10 Chapter 10: Grigori's Traitor

Chapter 10:

"___" - Speech

(___) - Thoughts

{___} - Internal Voice(s)

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Beads of sweat swam down their skin as their breath grew labored. Both Freed and Jin could feel their legs on the verge of giving in as they struggled to keep themselves upright. 

(One more, he should only have one more attack before he'll have to release his grasp on Oron.) 

"What's with that snide look on your face Jin? Do you honestly think I'm not aware of my own condition?" 

Jin scrunched his brow as he planted his feet on the ground. His wings retracted into his spine as his usual sense of balance returned.

"If you're aware, then you shouldn't waste your breath talking." 

Freed clicked his tongue as Excalibur-Rapidly flared to life once more, he bent his knees as he dropped into a low squat, carefully planning his final assault.

Jin responded in kind, bringing [Twice Critical] up to his face as he readied his final defense. 

(Sorry Azazel, it looks like I won't be getting those swords back just yet.) 

Swoosh!

The sound of the wind being spliced in half echoed through the halls as he thrust towards his opponent. 

(Here it comes.) 

In the blink of an eye, Freed had appeared within striking distance of Jin —the latter had his fists up and ready, prepared to defend against whatever was thrown at him. 

"Got you!" 

(Eh?) 

Contrary to his expectations, Excalibur-Rapidly's blade never came crashing down towards him. Instead, Freed reached into his robes and pulled out —nothing. 

Splurt!

Blood gushed out of Jin's chest as a gruesome wound opened only a few inches below his neck. He looked on with both horror and confusion as Freed's hands still appeared empty. 

(What —the hell?) 

"Tsk, I missed. I'm going to assume that since those two companions of yours are on their way here, old man Balba is probably dead already?" 

Jin remained speechless as the shadows surrounding Oron gradually started to release their grasp on him. 

"Oh well, as long as I keep these swords with me we'll meet again. See ya around, Jin!" 

The Stray Exorcist cut his losses and faded into the night as the sound of hurried footsteps drummed through the corridors. 

Jin quickly snapped out of his daze, rushing towards his assistant and placing two fingers on his jugular. 

(Phew, his vitals are fine.) 

A groan escaped Oron's lips as his eyelids slowly began to part. 

"Jin…sama?" 

"Yo, you feeling alright?" 

Oron's pupils dilated in panic as he noticed the gaping wound across the body of the man he was supposed to protect. 

"Forget me! You're bleeding!" 

"Relax, it's shallow —thanks to his fatigue he wasn't able to land a clean hit. Now let's get out of here, Kokabiel's going to arrive any minute now."

"But, the swords?" 

Though relieved that his assistant was once again conscious, even he couldn't hide the seething disappointment he felt as a result of failing his mission. 

"We'll have to go after them some other time, now give me a hand." 

Oron nodded as he wrapped Jin's arm around his neck to support his weight, the two walked towards the front gate as the sight of the more amiable Exorcists came into view. 

"Crow!" 

"Iwata-san!" 

Even though Irina wasn't exactly comfortable around both Jin and Oron, the sight of blood dripping from an ally's body still poked at her compassionate side. 

"The fuck happened?" Withal, Xenovia's tone remained brash as ever. 

"I lost." 

"No kidding, but that doesn't matter right now, hurry up and get us out of here." 

(Huh, I expected her to obsess over the swords, I guess I judged her incorrectly.) 

Jin gestured towards Oron as the latter responded with a nod, he aimed his palm towards the ground. 

However, it seemed to be to little avail. 

"What's the holdup?" 

Oron's forehead scrunched together as his expression suggested something had clearly gone awry. 

"Uhm, I'm being restricted." 

"Excuse me?" 

"I don't know what's going on, but for some reason each time I try to cast I'm interrupted." 

(Don't tell me…) 

His worst fears came to fruition as the world around the four of them seemed to warp and distort in an almost nauseous manner. 

And then there was a presence, one that Jin and Oron were able to pick up on long before their companions. 

"How disappointing, to think someone like him would be bested by a bunch of children hardly a foot out of their cribs. I suppose I ought to thank you for ridding me of the displeasure of having to work with someone like him." 

(Don't let me down, Sitri Heiress.) 

A deep booming voice reverberated through the air, each word more dread-inducing than the last. 

As they looked up they were met with the sight of a tall, pale man with long raven hair that reached his thighs. 

His eyes were narrow and blood-red in color, with an almost vampiric nature imbued into his sclera. The figure's ears were pointy and almost elf-like, and most notably of all, at his sides were five dark feathery wings that almost blended into the night. 

"You know, I received some rather interesting intel as of today. Apparently, I'm no longer a part of Grigori —who would've thought? Especially after all I've given and sacrificed." 

A ghostly chuckle left his mouth as his pupils became fixated on the four individuals beneath him. 

"I wonder, did you two Exorcists play a part in it? Or perhaps it would be more reasonable to suspect those hatchlings?" 

Rather abruptly, his sights seemed to focus onto Jin, almost as if he saw something familiar in him. 

"Hm? Have we met before? Actually, forget it, you're far too young to have met with me before." 

As the figure continued to monologue, Jin somehow mustered up the courage to utter a response. 

"Are you, Kokabiel?" 

The Dracula-esque individual peered deeper into Jin, second-guessing himself to see if he had jumped to conclusions. 

"In the flesh, for a second I thought Azazel finally decided to produce some offspring. But I can see that his blood doesn't run through you, are you a disciple of his or something?" 

(All that just from a glance, what a freak. But it's probably in my best interest to stall him for as long as I can, until the Leviathan arrives.) 

"Would it matter if I was?" 

Surprisingly, Kokabiel actually took a moment to ponder the question before shrugging it off. 

"I suppose not, seeing as I'm going to kill you either way." 

Reflexively, Oron stepped in front of Jin as a defensive gesture, to which he was met with a simple shake of the head. 

"Don't bother." 

There was nothing Oron could do at this point, Kokabiel could eradicate anything the assistant could conjure up with nothing more than a flick of his wrist. 

"Good, you seem to have a good grasp of the pecking order. I'm starting to understand why you managed to come this far, unfortunately, none of my children grasped the concept. They all ended up dying just as pathetically as our friend Balba over here." 

(Good, keep talking.) 

"You had children?" 

"What a stupid question, I've roamed for millennia —of course I'd have kin of my own at some point. Not that any of them ended up being worth a damn, truly a waste of exceptional genetics." 

Kokabiel heaved a groan as he gripped his forehead. 

"Hm, actually now that I think of it, why don't you strike a deal with me in exchange for your own life?" 

The abrupt remark pushed Jin's brow upwards as his face conveyed genuine shock. 

"What?" 

"You're clearly an amateur, but the progress you've made thus far proves that you have quite a bit of potential. Come under my command, with my help your wings will spread to lengths you could never even imagine." 

"Forgive me if my memory's blurred, but didn't you just say that you were going to kill me either way? What's with the sudden change of heart?" 

"I admit, I might have been a little rash. However, the worth I see in you is genuine, you already know that I'm trying to ignite another war don't you?" 

"Is that what you're after?" 

The corners of Kokabiel's mouth stretched towards his ears as he solicited Jin. 

"You're a terrible liar, you know that? I know for a fact you've figured out that's what I want by now. Although, what you really want to know is why, isn't that so?" 

Jin bit his lip as the sinking realization set in that he was naught more than an open book through the eyes of someone of Kokabiel's caliber. 

"The battlefield is the only place worth living in, your generation probably won't understand but this world has been stale for far too long. Peace? Amendement? Partnership? Give me a break, you've never experienced what true battle is, and that will remain a fact so long as the world remains dormant." 

That word —"peace", just the mention of it caused Kokabiel to clench his palms together, to the point where his nails drew blood out of his own skin. 

"Let me ask you something, do you enjoy being weak?" 

"What kind of a question is that?" 

"Haha, a stupid one, but also one every sentient being is forced to consider at some point during their lives. There are no exceptions." 

(I can't let myself get swept up, just keep stalling, at all costs.) 

"And?" 

"And this reality extends to you, hatchling. Do you know why all the top figures in this world are as strong as they are?" 

"Enlighten me." 

"War, they've all participated in war. Without war, it is impossible to form an unbreakable will capable of touching the very stars themselves. It doesn't matter how far you climb hatchling, you will never reach their level without soaking yourself in a river of blood." 

"You seem awfully convinced that I desire strength equal to theirs?" 

"Consciously? No, but if you had their strength you wouldn't be at my mercy like this now would you?" 

Though Jin had placed his composure as a priority, the comment had managed to force a brief exhale out of him. 

"Actually, you have a point." 

Oron turned to him with evident concern plastered on his face. 

"Strength is pretty important amongst the living isn't it?" 

His assistant noticed that he had placed heavy emphasis on the word "living". 

"Are you going somewhere with this?" 

As Jin raised his arm, he made a small gap with his thumb and index finger roughly the width of a shogi piece. 

"But there's a crucial piece of information you're missing out on." 

"And that is?" 

"I'm only half alive." 

"Ah? What is that supposed to me—" 

Kokabiel's vampiric pupils dilated as he noticed a particularly threatening presence encroaching towards him with a furious intensity. 

(That look on his face, she's near!) 

Jin heaved a sigh of relief as his companions soon caught on to what was happening. 

The ground beneath him trembled as the sound of something enormous clawing its way to the surface sounded like music to his ears. 

Kokabiel showed little hesitation shielding his body with all ten of his wings as a massive bright saffron colored shield manifested in front of him. 

Crack! 

The ground split apart as a dread-inducing serpent composed entirely of ice shot out from the soil, its maw gaped wide open as it clashed against Kokabiel's shield.

"This aura, now this is unexpected, Serafall?"

Kokabiel shot a stare toward Jin, to which the latter simply stood there with a knowing smile. 

"What exactly were you expecting Kokabiel? As if I'd just let my So-tan be a sacrifice for your petty ambitions." 

Jin found himself looking at a rather small woman with raven hair fashioned into twin tails fastened via pink ribbons.

(That's the Leviathan? I can't say that's what I was expecting.)