Vergil Is Back-Chapter 31 - 25: Shifting Tides

Gremory Territory – Occult Research Club

The air was thick with tension.

Rias stood by the window, her crimson hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders, her gaze fixed on the distance. The faint remnants of the energy pulse still hung in the atmosphere, as if the world itself was still trembling from Leon's actions.

Beside her, Akeno crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. She could feel it too—the surge of power had touched something deep within her, a crackle in the air that reverberated in her very soul. But there was more to it than that. There was something in the atmosphere that had shifted.

"Rias... do you think Leon is dangerous now?" Akeno asked, her voice steady, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

Rias took a long breath, her fingers gripping the edge of the windowsill. "I don't know... It's like he's no longer the Leon I knew. He's evolving, but I'm not sure where it's leading."

The door to the clubroom opened, and Kiba entered, his expression unusually serious. "Rias, Akeno. I've been checking the local area. There's no sign of Leon anywhere. It's like he disappeared after that surge of power."

Rias turned toward him, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean, disappeared? He couldn't have just vanished."

Kiba shook his head. "It's like he's... gone. His energy trail just cuts off completely. There's no trace of him."

Koneko, who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the room, looked up from her book. Her eyes, as cold and calculating as ever, locked onto Rias. "So... what now?"

Rias opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden, intense magical fluctuation coming from the outside. A crackling, fiery energy surged through the sky, momentarily causing the room to darken.

"Akeno..." Rias whispered, her voice filled with concern.

Akeno didn't need further instruction. Her hands crackled with divine energy, summoning a bolt of lightning as her wings unfurled.

"We're going to need answers," she said.

Outside – The Gremory Grounds

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The ground beneath them trembled as Rias and her peerage stepped outside. The sky above them was streaked with fiery veins of energy, still rippling with the aftermath of Leon's transformation. The feeling of dread lingered in the air, heavy and palpable.

"I can feel him," Akeno murmured, her senses reaching out. "He's not far."

Rias's eyes narrowed. "But why would he cause all of this and then retreat? If he's as powerful as we think, why hide?"

Kiba stepped forward, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Maybe it's not hiding. Maybe he's... evolving."

Koneko crossed her arms, her voice cold. "I'm not sure we should trust him anymore. That kind of power... it's dangerous."

Rias looked around at her peerage. She could feel the unease from each of them. They had all grown stronger since Leon had arrived in their world, but this? This was something different. Something unknown.

"Akeno," Rias began, her voice steady, "we need to find him. I don't know if he can control this new power he's gained, but I will help him, no matter what."

Akeno nodded, her eyes reflecting Rias's determination. "Understood."

The Darkness of the Forest – Leon

Far from Kuoh, in the dense forest of Kyoto, Leon stood alone. His eyes, still glowing a fierce blue, were locked on the distant horizon, where the sky had fractured and torn. The aftereffects of his transformation were still lingering, his Devil Trigger form still pulsing beneath his skin.

He felt it—the changes. The power that had merged with him was not just magical energy; it was something ancient, almost alive. And it whispered to him.

"Leon..." The voice echoed again, soft and eerie in his mind. It wasn't his own voice, nor anything he had ever heard before. "You are no longer bound by the rules of mortals. The path ahead is yours to shape. But beware, the forces you are tampering with are not so easily controlled."

He clenched his fists, his hand still feeling the residual warmth of the Heart of the Leyline. "I know..." he muttered.

But his mind remained troubled. His heart was torn between the world he had once known and the boundless power he now commanded. He had changed. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.

And he wasn't sure if he liked what he had become.

Back at the Gremory Estate

Rias clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. "We can't let him face this alone."

"I'll go with you," Akeno said, her voice low but determined. "If Leon's losing control, then we need to help him."

Rias nodded, her eyes filled with both worry and hope. "We can't afford to wait. We find him, and we do whatever it takes to bring him back."

She glanced at her peerage, seeing the same determination mirrored in their faces.

"We'll find him. Together."

And with that, the group set out into the night, the crackling energy still lingering around them, as the search for Leon began.