Freed laughed, his eyes meeting Mephisto's, and his smile was full of sarcasm and disdain. "So... you're a human?" his voice sounded as he scrutinized him. "I kind of expected this. You're making pacts with devils, do you know that? And yet here you are, in this world full of demons, fallen angels, and you... you think you stand a chance against me?"
Mephisto looked at him, his expression still calm and composed, as if he noticed it but didn't care. "What I am or what I'm not is irrelevant. What matters is the power I possess. And you'll find that out soon."
Freed laughed even louder. "Power? As a human? That sounds comical. And yet I feel like there's something more in you. Something that... you're hiding." His laughter stopped abruptly, and his eyes narrowed as he focused on Mephisto. "Maybe you are just human, but your aura... it's strange. Well, whatever you are, I'll still beat you."
Mephisto didn't bother to respond with words. His posture remained calm, as if the whole scene was unfolding in slow motion. Freed's eyes narrowed, and his hand automatically reached for one of the light swords attached to his belt. "I'll show you true power," he said, drawing the sword and enveloping it with a dangerous, dark aura.
Mephisto remained calm, but the smile on his lips didn't fade. "Sometimes power isn't what's most visible," he said softly, stepping forward, not taking Freed's threatening display too seriously. "Now... show me what you've got."
Freed wasted no time. The moment Mephisto finished his last word, his body moved with incredible speed. He was human, but his strength was apparent. He carried a brutal energy inside him, powered by intense training, making him dangerous.
Mephisto was immediately in motion, but instead of defending with magic, he let his body react to Freed's attacks. Freed attacked with lightning speed multiple times, his hands moving with the precision of a martial arts master. Each strike carried enormous power, capable of injuring even demons who dared to face it.
"So this is your strength?" Mephisto asked with a calm voice as he dodged Freed's strike, which barely missed. "Interesting."
Freed attacked again, this time combining fast kicks and fist strikes. His movements were highly technical, each hit aimed to knock Mephisto off balance. Yet Mephisto maintained his calm. His movements were also fast, but evasion was his main style. He always dodged just before Freed's hand or foot could land.
"Your strikes are strong, but predictable," Mephisto said as he quickly avoided another attack and landed a weak but precise punch to Freed's stomach, momentarily knocking him off balance. Freed, although human, had a body grateful for the strength earned through training and experience. He quickly recovered and attacked even more fiercely.
Freed frowned as he prepared for another series of attacks. "Whatever you have hidden, I'll still beat you. You stand no chance against me!"
Mephisto smiled. "You clearly don't understand what it means to have true power. But you'll learn soon enough."
Freed attacked again without hesitation, this time aiming directly for Mephisto's head. His blows closed in on Mephisto, who had already encoded his next move. Mephisto simply vanished from the spot he was standing and appeared a little to the side of Freed.
"What?!" Freed stared, watching his strikes dissolve into the air instead of hitting their target. Mephisto had simply dodged, and as Freed remained in an open position, Mephisto seized the opportunity and struck him from the side. It was fast, unexpected, and Freed was thrown to the ground, breath knocked out of him.
"You can't handle it, Freed," Mephisto said, looking at his opponent who was trying to get up. "You're strong... for a human. But it's not enough."
Freed got up with a jerk, his pride wounded. "This isn't over!" he shouted and immediately ran back toward Mephisto, this time with even stronger blows.
Mephisto once again dodged, but this time with more ease. "Over and over again... but you never improve. Your strength is incomplete, just like your abilities."
Freed grew enraged, his movements became more chaotic, fast but disorganized. Mephisto sensed his frustration but also knew this was the moment when he could demonstrate his superiority.
All the battles were long over. Rias, Issei, Akeno, and the rest of the group stood in the background, watching as Mephisto effortlessly faced Freed, whose attacks were fast, strong, and dangerous. Though Freed, as a human, had put in tremendous effort and supported his strength with incredible training, he was clearly defeated by how Mephisto used only a small portion of his potential in battle.
Mephisto suddenly moved with such ease that it seemed he was perfectly in sync with the fight. As Freed rushed at him again, Mephisto moved forward, with a simple motion of his hand, grabbing Freed by the shoulders and flipping him over his head. Freed slammed onto the ground with a huge crash.
"And that's the end," Mephisto said calmly as Freed, with one last attempt to attack, lay helpless on the ground, gasping for breath, his pride shattered. "You're strong… for a human. But it's not enough. You were just a wrong choice in this world."
Freed tried to lift himself, but his body was too exhausted. Mephisto looked down at his helpless form and continued, his words harsh, as if each one were being spoken to fate itself. "And you know what's worst? You think that what you are is your choice. But in reality, you're just a mistake of fate, just like me. What I am, what you are, it's all part of something we cannot change. You're nothing more than a coincidence. And I... I am the mistake itself."
With those words, Mephisto stomped on Freed's head, ending all resistance once and for all. Everything was lost.
The others, who had been watching the fight, stood in silence. Though they knew Mephisto was strong, what they had just seen shocked them. How could a human like Freed ever think he could match someone like Mephisto? It was as if a fight with him had no chance. Freed was a toy in the hands of someone who had been born with the understanding that they were part of something much greater than him.
Mephisto turned to the others. His gaze was still cold, but this time he had a slight, almost imperceptible smile. "Well... what now?" he asked as if nothing had happened. With that, they all returned to the clubroom, where Asia told them about her past.
"Now that everything is resolved, we can finally focus on the important matters," Mephisto began. "As for Asia, I'm sure it's time we reconsidered everything. If she decides, she can live with Issei and enroll in school. That could be a good plan, don't you think?"
Rias looked at him, and her expression briefly changed as she thought about what Mephisto had said. "Asia should definitely choose what's best for her," she finally said. "If she wants, she can also become part of the nobility. I'm like family, we're friends, that's all."
Asia looked at Rias with an awkward smile. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'd like to stay with Issei."
Rias nodded, still a bit in shock at how much Asia had changed. "I understand. Then, if Asia chooses this plan, I'll fully support it. Whatever she decides, she'll have our support."
With that, Asia decided she would become part of the nobility, and everyone parted ways. Mephisto was preparing to leave when he noticed Akeno, who was still staring at him.
Akeno stared at him for a moment, her eyes full of curiosity, and finally stepped closer. "What did you mean when you said you were a mistake of fate? Could you explain that to me?" she asked, still fascinated by Mephisto's mysterious behavior.
Mephisto looked at her, his smile not fading, but his eyes were cold and deep, as if hiding something that surpassed time and space. "I am... a mistake, a paradox that shouldn't have existed, Akeno," he said quietly, his voice sounding like a whisper of eternity. "I am something that caused everything that is and will be. Existence, fate, death... all of it should have been separate, independent of each other, it was meant to exist without my interference. It was supposed to be created differently, not by me being here."
Akeno was silent for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she tried to comprehend what he had just said. "So everything happening is actually... just a mistake?" she asked, still searching for meaning in his words.
Mephisto looked at her as if her question wasn't just out of curiosity, but the key to something more that she hadn't yet grasped. "Yes," he said, his voice still quiet but carrying an immeasurable weight. "Everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen... is the result of something that should never have existed. I am the missing part that should have remained non-existent, but became the cause of all causes. I am the one who began what we now call existence, fate, life, and death. I am the real anomaly... and nothing would be if I, as the paradox, didn't exist. I am now part of everything we know."
Akeno looked at him, still deeply thoughtful. "And you realize that? How hard must that be?" Her voice was gentle, almost sympathetic. "Living as a mistake. Being part of something that was never meant to exist."
Mephisto briefly softened his gaze as he focused on her words. "It's hard in the sense that everything I do is a miracle. I am the materialization of the consequence... but at the same time, I am also the one influencing everything. If I didn't exist, nothing of what we know would be possible. Whether it's fate, time, death, or life. Everything would be... different. Many ask why I'm here. But I'm just part of all this, a paradox that never should've been, but is, and now... now I can't be anything else."
Akeno was silent for a moment, then slowly stepped closer, as if deciding what exactly she felt about what she had heard. "So that means everything that happens is actually... inevitable?" Her question was filled with vague doubt.
"Yes," Mephisto said softly. "Inevitable. But that doesn't mean there's no room for choice. Even I, the paradox, have choices. But just like everything else I'm part of, my choices are part of this paradox. Sometimes that happens when you're part of something that transcends any sense. Everything that's happened and is happening is a reflection of what I've caused... but at the same time, it's not my decision. It's the paradox."
Akeno was silent as she tried to digest everything she had just heard. When she looked back at him, there was something in her face that could be called understanding. "That's... so strange," she said quietly. "But at the same time, fascinating. It's strange how everything is interconnected, how choice and inevitability mix together."
Mephisto smiled at her. "That's true. And now you know that I am nothing other than that paradox. What's it like to realize that everything around you... is part of something that was never meant to exist."
Akeno laughed, but there was a trace of relief in her laughter. "That's true. But you know what? Even though you're a paradox, I've never seen you as something... unwanted. You've always just been what you are. And somehow, that makes sense to me."
Mephisto stepped closer, placed a hand on her shoulder, and their eyes met. "Thank you, Akeno. You're one of the few who understands that simple truth – everything that is, has a reason. Even me. And now, I think we can go."
Akeno smiled and nodded. "Yes. Let's go."
And so they hugged in silence, where all the words remained between them, before finally turning and leaving the place where all the questions about fate and existence quieted for a moment.
(Kind of a deep ending again, I want to develop the idea of the primal paradox into something bigger, and of course, the Lord of Fate isn't finished yet. What I have in mind will hopefully satisfy your curiosity and thirst for the story.)