"Interesting..." Falchion raised his sword, pointing it directly at Calibur. "So, Kurayami has found itself a new wielder? Let us see if your darkness is deep enough to swallow this eternal flame."
Falchion lunged forward with a strike; Calibur met him with a sharp horizontal slash.
CLANG!
The collision of Ankokuken Kurayami and Mumeiken Kyomu created a massive shockwave that sent the surrounding debris flying.
Calibur parried Falchion's blade with the back of his sword, sparks flying between the two weapons. 'I thought the Kamen Rider Saber story was over since Kamiyama-san has been a Rider for a long time. Tsk, there are too many variables changing the script,' Calibur thought.
Falchion shoved Calibur back. "What are you thinking about?"
Calibur counter-attacked. "I thought you were supposed to be rotting in the Book of Ruin!" Calibur shot back.
Calibur swung Ankokuken Kurayami in a precise diagonal slash, but Falchion parried it effortlessly with a sinister laugh.
"How did you escape the seal within the Book of Ruin?!" Calibur asked, his voice heavy and distorted by his armor as he attacked again.
Falchion brushed aside Calibur's blade, spun around, and delivered a powerful kick that Calibur managed to block with his forearm.
"Hahaha! You seem to know a lot about me. Let's just say I have my own ways of getting free!" Falchion charged again.
Issei, Kiba, and Koneko stood a few meters away, frozen. Kiba, who usually took pride in his speed, couldn't even see an opening to intervene. "So fast..." Kiba muttered, gripping his sword tight.
Calibur realized that in terms of raw power and regeneration, Falchion had the upper hand because of the Phoenix energy he had just absorbed.
Calibur activated the Fenghuang Down that hung at his waist beneath his armor.
Just as Falchion was about to slash Calibur, he suddenly felt his body become incredibly heavy.
"What?!" Falchion tried to swing Mumeiken Kyomu, but his movements looked like he was underwater. 'Am I getting old? Why are my reflexes so dull?' Falchion thought, confused behind his helm.
Seeing Falchion slow down drastically, Issei and the others saw their chance.
"Now! Fierce Technique: Nyan Nyan Bullet!" Koneko darted forward, her fists wrapped in her Gekigauntlets. Her Ki formed the shape of a massive cat that pounced toward Falchion.
Falchion leaped back to evade, but the cat-construct attacked again with its claws. Falchion swung his blade, creating an orange slash that tore the construct apart. "Interesting technique," Falchion murmured.
"Hehehe! I'm going to peel off that armor!" Issei appeared from Falchion's blind spot. He reached out with his Boosted Gear, intending to use his signature Dress Break on Falchion's armor.
However, the moment Issei's fingertips nearly touched the surface of the armor,
"AGHHH!" Issei screamed in pain and yanked his hand back. Smoke billowed from his palm.
"Damn it! It feels like touching boiling holy water!" Issei yelled, grimacing. Ddraig warned him from within the Sacred Gear, "Be careful, Partner! His armor and sword are high-level holy equipment."
Falchion then kicked issei, sending Issei crashing through several trees.
Falchion snorted at their efforts, but his main focus returned to Calibur. He realized his slowness wasn't due to age or fatigue, it was Calibur's doing. "I don't know what you're doing, but this strange feeling is annoying."
Falchion sheathed Mumeiken Kyomu into his belt and drew it back out.
"Fushicho Musou Giri!"
Falchion was surrounded by a ring of dark fire that flowed into Mumeiken Kyomu. He unleashed a vertical orange energy slash toward Koneko, with a phoenix energy construct flying right behind it.
Calibur appeared in front of Koneko while scanning a Wonder Ride Book.
"Gansekiou Golem!"
"Final Read! Jaaku Gansekiou Golem! Shutoku Issen!"
Calibur slammed his sword into the ground, and two massive stone hands emerged in front of him to block Falchion's attack.
Calibur scanned the book twice more.
"Final Read! Jaaku Gansekiou Golem! Shutoku Nisen!"
The two stone hands shot toward Falchion, striking him before appearing on his left and right sides. Before Falchion could jump back.
BOOM!
The stone palms slammed together, pinning Falchion from both sides. Calibur didn't stop, scanning the Jaaku Dragon book now.
"Final Read! Jaaku Dragon!... Kurayami Finishing Strike! Shutoku Issen!"
Calibur charged Ankokuken Kurayami with dense purple energy before releasing a massive wide slash, shattering both the stone hands and Falchion within them.
The purple energy explosion from Kurayami consumed everything within a dozen-meter radius. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Did it work?" Koneko asked.
"Don't let your guard down, Koneko." Calibur didn't lower his sword for a second, his eyes fixed on the smoke.
As the smoke thinned, Falchion stood tall in the center of the crater. There wasn't a single scratch on his armor; he simply brushed the dust off his shoulder casually. "Not bad," Falchion said coldly.
On the other side of the ruined arena, Ravel Phoenix ran with a pale face toward her brother, Riser, who lay unconscious. With trembling hands, she pulled out a bottle of Phoenix Tears. "Onii-sama! Hang on!" she cried, trying to pour the potion into his mouth.
Falchion turned his head instantly. His eyes glinted behind his helm. "Another Phoenix..."
Ignoring Calibur, Falchion shot toward Ravel like a bullet. Ravel, realizing the threat, was frozen in fear. But just before Falchion reached her.
A giant purple cobra, Venosnaker, lunged out from a shard of glass near Ravel. The serpent struck with venomous fangs, snapping directly at Falchion.
CLANG!
Falchion was forced to halt, using Mumeiken Kyomu to hold back Venosnaker's jaws. Corrosive venom hissed as it touched the holy blade. Falchion growled, exerting his strength to throw the giant snake off.
Just as Falchion broke free, the sky suddenly turned bright with a massive bolt of purple lightning.
BOOM!
The lightning hit Falchion dead center, staggering him. Akeno descended from the sky on her wings, hovering above Koneko with a terrifying smile.
On the other side, a Gremory magic circle appeared, revealing Rias bringing Issei back, but they weren't alone.
Two other figures appeared with Rias: Sirzechs Lucifer and Grayfia Lucifuge. "It seems we have an uninvited guest," Sirzechs said calmly.
Falchion stood still, eyeing the crowd surrounding him. "Long time no see, Sirzechs," Falchion greeted.
"Bahato..." Sirzechs replied.
Falchion sheathed his sword. "You're lucky today." A giant book appeared behind Falchion, and he stepped into its pages.
The area fell silent. Ace slowly pulled the trigger on his sword, canceling his transformation as the Calibur armor vanished like flying book pages.
After the figure of Falchion completely vanished into the giant book, the tension in the air slowly began to thaw.
Grayfia moved swiftly. With a wave of her hand, several magic circles appeared beneath Riser's battered body and Ravel, who was still trembling with fear. "Riser-sama will be immediately transported to the Phoenix family's medical facility for intensive care," Grayfia reported with her unshakable formal tone.
Sirzechs Lucifer let out a long sigh, then turned his gaze toward Ace, who had just canceled his transformation.
"Grayfia, please take Rias and the others back. The results of this Rating Game cannot be decided normally due to third-party intervention," Sirzechs instructed. He then looked at Ace. "Ace-kun, let us speak in a quieter place."
With a snap of Sirzechs' fingers, a massive red magic circle enveloped them all. In an instant, the sight of the destroyed school was replaced by a meeting room.
Inside the room were Rias, Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, Sona, Tsubaki, and Ace, who became the center of attention.
"So," Sirzechs began as he took a seat. "It seems you know quite a bit about that intruder."
Ace exhaled, leaning his body against the wall. "Let's just say I read a lot. Maou Lucifer, it seems you recognize him as well."
Rias's eyes widened. "Onii-sama, you know that orange-armored knight?"
"Yes, we used to clash quite often in the past, but one day he suddenly vanished," Sirzechs answered briefly, then stared at Ace.
"Right, I need to report this first." Ace pulled out a Wonder Ride Book that functioned like a smartphone. "Hello, Kamiyama-san, there's a serious problem... yes, the Swordsman of Void, Falchion, has broken free from his seal... alright, I'll meet you all soon." Ace closed his Wonder Ride Book.
"Alright, what was the question again?" Ace asked.
"About the identity of that orange-armored knight," Sona replied.
"Right. The Swordsman of Void, Falchion, real name Bacht is the wielder of Mumeiken Kyomu. He was one of the very first people to hold one of the original holy swords. But for unknown reasons, he sought to destroy the world and was eventually sealed within a book," Ace explained.
"Wait! He fought against Onii-sama and held an original holy sword? Is he human?" Rias asked.
"He is human, but the power of his Wonder Ride Book, Eternal Phoenix, grants him immortality," Ace answered.
Sirzechs crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze narrowing sharply. "So that's why he targeted Riser. He wanted to bolster his own immortality with the Phoenix flames. Ace-kun, do Wonder Ride Books have the ability to absorb power like that?" Sirzechs inquired.
"I don't know. There are no records of that," Ace replied.
"I see. Thank you for the explanation, Ace-kun. In that case, we might need to cooperate with the Sword of Logos regarding this matter," Sirzechs said.
"You can propose that to Kamiyama-san or Shindo-san," Ace suggested.
"Yes, I will contact Touma," Sirzechs said.
After a lengthy discussion, Sirzechs gave them all permission to return. Rias and her peerage still had many questions written on their faces, but the physical exhaustion from fighting both Riser and Falchion kept them silent.
Ace pushed himself off the wall. "If there's nothing else needed, I'll take my leave."
Ace stepped out of a transportation magic circle that brought him back to the human world, right in front of his residence. "Magic really is something." The night air felt quiet and calm.
As soon as he opened the front door, he was greeted by the savory aroma of cooking and the figure of Tohru standing tall in the entrance.
"Welcome back, Ace-sama," Tohru greeted. Ace smirked. "Tohru, you've suddenly become a professional maid in just two weeks. Who did you learn that from?"
"If you don't step inside, I'm closing the door," Tohru replied irritably. "Wait, wait! I was only joking!" Ace entered his house.
From the living room, Lala came running out with a cheerful face. "Ace! You're home! How was the training? Did those devils get stronger?"
Ace chuckled softly, ruffling Lala's hair. "Yeah, they've become much stronger."
Ace walked toward the dining table, taking a moment to relax from the problems that had passed and those yet to come.