What am I doing I'm supposed to be watching anime.

Oh well.

This season of anime is just too good, guys. So many great shows. And I also have a tentative Winter 2018 lineup which is both massive and full of quality.

Well, instead of going on and on about it, I'll get to writing the chapter.

But first, review replies.

jgkitarel: man, and I even read Heroes of Olympus which actually talked about that misconception. Oh well. Doesn't change that I got the lamia's name from a snake-entwined staff.

reality deviant: I basically only gave Kirito a cat because of the Kuroneko thing.

MWkillkenny84: That was Bennia, not Xenovia. Both have blue hair so it's easy to confuse them.

ultima-owner: I am now imagining a scene where Irina is resting under an ExcMimic umbrella. I might write that.

Greatazuredragon: not really, I don't want to come across as ripping off your ideas :P.

Also, Ise getting the Shaedfox was an idea that came to me a month ago. Doesn't mean he can't get Ryuuteimaru. I have plans.

Anyway, let's begin the vol3 arc.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own SAO or DxD any more than Xenovia has tact.

*~B~*

Chapter Forty-Five: Holy Sword Dilemma

*~Ise~*

I have faced numerous near-death situations in SAO.

I've fought a fallen angel and a phoenix.

I have a cheat code of a Sacred Gear.

… None of that power or experience could have prepared me for this horror.

Baby pictures.

Kill me.

My mom was enthusiastically showing off albums of embarrassing photos – some of which I still don't have any idea how she took – and Buchou and Asia were looking through them enthusiastically.

"Ara ara, so Ise-kun went to the beach naked," Akeno-san commented.

"…Ise-senpai's embarrassing past," Koneko-chan muttered.

"Akeno-san! Koneko-chan! Don't looook!"

Buchou on the other hand was completely engrossed in a picture of me as a little kid. "… Small Ise," she muttered, cheeks red.

Are you a shotacon, Buchou? Is that the direction your succubus blood leans in?

Kirito was with Gasper at school playing one of the games he bought for them. He'd informed us about the exorcists who had arrived in town. Buchou had explicitly ordered us to stay away, repeating that order to Kiba who had looked almost fanatically interested after hearing that one of them was carrying a powerful holy item that was possibly a sword.

Speaking of Kiba, he was also looking through one of the albums. "O-Oi, don't look, dammit!" I said, trying to snatch away the album.

"Let me enjoy your pictures a while longer," he said, smiling as he effortlessly dodged.

Don't enjoy it, you damn Casanova!

Just you wait! One day I'm going to surpass you!

While I was busy making my new resolution – and Buchou and Asia were in their own world for some reason – Kiba suddenly stopped at a page. His expression changed, so I also took a look.

It was a picture of me while in kindergarten. Me and this boy who used to live nearby were playing hero.

If I remember correctly, he moved away to England due to his parents' work. Why can't I remember his name, though?

Kiba pointed at the European sword propped on the wall in the back. "Do you remember this?" he asked seriously, with a bit of an edge to his voice.

"No, I was pretty small back then…"

"Is that so? Well, I suppose coincidences like this do happen."

He laughed humorlessly. His eyes were so full of hatred that I took a step back.

I didn't know it then, but that photo would begin a chain of incidents which would lead to me nearly dying.

"That is a Holy Sword," Kiba said.

*~B~*

Kiba was distracted all throughout the rest of the evening.

He was out of it every time I saw him. Kirito was frowning at his behavior, looking like he was somehow familiar with it. All he said was that he had an idea that he hoped was wrong.

I showed the picture to Buchou. She told me that Kiba was the sole survivor of something called the Holy Sword Project. It was a project led by the church to make wielders of Excalibur, one of the most famous holy swords. Apparently, the project was deemed a failure and all the 'defects' disposed of.

Everyone, including Kiba had died. Kiba had managed to escape far enough to meet Buchou, who was there on holiday. He died before her, and when he was reincarnated, he was swearing revenge.

Kirito put on a really complicated expression once he heard the words 'sole survivor'. He refused to say anything though, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Buchou asked me if I had known anyone related to the Church. I told her everything I could remember – that the kid I used to play with, he and his parents were devout Christians and they had moved away about ten years ago.

Buchou mentioned something about the previous Devil in charge of Kuou having disappeared ten years ago, but then shook it off, saying that overthinking wouldn't bring Kiba back to normal.

We headed out to do our daily jobs. Having completed them, Asia and I were heading home ahead of Buchou.

That's when we felt it.

The moment I reached the front door, I felt an overwhelming scary aura. It was similar to what I felt when walking into that abandoned church.

Asia grabbed my trembling hands. From the way she was trembling, she was also feeling it.

A sudden sense of urgency grabbed me. Mom and Dad, they were inside! I opened the door, kicked off my shoes and ran for the kitchen, Asia following close behind.

Who was it?! Angels? Fallen Angels? People from the church? Was my identity as a Devil exposed?! What if they were like Freed, and disposed of everyone related?! Without wanting to, I imagined what Freed did to that poor guy, happening to my parents.

Hell no! I'm not gonna let that happen!

Mom wasn't in the kitchen. But I heard laughter from the living room.

I raced there and found mom laughing, and more importantly, still alive.

"Mo-Mom?"

"Oh, Ise, welcome back. What happened? You look pale."

"What a relief," Asia sighed behind me, falling to the floor in relief.

I couldn't relax completely. Mom was okay, but there were two unfamiliar girls sitting on the couch.

Both of them were wearing tight-fitting black bodysuits under white cloaks. Both had Rosarios hanging from their necks. One had chestnut hair tied in twintails, violet eyes, and a rope around her waist. The other had blue hair with one green bang, and dark yellow eyes that stared warily at us. There was an object beside the couch wrapped in white cloth and giving off a dangerous aura.

Exorcists? This is bad, I can't fight here.

Twintails got up and cheerfully greeted me. "Hi, Ise-kun!"

Huh? Ise-kun? Did I know this girl from somewhere?

"Uhh … nice to meet you?"

Twintails blinked. "Arre? Don't you remember me?"

Mom laughed. "That can't be helped, Irina-chan! You were such a tomboy back then! Why, my foolish son might have actually thought you were a boy!"

Huh? Huh? Hold on, what?

"Ise, it's Shidou Irina-chan, the neighbor you always played with," my mom explained with a smile. "Look, look, hasn't she become a fine lady?"

"You were a girl?!" I exclaimed.

"Long time no see, Ise-kun. It can't be helped that you didn't realize I was a girl since I was just as much of a troublemaker, right? But it seems like we've both changed, haven't we? Really, you can never tell how a reunion will go." Her smile changed at the end, looking sad and strained.

Okay, hold up.

My childhood friend wasn't a boy but a girl. A very pretty girl. She also happened to be an exorcist.

… And from her words just now, she knew I was a Devil.

Dammit, Ddraig.

*~B~*

Later that night, Buchou held an emergency meeting.

The eight of us Gremory Peerage were cautiously watching the two exorcists.

The scary blue-haired girl had demanded the meeting and made me call Buchou. Five minutes later, everyone had congregated in the clubroom.

That Xenovia girl seemed to permanently be set to 'suspicious'. Strangely, upon entering the clubroom, the first person she had stared at was Kirito, who had just impassively returned the gaze. After a short staredown, she finally looked away and at Buchou. I made the obvious connection that these were the exorcists he had met.

Asia hid behind me. She was obviously conflicted about meeting people from the church again.

Akeno-san stood beside Buchou as she sat at her desk. At one corner of the room, twitching and practically radiating hatred, was Kiba. He didn't take his eyes off the thing Xenovia had been carrying. He was practically struggling to keep himself from attacking the exorcists.

"S-Scary…" Gasper muttered and hid in his box. Koneko-chan stood in front of him, like a bodyguard.

"So, then. What are exorcists doing in my territory?" Buchou asked.

Seemingly not noticing the tense atmosphere, my supposed childhood friend answered. "Recently, three Excaliburs have been stolen, one each from the Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Churches."

"Three Excaliburs?" Kirito asked.

"Excalibur itself doesn't exist," Buchou said. "Apologies, but I have some new Servants who would like an explanation."

Irina nodded. "That's alright. Um, what's your name…?"

"Kirito," he answered shortly. Oi, you're really gonna tell them your name so easily…? Wait, right, it wasn't his real name.

"Right, Kirito-kun. Excalibur was broken a long time ago and its seven fragments were reforged into seven swords. Xenovia, go ahead and show them."

Blue-hair unwrapped the object, revealing a huge sword with axe blades for a hilt. "This is Excalibur Destruction," she said.

Wow, that thing was a whole other beast unwrapped. Just being in the same room with it gave me shivers. I could instantly tell that I would not survive being hit by that. This was a holy sword, the ultimate tool for killing Devils.

Xenovia picked up the cloth and began wrapping the sword again. I could make out symbols on the cloth. A seal, maybe?

Irina touched the rope on her waist and it seemed to untie itself, before transforming into a katana.

"This is Excalibur Mimic," Irina cheerfully explained. "Its unique ability is to be able to transform into anything."

"Irina … aren't you telling them a bit too much?" Xenovia said.

"It's fine, it's fine. For the moment, we have to build a trustworthy relationship with them, don't we? And it's not like I'll lose to the Devils here even if they know my ability," she said confidently.

'For the moment', huh? I could easily imagine a scenario where we met on opposite sides of a battlefield. Would my childhood friend spare me then? Or would she just brush off the fact and erase me?

In a corner of the room, Kiba was reaching his breaking point. Don't do it, man. You'll ruin the progress Buchou's made. Worst case scenario, a war would start and we'd be the first casualties.

"So what do the stolen swords have to do with this small country in the eastern corner of the world?" Buchou asked calmly, like she wasn't in the presence of not one, but two powerful holy swords.

Xenovia continued. "The Catholic Church possessed two Excaliburs including mine. The Protestants also had two, including Irina's. The Eastern Orthodox Church also possessed two. The seventh was lost in the previous war. One Excalibur was stolen from each church and the culprit has escaped here to this town."

Why does everything happen in Kuou? Why couldn't the thief go to Antarctica or something?

"This territory is quite the hotbed of incidents. So who are the culprits?" Buchou asked.

"The Grigori stole them," Blue-hair said simply. Buchou's eyes widened. I also saw Akeno-san clench her fists.

"The Fallen Angels stole them? Well, that certainly makes sense. Handling holy swords isn't really worth the hassle for us Devils. Well then, what exactly do you want from us?"

"Our orders are simple. We wish to ascertain that the Devils will not interfere with this incident."

"So you believe we might work with the Grigori?" Buchou asked.

"The Church doesn't deem it an impossibility."

Buchou closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was cold. This girl had guts. To just walk into enemy territory and demand that they butt out … wow, that took guts.

"The Church told us this: it would benefit the Devils if the holy swords were taken away from God's domain, wouldn't it? It would also benefit the Fallen. So it would not be strange for you to form an alliance with them. That's why, even if you're the sister of a Maou, we are to give you a warning, lest you wish to be eliminated."

Blue-hair said all that without caring about Buchou's frigid glare.

"If you know that I am a Maou's sister, then I don't even need to tell you this, but I will do so anyway. I will not tarnish the name of Gremory or Lucifer by siding with the Fallen. Never!" Buchou heatedly declared.

Xenovia smiled. "Hearing that is enough. I had to warn you in case the thief has already come here with the swords. We will not ask for cooperation, since it may damage the precarious balance, especially if it's a Maou's sister. So we will not ask that of you or the Sitri heiress."

Hearing that, Buchou's glare dissipated. "I would like to know who has so boldly entered my territory with three holy swords," Buchou said.

"The Fallen Angel Kokabiel," Xenovia answered.

Buchou's eyes went wide again. If I remembered correctly, Kokabiel was the name of one of the leaders of the Grigori, wasn't it? Then wasn't he super strong? Were these two exorcists that strong, too?

"You said an Excalibur was stolen from each Church, yes?" Buchou recalled. "Where is the representative of the Eastern Orthodox Church?"

"He is on stand-by outside the town."

"You are planning to take on Kokabiel by yourself?"

Xenovia shrugged. "To defeat Excaliburs, you need Excaliburs."

"Are you sane?" Buchou asked, dropping all airs. "Even if you have Excaliburs, going up against a leader of Grigori with just the two of you is tantamount to suicide!"

"I'd prefer not dying," Xenovia said. "But if it costs our lives to take the swords out of his reach, even if we have to destroy them, it will be well worth it. If we are required to sacrifice ourselves for the Lord, then so be it." Dying for your cause? I honestly can't understand that. That was way too extreme for me to grasp.

"I see the Church hasn't changed its ways," Buchou commented irritably.

"Do not talk ill of our beliefs. If that is all, Rias Gremory."

Blue-hair got up, and Irina followed her lead. "You don't want any tea?" Buchou asked.

"Sorry, but maybe next time!" Irina said.

Xenovia suddenly stopped and looked at me. No, not at me, but at Asia behind me. "As I thought, it is you. You are the Witch Asia Argento, are you not?"

Asia flinched at the title. It made me and Kirito frown and I stepped forward protectively.

Irina turned to look at her. "The former Holy Maiden? I heard that you were cast out because you were able to heal Devils and Fallen Angels, but I didn't expect you to become a Devil."

Asia looked like she was struggling to respond.

"For the one called a Holy Maiden to fall so far and become a Devil. Do you still believe in God?" Xenovia asked.

"Xenovia, what are you saying?" Irina said, looking confused. "There's no way a Devil would believe in God."

"There are people who turned their back on the teachings but still feel guilt about it. She is giving me a similar feeling. You know I'm sensitive about these matters."

"It-It's true," Asia said in a small voice. "I can't let go of something I believed in my whole life…"

"Is that so?" The wrappings fell off Xenovia's sword. She pointed it at Asia. "Then you won't mind being cleansed by this sword. You can be free of your sins."

It was just two sentences, but it made me furious like nothing else. I stepped forward, stopping Xenovia from approaching Asia. "Hey. Who the fuck are you calling a witch?" I said lowly.

"I don't think I said anything wrong. Right now, she is a witch."

I grit my teeth together and made a noise. "Not one damn person helped her when she needed it. Not one damn person understood her kindness. Not one damn person tried to be her friend. Where do you think you're getting off, saying that shit?"

"A Holy Maiden doesn't need friends. All she needed was the love from God and the charity she performed for others."

"What 'love from God'?! God didn't do jack shit for her!"

"God loves all. That just means her belief in God wasn't strong enough. What are you to her?"

"Friend. Family. If any of you bastards try to lay a hand on her, any damn one, I'm gonna stop you."

Blue-hair's eyes went sharp. "Is that a declaration of war? From a single Devil? Gremory, your Servant lacks education."

Sudden laughter. All eyes turned to Kirito.

"S-Senpai?" came from Gasper's box.

"Kirito-senpai?" Koneko said.

"'Lacks education', she says. That's rich, coming from the ones with beliefs stuck in the Middle Ages," he said, smiling in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Blue-hair narrowed her eyes. "You would insult our beliefs?"

"I would, yeah. You idiots don't scare me."

Buchou tried to intervene. "Ise, Kirito sto–"

"That's good timing," Kiba interrupted. He was already holding his crooked sword. "I will be your opponent."

"And who are you?" Xenovia asked.

"You could say I'm your senior," Kiba said, smirking. "Although, I was apparently a failure."

*~B~*

So how did it turn out like this?

I snapped, then Kirito taunted them, then Kiba snapped.

Xenovia had suggested what had amounted to a practice match between them and us. Kiba had readily agreed, jumping at the chance to fight an Excalibur.

We were on the grounds besides the old school building. Buchou had set up a barrier that didn't allow anything to leave, but the people outside could still intervene if things got too dangerous.

Inside the barrier were the two exorcists, and me and Kiba. The other six members of the Peerage stood outside the barrier.

Kiba faced Xenovia while I faced Irina, my supposed childhood friend. The two exorcists had shrugged off their cloaks, leaving their tight black bodysuits to full view.

… Are those supposed to be training against temptation for others? What is the point of them being that tight-fitting?

Xenovia was wielding her huge sword and Irina had turned the rope back into a katana.

So she prefers a speed-type style, huh? Damn, my speed sucks.

Kiba was laughing. He was laughing so much it was weird. His usual smile was nowhere to be seen. Frankly, that cold smile of his made me want to give him a wide berth.

"To think that the things I want to destroy are right in front of me. This is great," he said. There were several demonic swords at his feet.

"Sword Birth," Xenovia deduced. "I heard that the possessor of that Gear escaped the Holy Sword Project. Is that you?"

Kiba didn't answer but his killing intent spiked. Please don't forget this is just supposed to be a match. You'll cause a lot of people trouble.

"Hey, Ise-kun."

I turned to my supposed childhood friend. I barely remember our time together. It's been so long. But there's no way I'm mistaking her for a boy now.

She looked sad. "When I heard you got trapped in a death game, I wanted to rush back and find out if you were okay. When I do get to come back two years later, I find a Devil in your place. I was so shocked. Such a pity. What a harsh fate God has given us! I go to England to learn the ways of the holy sword, and I come back to find my childhood friend has become a Devil! Aaaah, this must be a trial. I must stay faithful."

She pointed her katana at me. "Worry not, Ise-kun! I will free you from your sins and the scars that death game must have left on you! I will judge you with this Excalibur! Amen!"

I twitched at the painful headache the small prayer brought me. "Hey, Irina … it's fine if I call you Irina, right?"

"Of course! We are still childhood friends!"

"R-Right … Irina, you're not gonna take back what you said about Asia, are you?"

Irina pouted. "Xenovia said all that, not me!"

"But you agree, right?"

"Well, it's not like I don't, but it's not like I do, either. It's fine if you don't understand, Ise-kun; after all, you're a Devil now! But don't worry! Once you've been judged, you'll have no more worries!"

I sighed. Irina, you probably believe everything you're saying. You probably think that you're right.

Still, it doesn't change that your insults towards Asia have pissed me off as bad as Riser did.

I took a deep breath. "You two … need to learn some common sense!" I roared.

I promoted to Queen as Buchou had declared the grounds enemy territory at the moment. And then…

[Boost!]

Boosted Gear manifested. I let red flames run over my entire body.

Irina took a step back. "Ise-kun?!" That was probably due to my eyes changing.

Xenovia looked at me with surprise. "A Longinus? And Boosted Gear of all things … Sword Birth, Boosted Gear and Twilight Healing … perhaps you were all meant to become Devils."

"Your opponent is me!" Kiba snarled and pressed his chance. Xenovia easily blocked his strike.

"My power is the power of my comrades' regret! With this power, I will overcome Excalibur!"

Kirito was already frowning, but it deepened.

[Boost!]

"Ise-kun?! What happened to your eyes?!" Irina asked in shock.

"It's a small price I paid. To save the girl you people turned your backs on!"

I took the initiative. I aimed my left arm at the ground at her feet and fired. It was nowhere near my full power, but it did what I intended.

The earth exploded. Dust and debris went everywhere. Irina raised her sword to defend herself.

I charged with a punch. Irina knocked away the debris and turned her sword into a round shield.

CLANG!

The punch caused Irina to skid back a few inches and wince. "Wow, you're strong! I'll have to judge you seriously!" she declared.

She made a sweeping motion and the shield morphed into a longsword. I leapt back. Irina stabbed forward and the blade extended. I stepped to a side, only for the sword to morph into a whip which she swung at me.

I ducked under it. Raynare's light was pretty painful on its own, so no way could I even touch a legendary holy sword.

[Boost!]

I swept my left arm. The blade had reformed by now. The red flames concentrated around the blade and shot forward as an arc. Irina hurriedly retracted her blade and used the katana to swipe the flames away.

It still gave me a small opening. I attempted to land a kick from her right.

A spike suddenly grew out of the katana and stabbed me in the stomach. I stumbled back and fell to my knees.

Wow, that hurt. It was like a red-hot iron bar had been stuck inside me. The wound was smoking.

"Phew, I managed to get you," Irina said, sighing. She was sweating a bit. "You made me focus so much in the heat of your flames. You're such a meanie, Ise-kun!"

Suddenly, even more heat spread through the grounds. In direct contrast to that, the ground began to freeze.

"Flare Brand and Freeze Mist!" Kiba declared. He held two different swords. "I will surpass Excalibur!"

Xenovia simply swung her sword and Kiba's blades shattered into dust.

"My sword isn't called Excalibur for nothing. It is a mass of destruction. There is nothing I cannot destroy," Xenovia said.

"… Is that so. Then, take this!" Kiba materialized a sword that was bigger than he was tall. Even from here, I could feel it thrumming with power. Kiba swung it at her, but Xenovia only sighed.

"A shame. You made the wrong decision." With one swing of her sword, she shattered Kiba's sword. The hilt with the broken blade flew out of Kiba's hands. "Your strength lies in the variety of swords you can make, and your speed. With that sword, you forsook all your advantages. You cannot beat Excalibur Destruction in destructive power. Attempting to do so was foolish."

"I'm not done!" Kiba made his favored lightning-bolt sword. It spun like a drill and glowed.

He charged forward and Xenovia prepared to meet him with an overhead blow.

Shit…! Kiba, you won't survive that! Dodge!

There was a sudden jet-engine roar.

Excalibur Destruction flew out of Xenovia's hands and cratered the ground near me.

Everyone froze. Everyone stared at Kirito. The broken remnant of Kiba's sword that he had used to perform Vorpal Strike was even more broken. Only the pommel barely remained.

"Huh, it worked," he mused.

Irina stared at the greatsword lying in the crater – wait, wasn't it a bit too close?! I could have died, you retard!

Xenovia kept staring at her empty hands. Kiba didn't bother to attack her, choosing to stare at Kirito.

Xenovia's calm and collected visage crumbled. She looked at the sword lying there. "What…?"

"That's far enough, don't you think?" was all Kirito said.

Xenovia's head whipped around to stare at him. "H-How…?"

Kirito shrugged. "You said it yourself. We're not on the same side. I don't have to tell you how I managed that."

Kiba's sword dispelled. So did the broken thing in Kirito's hand. "Pick your sword up and go. I think we're done," Kirito said. Akeno-san dispelled the red barrier, but even she and Buchou were staring at Kirito in surprise.

Neither Xenovia nor Irina took their eyes off him. Did you two believe yourself so invincible? Were you that confident?

Kirito's attack had completely destroyed that. For a few seconds, a tense atmosphere remained as the two exorcists left.

Once they were out of sight Kirito sighed. He fell back into a sitting position, face contorted like he was feeling severe pain.

As I watched, blood began to trickle down the arm he had performed the attack with.

"Asia, could you give me a hand?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Y-Yes!" Asia ran towards him.

"Kirito, what did you do?" Buchou asked.

"A combination of things. I was sure they'd stay long enough to see the blood flowing, but … it worked better than I expected."

"Kirito-san, your arm … the bones are almost dust," Asia commented.

"Yeah, I … figured as much."

"Kirito-kun," Kiba began. "Why–"

"What the hell, Kiba?" Kirito interrupted, looking at him with an unreadable expression. "I wouldn't have done a damn thing – I wouldn't have needed to if you had fought smart and played to your strengths. Instead, you acted like an idiot."

Kiba bristled. He clenched his fists. "This doesn't concern you."

Kirito scoffed. "Sure it doesn't. You're a fellow member of this Peerage."

"It's none of your business!"

"I'm not about to let you make my mistakes," Kirito said.

That gave Kiba pause.

"I know what it's like to be the sole survivor," Kirito stated. "I might not be able to fully sympathize with everything you went through, but I damn well understand."

His words made everyone but me and Kiba widen their eyes. Klein had mentioned it once or twice, how a guild he belonged to had died. But I didn't know any more than that.

"You were in SAO. You were there for all the boss battles. You know damn well what I was like for half a year. Don't do the same things."

Asia finished healing Kirito's arm. "So, we can go to sleep now, right?" Kirito asked casually, like he'd flipped a switch.

*~B~*

Asuna was overthinking. And that was never good for her.

After finding out Ise was a Devil, she and Liz had begun to look into anything related to the Sekiryuutei. She found out about Rias's victory against Riser Phenex, thanks to her newest Pawn, the Sekiryuutei.

Asuna was genuinely happy for her. She had successfully rebelled against the elders of the Underworld.

But that wasn't all.

The Rating Game reports said that Rias's team consisted of 1 Queen, 1 Knight, 1 Bishop, and 2 Rooks.

Asuna knew all but two of her Servants. They were her Servants for quite a long time. She had met her Queen, Akeno, several times. Her Knight she had known for two years in SAO. And while she had never met the reticent Rook, Rias had talked about Koneko as much as she had her other Servants.

Her Bishop, a former nun named Asia Argento, had become her Servant after Ise and Kirito had gone to Kuou. Asuna found a case involving Fallen Angels in Kuou.

The problem was … her unnamed other Rook.

Rias herself tried to be secretive about both the Rook and Ise. Asuna had learnt from a third party about Ise, but she didn't know anything about the Rook. She couldn't find much information either. It was as though the Rook was being deliberately hidden.

Still, Asuna was more than capable of deduction. From looking at the Rating Game reports, and seeing who beat who, some simple deductions revealed that the unnamed Rook had, on top of assisting in taking down the opposing Queen, defeated five Pawns and a Knight on their own.

Asuna could make a very good guess on who that Rook was, and she dearly hoped she was wrong.

She knew one person who was ridiculously good at fighting. She did know one person who would become even better if he was reincarnated into a Devil.

Kirito had been secretive himself about the club he had joined. He always spoke about it in similes and comparisons, never directly saying what the club was.

Asuna hoped she was wrong, but all that mental footwork led to one conclusion: perhaps Kirito had become Rias's other Rook.

Asuna tried not to feel betrayed. Surely he had a good reason for it.

Even so, overthinking was a bad habit of hers. Asuna had taken a walk to clear her head, whatever good that had done.

Argo was adjusting quite well to Devil life. Maybe after she had resolved the issue involving Sugou, Asuna would start sending her on Devil jobs. It had been a while since either she or Lizbeth had gone on one. That could be a refreshing change.

There were still two things she had to resolve before she could properly think about that. First she had to expose Sugou somehow. Then she had to talk with Kirito. It would be an even more difficult talk than Asuna had initially hoped. Or maybe it would make things easier.

Asuna turned a corner. It happened then.

A familiar pungent smell reached her nose, and Asuna instinctively brought a hand to her mouth. Now?! Why?!

It was futile. Within seconds, Asuna could feel her consciousness disappearing.

Everything turned black.

*~B~*

Asuna couldn't have realized the difference of this attack.

A van sped towards where she lay prone. It stopped when it came within feet of her, skidding on the ground, and deliberately crashing into a nearby utility pole.

The loud sound would no doubt attract attention. The driver hurriedly squeezed out, and a magic circle formed in front of him as he held a small paper.

The circle shrunk and pasted itself on Asuna's neck before seemingly vanishing.

"For Sugou-sama," the driver said, dropping the paper as it began to burn into nothing. He extracted a second paper from his pockets, got back into the damaged van, and activated the spell on it.

The spell was one that couldn't be forced on another. It would only work as intended on the user themselves.

It was a good thing for the plotter that the driver had been made to be completely obedient to him.

The driver's head hit the window, as his body turned lifeless. Wounds appeared on him that resembled those that would occur in a car accident. And in the case of his memories being posthumously read, they were altered, just a moment before he died.

For a single, frightening moment, the driver had no idea for whom or why he had done this. That momentary panic was the last thing he would feel.

Asuna did not realize the difference of this attack.

This time, she would not wake up in the real world.

*~B~*

Koneko thought the idea was a bit too crazy.

Yuuto had not come to school the next day. He was wandering somewhere within the town. Rias had said she would have noticed if he had left town, so Koneko believed her.

Ise had looked contemplative, and after classes had ended, he had asked a brooding Kirito to accompany him. Koneko had overheard and insisted she go with them.

Her way of insisting was holding on to Ise's wrist with an iron grip that he futilely tried to escape. It gave Kirito some amusement, and that alone warmed her heart.

Koneko hated seeing Kirito so lost in the past. Making him smirk in his usual idiotic way was worth anything.

Ise finally caved and told them both his idea. It made Koneko want to rub her eyes and make sure she wasn't mixing her two seniors up.

Kirito seemed to agree. "You know … it's usually my job to think of crazy ideas."

Ise rolled his eyes. "Shut it. I can do so, too."

"Is that something to be proud of?"

Against her will, Koneko giggled. She turned red in embarrassment when the two of them stared at her.

"But, do you really think it'll work?" Kirito asked seriously. "Even I'd think twice about asking those two exorcists for permission to destroy Excaliburs."

"Hearing you of all people say that is doing wonders for my confidence. Wonders, I tell you."

Koneko bit her lip to prevent another embarrassing laugh from leaking out. "… It seems difficult," she said.

"Yeah, it does," Ise agreed. "But they said they have to at least destroy the swords. So we just strike an agreement where we have Kiba break one of the three swords. He overcomes Excalibur and the exorcists fulfil their minimum requirement. Win-win!"

His plan was greeted with silence.

"…If it's to help Yuuto-senpai, then I'm in, no matter what," Koneko finally said.

"… I'm game, but," Kirito began, sighing, "how are we supposed to find them? It's not like–" he suddenly stopped, staring at a street corner.

Koneko didn't have to wonder why for long. Even before she turned to look …

"Please give blessings to the lost lambs."

"Please give charity on behalf of our Father in Heaven!"

… The two exorcists who had caused such a ruckus in their clubroom were begging on the streetside.

"Tch. This is the situation of the so-called developed country of Japan? This is why I don't like heretics."

"Don't say that, Xenovia. We have to do this since we lost all our money, you know?"

"To begin with, we lost all our money because you bought that clearly fake painting!" the blue-haired exorcist accused, pointing at the painting behind the other one. Koneko had to agree with her: the painting did look shoddily drawn.

"Don't call it fake! The person at the exhibition also said it's the painting of a saint!" the twintailed exorcist retorted, proving herself as gullible.

"Tell me, then. Who is the painting of?"

The twintailed exorcist paused and stared at the painting with her head tilted. "I think … it's Saint … Peter?" she didn't sound sure herself.

"Saint Peter looked nothing like that."

"No, he did! I'm sure of it!"

Xenovia sighed. "Why did my partner have to be you? God, is this a trial?"

"Hey, don't get depressed! You get really down when you're depressed."

"Shut up, you Protestant heretic! Show some more respect to the saints!"

"Aren't Catholics the real heretics, with their beliefs stuck in the Middle Ages?"

"What did you say, heretic?"

"Did I say something wrong, heretic?!"

Koneko was an expert at sarcasm, and even she was speechless.

"What is this, a Manzai routine?" Ise said.

"Goodbye first impressions," said Kirito.

Their stomachs grumbled very loudly and they collapsed.

"… Let's just find something to eat first," Xenovia suggested. "If we die of hunger, we should just forget about retrieving the Excaliburs."

"… You're right," Irina agreed. "God will forgive us if we threaten the heretics, right?"

"We could just perform with our swords. It works everywhere."

"Great idea! We could earn money by putting on a show of cutting fruits with our swords!"

"Well, we don't have fruits, so let's just cut up that picture."

"No! You can't hurt Saint Peter!" Irina cried, practically draping herself over the painting.

"Like I keep saying, that's not Saint Peter!"

They began arguing again, even though they were literally so hungry they couldn't stand.

These are the same two who came to our clubroom yesterday? Koneko wondered if maybe they had gotten abducted by aliens.

Ise's eye twitched. "Let's … let's just talk to them over food," he suggested, approaching them.

*~B~*

"Delicious! Japanese cuisine is the best!"

"This is it! This is the taste of my homeland!"

The two of them gobbled the food, tearing through the food with zero finesse.

They definitely got abducted by aliens, Koneko decided.

The moment they saw Ise, they looked at him both hopefully and hungrily. Ise offered to treat them and they agreed immediately.

They were saying things like "we sold our souls to the Devils" the whole way to the diner, though.

They were eating so much, Ise looked troubled. Koneko assured him that she would foot the bill.

"God, please bless these Devils! Amen!"

Koneko and her seniors all got headaches due to the prayer.

"Oops! Sorry, I did that without thinking!" Irina apologized, sticking out her tongue.

Xenovia was the first to calm down. "So, why did you come to us?" she asked,

"Oh, right. You two came here to retrieve the Excaliburs, right?" Ise asked. Xenovia nodded. "How about we help you destroy them?"

Their eyes widened at Ise's suggestion. They exchanged glances and for a long, tense moment, nobody spoke.

"… Sure, if you can," Xenovia finally said.

Ise's mouth dropped open. That went very easily. "Just make sure your identities aren't exposed," Xenovia added. "Our superiors shouldn't find out that we cooperated with you."

"Wait, just like that?" Kirito blurted out.

"Xenovia, even if it's Ise-kun, he's still a Devil you know," Irina interjected.

"Wouldn't it be tough to retrieve the Excaliburs from Kokabiel? Even if we sacrifice ourselves, it's not guaranteed that we will succeed. Besides, isn't it also our duty to live on and fight for God?"

"W-Well, yeah…"

"Besides, we aren't actually getting help from a Devil." She smiled slyly. "Nobody said we can't get help from a dragon, who just happens to be a Devil and has Devil companions."

That was the weirdest logic Koneko had ever heard. Kirito chuckled. "You know, I'm still a bit pissed about what you said to Asia, but I feel like we'd get along," he said.

Xenovia looked at him for a moment, before turning to Ise. "I never expected to meet the Sekiryuutei here. If the stories are correct, you can raise your power to that of a Maou. Destroying the Excaliburs should be no problem."

"Uh … I take it the negotiations were a success?" Ise said, looking like he had been thrown for a loop. Koneko couldn't blame him, since she felt the same. "I'll just call Kiba over."

*~B~*

"Is that true? You'll let us destroy the Excaliburs?" Yuuto asked suspiciously.

He had arrived in a surprisingly short time. Maybe it was due to Ise leading with 'I'm with those two exorcists right now'. They gave him a quick rundown of the situation once he arrived.

Xenovia nodded. "That is the agreement, yes." While Xenovia had been quick to adjust to the three of them, she was still tense with Yuuto.

Yuuto laughed shortly. "Somehow, it feels unsatisfactory, being given permission to break the blades."

Xenovia narrowed her eyes. "Be glad you're being given this chance. Were you a Stray, I would have cut you down in an instant."

Koneko could almost see the sparks between them. "Oi, don't start a fight," Ise said.

"Kiba-kun holds a grudge against the Holy Sword Project, right?" Irina asked. Yuuto glared at her. "But … it helped us wield holy swords," Irina said nervously.

"Was it worth slaughtering my comrades?" Yuuto asked with a voice like a whip crack. Irina flinched, unable to respond.

"You're right," Xenovia said. "That incident is reviled by the Church. Even though the studies yielded fruit, the methods used by the overseer were not approved. He escaped from the church and went to the Fallen Angels for protection."

"Valper Galilei, right?" Yuuto asked. "So if I go after the Fallen Angels, I can reach him … since we're sharing information, there is something I must inform you. Just a while back, I was attacked by a Stray Exorcist."

Ise and Kirito both started. "You alright?" Ise asked.

"When was this?" Kirito asked.

"Earlier today. And Ise-kun probably knows him well. Freed Zelzan."

His words made Ise's eyes widen. "That crazy priest is back?"

"Indeed. There was a dead priest nearby. I assume he was from your organization."

Xenovia nodded. "We had been sending priests into this town secretly, but we never heard from them again. So it was Freed…"

"You know him?" Kirito asked.

Xenovia nodded again. "Freed Zelzan was a former exorcist of the Vatican. He was a genius who became a full exorcist at the age of 13 because he kept slaying dangerous Strays and earning achievements."

"But he was a totally bad person," Irina followed up. "He never believed in God, and there were often 'accidents' where his allies would die. He enjoyed the act of killing so the Church tried to dispose of him."

"And now we're paying the price because we couldn't execute him then," Xenovia said vehemently.

"I take it he's no friend of yours," Kirito stated, rather unnecessarily.

Xenovia again gave him a strange look. "I almost forgot," she began. "We will agree to cooperate. However, I do have one condition."

The three Devils tensed. "How did you knock an Excalibur out of my hands?" she asked Kirito.

He relaxed. "What, that's all?"

"Not only was it an Excalibur, it was Excalibur Destruction. How did you manage that?" she demanded.

Kirito shrugged. "A combination of four factors. I have this special aura vision from SAO which lets me see things like where the destructive aura of your sword is weakest. The flat of the blade near the hilt, if you wanna know. After that it was a combination of my Rook strength, whatever power was left in Kiba's broken sword, and a powerful Sword Skill. Though I did wreck my arm. If you two stayed a second later, you would have seen the blood flowing."

"…I see. But how did you sneak up on me?"

"Stealth skills from Aincrad. Worked better than I expected."

"Kiba-kun, you were going to use a strange attack, too," Irina observed. "Were all three of you in SAO?"

Ise nodded. "Yep, it was all three of us. Me and Kiba weren't aware of each other till I entered Kuou Academy, though."

"What was it like?" Irina asked. "I wanted to buy an AmuSphere here but Xenovia wouldn't let me."

"Again, when and where would you use it? It would be a waste of money just like that fake painting."

"It's not fake! It's a painting of Saint Peter!"

"Scary," Kirito interrupted. "You had to fight for your life every day, and unless you were very lucky, you couldn't avoid knowing people who got killed."

"But you also met people you'd have never met otherwise," Ise added. "You'd make strong connections that never would have happened otherwise."

"True," Kirito agreed. "I'd have never met Asuna if I hadn't logged in that day two and a half years ago."

"It is essentially the same as being a Devil," Yuuto said.

"I'm not sure if being a Devil is more dangerous or less dangerous," Kirito commented.

"We've talked for quite long enough," Xenovia said. She scribbled down a number on a napkin and got up. "Contact us at this number if you find anything. Hyoudou-san has already given Irina your number so don't worry."

"Oi, what the hell, mom?" Ise grumbled.

"I'll repay you for the meal some other time, Sekiryuutei."

"See you, Ise-kun! If it's Ise-kun, God will allow it even if a Devil treats me! Bye!" Irina cheerfully said.

The two of them left the diner.

"Well, that worked," Ise mused.

After a short silence, Yuuto spoke up. "Kirito-kun, Ise-kun, why did you do this?"

Kirito shrugged. "I told you already, right? I'm not about to let you make my mistakes."

"We're comrades, aren't we?" Ise said simply.

Yuuto was silent. "…Yuuto-senpai. I don't want you to go," Koneko said. "I will help you, so please don't go."

Another short silence, which was broken by Kirito. "Kiba. If you can resist that, you have no soul."

Koneko blushed faintly, but held firm. She kept clutching Yuuto's shirt and stared at him.

Finally, he smiled. "Hahaha. If Koneko-chan says that, how can I refuse?"

Koneko smiled in relief. "I think I just died of moe," Ise said.

This time, Koneko couldn't rein in her blush. She glared at Ise.

She didn't know it, but it only made her look cuter.

"Oi, Kiba," Ise began hesitantly. "If it's alright … can I ask you what happened to you?"

"… We were all orphans," he began. "We didn't have anything except our Sacred Gears and each other. They told us we could be useful to the faithful, and being children, we believed them."

Koneko had heard him tell his story before, but it still made her heart ache. "After a while, we began disappearing one by one," he continued. "We just thought they had gone somewhere where they could be of more help. We just continued cooperating with the testing. Even though it was painful, we had each other and our belief in God. And then, that day arrived."

Kiba paused for a moment to collect himself. He quickly wiped away the wetness in his eyes with a sleeve. "The oldest of us, Tosca, was the first to realize something was wrong. She smelled the beginning of the gas in the air, and helped as many of us as she could to escape, while she stayed behind to help as many others as she could.

"I was the only one who managed to escape. The others were either slain by Galilei's followers or killed by the gas. They watched us vomiting blood and proclaimed that it was all in God's name. I only managed to escape because my comrades helped me to with their last breaths.

"I died in front of her, in that snowy forest." A small smile graced his face. "Rias Gremory was on a vacation in Italy. She didn't ask me anything, and immediately saved me. When I came to, I realized I had just gotten a second chance, a chance to avenge them."

Ise was silent, digesting the story of Yuuto's extremely hard life.

"Black Cats of the Full Moon."

Koneko looked at Kirito. He was staring at nothing, and refusing to meet their gazes. "That was the name of the guild I belonged to. There were five members aside from me. Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker, Keita and Sachi."

He spoke with an incredibly familiar sorrowful nostalgia. It reminded Koneko of the rare times Yuuto talked about his old comrades. "I found out later that they all belonged to a computer club at the same school. They were more like a family, and less like schoolmates," he said, smiling slightly. "Each of them always covered each other's backs. They made sure the others could rely on them. I was about thirty levels above them when I met them and was entranced by their familial atmosphere. After I joined, they treated me like one of their own, even though I was lying to them about my level the entire time.

"I promised her – I promised them I'd protect them. But I failed to keep that promise. Since the guild had earned enough money for it, the guild leader, Keita went to buy a guildhouse. The others wanted to do something for him, so we went to a higher floor than they usually went to."

It hurt. It hurt just as much as when Yuuto had first shared his story with them. Koneko instinctively grabbed Kirito's hand and squeezed it.

Kirito's voice went emotionless as he continued. "I thought I could protect them. Maybe if I told them my real level, things would be different. Maybe they wouldn't have let me in. Maybe they'd still be alive.

"Ducker spotted a treasure chest. Being a Clearer I knew it was a trap. I tried to warn them, but they shrugged off my worries … I tried to protect them. I tried to keep my promise to her. But there were just too many monsters. I was the only one who survived.

"I went back to Taft to talk to Keita. I'll never forget his last words. 'A Beater like you should have never joined our guild!' He was right. He jumped off the balcony before I could stop him. In the end, it was just me, the undeserving Black Cat, who was still alive."

A realization came to Koneko. "Senpai, your familiar…"

"Yeah," he agreed. "I named him Kuroneko so that I'd always remember them. It's stupid, isn't it?"

Guilt filled her. "… I'm sorry for saying it was a stupid name," she said in a small voice.

Kirito reached over to ruffle her hair. "Don't be. You didn't know. You've got nothing to apologize for." He looked at Yuuto. "Since you personally shared your story, I felt like I had to share mine. Though it' nowhere near as bad as yours."

"Don't say that," Koneko interjected fiercely. Kirito paused and she continued, "Don't compare what you went through to others. Kirito-senpai has suffered, Yuuto-senpai has suffered and I'm sure Ise-senpai has things he doesn't want to talk about."

All three of them were quietly staring at her, probably because they had never heard her say so much. "Don't compare yourself to others. It doesn't change that you've been hurt. But it's okay now. You have us."

Akeno had said that to her once Koneko had stopped being scared of her and Rias. They had said it to Yuuto too. Koneko now repeated those words to three of the four boys that were dear to her.

Kirito laughed. "Man, I really have such amazing juniors. Awesome and cute."

"Juniors include Gasper," Ise pointed out.

"And cute is exactly what DIO Jr. is going for."

"True," Ise agreed.

"We should get going, shouldn't we?" Yuuto said, finally smiling in his usual way.

"Sure, but first we gotta treat Koneko here for just being great."

Koneko turned red. "S-Senpai, you don't have to…"

"I insist. You two agree, right?"

"Yep."

"Indeed."

Koneko turned redder in embarrassment, but she felt extremely relieved and happy. Even if Kirito transferred to Asuna's Peerage, Koneko didn't want to lose the bond she had with him. Kirito might, in the near future, not still be her fellow Rook, but he'd still remain her amazing senior. Koneko knew how much loss hurt; she never wanted to lose any of the people she cherished, or for them to lose anything.

A phone rang. It was Kirito's. He fished it out of his pocket, and swiped the screen before bringing it to his ear. He probably had a unique ringtone for Asuna so he didn't even have to check the screen.

"Hey, Asuna – Kyouko-san? Wha–"

The color completely drained from his face. He turned as pale as a sheet, as still as a statue.

"Where?" he asked with a tone Koneko had never heard him use before.

"I'm on my way." He cut the call, pocketed his phone and quickly stood up. "I – I have to go."

"Did something happen to Asuna-san?" Ise asked.

"… Yeah. Koneko, keep these two safe. I guess the treat will have to wait."

Without another word, he dashed off.

*~B~*

And here, we, go.

This is why I kept calling it the Vol3 arc. The events of Fairy Dance and Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard will happen concurrently.

And best girl is finally here! I don't really know why I like Xenovia so much. I just do. There may be a couple of Xenovia-centric arcs in the future, because I'm biased.

All the players of either arc haven't shown up yet. Everything will be properly set in motion next chapter.

I'm not quite sure how Fairy Dance will go. It will definitely not be completely as per canon. But I can say this: counting this chapter, this arc will take at least seven chapters. Possibly a maximum of nine.

I am updating this from Singapore, haha. So much for watching anime. I really like writing this, so that's fine.

Don't have anything else to say, so I'll end this here.

Punitor567 out.

Seriously, Koneko, why you so cute?