3rd Person POV
The night had reached its peak.
The moon shone brightly overhead, casting its pale light over the forest and revealing Akeno, Koneko, and Issei standing in front of the abandoned church as they caught their breath.
Without warning, Issei tried to run inside.
But Akeno firmly grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop.
“Let me go...” he said, struggling to shake her off. “I need to save Asia.”
“Don't be too hasty, Issei-kun,” Akeno said. “You'll hurt yourself if you're reckless. If you get hurt, you'll only make everything worse.”
Akeno looked down at Issei's trembling fingers.
They still hadn't healed.
Of course they hadn't.
He was a newly reincarnated Devil. His body still needed time to adjust, and Akeno hadn't had enough time to properly heal him since they had rushed here.
“Issei-senpai...” Koneko said quietly, a little sadness reflected in her eyes.
“Koneko-chan...” Akeno said, turning toward her. “Do your thing.”
“Ye-yeah.”
Koneko then began sniffing the area.
The scent of the Fallen Angels was broad and thick, mixed with the faint salty scent of human sweat.
“Yeah...” Koneko confirmed. “Undoubtedly. The scent of Fallen Angels is strong here. There's also a faint scent of human sweat.”
Akeno nodded.
She took Issei's hand, making sure he wouldn't act recklessly again.
“I'll lead,” she said. “Issei-kun in the middle, Koneko in the back. I'll try to detect any magical traps, while Koneko prepares for an enemy ambush.”
“Roger...” Koneko nodded.
Akeno opened the large door.
Creak...
The sound echoed through the abandoned church.
She stepped inside, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as she navigated through the rubble, broken glass, overgrown grass, and other sharp objects scattered across the floor.
Akeno subtly heightened her energy senses.
She searched for any traces of magical circles—on the floor, along the walls, and even in the air.
Even if they were hidden, magic still left behind traces of energy.
Behind her, Koneko heightened her hearing and danger senses, carefully scanning the darkness.
Every corner.
Every gap between the rubble.
Every place where an enemy could be hiding.
Issei simply walked in the middle, allowing Akeno to lead.
For now, all he needed to focus on was finding Asia.
As they approached a room with a closed door, Koneko suddenly twitched.
“The smell of blood.”
The moment he heard those words, Issei instinctively jumped forward, forcibly shaking off Akeno's hold.
“Issei-kun!”
He ignored her shout and ran as fast as he could.
He slammed the door open and rushed inside, taking several hurried steps before suddenly stopping.
His feet froze.
“No...”
He struggled to catch his breath.
“No... no, no, no, no...”
His eyes widened.
“NO!”
Asia was there.
She lay on the ground with her hands tied behind her back. Her lifeless eyes remained open, dried tears staining her cheeks, while a gag covered her open mouth.
“Asia...” Issei weakly walked toward her. “Asia... Hey, it's me... Issei...”
He continued walking.
“We promised, right?”
He stopped in front of her lifeless body and slowly knelt down.
“That you wanted to have a big tour around Kuoh...” His voice trembled. “I haven't forgotten at all.”
Issei reached out and gently touched her cheek.
“So, wake up.”
He spoke warmly as he held her body and pulled her into a hug.
“Please wake up, Asia.”
He held her tightly, as if he didn't want to let go.
“Let's do everything you wanted to do...”
Tears began forming in his eyes.
“Please... don't leave me like this.”
Issei quietly cried while holding her.
Akeno and Koneko could only watch in silence, their heads lowered.
Neither of them knew what to say.
Then Akeno noticed a pool of blood beside Asia, which didn't seem to come from her because her clothes were completely clean of blood.
But the pool of blood told a different story.
It looked as if a body had been dragged across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind.
And the trail led toward a large fallen pillar.
Akeno decided to follow the trail, walking carefully as she passed the fallen pillar.
She saw something.
Something that made her eyes widen.
Her hand began to tremble as she slowly raised it to cover her open mouth, while tears threatened to escape her eyes.
“Ka... Kazu-kun?”
Kazuki Sakuragi was lying on the ground.
His eyes were closed, and he was still tied to a chair that had fallen over with him. His shirt was covered in dried blood, and his hair was a complete mess.
Akeno's legs began shaking.
She fell to her knees.
“No...” she whispered weakly. “My mother... and now... you.”
Her voice trembled.
“Why did this happen to the people who are important to me?”
The tears finally escaped as she quietly sobbed.
Kazuki's face suddenly flashed through Akeno's mind.
How he quietly smiled.
How he could still make jokes even when she teased him.
How his eyes focused with seriousness whenever he studied.
The way he kept asking questions that sometimes gave her a headache.
How he always upheld his promises.
The fun times when she punished him for missing school.
How he showed kindness without saying a word.
And especially, his maturity... the kind that helped her find a sense of peace despite her past.
Everything replayed in her mind, as if reminding her of how much he had become a part of her life.
“Unforgivable...”
Akeno's fingers curled into fists as she slowly stood up, almost like a zombie rising from the ground.
Her teary eyes sharpened.
Electricity began crackling across her body, visible even to Koneko.
“Se-senpai?”
Koneko knew that face.
It was the face of Akeno Himejima pissed off.
Bat-like wings suddenly sprouted from Akeno's back.
She immediately spread them and harshly flapped her wings, creating a small blast of wind that sent her shooting backward.
Crash!
She crashed through a window and flew out of the church, several shards of sharp glass stabbing into her body.
But Akeno didn't care.
The only thing she cared about was finding the person responsible.
And killing them.
Seeing this, Koneko looked in Akeno's direction.
Then she looked at Issei.
Then at the ceiling.
She sighed.
“What am I supposed to do now?”