Rise of the Strongest Exorcist (DxD parody)

"Are you sure that it's here?"

On the dilapidated grounds of the church, three young women and two young men stood in a circle. The smallest of the three women, a petite woman with golden hair, kicked at some rocks and grumbled, "This city is stuck in the middle of nowhere, but you know that Azazel is never wrong… not about Divine Gear."

"He sent us here to find and acquire a strong dragon related Divine Gear and we will not fail him." 

The one who had asked the question and who spoke now with authority was an attractive woman with silky black hair long enough to reach her hips. Even if the leader of their organization, Grigori Azazel, wasn't always correct, he was one of the foremost researchers in the world when it came to Divine Gear. 

Even fewer dared question him because of what he was, rather than who he was. Almost everyone lost their nerve when one of the first Fallen Angels looked you in the eye. When the leader of the rebellion against heaven spoke in his chilling voice, those who'd kept their nerve despaired.

"Regina, how did you want to proceed?" the taller of the men, in black jeans and a gray t-shirt with a tight buzz-cut of curly hair, asked.

The black-haired woman, Regina Carson, put a finger under her chin and thought for a moment before answering. "The mission Azazel gave us is to find the wielder of Divine Gear here in Spartanburg and to take him into custody without hurting him. But I believe that this isn't enough, Duane. Once we find him, we must kill him. Azazel only needs the Divine Gear." A twisted smile formed on her face as she uttered these words. 

"What if it is isn't a man?" Duane asked, licking his lips.

"We kill him or her… any human wielding a Divine Gear dies. We won't leave town until they're dead," Regina snapped.

It was clear she couldn't care less about the life they might or might not snuff out. The others frowned, but did not say anything in opposition. Most of them cared little for the life of a single human. Those who did knew better than to argue. They knew that, while an extremist, Regina was one of the most loyal of Gregory's soldiers in their little army.

"By the way… Kellie?" As if remembering something, Regina called out to the tall woman with brown eyes and navy blue hair. 

"Yes?" Kellie answered.

"When is that crazy priest coming? You know how important he is going to be."

Kellie shrugged, "I don't really know, another day or two? I would give it a full week before reporting he hasn't arrived." She grinned at the petite blonde. "At least our wayward little healer is here. Though I'm not sure we'll need her services."

"I'm here mostly to ensure collateral damage is kept to a minimum and you don't make a big splash amongst the humans," Asa protested. 

'And only because the Bishop promised he would allow me back into the fold of the church,' she thought to herself.

"And fitting in so well at the school that she thinks she's actually a student." Duane teased the blonde. "You want to tell everyone about your little boyfriend?"

Asa scowled back at Duane. "He's not my boyfriend, you jerk. He's my lab partner and we're just friends."

"Just don't forget why you are here, Asa," Regina warned. "I don't care what the Bishop promised you… if you lose your focus, I won't recommend lifting your excommunication."

Asa hunched her shoulders and kicked at another rock before eventually nodding.

Regina turned back to Kellie and frowned. "Anything longer than a few more days is cutting things a little tight." The black-haired woman studied the other members of her team. "James, Duane… I'll need your help finding our target. If he is a man, I will take care of him. If it's a woman, Duane will suffice. Or perhaps you can be the one to do it, Kellie."

She didn't know what kind of sexual preference the target might have, so it was better to be sure.

"Either way," the team's leader concluded, "I want to find the most plausible candidate in the shortest time possible. Once we have our target, we will act."

"Sure thing, boss," Duane said. 

"Roger." Kellie grinned.

"Just try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. I'll heal whoever you need me to heal," Asa mumbled.

James only nodded

***

The sign on the door read 'Occult Club'. The second line of the neat golden plaque read, 'Rayne Mephisto, President'. On the other side of the door, several voices raised in protest.

"What?! Kira got hurt more than a week ago?" a woman's voice asked. "Why am I only hearing about it now?"

"I'm so sorry, Mistress!" Maria apologized for her oversight. "The club didn't meet last week because Chi Omega had their formal in the student center below us."

Rayne, a beautiful scarlet-haired woman with an hour-glass figure most women would kill to have, pinched the bridge of her nose. "How many times have I asked you to call me Sister? Or at least call me Rayne. We are sisters, so you shouldn't be so formal." Her grin softened the rebuke.

Maria bowed her head and curtsied gracefully. "As you wish, Mistress."

Though Maria and Rayne had different mothers—it was rather common for a noble devil like their father to have a large harem—they'd been raised as sisters. When different families came together, it was common for new siblings of nearly the same age to be jealous or to envy one another. 

This was practically the norm in the world they had come to. Though, for humans, such siblings were called step-sisters rather than half-sisters. But Rayne held no bad feelings for her little sister of hers and wished they could be closer.

'Why does she insist on acting like she is my maid?' Rayne mused to herself.

Rayne was a hard-core lover of Japanese culture. But even for her, this was too much. She could have understood if Maria acted like she was a maid because of her mother's low rank, but that wasn't why she did it. After all, Sheila—Lucy, and Maria's mother—was a powerful and influential woman in their world.

The worst was how it had become popular amongst their social circles. 

'Those three even infected Gray.'

Gray was her big brother's wife, and another powerful woman who preferred to wear a maid's uniform while serving her husband in that role.

"Stop that!" Rayne scowled at her little sister. "And stop calling me Mistress… someone is going to get the wrong idea if they hear you."

"I am sorry, Mistress Rayne, but you know that wouldn't be proper," Maria offered. 

Rayne didn't miss the slight curve that tugged one corner of her sister's lips up in a smirk. She sighed, shaking her head. "Anyways… about Kira. You said she nearly fainted last week after observing a boy? And the boy was named Karteros?"

Maria nodded. "Leo Karteros, Mistress."

This was startling news. 

'Could he be related to that man?'

Rayne frowned, unsure about how to proceed. That man was a living legend, one who broke all boundaries. It would be short-sighted to think they were related just from a name. 

The name Karteros, while rare, was not so rare that only one family possessed it. Still, when paired with Kira's reaction, this wasn't in the realm of impossibility.

'Should I try recruiting him?' Rayne wondered. She tapped her full lips with a finger. She was in dire need of someone strong, and he might be just what she was looking for.

Standing, she began to pace back and forth before turning to another girl wearing the burgundy jacket of the Occult Club uniform over a cream blouse and a gray pencil skirt. 

"Shuri, what do you think?"

Covering her mouth with her hand, Shuri Suzaku smiled from where she sat. "I only met Lane Karteros once, and I was just a child. He was the only one who did not look at my mother, a disgraced priestess, and me and with disgust." She paused, twisting a lock of her long, straight hair around two fingers. "I don't know if he had a child… or has a nephew. The one time I saw him, he was accompanied by a woman wearing a black hood."

A look of longing stole over her feature as she remembered one of the happiest moments of her life, when she'd been just shy of ten years old. The Lane Karteros had seen her, and had acknowledged her with a smile—despite her being a half-breed, or her mother's lack of standing.

"It won't hurt to observe the transfer student. Who knows? We may be in for a nice surprise."

Standing behind the chairs, Maria was also busy thinking hard. 'Jackpot! I should contact Mimi about this Leo Karteros. I might have finally found the second member of her circle.'