The air in Kuoh seemed to thicken, saturated with unspoken threats and the premonition of a new storm. My newfound status as a "consultant" to the Student Council had so far only brought boring meetings with Sona Sitri, but I understood—this was just the lull before something more… interesting.
And this "interesting" thing didn't keep me waiting long. One day, while I was wandering aimlessly around the Academy grounds after another tedious "briefing" from Sona (I think she was serious about educating me on every subtlety of the school's magical barriers), my heightened senses caught a surge of energy. Not demonic, not fallen. But… holy? And very concentrated. The surge was accompanied by raised voices and a familiar aura of anger—the aura of Yuuto Kiba.
'That Knight again, with his old traumas,' I thought with annoyance. But curiosity got the better of me. I headed for the source of the commotion—the old Occult Research Club building.
The scene that greeted me was predictable and yet new. At the building's entrance stood Kiba, his face pale with rage, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rias Gremory was beside him, trying to calm him down. Opposite them stood the two girls I already knew of.
One was tall, with blue hair in a ponytail and cold, determined eyes. She was dressed in strict, church-like clothing, and a huge sheathed sword was visible behind her. A powerful, sharp aura of holy power emanated from her.
The second was shorter, with chestnut hair in pigtails and softer features, though her gaze was also serious. She held something that looked like a rapier, which glowed faintly with white light. Her aura was bright, but less aggressive.
I stopped at a distance, in the shadow of a tree, watching. These were clearly the exorcists from the Vatican Sona had mentioned. Xenovia and Irina. Here for their Excaliburs. And, it seemed, they'd run into Kiba.
"...I'm telling you again, Knight of Gremory, this is not your concern!" the blue-haired one's (Xenovia's, I gathered) voice was sharp and imperious. "We are here on a mission from the Church! We must retrieve the holy relics!"
"Relics, created from the bones of my friends?!" Kiba's voice trembled with rage. "You don't understand the pain these swords carry! The evil they represent!"
"Evil?!" Xenovia tossed her head indignantly. "Excalibur is a gift from God! A weapon against the darkness! And your 'friends' were likely just expendable material in a holy war! Their sacrifice was not in vain!"
"Expendable material?!" Kiba roared, and the air around him filled with dozens of manifesting demonic blades. "How dare you!..."
"Kiba, stop!" Rias tried to hold him back, but it was too late.
Xenovia immediately drew her enormous sword—Durandal. Holy power surged from the blade in a wave. Irina also raised her glowing rapier—one of the Excalibur fragments.
"The demon has drawn his blades! Defend!" Xenovia commanded.
"Stop! Don't!" shouted Issei, who had just run out of the club building, drawn by the noise. He saw the fight brewing and, without thinking, rushed forward, his Boosted Gear flashing red. "Let's talk! No need to fight!"
He tried to get between Kiba and the exorcists, holding out his gauntlet.
"Issei?" Xenovia's lips curled in contempt. "Get out of the way; he started this!"
"We don't want to cause harm, but you are interfering with our mission!" Irina added, her voice trembling, but she held her rapier ready.
Issei, determined to protect his friends and stop the fight, roared, "Boost! I won't let you..."
But he didn't get to finish. Xenovia and Irina acted in concert, and fast. Seeing Issei as just another demon in their way, they attacked simultaneously.
A powerful blow from Durandal, carrying colossal holy power, came down on Issei from above. At the same time, Irina made a swift lunge with her Excalibur, aiming for his side.
Issei tried to block Durandal's blow with his gauntlet, but the sword's power was too great. The Boosted Gear's defense cracked under the holy energy. In the same instant, Irina's rapier easily pierced his side, meeting almost no resistance.
"A-a-argh!" A cry of pain tore from Issei's chest. He was thrown back like a rag doll. He crashed heavily to the ground, his gauntlet fading, and blood poured from the wound in his side. He probably lost consciousness before he even knew what happened. It all happened in a split second.
"Issei!" Rias screamed in horror, rushing to him.
Kiba, seeing his friend fall, roared in rage and charged the exorcists, his demonic swords flying.
But I decided I'd had enough of this circus. Issei, that naive idiot, was lying unconscious. Kiba, in his rage, was about to do something stupid. And these fanatics with swords clearly weren't planning on stopping. Time to intervene.
I stepped out from the shadow of the tree. My movement was fast, but calm. I ended up right in the path of the attacking Kiba and the incoming Durandal and Excalibur.
"Enough," my voice was quiet, but it stopped everyone.
Kiba froze a step away, his swords hanging in the air. Xenovia and Irina also stopped, staring in surprise at the new opponent.
"Who are you?" Xenovia asked, her gaze full of suspicion and hostility. "Another demon from Gremory's peerage?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," I replied, looking at their swords. "What matters is that you've caused a scene in the schoolyard and crippled this fool,"—I nodded toward the downed Issei, whom Asia was already running to. "Your game is over."
"Over?" Xenovia smirked. "You think you can order us? We are messengers of the Church! We carry the word of God! And you… you don't have a holy or demonic aura… Are you just a human? Then stay out of what doesn't concern you. In any case, you are weak! Get out of the way before Durandal touches you!"
She threateningly raised her huge sword. Irina readied her rapier beside her. They clearly weren't taking me seriously. A mistake. A big mistake.
I didn't answer. I just took a step forward. And then another. My speed was such that they didn't have time to react.
Before Xenovia could even swing Durandal, my hand was already on its hilt. A light flick of the wrist—and the enormous holy sword was in my hand. Xenovia froze, mouth open, staring at her empty palm.
In the same second, I turned to Irina. Her eyes widened in terror; she tried to back away, but I was faster. My fingers closed around her glowing Excalibur-rapier. Another flick—and the second holy sword was mine. Irina stumbled back, tripped, and fell to the ground, staring at me in horror and disbelief.
It all happened in an instant. I stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding two legendary holy swords—Durandal and a fragment of Excalibur. They glowed faintly in my hands, their holy power felt like a slight warmth, but it did me no harm.
Xenovia and Irina stared at me, speechless. Kiba and Rias, who had run to Issei, also froze in amazement.
I twirled the swords, examining them with mild curiosity.
"And all this fuss is over these pieces of metal?" I asked, my voice indifferent. "They look… ordinary. Though the aura is strong. But against me—useless."
I looked at the stunned exorcists.
"Take your toys," I threw the swords onto the ground at their feet. Durandal and Excalibur thudded dully on the grass. "And get out of here. Before I change my mind and break them. Your hunt within the academy walls is over."
I turned and walked toward the unconscious Issei, ignoring the shocked stares and the silence that hung in the air. Time to check how badly those fanatics had crippled my hapless "neighbor."