DxD: Like a Devil Chapter 71

Edited by: Priapus, Maple

Now, I could just be setting myself up for disappointment, but ever since I found out about the little operation Dwight has under Honolulu, I’ve been salivating at the opportunity to get right in there and take all his shit for myself. Why wouldn’t I? Imagine the sort of stuff he has in there. Weapons, resources, fucking drugs or potions— I don’t care. I’ll steal everything because I deserve it more.

Really, what would he or any of his ‘customers’ even use that stuff for? Knowing these kinds of people, it’s 99% for self-pleasure. Short-sighted and short-term enjoyment that benefits no one. Yeah, I’m selfish too, but I’m also very ambitious. More than any of these shmucks could ever hope to be.

That’s why I don’t want to just steal stuff. I aim to leave an impression that no one involved will ever forget. A statement telling them who Akane Amamiya is and the incredible power she wields. Yes, I’m already very popular on the Devilnet, and perhaps I’ve already proven myself by defeating Kokabiel and Shalba, but that’s not enough.

I want to build some sort of heroic persona for a change. I already have the villain causing problems and making crazy and definitely untrue statements like ‘god is dead’, so I need something to balance the scales. Where no individual would ever look at these two people and think they’re even remotely related.

Of course, I say ‘heroic persona’, but it’s mostly an excuse to flex my power. In reality, I want to keep aiming for greater heights. Over and over, never stopping until I’m viewed as the most magnificent living being that ever graced this universe. I want to carve my name in history forevermore. Where people worship the ground I walk on.

Perhaps, then, I can maybe… ‘merge’ these two together slowly but surely, until I’d have no reason to hide my true self. In a world where individuals praise me for who I am. Not the hero I pretend to be. How am I gonna do that? Dunno. It’s a lot more complicated than I’m making it sound. It could take me years to pull it off.

Something for future Akane to worry about, I guess.

Yes, I’m well aware of how narcissistic and outright insane this ‘dream’ is, but ultimately, that’s the safest option, isn’t it? Considering what I do when no one is looking, there’s no way anyone would let it slide. Especially not the do-gooders I hang out with. Some of which I would rather not turn on me.

…Because it would hurt. A lot.

But I’m not willing to stop, either. If being evil means getting what I want and deserve, then until it stops benefiting me, I will be as evil as one could imagine. So why not just be evil together, right? After all, morals and sentiments are a weakness. A crippling liability that not even I am fully immune to despite the system trait I have.

They are ultimately a leash meant to hold one back from achieving their true potential. Without them, there’s no telling what I can really do. Unfortunately, I don’t think Ichi or my mother would agree with that.

Imagining the wonderful things I can do with an unrestrained Devour skill both arouses me and pisses me off.

But I digress. The black market raid would still be pretty nice. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to snatch a soul here and there when no one is looking. I mean, according to Koneko, there were a lot of people in there. Of supernatural origin, like Devils and whatever. I highly doubt someone powerful enough to pose a threat would be there, though. Other than whatever ‘Patient Zero’ is.

So maybe when that thing shows up, I can use it to distract my party for a quick snack? Might actually work if I’m quick. Assuming it’s strong enough to last more than a few seconds. A very generous assumption, considering Ichi and I exist. And we’re quickly making our way to the top 100 as far as I’m aware.

Fortunately, though, I have a decent plan.

After all, we’re a huge group, and most turn-based JRPGs only allow four members in the main party. So instead of all of us just pointlessly raiding the place, I decided that we should be separated into different roles: The ‘attack’ and ‘surveillance’ parties.

As the name suggests, the attack party consists of whoever is chosen to raid the market. That would be me, Xenovia, Irina, and Issei. Why limit myself to three and not pick a fourth member, seeing I’m using the JRPG excuse? And why use it in the first place, seeing I don’t even like turn-based games? Because fuck you, I make the rules. 

As for why these three specifically, well, they’re the least… troublesome in case I find an opportunity to devour someone’s soul. Ichi is pretty sharp and might catch me, and so is Koneko. Can’t have either of them, especially not Ichiban.

That leaves us with Kiba, Asia, and Raynare. The latter two are too weak to help in any meaningful way. As for the Rias’ Knight, well, since I’m pretty much forced to take one of the exorcists with me, I’d rather avoid any unwanted tension. It’s a shit excuse, admittedly, but I don’t care. It works well enough.

Now, that means that the rest are the surveillance party. What they do is simple: They’re split across Honolulu to look for any suspicious activities while we’re down there wrecking the place. Why? Because that’s when Dwight might actually make a move and clue us in on his location in case we don’t find anything. Not guaranteed. Might not work, even. But what am I losing, really?

…Well, for me, I’m not losing anything since I’m in the fun group. Ichi was initially pretty dissatisfied, but he ultimately saw the point and reasoning of my plan, so he didn’t argue too hard. I love him when he’s reasonable~

He’s the second strongest, and like he mentioned before, putting the group’s most powerful combatants in one party isn’t wise. It’s better if we distribute our group’s overall power equally. Or try to, anyway. It’s still pretty skewed, admittedly.

Assuming this Patient Zero idiot is a lot stronger than any of us thought, then Ichi can just swoop us in and help us out. It could be strong enough to prove to be troublesome for one of us, but I HIGHLY doubt it’d be so powerful as to match both me and Ichiban together.

God, I’m so excited. I almost stopped caring about finding out where Dwight is hiding, even. Almost. Still gonna wring his neck once I find him. I’d even be justified in doing that.

But for now, a little side quest…

“You insist that you’re merely suspicious…” Lucy starts, following me to the Palekana Orphanage. “But you seem rather convinced, my dear.”

“Can you blame me?” I quietly mutter a response. “He fits the description Magnus gave us to a T.”

Whom I’ve also grown to be a bit suspicious of after our little meeting a few hours ago.

He seemed oddly fixated on my new ring.

“And yet Magnus confirmed that the man is innocent.” He argues.

“It’s not far-fetched to say that whoever this Overseer is managed to sidestep whatever spying method the CIA used to gather information on him,” I reply. “This power that he uses to track me— how no one seems to notice that they’re being watched, even the cat. He could’ve easily used whatever it is to avoid them.”

“Hardly proof of anything, Akane.” He hums with slight disagreement. “Though I suppose some investigation is warranted.”

“Exactly. Doesn’t hurt to be careful.” I nod. “Would it really be shocking that the religion nutjob that wants to resurrect an insane goddess is also the sage of said religion?”

“I suppose not.” He chuckles. “Though I am rather interested in how the Overseer is able to track you. Moreover, you are the only one able to feel his presence. How very curious.”

It’s something I’d like to know as well. It’s gotta be something related to the system. I’m sure of it. Because while I have pretty sharp senses, they are NOT better than Koneko’s. I’d be pretty delusional to pretend otherwise. And when I tried to ask the game, once again, it refused to say anything. Not even a beep or an ‘I don’t know’, meaning it’s hiding something. Then again, the latter would just be bullshit since I’m almost sure it’s omniscient in some way.

Fucker really decided to stop being helpful one day. If not for the bullshit power and versatility of the system, I’d figure out a way to kill the bastard for causing me so much grief. Maybe I should still try it. Who knows? I might even outgrow this cosmic piece of shit at some point. That’d be a day, huh?

“Do you have any idea what it could be?” I ask.

“Some. However, I’m not entirely confident. Hidden scrying wards and runes, Senjutsu, or perhaps something as simple as spies.” Lucy replies. “Though the most obvious one would be super perception. Perhaps to such a ridiculous degree that he can see things across countries. Down to the most minute detail.”

“Such a thing exists?”

“Indeed. Most gods are capable of a similar thing.” Lucifer nods, putting a hand on his chin and humming. “Although it does not explain how, according to that Yakuza you defeated, he was able to ‘know’ plans he should have no way of knowing.”

“And as I mentioned before, he could’ve just predicted Yamai,” I argue with an amused snort. “Not like he’s that smart.”

“You are correct. Or…” The Devil God smiles. “This Overseer is trained in some form of clairvoyance.”

I pause for a moment, my expression dropping into a mildly worried frown.

“You’re saying he can see the future?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. ‘Tis merely an educated guess.” Lucy shrugs. “I’ve dealt with similar adversaries, so I have some experience. Why, I was adept in the arts as well.”

“You can see the future, too?” I raise an eyebrow.

“To an extent.” He confirms, looking at his hand. “Though I cannot seem to do so in this state. Rather, I cannot access most of my abilities. After all, without a physical form, I’m far weaker.”

I say nothing to that, lowering my head and contemplating. Someone who can see the future would be a bitch to deal with, no matter how weak they are. If he knows every step I’m going to take before I take them, then how the hell am I supposed to get rid of him? Obviously, all under the assumption that he can see the future, but still…

“There’s no reason to be worried,” Lucifer says, noticing my expression of concern. “Even if this Overseer has the gift of precognition, you will remain unaffected. He cannot truly perceive your future.”

“Why not?” I question in surprise.

Lucifer hums for a moment before answering.

“That would be Excelsis’ doing.” He answers. “You have bonded with it; thus, it grants you a form of protection from certain powers. It devours hexes cast on you, deflects Voodoo magic seeking to harm you, and even blocks the most powerful of curses. It will defend its current wielder from anything it perceives as a potential threat.”

Huh. Okay, that’s another one of its abilities, even in its supposedly dormant state. So, beyond the active buff in the form of a very strong, very dangerous power-up when held, it also has a passive ability with seemingly no downsides? This thing just keeps getting better and better. I don’t know why Lucifer hates it.

Still, though…

“That’s… reassuring, I suppose.” I sigh. “But if that’s the case, then the Overseer is already alerted. He knows to be more careful around me, which isn’t ideal.”

“Correct. Moreover, your friends don’t have the same benefit.” He reminds me. “He can still see their futures, and from there, prepare ahead.”

“Yeah…” I hiss in annoyance. “I really hope this isn’t the case. If it is…”

Lucifer, although still walking with me, doesn’t say anything else beyond a light chuckle. He leaves me to my thoughts and observes the city’s architecture while we walk to the orphanage in silence.

No, the plan could still work since he won’t be able to predict me anyway. There’s also no way he could get out of this trap I’m laying out for him without revealing himself. He’s utterly fucked.

Stopping before the Palekana Orphanage, I pause after spotting Bryce in the front yard, sitting on the grass with a couple of kids in a circle, reading a story for them. I don’t immediately approach him, using Observe on him a second time to see if anything changed. Nothing. Still thinks of me as a ‘Strong Person’ without any discernible characteristics.

“Tsk…” I sneer.

Thanks, Game. You fucking asshole. Why can’t you just make things easier for me? Are you allergic to winning? Do you want us to die? This is so annoying.

I exhale, wipe the scary expression off my face, and walk toward him. He only notices me once some of the kids do, breaking into a smile.

“Ah, Ms. Amamiya.” He says. “What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”

This causes the rest of the orphans to stare at me as well. Their ages range from 5 to 14, an equal mix of boys and girls of various ethnicities. Some are confused and intimidated, others blush shyly when I meet their gaze, and a few look enchanted by me. I hear a few ‘wow’s and ‘she’s so pretty’ by boys and girls alike, making my smile widen. I’ve never been a fan of kids, I always found them annoying, ESPECIALLY on planes, but I can’t deny that some of them can be pretty cute.

And who could blame them for being so charmed by me, really? I’d also be utterly mesmerized if I saw me walk up to myself without warning.

…Actually, scratch that. I’d probably kill my doppleganger. You can’t have two perfect entities in one plane of existence, because that means one of them isn’t perfect, and that’s certainly not me.

“I was in the area and thought I’d say hi.” I lie in response. “And I have something I’d like to tell you. Alone, if that’s fine.”

“Of course.” He nods before addressing the children. “Alright, everyone. We can continue the rest of the story tomorrow. Please give us some privacy.”

Unlike what I expected, none of the kids complain. Not even a peep or a sigh of disappointment from any of them as they stand up. Half stay somewhere in the yard to play with each other, and the other half enters the building.

“They’re a well-behaved bunch, aren’t they?” I note. “I wonder what you did to achieve that.”

“I did nothing. This is all them.” He denies. “They’re good kids who found themselves in terrible situations outside their control. Unfair circumstances I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

“That’s life, isn’t it?” I reply. “It’s never cared about fairness.”

“True. Which is why I built this orphanage.” The Sage of Palekana says. “I wish to help children who were dealt a bad hand. Perhaps help them preserve their childhood, and give them a chance to live their lives.”

“How kind.” Lucifer hums. “Almost sickeningly so.”

That I agree with.

“Even if they end up being a terrible adult later on?” I ask. “Not all of them can be helped. Not all of them want to be helped.”

“All children are good, no matter how troubled they may be.” Bryce shakes his head. “They only need a guiding hand to lead them.”

“If you met me a few years earlier, I’d have proven you wrong in record time.” I disagree. “Though I didn’t come here to debate.”

“I suppose not. My apologies, I tend to ramble a lot in my old age.” He chuckles, his expression quickly turning worried as he stands up. “Any news on Lani?”

Suddenly, Lucifer, for whatever reason, walks in front of me and stands next to Bryce, leaning toward him almost uncomfortably close. Inches away from the Sage of Palekana, unblinking and frozen still. I’m confused and mildly startled by that; however, I don’t let it affect me.

Okay…

“We’re working on that,” I respond without missing a beat. “And we are making progress, so don’t worry. We’ll rescue her soon enough.”

I keep Lucy in my line of sight as I stare back at Bryce. What the hell is he doing? That’s creepy as hell.

“That is reassuring to hear. Thank you.” He lowers his head in gratitude. “So what is it you wanted to talk about?”

…I’m gonna let Lucy do his thing for now. Probably has a reason. I’ll ask when we’re out of here.

“It’s nothing profound. I just thought I’d thank you.” I shrug. At his confusion, I clarify. “The other day, Asia told me you helped her out with something. She didn’t tell me what it was, just that she’s very grateful to you.”

I guess that’s why she seemed vehemently against me investigating him. He gained her trust a bit too quickly for my liking. I wouldn’t really go out of my way to thank someone on behalf of someone else, but I needed an excuse.

“Ah, I see.” He replies with understanding. “I only gave her some words of encouragement and nothing more. I don’t believe this warrants a visit, Ms. Amamiya, however much I appreciate it.”

“Maybe not, but even though she and I aren’t related, Asia is pretty much my sister at this point,” I say. “So I thought I’d thank you anyway. As the older sister. You can say I’m doing my good deed for the day.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that.” He chuckles, offering a hand. “Thank you again, Ms. Amamiya. Truly.”

That’s when Lucy backs off with a curious hum.

…

“Sure, sure.” I take his hand and shake it, letting a few of my Spyders crawl from my arm onto his. “I’ll keep in touch in case we find Lani. See you around.”

He doesn’t notice them and waves goodbye, prompting me to walk away, with Lucifer closely following me. I realize the risk of taking Spyders with me to Honolulu, knowing someone could blow them up at any time, but that’s the point. This will help me determine if Bryce is the Overseer or not.

He blows them up? He’s definitely the Overseer. He doesn’t? Then the Spyder will eventually lead me to his base, or at least some evidence that he is the Overseer. For me, it’s a win-win. The Spyders are a trap for him that he HAS to fall into—no way around it. Otherwise, he’d be stuck. He wouldn’t be able to do anything with the Spyders on him.

He’s utterly fucked.

Once we’re out of earshot, I glance at Lucy.

“What the hell was that about?” I question quietly.

“Hm? Ah.” He gets what I’m referring to. “I had suspicions that he was somehow able to perceive my presence and thought to test him. That is all.”

“By intensely staring at him?”

“You’d be surprised at how many quickly break under pressure.” He responds. “Especially when the one ‘intensely staring at you’ is the Devil God himself.”

…That’s a good point. I know I’d be a bit weirded out by that. I mean, I’m already weirded out by the fact that he watches me sleep sometimes, but I got used to it. Can’t really give him shit for it when he’s forced to be around me at all times.

“So I assume you’ve done what you needed to do?”  He asks, referring to my trap.

“Yeah,” I confirm, taking out my phone and smirking. “Time for the fun part~”

I send a message in the group chat telling them to get ready as I make my way toward District Five. God, I can’t wait.

I’m starving~

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– Dwight –

To say that this was one of the worst positions he had been in would be one hell of an understatement. As a dangerous criminal, a supernatural one even, he’d gotten into a lot of scuffles with the CIA, so he knew when things were starting to go to shit. He’d developed a sense for these sorts of things. They’d almost caught him a few times, as well.

But Dwight had a lot of connections, even in the CIA itself. He knew a few people who helped him out whenever he was in a pinch. After all, his experience in organized crime and general expertise were very much appreciated. Whether it was inventing new super drugs or smuggling illegal weapons, this was his forte.

Sure, they were on his ass most of the time, the CIA that is, following Dwight from Mexico, to Canada, to Europe, and finally to the US, but he knew how to avoid them. And once he had made it to Hawaii and met with its Kingpin, known as the Overseer, the CIA’s presence had dwindled into practically nothing.

The Overseer was a powerful force in Hawaii. Unstoppable, in fact. He ran the place like he knew every single thing about it. Nothing happened in the city of Honolulu without the Overseer's approval, and as a fellow crimelord, Dwight respected him. As well as feared him tremendously.

When he’d first arrived here, Dwight thought he could overthrow him and take his place. That, however, had been a bad idea. The Overseer was unlike anything he’d seen before, and you can’t exactly defeat someone who knows every single thing about you. Past, present, and somehow even future.

Dwight didn’t know if the Overseer was a god or not— he had never even met him personally, but he knew that messing with him would lead to a slow and painful death. And now? He was stuck in Honolulu. He couldn’t leave even if he wanted to. He was pretty much a slave right now.

…And honestly? After making peace with it, this wasn’t really so bad. At the end of the day, he got to continue what he was doing before coming to Hawaii, this time without the CIA bothering him. Selling drugs, illegal weapons, and stolen resources. Perhaps human and non-human trafficking every once in a while— All the money went to him. Well, almost. The Overseer got about a 15% cut, which wasn’t that bad, ultimately.

He still made enough money to last him a lifetime.

Staring out of the curtain wall of his suite, Dwight growled and rubbed his temples in a mixture of anger, frustration, and genuine concern. He stepped away and returned to his desk, not sure what he was supposed to do now.

Everything he’d built might collapse soon, because a bunch of kids had decided to show up here one day and stick their noses in his business. Yeah, sure, that had happened because of pure dumb luck after they’d witnessed his Barracuda go on their weekly parades, but what sort of dumbass decides to get involved in that sort of thing? Couldn’t you just inform the police and call it a day? That’s the normal response.

Unfortunately, these superpowered kids were anything but normal.

He had not only drawn the attention of the current Red Dragon Emperor, a couple of devils, and the church, but the Tojo Clan princess as well. What the fuck was his luck? Why had they all shown up in the exact same place and at the exact same time as the Barracuda? How was that even possible?

And now, instead of the CIA’s slow and calculated response, which he had grown accustomed to, these little shits were on his ass FAR more aggressively than anything he’d seen before. It was like they wanted him dead.

What are these ‘political ramifications’ you speak of? Can you eat them?

They don’t give a flying fuck about the consequences and are just so utterly hellbent on finding Dwight that it’s starting to genuinely frighten him. Because what was he supposed to do? One of them could singlehandedly wipe out the entirety of Hawaii with the same amount of effort it would take to blink. Dwight was strong, yes, but not THAT strong.

Fortunately, considering everything, Dwight did have a backup plan. Two of them, actually.

First, Patient Zero. A half-human, half-dragon male given to him by the Overseer when Dwight had submitted to his will. His blood and flesh were used to create most of the drugs Dwight sold. Patient Zero himself was pumped full of drugs and poisons in an attempt to ‘awaken’ his dragon blood purely to improve his drugs.

Would he be enough to get rid of those stupid kids? Maybe. That thing was locked up deep below Honolulu for a reason. He was an uncontrollable monster that destroyed anything he set his eyes on. So while there was going to be a lot of collateral, if it meant killing them, then so be it. Better that than dying himself.

Second…

From his desk, Dwight grabbed a small envelope, opened it, and retrieved a tiny vial. Inside, a dark red liquid glowed, radiating energy similar to the drugs used to create the Barracuda. This was a prototype of a new, improved version of that drug. It wasn’t ready for mass production yet because, although its effects were much more potent than the original, they were only temporary.

If they somehow did get past Patient Zero— if they somehow found him, then this was his only chance at defeating them. His only chance at survival.

However, this all relied on them being able to reach him. Despite how terrifying they appeared to be, they had no means of actually doing so. So what if they’d found the black market underneath Honolulu, according to some of his Barracuda? Even they should know that getting involved in that would be a stupid idea. Because they’d end up pissing off a lot of people, not just the Overseer.

Dwight sighed deeply, calming his nerves as he took out a bottle of tequila from under his desk. Unless he had overestimated their intelligence. They were just kids, after all. Very powerful, but a bunch of teenagers nonetheless.

He took a swig of the bottle, hissed, and set the bottle aside as he rubbed his temples. Though Dwight knew that a CIA agent was backing them up, it was likely that they were working under him. Therefore, there was no way he’d let them do such a thing—

Before he could even finish that thought, his phone rang, making him raise an eyebrow. A call from his scientist, which made Dwight hopeful. Had he finally figured out a way to make the improved version’s effects permanent? That had been a roadblock for nearly a year now. Finally, some progress.

Dwight answered the phone with a smile.

“Y’ello?”

That smile immediately dropped once he heard the panicked and frightened screams coming from the phone.

“SIR, THEY’RE HERE!” His scientist cried out in pure fear. “THEY’RE UNDERGROUND! THEY’RE—!!”

Following that, he heard a struggle, before another, feminine and very smug-sounding voice greeted him.

“Better start saying your prayers, Dwight~” She giggled menacingly. “We’re coming for you soon.”

And the line was promptly cut, leaving the sweating and frankly terrified Dwight to contemplate his next move.

But there was only one thought going through his head at the moment,

Oh fuck.

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– Akane –

“This is the place?” Xenovia questions as we observe District Five from afar.

“Yup,” I confirm.

Pretty much the ghetto of Honolulu, blocked off by a massive metal door. The way leading up to the place is also significantly less clean than the rest of the city. A couple of old and dingy houses and cheap bars nearby, likely frequented by the poor and/or criminals. I think it used to be a storage area for cargo or something. I don’t know, nor do I care.

“Feels really unfriendly,” Irina mutters in clear discomfort.

“So?” I raise an eyebrow. “We’re not here for friendly reasons, either.”

“Er, no, I mean… Honolulu is so bright and nice and…” Irina glances at the metal door. “This is the complete opposite. I can’t believe it’s right in the middle of the city.”

“There’s a lot of this sort of stuff back in Japan, too,” Issei says. “As in lots of homeless camps around different cities. Almost never in tourist spots, though. You won’t see something like this in Tokyo.”

“Can’t exactly ruin our image to tourists now, can we?” I respond sarcastically. “But you have a point. It’s weird that they’re keeping something like this here in broad daylight.”

Really, even the entire Barracuda existence just feels off to me, seeing their ‘parades’. The existence of underground criminal activity makes sense— that exists literally everywhere in the world, but to be so upfront about it makes me question the Overseer’s intelligence. Tourists are good for the economy, and you need a thriving economy for money and power, even as a criminal.

Keeping the unsightly homeless around and letting idiot criminals run the city that way would deter tourists, because if I were a regular human who’d die to bullets or knives, I wouldn’t go to places rampant with crimes and/or homeless people. That’s just the truth of it. Maybe it’s different in other realms, but that’s how the human world works.

…Though, to be fair, I’ve never really heard of the Barracuda before coming here, and I did some research a few days prior. Either these parades are new, or the Overseer has something or someone hiding this sort of information online.

“We can talk about it later, though,” I add, leading them toward the homeless encampment. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

“How are we going to get inside?” Irina questions as we stop right in front of the giant metal door. “I’m pretty sure it’s locked. From above, maybe?”

I glance at her and smirk.

“Or I can just do this.” I raise my leg.

And casually kick the door wide open, nearly off its hinges. Irina, Issei, and Xenovia all flinch in surprise, none of them expecting an approach this direct. Certainly not openly in the human world. But I’ve already made sure that there’s no one to see this, and every camera around was already mysteriously disabled via extremely sharp and tiny ice knives formed by an even more mysterious phenomenon that I definitely had nothing to do with.

Although some may have heard the door opening so violently, no one actually saw it. Except for the homeless people inside, frozen in fear, but who would believe a couple of lunatics anyway? Nobody would care about what they have to say.

“So much for a stealthy approach…” Issei mutters in mild exasperation.

“We’re raiding the place,” I reply, hands on my hips as I walk inside. “Not scouting. We’re here to beat people up and take their shit. Imagine it’s a dungeon.”

“Ooh, when you put it that way…” Irina seems more on board all of a sudden.

“I don’t know what you mean by dungeon—” Xenovia grins, cracking her knuckles. “But I’m a fan of this method.”

In the middle of our conversation, as the weak homeless hide in their tents, several of the Barracuda come out. All of them armed to the teeth with guns, none of them having the balls to wield any sort of melee weapons, knowing they’re going to get their teeth kicked in if they get close.

Unfortunately for them, that’s going to happen regardless.

They start shooting us indiscriminately, and while Irina, Xenovia, and Issei either dodge or deflect their bullets, I don’t bother. Each bullet simply bounces off me, feeling like a light pinch and not even leaving a mark behind. They’re definitely enchanted and might be dangerous to someone mid-class or below, but they’re nowhere near the level it would take to damage me.

Seriously, my HP isn’t moving. Not even by one point. I’m not even sure why my party is trying to avoid it. All of them are high-class level.

As all the Barracuda focus fire on me, I casually walk toward the closest one, grab his assault rifle by the muzzle, and simply twist it off like it’s made out of plastic. He screams in a mixture of fear and surprise as he falls on his rear before I kick him in the face, knocking him out instantly.

A simple act that intimidates the rest of the Barracuda, prompting my party to attack. None of them has drawn their weapons or activated their sacred gears; instead, they use their fists for non-lethal force and to conserve their energy. Otherwise, we would be going pretty overboard.

Typically, I wouldn’t care. I mean, I’d prefer if we could just slaughter all of them, but, y’know, I’m supposed to be the good guy here.

Seconds after the battle begins, it ends, with the Barracuda all lying on the ground unconscious. It took barely any effort on our part, little enough that I’m seriously starting to think we’re not going to find anything dangerous here. Hopefully, I’m proven wrong by whatever the hell Patient Zero is, because powerful opponents equal EXP.

Though flexing my strength on the small fry is nice too~

“Is this it…?” Xenovia mumbles with a disappointed tone. “I hope not.”

“Where to next?” Irina asks.

“There.” I point at a door near the corner of the encampment. “That should lead us underground. Come on, let’s not waste any time.”

I lead the party through the door, which opens to a long corridor with a staircase leading down to the military tunnels Koneko talked about after she scouted out the place. As we casually stroll through these tunnels for lack of a better word, more and more Barracuda gangsters try to stop us, not yet understanding that guns can’t do shit to us.

Some are brave, though, attacking with machetes and barbed bats, but with low and mid-class levels of strength, they couldn’t damage me in my sleep. So unsurprisingly, we mow them all down without exerting any effort until we reach the laboratory.

I kick the door open and spot the scientist Koneko mentioned, fleeing out of the laboratory as he screams at his phone. I grin widely and chase after him, going ahead of the rest of the party.

“SIR, THEY’RE HERE! THEY’RE UNDERGROUND! THEY’RE—!!”

Seeing my ticket to Dwight and Patient Zero trying to escape, I stay on his tail, running through the tunnels until I tackle him through a double-door. I’m almost blinded by the neon lights of the underground market, but I don’t let it bother me too much. With my foot on the scientist’s chest pinning him down, I quickly snatch the phone away from him. He looks at me in terror as I hover the phone next to my ear, smirking at him the entire time.

“Better start saying your prayers, Dwight~ We’re coming for you soon.”

I end the call and send the phone to my inventory and then kick the scientist away, but make sure NOT to knock him out. I need him up and awake, because odds are he releases Patient Zero. And so, he scrambles away and escapes.

Then I raise my head to see the look of shock on dozens, if not hundreds, of masked individuals looking at me. Koneko was right— all flavors of the supernatural were present. Devils, Dwarves, Orcs, and even beast-like people like Nagas and Centaurs. Powers ranging from low to high-class. A buffet of races from across all pantheons. 

I’m almost salivating~

“Well, well, look what we have here~” I address them all. “An illegal trafficking ring? Right underneath Honolulu? Tsk, tsk. We can’t have that, can we?”

Most of them recognize me— I can tell without even using Observe.

“With my authority as an emissary of the Tojo Clan and a temporary associate of the CIA, you’re all under arrest for illegal conduct. Now, we can do this the easy way, where you take off your masks and get on the ground…” I offer, just in time as the rest of my party arrives. “Or, we can do this the hard way, and we know how that’s gonna turn out.”

I create a blade of ice in my right hand and point it at them with a smirk.

“Please pick the hard way~”

My magical aura engulfs the underground market, making some of the convicts-to-be, unfortunately, drop their masks and choose not to face me in battle. Thankfully, some try to run away, while others prepare for a fight. The signal I need to start snacking on some souls~

“Akane, the scientist—” Xenovia starts.

“It’s fine. Let him go.” I cut her off. I already have his phone. “We got what we came here for.”

The blue idiot looks suspicious for a moment before dropping the subject, drawing Durandal, and charging forward. She’s met with resistance, and this time by foes whom she can’t easily shrug off, so Irina and Issei immediately rush to help her. The mall immediately turns into a warzone— blasts of magic flying everywhere as dozens of relatively strong adversaries gang up on us.

Might sound bad, but honestly? Well, acknowledging my opponents’ power aside, I’m too strong to be threatened by them. Though I don’t want my allies to be overwhelmed, so with a flick of my wrist, I create several Ice Knights to help them out. That should even the playing field a bit. Besides, more chaos means I can easily hide what I’m about to do.

With them too busy, I turn my head to one of the stronger criminals— A Fallen Angel, who flinches at my gaze. He prepares a spear of light, clicking his tongue in frustration and fear. In response, I casually walk toward him with a smirk.

“You know, it still bothers me that I couldn’t have Kokabiel’s soul,” I tell him. “Really. Every time I think about it, I feel like punching something. I was so damn close. I had it in my hands— I was right there.”

“W-what?” His eyes widen, taking a step back.

My smirk widens as the power of the Devour skill surges into my left arm. Pale skin turns pitch-black as my hand transforms into sharp claws. The Fallen Angel stares at it with abject horror, almost as if he knows what’s going to happen.

“I’m saying I’m very curious what you crows taste like,” I say. “So curious that it’s starting to itch.”

I dash toward him faster than he can react, thrusting my hand through his heart and gripping his very soul.

“You’ll help me out with that, won’t you?”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Scientist –

Somehow, he had gotten away. He didn’t know how or why the girl had just casually let him leave like this, but honestly, he wasn’t going to question it. She probably thought he wasn’t a threat to her, and yeah, that was true. He was a regular-ass human who’d gotten dragged into this mess because some dickhead crimelord had decided to blackmail him once upon a time. What the fuck was he supposed to do about these superpowered dipshits?

However, he had to admit that getting the opportunity to work on projects like this was pretty awesome. Eric was a man of science, and like any scientist, he enjoyed experimenting with various phenomena, more so when he’d discovered the existence of the supernatural. A world he’d never even imagined was a thing.

Still sucked that he had to work for that asshole of a boss, though. Not only was he so needlessly demanding, but he lacked patience. This sort of work required a ton of time, especially seeing how Eric was inexperienced with these new elements. Making meth and cocaine was easy as fuck — relatively speaking — but drugs that gave people superpowers?

…Though now he had encountered those terrifying teenagers, he knew exactly why Dwight had been rushing him so much.

Eric stumbled his way to Patient Zero’s enclosure, having gone around the entire series of tunnels from the other side of the underground mall. It had been a long trek to get here. He panted, gasped, and nearly blacked out from exhaustion from having to run all the way, but as he heard the raging battle, he knew this didn’t compare to the pain he’d feel if that one-eyed freak caught him again.

He scrambled for the keys, unlocked the door, and rushed toward the staircase down inside. Eric flinched as he felt the ground shake, but pushed on regardless, knowing it was either this or prison for the rest of his life.

…Frankly, that wasn’t the worst of it, even. That girl who’d pinned him down seemed outright psychotic. She looked like she was going to enjoy killing him and make it as slow as she could.

As he approached Patient Zero’s dark cell, the monster growled in a mix of anger and fear. Glowing, fiery eyes glimmered in the shadows, making Eric hesitate for a moment. The monster did seem docile whenever he was around, likely out of terror, but there’s no telling what would happen if he let it go.

…And as much as he feared the monster killing him, he also felt pretty bad for it. It was in a constant state of agony, its body breaking down and regenerating over and over. It was a miracle that there was still intelligence in its eyes.

The ground shook again, prompting him to make his decision.

“Fuck it…” He cursed under his breath, slowly unlocking the cell door, which promptly disabled all the reinforcement magic preventing the beast from escaping. “Go. You’re free.”

In an instant, the beast rammed through the cell with a roar, sending the scientist flying away. Patient Zero stood before him, a giant mass of flesh and bones growing out of his back and head. He constantly twitched and frothed at the mouth, barely holding onto his sanity.

“K-k-k-kill…. Y-you…” It growled at the scientist, whose back was against the wall.

“Y-you do that, and you’ll stay like this forever.” Eric quickly said. “Help me, and I promise I’ll fix you up.”

Patient Zero froze, expression turning into one of sorrow as he looked at its deformed arm. Sorrow quickly returned to fury as it got closer to the scientist. Eric’s eyes widened once the monster cocked its arm back, preparing to smush him like a bug

“D-d-d-don’t… C-care…” He snarled. “D-d-die…!”

Eric uselessly put his arms in front of him in a futile attempt to defend himself before Patient Zero suddenly stopped right before its fist hit him. It froze, eyes widening in shock as it looked up, distracted by something.

…Then, with a roar, it promptly smashed through the ceiling, rushing toward the underground market.

A few moments passed, and Eric, now realising he wasn’t dead, exhaled deeply. If he got out of this alive, he was going to quit.

Fuck this stupid bullshit.