When I mentioned Valper Galilei's name, Xenovia's immediate reaction was to narrow her eyes. She was still pointing Excalibur Destruction at me, but the sword slowly lowered.
A breeze whistled through the alley, kicking up dust around us, just like before this fight started.
"What did you say?" she asked, as though trying to confirm she heard correctly.
"You heard me right," I said with a sideways smile, slipping the flip phone into my back pocket.
"Valper Galilei and the fragments of Excalibur. I'll offer you both if you come with me now."
[The patrons are very excited about this surprise.]
Irina, who was fighting with Kiba, stopped and walked towards me.
"Do you know where he is?"
Kiba was also looking at me expectantly, while Koneko, Asia, and Issei seemed at a loss as to what was happening.
"I know. And right now, he doesn't know that we're coming. While we were playing here, I had someone watching him all day."
Xenovia tightened her grip on her sword and kept a serious expression. "So, that fight... you were buying time."
"Yes." I didn't bother denying something that was already obvious.
[The patrons, who were irritated by your interruptions during the fight, now understand your motives.]
[50 credits went to patrons as an apology.]
"You two even came up with an acceptable excuse, but in the end, you wanted me or my aunt to help, didn't you?"
Their silence was all the answer I needed.
I threw my hands to my sides. "I can't take back what I did. Handing Excalibur Rapidly over to my father was the right thing to do. Now, the chance I'm giving you is to get the rest back. Well, at least part of them."
"You think you can use us like that?" Xenovia waved her free hand forward. "We know that once you have all the fragments, you'll steal them for your clan."
The smile I usually kept at the corner of my mouth faded.
"I'm serious. I want to put an end to this too. But if you keep treating me like an enemy, all you'll achieve is wasting time and losing the chance to stop the worst... We're on the same side here."
[The entities that cherish absolute peace shine their eyes when they look at you.]
[The entities that cherish chaos are deeply disappointed.]
Irina was the one to break the heavy mood. "And... where is he?"
"Kuoh Main Park. Abandoned observatory. Makima is watching him now."
Issei's eyes widened. "Makima... So that's why Makima-sensei missed class today?"
"Yes, it was necessary. She called me earlier to tell me that the Fallen Angels have already gathered there." I said and put my right hand on the tip of my chin.
"If I were to guess, I'd say they already know where most of the fragments are, except for the Excalibur Ruler, which is... Well, that would be too much information for you two. I don't know if I trust you that much."
Irina exchanged a quick glance with Xenovia, their uncertainty clear.
I could see the conflict in their expressions. The pride of two Church exorcists still prevented them from completely trusting me, a devil. But at the same time, the chance to recover the fragments was all they sought as their principal mission.
Xenovia sighed loudly and finally lowered her sword. "Damn... I hate to admit it, but if that's true, we have no choice."
"Good call." I smiled, turning away from them and walking toward my fellow devils. "You're coming with us, right? I've already warned Akeno and Rias, so they've gone off on a mission on their own."
"Is that going to help the President?" Issei asked.
"It'll help everyone."
"Then you bet I will!" He waved his arm in response.
Kiba, who had been looking at the ground, lifted his head and nodded.
"Yes, Milicas-sama! I'll be right behind!" Asia exclaimed.
"I hope my fists help," Koneko said.
-:-
The journey to the park was quick, thanks to our devil's wings. I carried Xenovia and Irina through the air by their arms, which earned Irina's protests the whole time — something about not wanting to be carried by a devil. She eventually relented when Issei offered to carry her instead, but he had a perverted expression the whole time as he held her.
From above, the city of Kuoh looked peaceful. The sunset bathed the buildings in orange light.
By the time we reached the park, the sky was dark. We landed at the top of a tree near the observatory. Makima was already waiting for us. She was sitting on a branch, calm as ever, her legs crossed, and a slight smile on her lips.
"You took your time," she said without even glancing at us.
"You're the one who called with 10 minutes to go," I replied, landing next to her.
"They're all inside." Makima turned to face Xenovia and Irina with the same serene — and intimidating — smile. "Fallen Angels, Valper... and the fragments of Excalibur. I counted four pieces."
[The 'Princess of Lost Souls' entity admires your good coordination with Makima.]
Xenovia clenched her fists. "Four fragments..."
"That includes the Blessing and the Nightmare," Makima added.
The shock was visible. "Those two are the most dangerous!" Irina exclaimed.
"Exactly. And that's why we're going in together," I said.
Xenovia stared at me. "Do you really want to fight alongside us?"
"If I wanted to get in the way, I'd have done it already." I took a step forward, staring at the abandoned building. "My mission has always been to stop all this nonsense shit before it becomes a massacre. If the Church and the Underworld fight over these swords, Kuoh will become a battlefield."
Makima smiled and stood up, straightening her jacket. "So, what's the plan?"
I snapped my fingers and a thin blade of air materialized, slowly spinning between my fingers. "I go in first. I create a distraction. Meanwhile, you three get the fragments. Irina and Xenovia-san form one group, Makima and Kiba will be another group, and Koneko, Issei, and Asia, you take the last one."
"You're going alone?" Irina widened her eyes.
"I have the Power of Destruction, Irina-chan. They won't ignore me." I offered them a small, closed smile.
[The entity 'The Librarian of Lost Time' believes this plan is idiotic.]
'That's what we'll see!'
I jumped down from the branch and looked at the observatory door. The abandoned building was covered in cracks. The sign above the main entrance was weathered, with several letters missing.
I drew a breath of air into my lungs. 'Four fragments of Excalibur inside this place... Valper Galilei and the Fallen Angels gathered together... If I'm careless, this could end badly.'
"Watch for my signal," I muttered, knowing that Makima and the others could hear.
As I approached the main double door, I realized it was locked. A simple kick would have solved the problem, but my goal was to attract attention. So I raised my right hand and drew a red magic circle in the air, with the Gremory symbol in the center. At that moment, a small crimson vortex of destruction formed in the center of the seal, and as I released it, the vortex consumed the wood like paper, and the explosion echoed throughout the building.
*BROOONN!*
I didn't need to go inside to know that everyone in there was now on alert.
The silhouette of three Fallen Angels appeared at the end of the lobby. They held golden spears of light, which crackled in the air.
"Who the hell-!" one of them tried to say.
I lunged forward. The force of my legs threw me forward like a projectile. Before the first one could finish his sentence, I was already in front of him. My left hand closed into a fist and slammed into the Fallen Angel's stomach, folding it in half. His body flew backwards and hit the cracked wall, collapsing amidst the dust and debris.
The other two attacked, their spears of light slicing through the air toward me.
I dodged the first as I ducked and turned my body to the side, narrowly escaping the second.
My superhuman reflexes allowed me to see the trajectory of the attacks before they were even fully launched. I took advantage of the opening to fire a blade of air condensed by the Ring of Hygron.
The cutting pressure hit one of the Fallen Angels in the chest, tearing through his clothes and throwing him against the opposite wall.
The third hesitated for a second after witnessing my strength up close.
A fatal mistake.
I raised my right hand and summoned a spear of water, condensing the humidity in the room with my Water Magic. In the blink of an eye, I threw the magic weapon.
The tip of the spear pierced the Fallen Angel's shoulder, pinning him to the wall behind him while the spear of water transformed into ice. I had left a transmutation circle on it to make it.
[The entity 'The Librarian of Lost Time' admits that perhaps your plan wasn't as idiotic as it first thought.]
"Yeah... Three down," I muttered to myself.
And then I felt a presence behind me.
*Clap! Clap! Clap!*
Clapping came from the darkness, and I could smell the man's breath as he spoke:
"Milicas Gremory... I wondered when you would come."
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