Everyone followed Shiro, and soon noticed the path was leading to a place Devils instinctively avoided.
"Rias, this direction…" Akeno said, her tone turning serious.
"The church?" Rias slowed her pace, gazing into the distance with a low voice.
Having lived in Kuoh Town for years, Rias was familiar with its notable locations, including the abandoned church.
"Shiro, are you sure?" Koneko stopped, gently picking up the white kitten and asking softly.
Shiro mewed indignantly, as if offended by the doubt.
"No mistake?" Koneko blinked, slightly surprised.
In the open field, the Stray Devil's scent was faint, quickly dispersed by the breeze.
Koneko's senses, while sharp, couldn't pinpoint the trail from such scarce traces.
She relied on Shiro's superior sense of smell.
"President, Shiro's on the right track."
"It's definitely this way."
"The church has been abandoned for years," Rias mused, chuckling as she analyzed the situation.
"No priests or exorcists have been there in ages."
"As a hiding spot, it's actually quite clever."
"There might be a surprise waiting," Rias added with a graceful smile, motioning for Shiro to continue leading.
Soon, they reached the church's vicinity.
"Here—traces of the Stray," Kiba said, pointing to the cement road.
The holes corroded by the Stray Devil's acidic liquid were glaringly obvious, impossible to miss.
Kiba crouched to inspect them.
"This happened recently," he noted, observing the fresh, dust-free corrosion marks.
Rias scanned the area intently, her expression serious but silent.
"This way," Koneko said, darting toward the nearby woods.
"I can sense its aura now," Akeno said, her smile tinged with excitement.
"But something's off. It was so cautious before, yet here it's left such obvious tracks," Kiba remarked, staying vigilant as he scanned the surroundings while running.
Unlike its previous hideouts, this felt too blatant, almost like a deliberate invitation to follow.
"What's this…?" Rias murmured as a massive, charred corpse came into view.
The body was blackened, scorched by flames or perhaps lightning.
"Oh my," Akeno smiled, though her tone carried a dangerous edge.
"Who could've done this?"
"They took down our pray, and judging by the damage, they're no weakling."
Kiba examined the corpse and the surrounding area.
"It was burned to death with flame-based attack," he concluded.
"I can't pick up any other scents. Shiro, can you?" Koneko asked her familiar.
Meow meow meow! Shiro chirped eagerly.
"Shiro's memorized the scent. If they show up again, Shiro will know," Koneko said, patting the kitten's head as a reward.
Shiro purred, nuzzling Koneko's palm contentedly.
"Shiro says there's also the scent of a male," Koneko relayed.
Even humans could distinguish gender by scent up close, and Shiro's keen nose made it effortless.
Shiro circled the area but found no further leads.
Roy had deliberately taken detours to throw off trackers, and human scents were faint and easily diluted in human-populated areas.
With Roy avoiding any use of power during his escape, the trail was nearly nonexistent.
Rias stared at the Stray Devil's scorched corpse, her expression turning grave.
"Rias, you look troubled. What's wrong?" Akeno asked.
"It's nothing. The burns on this thing just remind me of someone I'd rather not think about," Rias said, shaking her head.
"Phenex?" Akeno ventured, her tone heavy.
The word alone darkened not only Rias's face but also Koneko's and Kiba's.
They all knew what the Phenex Clan meant to Rias—and how much she despised them.
"The residual flame aura is identical to the Phenex Clan's Hell Fire, but it's unlikely to be them," Rias said firmly.
"Knowing the Phenex Clan, they wouldn't sneak into Kuoh Town quietly."
"And they'd at least contact me first."
Except for Riser Phenex, no Phenex Clan member would visit Kuoh Town without reason.
Even if they did, they'd stop by Kuoh Academy first, as this was Gremory Clan territory.
Rias knew Riser's flamboyant nature—he'd never act discreetly or leave without fanfare.
"Besides, the residual power doesn't match anyone," Rias added.
She was familiar with the clan's members, and none fit the profile.
"Who could it be?" Akeno wondered, puzzled.
The battle traces—scorched marks, burn wounds, and the lingering aura—mirrored the Phenex Clan's fighting style.
"I don't know," Rias admitted with a wry smile.
"This kind of flame should be exclusive to th."
Hell Fire was a racial talent, like Rias's Power of Destruction, tied to bloodline.
Outsiders shouldn't be able to wield it.
"Could it be some with Phenex blood?"
Akeno suggested, considering the possibility of a hybrid or illegitimate heir.