Genova = Xenovia
Shigen Shirou = Emiya Shirou?
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"Xenovia is just a tsundere, that's all," Irina said with a smile.
"Who's a tsundere?! Irina, don't just say random things!"
After Xenovia finished her meal, the four of them returned to the Occult Research Club's lounge.
"Even though I really don't want to, we have no choice but to cooperate with you devils on this mission." Xenovia's face was still slightly flushed, but she spoke in a serious tone.
Seeing the amused, half-smiling expressions on Rias and Yoru's faces, the girl blushed even more.
"Hey, hey, hey, since when did I agree to team up with you?" Rias remained silent, while Yoru chuckled and replied from the side.
"Hey, you broke Xenovia's holy sword. Don't you feel even a little sorry?" Irina pouted in protest.
"Didn't I already compensate you with another holy sword?"
"The sword you gave us is completely unusable, okay?!"
"Only a Holy Sword like Excalibur can destroy another Holy Sword. And that strange Sacred Gear of yours aside, if the Fallen Angels manage to get their hands on Excalibur, who do you think they'll use it on? Obviously, it'll be you devils who suffer." Xenovia explained seriously.
"So really, helping us destroy Excalibur would benefit you devils just as much, wouldn't it?"
"That's true," Yoru nodded. "But working with devils—won't your higher-ups punish you afterward?"
"There are no devils in this world capable of wielding Excalibur. We're only cooperating with the local priests and nuns, that's all." Xenovia turned her head away as she said this.
"Young lady, that doesn't sound like something a devout believer would say," Yoru chuckled at her response.
"I'm doing this for the glory of the Lord. I believe that even if the Lord finds out, He would surely forgive me." Xenovia spoke solemnly after a moment of contemplation.
If your God really did know, He'd probably cry… Yoru twitched his lips, unsure how to comment on a girl who always used "faith" as an excuse.
And so, their cooperation was decided. Not only Rias, but Sona had also received word from Yoru, and the operation was scheduled for 10 PM.
Although the three factions were often in conflict, they still followed one fundamental rule: never reveal supernatural powers to ordinary humans in the human world.
If this rule were broken, the world would descend into chaos.
"Xenovia, you don't have a Holy Sword anymore. So if you encounter an enemy, don't try to fight—run without thinking twice, got it?" Irina said seriously before they departed.
"I know what's important. I'm not the kind of person who'd throw my life away for nothing." Xenovia nodded.
"The enemies are in your hands now, Miss Rias, Miss Sona." Irina spoke politely to the two ladies before splitting up with Xenovia to begin their part of the search.
Rias and Sona each gave final instructions to their servants before heading off to join the hunt.
Yoru, too, moved through the darkness on his own. Shirou Emiya had likely been modified in just the past few days, and after the modifications were complete, the Fallen Angels immediately released him to test the results. Unfortunately for them, Yoru encountered him and eliminated him.
Since there wasn't much time between the transformation and Shirou's death, the Fallen Angels likely only discovered his demise recently. Even if they were trying to flee the city, they couldn't have gotten far yet.
But something puzzled Yoru: why would the Fallen Angels dare to conduct Holy Sword experiments in this town—a place where both the next heads of the Gremory and Sitri families lived?
Anyone with a brain knows the Fallen Angels want the Holy Swords to use against devils. So why would they have the guts to carry out experiments right on a Demon Lord's turf?
Unless... the Holy Swords weren't their real objective.
He focused his search on abandoned buildings, but as midnight approached, Yoru still found nothing. His phone remained silent too—clearly, no one else had any leads.
Hmm...? What's this aura…?
Yoru suddenly paused. Not far away, a wild and arrogant aura burst forth, roaming the town like a deliberate provocation.
"Seriously? Just showing up openly like that? How cocky can you be…" he muttered, scowling as he moved toward the source.
By the time he arrived, both Sona and Rias were already there. The two girls stared into the sky with grave expressions.
A man with black wings floated in midair, silhouetted against the moon.
One… two… three… five pairs of black wings!
The Fallen Angel wore an elaborately decorated long robe. Upon seeing Rias and Sona, he smiled with a sadistic glint.
"This is our first meeting, isn't it, daughter of the Gremory house? Such beautiful red hair… it reminds me of your disgusting brother. Makes me want to vomit."
"And that must be the daughter of the Sitri house. Your sister has left quite the impression on me as well."
"Greetings. I am Kokabiel, a Cadre of the Fallen Angels. And I am Rias Gremory. Please remember my name. And just so you know, the Gremory house has both the closest and most distant relationship with our Demon Lord. If you're trying to approach me for political intrigue between factions, then you're just wasting your time."
Kokabiel, a Cadre of the Fallen Angels? While the name wasn't familiar to Yoru, the five pairs of wings were more than enough to confirm this man wasn't some random foot soldier.
Among Fallen Angels, the number of wings denotes their strength: two wings for low-tier, four for mid-tier, six for high-tier. As for ten wings... that's nearly Demon Lord level—on par with Rias's brother or Sona's sister.
And judging from Kokabiel's tone, it sounded like he personally knew both of them. He clearly wasn't just any Cadre—he had serious status.
"This guy isn't just influential… he's one of the Fallen Angels whose name appears in the Bible—one of the few who survived the Great War of ancient times." Xenovia explained with a bitter smile, seeing the curiosity on Yoru's face.
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