Chapter 22: Buddha-Slaying Tyrant Fist (Patreon)

For devils brimming with demonic power, traveling quickly was never much of a challenge.

From the moment Rias received the young man's call, gathered Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou, and teleported to the edge of the barrier nearest the church, less than three minutes had passed.

Beneath the gloomy sky, the streetlights flanking the road were illuminated, and the distant wail of police sirens could be heard.

The three stunning high school girls materialized at an intersection devoid of traffic lights. One more step would take them into territory that originally belonged to the Church.

Just a block away loomed the imposing, classical European-style church. It was territory they, as devils, were strictly forbidden from setting foot in, much like a national border not to be crossed lightly.

But now, that had changed.

"The barrier... it's been destroyed?"

Rias still seemed hesitant.

After a brief probe with her own senses, Akeno Himejima gave a slight nod.

"Fubuki must have done something. It seems safe to proceed now."

Akeno herself came from a family of shrine maidens. While not possessing the specialized expertise in barrier techniques (kekkaijutsu) of someone like Hanakain Fubuki, who hailed from a legitimate Onmyoji family, she still had a decent understanding of them.

Barriers functioned much like radar systems; detecting an entity with specific characteristics would trigger an immediate alarm. This was especially critical given that Rias was the heiress of the Gremory house, one of the few remaining pure-blooded Devil families in the Underworld. If she were caught setting foot on Church territory without permission, it would inevitably be interpreted as a unilateral declaration of war by the Underworld against Heaven.

At that point, a second Great War would become a grim reality.

But now, with the barrier destroyed, it was akin to the radar being disabled. In that case...

Hesitating no longer, the red-haired girl gave the command with a decisive sweep of her arm.

"Akeno! Koneko! Let's move!"

"Understood!" chorused the other two.

They moved almost instantly. A flash of blinding white lightning erupted, followed by a thunderous crash as the church's main doors were violently blasted inwards.

When the dust cleared, the figures of the three girls stood framed in the ruined doorway.

Inside, Hanakain Fubuki remained positioned amidst the four Fallen Angels. Hearing the disturbance, he glanced back.

"Fubuki, are you alright?!"

Seeing the young man encircled, Akeno called out in concern before Rias could even speak.

His response was merely a casual wave of his hand.

"Perfectly fine~ I actually thought there might be too many rats here for me to handle alone, but it turns out there are only four. Had I known, I wouldn't have troubled you to come all this way."

Rats...

It was a profound insult, but the Fallen Angels had little choice but to swallow it for the moment.

After all, their carefully laid plans hadn't involved a direct confrontation with the Gremory family. Put simply, if they could easily overwhelm Rias and her peerage in a straight fight, they wouldn't have needed to bother with the painstaking process of gathering faith to amass power. Engaging in battle here, while not guaranteeing defeat, would inevitably sap their strength considerably – a result that neither Raynare nor the other three wished for.

Moreover, they believed they had a simpler approach.

"Heiress of Gremory, what is the meaning of this intrusion!"

After exchanging brief glances with his comrades, the Fallen Angel Dohnaseek, clad in his heavy coat, took the lead.

"Think very carefully! This is Church territory! Your act of destroying the barrier and trespassing as Devils is tantamount to declaring war on Heaven! Are you deliberately trying to provoke a war?! If that happens, don't blame us Fallen Angels if we decide not to stand idly by!"

His words were immediately laden with accusations.

But the young man's calm voice cut him off from behind: "Not 'we'. Me."

"What? Aren't you one of Gremory's... No, hold on. You're not a Devil?"

Dohnaseek was taken aback. He had assumed Hanakain Fubuki was another Devil serving the Gremory heiress, but upon focusing his senses, he realized that wasn't true.

He's... human?!

"Acting Representative of the Hanakain Family of Kyoto, Hanakain Fubuki."

The young man turned slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the Fallen Angel, enunciating each word clearly.

"I was the one who shattered the barrier. I was also the one who called Rias and her group here. So, if the Church faction has any objections, they can bring them directly to me..."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly. "I'll make them understand... that appealing to 'reason' is the most pointless thing in this world."

"You...!"

Dohnaseek was flabbergasted. He had never encountered such an unbelievably arrogant human. This was Japan! A land steeped in Buddhist traditions and the native Shinto belief in 'eight million gods' (Yaoyorozu no Kami). Did this person truly not believe that deities watched from just overhead?

"Y-You destroyed the Holy Light barrier of the Church faction! Do you not fear divine retribution from God Himself?!"

"Let Him try."

Hanakain Fubuki clenched his fist. Though no dazzling aura manifested externally, a golden light seemed to emanate from within him, concentrating intensely at his knuckles, pulsating with peerless power.

The young man stated impassively:

"To spread faith and build churches, only to shelter deviants and heretics; to let those who betray that faith run rampant, slaughtering common folk—"

His voice grew harder. "If such a being can still be called 'God,' then I myself shall strike down such a false deity!"

"If God won't save them, I will!"

His face displayed neither divine wrath nor serene mercy.

Yet, the young man's voice reverberated like a mighty bell, shaking the very foundations of the church. Hearing his declaration, the Fallen Angels, who had been attempting to negotiate under false pretenses just moments before, finally dropped their facade.

Since appeals to authority and threats were useless, combat was the only option left!

Dohnaseek and Kalawana shot upwards on beating wings, mana gathering in their palms, coalescing into spears of dark light.

Simultaneously, Raynare, still clutching Asia, dashed forward with all her strength towards a section of the altar where Mittelt, already in position, activated a hidden passage leading underground.

Their plan was proceeding: Dohnaseek and Kalawana would stall the intruders while Raynare completed the ritual below. Once she seized Asia's healing Sacred Gear, she would rejoin the fight to help finish them off!

"Watch out!"

"Fubuki, be careful!"

From the doorway, Rias and Akeno, seeing the Fallen Angels move, immediately launched their own attacks in unison. Crimson energy of the Power of Destruction and the blinding white lightning of a shrine maiden erupted, surging forward.

But moving even faster was Koneko Toujou.

The seemingly petite, white-haired girl moved like an agile cat. The instant the Fallen Angels made their move, she dropped into a crouch, legs coiled. With a single stomp that cratered the stone floor beneath her foot in a spiderweb of cracks, she launched herself forward like a cannonball, entering the fray in the blink of an eye.

Her target was one of the two Fallen Angels preparing to launch their spears of light... Huh?

As if spotting something unexpected, the white-haired girl's striking golden eyes widened fractionally.

Akeno Himejima, wreathed in lightning at the doorway, had a similar reaction. But unlike Koneko's surprise, Akeno's expression held a flicker of... nostalgia. Like witnessing the return of something familiar after a long absence.

Somehow, Hanakain Fubuki, who just moments ago was grounded and surrounded, was now positioned above the two airborne Fallen Angels, having moved even faster than Koneko. His fists were clenched, body coiled, and a crimson crest resembling a dragon's claw blazed into existence on his forehead. Peerless power gathered in those clenched fists.

Before this warrior, there shall be none!

A fist thrust forth, blazing like the midday sun!

Its power shall make the heavens and earth tremble, forcing gods and immortals alike to kneel!

To make them know that the one before them is—

UNRIVALED BENEATH THE HEAVENS!

[BUDDHA-SLAYING TYRANT FIST]!