Chapter 28: The Dragon, the Pawn, and the Ghost of the Church
The rain was a cold, persistent hammer against the pavement of Kuoh, but inside the local arcade, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and desperation. Saji Genshirou, the Four Kings Pawn of Sona Sitri, was currently trying to enjoy a rare moment of peace away from his President's strict schedule.
That peace lasted exactly four seconds.
"Saji! Get your scaly butt over here!" Issei Hyoudou shouted, skidding to a halt in front of the racing game. Beside him stood Koneko Toujou, her expression as flat as a tombstone, and Lucian Gremory, whose red eyes seemed to be scanning the very air for traces of rogue mana.
Saji groaned, his Vritra-possessed arm twitching. "Issei? What are you doing here? If Kaichou—President Sona—finds out I'm loitering with the Gremory crowd during a crisis, she'll have me doing sit-ups until the next century!"
"Kiba's gone rogue, Saji," Issei said, his voice cracking with a mix of anger and worry. "He's out there hunting those Excalibur fragments alone. We're going to find him."
Saji stepped back, shaking his head. "Are you insane? Sona-kaichou and Rias-senpai explicitly told us to stay put! If we go searching for him, we're technically interfering in a Church matter without permission. That's a diplomatic disaster waiting to happen!"
Issei looked at Koneko. "Koneko-chan, do the thing."
Koneko didn't blink. She simply reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, the screen showing a very high-definition photo of Saji's secret stash of 'questionable' magazines hidden in the Student Council room.
"I have the President on speed dial," Koneko whispered, her voice a chilling monotone. "Delete... or send?"
Saji's face went pale. "You... you nekomata devil! That's blackmail! That's beneath the dignity of the Gremory House!"
"It's effective," Lucian added, stepping into the light. "Saji, we need your Vritra. If Kiba has truly lost himself to his trauma, your 'Absorption Line' is the only thing that can pin him down without killing him. Don't make us use the photo."
Saji slumped his shoulders, defeated by the combined power of friendship and pornography-based extortion. "Fine! But if I end up in a dungeon, I'm telling Sona it was all Lucian's idea!"
The Encounter in the Industrial District
The group moved through the rain, guided by Lucian's ability to track the lingering 'Sword Birth' residue. They eventually cornered Kiba in an abandoned warehouse, but he wasn't alone. Xenovia and Irina were there, their Holy Swords drawn, facing off against a Kiba who looked less like a Prince and more like a feral beast.
"Stay back!" Kiba roared, his voice echoing against the corrugated metal walls. "I told you, I'm destroying these blades! I don't care if I have to burn my own soul to do it!"
Xenovia didn't lower her Excalibur Destruction. "Your soul is already tainted, Devil. You seek to destroy the very thing that gives the world hope? You are a fragment of a failed experiment. Accept your end."
"A failed experiment?" Kiba laughed, a jagged, broken sound. "We weren't experiments! We were children! We had names! We had dreams! And your 'God' watched while they pumped gas into our lungs just to see if a sword would wake up!"
The trauma hit the room like a physical wave. Issei flinched, and even Saji felt the bile rise in his throat. Kiba slumped to his knees, his hands clawing at the concrete.
"Every time I close my eyes," Kiba whispered, "I see the light. Not a holy light... a hungry light. It ate my friends. It ate my life. And I'm going to kill the man who fed us to it."
The Catalyst: Valper Galilei
Lucian stepped forward, his boots clicking softly on the floor. "He's right, you know. The man behind the project—Valper Galilei—is in this city. He's the one who orchestrated the 'Holy Sword Project.' He's the one who discarded those children like trash when they didn't produce a 'Balance Breaker'."
Xenovia's eyes widened. "Valper? He was excommunicated years ago for his 'unorthodox' methods. He's a heretic."
"He's more than a heretic," Lucian said, his eyes glowing a dangerous red. "He's currently working with Freed Sellzen. They're planning to merge the Excalibur fragments to create a weapon that can level this entire territory. If you want your swords back, and Kiba wants his justice, we have a common enemy."
Issei walked over to Kiba, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Kiba... let us help. Don't do this as a ghost. Do it as a Gremory. We'll hunt that scientist down together. We'll make him pay for what he did to those kids."
Kiba looked up, the hollow madness in his eyes slowly receding as he looked at Issei, Saji, Koneko, and Lucian. The bond of the peerage—and the sheer, stubborn stupidity of Issei—seemed to act as a tether.
"You're all idiots," Kiba breathed, wiping the blood from his lip. "Sona-kaichou is going to kill Saji."
"Probably," Saji sighed, his Vritra arm glowing. "But hey, if we're going to die, we might as well do it fighting a crazy scientist and a lunatic priest, right?"
The Romance and the Rivalry
Back at the ORC, the preparation for the raid began. Lucian found himself in a quiet corner of the clubhouse, checking his equipment.
Akeno approached him, her long ponytail swaying as she walked. She didn't say a word; she simply leaned against him, her head resting on his chest.
"You're going into the center of the storm, Lucian-kun," she murmured, her voice losing its teasing edge for a moment. "That scientist... he plays with souls. Promise me you won't let him touch yours."
Lucian wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. The scent of her—like rain and expensive perfume—grounded him. "I have a Queen to protect. My soul is currently under heavy guard, Akeno."
He leaned down, his lips brushing hers in a slow, deep kiss that carried the weight of the coming battle. Akeno shivered against him, her hands gripping his blazer, her lightning mana sparking softly in resonance with his own.
"Ara ara..." she whispered, pulling back with a flush on her cheeks. "If you keep that up, I might not let you leave this room at all."
"Lucian! Akeno!"
Rias walked into the room, her eyes instantly locking onto the two of them. Her face turned a shade of pink that rivaled her hair. She crossed her arms, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor.
"The tactical meeting is starting," Rias said, her voice tight with a very obvious, very sharp jealousy. "I'm glad to see my Bishop and Queen are... bonding... but we have a Cadre-class threat to deal with. Lucian, move. Akeno, stop looking so smug."
Akeno giggled, a sultry sound that only made Rias's aura flare brighter. "Jealousy doesn't suit a King, Buchou. But don't worry, there's plenty of Lucian to go around."
"I am NOT jealous!" Rias shouted, though the Power of Destruction flickering around her hands suggested otherwise. "I am merely concerned about... combat readiness!"
The Plan of Attack
With Saji, Issei, Kiba, and the Church duo finally on the same page, Lucian laid out the plan.
"Valper and Freed are holed up in the old cathedral on the outskirts," Lucian explained, pointing to the map. "They've established a barrier. Saji, you and Issei will use your Sacred Gears to drain the barrier's energy. Koneko, you're the heavy hitter—you break the gate. Xenovia and Irina, you take the flanks. Kiba... Valper is yours."
"And you, Lucian?" Saji asked, feeling the weight of the mission.
"I'll be the one keeping the roof from falling on our heads," Lucian said, his eyes hardening. "Kokabiel is watching. If he makes a move, I'm the only one who can stall him."
As they prepared to move out, Kiba stood tall, his Sword Birth glowing with a newfound stability. The trauma was still there—the ghosts still screamed—but for the first time in years, he wasn't running from them. He was leading them into battle.