"Ah...What did I do?"

 

Sitting on the table while slowly munching on the breakfast prepared by Lucia, Asia couldn't help but groan in mortifying anguish while she remembered the flow of events of the previous, rather hedonistic, night.

 

"What if Basara-san thinks I am a shameless, and lecherous woman? W-what will I do if he looks at me with disgust? W-what if…what if he ignores me?"

 

She couldn't believe how bold she had been during the length of the shameful night’s events. Furthermore, at the end…

 

Asia's fair face was dyed in a dark shade of crimson when she remembered the mind-blowing all-encompassing pleasure she felt at the last moment while rubbing her hard pointed nipples on his sturdy…masculine back.

 

It was a sensation she had never felt even once in her life and she didn't know how to face Basara now after the incident.

 

"Well, stop complaining and eat already. What's done is done and… It wasn't so bad, right?"

 

Asia mumbled indignantly at Lucia's flat-toned words but couldn't really find it in herself to oppose them.

 

Not only did it feel incredibly good, but she also faintly felt like she had managed to become closer to Basara in a more intimate manner—a connection that transcended physical intimacy.

 

Regardless, until now, her experience with people of the opposite sex had been close to null. Moreover, she had absolutely no knowledge about the subtleties of pleasure either and was quite naive when it came to such matters of hedonism and ecstasy.

 

Such was the reason why it became so hard for her to calm down and think things in a level-headed manner.

 

Watching her fidget like a lost soul a rare smile appeared on Lucia's usually stone-cold face.

 

It was clear that the guilt and fear in Asia's heart, brought about by her inclusion to Freed’s inhumane deeds, had finally calmed down.

 

Succubuses could be said to be quite the psychiatrists. 

 

Thanks to their ability to unrestrainedly enter and manipulate others’ dreams, it wasn’t rare for them to help people with mental complications.

 

Of course, she was no magician nor a miracle worker. There was no way that she could make a deep-rooted trauma just vanish with just her whims. 

 

However, at the very least she could make the people slightly more functional and relieve some of the psychological burdens, manipulating their dreams to lead them to a more calm state of mind through a peaceful sleep and rest.

 

And that was what she had been primarily doing the last few days, by helping Basara stop having the recurring nightmares that plagued him throughout most of his exiled life.

 

Such was one of the many reasons Sapphire and Jin wanted her to be next to Basara and take care of him. Ultimately, as long as he was bogged down by his trauma, Basara could never bring out his true power and reach his true potential.

 

Strong as Basara was, that was nowhere near his previous peak, nor was it even near the full extent of his latent powers. Basara’s potential was such a mystery that even his parents weren’t really sure just how far he could reach, and they wanted him to be able to reach his peak potential so that he could protect himself and eventually those he became close to in the future.

 

Nevertheless, at Basara’s current psychological state, thanks to Lucia restraining his recurring nightmares, she was sure that Basara could somewhat use his latent powers—the ones he sealed as a coping mechanism for his trauma.

 

In Asia's case, it was even easier since her trauma was quite shallow if compared to Basara’s. 

 

Last night after Asia fainted and while her brain had been flushed with dopamine because of reaching the much-needed release—the climax, Lucia had worked on her subconscious mind to lower her fear and guilt revolving around that night’s events.

 

Just as she was about to tease the mortified Asia some more, Lucia stopped in her tracks, her smiling face existing no more, eyes squinted into sharp slits.

 

"I wonder what those rotten birds want."

 

She smiled coldly as she left the living room with a bewildered Asia in tow.

 

It was time for some overdue cleanup.

 

———

 

Shifting back to Basara's side— 

 

Things weren't looking too good for Raynare.

 

'How in the hell!!?'

 

Brutally crashing on the ground with breakneck speed, her body seemingly crushed by a towering weight of unknown thaumaturgic origin, Raynare cursed in her mind while losing control of her body to the overwhelming means of her foe.

 

When Basara used his gravity power on them, they had been completely powerless to resist his will.

 

The ensuing occurrences were something completely beyond her understanding. 

 

The situation should have been in her total control and she should’ve been playing with the puny human right now, slowly torturing him to satisfy her sadistic will.

 

She should have been able to easily deal with that human and enter the good grace of Kokabiel.

 

Then, why? Why was she the one kneeling on the ground like an insignificant bug in front of a higher power that she couldn’t hope to resist?

 

"You…!"

 

Looking at Basara with bloodshot eyes full of maddening wrath, Raynare slowly stood up despite the pressure almost grinding her bones to dust.

 

Her body was covered in large beads of sweat and she felt like she was about to have her inner organs explode any given time, and her bones wouldn’t be able to hold her frame, but the current pressure was still bearable for her if she cycled her magical powers in full throttle to resist it.

 

"You…really surprised me. Who would have thought… that you were a devil…"

 

Thinking in a clear and level-headed manner, Raynare came to an inevitable conclusion; she couldn't read it wrong. What was being used was without a doubt demonic power. 

 

She ignored the pain and focused on creating more than ten spears of light. Dark-pinkish constructs of seemingly solidified light energy hovered in the air as she prepared to skewer Basara with her spears of light.

 

Behind her, her companion wasn't idle either as he did the same thing as her. After all, the two of them were experienced fighters who had gone through their fair share of life and death situations.

 

While the power Basara had shown was surprising, shocking even, simply cursing at their opponent wouldn't change their current dire situation. It was necessary to fight back and win this fight.

 

"Hahaha~! Take that, filthy devil! Burn by the power of our holy light!"

 

Raynare was hysterical but she wasn't in the least bit worried. Devils were innately disadvantaged when facing Angels or Fallen Angels because of their weakness against sacred light-based powers. There was simply no chance for them to lose.

 

There was no way that…

 

*Sigh*

 

A faint sigh of annoyance and lamentation echoed in the air. The Fallen duo’s thoughts were cut off as they witnessed something beyond the binds of common sense.

 

Then again, they weren't even sure about what they had witnessed just now. Everything had happened too fast for them to even react.

 

The twenty spears that had been thrown by them with all their might vanished into thin air as though they had never existed in the first place.

 

'This…!"

 

Of course, it wasn't just that which surprised them.

 

On Basara's right arm, a red gauntlet with a glowing green jewel materialized out of nowhere. Furthermore, tightly gripped in his gauntlet-covered hand was a long silver sword akin to a greatsword in size and shape.

 

The two of them could feel the holy power radiating from that sword but that still wasn't what surprised them. To be more accurate, something else caught their interest as they weren’t able to give attention to the holy power abnormality.

 

"Boosted gear…"

 

Raynare muttered in shock and incredulity. The boosted gear was the initial reason they had come here. More specifically, to find the wielder of this incredibly powerful sacred gear categorized as a Longinus. 

 

Ignoring their confused looks, Basara’s brows furrowed into a tight frown as he threw a slight glance behind him.

 

Those spears of light had absolutely no way of hurting him. He had initially planned to simply avoid them; sadly he had felt two presence behind him that he easily recognized.

 

This was why even though he didn't want to, he had no choice but to use that accursed power that was the source of his nightmares. 

 

<<Banishing Shift>>

 

'What are they doing here?'

 

It didn't take him long to guess that Mio and Maria had followed him to this battlefield. He had been so focused on the Fallen that he didn't pay attention to their presence since they had no ill intentions towards him.

 

'I have become quite sloppy.'

 

Lamenting his regressed instincts, he focused once again on the Fallen.

 

Would grunts like them have any useful information to provide to him? 

 

It was worth pondering. Whatever Kokabiel was planning to do, having more information would be quite useful.

 

'Well, Lucia will take care of those who went to kidnap Asia. This means that the two here have no use to me being alive.'

 

As an exorcist, the first lesson Basara was taught was that a dead enemy was much better than one alive.

 

As long as there was no need to keep their lives then they should be disposed of as cleanly and as soon as possible.

 

The moment Basara decided to kill them, a chill went down the spines of the Fallen Angels.

 

The boosted gear was one of the thirteen Longinus. With their current power level, they would be completely helpless against such a being.

 

"Wai–!"

 

They wished to desperately plead for their lives and wished to ask him to spare them.

 

Sadly for them, Basara was simply too fast and too decisive.

 

Before Raynare could even utter her words, her head, along with Dohnaseek’s, was sent flying, cleanly cut off from her body.

 

For Basara, there was no difference between men and women when it came to a fight of life and death.

 

He would never hesitate because of the gender of his enemy.

 

'May your soul rest in…Ah, wait.'

 

Basara was about to give a short prayer but stopped the moment he remembered what happened to the souls of those killed by his holy-demonic sword.

 

At the same time, he could already feel a foreign power quietly growing and incorporating inside him.

 

Since this was the first time Basara killed something aside from Humans or Devils without special power, this was the first time he understood the true hidden power of his sword.

 

There was no doubt that once it finished devouring the souls of those two Fallen a

Angels, he would be able to wield holy power as he wished.

 

This was without a doubt a very frightening skill.

 

This was also one of the reasons the one who caused his tragedy all those years ago stole Brynhildr even though it was sealed by the Vatican back then.

 

Feeling sick, Basara closed his eyes as he did his best to chase away the memories of those events.

 

'I want to go home.'

 

His mood grew a little despondent.

 

"How long do you plan to spy on me?"

 

Silence greeted his words for an instant then two shadows walked out of a tree.

 

Maria had a sheepish grin on her face while Mio's face looked a little green.

 

Unlike Rias who had been trained as the heiress and had a somewhat functional peerage, Mio had never been exposed to much bloodshed in general and never had to kill even once in her life.

 

Of course, she had witnessed Rias going to hunt once. But thanks to the power of destruction, not even ashes remained of the victims. 

 

This was much less graphic than the current scene of rolling heads and flowing blood she was witnessing.

 

"Mio-sama…"

 

"I…*Ugh* I am alright…"

 

Keeping herself from heaving, she frowned a little.

 

"What happened?"

 

This zone was under the control of the Gremory clan. No matter what, a fight between two supernatural beings wasn't something she could ignore. Even more so since one side was from the Fallen Angel faction.

 

"I…"

 

"Allow me to explain."

 

A voice stopped them as a spatial portal flashed on the ground.

 

The one who emerged out of it was none other than Lucia.

 

"Nee-sama!?"

 

Basara was about to call out to her but was astonished by Maria's shout.

 

'What the hell is going on here?'

 

The day was definitely becoming weirder and weirder.