"Then, Asia-, I suggest you don't go to the chur this town."

  "Eh!?"

  Asia, who had been lost in her own thoughts, looked up at me in fusion, not uanding why I would say that.

  "Why, Kyoya-san?"

  "The reason is, well... I hope you won't be too upset when you hear this, Asia-."

  I sighed, not wanting to see the disappoi on her face, but ultimately deg to tell her the truth so she would give up on going to the church.

  "It's alright, please tell me, Kyoya-san!"

  Seeing how serious I was, Asia khat what I was about to say was important, so she nodded early.

  With Asia staring at me ily, I slowly began to expin.

  "The truth is, the chur Kuoh Town is no longer what it seems. It's been taken over by Fallen Angels and Stray Priests. They've cruelly murdered the inal members of the church, and they're killing people uhe pretense of monit Sacred Gear wielders, g it's for the sake of world peace..."

  "..."

  As I expined, Asia's mi bnk. She couldn't believe the truth could be so cruel.

  Even though she khe Fallen Angels were using her and coveted her Sacred Gear, my words were still hard for her to accept.

  "I-is that so...?"

  "Does that mean even my st refuge is gone?" Asia's eyes dimmed, and she looked haggard and hopeless.

  "Asia-..." Seeing the despair in her eyes, I couldn't help but feel heartbroken for her.

  After a few seds of silence, I smiled gently and softly patted Asia's head fly.

  "Don't be so pessimistic, Asia-. That's just a rumor. The truth might not be as bad as it sounds. And even if you have nowhere else to go, you always stay with me. I cook you delicious food every day. How about it?"

  "!!!"

  "R-really, Kyoya-san!? I really stay with you?" Asia, who had been on the verge of despair, looked at me with renewed hope. My words were like a bea of light in her dark world.

  "Of course, it's true. You're such a kind ale girl, Asia-." I stroked her silky golden hair and said with genuine affe.

  "Waaa...! Kyoya-san!"

  In that instant, Asia couldn't hold bay longer. She threw herself into my arms and started to cry.

  From being a noble Holy Maiden of the Church to being framed and expelled for her kindness, and then being a tool for the Fallen Angels, these tragedies were too much for the pure-hearted Asia to bear.

  'Damn!'

  "Asia-, just wait here for a bit. We'll go to the church first, and then if you don't want to stay there, you e live with me!"

  I smiled and forted Asia as I held her.

  "Okay..."

  Asia hugged me tightly, then looked up and gave me a gentle smile.

  Now, to her, the person who had saved her in her darkest hour was her everything.

  ....

  The dark grove was illuminated by the gentle moonlight filtering through the leaves, casting ahereal glow upon the se.

  Holding Asia's hand, I sloroached the chur Kuoh Town.

  As soon as we ehe church grounds, we were hit by a strong, pu smell.

  Blood!!!

  Even though I had killed a Stray Devil before and had blood on my hands, I couldn't help but frown at the ing stench of blood permeating the church. A lot of people must have died here for the smell of blood to be this strong.

  "Oh my, oh my? It's not wise to be out for a stroll this te at night! There's a murderer on the loose, you know. So, young man, why don't you hand over that nun to me?"

  Just then, a priest with white hair, dressed in priestly robes, suddenly appeared at the churtrance, smiling at us strangely.

  But his exaggerated and bizarre smile only made him look incredibly creepy to me.

  "Oh? Why aren't you answering me? Even though I'm a merciful priest, you 't be 'that' rude to me, you?"

  Seeing the priest's increasingly deranged expression, Asia instinctively felt fear and clutched my hand tightly, not daring to let go.

  "Who do you think you are? I have no iion of being polite to a Stray Priest like you. Your name is Freed Sellzen, right? I heard there was a murderous fiend on the loose. It was you, wasn't it? Judging by the thick stench of blood on you, you just killed someone, didn't you, you piece of trash?"

  I frowned, my gaze turning cold.

  "So you know who I am, hahaha!"

  Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Freed stopped pretending and gred at me with a hideous expression, ughing maniacally.

  "Hehehe, what if I did? I just killed a high school student just like you. The look of despair on his face before he died was so delightful!"

  "But you had the gall to call me trash. You reek of dealing with Devils! You're the real trash, hahaha!"

  As he spoke, Freed produced a sharp sword made of holy energy from his pocket.

  "Hmph, and that nuhere. Even though she was expelled from the Churd called a witch, she still pretends to be all holy! It makes me want to vomit!"

  ....

  Like Reinated Devils, humans who allied with Fallen Angels could also wield a corresponding power, whi this case was "holy" power. I narrowed my eyes slightly.

  "You have forsaken the Lord's will! You are no true believer, but a heretic who has fallen into evil. The Lord will never five you!"

  Asia's delicate frame trembled untrolbly. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, her eyes filled with anger and fear.

  "Ha, that's hirious! You're calling 'me' a heretic when you're the one who healed a Devil? If it weren't for your Sacred Gear, a disgustiic like you would have beeed long ago!"

  Freed ughed loudly at Asia's rebuke, as if she were nothing but a nuisan his eyes.

  "Asia-, stay back. I'll take care of this 'trash'."

  I calmly held the trembling little nun, theured for her to move back.

  Asia nodded and, trustiood a short distance away, watg ily.

  [Ding! Discovered target character: Freed Sellzen. Task Grade: White. Task dition: Kill.]

  "Even without the task, I'd kill him! A disgusting creature like him doesn't deserve to live!"

  "Hahaha, just a piece of human trash, and you talk so big? Do you think you defeat me...?"

  "Is that so?"

  Before Freed could finish, I used Soru to appear before him in a blink. I grabbed his neck with my right hand, blue lightning crag around my fingers.

  "Raikiri!"

  "Gzzzz!"

  I eled two hundred million volts of electricity directly into Freed's body.

  A burnt smell wafted through the air.

  "!!!"

  Freed's eyes widened in disbelief as his holy sword dissipated. His body was almost pletely charred, barely reizable.

  "Raynare-sama... will never... five you...!"

  Freed choked out his st words, his body slumping lifelessly.

  "Tsk, do you think I'm afraid of that ant? To be ho, I hope she es. If she dares to show her face, I'll take care of those annoying flies ond for all."

  With my current strength, as long as it wasn't a established Ultimate-css oppo, I had nothing to fear.

  And besides, if I o, I could always use the Azure Dragon's power. It wasn't like I didn't have a trump card.

  Freed colpsed to the ground, dead and filled with regret.

  .....

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