Chapter 1

The Mockery of Satan (笑う青焔魔) is the 1st chapter of Kazue Katō's Ao no Exorcist.

Young Rin Okumura has lived his life as a normal human being for fifteen years with his twin brother Yukio, their adoptive father Shiro Fujimoto, and the priests at the monastery they live in. One day, Rin's lineage is brought to light: he is the son of Satan, the lord of all Demons; having awakened his inherited blue flames, Rin becomes the target of both Exorcist and Demon alike. However, when Shiro is possessed by Satan and killed, Rin is left with nowhere to go and resolves to become an Exorcist and defeat the being who killed the one he considers his true father.

Summary
Punching away a group of teenagers led by the delinquent Reiji Shiratori, Rin Okumura wipes the blood from his face as they call him a "Demon"; with the various parts of birds and blood strewn about on the ground, Rin notes that they're much more demonic than he is. Taking notice of his injuries, Rin mentions that he's going to be yelled at again, but when a pigeon flies past him, he wonders what he's really doing. Rin eventually makes his way back to the Southern Cross Boys' Monastery where he is greeted by his brother, adoptive father, and the rest of the priests. With Shiro praising Rin for his diligence in finding a job, Yukio reveals that Rin is injured, prompting Shiro to get angry at Rin for constantly getting into fights. Angered, Shiro passes Rin a flyer of a friend of his who is seeking help at their restaurant, and that the interview is today. Rin, however, expresses his unease at having such a respectable job, prompting Shiro to yell at him; with Shiro saying that Rin cannot stay at the monastery forever, Rin yells back that he realizes; the nearby stove's flames come bursting out, perturbing everyone present. At that moment, Shiro is called out by another priest to speak with someone; he orders Yukio to treat Rin's injuries. While doing so, Rin remarks on Yukio's ability to treat people and his entrance into the elite True Cross Academy, which makes Yukio smile.

A short while later, Kyodo gives Rin a suit for his interview, promising him meat if he gets the job. Rin walks out, in his suit, attempting to tie his tie, but fails miserably; he spies Shiro giving solace to a young girl who is plagued by Demons. Meeting up with his adoptive father, Rin tells Shiro that Demons don't exist, something which he denies, saying that they exist in the hearts of man. Questioning Rin's attire, Rin bashfully states that he's going to the job interview, but is opting for the smart, casual look; Shiro sees through his guise and ties Rin's tie for him, remarking on the way he's grown over the years. As Rin walks away, vexed by Shiro's light taunting of him, the priest crushes a small, black creature in his hands.

Rin makes his way to his desired destination, but finds the area littered with the same black creatures he noticed on his exit from the monastery. Wondering if he's going insane, Reiji's group returns to seek vengeance, though Rin notices that Reiji's appearance is extremely demonic and that an abundance of the black creatures are swarming around him. Rin is quickly coaxed into going into a back alley, where Reiji attempts to bribe him into not talking about what he did to the pigeons, as he is going to True Cross Academy and doesn't wish for rumors to spread. Rin walks away and tells Reiji that he won't say a word to anyone, but Reiji pokes fun at Rin and Yukio's poor financial status, which causes Rin to go into a rage and furiously strike Reiji; he tells the boy that he can talk about him all he likes, but that he won't tolerate any badmouthing of Yukio. Reiji's lackeys, however, quickly pin Rin to the ground; Reiji mocks him, calling Rin, the former "Demon" of middle school, job-hunting piece of scum. When his lackeys try and stop him, Reiji punches them away and holds a knife to Rin's face, which prompts Rin to wonder if anyone else can see Reiji's demonic visage. At that moment, as the blade cuts into Rin's forehead, blue flames erupt from Rin's body and burn the boy, as well as scaring away his cohorts. Reiji, unlike his companions, is pleased by this and invites the "young master" to join him on their journey to go see Satan. However, before the boy can say anymore, Shiro arrives and exorcises the Demon that was possessing Reiji.

Shiro immediately asks Rin if he's calmed down whilst noting that his powers can no longer be supressed by Kurikara. Worried about Reiji, Rin asks if he's okay; Shiro replies that Reiji was possessed rather recently and that he poses the risk of being possessed again if he doesn't change; Shiro makes note that Rin can see Demons clearly now, which surprises Rin, as he didn't realize that the black creatures were Demons. Shiro then goes on to explain the nature of the world they live, Assiah, and the world where Demons reside, Gehenna, and that while Demons ordinarily cannot cross over, they can by possessing certain individuals. Grabbing Rin, Shiro tells him that all kinds of people will be after him now that he has "awakened" and that he must hide him before he is found.

Confused, Rin asks Shiro what he truly is, to which he is told that he is the son of Satan, the lord of Demons. Arriving back at the monastery, Shiro tells Rin that he needs to leave immediately and begins packing a bag for him; using the Key of Vanishment, Fujimoto opens the locked drawer of a dresser and retrieves the hidden Demon-slaying blade Kurikara. Before handing it to Rin, Shiro warns him that his powers are sealed by the scabbard and that if he draws the blade, he'll enter his Demon form and never live a normal life again. Handing him his bag, the sword and the Key of Vanishment, Shiro tells Rin to hide the sword when necessary and never lose it; he also hands him a cell phone with one number stored inside: the number of a close friend who will help hide Rin. As he tells Rin to go, Rin throws all his stuff on the ground and calls everything that has transpired a joke before asking about Yukio's fate, to which he is replied that Rin alone inherited the flames. When asked why he wasn't told, Shiro tells him that he wanted to raise Rin as a human and that everything he's doing and has done is all for his protection. Rin, however, doesn't believe Shiro and tells the man to admit that he just doesn't want to be his dad anymore before finally screaming that he doesn't want Shiro to ever act like a father to him again.

Heartbroken, Shiro slaps Rin and tells him that they don't have time for petty arguments and that he needs to do as he is told; Rin begrudgingly agrees. However, before he can get too far, Shiro keels over and curses his current predicament. As the lights above them shatter, Shiro yells for Rin to run away from him; Rin bends down to check if he's okay, but finds Shiro to be possessed by Satan, who greets his son rather happily; this is just a facade; Satan cries out that Rin should be grateful to him for coming to greet him in person. Unable to believe his eyes, Rin watches as Satan introduces himself and offers for Rin to call him "daddy". Moving right on to business, Satan notes that Shiro's body won't last very long and snaps off several of the man's fingers (much to Rin's disgust) to summon the Gehenna Gate, a gate to Gehenna which he takes pride in being the only one able to create. Grabbing his son's sword, Satan notes that for him to be able to go back to Gehenna he needs to break it. In a burst of anger, Rin releases a flurry of flames to attempt to scare off Satan, but the Demon only laughs at Rin for his pitiful attempt. Grabbing him by the collar, Satan drags the boy to the Gate and demands that he regain his true power as a Demon; Rin resists, shouting that he's human. As he is pulled by a mirror, however, Rin sees his own demonic reflection in the mirror and questions if this is truly the case.

As he drags his son, Satan tells him that he's a perfect entity with infinite power, but lacks a body strong enough to contain him—anything he touches is doomed to destruction, just like Shiro and the boy's mother. Satan states that he desires Assiah and throws Rin into the pit of skulls surrounding the Gate, claiming that he made Rin on a whim, but came to realize that his existence was just what he needed to secure a body in Assiah. As he screams for help, Satan laughs at Rin and tell the boy "happy birthday" in light of his "rebirth"; Shiro regains control of his body for just a moment and stabs himself in the heart with his Exorcist pin, both taking Rin and Satan by surprise, the latter of whom curses the man. Claiming Rin to be his son, Shiro tells Satan that he's taking him back, but Satan states that whatever the Gate touches never releases. Shiro's body gives out and Rin swims through the sea of skulls to reach his adoptive father, once more screaming for help. Unable to decide what to do, Rin reaches for Kurikara and thinks back to what Shiro told him about showing him how much he's grown; stating that he hasn't shown Shiro anything, Rin unsheathes Kurikara, thereby releasing his demonic power, and destroys the Gehenna Gate. With the Gate gone, Rin sheathes his sword and kneels; eyeing his father's dead body, Rin calls out to the man in tears.

Later on, Rin, his brother and the priests attend Shiro's funeral; as the group leaves Rin to be at the grave, Yukio eyes him worriedly. Rin, meanwhile, thinks back to when Shiro gave him the cell phone and dials the number stored inside. In an instant, Rin is surrounded by a multitude of masked, black-cloaked men whilst being greeted by the intricately dressed Mephisto Pheles, who expresses his sympathies towards the boy. When Rin asks if they're Exorcists, Mephisto replies that they are known as the True Cross Order. Rin tells the man that Shiro said that they'd offer him protection, but Mephisto states that as an Honorary Knight, he has duties to fufill and that Rin must be executed before he poses a threat to humanity. Stating that the boy has three options (Allow himself to be killed, murder them and run, or kill himself), Mephisto asks which he'd prefer, to which Rin states that he wants to join them and become an Exorcist; he declares that he has no relation to Satan and that his only father was Shiro. Intrigued, Mephisto asks what Rin would do if he became an Exorcist, to which Rin replies that he'd defeat Satan, causing Mephisto to laugh raucously; Mephisto asks if Rin is serious, which he says that he is, a fact which Mephisto takes a liking to. Noting that the path Rin has chosen is long and treacherous, he asks him how he will take it; Rin replies that he has no choice as he is no longer a human or a Demon, and that his only road is that of an Exorcist.

Demons in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Coal Tar
 * 2) Gehenna Gate

Battles & Events

 * Awakening of the Blue Flames
 * Shiro's death

Meister used

 * Aria

Weapons used

 * Kurikara

Abilities used

 * Possession
 * Partial Demon Form
 * Blue Flames

Techniques used

 * Gehenna Gate Summon

Items used

 * Four-leaf Clover Charm
 * Kamikakushi Key

Navigation
Sneering Satan (Chapter) Capítulo 01