The Etherius "Raziel"

Chapter 4: The Etherius “Raziel”

The outcome of Meyers’s

analysis was astounding. The three of them were staring blankly at the results.

Chuuya and Shuusei frowned. The evidence to prove their theory was now within

their grasp. Just as they had deduced, the Etherius had already begun their

attack. The school fortress was their first target. It was a mess. They lurk

and sneak behind the shadows, manipulated innocent students and led them to the

dark side.

With Meyers assistance,

Shuusei and Chuuya managed to pinpoint the counsellor who had provided these

Etheriuses resources to initiate the rituals and making elaborate schemes

behind their backs. This is the holy land protected by Kuranosuke. There is no

way they could have their way in Yamazaki. Chuuya would make sure of that.

The new substitute

teacher who took over arithmetic studies since last fall. Chuuya had taken out

his frustration on the wall. The building rattled, startling students above on

the surface. The tremors were slight, none of them had noticed the tremendous

force coming from the dusty archives. Shuusei and Meyers sighed.

“For the last time, don’t

take out on things!” Meyers landed a punch on Chuuya’s head.

Chuuya had a death glare.

Shuusei and Meyers shivered. It has been eight years since they last saw Chuuya

in this state. It was not just intimidating. It was pure bloodlust. Before

Shuusei could reined Chuuya, his partner was gone. To face the corrupted

counsellor who sold humans to Etherius. The school grounds was a Etherius

factory. The Etherius plaguing the school grounds was no mere weakling Chuuya

and Shuusei had faced till now. Even Shuusei could tell.

Shuusei chased after Chuuya.

It was his job to ensure Chuuya’s safety. Vowed to protect Chuuya from danger

and harm, Shuusei had pledged his loyalty to the Hattori clan despite Chuuya’s

temperamental and reckless tendencies. Their movements had halted in front of

the counselling room. Shuusei shot Chuuya another puzzling look. Unlike Chuuya,

Shuusei did not possess the spiritual ability to sense the corruption of

negative influence.

With long years beside

Chuuya, Shuusei had a gist of Chuuya’s intentions. The doors were broken into

splinters. The splinters rained onto the reinforced floors. A single punch was

all it took. In the counselling room, the pair found a depressed student

undergoing a counselling therapy. Next to her was the counsellor they had been

looking for. The face that hold potential answers to the serial deaths. His

name was Faust Hohenstaufen.

The splinters were

crushed underfoot. Chuuya glared dangerously at the counsellor. He studied

Faust closely. Faust had displayed signs of confusion, fear, anxiety, and agitation.

With one glance, it was clear that this man had found Chuuya and Shuusei’s

intimidating and intruding presence unpleasant. The student had stared at the

grand arrival of Chuuya and Shuusei.

“I have no use for you.

Go.” Chuuya told the student. The student was stunned. Unable to master the

strength to resist, she silently nodded and left the counselling room just as

Chuuya had instructed.

With hindrances out of

the way, Faust was faced with two terrifying trespassers. With features

matching the rumors’ description, Faust knew for sure these people were

legendary warriors from the Amestrian Order. The intricate crest engraved on

the military caps the pair wore was more than enough evidence they were

Special-Talented individuals dispatched by ARCANA, the branch organization

under the Amestrian Order direct control. Colors were drained from his cheerful

face. Faust had turned pale white.

“You don’t seem rather

surprised. Have you been anticipating us?” Shuusei said. “You seem to recognize

us. Why don’t you spill everything?” The cold metallic barrel of Shuusei’s

handguns were right against Faust’s forehead.

Faust raised both of his

hands into the air. He had capitulated without a second thought. He faltered

and was suppressed under Shuusei’s oppressive words. Faust felt a slight

tingling sensation. It had been bothering him. It was as if his insides had

rejoiced, to be finally united with their ‘master’. Faust shook his head. He

put the ridiculous thought out of his mind.

 “How pathetic,” Chuuya’s gentle and calm voice

spoke. Before him were ARCANA specialists. It was impossible to think that they

had deep ties with Infernus. They are experts that hunts after Etherius. They

are human weapons that protect humankind. “You’re just a scapegoat.”

Faust’s sixth sense said

otherwise. This young man, the one with golden hair and eyes was extremely

dangerous. Shuusei was a more aggressive person by nature, Faust had found

Chuuya’s strangely calm and accepting demeanour terrifying. A voice of sinister

nature spoke in his mind: Would you like to crush him? Destroy! Annihilate!

You are sinner, Faust. It’s too late for anything. Their presence does not make

a difference.

Chuuya and Shuusei

frowned. Faust was clearly a human contractor. This room was within the

Etherius’s range of vicinity. The counselling room was the Etherius’s

territory. The royal crest was engraved on Faust’s neck. Faust had been the

mastermind all along. It was worth their trip to visit the Village of Elysia.

The room was filled with similar engravings Chuuya and Shuusei had discovered

at the ruins. The one who committed the taboo and the one who led Faust ashtray

were connected.

A special trait of

contractors is the crest of the Etherius they are in contract with. It can be

found on anywhere of the human contractor, sometimes it is not visible and are

often hard to detect. This was the reason why the founding of ARCANA was

established. To dispatch experts who possess immense spiritual and destructive

strength to oppose hellhounds of Infernus. The Etherius are beloved servants of

the King of Inferno. Etherius are residents of Inferno who are at the top of

chain right below their demon king, Lucifiel.

“Come out, Etherius.”

Chuuya spoke. His voice was strangely calm and still. Faust find Chuuya’s calm

and accepting demeanour terrifying. He had heard about Chuuya and Shuusei from

students at Yamazaki Academy. Chuuya’s calm and accepting demeanour was a bad

sign. It was possibly the starting line of another beginning.

“You may be able to fool

humans, but you can’t fool us. Don’t underestimate us.” Shuusei chirped in. The

Etherius materialized from Faust’s shadow. Faust had become an Etherius’s

vessel. He agreed to the Etherius’s conditions and accepted the devil into his

body. A cackle echoed from the shadows.

“Exorcists. You’re

nothing like those before you. I have ruled this place for ten years. And like

the people before you, I shall taint your souls black.”

The Etherius had a crest

engraved on his forehead. Chuuya had frowned. It was a royal crest. This hellhound

is an ancient Etherius. One of the purebloods. Chuuya had pulled out her sword.

“Are you ‘Raziel’?” he

demanded.

The Etherius stared at Chuuya.

“What a surprise. No one had correctly identified me for the past century. Who

are you?” The Etherius studied the crest on Chuuya’s sword. “Hmm. Are you from

the clan of protectors? This is rare.”

Shuusei pulled out his

handguns. “Let go of that man and cease your misdeeds. We will not allow any

more unnecessary deaths.”

“And you’re must be from

the clan of martial arts.” Etherius had fused with Faust. As the Etherius’s

vessel, the Etherius had taken complete control of the human called Faust.

Faust had fallen unconscious from the spell. This was one of the underhanded

tricks commonly used by lower level hellhounds. The Etherius before them was

taunting the exorcists who had exposed his identity.

“Indeed, I am Raziel.”

The Etherius smirked. Shuusei fired two shots at Raziel’s feet. The Etherius

skilfully evaded the bullets and leaped steps backwards. Shuusei clicked his

tongue. Tch.

Raziel studied Chuuya and

Shuusei closely. Their appearance were polar opposites. Golden and pitch-black.

Chuuya pointed his sword at Raziel. “Will you return to Infernus, or perish to

dust? Release that man at once!”

Raziel was rather amused.

“Impossible.”

“Wha…at?!” Shuusei

growled. An immediate rejection. Etherius of the highest level were said to possess

extraordinary intelligence. They are capable of plotting, scheming and take

advantage of human’s delicate weaknesses. Humans are weak against inner desires

by nature.

“My, noble warriors of

the order. What will you do even after you realise our grand plans?” Raziel had

taunted. “What can you do against the ruler of Infernus? He is our lord. Our

ruler. And our God.”

Chuuya was unfazed. Raziel

was one of the five generals favoured by the great ruler of Infernus. They

possess immense and unmatched strength. Raziel belonged to the elite group

under the demon lord’s direct control. Chuuya had grabbed onto Raziel’s host.

Chuuya had pulled off his right glove. With single touch of bare skin, Chuuya was

exposed and overwhelmed by Faust’s inner voice.

“Chuuya!” Shuusei had

pulled Chuuya away from the host. He gritted his teeth. He had forgotten.

Chuuya was reckless and insightful by nature. Because of his special abilities

to ‘see’, he often pulled stunts like this, often causing Shuusei problems.

Shuusei landed a punch on Chuuya’s head.

“YOU IDIOT!” he had

yelled.

Chuuya had smirked. His

unwavering piercing stare had sent chills down his spine. The devil, Raziel and

its host, Faust were shaken. It was hard to believe such a man existed in the

human world. Chuuya’s golden eyes had ‘seen’ through Faust’s corrupted core.

“It does not matter even

with an uncooperative offender.” Chuuya spoke. His movements were at the speed of

light. So fast that even Raziel could not see his actions. The sharp edge of Chuuya’s

sword was inches away from Faust’s delicate neck. “You’re just like an open

book in my presence.”

Shuusei sighed. There is

goes. Chuuya’s bad habits. He fired five consecutive shots, successfully

sealing Faust’s movements. “Now, let’s begin.”

These two were legends of

Yamazaki Academy. They were both genius officers who rose to the rank of ‘police

detective’ at the young age of seventeen. It had been two years since the pair

had graduated from Yamazaki Academy. Even then, Faust often found himself

caught in their shadows they had left behind. Despite his honesty and hard

work, the legends had left a huge impact on the students, and the residents of

this town.

It was by luck when he

discovered the cursed notebook shoved in between cracks of bookshelves in the library.

Faust remembered the fated day as clear as crystal. It was the Book of Raziel.

Making a contract with a high-ranking Etherius, Faust began his quest as Raziel’s

human contractor. His schemes and plans were washed down the drain when the

loathsome ARCANA specialists appeared before him once again. Yamazaki’s

greatest pride: Hattori Chuuya and Renjo Shuusei.

Raziel was more

interested in the exorcists than being worried for his human contractor. Shuusei

frowned. He could not understand the Etherius’s arbitrary behaviour. He could

not help but anticipate the underlying schemes he hid under his sleeves. Just

what is he planning?

The colors had drained from

his expression. Faust had turned pale white. “Wa..wait just a moment!” A magic

circle had appeared at his feet. The glows from the circle had made Faust

nauseous. A combination of unpleasant feelings. As if the light penetrated

through Raziel’s core which consists of opposite nature.

Chuuya’s weapon had

changed. Raziel glared with all his might. A staff had appeared. And it was not

a mediocre staff. It was the legendary staff, the Staff of Asclepius. The one

used by a legendary hero that was said to have annihilated an army of a million

warriors from Infernus.

“How do you feel? Agony?

Suffering? Anguish?” Chuuya’s expression was clearly calm and indifferent. “Feel

the taste of how your victims felt, Faust Hohenstaufen. Your soul shall not

rise from the cycle of rebirth. Walk the path of hell for all eternity. That is

your punishment.”

Chuuya staff clanked

loudly on the ground. Raziel stared at the magic circle through Faust’s vision.

Raziel had smirked. “I’m surprised. I had underestimated you. To perform Heliopolis

at such a young age, I should applaud for your efforts. I shall return to

Inferno for now. We shall meet again, Hattori Chuuya, Renjo Shuusei.”

“Hattori-style Purification

First Technique: Heliopolis!”

The circle released a blinding

light. A massive wall of holy energy had spurt from the circle. Faust body was

turned to dust. It was a total annihilation, just like what Raziel had feared.

Raziel was relieved that he had made the right choice to return to Inferno. A

second later, he would have been annihilated along with his host. Residents of

Inferno will never survive from such high density of holy rays. After all, they

feed on negative influence to enhance their strength, the opposite of the Amestrian

Order which utilize holy nature to return souls to the Creator of All things:

the heavens.

Raziel smirked as he

silently returned to Inferno. The dimensional portal that leads to Infernus was

activated. “We shall meet again, exorcists.”

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