Kuoh was quiet at night.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet where even the wind seemed hesitant. Where the streetlights flickered like they knew something was coming and didn't want to be part of it.
I stood on the rooftop of a convenience store just outside town, staring down at the old churchyard.
According to the system, a minor supernatural disturbance had been detected here—some rogue spirits and residual cursed energy.
[Side Mission: Investigate Churchyard Disturbance.]
[Warning: Hostile Entities Detected – Category: Exorcist Remnants / Vengeful Spirits.]
[Suggested Strategy: Don't die.]
Helpful.
My hand brushed the necklace at my throat. The crimson stone pulsed once, softly. Beside me, the spectral form of my spirit blade hovered in silence—its edge humming with anticipation.
I leapt down from the roof, landing in a crouch on the damp grass. The air here was thick with something... old. Not just spiritual residue—this was sacred ground twisted into something rotten.
It was as if God had walked away... and something else moved in.
The church itself was long abandoned—windows shattered, vines choking the stone walls. Moonlight cast pale beams through the broken ceiling.
Inside, I found them.
Three figures in tattered robes, kneeling in a circle of cracked silver runes. Holy scripture defiled and twisted into something warped surrounded them.
They weren't human. Not anymore.
Their faces were gaunt, eyes glowing with violet fire. Blood stained their fingers, and each one clutched a rusted blade inscribed with scripture in a language that screamed just by looking at it.
Vengeful Exorcists.
[Entities Identified: "The Hollow Choir" – Remnants of fallen exorcists bound by hatred toward both Heaven and Hell.]
[Threat Level: Moderate-High.]
[Reward for Exorcism: +1 Divine Resistance, Bonus Trait if Slain Without External Help.]
So naturally, that's when help decided to show up.
"Well, well. Looks like someone beat us here."
I didn't have to turn around to recognize the voice.
Issei Hyoudou. Unmistakable. Loud. Overconfident. Zero filter.
Behind him came the rest of Rias's peerage—Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno, with Rias herself walking calmly at the rear.
I turned slightly. "You people always crash parties?"
Akeno smiled sweetly. "Only the dangerous ones."
Rias's eyes narrowed as she stepped beside me. "Why are you here, Akuma?"
"Midnight stroll," I replied, gesturing to the vengeful spirits. "Tripped over some undead choirboys. Thought I'd be polite and handle it."
Issei blinked. "You were gonna fight them alone?"
"Is that weird?"
"YES!"
[Side Mission Update: "Don't Die" – Additional Participants Detected. Bonus Reward Voided.]
Great.
Kiba stepped forward, eyes on the circle. "Their power feels unstable. If we don't move soon, they'll lash out."
Rias nodded. "Then we act now. Koneko, suppress from the left. Kiba, you flank the rear. Akeno, cover from above."
She glanced at me.
"And you?"
I met her gaze, calm. "I'll do what I always do."
Rias arched an eyebrow. "Which is?"
I stepped forward, drawing my spirit blade from the air, the weapon solidifying in my grip with a low chime.
"Clean up the mess."
Not from us. From the spirits.
The Hollow Choir rose, their voices intertwining in a hideous chant that shattered what remained of the stained glass. The ground warped beneath their feet. Reality twitched.
Koneko was the first in, her fist glowing with touki as she slammed into the left-most spirit. The creature screeched and spun away, phasing through the altar.
Kiba followed, a sword of pure light forming in his hand as he crossed blades with the second exorcist. Their clash sent sparks flying across the church.
Meanwhile, Issei fumbled behind a pillar, summoning his Boosted Gear.
"Boost!"
"Boost!"
"Boost!"
I ignored him.
My focus was on the third spirit—the largest, floating above the others, its form constantly shifting, like static wrapped in priestly robes.
It looked at me.
And I looked through it.
My blade pulsed.
[Ability Activated: Whisper Severing Slash]
I launched forward.
The world slowed.
I moved through the spirit's defensive field, my mind cutting through its illusions before they could take shape. It tried to bind me with chains of cursed scripture.
I burned through them.
I struck upward, carving a silent arc across its chest.
The spirit howled—no sound, just vibration—before bursting into smoke and light.
[Entity Purged: 1/3]
[Soul Fragment Acquired: Echo of Silent Faith]
Across the church, Kiba brought down his opponent with a precise stab through the core. Koneko finished hers with a blow that cracked the stone wall behind it.
The battle was over in minutes.
Silence returned.
Then—
"Holy crap," Issei muttered. "You just deleted that thing. Like... foosh. Gone."
Akeno smiled. "He's full of surprises, isn't he?"
Rias approached me slowly, the moonlight catching in her eyes. "That weapon… It's not a Sacred Gear."
"No."
"Is it divine?"
"No."
"What is it?"
I looked down at the blade, still faintly humming. The runes glowed a cold blue now, like a lullaby for the dead.
"A memory," I said simply. "From a place I'll never see again."
[Relationship Update: Rias Gremory – Curiosity → Respect]
Later That Night – Outside the Church
We stood outside, the broken ruins behind us.
The others were busy collecting fragments and securing the area. I stood apart, as usual.
Koneko approached, quiet as ever.
She handed me a drink pouch. "You looked tired."
"Thanks."
We stood there in silence.
Then she said, "You're strong. But not like the others."
"That's the nicest insult I've gotten today."
She stared at me. "You fight like someone who doesn't care about winning."
That made me pause.
"Winning isn't always surviving," I said. "Sometimes it's just making sure what comes after isn't worse."
She nodded. "You think too much."
"You punch too much."
"I could punch you."
"…You wouldn't win."
She smirked.
[Relationship Update: Koneko – Neutral → Mild Interest]
The Next Morning – Kuoh Academy
Everyone else walked into class like nothing happened.
I came in sore, mentally drained, and with the weight of three screaming exorcist souls still echoing in the corners of my mind.
But at least I wasn't hallucinating snakes this time.
Small victories.
At lunch, Rias passed by my desk. She didn't stop, didn't say anything. Just left a folded piece of paper.
I opened it.
"If you ever want to talk about where your strength comes from, I'm listening. – R.G."
I folded the paper, placed it in my bag, and stared out the window.
There were still simulations to run. Still ghosts to fight. Still pieces of myself I hadn't found yet.
But for now... I was here.
Still standing.
Still sane.
And maybe—just maybe—not alone anymore.