GREMORY MANSION – KUOH
The magic circle disappeared in the center of the room a few seconds after they returned from the abandoned house. Demonic energy was still dissipating through the environment when Gasper carried the unconscious Selene to one of the sofas in the mansion and left her there without any special care.
The mage's body fell sideways onto the sofa while dried blood still stained part of her clothes.
Rias watched Selene for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Gasper.
"Gasper-kun..."
He looked at her immediately afterward.
"I'm going to let you and Akeno interrogate the mage alone."
Rias frowned slightly.
"Why?"
"Because I have something else to take care of." Gasper replied bluntly while adjusting the sleeve of his partially bloodstained clothes.
Akeno crossed her arms almost immediately upon hearing that.
"You're not going to hunt Fallen Angels by yourself again, are you?" Her tone carried genuine irritation this time. "Because honestly, I'm starting to get tired of this, Gasper-kun."
"No." He answered without hesitation. "This time I really won't."
Akeno kept her eyes on him for a few more seconds, clearly trying to decide whether she believed him or not.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Saji and Kiba found those two exorcists who were at the Occult Research Club." Gasper replied in the same calm tone. "And considering Xenovia's personality... I'd rather avoid a problem before someone blows up half of Kuoh."
Rias let out a small sigh through her nose as she imagined the situation.
"...Yeah, that really does sound like something that could happen."
Gasper nodded slightly.
"So I'm going to deal with it before it becomes a headache."
Rias remained silent for a moment before finally accepting the logic behind it.
"Alright." She placed one hand on her waist while looking at him. "Take care of that, Gasper-kun. Akeno and I will handle the mage."
"Good."
Gasper then shifted his gaze back to the unconscious Selene on the sofa before adding something else.
"Oh... and if possible, call Grayfia."
Akeno raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Grayfia?" She tilted her head a little. "Why?"
"Her blood." Gasper answered while looking at the mage. "There's too much magic mixed in there."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"It doesn't look like normal human blood... not even for a mage."
Rias immediately looked back at Selene, this time paying much closer attention to her body.
Akeno also lost part of the lightness in her expression.
"You noticed that just from the smell?" She asked with genuine curiosity.
"Yes." Gasper answered easily. "And honestly... it's been bothering me since I found her."
Rias slowly crossed her arms while organizing the situation in her mind.
"Alright." She nodded lightly. "Akeno, try to wake her up. I'll contact Grayfia."
"Got it." Akeno replied as she approached the sofa where Selene was lying.
Rias was already walking in the opposite direction of the room when Gasper turned toward the exit.
"Then I'm leaving." He lazily raised one hand. "Bye, girls."
Akeno immediately opened a small smile.
"Try not to kill anyone without me."
"No promises." Gasper replied in the same tone.
Rias let out a breath through her nose while lightly shaking her head.
"Come back soon."
Demonic energy emerged beneath his feet immediately afterward.
SHUUUN.
The magic circle appeared on the floor of the room before his body completely disappeared from the mansion, leaving only the red glow slowly fading from the environment.
Silence returned for a few seconds.
Then Akeno finally shifted her gaze to the unconscious Selene.
"Well..." Her smile slowly returned. "Time to wake up our guest."
ISOLATED STREET – KUOH
"You don't need to get involved in this, Saji." Kiba kept the sword created by his Sacred Gear pointed forward while never taking his eyes off Xenovia. "This is something I need to settle myself."
Saji remained standing beside him without taking a single step back. His usually relaxed expression had disappeared the moment he realized the hatred Kiba showed whenever he looked at Excalibur.
"We're friends." His tone became firm. "And members of the same peerage. You know I'm not just going to stand here and watch."
Xenovia watched the two without any real sign of concern while holding Excalibur naturally. The holy sword reflected the light of the empty street as she maintained a completely stable posture before them.
"Are you going to keep talking..." She slightly raised the blade. "Or are you finally going to fight, devils?"
Irina remained beside her, clearly more nervous since they arrived there. Unlike Xenovia, she had already realized the situation was close to spiraling completely out of control.
And then—
SHUUUN.
The red magic circle appeared between the groups before Gasper emerged in the middle of the street with practically no sound. His gaze quickly passed over all four as he assessed the entire situation within seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Can someone tell me what happened here?"
In truth, Gasper had already understood the situation the moment he saw Kiba staring at Excalibur.
The memories from the anime practically filled in the rest on their own: the laboratory, the experiments, and the hatred Kiba carried toward holy swords.
"Gasper... thank goodness you're here." Saji let out a clearly relieved breath. "This was starting to get complicated."
Xenovia frowned slightly the moment she saw him. The memory of the humiliation inside the Occult Research Club was still far too fresh, especially the absurd ease with which Gasper had subdued both her and Irina at the same time.
Irina also became much more tense immediately.
If she could choose...
She honestly preferred avoiding a fight with him again.
Kiba stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
"I'm going to duel them."
Gasper slowly shifted his gaze toward him while observing the Sacred Gear sword trembling slightly in his hand.
"I know your reasons, Kiba." His tone remained calm. "So I won't stop the duel."
Kiba gripped the sword even tighter upon hearing that. His eyes hardened immediately while his attention remained completely fixed on Xenovia's Excalibur.
"But..." Gasper continued right afterward. "That won't solve anything."
"For me, it'll solve a lot." The answer came immediately.
Gasper observed him silently for a few seconds while organizing his thoughts.
'If I were in his place... I'd probably want revenge too.'
The problem was something else.
'But like this he'll lose to Xenovia just like he did in the anime.'
Even strong as he was, Kiba was still too emotional at that moment. And fighting someone like Xenovia while carrying that level of instability was dangerous.
Even so...
Gasper decided not to interfere.
'Maybe he needs to go through this.'
"Alright." He finally replied. "You can fight the blue-haired girl."
His gaze quickly moved across the others right afterward.
"The rest stay out of it."
Irina immediately opened her mouth.
"But—"
"I accept." Xenovia interrupted her without hesitation as she stepped forward. "Irina, stay out of it."
Her eyes turned directly toward Gasper.
"And you?" Her tone remained firm. "Will you save him if I win?"
"Kiba isn't going to die here." Gasper answered emotionlessly. "But if you defeat him... I won't interfere."
A small smile appeared on Kiba's face upon hearing that.
"Good."
Saji still looked uncomfortable as he watched both sides of the street.
"Are you sure about this, Gasper?"
"Yes." He answered without taking his eyes off the area that was slowly becoming a battlefield. "So stay out of it."
Saji slowly let out a breath before finally obeying. Irina also stepped back a few meters shortly afterward, clearly unhappy but understanding that Xenovia would not back down from that decision.
Thus, only Kiba and Xenovia remained in the center of the empty street.
The wind slowly passed between them while the magical barrier completely concealed the location from normal humans. The pressure of their two energies began to grow little by little, spreading small cracks through the asphalt beneath their feet.
Kiba held his sword so tightly that his fingers had already begun trembling slightly.
But the hatred in his eyes was not truly directed at Xenovia. It was directed at Excalibur, at the memory of the laboratory, and at the screams of the children used in the Church's experiments.
Irina noticed that immediately while watching from afar. For the first time since meeting Kiba, she began to understand that this devil wasn't fighting out of pride or provocation.
He truly hated that sword.
Even so...
Irina lightly clenched her hands while watching Xenovia take her stance with Excalibur. Her friend remained completely calm in the face of the growing pressure spreading across the street.
'Xenovia can win...'
She knew Xenovia's strength better than anyone. Xenovia could be rigid, difficult, and completely obsessed with the mission, but she was still one of the Church's finest holy sword users.
Irina then slowly exhaled before speaking in a quieter voice, almost like encouragement.
"Give it everything you've got, Xenovia..." Her eyes remained fixed on her friend. "And try not to cause any more problems with the devils."
Support here: patreon.com/22Mirko22
Thank you so much for reading - see you in the next chapter!