Everything is Anime!

Issei Hyoudou hung on the crucifix, his life hanging by a thread—but surprisingly, he was still alive. Hikaru, seeing no reason to let him die, infused him with a bit of life energy to keep him from drawing his last breath. After all, he had already taken the Red Dragon Emperor's Sacred Gear from him. Whether they'd interact again in the future was another matter.

Aside from Issei, Hikaru sensed yet another life sign. He pushed open a door half-hidden beneath the debris, revealing a blonde girl fast asleep. Her golden hair fanned out around her, face still slightly childish—clearly of European descent. The carnage and noise outside didn't seem to disturb her, though from her tense expression, she likely wasn't sleeping well.

Hikaru recognized who she was:

Asia Argento—a former holy maiden of the Vatican's church, exiled for healing a devil. With nowhere to go, she ended up targeted by Raynare, who brought her to Kuoh Town's church to strip her Sacred Gear. Hikaru only shook his head at the choice—at least in the original story, the woman had traveled all this way just to forcibly remove Asia's Sacred Gear here. It made "twice the effort for half the result" sound like an understatement.

"You've slept long enough."

He spoke, and then, activating his senjutsu, dispelled the sleeping spell that held the girl captive.

Asia stirred faintly, pressing a hand to her forehead, letting out a soft moan of pain. Sleeping for several days would leave anyone groggy.

"W-where am I?"

she asked, blinking in confusion, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Only moments earlier, she recalled stepping off a train. Then a Fallen Angel found her and brought her to a church, and she remembered nothing after that.

"You've been asleep for a million years. The world outside has long since ended."

Hikaru's sudden statement startled her. She looked up and saw a man with a smooth, fair face, handsome yet stern, with the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

At the sight of him, Asia's fear of this strange place melted away. She stared blankly. Compared to an angel's face, his looked even more radiant—even an angel lacked three parts of his handsomeness and three parts of his charm, she thought.

But then, through the wide-open door, she caught a glimpse of the blood-soaked scene beyond. Aside from kagune, ghouls look perfectly human in appearance—thus, the massacre of shattered bodies and dismembered limbs was all too jarring. Asia retched reflexively, though her stomach was empty, so she only dry-heaved. Satisfied that she at least had her wits, Hikaru didn't offer more help.

Suddenly—Bang!

The blocked entrance to the underground chamber was smashed open from outside. Koneko, hoisting a massive chunk of rock, hammered away at the blockage. Her small frame belied impressive strength, an almost comical contrast.

"What's going on here?!"

Rias Gremory's voice carried from just beyond the gap. She, Akeno Himejima, and Koneko Toujou all caught the overwhelming stench of blood. They'd gone to check on the disturbance in the city center—only to find that someone had already handled the rampaging ghouls. Worried something else might be up, Kiba remained behind to liaise with the authorities, while the three of them dashed to the church. Right after the ghouls had attacked, one of Rias's familiars posted nearby detected a surge of unusual energy here. Rias had long monitored the Fallen Angels who'd infiltrated Kuoh, waiting for just such an opportunity to confront them.

"Fallen Angels!"

Akeno Himejima noticed the three cowering in the corner. Instantly, the trio of devils braced themselves for a fight. Yet it was obvious these Fallen Angels had no will left to battle; they clung to each other in fear, their terrified gazes directed deeper into the chapel. Clearly, something there frightened them more than devils did—and considering the mangled ghoul remains strewn everywhere, it was obvious a fierce struggle had taken place already.

"Yo."

A voice drew their attention. Emerging from the shadows was a man they all knew well. Upon seeing his face, Rias froze, wide-eyed.

"Hi-Hikaru? What are you doing here?"

She'd already learned from Kiba that the ghouls behind the terror incident had been subdued by Hikaru, but he'd disappeared by the time Kiba arrived on the scene. Rias assumed he'd gone home. She never expected to find him here…!

"I guessed."

Hikaru tapped a finger to his temple, face calm and unruffled.

"These ghouls… did you kill them all?!"

Rias glanced around, spotting a gooey mess on the wall with a smashed skull—apparently the wanted Bronze Tree high-up, Tatara. And he lay here, dead?! Shock filled her expression, while Akeno and Koneko inhaled sharply at the sight. From the state of the corpses, it was clear just how the fight had ended: pure, brutal domination. In such a cramped place, even they'd struggle against so many ghouls. Only Koneko and Kiba were adept at melee combat; both Rias and Akeno relied on ranged magic, which would be cumbersome in close quarters.

"I never knew you were this strong…"

Rias murmured, tone somewhat resentful. Hikaru had once again broken her understanding. Every time she saw him, he blew away her preconceptions. Yet she knew this was no time to chat idly.

"So, Hikaru—would you mind telling me what happened here?"

~~~

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