[Yuuto's POV]
I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling of my room as the moonlight filtered through the curtains. My body sank into the mattress, finally allowing itself to relax after the absurdity that was today.
A long, deep sigh escaped my lips.
It took a whole damn hour to convince Issei and Ddraig that the entire ordeal wasn't a sacrifice.
The moment we'd returned from that chamber, Issei had practically tackled me with questions. His face was a mixture of concern, confusion, and that perverted curiosity that defined him.
"Kiba! What the hell happened back there?! You were gone for like forever! Did she—wait, did you actually—"
I'd cut him off before his imagination could run completely wild.
Explaining the binding contract had been the easy part. Explaining that I'd deliberately orchestrated this whole meeting to escape said contract? That took significantly more effort. Issei kept insisting that I should've just told him from the start, that he would've helped regardless.
And honestly? He probably would have.
The kid had a heart bigger than his brain, which was saying something considering how small his brain seemed most of the time, while he screams about his devotion to the oppais.
But what really solidified his support was when I reminded him of our history. The Fallen Angel incident, how I'd intervened when Raynare would've killed him. How I'd arranged protection for his parents, making sure they'd never wind up in the supernatural world's conflicts.
That shut down any remaining protests real quick.
Issei had grabbed my shoulder with surprising firmness, his expression more serious than I'd ever seen it "You saved my life, man. You've been looking out for me and my family this whole time. If you needed my help with this, you should've just said so! I've got your back!"
It was... touching, actually. Underneath all that perverted exterior was someone genuinely loyal.
Of course, then both of us had turned our attention to Ddraig.
And That conversation had been entertaining.
"So let me get this straight" I'd said, my voice echoing through the cavern as Tiamat had finally allowed us to leave "You stole from a Dragon King. Not just any Dragon King, but Tiamat. And then you not only lost what you stole, but you spent centuries running away instead of, I don't know, maybe apologising or trying to look for her treasure?"
[[I... it seemed like a good idea at the time...]] Ddraig's voice had been smaller than I'd ever heard it.
"A good idea?! THAT'S LIKE—" Issei had gestured wildly "—THAT'S LIKE STEALING FROM A YAKUZA BOSS AND THEN BEING SURPRISED WHEN THEY HUNT YOU DOWN!"
[[ ... ]]
The mental image of an ancient, legendary Heavenly Dragon getting scolded by two teenagers was going to amuse me for weeks.
Eventually, we'd left the familiar forest. I'd opened a spatial tear, dropped Issei back at his house with his parents, and made my way back here.
To my room.
To finally process everything.
My fingers interlaced behind my head as I shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. The events of the day played through my mind like a movie reel.
So now, Tiamat now owes me a favor
That single thought made everything worth it. The stress, the planning, the risk of pissing off a Dragon King, all of it had paid off in the most valuable currency in the supernatural world.
A favor from someone of Tiamat's caliber wasn't something you wasted on trivial requests. Training? I could get that elsewhere. Treasure? What would I even do with a mountain of gold and ancient artifacts? Sell them? To who?
This favor was something to hold onto. Something to save for when I truly needed it. A trump card for a desperate situation. An ace up my sleeve for when the chips were down and the stakes were life or death.
Patience, I told myself Patience and perfect timing. That's how you maximize the benefits of an opportunity like this
With that matter settled in my mind, my thoughts drifted to more immediate concerns.
Valper Galilei.
The name alone left a bitter taste. The mad priest who'd created the Holy Sword Project, the man responsible for the experiments that had killed my friends, destroyed innocent lives, all in the pursuit of creating artificial Holy Sword wielders.
And now he had something I needed.
The holy element. The final piece I required to balance my demonic nature, to achieve true equilibrium in my power and finally awaken my Balance Breaker and ultimately elevate the sword Birth.
All I need to do is wait for the right moment
The plan was simple : catch Valper alone, activate the Infinity Castle, trap him inside that ever-shifting dimensional maze, and get what I needed. The Castle's properties would nullify any escape attempts. Its infinite corridors and constantly rearranging architecture would break even the most determined prisoner's spirit.
Just have to be patient. Wait for the opportunity. Don't force it.
Forcing situations led to mistakes. Mistakes led to complications. Complications led to people getting hurt or plans falling apart. I'd learned that lesson well enough in my previous life and this one, from watching anime.
A yawn suddenly cracked my jaw, so wide my eyes watered.
My body was finally catching up to the day's events, the adrenaline and tension bleeding away to leave behind pure exhaustion. My eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them, drooping despite my best efforts to keep them open.
It's been so long since I got to sleep without worries
. . .
[ The next day, in the Occult Club Room after School ]
So, the Kokabeil Arc has officially begun.
Right now, I and the rest of the peerage members were standing behind the sofa as Rias sat facing exorcists duo, posing as mysterious, as if they are not from the church, but from a secret organization who rarely make their appearance.
The girl on the left, had a large sword covered in bandages resting next to her. She had medium-length blue hair with a green streak over it and golden eyes brimming with confidence, that promised to even make Satan beg for her mercy.
Xenovia aka Koneko with a holy sword and no brains for tactics.
The other girl had long orange hair tied into twin tails with vibrant eyes. Unlike Xenovia, she had a laid back and nonchalant vibe, with no idea what lies ahead and just leaving everything in her creator's hands.
Irina, the childhood friend of one and only former? Don't know if he is still or not. But who cares, I have more things to worry about someone being labelled as an individual fated for some fate.
"We appreciate your cooperation in this matter" My thoughts were interrupted by Xenovia, introducing herself "I am Xenovia Quarta"
"I'm Irina Shidou!!"
Rias crossed her arms as she asked.
"So, Why do servants of god such as yourself require to meet a devil in person"
"As you might know, the church is in ownership of 6 pieces of the holy Excalibur split amongst its divisions. But recently, 3 of those pieces making up the Excalibur have been stolen by the Fallen Angels"
While every devil was surprised by this revelation, I was trying to come up with what could be the reason that these two were sent here, not Dulio.
I don't know if Church has too little understanding of the situation or just too much confidence in these two ignorant girls, and sent them for the task. But I can't help but doubt if their superiors have some information about who was behind all this.
"This is Excalibur Destruction, the shard of Excalibur in my possession"
"And this is Excalibur Mimic~ My shard of Excalibur"
Rias raised a brow, asking the question that everyone in her peerage had in their mind, right now.
"I can see that, but you still haven't said why you have sought me out or why it concerns us"
"We have reason to believe that the fallen angels who stole the shards of Excalibur are hiding in this town" Leaning forward, she stared Rias in the eyes "And we can't afford to deal with you devils while we search for the pieces of Excalibur and dispatch the fallen angels"
Pfft. Dispatching the Kokabeil? Yeah good luck, as if you could stop someone like him, who plans on waging war against Devils by attacking this town. But knowing how the events will turn out, I ended up sighing as this whole fiasco will befall upon me to deal with, in the end.
Rias stared back, as her demonic power flared slightly "Do you think we would co-operate with fallen angels for the Holy Swords? What would I have to gain by going to such lengths"
"Devils despise Holy Swords, don't they?" Xenovia clapped back "You could conspire with them to get rid of the swords"
Rias narrowed her eyes, as Xenovia continued to make it clear to us that she was not the sharpest one between two of them. I have concerns for the church if every other exorcist they send on missions has this level of social skills.
She is lucky, it's the sister of Satan that lives here, if it was Satan himself present in this room-
"If we must, we will completely eradicate you, whether you are the sister of Satan or not"
She needs some help for sure. Even an ordinary human with a Longinus would think twice to threaten a sister of Satan.
I don't know whether I should be angry or just jump out of the window, to not hear anymore of this bullshit.
And finally Rias came to my rescue by putting an end to this debacle.
"You sure are arrogant. Well, regardless, let me tell you, in the name of Gremory I would never side with the Fallen Angels or do anything to besmirch the name of Satans. You can be rest assured we won't try to hinder your search, but don't expect us to offer a helping hand either"
Xenovia smirked.
"Good to hear. That is all the headquarters wanted, as long as you agree to a non-aggression pact with us for this matter we will have no problems."
Rias sighed in barely concealed annoyance but agreed to it.
"Very well. Now then, are there any matters you want to discuss or do you perhaps want to stay for some tea?"
Xenovia shook her head and got up along with Irina in tow.
"No thank you, unlike some others, as members of the Holy Church we cannot afford to befriend devils."
She cast a gaze towards Asia and I knew what was going on in Xenovia's mind, as her gaze locked onto her before she tilted her head slightly.
"It has been nagging me since I have entered here. You are Asia Argento correct?"
"Y-yes?" Asia looked uncomfortable, but with a light squeeze on her should she eased up a little. Xenovia glanced at me as she then looked back at Asia and continued.
"I didn't think I'd see a witch here"
Asia visibly flinched at that
Irina, tilted her head as her eyes widened and then joined in as well.
"Oh right, she was that girl who was excommunicated from the church for being able to heal a devil and branded as a witch. Still, I never thought you would become a devil after becoming a saint"
Asia clenched her skirt tightly and I could see some tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"So, what if she became a devil? Are you going to pass judgement in the name of your Lord?"
I narrowed my eyes at the exorcist girls, Xenovia looked back at me, completely unconcerned about the safety and sanctity of her life. She is lucky that I am always a calm and reasonable person who doesn't go on harming my opponents.
"I was simply curious about whether she still maintained her faith even after taking the hand of a devil. I heard before that some blasphemers still retain their belief in god even after becoming a devil out of guilt. And she seemed like the type to"
I looked down at her, stepping out from behind the couch as she narrowed her eyes at me.
"And I'm still not getting to the part where it says, It concerns you" I stared at her as I was ready to smack some sense in her "I don't care what you believe in, but if you keep on disrespecting Asia" I summoned LostVayne in my hands, as Rias stood abruptly as if she got some flashbacks.
Xenovia walked right up to me and narrowed her eyes while Irina looked distressed by how this was escalating, all of a sudden.
"I don't understand why calling a blasphemer who abandoned her god is none of my business, as a representative of the church"
"Don't give me a lecture about the church's teachings. I am well aware of how they treated Asia. You're lucky that Rias is present here or else-"
"Else what? Become enemies with the Church?"
She smirked as she gripped the hilt of her sword while I was ready to wipe smirk off her face.
. . . .
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