The dimly lit basement chamber erupted into chaos. Freed Sellzen, the Stray Exorcist, cackled with maniacal glee as he lunged at Ren Takakura, his light-sword a searing white blur aimed at Ren's chest. Ren reacted on pure, desperate instinct, his Dying Will Flames surging to life, a shield of volatile orange energy flaring around him just in time to meet Freed's attack. The impact of light-construct against raw Flame sent a sizzling crackle through the damp air and a jarring shockwave up Ren's arm, but the fiery barrier held, much to Freed's delighted surprise.
"Ho? What's this then? You got some fancy tricks too, pretty boy?" Freed sneered, his eyes gleaming with a renewed, sadistic interest. He danced back a step, his movements erratic and unpredictable, like a deranged marionette. "This is gonna be even more fun than I thought! I love it when they fight back a little!"
Ren scrambled to his feet, his heart hammering against his ribs. His Flames were burning, a wild, untamed inferno that he struggled to control. He could feel Reborn's critical assessment, even without the baby hitman uttering a word. "Control, Dame-Ren! Don't just burn, direct it! You're wasting energy like a leaky faucet!"
"Koneko, secure Asia!" Rias Gremory commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos. While Ren had inadvertently drawn Freed's immediate attention, Rias's focus remained on their primary objective.
Koneko Toujou, without a word, shot towards the altar where Asia Argento was chained, her small form a blur of motion. Freed, however, was quicker than he looked. With another cackle, he disengaged from Ren and spun, his light-sword whistling through the air to intercept Koneko.
"Not so fast, little kitty-cat!" Freed taunted. "The main course has to wait her turn! You'll all get your share of pain, don't you worry!"
Koneko met his attack head-on, her tiny fists deflecting the light-sword with surprising force, sparks flying as her demonic energy clashed with Freed's holy-aspected weapon. She was a whirlwind of focused aggression, her movements economical and powerful, but Freed was an experienced, if unhinged, combatant. He danced around her attacks, his laughter echoing off the stone walls, his light-sword and a suddenly produced pistol firing off erratic bursts of energy that forced Koneko onto the defensive.
Ren, seeing Koneko pressed, tried to re-engage Freed, lunging forward with a Flame-wreathed fist. "Leave her alone, you freak!"
"Ooh, protective, are we?" Freed chortled, easily sidestepping Ren's clumsy attack and delivering a swift kick to Ren's side that sent him sprawling. "Two against one? Not very sporting! But then again," his grin widened, "Freed never did care much for rules!"
Rias Gremory, seeing the chaotic nature of Freed's fighting style and the immediate danger to both Koneko and Ren, finally entered the fray. A sphere of crimson Power of Destruction formed in her hand, pulsing with ominous energy. "Your playtime is over, Exorcist," she stated, her voice cold as ice. She launched the sphere, not directly at Freed, who was too mobile, but at the section of floor between him and Koneko. The resulting explosion of destructive energy forced Freed to leap back, creating a momentary separation.
"Koneko, now!" Rias ordered.
Koneko used the opening, darting past the disoriented Freed and reaching the altar. She began to work on Asia's chains, her small hands surprisingly strong as she tested the heavy iron links. Asia looked at her, then at Ren and Rias, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and dawning, fragile hope.
"Who… who are you?" Asia whispered, her voice trembling.
"Friends," Koneko said, her voice uncharacteristically gentle as she examined the locks. "Here to help."
Freed, however, recovered quickly, his maniacal grin returning. "Oh, you think it's that easy, Devil-bitch? Breaking my pretty little bird's cage?" He raised his pistol and fired a volley of light bullets towards Koneko and Asia.
Ren, seeing the danger, reacted instinctively. He threw himself in front of them, his Sky Flames flaring wildly, forming a desperate, uneven shield. Several of the light bullets impacted the fiery barrier, causing it to sputter and dim, pain lancing through Ren as he struggled to maintain it. His control was still too erratic; he was burning through his energy at an alarming rate.
"Dame-Ren, you fool!" Reborn's voice snapped in his mind. "Don't just tank hits! You're not a Lightning Guardian! Use your head! Disrupt! Create chaos!"
As if Reborn's words were a physical jolt, Ren remembered the small metallic pellet the infant hitman had given him. The flash-bang. With his shield faltering under Freed's relentless assault, and Rias preparing another, larger blast of destructive energy that would take a moment to charge, Ren fumbled in his pocket, his fingers closing around the cool metal.
"Eat this, you psycho!" Ren yelled, and with a desperate heave, he threw the pellet towards Freed. It landed at the exorcist's feet and, a split second later, erupted in a blinding flash of white light and a deafening concussive boom.
Freed shrieked, clutching at his eyes, momentarily disoriented. "Aargh! My eyes! You cheating little bastard!"
The flash-bang, crude as it was, had bought them precious seconds. The dance with the exorcist had been chaotic, costly, but it had created an opening, a sliver of opportunity in the heart of the Fallen's den.