To say that Issei was… embarrassed would be an understatement.
"Kaa-san, what are you doing? Why are you showing them that?" Issei asked his mother with an awkward smile, his voice tight as he struggled to keep the panic from creeping in.
"And this is the five year old Ise." Miki Hyoudou said, smiling gleefully as she pointed at one of the older photos in the familiar photo album. In it, Issei himself was wearing a ridiculous, colorful costume, looking not so ready for the kindergarten singing contest he had been forced into all those years ago.
"Ara, he certainly looks cute in these photos." Akeno commented with an amused smile, which she politely hid behind her hand as she sat beside Miki. Almost as soon as Issei had gone into the kitchen to get the drinks his mother had prepared beforehand for his friends, who had decided to host their club activities at home with their clubroom being cleaned by the devil servants of the Gremory household, Miki had pulled out the family photo albums and eagerly showed them to everyone, just as she had promised herself to do a few years ago once he started making more friends.
Back then, Issei thought she was only joking so he never paid too much thought into it.
"So this is your embarrassing past, Issei-senpai."
"Not you too, Koneko-chan."
Issei rolled his eyes as Koneko added to his mounting embarrassment. She was looking at the photos with her usual blank expression, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes—a rare sight he had only seen a handful of times before. Glancing over to his master, Issei noticed Rias exchanging joyful laughs with Asia, who had scooted closer to her, both of them flipping through the album with far too much interest.
Girls were certainly strange when it came to these kinds of things…
"Haha, you certainly look funny in these photos, Issei-kun." Kiba spoke up with a lighthearted chuckle while pointing at the photos in the album in his hands.
"Why are you looking at them as well, Kiba?" Issei asked as he reached out and tried to snatch the album from his friend, but Kiba, with his speed, sidestepped easily, holding the album just out of reach. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Issei attempted to take it again, glancing briefly over to his mother to make sure that she was not looking before stepping forward, moving at greater speed than before.
But just as he was about to close the distance, he stopped in his tracks. Kiba was glancing between him and the album with a curious look, his brow slightly raised as if he had found something particularly interesting.
"What now?"
"Say, this is from last year, right, Issei-kun?" Kiba asked as he pointed a finger at a particular photo in the album, making Issei lean over to take a closer look. It was the photo of him alongside Matsuda and Motohama on their first day at Kuoh Academy. The three of them were grinning like idiots, clearly excited to start their high school life in a former all-girls private school, which led to the dramatic difference in the ratio between male and female students.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Nothing. I just think that you have changed quite a bit since then, Issei-kun." Kiba said, making Issei widen his eyes slightly before finally understanding what he meant as he looked at himself in the photo. Not that he was a scrawny boy back then, but he certainly looked like an ordinary young man his age, being of average height, build and also appearance.
Now, though, he was taller, with a lean yet muscular physique and more defined facial features that truly set him apart from his former self. The difference was striking, and the boy in the photo seemed almost like a shadow compared to the young man he had become.
"Yeah, I guess so." Issei nodded his head, feeling a sense of pride swelling inside him as he acknowledged his transformation. Kiba chuckled and nodded his head to him before flipping to another page. At the same time, Issei felt his phone vibrating and took it out to see a text message from Aphrodite telling him to come to her place in ten minutes.
"Ise-kun…"
While texting back to the Greek goddess of love, Issei heard Kiba calling out to him, with a tone a lot less cheerful than before. Noticing the shift in his mood, Issei turned his attention to his friend and saw the blonde knight staring blankly at a photo of him in his childhood, striking a superhero pose with a young boy with light brown hair in a Western-style living room.
"Yeah?" Issei asked, sensing something was off.
"Do you remember anything about this photo?" Kiba asked without looking at him.
"Ah, this boy used to live in the neighborhood. We hung out and played heroes a lot." Issei answered, recalling the memories. "He moved abroad before third grade with his parents because of their work. I haven't seen him since, unfortunately..."
"What about this thing here, then?" Kiba continued to question, pointing at the object being held on a pedestal above the fireplace.
"That is a real sword, right?" Issei acknowledged while rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Back then, I always thought it was fake, but looking at it now…"
"You are correct, Issei-kun." Kiba nodded his head, his expression darkening as he closed the album and gave it back to Issei. "It is truly a small world…"
"Hey, are you… okay?"
Issei called after Kiba, but the knight had already walked away, leaving Issei standing there in confusion, wondering what had just happened.
"Alright! I got this!" Issei shouted and then ran across the pitch to catch the ball with his gloved hand, having no problem catching up to it with his speed.
"Good work, Issei!" Rias shouted to Issei as she showed him a thumb as a sign of acknowledgement before turning to the others to give them instructions. At the moment, the peerage, as the Occult Research Club, was currently training for the upcoming Ball Tournament, an annual event hosted by the high school division of Kuoh Academy where students, classes and clubs would compete in various sports that were played with balls.
"Good work, Ise. Keep it up and we are going to win this whole tournament."
Rias smiled as Issei threw the ball back to Akeno. Unlike the sports played by classes or individual students, the ones that clubs would compete in were typically announced on the day of the event. Therefore, they had to practice for every possible team sport that might arise. After some consideration, the group decided to start with baseball since it was a sport that not many club members were familiar with.
"Koneko will be our fourth batter. We should be fine if we keep this pace." Rias continued as she turned to Koneko. Everyone could see that she was in high spirits.
"...alright" the small girl with super strength nodded and replied shortly.
"Ufufufu, it seems our Buchou is in high spirits." Said Akeno-san while giggling, coming to stand next to Issei as he walked back to his position.
"I think she just hates to lose as usual." Issei chuckled with a shrug, having noticed the competitive nature that Rias had.
"Of course, there is no way that we can lose unless we make a lot of mistakes."
As devils who were fundamentally stronger than most humans in terms of physical abilities, they would have to hold back significantly on sports day—especially Issei and Koneko, who were both physically much stronger than even normal devils. Naturally, they shouldn't have a hard time beating their opponents regardless of who they were, but on the flip side, they needed to know the exact amount of strength to use to avoid exposing themselves as… inhuman. That required just as much practice as learning the rules and gameplays of the sports they might play, as anything could happen in sports once the adrenaline started flowing.
"Even if your brain knows, your body has to as well." Rias declared before hitting another ball that was thrown toward her by Akeno, sending it into the air. "Asia! You are on this time!" Rias called to her blonde Bishop, who became extremely nervous when she saw the ball flying toward her direction.
"Haaan! Aaau-aaau-aaau... Aah!"
And just as everyone had expected from the start, Asia was too slow so the ball hit the ground and bounced for a few times before going through her legs. Needless to say, her sports sense was below average, and when combined with her clumsiness and lack of physical ability, Asia could even trip over nothing while playing sports.
"Asia! If you fail to catch it, go fetch it!" Rias gave her order firmly.
"Y-yes!" She quickly ran after the ball and picked it up before tossing it over to Akeno.
"Yuuto, you are up next!"
Rias gave the order to her Knight and hit the ball toward his direction. Normally, something like this should be a piece of cake for the most skilled swordsman of the group, but when he just stood in his spot and let the ball descend toward his head, Issei had no choice but to rush toward him and snatch the ball from the air just before it could hit him.
"Hey, Kiba. What are you doing?" Issei asked, raising an eyebrow at the Knight as he tossed the ball back to Akeno. Lately, he had been acting strange, to the point that it felt like he was a completely different person.
"...ah, sorry. I was… not paying attention." Kiba answered, his face lacking the smile that he usually had. Issei had to admit it was strange to see him without it. Even during the sports discussion in their clubroom earlier, Kiba had mostly just remained in his seats and looked around, speaking up only when directly addressed.
Rias, who had been watching, acknowledged this with furrowed eyebrows. "Yuuto, what is happening with you? You have been acting really strange lately."
"Ah… I just have a lot in my mind right now, Buchou." The knight answered, lowering his head apologetically to Rias before looking away, clearing trying to avoid the conversation.
"Hmmmm..." Crossing her arms, Rias stood there and stared at Kiba for a moment before giving the signal to the peerage to return to their training. The rest of the day carried on with the Peerage practicing a series of different sports after they had finished with baseball. The entire time, Issei was unable to shake the feeling that something was really wrong with Kiba. Every time he glanced over, he found the knight lost in thought, his usual smile replaced entirely by a distant expression.
BANG! BANG!
Time passed and the day of the Ball Tournament finally arrived.
As fireworks signaling the start of the event burst into the sky, Issei was doing some last minute exercises with Asia, showing her how to stretch properly. Glancing up, he noticed dark clouds approaching, recalling the morning's weather forecast that had predicted rain by noon. He seriously hoped the rain would hold off until the tournament was over—otherwise, it would be a huge disappointment for everyone. There was also the possibility they might have to compete in the rain, which would be far from ideal.
[Tsukamoto-kun of the Manga club, Hashioka-sensei is looking for you right now. Please come to the staff room immediately.]
The PA speakers, placed throughout the school, blared endless announcements as the event kicked off. Since the matches between clubs would take place later in the day, the Peerage had some time to prepare. First up were the matches between classes. Issei had agreed to join his classmates in football, having practiced and played the sport with them a few times after school. Following the class competitions would be the individual student matches, and after lunch, the much-anticipated club matches would begin.
"Hey, we're back!" Rias announced as she returned from the club drawing with Akeno, who was also smiling confidently like her best friend. "We have won this match already."
"So what game are we playing then?" Issei asked.
"Dodgeball!"
Despite the fact that Issei knew they would have no trouble winning, because of past experience, he was unable to stop himself from shuddering nervously.
"Hey, Matsuda, pass me the ball!"
Issei yelled while sprinting down the right side of the field. Matsuda, who was having a difficult time dealing with two defenders, wasted no time kicking the ball to the other side of the field without hesitation, sending the ball soaring toward Issei as he effortlessly weaved between the opposing players. With a burst of speed, Issei surged forward, leaving the players chasing him in the dust before receiving the pass, expertly trapping the ball with his right foot. The crowd around the field erupted into cheers, and what caught Issei off guard was that the majority of them were girls, all seemingly cheering for him.
"Go, Issei-kun!"
"Go go go!"
But there was no time to get distracted by his sudden popularity, Issei drippled past the defenders closing in on him, shifting his weight to the right to fake out two players before darting to the left, leaving them scrambling to catch up as he sprinted down the field toward the goal. Issei could see that the goalkeeper, who was the lead goalkeeper of the football club, was ready for him as he positioned himself at the center of the goal with narrowed, focused eyes, as if challenging him to make the shot.
Raising his foot, Issei faked a direct shot, causing the goalkeeper to shift his stance, eyes widening in anticipation. In a swift motion, Issei brought his leg down and kicked the ball with his heel, passing it to a teammate behind him. Despite being caught off guard by the unexpected pass, his classmate quickly adjusted and kicked the ball toward the goal.
The goalkeeper reacted, proving his experience and skills by shifting his stance immediately and diving to block the shot, causing the ball to ricochet off his fingertips and bounce back. His eyes, however, widened as Issei appeared right above him, having leapt into the air and put himself in the perfect position to strike the ball with his head, sending it soaring past the sprawling goalkeeper, who could do nothing but watch as the ball went into the net. The crowd erupted in cheers as Issei landed on his feet, pumping his fist in triumph while his teammates rushed in to celebrate the goal.
As the excitement began to settle, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the first half. Issei jogged over to the bench, where his teammates were already high-fiving each other and celebrating the score, which had put them ahead of the opposing class.
"Good work, Ise! That goal was amazing!" To his surprise, the compliment was not from one of his classmates, but from Rias, who had made her way to the edge of the field with Akeno standing at her side. Her voice cut through the noise, and he turned to see her smiling at him, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
"Yes, you were awesome!" Akeno chimed in, leaning against the fence with an approving nod before handing Issei a bottle of energy drink. As Issei took it from her, he could feel some heated glares being thrown his way, and it was something he had anticipated since he was interacting with not just one, but both of the Two Great Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy, one of whom was handing him a bottle of energy drink with a warm, beaming smile on her face.
"I better head back" Issei spoke to the two girls with a chuckle, making them laugh before waving their hands to him. As Issei moved back to his bench, he was soon surrounded by his teammates and other students that had jumped over the fence to get to him. Some clearly wanted to strangle him for being so close to Rias and Akeno, others started demanding the price to buy the bottle of energy drink from him, their eyes filled with jealousy.
"Come on, Issei! How much for a sip?" One of them shouted, and another chimed in with a wide, excited grin.
"I will give you one thousand yen for that bottle!"
"Sorry, guys. But this is all mine." Announcing that with a smug smile, Issei opened the lid and drank the whole thing in one go, leaving the crowd around him to groan in disappointment… and yell in disapproval.
"Rias-sama! Kyaaaa!"
"Sona-sama! Kyaaa!"
Issei covered his ears as the girls around him screamed, cheering their hearts out for two of the most popular girls of Kuoh Academy, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, who were currently competing against each other in a tennis match, representing the girls of their respective classes. Both devil heiresses were clearly giving it their all on the court, exchanging powerful serves and swift volleys that had their fans cheering in excitement.
"KAICHOU-SAMA! You can do it! Beat Rias-senpai!" Genshirou Saji screamed while standing on the other side of the field and waving a big flag bearing the symbol of the Student council above his head. A few months ago Issei might have joined in the enthusiasm, perhaps even waving a flag if they had one…
"Ara, how wonderful it is for us to see a match between high-class ladies in a place like this!" Akeno shouted over the cheer to him and Asia, who was watching the intense exchange on the tennis court with her eyes sparkling in astonishment.
"I take that this rarely happens?" Issei turned to her and asked, making the Nadeshiko Yamato giggle before shaking her head.
"Quite the opposite, actually. You have seen them playing chess before, to decide who got the next trip to the familiar forest." Akeno replied, making Issei nod his head in understanding "I think this one is more special because this is their first time being able to compete against each other with no problem weighing them down. Did you know Kaichou also had a fiancé?"
"Really?"
"Yes, but she broke off their engagement by beating him in a game of chess just last year. She wants to marry someone who is smarter than her, apparently." Issei made a face of amazement, but he was far from surprised. Of course someone who had never taken anything lightly and appeared to be a very strict and intelligent young woman would want to marry someone like that. "These two might not look like it usually, but they think about their problems daily. Aside from that chess match, this is the first time they can both compete with a clear mind. For them, winning cannot feel as satisfying if you know your rival is at a disadvantage, no matter how small."
"Wow…"
"Take this! Shitori-style spin-ball!" Sona declared as she rushed to the side of the court and hit the ball with her racket, sending it toward Rias while spinning rapidly in the air.
"You are too naïve! Gremory-style counter!" Rias shouted as she tried to hit the ball back with her racket, but it suddenly changed its direction the moment it touched the court for the first time and went down, causing Rias to miss.
"15-30"
"Noooooo!" The girls and also boys, who were cheering for Rias, cried in disappointment.
"You are doing well, Sona. As expected from my rival." Rias admitted with a smirk, gripping the handle of her racket tightly in her hand.
"Ufufu. Rias, I hope you still remember the promise where the loser has to pay for the udon with all the toppings at Kobashiya, because you will be the one playing." Sona asked, smiling smugly
"Oh, I do. It will be my shame if you taste that before me." Rias grinned and got into position "Just wait for it, Sona. I will beat you this time. Did you know that I have 108 styles of magic ball waiting to be used?"
"I will accept that challenge."
With that, the match continued, lasting so long and going so hard, that both of their rackets ended up breaking. At the same time, everyone, including the referee herself, had wanted to make it a tie, but since both girls wanted to win at all costs, the participants were allowed to decide the winner through voting. Sona had a lot of votes, but Occult Research Club still won in the end because they had more famous members in their club.
After lunch break, it was time for their dodgeball match against the baseball club.
"Come on, you guys need to do better than that!" Issei taunted as he dodged a ball coming at him with minimum effort, before he jumped in front of Asia to catch the ball flying toward her and sent it back to one of their opponents, striking him in the head and knocking him down to eliminate him from the match instantly.
Their club was dominating the game, and it had very little to do with the fact that they were devils with greater strength, stamina, and reflexes than normal humans.
It was because of who they were. Most if not all would hate you if you hit and ended up hurting them. Even the player who had just thrown the ball at Asia had done so halfheartedly.
Realistically, Issei was the only logical target, since many at Kuoh still hated him for being a pervert. However, due to his growing popularity, and the crowd of girls who had been following him around, cheering for him all morning, trying to hit Issei became a whole lot more difficult than it already was. After all, to Issei, every ball flying at him seemed to move in slow motion, allowing him to dodge with little to no effort.
There was no way anyone could win against a team like theirs.
But of course, there were still those who let themselves be consumed by the frustration of being unable to do anything.
"Fuck it! Screw you, you handsome bastard!"
One particularly determined member of the baseball club, red-faced and seething with anger, readied another throw, his focus solely on Kiba Yuuto. Ignoring the cry of disapproval from his fans who were watching from the sideline, the young man pulled his arm back, muscles tensing, and launched the ball with everything he had and the skill of a baseball pitcher.
Yet again, something like this should not be a problem to Kiba, but just like how he had been during their training, he just stood there, looking completely zoned out, even as the ball hurtled straight toward his head.
"What are you doing, Kiba?" Issei asked, dashing toward the knight before diving through the air to catch the ball before it could strike him in the head. Just as the opposing team finally processed what had just happened, Issei launched the ball back at the player who had thrown it, hitting the guy squarely in the chest and knocking him out of the game. The crowd erupted in cheers, while Issei glanced over his shoulder and gave Kiba a hard look.
"Hey, stay alert, will you?" He said, making Kiba look at him for a moment before nodding. After that, the rest of the game went smoothly for them, with no one getting eliminated as Kiba started moving around to dodge. However, even with his contributions to their victory, he still looked unfocused, even choosing to sit back as their club was called up to receive their prize during the award ceremony.
"Yuuto, can I have a word with you?" Rias called, speaking to her knight with a firm look on her face. It was raining hard outside, but fortunately, the remaining sports were those that could be played indoors. The rest of the school had moved to the gymnasium to watch the last match between the music club and the literature club, while the Gremory peerage had volunteered to stay behind to clean up the dodgeball field after the last game was done, giving Rias the perfect opportunity to confront Kiba.
"Yes, Buchou." Kiba replied, rising to his feet before following Rias to a quieter corner of the gym, where the noise of the tournament faded into the background.
"Did you know that the tournament had just ended?" Rias asked, crossing her arms as she studied him.
Kiba hesitated, glancing around before nodding while scratching the back of his head. "Oh, is that so? So can I..."
"I know what is in your mind, Yuuto. Yesterday, Issei showed me the photo of him playing with his childhood friend that you saw. You are like this because of that holy sword in the photo, am I right?" Rias asked in a softer tone, making Kiba look at her for the first time.
As Rias continued to speak to Kiba, Issei recalled the story that Rias had told him the night before as he stood on the side with the rest of the club and watched in silence.
The holy sword project, it was the name of the secret experiment conducted several years ago by a secret division of the Christian Catholic Church that aimed to create swordsmen who could wield holy swords such as the Excalibur, the weapon of the legendary King Arthur Pendragon. Even among those who had devoted themselves to the teaching of gods, people who were born with the natural ability to wield holy swords, let alone those that were chosen by the legendary ones, were exceptionally rare. This scarcity put the Church at a disadvantage, as holy swords represented their ultimate weapons against devils and thus, the project sought to find the components that would enable humans to wield such powerful weapons.
Kiba, raised in an orphanage, was selected to undergo the artificial treatments meant to unlock the potential for wielding holy swords. Like many others, he endured inhumane experiments that left the chosen children in constant agony, with countless others succumbing to the process. Ultimately, after relentless experimentation, the project was deemed a failure because it could not produce any holy sword wielders, and to cover up their operations to their superiors, the subjects were ordered to be disposed of. The deaths of his friends and all other participants, who had helped Kiba escape the facility, had fueled an intense hatred within him for Excalibur and holy swords in general.
To say that Asia, who still firmly believed in God and the teachings even after becoming a devil, was horrified to learn about the project would be an understatement. Apparently, the sword in the photo with him and his childhood friend was a holy sword, and the sight of it was the reason Kiba had been behaving the way he did, as it had reminded him of what happened in the past for the first time in years.
"If that is all you want to say… Can I take my leave now?" Kiba asked, his voice cold despite the fact that he had a smile on his face as he gazed at Rias, who was clearly taken aback by the unusual tone he was using to talk to her.
Before she could respond, the door slid open, and Saji from the student council rushed in, heading straight for Rias without bothering to take off his raincoat.
What he said next left the entire Gremory Peerage in shock, their eyes wide, but none more so than Kiba Yuuto.
Before long, Issei found himself sitting in the Student Council office with its members and Asia, listening to the conversation between their masters, accompanied by their queens, and the guests. Despite his insistence on joining them, Kiba had been instructed to stay in the clubroom, with Koneko staying behind to keep a close eye on him. Given his current state of mind and the identity of the guests, that decision might have been for the best.
Sitting on the sofa before Rias and Sona were their guests, whose belongings, which were wrapped in some kind of white cloth, were the reason a heavy atmosphere and nasty feeling was enveloping the devils in the room. The first of the guests was a young woman with chin-length blue hair with a dyed green fringe on the right side and brown eyes. Her attire consisted of a black, skin-tight, short sleeve leotard with pauldrons, matching fingerless gloves that extended to her biceps, and thigh-high boots, all of which were adorned with straps. It was worn under a white hooded cloak with gold and blue accents, and finished with a crucifix around her neck.
The second was also a young woman with violet eyes, wearing the same attire as her blue haired friend with some minor differences. She had long chestnut hair that was tied into twintails, each held with a blue ribbon. When Issei had first met her earlier, he had been shocked, because not only did she recognize him, but she was also the childhood friend he had once thought was a boy, the same friend whose home had contained the holy sword in the photo Kiba had seen.
Coincidence?
Regardless, the two—Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou, as they had introduced themselves—did not concern Issei as much as the person currently sitting with them, exuding an air of grace that was hard to ignore. He had reached a point where he could gauge the overall strength of others without needing to use Observe for detailed stats, and he could tell that the third guest, who had grey eyes, blonde hair that styled in a bob cut, and dressed in a red and white armored outfit that hugged the curves of her slender yet attractive figure, far outclassed everyone in the room, including himself.
For some reason, Issei found her strangely familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before...
"—as I have already informed Sona Sitri before coming here, recently the holy swords, Excaliburs, that were held by the Vatican headquarters: Catholic Church, Protestant Church and Eastern Orthodox Church were stolen."
Rias widened her eyes in shock after hearing this, leaving Sona to address their situation in a calm demeanor. "I assume that you have discovered the one responsible and managed to track them down to this location?"
"That is correct." The blue haired exorcist nodded her head in confirmation "Miss Hae-In, Irina, and I were sent by Vatican to retrieve the stolen fragments."
"Hold it, you are saying that there are more than one Excalibur?" Saji, who looked just as confused as Issei upon hearing the plural of the legendary holy sword, decided to ask, breaking the silence that had befallen them.
"Correct, Saji." Sona nodded her head before carrying on explaining "A very long time ago in the past, indeed there was only one Excalibur but during the war between the three factions, the sword was broken. The fragments were believed to have been collected from the battlefield and reforged into seven pieces by the Church, am I right?"
"Yes." Irina nodded her head in confirmation "Excalibur broke and was reforged by our alchemists. However, they were unable to reform Excalibur completely, so they had to split it into seven different swords. This is my Excalibur."
Saying that, Irina held up her right hand and pulled on the small string tied around it with the other. The string lengthened and wiggled as if it was alive before shifting its shape, straightening and solidifying to eventually morph into a long katana.
Instantly, Asia grabbed at his arm and hid behind Issei, who also couldn't stop himself from shuddering as if he had just been splashed by a bucket of ice cold water the moment the weapon revealed itself. The amount of holy aura that it was radiating was downright terrifying and its stats, which the System showed him, was nothing to be scoffed at either despite being just a fragment of the original Excalibur.
Excalibur Mimic – LV?
ATK: 700
Rarity: Legendary
Element: Holy
Description: One of the weapons crafted from the broken fragment of the Holy Sword Excalibur. Despite being regarded as a sword, it could take on any form through the use of its ability [Holy sword of Mimicry].
[Holy sword of Mimicry]: Activate to transform Excalibur Mimic into any weapon or anything of any shape, size and material that the wielder desires.
"This is Excalibur Mimic." Irina explained "It has the ability to change shape into anything I want it to, so I have no trouble carrying it around. Unlike Xenovia, I can just carry it like this." The sword changed back into a string, which Irina then tied around her arm again.
Sitting next to her, Xenovia sighed, clearly having expected this from her friend. "I guess it can't be helped. This is my weapon, Excalibur Destruction." With that said, the blue haired exorcist unwrapped her weapon, revealing what appeared to be a giant broadsword. Issei could tell instantly just from just the feelings it was giving off alone that this sword was so much more dangerous than Excalibur Mimic.
His suspicion, of course, was confirmed by its stats.
Excalibur Destruction – LV?
ATK: 800
Rarity: Legendary
Element: Holy
Description: One of the weapons crafted from the broken fragment of the Holy Sword Excalibur. It has the power to shatter anything through the use of its ability [Holy sword of Destruction]
[Holy sword of Destruction]: Unleash a wave of pure destructive force that destroys anything that the weapon came into contact with.
"Our superiors entrusted us with these weapons," Xenovia continued as she rewrapped the sword in its cloth. "After all, if the thieves decide to use the stolen swords, the only way to counter Excalibur is with another Excalibur." With that said, Xenovia rewrapped the sword in its cloth, and it was only then that Issei could see the glowing runes on the fabric.
"So three of them were stolen, two of them are here with you guys… that is not an Excalibur as well, is it?" Rias asked, turning her attention over to Hae-In and looking at the sword with a silver hilt strapped to her right hip.
"Ah, mine is just a regular sword." The woman answered calmly. Issei could tell that she was speaking in Korean, but thanks to the natural Language ability of devils, he had no trouble understanding what she said. "The sixth Excalibur is in possession of the Catholic Church, while the seventh was lost a few years after the war."
"And you three believe the three Excaliburs that were stolen are currently somewhere in Kuoh?" Rias asked, bringing the conversation back to their main topic.
"That is correct. We have managed to track the location of the people who stole the Excaliburs to this location."
"It seems that our territory is full of incidents like this lately." Rias stated as she exchanged a look with her childhood friend, who appeared to share the same opinion "Do you know who stole the holy swords from you?"
"We have reason to believe that they were stolen by members of the Grigori."
"So the Excaliburs were stolen by the fallen angels." Sona concluded as she tilted her glasses up "It seems like their members have been causing all kinds of problems recently here, but it does sound like definitely something they would do. Us devils generally care very little about holy swords, since their very power can cause serious harm to us but the fallen angels, yes, no doubt they would love to get their hands on something like that."
"We already have a suspect." Xenovia replied. "The Fallen Angel, Kokabiel."
"I see..." Rias murmured, nodding slowly as she exchanged a worried glance with Sona. It appeared the situation just got a lot worse after Kokabiel, one of the current leaders of Grigori, was mentioned.
"Indeed. Only someone like Kokabiel would try to do something like that. The moment the swords were stolen, we sent several Exorcists here in secret to uncover his location, but they kept getting killed." Irina explained. Rias and Sona both glared at her, looking as if they were offended. Naturally, since exorcists had been sneaking around their territory without them doing anything, they had every right to be angry.
"So, what is it you want from us, the devils of this town?" Sona asked coldly "Are you here to request our assistance in this mission of yours?"
Xenovia raised an eyebrow at the question before shaking her head. "No. We want nothing from you. Our demand is that you stay out of our affairs," she stated firmly, prompting both Rias and Sona to narrow their eyes at her. "We do not want—"
Before she could finish, the devils heard a sound from under the table. Xenovia snapped her head toward Hae-In, who coughed into her hand before speaking in a more polite tone.
"What my colleague means to say... is that we would like you all to leave this matter entirely to us. We will deal with the Fallen Angels and ensure that none of you, nor the humans living in this town, are harmed in our conflict." Hae-in said, pausing momentarily before continuing "While I fully trust that you do not, and would never, collaborate with the Fallen Angels, having you two—sisters of two Maou—involved yourself in this conflict could complicate things. Any harm that befalls either of you could lead to another full-scale Great War between the Three Factions."
The expression that Rias had on her face remained firm, but there was a hint of understanding in her eyes as she considered the words that had just been spoken by Hae-In. She glanced at Sona, who pushed her glasses up thoughtfully before speaking.
"I see your point. The last thing any of us want is to reignite a war between the Three Factions." Sona said, her voice calm but resolute. "However, I hope you will also understand that we cannot just ignore what is happening in our own territory. We'll cooperate, but don't expect us to just sit by if things spiral out of control."
Hae-In included her head calmly. "That is all we ask. We will act swiftly to resolve this matter before it becomes a bigger issue for you both."
"Still, this is Kokabiel we are talking about. Is it possible for just the three of you to fight him, not counting all the followers he might have, and retrieve the stolen swords?" Rias asked, raising her eyebrows at the three exorcists.
"Yes"
"We have Miss Hae-In with us, so anything is possible." Irina declared confidently, with Xenovia nodding her head alongside her.
"You must be incredibly strong for your friends to have that much trust in you against an opponent like that, Hae-In-san." Sona said, nodding her head to the blonde before extending her hand forward "Very well then, best of luck to you three. If you need anything, like a place to stay during your stay in our town then feel free to contact one of us."
"I will consider your offer. Thank you, Sona Sitri, Rias Gremory." Hae-In said, lowering her head a little to the two devils before shaking hands with them.
With that, the three exorcists all rose from their seats to leave. As they headed out, both Xenovia and Irina caught sight of Asia. The recognition was clear on their faces. Xenovia, in particular, looked like she wanted to say something to the blonde girl, but Hae-In urged them forward, clearly aware of what they were about to say and choosing to move them along. Once they had exited the room, the oppressive tension that had filled the office was finally lifted, allowing the devils to sigh of relief.
"So, are we really doing nothing, senpai?" Issei asked his master as he walked over to her and Sona.
"If they believe they can deal with Kokabiel, Issei-kun, then our best course of action is to stay out of their ways. We will only get ourselves killed if we stand in the way of a direct confrontation. My only hope is that they will keep it to themselves." Sona pointed out while adjusting her glasses "Regardless, judging from the sound of it, it seems Kokabiel have been somewhere in this town for a while now."
"Which is why I want everyone to be on high alert. There must be reasons why he picked this town to be his base of operation, and if even one of those involves us, then we need to be ready. We will deal with the situation ourselves if the situation escalates." Rias said, with Sona nodding her head in agreement.
Issei, meanwhile, remained silent, wandering over to the window to see the trio of exorcists leaving, using their cloaks to shield themselves from the heavy rain. What Rias just said was exactly the reason he was worried. What if Kokabiel chose Kuoh because he was targeting them, specifically Rias and Sona? It was just as Hae-In had told them, if anything happened to the two, it could easily spark another Great War between the Three Factions.
And there was also the current problem with Kiba. There was no telling what he would do once he learned that Excaliburs were in town, and it was only a matter of time before he found out. It was hard for Issei to imagine the Knight not trying to go after the swords, including the two currently in the possession of Xenovia and Irina, himself. If that happened, everyone else would inevitably be drawn into the conflict—whether they were ready or willing to participate.
"Yo, Issei, over here!"
"Coming, Beowulf-nii!" Issei shouted back, hurrying over to where Beowulf was standing. After returning home from school, Issei had received a call from Beowulf, who sent him the coordinates of his location to teleport to for another raid supporting job. With the news about Kokabiel being somewhere in Kuoh, Issei had wanted to stay home to make sure that no harm would come to Rias or any of his friends, but his master had encouraged him to go, assuring Issei that she would be fine at home with Asia.
With that, Issei had decided to accept the job and leave his home, though not before leaving Lycaon and some of his stronger shadows behind to protect her and the others from within their shadows.
"There you are, kid. How was the tournament? Did you guys win?" Beowulf asked, grinning from ear to ear as he patted Issei on the shoulder.
"Yeah. We won our dodgeball game, and I also got first place in football with my class." Issei answered, nodding his head to the man who he had started to regard as his older brother before glancing over his shoulder toward the area behind him, where a medium sized, blue colored Gate was pulsating with wave and wave of mana.
"In case you are wondering, that thing is only a C-ranker, but I can promise you that it's unlike any Gate you have been to before. Come on." Beowulf said, beckoning Issei to follow him "Did you bring along warm clothes?"
"Yeah, I've got them right here just as you told me to." Issei answered, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to point at his backpack "Why did you tell me to bring them? Is it freezing in there or something?"
"You will see soon enough."
Beowulf answered with a grin, making Issei roll his eyes at him before they arrived at the base of operation. A number of heroes were hanging around the place, and Issei also saw Marcus and Stefan among them, currently engaging in a conversation with an exceptionally beautiful European young lady with long blonde hair cascading down her back in soft waves and blue eyes. Unlike most heroes, who wore heavy armor and lots of warm clothes, the blonde was dressed in a white female business suit, with blue undershirt. The suit hugged her form elegantly, ending in a split miniskirt that gave a generous view to her long legs while emphasizing her slender waist.
"Ise, this here is Alicia Blanchet, the leader of the main Strike Team of this Raid. Alicia, this is Issei Hyoudou." Beowulf introduced the two of them, making the blonde look at Issei for a second before shaking hands with him.
"Nice to meet you as well, Alicia-san."
"Likewise, Issei." Alicia nodded, speaking to Issei in a calm, yet polite tone before turning to Beowulf to say "I think you should know that I am no longer the leader of this Raid. My magic isn't suited to operate in that kind of environment. I will continue to supervise this Raid, but I have transferred the position of command to Sieghart."
"Sieghart? You are telling me that weirdo…"
"Oh my dear Beowulf, you wound me so."
Before Beowulf could finish, a voice, speaking in a dramatic manner, cut through the air from behind him. Rolling his eyes, Beowulf turned around to face the newcomer, with Issei following his gaze to see a tall figure stepping out of the shadows. The man presented himself with flair, arms outstretched, and a rose between his lips, an exaggerated flourish in his every movement despite the massive shield he was carrying on his back. His clothing, meanwhile, gave Issei the feeling he was a nobleman, consisting of a white long coat with armored pauldrons, ornate golden embroidery and red lining, beneath which he wore a lavender waistcoat, a collared shirt, and a cravat. In addition, he also wore armored black gloves and boots, finishing his look with a feathered headdress, fashioned to resemble a human skull.
"The ever-reliable supporter, Beowulf!" He declared, his tone theatrical as he marched toward them after removing the rose from his mouth "And the recent talk among us brave heroes, Issei Hyoudou! What a delight to see you both!"
Beowulf grunted. "And here I am hoping for a peaceful raid. Guess that's out the window."
Sieghart, however, paid the comment no mind as he shook hands with Issei. After taking his hand back, Sieghart turned to face Alicia with a flamboyant twirl before lowering his head in a grand gesture, with one hand resting behind his back while the other offered her the rose.
"A beautiful rose, from this beautiful man, to a beautiful young lady."
Alicia accepted the rose, but it suddenly froze in her hand before she tossed it over her shoulder. In response, Sieghart dramatically grabbed his chest, one hand clawing at the spot where his heart was while the other grabbed onto Beowulf for support. Beowulf instantly brushed him away, rolling his eyes before glancing over to Issei to speak to him, all the while nodding his head slowly after seeing the look that the Sekiryuutei had on his face.
"Yeah, you got the idea."
After a short, but proper introduction, the group dispersed, with Alicia staying at her post while Sieghart led the main strike team into the Gate to clear the area around the entrance. Issei followed Beowulf to the side to join the other support members from the Emporium, whom he had become good friends with after a few jobs together. As they waited for the heroes to do their job, Beowulf showed Issei a map Marcus and the other scouts had made, helping him get familiar with the terrain inside, which was a snow covered forest.
"Hmnn, now that certainly is worrying…" Beowulf hummed, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Issei had just finished telling him about the current situation in Kuoh, specifically regarding Kokabiel and the Excaliburs as well as the exorcists that had been sent to the town to retrieve the stolen swords. "Has Rias ojou-sama reached out to her brother yet? This is certainly not something she should keep to herself."
"She intended to tonight, but I'm not sure she has yet." Issei nodded his head.
"Knowing her, she probably thinks she can handle this situation herself. Sona-sama is not that much different either." Beowulf shrugged, crossing his arms.
"I hate to ask but… can you do something about it? Maybe contact Sirzechs-sama or something so he can send some devils to Kuoh to protect everyone?" Issei suggested. It was the reason he had brought the matter to Beowulf, as he was someone he knew was close to the current Lucifer himself. He knew Sirzechs was not allowed to show favoritism to any devil, especially his sister, but since both Rias and Sona were under threat from a leader of the fallen angels, who were currently possessed the most effective weapons to harm them, he hoped that Sirzechs could at least send someone to Kuoh to protect them both.
"Well, I certainly can. It's not a bad move either, to be honest." Beowulf nodded his head before bringing out his phone "I will go give Sirzechs-aniki a call. You can go on ahead with the others if you like, I will follow after."
With that, Beowulf walked away to call Sirzechs, leaving Issei to wait with the support. A couple of minutes later, one of the warriors who had followed Sieghart emerged from the Gate and informed them it was safe for the support teams to enter. Issei quickly summoned several of his shadow soldiers, instructing them to push the carts carrying their tools ahead before putting on some warm clothes to follow the devils of the Emporium, anticipation and excitement bubbling within him as he could hardly wait to see what the inside of the Gate looked like.
"Do you think I can follow Issei back to his home after we are done, aniki? I can help him protect…"
Beowulf suggested while speaking to Sirzechs on his phone, but a sudden shift in the air caused him to stop mid-sentence and turn his head around to look at the gate, the same time that Alicia and several heroes who were still outside did.
BZZZZZZTTTTTT!
An explosion of mana knocked the heroes standing closest to the gate flat on their back, with Beowulf raising his free hand to shield his face from the waves.
Once the dust had settled, Beowulf gasped, his eyes widened in horror as his phone slipped from his hand, leaving him and the heroes to stand there, watching as the Gate started pulsing ominously before its color shifted from blue to a menacing red.
Current Stat:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Class: Level 36 Dragonsworn / Level 11 Shadow Monarch
HP: 8125 / 8125
MP [Current Attribute: Draconic/Demonic: 2435 / 2435
Title: Shieldbreaker [Add 10% Armor Penetration]
Strength: 166
Vitality: 135
Intelligence: 130
Dexterity: 140
Perception: 120
Charisma: 110
Unique Class Skills: Fire Imbue (LV1), Shadow Extraction (LV1), Shadow Storage (LV1), Karma (LV1).
Active skills: Doubling, Transfer, Penetrate, Sprint (Max Level), Vital Slash (LV1), Jump (Max Level – Equipment Ability), Observe (LV1), Ruler's Hands (LV1), Phoenix Shift (LV1).
Active spells: Fire balls (LV2 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Firewall (LV2 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Lightning Strike (LV1), Water Blast (LV1), Earth Shield (LV1), ...
Current Pacts: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV1, Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Active Pact [2/4: Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Shadows: 100 / 100
Elite Rank Shadows: Lycaon (Knight), Gladio (Knight), Unnamed Coeurl (Knight).
Items: Boosted Gear (LV4), Abyssal Cloak (LV25), Razan's Blade (LV10), Magitek General's Helmet (LV7), Palace Guard's Boots (LV15), Metal Gauntlets (LV10 – Only one currently in use -Stats Reduced), Kamish's Slumber (LV?), Blessed Random Box (x1)…
Potions: Healing Potions x15, Mana Potions x15, Greater Healing Potions x10, Greater Mana Potions x10, Miracle Potions x3...
Gold: 1,930,250 (G)
Ultimate: Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker – Boosted Gear Crimson Armaments (LV. 1 – Pact Affected)
Sigils: Sigil of the Shadow Commander - Igirs, Sigil of the Shadow Ice Bear - Tank.
End of chapter 13