"Such heresy… A heretic like you isn't worthy of believing in my Lord!" Xenovia exclaimed furiously, glaring at Valper Galilei who was still spewing his arrogant rhetoric.
"Hahaha! What do you know? The Holy Sword Project was perfect! If it weren't for your interference, I would've already restored the glory of Excalibur!" Valper shouted in anger, waving the merged Excalibur in his hand.
"Valper Galilei… I am a survivor of the Holy Sword Project. No—more accurately, I died and was only able to survive by being reincarnated as a devil." Yuuto Kiba coldly declared, his eyes burning with hatred as he stared down the man responsible for his past trauma.
"Oh? A survivor of that project? How unfortunate. And to meet here, in this far eastern island… what a twist of fate. Hehehe…" Valper chuckled darkly.
"I once loved the Holy Swords. I dreamed about them. As a child, I admired the legends of Excalibur… But the moment I learned I had no compatibility to wield one, I fell into despair." Valper's tone suddenly softened with a twisted nostalgia.
"Because I couldn't use them myself, I grew obsessed with those who could. That obsession evolved, and I buried myself in research to artificially create Holy Sword wielders. And I succeeded—all thanks to you lot." He raised his head and grinned maliciously at Yuuto.
"What?! You succeeded? But weren't we all declared failures and disposed of?" Yuuto raised an eyebrow in shock. According to what he, Rias, and Xenovia knew, all of the children involved in the research were deemed failed experiments and then executed.
But Valper shook his head with a sinister smile.
"Upon discovering that wielding a Holy Sword required a specific sacred factor, I began measuring compatibility in those tested. Almost all of the children had this factor—enough to wield Excalibur. So I reached a conclusion: 'What if I extracted those factors and concentrated them in one body?' And then..."
"I see... So when the chosen were 'blessed' to become sword wielders, what was inserted into their bodies was—" Xenovia seemed to have figured out the horrifying truth and clenched her teeth in anger.
"Exactly. The female Holy Sword user had within her the crystallized sacred factors extracted from others. Like this one," Valper said, pulling out a glowing orb from his robe. The light it emitted was dazzling and radiated a holy aura.
"Thanks to this, my research advanced by leaps and bounds. But the Church rejected me as a heretic, confiscated my research. Yet judging by your presence, my work must've been continued by someone. Damn that Michael… He wanted to condemn me, but in the end, it all led back to this. Oh well, that's how angels are. At least I didn't kill the test subjects when I extracted their factors—more humane than most, wouldn't you say?"
Valper laughed madly, seemingly indifferent to the now visibly enraged Yuuto and Xenovia.
Having said his piece, Valper turned his twisted attention back to Yuuto.
"So you see? Thanks to you, I've fulfilled my dream of wielding Excalibur!"
"You killed our comrades… just to extract their Holy Sword compatibility?" Yuuto asked, voice laced with killing intent.
"Indeed. This orb is the result of that. It's a miraculous thing. Even a devil can wield a Holy Sword thanks to it. Hahahaha!"
"Though the boy's body mutated from the power clash, he still seemed so happy. A great specimen, really. A shame he got killed—though I don't know by whom." Valper sighed, referring, of course, to the slain Shirou (formerly known as Shigen Shirou in this fic).
"Valper Galilei… For your research, for your own selfish desires, you sacrificed all those lives…" Yuuto's hand trembled, his anger manifesting as overwhelming magical pressure surrounding his entire body.
"Hmph. Since you're so sentimental, I'll give you this crystal. The research is at a stage where mass production is nearly possible. First, I'll destroy this city alongside Kokabiel. Then I'll gather the legendary swords scattered around the world. Then, I'll mass-produce sword wielders. And with the unified Excalibur, I'll declare war on Michael and the Vatican! I'll show those foolish angels and their so-called new order the results of my genius!"
Valper tossed the now-useless crystal to the ground like it no longer mattered. It rolled to a stop at Yuuto's feet.
Yuuto slowly bent down and picked it up.
With sadness, nostalgia, and tenderness, he caressed the crystal.
"Everyone…"
Tears welled up in Yuuto's eyes. His face showed deep sorrow and fury. And just then, the crystal in his hand began to emit a gentle light.
The light grew, eventually expanding to envelop the entire school courtyard.
From the ground, spheres of light emerged and took shape.
Human shapes.
Surrounding Yuuto were boys and girls glowing with a soft, blue-white light.
Yuuto looked at them, his expression full of grief and longing.
"Everyone! I… I…"
"I always… always wondered. Was it okay… that I was the only one who survived? There were others who held onto dreams more strongly than I did. Others who wanted to live even more desperately than I did. Was it really okay for me alone to live on in peace?"
One of the glowing souls smiled gently and said something to Yuuto.
Though no sound came, their lips moved, and a soft hymn lingered in the air.
"Don't worry about us. Just live your life well."
Understanding their message, Yuuto's tears flowed freely.
The spirits began to move their mouths in unison, as if singing in rhythm.
"A hymn…"
Asia whispered softly beside him.
They were singing… and Yuuto, crying, joined them in the hymn.
That song—their only hope and source of strength during the torment of their experiments.
That song—their only nourishment, their only light in those dark, desperate days.
They sang with pure, childlike smiles.
The spirits of the children glowed brightly with blue-white light. The radiance grew stronger, centering on Yuuto.
"Thank you..."
Yuuto murmured from the depths of his heart.
"He's awakened…"
Rias smiled, her voice full of relief.
Sacred Gears grow stronger by feeding on their wielder's emotions and willpower. But sometimes, a deeper transformation occurs. When the wielder's wish burns so intensely that it could overturn the very world…
That is the Balance Breaker.
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