Chapter 29: The Cathedral of Sin and the Council's Wrath
The night was screaming. High above Kuoh, the clouds had turned a sickly, bruised purple, swirling in a vortex of conflicting mana. Below, the city was oblivious, but in the outskirts, near the dilapidated ruins of the old cathedral, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and ancient, rotting holy energy.
"I'm not ready to die! I have so many games to finish! My President is going to skin me alive and turn my soul into a paperweight!" Saji Genshirou was currently vibrating with pure, unadulterated terror. He was being dragged toward the cathedral gates by Lucian Gremory, who had a firm, unforgiving grip on the back of Saji's collar.
"Shut up, Saji," Lucian muttered, his dark red eyes scanning the treeline for ambushers. "Do you think Rias is going to give us a gold star for disobeying her orders? We're all in the doghouse. Your President is 'kind' compared to what Rias has planned for me."
"But Sona-kaichou is tactical! She'll find out I was blackmailed!" Saji whimpered, looking back at Koneko, who was casually cracking her knuckles.
"Ah, man," Issei sighed, walking behind them with his hands behind his head, trying to look cool despite the sweat beads on his nose. "It would be nice if I were on a date with Asia-chan right now instead of storming a creepy church."
"Dumbass!" Lucian shouted, not looking back. "Think about the date after we deal with Freed and the mad scientist. Priorities, Issei!"
Mentally, Lucian was a mess of calculations. He knew Freed Sellzen and Valper Galilei were just the opening act. The real monster, the ten-winged Cadre Kokabiel, was lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to turn this skirmish into a world war.
The Ambush: Queens and Kings
While the "Seven Idiots" (as Lucian had mentally dubbed their group: Lucian, Issei, Kiba, Saji, Koneko, Xenovia, and Irina) approached the cathedral, the situation back at the Academy had taken a dark turn.
Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima found themselves surrounded in the forest clearing by a squad of seven Fallen Angels. They weren't low-tier grunts; these were elites, their dark wings blotting out the moonlight.
"Your little Pawn and that 'Elegant Bishop' of yours are walking straight into a meat grinder, Gremory," the leader of the squad mocked, his black feathers ruffling. "Aren't you going to save them? Oh, wait—you're a bit tied up here."
Rias's hands clenched, the crimson sparks of the Power of Destruction dancing between her fingers. Her face was a mask of cold, noble fury. "They'll manage. They chose to ignore my instructions; they can deal with the consequences."
"Ha! Brave words!" the Fallen Angel laughed, drawing a spear of light. "We'll tear your Pawn into pieces and feed that Bishop's eyes to the crows. Your Knight? He won't even have a body left to bury."
Akeno giggled, but it was her "sadistic queen" laugh—the kind that made the air turn cold. "Ara ara... you talk so much for someone who is about to become a lightning rod."
The forest exploded into a symphony of red and violet destruction as Rias and Akeno began their own private war.
The Battle for the Altar
At the cathedral, the doors didn't just open; they were kicked off their hinges by Koneko's inhuman strength.
"INTRUDERS!" Freed Sellzen's voice echoed through the vaulted ceiling. He was standing on the altar, juggling three glowing Excalibur fragments—Excalibur Rapidly, Mimic, and Destruction.
Beside him stood Valper Galilei, looking like a ghoul in a lab coat, his eyes fixed on Kiba. "The survivor... back to reclaim his failures? Or have you come to donate your heart to the new blade?"
"I've come to bury you!" Kiba roared.
Kiba and Xenovia moved in perfect, lethal sync. Xenovia unsheathed Excalibur Galatine, the blade glowing with a solar intensity. She clashed with Freed's fused weapon, the shockwave shattering the nearby pews.
"Lucian! Now!" Issei shouted.
"Boosted Gear! Triple Boost!" The red gauntlet roared as Issei lunged forward.
Lucian didn't stay passive. He moved like a blur, his Red Eyes spinning as he analyzed Freed's erratic movements. He didn't use a sword; he used his fists, coated in a thin, shimmering layer of Destruction.
"Destruction Impact!" Lucian roared, slamming his palm into the ground. A wave of dark energy surged forward, disrupting the ritual circles Valper was trying to stabilize.
"You meddling brat!" Valper hissed, scurrying back toward a hidden trapdoor.
"Don't let the scientist escape!" Lucian commanded.
Kiba, blinded by years of trauma and rage, lunged at Freed with a flurry of blades. "DIE! JUST DIE!"
Freed cackled, parrying a dozen strikes with a single movement. "Too slow, puppy! You're all bark and no bite!"
Suddenly, Freed realized the odds were shifting. Lucian, Koneko, and Saji were closing in. "Tch! This party is getting too crowded! Catch you later, losers!"
Freed threw a flash-bang of light magic, blinding everyone for a split second. By the time the spots cleared, Freed and Valper had vanished through a dimensional rift.
"HEY! YOU IDIOT! COME BACK!" Kiba screamed, running toward the empty altar, his Sword Birth erupting fruitlessly from the floor.
"Kiba, stop!" Lucian shouted, grabbing the Knight's shoulder. "It's a lure! They're pulling us deeper into the territory!"
The Aftermath: The Bench of Shame
An hour later, the dust had settled, but the humiliation was just beginning.
The seven "heroes" were currently slumped on a stone bench in the park outside the cathedral. They looked less like legendary warriors and more like a group of kids who had lost a fight with a lawnmower.
Issei was flopped over, his tongue practically hanging out, his mana reserves completely tapped out from over-boosting. Kiba was staring at his hands in a daze. Saji was curled in a fetal position, muttering about his lost life.
Lucian was leaning back against the bench, his "Elegant Prince" persona shattered. His uniform was torn, his hair was a mess, and he had a smudge of soot across his cheek. He looked like he had been dragged through a portal backward.
The sound of clicking heels echoed on the pavement.
Lucian didn't need to look. He knew that rhythm.
Rias Gremory walked into the clearing. She was followed by Akeno, who looked remarkably composed despite the Fallen Angel feathers stuck in her hair, and Sona Sitri, whose glasses were glinting with a light that promised a slow and painful death.
"So," Rias said, her voice dripping with a terrifyingly sweet sarcasm. "What do I have the pleasure of seeing here? My peerage seems to have been... very active tonight."
Sona Sitri stepped forward, her gaze landing on Saji. "Saji Genshirou. I didn't expect this level of idiocy from you. You are an absolute embarrassment to the Student Council."
Saji immediately bolted upright, kneeling on the grass. "President! President! It wasn't my fault! I was blackmailed! Lucian, Issei, and Koneko—they used my magazines! They forced me!"
Sona pushed her glasses up. "Be ready for your punishment, Saji. It will be... creative."
Rias turned her gaze to Lucian. She didn't yell. She didn't scream. She simply walked up to him, leaned down until her face was inches from his, and smiled.
"Lucian," she whispered. "I hope you enjoyed your little 'outing.' Because for the next week, you aren't leaving my sight. Not for school, not for sleep, and certainly not for 'training.' You are under total house arrest."
Lucian gulped. "Is there... food involved in this arrest?"
"Ara ara," Akeno giggled from behind Rias. "Oh, there will be plenty of 'food,' Lucian-kun. But you might find the portions a bit... overwhelming."
As the three women began to lead their battered pieces away, Lucian looked at the moon and sighed. The Holy Sword project was still out there, Kokabiel was coming, and he was currently being led to a fate worse than death: a very angry, very possessive Rias Gremory.
"We survived the church," Issei groaned as he was dragged away by his collar.
"Yeah," Lucian muttered. "But I don't think we're going to survive the night."