While Rias and the others were already in motion, at the center of the Kuoh Academy courtyard, four swords floated midair, radiating a divine glow, as a magic circle spread out from their center across the entire courtyard.
Standing at the heart of the circle was an old man—the very same Valper Galilei, whom Irina and Xenovia had mentioned as the exiled researcher of the Holy Sword Project from the Church.
"It's finally time—to merge the four Excaliburs into one," Valper said joyfully.
"To recreate the sacred relic Excalibur... even the Lord will shed tears of joy at my achievement!" A twisted grin appeared on his face, fully intoxicated by his delusions.
"Valper, how much longer until the fusion of Excalibur is complete?"
An impatient voice echoed from above—Kokabiel emerged under the moonlight.
Floating mid-air on a chair, Kokabiel looked down with a gleeful smile, clearly anticipating something interesting to happen.
"Less than five minutes, Kokabiel."
"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you."
Kokabiel shifted his gaze away from Valper, then murmured to himself:
"Will Sirzechs come? Or Serafall?"
"I'm afraid you won't need either of the Demon Lords to deal with you."
With a calm smile, Yoru stepped out under the moonlight into the courtyard.
"Oh… have the little sisters of the Demon Lords gone into hiding? And they sent a useless pawn like you to die in their place? Hahaha… now that's hilarious."
At the sight of Yoru, Kokabiel blinked briefly, then burst into mocking laughter after sensing he was just a low-class devil.
To Kokabiel, someone of Yoru's level was like an ant—something he could crush at will.
"So you're fusing Excaliburs? That's your goal? Gotta admit, it looks kind of interesting," Yoru said, amused, though the divine aura of Excalibur still made him uncomfortable, despite not being affected like ordinary devils.
"Five minutes, huh? Then I'll play with you for a bit first. Let's start by killing a servant of the Gremory House… As for those little pests hiding off to the side…"
With his power, Kokabiel easily detected Rias and the others circling from the side. He snapped his fingers gleefully.
"Let's have you play with a few pets I brought up straight from Hell."
As he snapped his fingers, something massive stirred in the shadows—something that defied human comprehension.
A giant, jet-black beast, towering dozens of meters high, walked on four thick legs. Bone-white claws protruded with terrifying sharpness, and three blood-red eyes glowed ominously in the darkness. From its gaping maw extended rows of razor-sharp fangs, emitting white-hot vapor.
It looked like a giant hound… but it had three heads.
Awooooooo!!
With a deafening roar, the creature fully emerged into the light, shaking the area.
"Cerberus, the Hellhound…" Rias muttered in disgust, clearly knowing they couldn't sit idle anymore.
The beast had only just appeared when a massive bolt of lightning struck it cleanly from above.
Awooooo!!
The beast growled furiously and turned its gaze to the sky, trying to locate its attacker.
"Ara ara, what an adorable little dog. Allow me to play with you," said Akeno Himejima, dressed in her signature red-and-white shrine maiden outfit. Unfolding her wings, she floated in the sky, crackling with lightning energy.
"Push forward and stop that old man from completing the Excalibur fusion!" Rias ordered—but Kiba Yuuto was already charging ahead, his eyes burning red.
His greatest enemy stood right before him—there was no way he could hold back.
As Cerberus lunged from the shadows, growling and baring its fangs at Kiba, several demonic swords materialized around him. With agile steps, he jumped from blade to blade, dodging its assault.
The hellhound bit into nothing but dust—then six thin demonic swords appeared around Kiba.
Awoooo!!
A shriek of agony followed—Kiba landed gracefully while the Cerberus writhed in pain, its six eyes pierced through by the blades.
But its suffering didn't last long—Koneko and Xenovia arrived moments later and tore the beast apart.
"This guy's improved a lot," Xenovia remarked, surprised by Kiba's precise strikes.
"That's because his enemy is right in front of him," Akeno sighed from the sky.
"It's done!" Valper shouted excitedly. At the same time, the four Excaliburs began to emit an intense, holy light.
Kokabiel applauded from above.
"So you've finally combined the four Excaliburs into one?"
Holy light radiated across the courtyard. It was so bright that even Kiba had to shield his eyes. Peering into the center, they saw the four swords merging into one.
After all, Excalibur was originally a single sword. Though split into seven, four of them were now becoming one again.
When the blinding light subsided, a single sword stood in the courtyard, exuding blue-white divine energy.
"Thanks to the energy released during the fusion, the following spell is also complete. In less than twenty minutes, this city will be destroyed. The only way to stop it is to defeat Kokabiel," Valper declared proudly.
But the expected fear never showed on the others' faces.
Valper had no time to wonder why. The entire courtyard lit up as magic patterns activated, gathering energy—a force powerful enough to wipe out the entire city.
"Valper Galilei, you shall wield the fused Excalibur," Kokabiel called out from above. "This must be what you've always dreamed of, right?"
"With great pleasure," Valper replied, a deranged gleam flashing in his eyes.
"See it, Lord? I was right! Witness it—the light of Excalibur shining once more in my hand… such a magnificent radiance!"
He laughed maniacally, holding the fused sword close to his face in pure ecstasy.
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