DXD: Catalyst of Legends

It went against his better judgment, but he ultimately decided that he wasn't going to sit around and hope for things to blow over. There was no chance of that happening now.

He'd go, but this time, he'd be armed to the teeth. With this mind made up, he went about his evening routine: shower, dinner, some ice to the face to calm his nerves, and by 8:00 P.

M. , he was picking out the runestones to use in case a quick escape was needed.

A bitterly ironic thought crossed his mind as he passed the threshold of his apartment and locked the door behind him: Yesterday, he had stumbled into a den of lions and managed to walk away. Now, he was marching right back into it.

Connor's short expedition to the park had actually been much less violent than he had expected. There were no Fallen lying in wait along the way, and for that matter hardly even any people.

Unsettling as it was, he would take it as a good sign. The fewer witnesses, the better.

The last gleams of sunlight were just barely visible over the horizon by the time he reached the park. He felt an odd chill as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the grass.

A barrier of some kind meant to keep away any unwanted visitors, he guessed. At least they had the sense to put one up early this time.

Taking a quick glance around the open area, he saw a figure exactly where the letter had said to meet.

Standing by the fountain was a dark-haired young man in a black overcoat. Upon noticing Connor's arrival, he turned and greeted the magus with a short wave and a disarming smile that didn't quite reach his pale grey eyes.

Underneath the coat, the man wore a simple black and grey suit and black dress shoes. He was roughly the same size as Connor, both in height and build, and although he didn't appear to be much older, the manner in which he held himself suggested that he was.

The stranger whistled, "That's quite the shiner you've got there. " Connor had decided to forego his makeshift patch so his field of vision would at least be somewhat unobstructed.

The man's attempt to break the ice was met with an irritated stare. "Relax.

I'm not here to kill you. "

"You may not be, but someone else around here might. "

"It's just me," the stranger assuaged. "I'm here on orders from Azazel."

"So were the others. Why should I believe you?" Connor asked.

"What proof do you have?"

"You can believe what you want, but as far as proof? You used an ancient curse depicted in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology to force fair combat against Dohnaseek. Kalawarner recognized it, and that's why she stopped everything once you killed him.

She was the only one that made no move to kill you last night, right?"

Connor thought back and realized that he was right. The bluenette hadn't actually done anything against him other than issue a verbal threat, and the only way this guy would know about that was if he was there, or he heard the story from the three remaining Fallen.

"Who are you?"

"Tobio Ikuse, Slash Dog of Grigori. And you?"

"…Connor Lochlainn, magus. How did you find out where I live?"

"You passed by me on the street heading to school this morning, and I traced your steps back. To be fair, I was on your blind side as you walked.

" He reinforced his point by holding up his left hand to block the peripheral vision of his left eye.

Connor silently cursed himself for not finishing the Bounded Field sooner. It was already coming back to bite him.

"Alright. So what do you want with me?"

"Let me explain some things first. The original operation here was nothing more than observation of a suspected Sacred Gear wielder, but somebody issued false orders under Azazel's name.

Now, thanks to your intervention and Kalawarner blowing the whistle, the entire chain of command within the Grigori is undergoing a massive internal investigation. "

"Mission compromised," Connor commented.

Tobio nodded. "Pretty much."

"So does that mean you guys are good and gone out of here?" If that were true, it would be the best news he heard all day. Probably all week.

Maybe then, he-

"Not exactly. I'm here to observe you for the foreseeable future."

Connor's eyes widened, and his composure cracked slightly. "What?"

"By getting involved the way you did, you've caused quite a stir within the Grigori, and piqued the interest of several important people, including Azazel," Tobio explained. "Now, in place of Raynare's group observing their target, I'm going to be observing you."

"No… Uh-uh, no, not happening, we're done here. Good night, and piss off.

" He turned to walk away.

"I'm authorized to rat you out to the locals if you try to get away. " Tobio's threat made the magus pause.

"I can send an anonymous tip to the governing Devils here, make them aware of a dangerous stray magician in their midst and ham up the details however I see fit. If they don't attack you immediately, you would never get a moment's rest again as long as you remain here.

" Tobio waited until Connor turned fully around to face him before continuing. "And just to make it perfectly clear, the ones in charge here are blood relatives to two of the Four Satans currently in command of the entire Devil race."

Connor began to seethe, sorely tempted to summon the runic sword from his Magic Crest, but then he realized something and stopped himself. Whatever this guy might say to the Devils wouldn't matter if they were going to come after him anyway.

They had been there to collect Issei's body, after all.

"Is that right?" he asked. "Well, the Devils already picked up their real prize while I was fighting for my life last night.

If the ones in town don't know what I am by now, then it'll come to their attention soon enough. I'll give you credit, though.