The First Flame
Highschool DxD is not my property.
Chapter 12: Detonation I
Issei wasn't lying to Grayfia when he said that all he did to calm Gasper down was appeal to his humanity. The way he interpreted it, he was the concept of Fire, but because of the circumstances of his creation, he was also the concept of Humanity.
Gasper may be a Devil now, but his soul still had a trace of humanity. When Issei shook Gasper's hand, he conveyed a sense of acceptance in the flames. In that moment, Gasper's fears and insecurities were overpowered by the flames saying, "It's okay, I'm just like you. I'll never hurt you." The effect was much greater than what words can accomplish because Issei was communicating on the level of the soul.
But there was also something else that Issei conveyed. As terrified as Gasper was of getting hurt, he was three times as scared of hurting someone else because of his rampant powers. By showing Gasper the white flame, Issei wasn't just saying, "I won't hurt you", it was also a statement of "You can't hurt me." So now, Issei had lifted a subconscious block in Gasper's mind, preventing him from releasing his strength.
This is what Issei was basing Gasper's therapy on.
Gasper needed a way to control his powers, but if he ever wanted a hope of doing that, he needed a way to let it all out. And that was never going to happen if he was scared of his own shadow. Hell, the kid scared of hurting his own shadow!
Personally, Issei thought that the kid was going to be freaking terrifying in the future. I mean, being a half-vampire is crazy enough, but the ability to stop time along with it? If he could stop time, he could only imagine what he'd be able to do...
"Ah! Senpai! Your nose is bleeding!"
"It's fine... Just give me a second to organize my thoughts..." Issei groaned and tilted his head back, clutching the bridge of his nose. Once he had stemmed the blood flow, he rested his eyes on his kouhai once again.
It had only been one day after he had made the agreement with Rias and Grayfia, but Gasper looked eager to learn. However, he still had some anxiety issues, so to augment his confidence, Shirone had seen fit to gift Gasper with a... facial concealer. Now, Issei had no real problem with that, but he had to admit, that paper bag was pretty damn creepy.
Oh well. Gasper seemed to like it.
"Okay, let's begin." he clapped his hands, and Gasper perked up. Or at least, Issei thought he did. "First of all, Gasper, I noticed that you seem to have an aversion to things or people getting too close to you."
The paper bag deflated. "... I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. But we do have to work on it. Because the way you are now, you'll start shaking like a leaf before you even start freezing anything."
"Um... Is that why you brought all of that stuff, senpai?"
"Yep!" The stuff was a basket that Issei had, uh, 'liberated' from the gym storage room, full of basketballs, baseballs, tennis balls, basically everything round that Issei could find in there. "Originally, I was just gonna go with the baseballs, but I thought, what the hell, the variety in sizes will help your control. I'm sure you've already guessed, but I'm gonna be throwing these at you, and you have to stop it."
"Ah?! I really don't like the idea of anything being thrown at me..."
"Would you rather have I have her do it instead?"
The two of them turned to Shirone, who up until now was watching with disinterest, but at this point seemed to perk up in excitement.
Issei could hear the nervous gulp underneath the paper bag. "Alright! Let's get started, senpai!"
The first few tries went as expected. Gasper only managed to stop one out of every four balls sent his way. But as he got accustomed to it, that number rose, and his control seemed to sharpen. So even if he didn't fully stop something, it was slowed visibly. On a whim, Issei tried to throw two balls at once, but Gasper panicked and ended up getting hit with both of them. It too ten minutes to calm him down again. So that was the end of that little experiment.
After two and a half hours, Gasper finally sank to his knees, panting heavily, his sweat-soaked paper bag falling off his face. Physically, he hadn't even moved from his initial position, but anyone could see the toll [Forbidden Balor View] has taken. "I'm sorry... I don't think... I don't think I can keep going."
It has been a while, and the sun was starting to set. Shirone had grown bored an hour ago, and had curled up to take a nap, which Issei thought was missing the point of supervising him. "Eh, it's fine, don't worry about it. To be honest, this is going better than I thought it would."
One of Issei's biggest worries was that Gasper would have absolutely no talent in using his Sacred Gear, and he would have to work from scratch. Thankfully, he seemed quite adept in using it when he was calm. It's just that he was too frightened to let too much out of his system. Which was why Issei had planned his second lesson.
"Alright, Gaspie, there's one more thing I have to teach you. Don't get up! This will only take a minute and you just have to watch."
Issei had spent a considerable amount of time the previous night convincing Seraphina and Nick that he hadn't, in fact, lost his mind and helping Gasper was a good idea. Unexpectedly, Ulrich seemed to be all for it, and wad helpful in coming up with a training regime for Gasper. When asked he was so enthusiastic, he replied that he couldn't stand for a man letting himself become so pathetic.
It seems to me to be like training in the army. There's only so much you can teach a man from shooting at dummies and hitting leather bags. I've seen far too many soldiers who were excellent on the assault course, or on the range, but the moment they see an army in front of them, they're as useless as civilians again. I survived when others didn't because I knew how to purpose my fear. I knew what I had to do.
That boy doesn't know how to use his fear. Let me put it another way, he doesn't truly know what he is afraid of. Oh sure, he may cower in his coffin all he wants, and maybe he has some vague understanding of it, but Issei, you need to make those ideas clear and concrete. I guarantee that once you do that, you wouldn't have just given the boy something to fear, you'll give him something to fight for.
Issei found that no matter how tired a person claims to be, there was always a bit more energy in them. You only know if someone is truly exhausted if they're unconscious and by that state it's a moot point. The lesson was that humans could dredge up surprising amounts of energy in times of extreme distress, because the mental limits have been disabled in favor of dealing with the situation.
As fast as he was able, Issei summoned vast amounts of blinding white flame. The flames roared as they rose to a height taller than the clubhouse Gasper fell back on his elbows, backing away from the torrent of flame. "Senpai... w-what are you doing?!"
When Issei had amassed enough flame to envelop the entire clubhouse, he raised his hand. "Watch closely, Gasper. Everything you see, everything you hear and everything you feel, I want you to remember it. Beat it into your head if you have to. Because this is how you'll become strong."
He dropped his outstretched hand, and the flames started to lean towards their target. "Senpai! S-Stop this! What are you doing?"
Rias told Issei as much as she knew about Gasper's background. She was extremely reluctant, but even she had to concede that Issei couldn't help Gasper with only half of the story. So Issei had learned about Gasper's past. His mistreatment, his escape, his death, all of it. Because of this, no one could say that Gasper did not understand death. But Issei had come to know that to fear for oneself was one thing. But how about for the life of a friend?
The flames crashed down, racing towards the white-haired Devil. Dodging was impossible. Resistance was suicide. The only thing left was the scorching embrace of the pure, radiant flame.
"No, no! STOOOP!"
The world was tinged purple. The laws of physics twisted and broke under the Dhampir's unholy gaze. It wasn't that the tsunami of flame was halted. Time itself was forbidden from passing by a single nanosecond.
Issei, nestled in a cloak of flame, looked at the static world around him. He stared at the trees, in the midst of swaying, but were now as still as stone. He plucked a frozen leaf out of the air, and watched it burst into flames. He released it and the moment he lost contact with it, the leaf, and flames dancing on it were suspended. He turned to his student, who was bent over, gasping and retching with exhaustion, but the pink glow emanating from his eyes spoke to his determination to remain conscious. He couldn't help but smile.
Oldest trick in the book.
Rias emerged from the summoning circle, her smile already in place.
Truthfully, she didn't want to do this. Issei had returned Gasper from their first training session, and the boy looked like hell. If it weren't for Gasper's interference, she would have annihilated Issei right there, regeneration or not. Even so, she would have preferred to stay with her Bishop to help him recover. But she had been summoned, and therefore had an obligation to complete the contract to the best of her ability.
"Whoa, that was pretty cool." A fascinated voice drew her attention to an armchair in the darkened room. A handsome man, in his twenties with black hair and golden bangs, and a goatee, sat leisurely with a wrinkled flyer in his left hand. "You must be the Devil." he smirked.
Rias instantly felt wary. There was something dangerous about this man and she didn't like it. But she replied with courtesy. "Hello, my name is Rias. How may I help you tonight?"
"Well, Devil-chan," Rias suppressed a twitch at the nickname. "I find myself in a bit of a pickle. You see I bought this nifty little thing a couple of hours ago." The man gestured with his foot at a sleek, top of the line gaming console. "And, I got a bunch a games to go with it, but silly me, I didn't realize they were all multiplayer!"
"You summoned a Devil... for a video-game?" Definitely not the strangest request she had ever received. But it didn't really match with her mental perception of the man.
"Why not?"
Rias really couldn't argue with that. She sat down in front of the wide screen display, and accepted the controller. The game began in a cacophony of gunfire.
"Whoo! Devil-chan, you're better than I thought you'd be!" The man swung his arms wildly, while mashing buttons in a frenzy.
"Of course! One of my friends is a big fan of these games, and I make it a point to play with him as much as I can!" In comparison, Rias was more sedate in her gameplay, but one could see the enjoyment in her eyes. After all, if she was obligated to complete this request, it would be a waste to not enjoy it, right?"
"I can tell. Not exactly something you'd expect from a Devil, but I suppose a hikkikomori still needs something to do."
"Yes, he-" Rias stopped, her dancing fingers ceasing all activity, as what her client just said registered in her mind.
An instant later, her hand lashed out, the [Power of Destruction] forming an orb within her palm, ready to incapacitate her target. She couldn't kill him, she needed to interrogate him first. But her wrist was grabbed immediately, and she could feel the dark crimson energy flicker away under the presence of the man before her.
"Well, I suppose that means I got the right Devil. Do calm down, though, because I you're losing major points in terms of customer service." The man was irritatingly nonchalant about the situation, the easy-going smile never slipping. In fact, Rias didn't think it was a mask. He was genuinely amused by the situation. "Relax, I just wanna talk. I'll make it easy for ya." Her hand was released, and she immediately retracted it.
Rias couldn't see a way out of this. This man was fast, too fast for her to complete the teleportation spell. And he was strong too, if the way her [Power of Destruction] was completely overwhelmed by his touch alone. As of now, her only option was the diplomatic approach. With extreme caution, she sat back down, and gestured for him to continue.
"So, I suppose proper introductions are in order."
"Yes, that would be much appreciated." It was an unspoken rule for Devils to not ask their clients' identities. If they wished to introduce themselves, that's their choice, but it makes sense for normal people not to associate with Devils beyond what is necessary.
"I was actually surprised that you didn't recognize me immediately, but I'm sure that you at least have heard of me." Twelve wings, so black they seemed to suck in all traces of light in the room, sprang from his back. "The name's Azazel, Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. Nice to meet'cha, Devil-chan."
It took every bit of experience that Rias had not to break out into a sweat. The only reason she hadn't panicked yet, was the knowledge that the Governor-General of the Grigori was supposedly very intelligent, and was not the type to kill someone for no reason, much less the little sister of a Great Satan. Nevertheless, she couldn't help the lump that formed in her throat. "So what did you wish to discuss, Azazel-sama?"
"Yeesh... So stiff... I liked you better when we were playing video games. But oh, well. As you've probably figured out, I've had my eye on the goings on of this town for a while now. Don't worry, it's not because of anything sinister. I'm sure you noticed a couple of Fallen Angels hanging around here a couple of weeks ago?"
"Yes." Noticed was an interesting word to use, but she didn't dare say anything more.
"Well, I already talked it over with your side, and it's understood that they belonged to a group that went rogue months ago. Now what you guys don't know is that those small-fry were acting under orders."
"Whose orders?"
"His name is Kokabiel. A real piece of work."
He didn't need to say anymore than that. Kokabiel was another name that Rias recognized. He was another twelve-winged Fallen Angel, infamous for his almost obsessive hatred of Devils and Angels during the Great War. He didn't have the highest kill count during the war, but he was known for his exceptionally ruthless tactics and merciless behavior on the battlefield.
Azazel continued talking, ignorant or indifferent to Rias' internal thoughts. "You see, at this very moment, there are two emissaries from the Vatican in Kuoh, right now."
"What?!" And the situation just keeps getting worse. "Why are they here?"
"Kokabiel or the Bible-thumpers?"
"Either one!"
"For the similar reasons, funnily enough. I'm sure you would have heard about it soon, but I'll tell you now. Do you know about Excalibur?"
"Of course I do. The Sword of King Arthur. Didn't it break hundreds of years ago?"
"It did. But as you can imagine, the Church just wasn't gonna let one of the most powerful Holy Swords in existence disappear. Not exactly sure how, but they managed to reforge it into seven pieces, each one having a fraction of the original's strength. Not a big fraction, but still enough to pose a threat. The thing is, one week ago, three of the seven Excalibur swords were stolen from guarded churches all around the world."
"..." Rias was rendered speechless. just the knowledge that seven powerful Holy Swords exist was surprising enough, but the knowledge that three of them had been stolen from underneath the Church's noses was just overwhelming. "Wait... Don't tell me..."
"Yep. Kokabiel stole the Holy Swords. And brought them right here."
"For what unearthly reason would he bring them here of all places?"
"Come on, you're a smart girl. You've figured it out, you just don't want to say it in case you're right."
Rias let out a ragged breath. "...He wants to start a war."
"Mmhm. Bringing the Church's Holy Swords into the territories of Devils who are close relations to Great Satans is volatile enough. Imagine what would happen, if he used those swords to kill you?"
Rias was glad that she was sitting, because if she was upright, she was sure she would have collapsed by now. All three of the Biblical Factions are present in her territory. A fanatical twelve-winged Fallen Angel was out for her blood to incite a Second Great War. She had only one month to train her Bishop or lose him. Why are all of these problems coming now?
"Why are you telling me this?"
Azazel smiled again, in a way that suggested he knew something Rias didn't and was enjoying every second of it. "You really have no clue, huh? I would have thought your big bro would have told you. Then allow allow me to let you in on a little secret. Two weeks from now, for the first time, the Three Biblical Factions are going to host a peace conference. And guess where the venue will be?"
"You're joking."
"My sense of humor isn't that bad."
"That's up for debate." Rias replied absently, her mind still working over the implications for such a conference. "You... you want this conference to be successful, don't you?"
"Of course. War isn't really my style. I'd much rather be in the lab, but my advisers told that it would be a good idea to be more proactive. So here I am."
"You're going to help us with Kokabiel?"
"Ummm... no. Not directly at least." At Rias' questioning look, he waved his hands to explain. "See now, technically, I'm not supposed to be here. At least not yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Until the peace conference is official, Kuoh has been declared a no man's land, you and the Sitri girl being the exceptions since you are the overseers of this town."
"What about the emissaries? Do they have permission to be here?"
"Oh, hell no! Do you honestly think the Church wants to reveal the existence of Devil-slaying weapons that have been stolen just before a peace conference? That's a diplomatic powder keg waiting to explode. I think you'll find that the Church is pretty good at compartmentalizing. I doubt the the Seraphs even know about the theft, let alone that someone's been sent for retrieval."
"So what do you want?"
"Here's the deal. I want Kokabiel to stand trial for treason, but I want it to be done by us, not the Devil or the Angel faction."
"Because that would make you look good. If you condemn one of your own generals because of trying to incite war, it would only emphasize that you want a proper treaty to go through."
"Exactly! But the thing is, if the Angel or the Devil side catch wind of this, they'll start an inter-dimensional manhunt for Kokabiel. And they're not really good at working together. Granted, there's a chance that that would be a good team-building exercise, but the risk of it blowing up in our faces is too big. Baby steps, you know? If you hand him over to me, though, you get partial credit for apprehending a dangerous warmonger, and I get the entire Grigori's co-operation with this conference. Win-win, right?"
"How do I know that you'll actually do any of this? For all I know, you could be stringing me along, only to join Kokabiel's cause at the last second."
"A valid point." Azazel nodded. "But do keep in mind, that if I did agree with Kokabiel's views, you'd be dead by now, instead of having spent the last hour playing Halo.
"But you're right. You don't have reason to trust me. So here's what I'm offering. One, that Sacred Gear Extractor, the one Beelzebub is working on? I'll give you the instruction manual."
Rias' eyes widened. It's true that Lord Beelzebub had been working tirelessly for weeks to understand the ins and outs of that contraption, but it seems he hasn't even got close to figuring out its internal operating system. Rias could understand his frenzied attempts. Sacred Gears were rare and powerful and every Devil coveted them. A device that could extract Sacred Gears, and could have the possibility to transfer them, and would be in extremely high demand "Why would you give away such a valuable piece of equipment?"
"Meh, that old thing's outdated anyway." Azazel waved his hand dismissively. "I've grown tired of Extractors, moved on to something else these days, so I'll let Beelzebub have his share of fun with them. Hell, I'll even give it to you now, as a sign of good faith. Second, that magician you're having so much trouble with? I'll give you whatever information I have about him."
"You know who he is?" Now, Rias couldn't repress her shock at all.
"Well, I know his name is Issei Hyoudou, seventeen, attends your school. But who he really is, that's still a mystery to me. But what I do have should prove useful, or at the very least, interesting to you. And a few crazy ideas to go along with it."
"... Is that all?"
"Eh? I thought that was pretty good..."
"You thought wrong." Rias stood, gathering whatever dignity she had as heir to the House of Gremory. "Lord Beelzebub is more than capable of cracking the Extractor without your help. In the same way, I can gather information about Issei Hyoudou on my own. Your assistance would be beneficial, but still not worth handing over such a valuable prisoner. Especially for reasons as tenuous as yours."
"...Ah, you play hardball, Devil-chan." Azazel rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. "Fine, then. I was gonna say this at the conference anyway, but no harm in springing it early, I suppose.
"Devil-chan, do you think your peerage can stand up to the might of a twelve-winged Fallen Angel?"
That was obviously a rhetorical question. Of course they can't. The collective strength of Rias and Sona's peerages probably wouldn't even scratch an Angel of twelve wings. Even her brother would have trouble against such an opponent.
Azazel took her silence as an acceptable answer. "Tell me, do you know the name Valper Galilei?"
"No. Who is he? And what does he have to do with any of this?"
"He was the one in charge of the now-defunct Holy Sword Project. And he's here, right now, with the Excalibur fragments."
That simple statement halted every one of Rias' thoughts, just before the full implications struck her. "Kiba-"
"That Knight of yours, the one who carries [Sword Birth]? He'll hunt down Galilei with or without your approval. And what do you want to bet that your peerage will just sit back and relax while he goes to get himself killed?
"So ask yourself this, can you really afford to turn down my help?"
A red circle appeared on the back of her hand, a stylized rook in the centre.
"Ahh, speak of the Devils..."
"I said I was sorry." Issei rubbed his arm, even as he felt the bruise heal itself in seconds.
Shirone kept walking in stony silence.
"Look, I know it was extreme, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I needed Gasper to believe it was as real as possible. So your reaction had to be genuine."
More gut-wrenching silence.
"You can't argue with results. Now that Gasper knows what it's like to put everything he has into the [Forbidden Balor View], he can access it much more easily.
Still nothing.
"I don't even know why I'm apologizing. It's not like the flames were in any way harmful. And you told me that you wanted to help Gasper too. You have to admit that this is a huge step forward. In fact, you really should be thanking me."
At those words, Shirone finally saw it fit to acknowledge his existence, with a glare filled with soul-sucking, ball-shrivelling malice and contempt that could freeze a volcanic eruption.
"...I'm sorry." Her face didn't even twitch! How the hell does she do that?
It is a skill that all women are masters of, boy. Ulrich imparted the wisdom in a grave voice. You'd do well to never underestimate them.
Seraphina sighed. You two are hopeless.
They kept walking towards Issei's house. For his part, he really hoped that his mother was making something delicious. He didn't want to know for how long Shirone could hold this grudge.
Actually, he was hoping his house was still standing. After declaring that watching him train Gasper was going to be 'drop-dead boring', Minnie decided to spend the day lounging around his home. He could only hope that she stayed incorporeal when his parents were near.
As the two of them kept walking, Shirone tensed, her body settling into a ready battle stance. Issei's response was not as hostile, but he could definitely feel the presence of something nearby. "Shirone, do you know what it is?"
"Something holy."
Issei's mind automatically flashed back to the church of the Fallen Angels. "Stay behind me." Issei knew that Koneko could take care of herself, but holy objects were the bane of all Devils, and Shirone didn't have a way to defend herself against it.
The two of them ran as quickly as they could to the source of the energy. They came to a darkened back alley, just in time to see an old man in priestly garb run towards them. He opened his mouth to scream, but before a sound left his throat, it was halted by a foot of silver steel piercing it.
Blood spattered across them, as the priest croaked and choked in his own blood. Looking past him, Issei saw the face of his murderer. "Freed Sellzen!"
"Eh?" The psychotic swordsman tilted his head as he spotted the two of them. an excited grin coming across his scarred face. "Ahh, if it isn't the little fire mage! I've been meaning to talk you, for our last little encounter! And you brought your pet Devil as well!" He yanked the jagged blade out of the unnamed man's neck, nearly ripping his head clean off.
Issei eyed the gleaming sword. Despite its unusual shape, he could easily tell that its cutting ability should not be underestimated. And that was disregarding the holy power that was visibly emanating from it.
"Wasn't expecting to see you guys until later. But, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I'm afraid I really do have to go!"
"Like I'd let you!"
Freed blurred from sight, only for another blur to crash against him, pushing him back into his original position. Kiba was now standing in the alley on the other side of Freed, blocking the only other exit out of the alley, brandishing [Holy Eraser].
Looking around him, Freed let out a sigh, which slowly turned into maniacal laughter. "Oh man. I was just gonna let you guys off tonight, but looks like you really want to have some fun!" He held the sword in both hands, giggles escaping from the side of his mouth. "Guess I'll be able to test this baby out after all!"
Issei stamped his foot, conjuring a ring of fire around the four of them. Seeing as the escape route had been covered, Kiba charged Freed. He moved like a furious cyclone, each stab and slash of his [Holy Eraser] a bolt of black lightning. Surely no human can stand up to such ferocious swordplay.
And yet every strike was completely repelled.
Freed Sellzen moved with a speed that far exceeded his human limits. The ethereal glow that danced across the edge of the Holy Sword now encompassed his entire body, and it was clear that this was what allowed him to meet, block and parry every single one of Kiba's blows, as well as retaliate just as fiercely.
"He's losing ground." Shirone muttered frustratedly.
Issei and Shirone couldn't hope to assist Kiba right now. Shirone might be able to visually follow the clashing swordsmen, but her body was nowhere near fast enough to participate, especially since her opponent wielded a powerful Holy Sword, which could mean grave injury with a mere scratch. Similarly, Issei did not possess the speed to be anything other than a burden to Kiba, and he couldn't afford to leave Shirone on her own as well. But I have to do something.
Calling up more flames, he carefully adjusted them, raising their intensity, and granting them the property of being 'harmful to everyone except Kiba Yuuto.' With a mental push, a thin horizontal line of fire pushed through the alley.
The two swords men barely even looked at the incoming fire. Freed dropped to the ground, zipping clear underneath out of danger. But Kiba didn't move. It spoke to Kiba's level of trust that he did not even flinch when the flames crashed into him. And that was the key to his victory.
The flames wrapped around Kiba's limbs, and his sword, even while he was in constant motion. Issei still couldn't see him, but through the flames he could detect Kiba's position. But that wasn't the only reason.
At his current level of skill, there were several limits on the use of Issei's powers. Issei didn't have the necessary control to remotely summon the flames on something that was moving too fast for him to perceive, so he couldn't just will Freed to burst into flames.
Another limitation was how quickly his flames could spread. For something like mere cloth, the the flames could be pre-programmed so the 'jump' was almost instantaneous, but igniting a Holy Sword? That was another level of difficulty entirely. That would require concentration, and as previously stated, he was not fast enough for that.
Nevertheless, once Kiba had been imbued with the white fire, the roles were rapidly reversed. Freed was now on the defensive, using every bit of his newfound speed and agility to avoid being set aflame. In a situation like this, fleeing would be the safest choice, but the escape routes were blocked by enemy forces. Another option would be to switch targets, that is, to attack Issei and Shirone, but Issei's abilities made that an unwise decision.
So by all accounts, Freed was trapped. It was only a matter of time before the rogue priest made a fatal mistake, no matter how slight. He would fall here, and they all knew it.
At least, that's what Issei thought would happen.
Kiba brought his sword in a horizontal arc, making Freed slam his sword downwards. Keeping the blades locked together, he pushed his own sword upwards to swipe at Kiba's face. However, it seems that whatever enhanced Freed's agility did nothing for his strength, as Kiba easily overpowered him and brought up [Holy Eraser] to block the Holy Sword. But that was only the initial attack.
Less than a split second after their swords met, Freed sprang up into the air, slamming his foot onto the flat of his blade, using it as a springboard to launch himself upwards, with movements reminiscent of parkour runners. Freed struck his feet against the walls with enough force to crack the concrete, rising with alarming speed.
Of course, Kiba immediately gave chase with his wings, but Freed's vertical ascent exceeded Kiba's flight capabilities. So Issei attempted to catch him, by conjuring an orb of flame directly above them, and before Freed knew it, the flames were less than a foot in front of his face.
With Kiba on his tail and incineration just ahead of him, Freed immediately switched directions. Modifying the position of his foot, he threw his body to the side. In other words, he leapt directly over Shirone and Issei. It was a stunning display of dexterity and manoeuvrability. Unfortunately, it was only partially successful.
A stray tendril of flame made a feather-light touch on one of his long sleeves, but that was all that was necessary.
Freed's arm erupted, the white fire constricting it, shredding through the layers of fabric to attack the vulnerable skin underneath. The rogue priest crashed into the ground, as the flames scattered across his entire body.
Issei approached him warily, the way one would approach a wild and wounded animal, while lowering the strength of the flames so he wouldn't kill Freed by accident. It seems that he had nothing to be concerned about, as the only thing he could hear from Freed were groans of pain. Kneeling down, he pried the sword out of his charred fingers.
As soon as he gripped the hilt, the glow of the sword intensified to blinding proportions. At the same time, a foreign presence began to invade his mind.
Issei, drop the sword, now!
I can't!
This was not an exaggeration, Issei's hand was completely bonded to the hilt of the Holy Sword. The strange feeling continued its relentless advance. Without thinking, he lashed out, and he could feel Seraphina along with several others, some that he couldn't recognize him, push it back with equal force. With their aid, the feeling was suppressed, and the light of the Holy Sword died down completely.
Issei leaned against the wall, still gripping the weapon tight. Shirone and Kiba began to approach him, but he waved them away. "Both of you, stay away. Whatever this thing is, we can't let either of you near it."
"Hyoudou-san, maybe you should give that to me." said Kiba.
"Damn it, weren't you listening?! You saw what it did to me. Both of you are Devils, who knows what kind of damage it could do to you. You don't stand a chance!"
"I must insist." Kiba growled. "Give me that sword!"
Issei nearly flinched at Kiba's tone. For the first time, he saw something in the eyes of the normally affable Devil. Pure rage and hatred. But not at him, at the armament in his hand. He wasn't just wary of this Holy Sword, he absolutely despised it. It was something he would have never expected to see from the blond swordsman, and judging by the look on Shirone's face, this was a mystery to her as well.
"No." Issei asserted. "First call your master. She can decide what to do with him." he jerked his head towards Freed's twitching form. "Maybe she can get some info out of him about what the hell is this," Issei raised said weapon. "and why the hell a man just got killed for it."
Issei adjusted the newly-purchased duffel bag on his shoulder. This evening had been a complete headache, and after Rias appeared, it was clear that she shared the sentiment. And once she had explained what she had learned that night, he could definitely see why.
You know, I expected something different from Excalibur?
Do tell, what did you expect? said Seraphina.
I dunno, maybe one of those huge western style swords, the one you need two hands just to lift. Not something that looks like a blacksmith had a spasm in the middle of the forging process.
I admit its shape is unusual, but remember, Rias did say it was only a fragment. I imagine the original Excalibur was quite magnificent.
I suppose that's why they were stolen. If you're gonna steal something to kick-start a war, you might as well get a weapon to help.
One would think that Issei would panic upon gaining the knowledge that his hometown could possibly become ground zero for another Great War. But honestly, at this point, he wasn't even fazed, and when told of the news, he could only give a dark chuckle while muttering, "Sure, why the hell not?"
After that, Rias had explicitly forbade Kiba from acting on his own, though it looked like Kiba had a stubborn streak a mile wide. He flat-out refused to agree with Rias' stipulations, and pulling reasons and details out of him was easier than getting answers out Freed's blistered, blackened body.
In the end, it was agreed that Issei would keep the Holy Sword for safe-keeping, provided that he brings it to the meeting with the Vatican emissaries the following day. Hence the need for him to have Shirone buy the duffel bag. He supposed he could claim that he was cosplaying or something, but it was extremely sharp, so he really didn't want to take chances.
Obviously, Kiba wasn't happy about this. But screw it, he was pissed about the entire situation anyway.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome home. What, no Koneko-chan tonight?"
"She got caught up with her club." Translation: Shirone was helping Rias and Kiba lug Freed and the priest's corpse back to the clubhouse. The reasoning was that the situation looks suspicious enough, but if they could actually provide the priest's murderer, the Vatican emissaries would be less likely to accuse them of the murder and theft of the obviously powerful Holy Sword.
"You missed dinner. I set out a plate to microwave if you want something to eat."
"Nah, it's alright. I'm too tired to eat right now. I'll just be in my room." He rushed upstairs before she could ask questions about the bag. But he was stopped. before he could duck into his room. "Alright, what's going on?"
I thought I would warn you first before you go in there.
Issei was instantly on alert "Warn me about what? Is someone dead in there? Who did you kill?"
Relax, I didn't kill anyone!
"Minnie..."
Okay, look. Like an hour ago, two people came knocking. Figuratively, anyway I didn't give them a chance to knock.
"And just why did they deserve such an extreme welcoming party?"
'Cause they were carrying these. A cloud of pitch black smoke appeared at head height. The smoke expanded, before retracting and shrinking in on itself, revealing two of the most mismatched objects he had ever seen. The first object was innocuous enough, a simple white scrunchie, the kind that you could buy on any accessory shop for a few yen.
The second one was infinitely more terrifying. It was a massive sword nearly as tall as he was, with the huge blade ending in three wicked points. It looked more like a club than a sword with how bulky it was. Two protrusions shaped like battle-axes formed a guard, connected to the sword with something that looked like chains. Overall, it was as if someone slapped multiple weapons together to make the ultimate tool for sheer obliteration of the enemy.
"Oh shit." Issei breathed out. "Ohshitohshitohshit-" He pushed past Minnie and stormed into his room, confirming his fears.
Two young women, one with shoulder length blue hair, and another with light chestnut hair in two ponytails were suspended upside down in midair, everything below their noses wrapped in a cocoon of darkness. Golden and Violet eyes locked onto him the moment he entered, carrying rage, confusion, and surprisingly, recognition.
He stared at them for thirty long seconds, before slowly backing out of the room, shutting the door, ignoring the muffled screams of fury and pleas for help.
He rested his head against the door frame, resisting the urge to futilely smash his head against it in the hopes that it would render him brain-dead.
What's wrong, Onii-chan?
He didn't answer her. He simply took out a small piece of paper from his pocket, and held it up to his ear. "Rias? Yeah, it's me. Listen... We got a small problem."
I don't know who's idea was it to schedule a teacher training course the week before mock examinations are being held, but God bless 'em! Otherwise I wouldn't have had time to write this up. I know, I know, I should be using the free time to study, blah, blah, blah, I don't care. This is unexpected free time, and I can use it however I want!
Enter Xenovia and Irina, everybody's favorite religious swordswomen! And along with it, the official start of the Excalibur Arc. Personally, I loved this arc in canon. It's the first time we saw Kiba as something other than the mandatory guy friend. I always liked the 'brothers-in-arms' vibe between Issei and Kiba that developed through the LNs.
And of course, with the Excalibur Arc comes a certain Emperor. Look forward to that!
Peace out, bitches!
