After my intense rage moment, I calm down, the storm inside me settling as though it had never existed. My breathing slowed, and my fists, still trembling from the surge of raw emotion, loosened.
Kiba and Koneko rushed over, helping me stand. My body felt fine—no real injuries, just a faint bruise on my elbow where I had hit the ground earlier. That was nothing compared to the chaos of what had just happened.
Kiba's sharp eyes studied me as he held onto my arm. "What was that, Ise?"
I blinked at him, trying to act confused. "What do you mean?"
His grip tightened slightly. His tone was serious, more than usual. "I mean, how did you move like that? One second you were beside us, the next—" He paused, glancing toward the ground. His gaze fell on Freed's corpse, specifically his severed head, which lay a short distance away with a grotesque grin frozen in place. "—I couldn't even follow your movement. I didn't even notice my sword was gone. I only realized after Freed was cut down."
Koneko's golden eyes turned toward me too, her expression blank but her aura heavy with curiosity. She had been beside me the whole time, yet she hadn't seen me disappear. For her to miss something meant one thing: my movement was beyond the threshold of her sight.
I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "To be truthful, I don't know how I did it. I just… moved. My body acted on instinct."
That was the truth. I hadn't thought, hadn't planned—it was pure reflex, my blood boiling when I saw Freed preparing to run off with Excalibur. Something inside me refused to let that happen, and before I knew it, I had struck him down. But frustratingly, the sword was still not in my possession.
Kiba and Koneko exchanged looks, suspicion clear in their eyes. They weren't buying the "instinct" excuse, at least not completely. I could almost hear their thoughts: What are you hiding, Ise?
Before the tension could thicken any further, two familiar voices rang out, echoing across the abandoned church ruins.
"Yaho! Ise-kun!"
"Eh? What the—?!"
I turned, startled, and there they were: Irina and Xenovia. The two Church warriors appeared at the edge of the courtyard, their footsteps echoing as they stepped closer. Both were armed, swords gleaming faintly under the broken moonlight that filtered through the shattered roof.
Their eyes instantly locked on Freed's lifeless body.
Irina's usual cheerful demeanor faltered as her mouth fell open. "F-Freed?!"
Xenovia's reaction was sharper, her brow furrowing as she stepped forward. "What is the meaning of this?!" Her voice carried suspicion and authority, her sword hand tightening on instinct.
Kiba quickly raised his hands, trying to diffuse the situation. "Don't misunderstand. Freed was here, wielding an Excalibur fragment. He attacked us. We had no choice but to defend ourselves. The fight… ended like this. Valper escaped with fused Excalibur."
Irina's lips trembled. She had known Freed, at least in passing, back when he was still part of the Church. To see him now, reduced to a disgraced corpse, was shocking even for her. "…He really went this far," she whispered.
Xenovia, however, was unflinching. Her cold blue eyes glared down at the severed head, then lifted to the shadows of the church interior. "Then that means Valper is still here…"
Her voice dripped venom when she said the name.
Irina's expression hardened. "We're going after him, Xenovia!"
"Agreed." Xenovia nodded firmly, and without another word, the two of them turned in perfect sync. Their cloaks flared as they sprinted deeper into the ruined halls, their determination as sharp as their blades.
I cursed under my breath. "Tch, those two don't waste time, do they…"
Before I could decide what to do, Kiba's voice cut through. His fists were clenched, his face full of emotion. "I'm going after them too!"
"Kiba—" I started, but his eyes were burning with a fire I couldn't put out.
"I won't let him escape! I won't let Valper Galilei walk away again!" His words were drenched in the hatred he had been carrying for years. The name alone was enough to twist the air around him. His body trembled—not with fear, but with unyielding rage.
Then he turned toward Koneko, who was still standing protectively at my side. "Koneko, please take Ise back. This isn't his fight."
"Wait, Kiba—!" I reached out, but he had already bolted, sprinting after Xenovia and Irina into the dark depths of the ruined church.
His footsteps quickly faded, swallowed by the crumbling halls.
And just like that, it was only me and Koneko left, standing amidst the eerie silence.
Damn it. Everyone was doing whatever they felt like!
Koneko's soft voice broke me out of my thoughts. "…Senpai. What are you going to do?"
I turned toward her. Her face was calm as always, but I could see the concern in her eyes, faint but genuine.
What was I going to do?
Then I felt the presence of someone behind me.
"When I thought that the flow of power was irregular..."
"Ara, Ara, this is certainly troublesome."
I turned around after hearing a familiar voice and...
"Ise. What's the meaning of this? Explain."
~~~
(Volume 1: life as Issei is over in my Patreon and Vol 2: Rise of God has started. If you are interested check it out.)
Give me a comment and thought on this fanfic. Support me by giving me a power stone.
I have posted 100+ advanced chapters on my Patreon. If you are interested, join my Patreon.
Support me:
patreon.com/BlackBolt517