Vergil Is Back-Chapter 24 - 18 – Echoes Before the Storm

The sun was beginning to dip beneath the Kyoto skyline, casting long golden shadows over the tiled roofs and winding streets of the old city. A gentle wind whispered through the cherry blossoms, carrying with it an eerie tension that set Leon's instincts on edge.

Raynare stood beside him, dressed in a black jacket over her usual attire, her wings hidden. She looked less like a fallen angel and more like a hardened field agent. But even she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong here.

"It's too quiet," she muttered, her eyes scanning the shrine gates ahead.

Leon stood still, hands in his coat pockets, silver hair tied back loosely. Though his aura was tightly suppressed—he felt it. A presence. One that stirred something ancient inside him.

"We're being watched," he said softly.

The two had come to Kyoto under the guise of investigating an energy spike reported by the system. But the moment they stepped onto sacred ground, Leon knew this wasn't some ordinary Sacred Gear anomaly. It was something older.

Hidden Enemies

As they moved through the winding path near an abandoned shrine, three shadows stepped out from behind the trees. Their eyes glowed with an unnatural hue—purple cracks running through their skin like molten lightning.

"You shouldn't have come here," the one in the center rasped. "This place belongs to the old gods now."

Raynare took a step forward, ready to fight, but Leon held out his hand.

"These aren't just rogue exorcists," he said. "Something's controlling them."

He activated his Evolved Boosted Gear, but kept it subdued—only faint outlines of Ddraig's draconic sigils flickered across his forearm.

"Can you handle two?" he asked Raynare calmly.

She smirked. "Please. You take the ugly one."

The air cracked with force as the fight began.

Controlled Chaos

Raynare soared into the sky, throwing blasts of dark light while gracefully dodging incoming attacks. Her movements were sharp and efficient—she had grown a lot since serving under Leon. Her loyalty now was absolute, and her skills reflected that.

Meanwhile, Leon faced the lead attacker, who summoned a black blade forged from cursed divine fragments—remnants of a shattered god.

"You bear a great power," the enemy said. "Why suppress it?"

Leon didn't answer. Instead, he vanished—Yamato flashing once in the dim light as he reappeared behind the enemy. A slash echoed out across the shrine as the ground split.

But the attacker didn't fall. The wound on his chest glowed, regenerating, reshaping.

"We are beyond death now."

Leon's eyes narrowed. Not good. Something inside the enemy was eating through divine balance itself—unstable, corrupted. He'd seen something similar once before... in a different world.

"[System Notification: Unknown fragment of Divine-Class Origin detected. Probability of fusion with artificial Sacred Gear: 89%. Threat Level: S.]""[WARNING: Physical form near transformation threshold.]"

The enemy began to change, his body distorting and twisting into a demonic mockery of a dragon. Corruption spilled from his mouth as he roared, shattering nearby stones and trees.

The Crack in the Seal

Leon stepped back, his pulse steady. But inside... the blood stirred.

He felt the pressure deep in his bones. Not fear—anticipation. Like a locked door creaking open. Like something in him had been waiting for this exact kind of challenge.

"[System Alert: Vergil Bloodline Pressure Increasing—Threshold 78%]""[Yamato Core Sync Approaching Limit]"

"Not yet," Leon whispered. "Not here."

But it was too late. The seal was fraying.

Raynare landed beside him, bruised but smiling. "That thing's healing faster than we can break it. What now, boss?"

Leon looked up. The corrupted monster towered above them, eyes fixed, arms pulsing with divine destruction.

"You're not going to be able to contain this one without going all out," Raynare said, reading him perfectly.

He didn't reply.

Instead, he reached for Yamato.

The wind stopped.The sky darkened.And Ddraig stirred inside the Boosted Gear.

"Something's awakening in you, Leon... something even I don't recognize fully," the dragon's voice rumbled."Be careful. Once it starts... there may be no going back."

Cliffhanger Setup

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The enemy raises a cursed lance of divine origin—lightning and void energy converging at its tip.

Leon breathes in.A faint blue light flickers behind his eyes.

"Raynare," he says calmly."Fall back. This next part... isn't for you to see."

Her eyes widen. She steps back.The air becomes too heavy to breathe.

Chapter End.