RSE B2 CH 14

After Leo made his declaration and left, James immediately ran to the club to discuss it with hist Mistress, Rayne.

“I see. So the day is finally upon us.” Rayne smiled somewhat grimly. 

She had been waiting for this moment for an entire week and now that this was coming to head, she had to admit that she was anxious.

“James, Kira… both of you spent time with Leo this week. What do you think of him now that you’ve gotten to know him a bit?”

James rubbed the back of his neck and winced.

Kira, who was busy munching on a small loaf of banana bread Leo had made for her, stilled.

Rayne knew that the two of them had spent quite a bit of time with Leo this week, but she was in no way put off by it. She had encouraged it. She was happy to see the two of them had made a friend outside of their tight-knit Circle. She knew that it was good for their mental well-being.

Besides, after Sunday—no matter who the winner was—their group would be much closer to Leo. One way or another… so their getting to know him was a boon. Still, seeing their reactions, Rayne couldn’t help the bitter smile that graced her lips.

“Is it that bad?” she asked softly.

The visceral reaction of these two was more telling than hundreds of words. She knew that Leo was strong, but she’d hoped that their combined might would be a match for him.

At her second question, Kira simply nodded. “Leo is strong—very strong. He can put me down with one hand. I have no chance of winning against him.”

James gave a more careful answer. “I haven’t won a single bout against him this week. We sparr until I can’t go any more… and he hardly breaks a sweat. I’m ashamed to admit that he was holding back the entire time.” James ducked his head, not meeting his Mistress’s gaze. “I do not know how strong he would be if he went all out, but if Leo is allowed to attack us one after another, it is guaranteed that we will lose.”

“Hmmm… So you suggest we all stay together during the fight?”

“Indeed.” James nodded. “Only by using our numerical advantage and overwhelming him all at once do we have a chance to win. Otherwise, defeat is the only outcome.”

Rayne massaged her temples, then sighed. “Kira will be my guard, with you as the vanguard while Shuri and I prepare our spells.”

“That would be a basic strategy,” James agreed. “Another one would be for me and Shuri to district him—me with my speed and Shuri with the speed of her spells—while Kira guards you as you prepare a big spell to take him down.”

There was more than one failsafe available in a Masque Game to ensure the survival of all participants. Even fighters at the Peak or Transcendent levels could go all out in an official Masque Game. This meant they weren’t worried about Rayne hurting Leo with her destruction magic.

“Very well, we have the beginning of a plan.” The redheaded beauty pursed her lips. “We will try to polish it further, but that should be enough for now.”

Despite her lack of experience, Rayne knew enough to know that the more complicated a battle plan, the higher chance it had to fail. She also knew that whatever they planned, it wouldn’t serve as more than a guide for the first moments of the fight.

What was it the mortal boxer who liked snacking on ears once said? Oh, yes… ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’

With a simple, basic plan, they’d better be able to adapt to the unexpected. She knew that Leo had trained in the Vatican. And because he was an experienced devil hunter, the unexpected was almost a guarantee. 

Yes… they would have to be flexible.

“Another advantage would be to use our knowledge of the system to win,” Shuri began, but then she scowled. “But…”

“Such a victory would be worthless,” agreed Rayne. “It isn’t something I would use against someone I want as a friend.”

Masque Games weren’t just about fighting. Far from it, actually. There were more than a hundred variations possible, with just as many rules and ways of winning.

As a High ranked Devil, even though Rayne never participated in any such games, she knew more than enough to create a game that would give her an absolute advantage. But like she’d just said to Shuri, she didn’t want to resort to such trickery—not in a fight against a potential ally.

James hesitated before asking, “Should we ask Jasper for help?”

The room fell silent while Rayne seriously considered this option.

Jasper was a member of Rayne’s Circle who had made no appearance until now. This meant Leo had no information about him. Furthermore, Jasper’s power was a true Joker—a wild card that could completely change the game.

Sadly, because he was a wildcard, not even Jasper’s Mistress knew what to expect. 

“Jasper still can’t control his power,” Kira muttered. 

Like all of them, Jasper came from a difficult life and had a problematic story. But he also possessed a powerful Divine Gear. The problem with Jasper, was that—unlike the rest of them— he had absolutely no control over that Divine Gear. It was entirely possible that he could unwittingly use it against his own Circle.

“We won’t be asking him to use his power,” Rayne decided. “But I would like to get him out of his room and for him to get some fresh air.”

When she took in a vampire, she’d never thought she’d be responsible for a NEET. Jasper was a total mooch.

Rayne let out a soft chuckle at this thought. She liked Jasper and only wanted the best for him. Since both Kira and James had shown such progress after meeting Leo, perhaps the same would happen with Jasper?

She had nothing to lose, either way.

“Very well then, let’s drag Jasper out of his room.”

Shuri nodded amicably while throwing a glance at her fellow members of the Circle. Unlike Jasper, both were in school… just like her and her Mistress. She could see that, while they were still chased by their own demons, a bit of light had entered their life and was slowly driving out the darkness.

Shuri also knew who had brought that light into their lives. She couldn't help but wonder if she should spend a bit of time with Leo, as the others had done. Perhaps some light would shine in her personal darkness.

***

A man with a sardonic smile got out of his car and looked around before nodding to himself. “What an interesting place. I can feel the different flow of power here. He he he… this will be a real clusterfuck. Don’t you agree, Zachias?”

The man named Zachias grunted. “We would have gotten here much faster if we flew our teleported.”

“Ha! Indeed, it would have been faster... but then it wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting. Humans are truly ingenious. I understand now why our Supreme Daddy loved them so much.”

“You and your love for humans…” Zachias scoffed.

“My friend, is it not because of that love that we became Fallen?” He gave the other man a wide grin. “I believe there is even the fruit of your love here.”

“Azrael…”

Azrael raised his hands in surrender at the threatening growl Zachias released. “Do not worry. We are not here for her. She has found a good life with that little Mephisto lass.” So saying, Azrael showed a far grimmer expression. “We are here to deal with the mess another dear friend of ours caused.”

Zachias narrowed his eyes at his superior. “And what will you do if the evidence indicates he was trying to instigate a new war? I heard the church was attacked not long ago, and some holy weapons were lost.”

This time, all emotion slipped from Azrael’s face. “I executed Satanael for his crimes. I will do the same to Abaddon without hesitation, if he is indeed guilty of attempting to reignite the War.”

Zachias shuddered, unwilling to meet Azrael suddenly frosty gaze.

But then, with a clap of his hands, a smile reappeared on Azrael’s handsome face. “Before that, though, let’s see what video games the mortals have produced lately. After all, even the Holy Church will be sending people here.”

It was thus that Azrael, the leader of the Fallen Angels, entered Spartanburg.