"Why are you two wearing Kuoh Academy uniforms?"
As Yoru asked this with visible confusion, the two girls exchanged a glance, then unfurled black bat-like wings behind them.
Yoru froze. There was no doubt—this was a symbol exclusive to devils, and now it appeared on two former Holy Sword wielders of the Church.
"You two…" Just as Yoru was about to say something, Xenovia cut in.
"That's right. Irina and I have fallen," Xenovia said frankly, her tone carrying a trace of resignation.
"After learning that God no longer exists, I gave in to despair and reincarnated as a devil. We received 'Knight' and 'Bishop' Evil Pieces from Rias Gremory. So, we're also enrolling at this academy. Starting today, we're your classmates in the second year—and members of the Occult Research Club. Nice to meet you again, Ice Player."
Ice Player again? What's with that nickname?
Yoru resisted the urge to cover his face in frustration and gave Xenovia a tired look.
"And what's with your tone? Why are you trying to sound cute with such a serious expression? It just doesn't work."
"I was trying to copy Irina, but I guess I can't pull it off."
"Why would you try to imitate me?" Irina said, her face reddening slightly.
"Originally, Irina was more reluctant to fall. Her faith ran deeper than mine," Xenovia admitted with a guilty glance toward Irina.
"But we had no other path left. Knowing that God no longer exists made us the Church's greatest heretics. Not only did we fail our mission—we became outcasts. Given how the Church deals with heretics, our fate would've been grim."
Xenovia's voice grew bitter. From once-holy Holy Sword users, they now had to rely on the shelter of devils to survive. It was ironic to a cruel degree.
The more devout the believer, the more devastating the truth. Take Asia, for instance—though she's scatterbrained, her faith is unshakable. Thankfully, Yoru managed to convince her at a crucial moment. Otherwise, if her entire worldview were shattered, who knows what she might have done?
Thinking of this, Yoru let out a quiet sigh.
"In any case… welcome to Kuoh Academy, and to the Occult Research Club. We're comrades from now on," Yoru said with a warm smile, extending his hand.
"Please take care of us, Yoru-kun," Irina replied with a more natural smile, taking his hand.
"Still, becoming a devil really opened my eyes to how crazy this school is. I didn't expect another Demon King's little sister to be here," Xenovia sighed, arms crossed.
Thinking back to her past arrogance, she flushed with embarrassment. The shattered sword and the intense battle just recently had completely stripped her of her former bravado.
The damaged playground and gymnasium, destroyed by Kokabiel, had already been fully repaired by the Devil side.
To restore it all in just one night—devil powers were truly impressive.
Then again, if they could create replicas of the school in dimensional spaces, this level of restoration probably wasn't a big deal.
"For this incident, the Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel, has already informed both Heaven and the Devils of the truth. The attempt to steal the Excalibur was Kokabiel's solo act. None of the other leaders knew anything. His scheme to disrupt the balance among the three factions and reignite war has earned him permanent freezing in the lowest level of Hell—Cocytus," Rias explained.
It seemed Kokabiel had been permanently imprisoned.
Of course, this so-called "eternal freezing in Hell" was probably just for show. While Kokabiel's personality was repulsive, he was still a powerful commander—an asset the Fallen Angels couldn't afford to lose.
"And regarding Xenovia and Irina, the Church completely ignored their existence during the summit—not even Vilver Galilei was mentioned. They acted like none of it had anything to do with them," Rias added with a disgusted expression.
"As expected… It's so dirty it makes me want to vomit," Xenovia sneered. Irina simply lowered her head in silent sorrow. Still clinging to some vestige of faith, she couldn't accept that she and Xenovia had been discarded like broken tools—useless and forgotten.
A church without God's grace or love… truly repulsive.
"Lastly, not long from now, representatives of Heaven, the Devils, and the Fallen Angels—including Azazel—will hold a summit. I heard Azazel wants to speak personally. Some say it's to apologize for Kokabiel, but honestly, I doubt he will," Rias said, shrugging in frustration.
Azazel, known for his boldness and overwhelming ego, apologize? No one would believe that. Especially considering he fell from Heaven simply for a ridiculous desire—to pursue sexual experiences with women.
A meeting between the Three Great Factions, huh? Yoru found himself very interested. Since his power had already been revealed to many, it was time to start executing his plans.
"We've been invited to attend as well—because we were directly involved in the incident. We'll need to report at the meeting."
"Really?!"
Yoru hadn't responded yet, but the others in the room were visibly shaken. A summit between the faction leaders? Their fear was understandable.
"Oh right, that White Dragon—is he with the Fallen Angels?"
"That's right. Azazel is gathering Sacred Gear users with 'Longinus'—the so-called God-Slaying class. No one knows exactly what he's planning, but it's definitely suspicious. That 'White Dragon' is one of the top possessors. They say among the strongest under the 'Watchers of the Son of God,' he ranks fourth or fifth. He's already in full Balance Breaker mode. As you saw last night, he easily dealt with Kokabiel," Rias explained.
Yoru nodded lightly. Kokabiel was no longer worth considering. To him, Kokabiel had lost the qualifications to serve as a benchmark of strength.
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