Sorry for the lack of chapters! I was moving house! The daily chapters are back now!
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From the outset, I imagined that my victory over Diadora Astaroth would shake things up a bit, especially considering the way it happened.
The watchful eyes of powerful people could recognize that I had used a Holy Sword, even if it was only for a few seconds.
That's probably why, on the Monday afternoon that marked my return to Kuoh Academy, the same two hooded figures from the other day were standing in front of the academy again.
Xenovia and Irina, of course. Judging by their crossed arms and serious expressions, they were clearly there for something important.
[Main Scene Started!]
[180 Patrons are now watching this scene.]
I was accompanied by Asia, Issei, Kiba, Gasper, and Koneko because Akeno and Rias had gone to sort out a contract after class and had given us permission to do whatever we wanted.
When our eyes met theirs, they turned and started walking down the sidewalk. Since they had purposely let themselves be seen, it was obvious that they wanted us to follow.
So that's what we all did. Suddenly, they entered an alleyway between two commercial buildings in the city center. That's how we finally found a quiet, empty place to talk outside Kuoh Academy.
"Milicas Gremory, we heard about a certain incident involving a Holy Sword," Xenovia said.
Irina looked totally different from my first meeting with her. The way her eyebrows were lowered, and she stared at me reflected the anger she was feeling.
"You promised you wouldn't meddle in this Excalibur business!"
I sighed, expecting something like this. "And I didn't meddle, but Freed Sellzen attacked me. Did you expect me to stand by and let him cut me down?"
"That changes nothing!" Irina retorted. "The fact is that a devil is now in possession of Excalibur! That's absurd! These swords were made to annihilate demons and impure creatures! You—"
"Irina, the fact that you already know about this proves I made the right decision not to hand this sword over to you."
She widened her eyes in surprise at my interruption but said nothing. I continued:
"Think about it. The Church of God shouldn't have any connection with devils, right? But you still heard that I got one of the Excaliburs. Why?"
Xenovia frowned. "It doesn't mean anything. Cooperation between factions, as we're doing now, isn't completely wrong. There's a significant exchange of information."
"Exactly. Cooperation between factions. However, there is no healthy relationship between devils and the Church of God. After all, battles between their exorcists and our devils take place every month. There is cooperation between the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels on some issues, but never directly with the Church."
The silence that followed showed that I was right.
[The patrons are captivated by your argumentative skills.]
"Now, tell me..." I tilted my head slightly, analyzing their tense expressions. "Are you here purely to talk? Or did you receive direct orders from someone?"
Xenovia clenched her fist. "We were ordered to retrieve Excalibur Rapidly, no matter what."
Gasper gulped as he heard this, and Asia covered her mouth with her hands. Issei just watched attentively, while Kiba and Koneko narrowed their eyes.
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible. I've already given Excalibur Rapidly to my father."
"What?!" Irina practically shouted.
"If that's the case, ask him to give us the sword back."
"Ah, but who says I'm going to do that?" I raised an eyebrow.
My attitude visibly annoyed Xenovia.
"So you don't intend to cooperate?"
"Cooperate? I've always been open to negotiations. That's why I'm going to give you a chance to recover Excalibur Rapidly."
Xenovia looked at me suspiciously. "How?"
"Simple. You and Irina against me and Kiba. A 2v2 fight. If you win, I'll ask my father to return Excalibur."
[The entity 'Forger of Unbreakable Will' is surprised by your proposal.]
A defiant glint passed through Xenovia's eyes. "That seems fair to me. But what if we lose?"
"Then you'll need to help us with something."
She exchanged glances with Irina, who seemed reluctant.
"I don't trust him. He's a devil," Irina muttered to Xenovia.
"So what? We're warriors. If he's willing to settle this in a duel, then it's our duty to accept."
Irina didn't look convinced, but Xenovia stepped forward, pointing her sword at me.
"Very well, Milicas Gremory. We accept your challenge."
I smiled. "Good. Let's do it right here, right now."
Issei stepped forward with a confident smile. "Great! So it's a two-on-two match, huh? So I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I reached out to stop him.
"This time, you're out, Issei." He looked confused.
"Huh? What do you mean? I can fight them! I still haven't swallowed the fact that you, Irina, are an exorcist!"
"Yes, you're strong, but the obvious choice to fight alongside me now is Kiba."
Kiba raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised by my decision.
Issei snorted, looking frustrated. "Tsk... I should have known the two handsome guys would want to fight together."
Ignoring Issei's grumble, I turned my attention to Kiba when he stopped beside me.
"Kiba, are you angry with me for hiding that from you?"
He looked at me for a moment with a calm expression. "Angry? No... I saw when you kept something in a magic bag, and considering that I felt the fragment, it wasn't hard to imagine what it was. But I wasn't disappointed. I simply concluded that you did it with the best interests of the Gremory Clan, the Occult Research Club, and President Rias in mind. I understand that all of this comes before my personal goals, especially for you."
I shook my head slowly, admiring Kiba's maturity. He had every reason to be furious with me, but he still trusted me. Even so, his expression was still tense.
"Are you still worried?" I asked.
Kiba looked at Xenovia and Irina, who were already holding their Excaliburs. He clenched his fists.
"Yes. This will be the first time I've fought against Excalibur fragments."
"Then be careful. Each one has a special characteristic," I warned.
"I'm well aware of that," Kiba said and made his sword appear through a magic circle.
[Yuuto Kiba admires you deeply after what happened with Diadora Astaroth.]
[You received +1 Relationship Point with Yuuto Kiba.]
Xenovia looked at me and frowned. "What about you, Milicas-san? Where's your weapon?"
"I'll just use magic."
Irina squeezed the handle of the Excalibur Mimic. "Arrogant..."
"Or just confident."
[Xenovia Quarta really doesn't like her arrogance.]
[You received -2 Relationship Points with Xenovia Quarta.]
The wind blew gently down the alley, causing a glass bottle under a pile of wooden boxes to fall to the ground.
SHATTER!
The sound of that bottle shattering was our signal for the battle to begin.
Xenovia was the first to move. With a battle cry, she shot toward me, ready to cut me in half. She was fast — faster than I expected.
I raised my hand and conjured a simple magical barrier. The impact of her sword against my defense created an explosion of sparks and a shockwave that sent the boxes and trash cans in the alley flying, as well as causing the skirts of Koneko, Asia, and Gasper to flutter.
The ground beneath my feet cracked. Xenovia's strength was surreal for a human.
Xenovia pressed her sword against the barrier, trying to break it with brute force. But I didn't wait to see if she could.
I dispersed my barrier and moved to the side at the last second. Her blow missed its target, and her blade hit the concrete where I had been standing. I spun my body around, my palm glowing with a blue hue, and, in an instant, I shot a blade of compressed water toward her.
Xenovia spun her sword and cut my magic in half.
'Shit. She's strong and fast.'
In an instant, she was on top of me. Her sword came in a downward arc and, out of reflex, I raised my arm to block. The blade stopped a few centimeters from my skin thanks to yet another magical barrier. Even so, the impact was still brutal. But I had stopped the blow.
I kicked Xenovia in the stomach, and she recoiled, sliding back a few meters with her feet dragging on the ground.
"Are you really going to fight without a weapon?" she asked, catching her breath.
"Magic is the only thing I need."
She narrowed her eyes, but before she could move forward again, the sound of metal against metal caught our attention.
Kiba and Irina were locked in a fierce duel.
Kiba was a blur, disappearing and reappearing around Irina with his absurd speed. But Irina was not defenseless. Her Excalibur Mimic was constantly changing shape, transforming into a bladed whip that danced around her like a ribbon in a gymnastics competition.
He tried to get closer, but the unpredictability of the sword made it difficult to find an opening.
Finally, Irina predicted one of his moves. The moment he appeared behind her, her sword transformed into a thorny shield and, with a twist, hit Kiba in the chest, throwing him backward.
He hit the wall and fell to his knees, gasping for air.
Irina ran toward him and turned the sword back into a katana, preparing a final blow. But Kiba was too fast. At the last moment, he used his own sword to slide Irina's blade aside, deflecting her blow. With one agile movement, he stepped behind her and slid his blade along her shoulder.
It was a shallow cut but enough to make her feel pain. Irina bit her lip, pressing her hand to the cut.
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