Chapter 52 - Twilight Healing
"Just Low-Class fallen angels?" Kalawarner screamed in rage.
Her eyes bored into Roy.
"Big talk for someone who only beat Freed."
"What gives you the nerve to mouth off to us?"
"We're being underestimated," Dohnaseek added, his face darkening.
"A human, lucky enough to get a Sacred Gear, thinks he can challenge fallen angels?"
Sacred Gears were rare, but fallen angels, with their long lives, had seen plenty.
The Grigori, their organization, studied Sacred Gears extensively, making them less awe-inspiring to Kalawarner and Dohnaseek.
To them, a Sacred Gear just gave mortals a shot at supernatural power—potential, not parity.
As fallen angels, they were supernatural creatures, wielding innate might.
Only a Longinus could make them blink, and Roy's Boosted Gear, in their eyes, was just a common gauntlet-type Sacred Gear, not worth a second glance.
"Exactly," Kalawarner sneered.
"Freed was just a human we empowered."
"If you think that makes you hot stuff, you're delusional."
"Your little Sacred Gear's a toy compared to our power."
"Enough yapping," Roy smiled.
"The more useless someone is, the more thin-skinned they are."
"I state facts, and you churn out a thousand excuses to prop yourselves up."
"You're begging to die," Kalawarner replied in rage.
"No matter how much I like your face, that mouth's too much."
Roy's taunts hit their pride hard, each word a jab at their inferiority complex.
"One last question before we kill you," Dohnaseek said, eyeing Roy like a corpse.
"Why'd you monitor the church?"
Roy was a dead man to him, but the monitor's purpose nagged at them.
What was Roy after?
Could it derail their plans?
Roy glanced at Asia, still trembling on the second floor.
"Fine, I'll let you die knowing."
"I'm generous like that."
"Asia?" Dohnaseek said, catching Roy's look.
He laughed.
"You're bold, coveting our prize!"
"Then die," Dohnaseek said.
Light power gathered in his hand, forming a radiant Light Spear, brighter and denser than Freed's Sword.
He hurled it at Roy with a thrust.
The spear tore through the air.
"Last words done?" Roy looked unfazed.
Demonic power surged within him, and with a wave, bond of life swallowed the Light Spear.
The attack didn't stop, surging forward like a tidal wave, engulfing Dohnaseek.
In an instant, the fallen angel was gone.
"What?" Kalawarner froze, her companion's aura gone. "Dohnaseek!"
She stared at the empty space where Dohnaseek had floated, only residual heat lingering.
It was as if he'd never been there.
Snapping out of her shock, Kalawarner flapped her wings, darting for the roof to smash through a window and flee.
Asia was no longer her concern.
This wasn't a normal Sacred Gear wielder.
Roy was a monster, untouchable even by fallen angels.
Dohnaseek, her equal, was erased in one move, and Roy looked like he hadn't broken a sweat.
Staying was suicide.
Revenge? She just wanted to live.
But Roy wasn't letting her go.
Using the railing, he leaped, cutting off her path.
Using bond of life, Kalawarner turned to ash.
"Damn, forgot their Dimension Points," Roy muttered, realizing both were gone, not even ashes left.
"Eh, probably not much."
They were npc's in the anime, likely worth little.
No big loss.
Roy turned to Asia.
"Hey, sister."
Asia flinched, her scared eyes meeting his.
"Your look's tempting to tease," Roy said, grinning playfully.
Her frightened expression was almost too perfect.
"Eep!" Asia squeaked, trembling harder, misinterpreting his words as a literal threat.
"Relax, I'm done messing with you," Roy said, waving her down.
"Help me clean the living room."
Freed had trashed the place—blood, footprints, and sofa stains.
With free labor like Asia, Roy wasn't about to mop himself.
Seeing Roy's casual demeanor, Asia cautiously descended.
"Rags and mops are in the bathroom," Roy said, pointing.
"Grab 'em."
Asia nodded, obediently fetching the tools and quietly cleaning the living room.
Roy pulled two drink cans from the fridge, popped one open, and lounged on a clean sofa, sipping.
Soon, Asia finished, returning the tools and approaching Roy timidly.
"Um… I'm done. Anything else?"
"Here," Roy said, pointing to the seat beside him.
Asia hesitated, still wary, but sat as instructed.
"For you," Roy said, handing her the second can.
"Thank you," Asia said, flustered, clutching the can awkwardly, unsure what to do with it.
"I know your deal," Roy said, breaking the silence.
"Freed and those fallen angels are dead."
"You've got nowhere to go, right?"
"You know about me?" Asia said, surprised, then nodded, recalling Roy's earlier talk with Freed and the fallen angels.
"The church…" she mumbled.
"The church?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
"You sure? The remaining fallen angels there—Raynare and Mittelt—aren't your friends."
"They took me in when I had nowhere else…" Asia said softly.
"Just a heads-up," Roy said.
"They didn't take you in out of kindness."
"I know," Asia said, her face falling.
"They wanted my Sacred Gear."
"Then you should know Raynare plans to rip out your Twilight Healing and transplant it into herself," Roy said, dropping the bombshell.
"Lady Raynare?" Asia gasped, eyes wide.
"Fallen angels have a Sacred Gear extraction technique," Roy explained.
"Your Twilight Healing can heal devils and fallen angels—a rare trait."
"Raynare wants it for herself."
"You get what that means, right?" Roy said, glancing at her.
Asia's expression grew desolate.
Excommunicated from the church for her Sacred Gear's power, now betrayed by the fallen angels who'd "saved" her.
She knew what extraction meant—death.
A Sacred Gear was tied to its host's life.
Removing it was a death sentence.
"I have nowhere to go," Asia said, head bowed.
"Then stay here," Roy gave her a big smile.
"Here?" Asia looked up, stunned, staring at Roy.
"What, you actually saw Freed and those fallen angels as buddies?" Roy teased.
"They're dead, and I'm the one who killed them. Got a problem with that?"
"No," Asia said, shaking her head.
"They had it coming."
Freed was expelled from the church for his cruelty, and Asia had seen his true colors.
The fallen angels, she now knew, only wanted her Sacred Gear, not her.
"So, you're in?" Roy extended a hand, grinning.
"Looking forward to working with you."
Asia nervously took his hand, shaking it.
"Please take care of me."
[Congratulations, host. 350,000 Dimension Points absorbed.]
"I'm Roy Flott," Roy said.
"Just call me Roy, no formalities."
"Got it," Asia said stiffly.
"I'm Asia Argento. Um, Roy, what can I do for you?"
"Hang out and chill," Roy said simply.
"???" Asia tilted her head, confused.
"That's it? No other tasks? I'm good at cleaning and stuff."
Growing up sheltered in the church, Asia took Roy's words literally, her pure nature missing any innuendo.
"You're more capable than I expected," Roy said, giving her a knowing look.
"But I don't have heavy chores here."
"Cleaning crew handles that."
"For now, just settle in," he added.
"We'll figure out the rest later."
"Okay," Asia said, clutching her nun's habit nervously.
"Let's go to the supermarket," Roy glanced out the window at the setting sun.
"Grab some daily necessities for you and get dinner. Other stuff can wait."
Dusk had settled over Kuoh Town.
"Gotta deal with those remaining fallen angels another night," Roy muttered.
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