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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
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They advanced together, utterly disciplined, utterly composed, and the butt of their halberds came down again against the cold, hard floor.
We are girded for war! We are protected from sin!
It was affecting them. Their words.
Kiba swore under his breath. Issei held his hands to his ears. Blood leaked from the gaps in his fingers. Asia made a soft mewling noise by his side. Her body trembled as though she was wracked by a fever. Koneko shook her head to clear it, and when that failed, tried again.
It was affecting him too. The uttered verses were making his head ache with their drone. Within his mind, Belial's presence hissed and recoiled.
Revile the demon! Abhor the devil! Humanity will be free from your tainted touch!
"What is…" Issei gasped and tightened his hold over his ears, "What is going on?"
Irina's lips were set in a grimace.
"Knights Templar. They are exorcists, like us, but from a different order."
"Exorcists don't make me feel like this," Kiba growled and cast a dark gaze down on his sword arm, which was twitching in response.
"That is because they are both the best of us," Irina replied with a scowl, "and the worst of us."
We will cut into the corruption with our faith! With the weight of our words, we burn the dark!
"But why would they be working with someone who was excommunicated?" Asia had managed to recover enough to ask. He noticed that her knees still shook.
It was Xenovia who chose to answer, Durandal still bared towards the approaching figures.
"Because more often than not, they are the worst of us."
As if punctuating her point, dozens of halberds lowered as one, gleaming, metal tips pointed to their chests.
We are the Knights of the Cross! Bearers of His Word! And we shall excise you filth from His perfect world!
And then they charged and the world around him exploded into combat.
He knew it would not be an easy fight when they almost incapacitated Kiba in the first exchange. The sword-user, the finest swordsman he had seen so far, lasted for two savage clashes before he was being forced back, wheeling and pivoting on his feet as heavy, silver blades hacked down all around him. They hemmed him in from all sides, snaring him with brutal efficiency, and it was through sheer luck that the devil saw an opening and hurled himself out of the closing trap. The blackened gashes on his body when he emerged emitted smoke like burns. Asia had healed him, but he was not the only one in need of aid.
Irina and Xenovia were being mauled by their counterparts, the weight of numbers heavily leaning the fight against them. A score of tiny cuts across their bare limbs spoke of killing blows barely avoided, and while they were not life-threatening, the sheer amount would prove taxing in the long run. Issei was hardly doing any better, but through sheer dogged determination was somehow managing to keep up. Boosted Gear lashed out in armored punches, hammered in wild fury, but did nothing but dent the surface of gunmetal plate. Koneko was the only one that seemed to weather the attacks with any impunity, and that was only because of her innate toughness. Her own blows, what few she could land while protecting Asia, were shrugged off with equal ease.
It was not that their foes were superior warriors or better fighters. They were still only human, and did not possess the innate boosts to strength, speed, and endurance that all devils seemed to have. But they were disciplined, controlled, and when they attacked, they struck as a team, working together flawlessly as they sought to bring down a tougher, more agile foe. And that did not solely apply for their offense. Neither he nor the others could find an easy gap in their formations to exploit. Kiba had tried the hardest, darting into their ranks, seeking weaknesses, and was beat relentlessly back each time. Every Templar covered his brother-in-arms, presenting a solid wall of halberd points when they were pressed, then moving fluidly back to attack when the moment of crisis passed.
Not better warriors, but better soldiers. And in a battle like this, that made them the superior combatants.
And all the while they continued to chant. Continued to fill the air with their maddened verses.
Our purpose is sacred! Our cause is just! With every deed we carve our names into fabled legend!
Issei slipped and had to be dragged back by Kiba to avoid a stroke that would have left him disemboweled on the floor. Asia stumbled and was righted by Koneko, who herself nearly mistepped.
It was making them commit mistakes, the words. Making them hesitate. Each uttered syllable was like a faint buzzing in his mind, disturbing his concentration and making him second guess his judgment. And if he was this affected, they would be even more so.
We are the unyielding shield of man! The bulwark against sin! Upon our steel you shall break!
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