to lay on my back. Looking up at the stars and just allowing myself to process. They were the first people I had killed, and I knew that I would have to kill again to keep my people safe from this deceptively cruel world. On the surface, the ecchi-shounen nature of this universe promised light-hearted gaffs and gags, but I knew that just below that lurked power creep and evil gods. The reality of this world was unforgiving, with every faction, even the church, dirtying their hands at one point or another.

The Chaos I had just utilized sang through my veins, calling to me with its siren song. I held steadfast in my refusal to play into its games. I controlled the Chaos, I didn't let the Chaos control me. My internal struggle began to abate somewhat as I stared at the night sky, looking at, but not seeing, the countless stars.

In my distracted state, I didn't notice the letter that floated down from the heavens until it landed on my face. Addressed to me, the letter had the same feel as the introductory letter I was given by my 'benefactors'. Sighing, I opened the letter and began to read.

"Congratulations," it read, "your first interdimensional porn video just went viral! Oh, and I guess on making your first major change to canon. Because of your actions, Asia doesn't have to die. And some of the main cast's recurring enemies are gone for good. As a reward for being such a go-getter, the ROBs and I have decided to give you a bit of an in-universe backstory. You are now Taylor Sune Valefor, the product of a scandalous affair between a Pure-Blooded Devil and a god who shall remain unnamed for now. The Valefor clan has been extinct for years now, so, even with your half-blooded nature, you are the sole surviving heir. You're moving up in the world! Your connection to the Immaterium can now be explained as a strange interaction between the Valefor bloodline ability for portals and your mother's godliness (*innocent foreshadowing noises*). Also, there may or may not be a marriage contract out there with your name on it. And the recipient may or may not have been a certain Bael MILF, which means the contract now passes down to a certain red-haired heiress. Have fun! Good luck and good hunting, Rob."

As I read, I didn't bother trying to hide my exasperation at all this. Power surged through my being as my new backstory was retroactively applied. My base power level shot firmly into the range of a High-class devil, and I could feel my blood sing as my new nature settled into place. I felt new memories being inserted into my brain.

I could still remember my life in my original world, but now there was another set of memories that ran parallel to my old ones. My life in this world was apparently filled with hardship and moving around. Memories of staying with different factions in an effort to find sanctuary, meeting Vali, running from the Old Satan Faction, and other interesting tidbits popped into my mind. My new memories ended with me being kidnapped in a similar fashion as I was in my original world. That seemed to be where Rob decided my two selves merged.

There was still more to the letter. The postscript read, "P.S. Bobby told me to tell you that he added chibi versions of the Four into the Warp. He says they shouldn't cause problems. They're mainly just there for comedic relief."

Sighing at how much of my existence depended on the whims of my sponsors, I decided it was time to go home for the night. I was in dire need of some of Rias' cuddles after everything that had happened. After stepping through the Immaterium into the apartment, I paused.

I swore I just saw a little plague doctor and blue chibi bird slap-fighting while drifting on the Warp's currents. Shaking my head at Bobby's sense of humor, I went to go check on Asia. Rias had lied when she told me there was only one bed on my first night here, so Asia was sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Cracking open the door and sticking my head inside allowed me to see Asia sleeping peacefully. Just the sight of her, safe and sound tucked into bed, was enough to firm up my determination to do what had to be done to keep my girls safe.

Now that I knew I was engaged to Rias, looking at her was a different experience. I knew that, practically, nothing had changed, but things felt different now that I had the potential political power and leverage to solve one of her biggest problems. Rias could marry me instead of Riser, and it would be more than legal because my contract preceded anything between her and Riser.

I got into bed while thinking about how to break the news to Rias. Rias immediately gravitated towards my warmth and stuck herself to me like a limpet. I ended up falling asleep while still worrying over how to tell her.