Yoru's power was ice, but even so, the frost he wielded didn't just appear out of thin air.
To create ice, there first had to be water—and that water came from the moisture floating in the air. That meant on a night like this, drenched in a torrential downpour with water vapor abundant, Yoru was practically invincible.
With a mere wave of his hand, he could stir the heavens. Surrounded by an exhilarating aura of power that felt almost tangible, Yoru's heart surged with the pride and ambition to challenge even the Demon King himself.
The bone-chilling cold seemed to freeze time itself. With an icy gaze, Yoru stared at the howling monster before him. Killing him now, and making sure Sona could never find him again—perhaps that would be for the best, for both her and himself.
If she saw what Shirou Shigen had become… she would no doubt be filled with guilt and sorrow.
These thoughts streamed through his mind like a bubbling spring. In the blink of an eye, time resumed its flow, the torrential rain continued to pour down, and faster than the falling rain—came the blades.
Ice blades, densely packed and conjured from pure frost, covered the sky like a hail of thousands of deadly arrows crashing down upon the earth.
As for Shirou Shigen on the other side—he had no chance to react before the storm of icy lances engulfed him. He didn't even get the chance to run.
His body had been modified, suddenly gaining a strength he never even dared to dream of before. But that strength gave him an illusion—an illusion that he was invincible, that he was peerless.
Especially with his physically enhanced body impervious to swords and blades—it fed him another illusion: that he could withstand all attacks simply by brute force.
Because of those illusions, he had been blinded by Yoru in the very first moment of their clash—and that same illusion led to his current demise.
Yoru quietly watched the spectacle before him. The destruction was strangely beautiful, crimson flowers blooming in the darkness. Shirou Shigen could still let out beastly roars at first, but soon even that fell silent. All that remained was the sound of icy blades piercing the ground, one after another.
When the rain resumed after a momentary lull, what stood before Yoru was a forest of blades made entirely of ice. The dense formation of blades, each over a meter long, interlocked in a chaotic, eerie display. And in the spot where Shirou had once stood—not a trace of life remained.
Yoru silently stared at the mass pinned to the ground, a grotesque mess of black and red mush. The torrential rain slowly washed it away, bit by bit, into the sewer drains. Once the rain stopped… perhaps no trace would remain at all.
Before long, the towering ice forest melted away, and the disharmonious dark red stains were completely rinsed clean by the rain. The only things left were a sacred sword glinting with a cold gleam and a pitted, scarred patch of ground—nothing else.
Yoru stepped forward and gently pulled the sword—Excalibur—from the ground.
A deep hum vibrated through the air. This weapon, one that was like poison to demons, trembled faintly in Yoru's grasp.
"What an unpleasant power," Yoru muttered.
He had heard the stories of Excalibur from Rias. But to run into it this soon—truly, fate had a twisted sense of humor.
That said, this so-called demon-slaying holy sword Excalibur didn't seem to have any real effect on him—no more than that light spear used by the fallen angels. Aside from making him mildly uncomfortable, it posed no real threat.
That made Yoru begin to wonder… Was he truly a demon?
"Ahh… it's getting late. That girl Aisha must be getting anxious."
Thinking of Aisha waiting for him, Yoru casually tucked Excalibur at his waist and began walking toward the outskirts of town.
For such a heavily protected relic like Excalibur to end up here, in this far eastern island nation—and more absurdly, to end up in the hands of a demon—surely the Vatican must be in complete uproar.
He had no idea who was responsible for modifying Shirou Shigen and allowing him to wield Excalibur freely. But anyone who possessed that kind of technology couldn't be an ordinary person. Most likely, it was someone from the fallen angel side—after all, who else would be so obsessed with the sacred sword?
Yoru had no interest in figuring out what the fallen angels were up to. Now that he had destroyed their precious test subject and taken their sacred sword, he could assume they'd come looking for him. When that time came… he would deal with it then.
As that thought crossed his mind, the silhouette of a church came into view.
Aisha stood at the church entrance, seemingly waiting for him. The moment she saw his figure appear in the rain, the girl breathed a deep sigh of relief, her expression full of gratitude as if she had just been saved.
Yoru blinked in slight confusion. It didn't seem like Aisha called him here tonight just to help clean the church?
Sure, Aisha would often come to clean when she had time. But calling him out on a stormy night like this just to help… now that he thought about it, it was odd.
"Ugh… Yoru-san, you're finally here. I really didn't know what to do…"
"What's going on?"
Yoru asked with a slight frown, and Aisha lowered her head, speaking in frustration.
"Um… the church sent people over. I didn't know what to do, and I was too scared to tell Sister Rias. So I came to you."
Hearing that, Yoru's expression turned serious.
"Aisha, I know you're softhearted. But you're a demon now. If the people sent by the church are our enemies… we'll have no choice but to eliminate them."
"B-But…"
Aisha's face instantly filled with hesitation and distress. And just then, Yoru sensed something. Through the storm and wind, two presences he found deeply repulsive were slowly approaching.
He knew that feeling all too well. It was the exact same aura Excalibur had—an aura he had just taken from Shirou Shigen not long ago.
More sacred swords…? And two of them?!
Could it be… more of those modified monsters, like Shirou Shigen?
That thought darkened Yoru's expression. He pulled Aisha behind him and took a few cautious steps back.
"W-What is it, Yoru-san? Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?"
"We've got guests…"
As Yoru spoke, Aisha's eyes widened. Through the rain-drenched night, two cloaked figures slowly emerged—struggling forward through the storm.
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