Chapter 2 - Rias Gremory
The ghoul's tongue twirled as she eyed the man before her, captivated by his handsome features and imposing figure.
'Perhaps... I could have some fun before devouring him?' she mused.
'A fine Sir, indeed.'
The ghoul suddenly sensed an unnatural, almost oppressive aura emanating from Terminus Est.
Any rational person would question reality upon seeing a blade appear from thin air, its presence radiating the authority of a high-class sword spirit.
"Who are you?" the female ghoul stammered, panic creeping into her voice as she struggled to comprehend the situation.
Evan offered no response. He had no intention of showing mercy to a man-eating monster. His earlier act of helping her was merely a test—one she had failed. All that awaited her now was death.
Seeing his silence, the ghoul's eyes narrowed. She launched a sneak attack, her Doctor Octopus-like kagune lashing out from behind like a venomous stinger. The kagune, hard as steel, could pierce thin metal with ease.
But Evan sidestepped effortlessly, his feet unmoving, the umbrella in his left hand steady. Had this been Evan when he first transmigrated, such an attack might have chilled him to the bone. But after months training with the Bronze Black Cross in the Campione! world, followed by years hunting cursed spirits, ghouls, and other monsters in this composite anime world, his strength was unparalleled. To him, the ghoul's attack moved in slow motion, sluggish enough for even an elderly woman to dodge.
What's happening?! The ghoul's mind reeled. She hadn't anticipated her prey evading her strike so effortlessly.
Evan said nothing, stepping forward. Before she could attack again, he swung Terminus Est, severing both her hands in a single stroke. The blade's divine edge cut through her kagune as if it were paper, its curse-absorbing properties nullifying her regenerative abilities.
"Ahhhh!" the ghoul howled, staring at Evan in horror.
Damn it! She had been the hunter, and this human was supposed to be her prey. She never imagined encountering such a terrifying opponent. An exorcist hiding his presence? Or something else entirely?
Desperate, the ghoul decided to flee. Her kagune extended, propping her up like stilts. She sprang upward, leaping seven or eight meters to the rooftop of a nearby building, then bounded again, fleeing frantically into the distance. She didn't care about Evan or what happened next—she only knew she had to escape.
After sprinting four or five kilometers into a forest far from the suburbs, the ghoul glanced back, her face pale. No one followed. She had likely lost him. Exhausted, she collapsed, her severed arms no longer bleeding but far from healed. Even a ghoul's regenerative abilities couldn't recover quickly without energy, and she was starving.
"Damn that man! Damn him!" she cursed, her fear of Evan now mixed with hatred. If not for him, she could have preyed on anyone else and feasted. Instead, she'd lost both her hands.
"You run fast," a calm voice interrupted, "but can you escape?"
The ghoul whipped around to find Evan standing behind her, approaching leisurely. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows as he moved, Terminus Est gleaming faintly in his hand.
Terror gripped her. She tried to flee again, but her vision suddenly spun. Her body seemed to lift, then fall. She glimpsed a bleeding, headless corpse—her own. Her head rolled to the edge of a nearby puddle.
Evan gazed at the ghoul's lifeless eyes with disgust. In this composite anime world, ghouls differed from those in Tokyo Ghoul. Due to the blending of various universes, many could eat normal food like humans. Yet, some deviants, like this one, craved the thrill of human flesh. To Evan, such creatures deserved extermination.
He raised Terminus Est, slicing through the ghoul's heel and crushing the kagune's core within. The twitching corpse stilled instantly, the sword's magic-nullifying properties ensuring no lingering resistance.
---
About ten minutes after Evan departed, several figures emerged near the ghoul's corpse. Clad in raincoats, their faces were briefly illuminated by flashes of lightning. All were women, each with distinct features, and none appeared older than their late teens.
"We're a bit late," one girl said. Strands of black hair peeked from under her raincoat, her face bearing the soft, delicate lines typical of East Asian features. Her eyes gleamed like morning light in the forest, clear and bright, her skin pale with a faint pink blush, like freshly bloomed petals.
"You can tell," another girl said, crouching to inspect the corpse. "The cut is clean, the wound smooth. This was done by a master swordsman."
To her, the ghoul's gruesome wounds were as unremarkable as common flowers or grass.
"Who could've done this?" she wondered aloud.
"It's unlikely to be a CCG investigator," a third girl chimed in. "Humans aren't that strong, and investigators usually work in teams. After killing a ghoul, they secure the scene for a logistics team to handle the body. This could be an exorcist or a sorcerer."
"Rias, didn't a fallen angel infiltrate recently?" said Himejima Akeno, another girl. "Maybe they brought a rogue exorcist with them."
Akeno, along with Rias Gremory, were students at Kuoh Academy. On the surface, Akeno was an ordinary high school girl, but in truth, she was a devil hiding her identity. Unlike the bloodthirsty demons of fiction, modern devils resembled humans and operated within a sophisticated magical society, far more advanced than human civilization. Devils, fallen angels, angels, and certain human factions governed the world in a delicate balance.
Kuoh Town was devil territory, ruled by Rias Gremory, heiress of the pureblood Gremory clan. Her followers, including Akeno, helped her manage the town.
"The ghoul was chased here and killed," said Toujou Koneko, the white-haired girl inspecting the corpse. Smaller than Akeno and Rias, she looked like a middle schooler. Her expression remained impassive. "The killer was skilled. The battle barely disturbed the surroundings."
"There's no holy aura, so it's likely not an exorcist," added Kiba Yuuto, the only male present, scratching his head.
"Since we can't identify the culprit, let's head back," Rias said, her tone troubled. "From what we know, the killer doesn't seem hostile toward ordinary people."
In recent years, stray devils, ghouls, and rogue exorcists had grown more common, alongside cursed spirits, evil spirits, and other monsters spawned from human negativity. Frequent attacks were taxing Rias's resources. Without aid from human factions, she and her peerage couldn't manage Kuoh Town alone.
---
At Kuoh Academy, in the Occult Research Club, Rias and her peerage gathered.
"Rias, about the ghoul from earlier—I have a theory about the killer," Akeno said, drying her wet hair with a towel.
A figure flashed in Rias's mind. "You mean the transfer student, Evan?" she asked, turning to face Akeno. Her crimson hair swayed gracefully, its waist-length brilliance complementing her snow-white skin. Her uniform skirt revealed slender, flawless legs, toned from healthy exercise.
At the mention of Evan, Rias's feelings grew complex. She recalled the first time she heard his name.
"Didn't Yuuto spar with Evan in the kendo club?" Akeno said, her tone tinged with excitement. "After five or six rounds, Yuuto lost."
"Yuuto's swordsmanship is exceptional, yet he was defeated," Akeno continued. "If not for that match, I wouldn't have noticed Evan at all."
"Back then, Rias, you sent Koneko to recruit him into your peerage. Remember what he said?" Akeno asked.
"Of course," Rias replied, her voice tinged with frustration. "'How can a man be inferior to others?'"
When Koneko relayed Evan's words, Rias had been stunned. It was her first outright rejection.
The memory stirred mixed emotions in Rias. Her peerage was her family, not mere subordinates or tools like other devils treated theirs. Evan's refusal stung, though she later learned her friend Sona Sitri, another devil heiress, had also tried to recruit him. Sona's queen, Shinra Tsubaki, was similarly rebuffed.
"Just keep observing him," Rias sighed. "Don't cut contact entirely."
"By the way, Rias, when are we dealing with those fallen angels who snuck into town?" Akeno asked, her gentle demeanor shifting. A cold glint of murderous intent flickered in her eyes.