*Pulls Fist out of a Blood-Drunk Hunter's corpse.*

Here's your damn blood you trigger happy sonnuva...oh hello there, sorry about that.

So yeah, got this one out early too. Spoiler warning, expect the first major deviation from canon near the end.

Lets see how things diverge eh?


Fake Life Eight: The Battle for Kuoh Academy.

Night had already fallen over the Academy by the time they finally got back to it, however, it seemed Sona had called ahead, as Tsubaki had gathered the rest of the Student Council and they were currently using their combined Demonic Power to erect a barrier over the school grounds, one that even Shirou, with his limited experience, could tell far surpassed the Bounded Field over his or Rin's homes.

The only Field which could have compared to this was the one over Ilya's castle, and then only because it had extended over the entire forest used to hide the damn thing from the outside world. While no-where near as large, only covering the academy grounds, the fact that Sona and her peerage had managed to raise such an impressive bounded field in mere moments spoke volumes of just how powerful Devils were compared to Human Magi.

"If all goes well, it should limit the resulting damage to a minimum." Sona assured them all, having taken her place in the centre of the formation along with a determined looking Saji "However, I'm sure you realise we can't keep this up indefinitely."

"We understand, Sona." Rias assured her friend and rival, the Occult Research Club, sans Kiba, standing ready beside her along with a grim-faced Shirou, the Faker grimacing as he attempted to contact Xenovia "Has there been any sign of Xenovia or Yuuto?"

"None." Shirou countered as he lowered his phone along with Issei, who'd been trying non-stop to contact the errant Gremory Knight "While we can assume from Kokabiel's words that they managed to escape, it could be they were rendered unable to move for the time being."

Rias and Asia flinched, prompting Issei and Koneko to glare at the Faker who, realising how his words must have sounded, cursed Archer's influence before nodding his head towards the pillar of light trapped within the barrier "Still, regardless of whether they're injured or simply scattered, I highly doubt they'd have missed THAT, so it's possible they're already on the way if only to investigate."

"Then we should pray they're in a condition to help out when they do show up." Sona opined, her expression firm as she focused all her power into maintaining the barrier "In all honesty, if Kokabiel decided to fight seriously for even a moment, I doubt this barrier would do little to impede the resulting destruction for even a few seconds." Her eyes narrowed pointedly "As much as it pains me to admit it, I think it would be wise if you called in your brother, Rias."

"If it truly pains you that much Sona, then why didn't you call your Sister first?" Rias shot back, her tone teasing as she smiled at her rival, though there was a look of understanding in her eyes.

"I have already informed Sirzechs-sama of the situation." Akeno assured Sona, her expression calm even in the face of Rias' look of betrayal "Rias, I know you wish to avoid troubling your older brother so soon after the incident with Riser." A look of distaste flashed across the redhead's face at the name "But our opponent is one of the Leaders of the Grigori, I think you can agree there's no shame in asking for the aid of a Satan against an opponent so far out of our league."

"Wait, did you say Satan?" Shirou repeated, looking between the assembled Devils with understandable concern "I was wondering what Kokabiel was talking about earlier...You don't mean THE Satan? The King of Hell itself?"

Even someone like Shirou had heard the name of Satan. You couldn't live in a modern town like Fuyuki without some mention of the 'Lord of Demons' popping up in literature, though admittedly the depictions of him varied from intimidating to outright laughable.

"Ah, I keep forgetting you're an atheist, Emiya-kun." Akeno noted, visibly amused by his trepidation even as several members of the Student Council scoffed at the premise, understandable given the company he was keeping "While you're not wrong in that Satan is the title given to the Ruling class of Devils, it's more a position than anything else, like a 'King' or 'President'."

"Though in the old days there probably was such a thing as a 'One True Satan'." Sona supplied dutifully from her position maintaining the barrier "In more recent times, the title refers to the Four Devils who led our Race during the Great War: Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Leviathan and Lucifer."

"I remember Kokabiel mentioning the last two." Shirou muttered, glancing between Sona and Rias, his confusion evident "He said you were their 'younger siblings', but I thought your Family names were Gremory and Sitri?"

"They are," Rias confirmed with a proud smile "and originally, my elder brother Sirzechs and Sona's elder sister Serafall were the respective heirs. However, the death of all Four Great Satans during the War left a power vacuum that could've reignited the war if their supporters had their way."

"Fortunately, Sirzechs-sama and Serafall-sama possessed power equal to that of the old Satans." Tsubaki supplied to the dumbstruck Shirou "and so together with Ajuka of Clan Astaroth and Fallbium of Glasya-Labolas, they took up the mantles of the Four Satans and prevented the Old Satan's followers from reigniting the war, ushering in the new age of Devil Kind."

"It was Ajuka who invented the Evil Piece system that allows us to reincarnate other species into Devils." Rias added dutifully "It was originally meant to facilitate the low birth-rate of new Devils, but thanks to our siblings' efforts even Devils like Issei and Asia can become High Class Devils."

"I see…" Shirou muttered, honestly shaken by the revelation that freaking SATAN was dead, and that there was more than one of them out there. Hell, if it weren't for the fact he was a Magus, and thus persona-no-grata with the Holy Church to begin with, the fact that Devils could give birth to beings on par with Satan naturally would probably have shaken his faith "So the reason Rias and Sona aren't calling their siblings to help…?"

"Is because neither wants to look like they can't do anything without their elder sibling holding their hands." Akeno chirped cheerfully, earning an irate squawk from Rias and a scowl from Sona, both heiresses flushing scarlet as Rias' hair at the insinuation "Be that as it may, I took the liberty at contacting Sirzechs-sama at my own discretion, and he assures me that reinforcements will be here within an hour."

"That's certainly a relief." Sona sighed, the Council members looking revitalized by the fact one of their Leaders had their back "Very well, in that case, on my honour as a Sitri, I and my peerage vow to hold the barriers until then, no matter the cost."

"Honestly Akeno…" Rias sighed, pouting at her Queen in exasperation before running a hand through her scarlet hair with a confident smile "In that case, we of House Gremory will go on the offensive." She turned to regard her peerage sternly "I want you all to understand that unlike the Rating Game against Riser's Peerage, Kokabiel and his forces will be fighting to kill." she waved her hand to the side "Even so, I will not forgive any of you if you die!"

"The same goes for you, Emiya-kun." Sona pointed out, surprising the Faker by her inclusion of him "I may not be your King, but as Student Council President, I expect to see you in Class tomorrow."

"I forbid you to die, Archer!" Rin's voice echoed in the Faker's mind, an image of him, no, the Red Knight, facing down Berserker in the hallway of Ilya's Castle, flashing across his vision "Kill that thing and come back to me!"

'Good grief, what is it with me and pushy Tsunderes?' he mused, shaking his head at the sheer irony of it all before waving a hand "As you say, Kaichou, I still need to fix the heater for Saji-san anyway."

"Ara? I thought Saji-kun said he'd take care of it personally?" Ruruko wondered, causing Saji to chuckle nervously as both Sona and Tsubaki turned their ire on him, Shirou wisely deciding to enter the barrier along with the Gremory Peerage before things got more volatile.

'Is it wrong that I don't envy him right now?' Shirou wondered, offering a silent prayer for the Pawn's safety as the barrier closed behind them, only to blink as, rather than the moonlit fields outside, he found himself standing under the evening sky "Time suspension?"

"Tsubaki and the others managed to get the barrier around the school just as the pillar of light was formed." Akeno supplied, her expression serene despite the tense atmosphere as they approached the school building "It should keep things from getting too far out of hand, but at their current level it won't do much to reduce the damage to the grounds given our opponent."

"Which is where we come in." Rias opined, turning to face them all "Issei, you'll be providing support for Akeno and I by transferring your boosted power to us when the time is right." She turned to the others "In the meantime, we'll buy Issei the time he needs to fully Charge the Transfer."

"What about Asia-san?" Shirou asked, nodding towards the blonde Bishop who was huddlin next to Issei and fidgeting nervously with her skirt "No offence meant, but she doesn't look like a fighter to me."

"Asia will be providing support along with Issei." Rias assured the Faker, smiling warmly at the newest member of her peerage before turning to face Shirou "However, I'd appreciate it greatly if you could watch out for them, Emiya-Kun."

"I don't need his help, Buchou!" Issei countered, the perverted Pawn stepping between his King and the faker, clenching his fist determinedly "I'll protect Asia-chan with my life if need be!"

"Under normal circumstances I wouldn't doubt it, Issei." Rias assured her perverted Pawn with a fond smile even as Asia blushed shyly "But our opponent is Kokabiel, and he's gathered three of the Seven Excaliburs together." She glanced down at his Sacred Gear "Since you can't attack without resetting the charge, I'd feel better knowing you had someone to intervene in the event they try something underhanded."

"I'm fine with providing support." Shirou assured her, ignoring the resigned glare Issei was sending his way "Though I hope you don't mind if I take a few pot-shots if I see an opening to do so."

"By all means." Rias chuckled, though her smile didn't quite extend to her eyes "Though I feel I should warn you: If you do anything to put their lives at risk, I will never forgive you."

"Join the cue." Shirou shot back, earning a look of confusion from the Devils as they pressed onward, Issei promoting to Queen to heighten his Demonic Powers before activating the charge function of the Boosted Gear as they approached the track field, where the pillar of light shone.

As they drew closer, Shirou realised what he'd assumed to be a pillar was more of a helix, stemming from several magic circles gathered around a central point. Standing outside the circle was none other than Valper Galilei, the Archbishop's face stretched in rapture as he gazed upon the hovering forms of the stolen Excaliburs in the centre of the formation.

"Hey, Emiya." Issei whispered, his tone low to avoid drawing attention until they were in a better position "You're the Wizard here right? What the hell is that old guy doing with the Excaliburs?"

"I'm a Magus." Shirou corrected pointedly "And as I've said before, not much of one. The most I can tell is that he's probably tapped into a local leylines to power whatever ritual he's got going, but as to what it's for, you've got me."

"It would appear the good Archbishop has harboured a desire to re-forge the Seven Excaliburs into a single sword since he first learned of their being shattered." Kokabiel's voice called out from on high, the group looking up in alarm to find the Fallen reclining on an ornate throne in the middle of the sky with one cheek resting on his knuckles and his legs crossed almost lazily "Though if I'd known it would take this long I never would have agreed to wait."

"It's nearly done, Lord Kokabiel." Valper stammered hurriedly, the Archbishop clearly fearing for his life should the Genocidal Fallen's patience give out "In less than five minutes the ritual will be complete."

"Is that so?" Kokabiel mused, sounding placated for the moment "Very well, I leave that to you." He conceded, Valper releasing a sigh of relief as the Fallen turned his attention back to Rias "So tell me, Daughter of House Gremory, is Sirzechs coming? Or Serafall?" his eyes widened in anticipation "Or did you take my request seriously and call for both?"

"My honoured brother's reinforcements will be here in an hour." Rias assured the Fallen, her tone smug as she matched his glare "However, it will be a moot point, as we'll have taken you down by then-!"

If Shirou hadn't been watching for it, if the Fallen's attitude didn't remind him of his fight with Gilgamesh, he never would have seen it coming. As it were, the moment Kokabiel snapped his fingers, the Faker was already tackling Asia and Issei to the ground, ignoring the Pawn's cries in favour of covering them with his body as the Fallen summoned what appeared to be a spear composed of pure light and hurled it at the Gym, his eyes narrowing as the wind and dust died down to reveal the spear standing in the middle of a barren crater where the building once stood.

"Neither huh? Tch, how boring." Kokabiel muttered, his derision apparent as he snapped his fingers once more, dispelling the Spear of Light in a manner so similar to the way Archer dispelled his swords that Shirou felt professionally insulted "Oh well, I'm sure you'll provide some measure of entertainment."


After Kokabiel's attack...

"Holy shit…" Issei whispered, his whole body trembling with fear as he watched the spear of light vanish back into the ether "You gotta be kidding…he can toss something that big around like it's nothing? Raynare's was a toothpick compared to that!"

"Don't tell me you're scared, Partner?" Ddraig chastised his host, the gem on the Boosted Gear lighting up at his words "You knew going into this that this guy was on a different level from the ones you fought before. Remember, he's an Angel from antiquity who survived fighting against God and the Old Satans after falling from heaven."

"I suppose you'd know, seeing as you probably fought him yourself." Issei mused, earning a quirked brow from the Faker, who didn't know of the Dragon's history "So do you think we stand a chance here?"

"If worst comes to worst, we'll beat him even if I have to turn most of your body into a dragon." Ddraig assured the Pawn "That way, even if you can't beat him, he won't be able to move for an hour, in which case we can leave things for the Satan to clean up."

'Awfully humble for a Dragon…' Shirou muttered, knowing from his meager studies that Dragons were notorious for being proud of their strength, to the point even suggesting they could not defeat an opponent was to incite their wrath 'Then again, he's talking about Issei's ability to defeat him, so it probably evens out.'

"Now then," Kokabiel noted "while I'm disappointed at the turn-out, since you came all the way out here to alleviate my boredom, I suppose you can start by taking my beloved pet for a walk."

Another snap of his fingers heralded the formation of another glowing magical circle, Shirou's eyes narrowing as the scent of sulphur and brimstone filled the air, only to widen as the light dimmed, revealing a massive hound, easily ten metres tall at the shoulder, it's three heads spewing fire from their mouths, their eyes burning with a hatred that threatened to burn the world to cinders.

Even if he'd never fought in the grail war, there was no way in hell that Shirou could have mistaken Cerberus, Hells Watchdog; the Hound of Hades that guarded the path to Tartarus in Greek Mythology, the same hound that Heracles had been tasked with capturing as one of his infamous labours, a Phantasmal Beast that by all accounts had no place in the modern world.

As if to deny this claim, the Cerberus unleashed a howl of rage at the sight of the assembled Devils that shook the very earth, Emiya's teeth rattling in his jaw as he fought to keep his footing in the face of such malice, the only thing keeping him from bolting in fear being his desire to protect Asia and Issei, and the knowledge that Archer had faced something much WORSE in his life.

After all, as intimidating as Cerberus was, the Hound of Hell's purpose was to guard the souls of the dead and damned to prevent them from escaping to the human world. As such, the threat they posed to humanity was minimal compared to the Hound of Gaia, whose very existence demanded that it killed as many humans as possible simply because 'They Exist'.

"Let's go, Akeno, Koneko!" Rias called out, taking to the air along with her Queen while her Rook charged in from below to distract the hound "Emiya-kun, cover Issei and Asia while he charges his Boosted Gear!"

"You heard Buchou, Emiya!" Issei called out, already on his feet and charging his demonic power, each flash of the gauntlet causing the scent of his power to double in intensity "Get off your ass and get your head in the game-!"

He trailed off with a yelp as Shirou spun round and hurled Kanshou and Bakuya at his head, the married twin swords clipping the pervert's hair as they sailed past. Before the Pawn could open his mouth to berate the Faker, however, an enraged howl from behind caused him to turn sharply, only to pale at the sight of a second Cerberus towering over an equally shocked Asia, pawing awkwardly at one of its heads, which had been blinded in one eye by the hurled swords.

"Worry about yourself before trying to tell others how to do their job." Shirou warned the Pawn, a fresh pair of blades in hand as he rushed past, hurling the blades and retracing them again and again until the second Cerberus was surrounded by a cage of black and white, halting it in its tracks and allowing the Faker to dart in and start hacking away at its legs.

"He has a point, Partner." Ddraig chuckled, Issei fuming silently as he pulled a worried Asia to his side, glaring pointedly at the Faker, more embarrassed than angry at being shown up so readily after trying to act cool, though thankfully he soon forgot all about it when Xenovia arrived, cleaving one of the Cerberus' heads with a single swing.

"Is this a private party? Or can anyone cut in?" the wielder of Destruction asked, her tone coy as she stood over the dissolving head of the Cerberus, Excalibur Destruction slung over one shoulder.

"Feel free." Shirou offered, the Faker leaping back out of reach of the Hellhound's retaliatory strike, allowing Xenovia to race in and split the beast in two, its dying howl sending shivers of sympathy through Issei's body, knowing all too well the effect Holy Swords had on demonic flesh.

'Damn it…!' Issei swore, gritting his teeth as he turned his attention to the other Cerberus, which was still going strong despite the combined efforts of Rias, Akeno and Koneko-chan 'Why am I sitting on the bench at a time like this? Isn't the damn thing charged yet?'

"Hey, partner." Ddraig called out, drawing the Pawn's attention to his gauntlet, which was flashing out of sync with his words "I figured you hadn't noticed, but the Boosted Gear's been letting you know that you've reached the level needed to allow those two to destroy a Cerberus easily."

"Are you kidding me?" Issei exclaimed, eyeing his Sacred Gear in disbelief, noting that the grim in the guard was indeed shining brighter than before "When in the hell did you learn such a convenient ability?"

"A Sacred Gear evolves along with its user, remember?" Ddraig reminded his host patiently "It must have sensed your impatience and inability to judge the power difference between you and your opponents and evolved to let you know when the desired level of boosts has been achieved."

A part of Issei felt hurt that the Boosted Gear considered him so inept it needed to do the sensing for him, but it was overshadowed by the fact that he didn't need to sit on his ass any longer. "Buchou! Akeno-san!" he called out, raising his armoured fist in the air for them to see "I've charged enough for you to take down the Cerberus!"

"Nice going, Issei!" Rias applauded, the King and Queen descending while Koneko kept the hellhound busy "By the way, just to be clear, you increased the effectiveness of a Cross and Holy Water during the battle with Riser, right?" she smiled at his nod "So would it be possible to boost both of us at the same time?"

"Ddraig…?" Issei pondered, glancing down at his gauntlet for confirmation only to wince "He says if it's just the two of you it shouldn't be a problem, but you'll only receive 70-80% of the Boost."

"That should be more than enough." Rias assured him, the two of them dropping down so Issei could place his armoured hand on both their shoulders, only to gasp as, with a cry of "TRANSFER!", a surge of Demonic Power filled their bodies, filling them to the point it felt as if their skin would burst if so much as pricked by a needle.

It was also a clearly arousing experience, evidenced by the way their nipples were poking through their blouses and the downright erotic moans they were giving off.

"…We can do this." Rias breathed as soon as she got herself under control, the Gremory heiress smiling confidently at her Queen as they once again took to the skies to continue their assault "Akeno!"

"But of course," the Thunder Priestess chirped, raising a hand in the air as lighting crashed overhead, her eyes locked on the sole remaining Cerberus "Thunder! Resound!"

The Cerberus made as if to run, but Koneko had gotten a good grip on its forelimb and somehow managed to supplex the hellhound onto its back. Before it could rise to its feet, countless swords burst from the ground, impaling the beast, holding it down for Akeno's lighting to fry it to a crisp.

"Sword Birth?" Issei exclaimed, the Pawn's eyes widening in relief at the sight of a familiar figure walking towards them through the settling dust like the damn bishounen he was "Kiba!"

"Yuuto." Rias sighed, smiling in relief at the return of her errant Knight, only to scowl as Kokabiel derisively applauded their success against his pets, the Gremory heiress mustering her charged Power of Destruction in both hands before launching it at the Fallen with all she had "TAKE THIS!"

'So that's her Power of Destruction.' Shirou muttered, his expression grim as he watched the black mass of Prana erupt from the Gremory Heiress palms, shivering in apprehension as his senses screamed at him to run, to put as much distance between that awful power and him as possible.

If the Mass of Darkness intimidated Kokabiel at all, however, the Fallen Star of God certainly wasn't showing it. Indeed, he seemed almost expectant as he casually reclined on his throne, watching the oncoming tide of death draw ever nearer.

Slowly, almost lazily, be brought a hand up before him, as if to casually instruct the oncoming Prana to halt in its tracks. It therefore came as a shock to all when the wave of death did just that, halting dead in its tracks the moment it came in contact with his outstretched palm.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Issei yelped, dropping to his knees in disbelief at the sight "I charged Buchou with everything I had, that blast was at least ten times larger than the one she used against Raynare and he didn't even flinch?"

As if to further mock the Gremory's' efforts, Kokabiel casually tilted his arm to the side, as if swatting a fly, sending the darkness careening towards the ground, where it promptly carved a massive crater, easily ten times the one he made when he destroyed the gym.

'He's been holding back.' Shirou deduced, his expression grim as Kokabiel confirmed just what kind of monster they were dealing with 'He hasn't been taking us seriously from the get go.'


As the dust settles...

"How very interesting…." Kokabiel noted, the smile on his face not unlike that of a child whose found a new toy, were it not for the battle-lust in his eyes "So this is the kind of power you can gain when combined with the Red Dragon Emperor's…" he sneered down at Issei "Perhaps there was something to Azazel's interest in you after all, boy!"

Before Rias could voice a response, the light from the centre of the field intensified to the point even Kokabiel had to shield his eyes, the Fallen scowling in annoyance at the interruption until Valper's insane laughter filled the air.

"It's complete!" the Archbishop of Genocide proclaimed, gazing reverently at the centre of the array, where the swords hovered, their forms bathed in a holy light that forced the devils to avert their eyes, Shirou and Xenovia merely scowling as they waited to die down, revealing a single sword hovering in the centre of the field, surrounded by a blue-white aura.

Judging the concept of creation…

They who were separate are united once more…yet still their brilliance pales to that of their origin.

Once again, Shirou felt the twinge of discomfort as he gazed upon the fused Excalibur (?), the voices of the swords that made up its form now joined by the voice of Galilei's creation.

Hypothesizing the Basic Structure…

A two-handed longsword forged from three separate blades, the vision of a Madman's dream.

Now, however, that the three had been combined, he had a better understanding of how they could have originally been one, and even how Rapidly and Destruction could have ever been a part of them.

Duplicating the Composite Materials…

While divine metal served as its core, base metals had been added to hold the shards together.

By examining the combined blade and comparing it to its fellows, he could make out the various imperfections that had been added due to the process of re-forging them into separate swords.

Imitating the Production Process…

Originally forged by divine hands, they were combined through the machinations of a Madman.

While Valper's method had been flawed, a mockery of whatever the original creator had intended, by combining the blade like this, Shirou was able to deduce how the original could have been forged.

Sympathizing with the Experience of its Growth…

Few possessed the qualifications for it to acknowledge them as master and so few could wield it.

This blade had never been intended to be wielded by anyone other than its original owner. An owner whose qualifications had been so high that no-other Holy Sword Wielder had ever come close.

Reproducing the accumulated years…

It was old, it was newly born, its current form mere seconds old, its legend reaching back centuries.

He knew this sword. More than that, he knew the sword this it was meant to be. And, as such, knew the sword it could not be, for such a sword could not exist anymore, no matter how the world may yearn for it.

Excelling every manufacturing process…

Forged anew, its numerous powers stand ready to aid the faithful in the fight against the enemies of God. Be it madman or faithful, all who aspire to Glory know its name, the greatest of Holy Swords…

"That is NOT Excalibur!" Shirou snapped, his voice cutting through the air, silencing Valper Galilei in the middle of his crowing, the Archbishop blinking at the venom in the Faker's voice before scowling in distaste.

"Humph, what would a Godless Heathen like you know?" he sneered, adjusting his glassing self-importantly as he turned to face them "In any case, now that the sword has been completed, I'd advise you all to leave within the next twenty minutes, otherwise you'll be crushed along with the town once the Earth Shaker spell activates."

"Of course, if you want to stop the spell and save the town, all you have to do is defeat ME." Kokabiel called out, rising from his throne with a mocking smile as he spread his ten black wings for all to see "What say you, Rias Gremory?"

"As if you had to ask!" Rias snarled, summoning darkness in her hand once more even as Akeno launched lighting at the Fallen from on high, Kokabiel grinning ferally as he easily caught both attacks, slamming them together to create a massive sphere of lighting charged darkness that he hurled at the pair with a savage, mocking grin, Akeno taking the brunt of the hit to protect her King.

"Himejima-san!" Shirou called out, sighing in relief as Issei lunged forwards and managed to catch the falling Queen before she hit the ground, only to curse as the Fallen turned his attention to Kiba, who had charged towards Valper with hatred in his eyes "Damn it! RHO AIAS!"

It was shoddy, he could tell even as he hurled himself at Kiba that the projection wouldn't hold, that it wouldn't possess even half the strength it had when he'd traced it against Saber-Alter back in the tunnels leading to the Greater Grail. Still, while it wasn't able to stop the Spear of Light completely, it was able to divert it long enough for Shirou to tackle Kiba to the side, the Faker ramming into the Knight at top speed, sending them flying to the side just as the hastily projected petals shattered and the Spear of Light rent the earth.

"Get off me!" Kiba snapped, glaring hatefully at Valper, shielded from the worst of the blast by a shield of some sort, a sneering Freed Sellzen swaggered in from wherever the hell he'd been hiding.

"Geez, the Boss-Man sure likes to throw his weight around." The Exorcist sneered, a disgusting expression on his face as he took the newly forged holy Sword in both hands, Shirou grimacing as he felt, more than heard, the Blade's disgust at the exorcist's touch "Still, I'll gladly accept the honour of putting this newly upgraded Excalibur-chan through her paces-!"

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF THAT SWORD!" Shirou roared, surprising even Kiba with his fervour as he raced in, Kanshou and Bakuya impacting off the hastily raised holy sword, Valper scrambling backwards in fear as Shirou actually pushed Freed to his knees with the first strike.

"H-Hey! Time out Asshole!" the Exorcist swore, his eyes widening as Shirou bore down on him, delivering a boot to the chest to put some room between them before leaping back "Seriously, just what the hell is it with you? Does destroying Excaliburs give you a boner or something?"

"That blade is NOT Excalibur!" Shirou snarled, the absolute certainty in his words catching even Kokabiel's interest, the Fallen turning his attention from the Gremory Peerage to watch this new turn of events "That blade was meant for one person! It was never meant to be held by the likes of you!"

"Well now, that's a little harsh." Kokabiel noted, the Fallen admittedly impressed by the Faker's vitriol "I'll admit, Freed might not be a natural Excalibur Wielder, but with Valper's research that's hardly an issue-"

"Even if he were a Holy Sword User, that sword was never meant for anyone else to wield!" Shirou snapped "Excalibur is the Golden Sword of Promised Victory, the crystallization of mankind's prayer for 'Victory' entrusted to Arthur Pendragon by the Lady of the Lake, who reclaimed it following his death." He glared witheringly at Valper from where he was cowering behind Freed "It's not something that can be 'Broken and Re-Forged' so easily."

"What are you saying?" Valper whispered, th Archbishop torn between uncertainty and denial as he glanced between the Faker and his masterpiece "If this isn't Excalibur…then what is it…?"

"It's the Holy Sword that symbolises the reign of The One True King of Knights." Shirou revealed, his eyes locked onto the blade "The embodiment of the right of Kingship drawn from the stone, only to be broken and forever lost in a battle where Arthur broke the rules of chivalry."

"Uh, Emiya, isn't that what Excalibur is?" Issei pointed out, scratching the back of his head in confusion "I mean, I'm no expert or anything, but didn't King Arthur draw Excalibur from a Stone?"

"That's how it goes in certain tales, yes." Xenovia admitted with a frown "However, the truth of the matter is that King Arthur was a Holy Sword User of such renown he could wield Two Holy Swords..." Her eyes widened in realization "Don't tell me…!"

"That sword was not forged from Excalibur: The Sword of Promised Victory." Shirou declared, his eyes and words carrying such certainty not one person found it in them to deny him "It was forged from the broken shards of Caliburn: The Golden Sword of the Victorious."


Dun-Dun-DUUUUN!

And yes, I know that DxD has it's own version of Caliburn...however, I did mention there'd be alterations to the timeline, didn't I?

Wonder how the world will react to THIS little revelation I wonder?

Now if you excuse me, It's time I put Gehrman to bed...Pray for me.

*Crouches before the lantern and vanishes.*