Hey everyone, and get ready for this chapter. This chapter will be the start of the Excalibur Arc. And like the others, there will be some changes to the canon, but hey, this is my story, so that's the idea. The point is there will be interesting developments in this Arc and a lot of answered questions. In particular, in this chapter, you will also learn how Shirou got his scars and what his dream is.

This chapter will also involve some fight scenes and information that will be relevant later, so pay attention. Though honestly, I wanted this chapter to be a bit longer but what can you do? Hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody, Highschool DxD, Highschool DxD New, Highschool DxD Born, Highschool DxD EX, and Highschool DxD Hero are all owned by Funimation, Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Passione, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

DRAGON SHOT Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

"SHIROU!" Shouting speech.

[Ddraig] Dragon talking.

Holy Swords And Dreams Of Revenge

"The Holy Sword Project?"

Rias nodded at Shirou's words.

"Yes. Yuuto is a survivor of that project."

Asia, Rias, and Shirou had already returned to Shirou's house after they finished club activities. It had been a day since they went to the Familiars forest, and in that time, Kiba hadn't shown up at the clubroom. Shirou confronted Rias and wanted to know why Kiba reacted in such a way after seeing him hold Dyrnwyn. Rias and Asia came into his room. Rias was sitting on a chair, Asia was sitting on the bed, and Shirou was standing. Rias had started to tell them about Kiba.

"There was a project several years ago inside the Christian Church that aimed to make those who can wield the Holy Sword Excalibur."

"…This is my first time hearing this." Asia spoke out.

"That doesn't mean much considering you were just a tool used for healing to them, not to mention you were easy to control. It's obvious they wouldn't tell you anything big." Shirou thought dryly.

"Holy-Swords are the ultimate weapons against Devils. If we, the Devils, touch the Holy Sword, then we will burn ourselves. If we get cut by it, then we will be terminated without a trace. It could be called the ultimate weapon for those who believe in God and see Devils as an enemy."

"Well yeah, that's natural. I mean, Angels and Fallen Angels already use Holy aura, so it would only make sense they would put that Holy attribute into weapons like Holy-Swords." Shirou reasoned.

"That's true, but even then, Excalibur is a special case." Rias explained. "Even though there are numerous Holy Swords originating from all over the world, I still think the most famous one would be Excalibur. Even in Japan, it comes up in many books. It's a Holy weapon that is created through means of magic and alchemy by those who reach the territory of God. But Holy-Swords choose their wielders, just like how Dyrnwyn chose you. I hear that only one person in a decade or so gets chosen."

"Well, personally, I say Excalibur is overrated." Shirou argued. "Regardless of how often it's brought up in a bunch of different stories, there are still other Swords that have accomplished just as much if not more than Excalibur. Like Arondight wielded by Lancelot who was the Strongest Knight of the Round table and said to be able to cut anything in the world. Or Durandal wielded by the Paladin Roland that was used to defeat an army of 100,000 men single-handedly." He listed. "Or how about, my favorite; Caliburn, a Sword that was also wielded by King Arthur just like Excalibur, except it was known as the 'Beyond Strongest Holy Sword'."

Rias and Asia blinked, looking at him, surprised.

"I wasn't aware that you were so informed about Legendary Holy-Swords, Shirou."

"I've had a fascination with fabled weapons ever since I was a kid, and it's not exclusive to Swords just so you know." Shirou clarified.

"In any case, the fact remains that Excalibur is still a Sword that is both known and feared by the Underworld since ancient times. Even the Holy-element Longinus-Class Sacred Gear doesn't have the power to match it."

"There are Holy-element Longinus now?" Shirou asked, surprised. "Why am I just now hearing about this? So are there Sacred Gears that make Holy-Swords too?"

"It's not like there aren't. But if you compare it to the Holy Swords that already exist, it is kind of lacking. Of course, I'm not saying it's weak. Among them, there is a Sacred utensil included in the 'Longinus', just like your 'Boosted Gear'. The most famous is the Sacred Gear that was wielded by the person who killed Jesus Christ, the "True Longinus". It's also said that the name "Longinus" was derived from it."

"Wait, what? You mean the Spear Saint Longinus used to kill the crucified Jesus. That's the number one Sacred Gear?" Shirou questioned.

"That's right because it was able to pierce and kill the son of God, it became a Sacred Treasure, one with an almost insurmountable amount of Holy-Aura that can even vaporize an Ultimate-Class Devil with just one strike." Rias explained. "Of all the Longinus, True Longinus is the one that has the most potential to kill a God if mastered."

"…So, you're saying an ordinary Spear that was used to kill a Demi-God that was already at his dying breath became the Strongest Holy weapon that can kill a God, given the right training." Shirou summarized. "…Is that how it works?… That cannot be how it works."

Rias just sighed. "I know it sounds strange, but that's how it happened. But to the Holy Swords, at this point, there isn't a Holy Sacred Gear that can compete with Excalibur, Durandal, or Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi because these Holy Swords are too powerful. It's the same with the Demonic-Swords."

"Yeah, we still haven't addressed the elephant in the room." Shirou noted.

"Elephant? Where?" Asia asked in an innocent and confused tone.

Shirou face-palmed. "I have got to stop using metaphors in front of you." He groaned before turning back to Rias. "I mean, the main issue, what does Kiba have to do with all this."

"Yuuto and those involved with the project received artificial treatment to adapt to the Holy Sword, particularly the Excalibur." Rias answered.

"Artificial?"

Shirou still seemed confused.

"Holy-Swords are a threat to Devils, but our the greatest advantage is that only a so few numbers of people can use them. It has to be a trait that you are born with. Either you can or you can't. That's why we were so surprised when you turned out to be one yourself."

"So that's what you meant when you said natural." Shirou realized.

"Yes, but the Church decided that was too much of a problem, and so they attempted at a project that would create more Holy-Sword users, so instead of them being born, they would be made." Rias continued. "To do so, they gathered up a group of orphaned children and used them to try and create Holy-Sword users to wield Excalibur."

"But, why would they use children for such an experiment?" Asia asked.

"That's obvious." Shirou clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes. "Because this was an under-the-table operation. They wanted this to work without caring in the least about those involved or the consequences. And what better target than children who can't fight back or even question what adults tell them? They probably told them, 'What you're doing is in the name of God' or some other crap like that to get them to comply, and even if they didn't, it wasn't like they could do anything about it."

"No, that's cruel. That's too cruel." Asia said, teary-eyed.

"That's the Church." Shirou replied.

"Unfortunately, that's also the truth. But the real tragedy came after that." Rias said, closing her eyes, upset. "Yuuto couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords. Not only Yuuto, but it seems like everyone who received a treatment similar to Yuuto's couldn't either…"

"And let me guess, because they weren't successful, the ones running the project decided to pull the plug on them. In other words…"

"I'm afraid it's just what you're thinking." Rias confirmed Shirou's words. "The people of the Church decided to view the ones who couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords as "Defective products" and disposed of them." Rias' eyes changed because she also felt discomfort. "Most of the people experimented on were killed, including Yuuto. Only because they couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords…"

"…It can't be. It's not an acceptable act by those who serve God." Asia said with grief.

It seems like this was a big shock for Asia. Her eyes were now covered with tears.

"Is there no low they will not sink…" Shirou thought, feeling his wrath build up inside.

"They, the people of the Church, call us Devils an evil existence, but I think the bad intentions of humans are the greatest evil in this world." Rias said with sad eyes.

"I say you're both evil." Shirou said, which surprised Rias. "There's no doubt that Devils are evil, our very existence is born from sin, but the fact is that we don't deny it or try to change because that is what makes us Devils. To a certain extent anyway." Shirou reasoned. "But for them, all they care about is what they feel is right to them. From their perspective, because they're destroying what they say is evil, in this case, Devils, everything they do is right, no matter what it is."

Rias took all that in, and she nodded. "Yes, I think that's much closer to the truth."

"So then, how did Kiba end up becoming your Knight?" Shirou asked.

"When all the children were going to be disposed of, one of them was able to escape, despite being at the brink of death himself. That child was Yuuto. When I reincarnated Yuuto into a Devil, that boy was swearing for his revenge even when he was in a critical situation." Rias reminisced distraughtly. "Because his talents were being used for Holy-Swords since he was born, I wanted him to use his talents as a Devil. Yuuto's talent at using Swords would be a waste for only using it for Holy-Swords."

"So instead, you had him us Demonic-Swords, kind of a random decision, don't you think?" Shirou asked. "I mean, it just happened to be a coincidence that he was born with Sword-Birth."

"Maybe, but I was happy nonetheless that he was able to awaken to his true potential." Rias said. "But sadly, That boy couldn't forget about it. The Holy-Swords. Those who were involved with the Holy Swords. And the people of the Church…"

"Is she that clueless?" Shirou thought. "It's natural he couldn't forget; they ruined his life, and for what? A failed experiment. Anybody would what revenge after that. I'd be surprised if he did forget."

Rias let out a sigh. "Anyway, I will just watch over him for now. Right now, his head is full of the feelings he has towards the Holy Swords. But I hope he returns to his usual self."

"I seriously doubt that's going to happen." Shirou argued. "You saw how he was. It's pretty clear that his old self won't be around any time soon."

"Why do you think that?" Rias asked.

"Are you really that naive?" Shirou asked, annoyed. "You just told me what happened to him. He lost his friends, his childhood, and even his life. And for what? For some stupid Sword. Of course, he wouldn't be able to just take that and move on. The past follows you no matter where you go. This was always his end game, what he was always thinking deep down. Now it's just on the outside."

"That can't be!" Rias denied. "Ever since that day, I've done everything I could to show him a better way, a peaceful life, a place where he can belong, a family. Those are all things he has now, and it gave him back his smile. He wouldn't—"

"—What makes you think any of that was enough to erase the pain he felt when he lost everything?!" Shirou cut her off. "After a person feels like they lost everything, that feeling can't just go away over time. No matter how much you smother them or try to make them forget about it, that feeling stays with you. Maybe even for the rest of your life, you can't just expect someone to move on and forget about it." He said emotionally. "A family? His smile? Just because you can smile doesn't always mean you're happy. It just means you've gotten better at hiding your emotions, and no offense, but you can't just find someone who lost the only family they had and think that saying 'You'll have a new family' will make them feel better. Without any real closure, that can just make them feel worse."

Both Rias and Asia were completely taken aback. Neither one of them expected Shirou to respond in such a manner or to show such emotion. One might think this wasn't about Kiba anymore. The Golden-haired Bishop and the Crimson-haired King just stayed silent for a bit, not knowing what to say at this point.

Shirou himself realized he had said more than he meant to and tried to write it off.

"A-Anyway, that's probably how Kiba feels about it right now." Shirou said while averting his gaze.

Both of them could tell he was partly referring to himself, and most likely, he was speaking from experience, but neither of them asked because they were worried they would end up hurting him by bringing up a touchy subject. Thus they set it aside.

"Still, though, I guess seeing a Holy Sword got him triggered." Shirou noted. "Then again, after what happened, it's not surprising that Holy-Swords are his trigger-warning."

"It's still a surprise to me that you're a natural-born Holy-Sword wielder, Shirou." Rias went along with the change of subject. "Is there someone you know who is related to the Church?"

"Nothing big. My whole family used to be Christians… When my parents were still around." Shirou said that the last part was sore and bitter. "But right now, I'm a Non-Believer, and I don't know where Mika stands on this."

"What about relatives?" Rias asked.

"We have none." He said immediately. "And even if we did, I wouldn't know. The only family I've ever had is either in this house or dead.

"I'm sorry." Rias said. Her voice was soft but hurt.

"Although, if you probe me for information. I do remember something. When I was just a kid, there was a Christian family living right next to us. They came by almost every day, and they were really close to my parents. They even had a kid that was a year younger than me, so we saw them really often. They were huge believers too."

"Then where is this family now?" Asia asked.

"They moved overseas after a while, and if you want to know what they looked like, then I can only describe them from memory because there are no pictures of them. Shame though. I didn't hate them. Expect the kid was kind of weird." Shirou reminisced.

"Weird, how?" Rias asked.

"J-Just weird, all right. And that is the end of that discussion." Shirou then thought. "There's no way I'm telling them what he did before they moved away. What kind of person comes out of the closet at the age of Six? I've heard of early blooming, but this is ridiculous."

"I suppose that's enough for now." Rias stood up from her seat. "Let's go to sleep. Even if we think about it, it's not like Yuuto's behavior will go back to normal."

After saying that, Rias started to strip her clothes.

Asia became flustered and started to blush.

While Shirou raised a brow. "Uh, Rias? Mind telling me why you're taking your clothes off here?"

"Why? You know that I can't sleep without being Naked, Shirou." Rias answered as if it was obvious.

"I don't know why you'd expect me to know that." Shirou muttered, irritated. "But that's not what I meant. I mean, why are you taking your clothes off here in my room!?"

Rias didn't stop stripping. She answered while her boobs bounced after she took her bra off.

"That's because I'm going to sleep with you." Once again, Rias answered as if it was obvious.

"And just when was that decided?" Shirou asked, annoyed.

"Well I can't very well go home in this pouring rain, so I decided I might as well sleep here." Rias reasoned.

"Yeah, expect you forget about the part where I haven't agreed to this." Shirou reminded her.

"Then I'm sleeping here as well!" Asia proclaimed as she began stripping herself. "I'm also going to sleep with Shirou-san!"

"Oh, for fuck sake." Shirou thought as he face-palmed.

The two now stood completely Naked.

"Fair is fair, Asia." Rias told her. "I claimed him first for tonight."

Asia pouted. "I don't want to… I think I also have the right to sleep with Shirou-san. I don't want to be left out."

"Then let's let Shirou decide." Rias suggested. They both look at the Silver-haired Devil. "What do you say, Shirou?"

Shirou looked at them both with half-lidded eyes. "What do I say? I say. Fuck this shit. I'm going out to do some training." He turned around.

"What?! But you haven't told us who's going to sleep with you." Rias spoke out.

"Get a clue, would ya? If it's my choice, then I choose neither. I'm not getting into this stupid argument." With that, Shirou put on a thin jacket. Right now, he was wearing a Black buttoned-up Shirt, leather jeans, and a thin grey jacket. "I'll be out for a while, so don't bother waiting for me."

Now both Rias and Asia pouted.

"Oh, one more thing." Shirou turned to face them.

"What is it?" Rias asked.

Shirou noticed that neither of them seemed fazed by the fact that they were still Naked. "How did things get to a point where it's normal for me to see them Naked?" He groaned in his mind before speaking. "It's back to what we were talking about regarding Excalibur."

"Oh, what is there you wanted to ask about?" Rias now looked confused.

"Hmm." Shirou went over to Dyrnwyn, which was placed in its sheath in a corner of the room. "Let me ask you, how do you think I would do against Excalibur right now, with Dyrnwyn, Hypothetically?"

"Right now, you would have a good chance." Rias answered. "But that's only because Excalibur isn't what it used to be."

Shirou looked confused. "What are you saying?"

"The truth is, Excalibur broke a long time ago during the Great War."

"Broke? You've gotta kidding. The so-called Ultimate Holy Sword broke." Shirou said, annoyed. "Wait, then, is the Excalibur you were talking about a different one?"

"Not exactly. Excalibur was broken into pieces during the Great War a long time ago. The fragments were collected and turned into a new form by alchemy. It was made into seven Swords." Rias explained. "Excalibur was once an Unrivaled Holy Sword that had seven different abilities. Now it is seven different Swords, each with one unique ability."

"So the Sword was busted a long time ago and the Church decided to recycle it. Then it's just damaged goods." Shirou said, disappointed.

"You shouldn't underestimate it." Rias warned him. "Even if it's not as powerful as it once was, Excalibur is still a powerful Holy Sword that can end a Devil's life in one slash."

"Well then, how do these fragments compare to other Legendary Holy-Swords, specifically Dyrnwyn?" Shirou questioned.

"Well…" Rias thought for a moment. "They can't really be compared to some of the other Legendary Holy-Swords Caliburn, Durandal, or Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, but they're still extremely high-leveled. As for Dyrnwyn, I would say their power would be close enough to be comparable to each other. But as I said, the Excalibur fragments have different unique abilities. Some are better suited for fighting than others."

"So in the end, the outcome would be decided on which Excalibur it is." Shirou deduced. "And more importantly, the caliber of the wielders."

Shirou looked deep in thought about this.

"Shirou, this is all Hypothetical, isn't it?" Rias asked, both nervous and worried about all these questions.

"Yeah, of course." Shirou answered before walking out.

Shirou walked downstairs with Dyrnwyn tied to his back. It was concealed by his jacket, so only the hilt was sticking out. He headed for the front door as he walked passed the living room.

"Going out?"

A voice spoke out, causing Shirou to turn and see Mika sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Mika? It's the middle of the night. Why are you down here?" Shirou asked.

"I could ask you the same."

"I was just going out to do some training."

Mika narrowed her eyes. "That was an interesting conversation you had with Rias."

Shirou's eyes widened, both he sighed. "You heard."

"Of course I did. I was curious about this too, you know." Mika said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I heard about the Holy Sword project, Kiba's past, everything." She then looked down a bit. "And also… About what you said."

Shirou had the same expression. "I know. I shouldn't get so worked up like that, but." He clenched his fists. "I couldn't stop myself."

"I know. Only someone who experienced it would know how it feels." Mika agreed.

"Yeah, but of all people, I never expect Kiba."

"Is that why you're really going out, to look for Kiba?" Mika asked.

Shirou shook his head. "Not at all. Truth is, there's something out there."

Mika raised a brow. "Something out there?"

"Ever since my power increased, I've gotten better at feeling out other things. Ddraig told me that sometimes when an aura is too strong, you can't sense it unless the owner purposely lowers it to a level where you can feel it." Shirou explained. "And ever since I got Dyrnwyn, I felt like I can sense something strong somewhere in town, it was faint before, but tonight, I can feel it clearly. So whoever it is, they're close by."

Mika thought for a moment. "But, the power difference between you and I, or even you and Rias, shouldn't be THAT big. So why are you the only one who feels it? And why only after you got Dyrnwyn?"

"Because the aura I've been feeling is a Holy aura." Shirou answered grimly.

Mika had a look of realization. "That makes sense then. Devils can't sense Holy-aura whatsoever. They can only tell when something is of the Holy element when their Devil instinct warns them of danger, and when it's right in front of them, they can feel how potent it is. But you are a special case. It makes sense if you can sense Holy-aura considering you have a Holy Sword."

"That's right." Shirou nodded. "What I was feeling felt kind of like Dyrnwyn, which led me to believe another Holy Sword was nearby."

"And that's why you were asking Rias those questions about Excalibur." Mika noted. "But why Excalibur specifically?"

"Because I had a feeling I'd be facing Excalibur pretty soon after it was brought up, and after I heard that there are Seven of them, I'm even more sure of it." Shirou took a deep breath. "I have a gift for being able to tell when trouble is approaching, kind of like a Sixth-sense."

"So then, are you saying you're going out to look for the source of this aura and fight them?" Mika asked, sounding worried.

"I have to, or rather I'm the only one who can." Shirou said, dead serious. "Power aside, I'm the only Devil here that has experience fighting against enemies that can Holy attacks, and since I have a Holy Sword that can compete with a recycled Excalibur, I can face them on an even playing field, weapon-wise anyway."

"But…" Mika had both a worried and upset expression.

"I know, it's a long shot, but you heard what I heard. All it takes is one slash to kill a Devil. And besides, if I just leave this alone, then odds are this'll just grow into a bigger problem. I need to settle this now."

Shirou's words made sense, but what he was planning would still put him in more danger than he's ever been.

"Big Bro…Then at least…Promise you'll come back, alright?" Mika said with sadness.

Shirou didn't turn around. "Hmph, of course. Who do think I am?" He said confidently.

With that, Shirou stood in front of the door with his hand on the knob and was about to open the door and step out, but then Mika called out to him.

"Wait!"

Shirou stops but doesn't look back. "What?"

Mika has a sad smile on her face and places her hands together to form a heart. "I love you."

Shirou doesn't respond and simply proceeds to open the door.

"I know." Shirou thought as he walked out.

Rain fell over the town of Kuoh as the night sky was completely blanketed with clouds. The perfect setting for someone who is depressed. Yuuto Kiba was walking by himself over the streets, trying to clear his head, but all he could think of were the thoughts that plagued his mind ever since he was a child. Hoping the rain could cool his head off.

"I have never once forgotten my revenge towards the Holy Sword Excalibur." Kiba thought to himself. "I was just getting senile with the lifestyle at school. I had made comrades, obtained a lifestyle, and received a name. I also received a purpose in life from my master, Rias Gremory. Asking for more happiness is a bad thing. It's certainly bad. Until I achieve my purpose, I have never thought that I can continue to live on behalf of my 'Comrades'."

SPLASH!

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a sound of water that was different from the sound of rain.

There was a priest who appeared in front of Kiba. One that was a male wearing the traditional clothes of a priest, and he was hanging a cross around his neck.

Kiba felt his rage increase at the very sight of him. After all, they are one of the things he hated—the target of his hatred. Plus, in the state of mind, he was in now, he even felt tempted just to kill this priest right now.

"—!"

Until he noticed the priest had a blood patch on his stomach, and when he coughed out some blood, he fell down. This surprised the hateful Knight.

"Was he attacked by someone? Who?" Kiba wondered. "An enemy?—!"

He suddenly sensed an abnormal presence and created a Demonic-Sword instantly. He knew what he was sensing was a strong killing intent! the murderous intent of whoever was coming felt large enough, almost to be visible. It was inhuman even to a Devil.

SPARK!

Right in front of him, there was a reflection of metal under the rain. Then there was a spark. When he moved his body towards the place where the killing intent was coming from, there was someone wielding a long Sword who came to attack him.

Kiba came to a complete stop when he faced that person. They were wearing the same clothes as the priest that just died in front of him. A priest. Except, this one is giving off a powerful killing intent clearly.

"Ninar! Ninar! Yahooo! It's been a while." Said an all too familiar voice who was giving off a disgusting smile. "Did you miss me? Come on, admit it, you missed me!"

"I know this boy priest who is giving a disgusting smile." Kiba thought as he looked at him angrily. "Shirou-kun described him before. A White-haired crazy priest, Freed Zelzan. He's the one who fought Shirou-kun in the previous incident involving the Fallen Angels. I was told he fled when it was over." Kiba felt that he was getting more pissed off just by looking at him. "…Just as I've heard, he is showing a disgusting smile that is ticking me off."

"…I take it you're Freed Zelzan." Kiba spoke out loud. "Looks like you are still in this town despite being defeated by Shirou-kun. What is your business today? I'm sorry, but I'm in a really bad mood today."

He spoke with an angry tone, but Freed simply laughed it off.

"Haah!? A friend of Shirou-kyun~! Well, that's good timing. I was just thinking about him. About how much I wanted to kill him, this must be fate! Wonderful! In my case, I'm so happy that I'm going to shed some tears because of my fateful encounter with you!"

"So he has his cocky way of talking. Seriously, he really does get on my nerves. I already hated him for being a priest."

When Kiba tried to make a Demonic-Sword in his left hand, the long Sword Freed was wielding started to emit a Holy aura.

Kiba gasped. "That light! That aura! That glow!"

It was an aura he knew all too well.

"I was getting bored with priest hunting, so this really is good timing. Very Good. Nice timing indeed." Freed said with his tongue sticking out. "My Excalibur and your Demonic Sword, can you let me check which one is stronger? Hyahahahaha! I will repay you by killing you!"

Freed charged at Kiba and jumped in the air. Raising the Excalibur Sword over his head as he descended towards Kiba. All the blonde Knight could do was raise his own Sword to block it.

CLASH!

"Krrgh…" Kiba growled as he locked blades with Freed. His eyes flashed dangerously, and his stance changed. It was much weaker and less refined than usual. He tightened his grasp on his Demonic Sword in that instant. "I will never forgive Excalibur for what it did to me!"

"Time to die~!"

Neither Swordsmen wasted very much time after the beginning of their duel. To an untrained eye, they only looked like two sparks clashing into each over in the rain, almost impossible to perceive. But in truth, both of them were fighting a fierce high-speed battle, constantly clashing their weapons against each other. And Kiba didn't seem to be fairing well.

His movements were duller than normal, too riled up to stay focused or pay attention to his surroundings.

Heheheheh! Your pretty fucking face is getting all messed up~" Freed cackled as they locked blades. "Just like it was made to be the prey of the mighty Excalibur!"

"Shut your mouth!" Kiba kicked him away. "Holy Eraser!"

On his call, Kiba's blade was covered in a pure-Black aura. Strands of darkness extended from Kiba's Sword and wrapped around Freed's Excalibur, only for the Holy blade to glow and cast them away.

"That's not going to work, sorry!" Freed shouted.

"Just had to make sure it was the real thing. Now I won't have to hesitate slicing you and that Sword in half!"

Kiba shot forward towards Freed, slashing against his Excalibur over and over again, while Freed put up his defense and kept blocking or parring him amused, obviously toying with him.

"Haaaa!" Kiba roared, charging at Freed.

"Too slow." Freed noted, amused as he easily dodged and kicked Kiba away.

With that, Kiba lunged at him again, and he continued blocking and trading Sword strikes with Kiba. Having enough, Freed exploited an opening and slashed Kiba across the shoulder.

"Augh!" Kiba grunted as blood squirted out of his wound, and he fell to his knees.

"And now for the best part! I'm going to hack off the disgusting Devil head of yours~" Freed lunged at Kiba, preparing to decapitate him.

"Dammit!" Kiba cursed inwardly.

Play OST - Burning My Soul - Kamen Rider Build

Rushing through the rain was an overshadowed figure that dashed passed Kiba. Both Swordsmen's eyes widened when the figure appeared between them and, with a swing of his fist, punched Freed in the face with a mighty haymaker and knocked him back. Freed was sent flying backward and smacking into the wet pavement.

Kiba's looked on in shock as the one who just saved him landed right in front of him.

"Gah, Fuck!" Freed cursed as he got back up. "What the hell did I get hit by?"

"What else, Freed? Is there anyone else out there with fists as heavy as mine?"

Both of them recognized that voice. The one who had just appeared was Shirou Tsukiharu—Wearing his trademark smirk.

"Shirou-kun?" Kiba spoke, surprised.

"…That voice?! Is that you Shirou-kun~!?" Freed said, as crazy as usual. "Now this a really weird reunion~ Have your Dragon powers grown? Is it alright for me to kill you now?"

"Freed, of all the psychopaths, it had to be him." Shirou groaned inwardly.

"You're just in time. Now I can feed two despicable Devils to my Excalibur! And what luck, one of them is the Devil I've wanted to kill for ages~!" Freed cackled.

"So that's an Excalibur." Shirou spoke, being more concerned with the Sword than the wielder.

Just looking at it sent chills down Shirou's spine. He thought he would be better at dealing with it after becoming much stronger than when he was during the time he faced Fallen Angels and their Light weapons, not to mention having one himself now. But this was on a completely different level. They never gave him the same ominous feeling as the Sword now clutched in Freed's filthy hands. Even though he himself wasn't afraid of it, it felt as though his very nature as a Devil itself was repulsed by its presence.

"That's right! Hey, you remember me, right?! I was there when you killed that Fallen Angel whore Raynare! I tried killing you too, but you didn't die! But it's good because now I can stab and stab you until you bleed and die! Isn't that wonderful~!"

Shirou found Freed to be as repulsive as the Sword.

"Are you kidding? I wish I could forget you!" Shirou shouted back at him. "What are you still doing here anyway? I could've sworn you ran for the hills months ago."

"Ah, but you see, I have a brand new boss~" Freed cheered, waving his Sword around. "And he's much bigger and badder than that ol' slutbag~ He's not afraid to get his hands dirty and let me rip you fucking priests and Devils into pieces~! He even gave me this neat-o super magic Holy Sword to do it~!"

"Someone gave that to him. Who?" Shirou thought before saying out loud. "Well, whoever they are, they must be crazy for hiring you."

"Gahahah! Of course, after all, crazy is fun~!"

Kiba got to his feet, still shaky, while holding on to his wound. "Shirou-kun, you came here as if you knew an enemy was here. How?"

"I sensed a Holy-aura somewhere in town. After getting ready, I headed out to find the source, and I was sure the chances of it being an enemy were pretty high." Shirou explained before thinking. "But it's weird, I did sense a Holy aura, but I felt it coming from the Old Church. I was about to head there when I sensed another one pop up and that it was closer. So if this one is Freed, who was I sensing at the Church? His boss or… Someone else?"

After deciding he could worry about it later, Shirou turned his attention to Kiba. "Step back; I'll handle this."

"Stay out of this! This doesn't involve you!" Kiba yelled. "I have to be the one to destroy Excalibur!"

Shirou just narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a small push which knocked him down.

"You can barely stand up. What can you possibly do besides get in my why?" Shirou asked harshly.

Kiba tried getting back up but couldn't and grit his teeth in frustration.

"Just sit back and watch. I've got a score to settle with this guy." Shirou told him. "Besides, I already get the situation."

Kiba's eyes widened, and he looked at Shirou, surprised.

"Rias told me about your past and your grudge against Excalibur." Shirou clarified.

Kiba then looked down. "I see… The Chief told you."

Shirou nodded. "I get that this is something you feel like you gotta do, and truthfully I didn't come here to stop you. But you can't do anything if you're dead. Right now, just leave this one to me." He told him in a serious tone.

Kiba processed his words and closed his eyes. With that, he stopped trying to get up and seemed calmer. "…Very well."

After that was taken care of, Shirou turned his attention back to Freed and walked up to him.

"Are you finally done? I was tempted just to hack you to pieces while you were taking your sweet time, but that would spoil the fun~" Freed gripped his Sword.

"What fun?" Shirou asked, somewhat confused.

"The fun of watching you struggle to keep up with me only to fail!" Freed boasted. "And since you don't have your promotion like last time, I have the advantage, but I'll at least be fair and give you time to remove your weights. That way you—"

Before Freed could finish his sentence, Shirou vanished from his sight in a burst of speed, and before he knew it, Shirou was right behind him with his leg outstretched and about to kick.

"I'll ask you again, what fun?"

CRASH!

Upon those words, Shirou kicked Freed in the side of his head, which once again knocked him off his feet and sent him flying to his right, which made him crash into a nearby vending machine and destroy it upon impact.

"Fast." Kiba thought, impressed. "And he hasn't promoted or used his Boosted Gear; he hasn't even removed his weights. Could his speed really have increased so much in only a short amount of time? What kind of training has he been doing?"

As Kiba was thinking, Freed removed himself from the wreckage and got back up.

"Gugh! I see you're still good and smashing me into solid objects." Freed said, clearly hurt.

"And I see you're still bad at reacting in time." Shirou said, clearly disappointed. "Seriously, I figured you got better, considering you beat Kiba. But it looks like you're as weak as always."

"No! No! No! That's wrong! I'm actually much different! In particular, my SPEED!" Freed lifted up his weapon, and it flared up with Holy-aura. "Don't forget I have Excalibur with me."

Freed then vanished in a burst of speed himself and kept disappearing and reappearing.

"Can you keep up~?" Freed's voice echoed. "Some have called this Sword the Heavenly Flash, Excalibur Rapidly! But I don't. I call it the Super-Fast Sword!"

"A Sword that levels up your speed? And you think you can beat with just that?" Shirou said, unconcerned as he unsheathed Dyrnwyn. "You really haven't changed."

CLASH!

Once Freed closed in to strike, Shirou his own Sword, and they locked blades. While this was happening, Shirou unleashed Holy-aura from Dyrnwyn to counter to aura from Freed's Excalibur, causing the Stray-Priest to gape in shock.

"W-What the Fucking Hell! How in God's name are you using a Holy Sword?!"

Shirou smirked. "You see. It's none of your business!" With that, Shirou put more force into his swing and pushed forward.

Now both Swordsmen began yet another high-speed duel. Right now, it didn't seem much different from the one between Freed and Kiba, only this time, their roles were reversed, and Freed was the one losing. Sparks were crashing into each other in the rain once again. Only they weren't moving around as much this time. Shirou kept fighting Freed without moving too much, preferring to stay close.

Freed seemed much less capable compared to when he was fighting Kiba. Now it was as if his movements were duller. He also started to get riled up himself. Shirou then gripped his Sword and unleashed a heavy swing which made their Swords clash again.

CLASH!

The force behind Shirou's swing ended their struggle and blew Freed away, making him fall to the wet ground.

"Also, that Sword might Boost up your speed but look at where we are." Shirou pointed out. "In this street which is a long pathway both forward and backward but narrow on both sides, the only direction you can go in is straight ahead. If you can only move in a straight line, anyone can see you no matter how fast you move; even kids know that."

Freed got up and growled. "Well, listen to you being so smart." He then grinned. "Buutttt, what about this?"

FLASH!

At that moment, Freed speeded up again and, this time, kept disappearing and reappearing but kept alternating the distance between himself and Shirou.

"If I don't attack you directly, then you can't counterattack~!" Freed boasted while his voice echoed again. "And also—" Freed swung his Sword at Shirou from a distance while covering it in Holy-aura, and thus it fired off a flying Sword-Slash made of Holy-element at Shirou.

Shirou simply raised his Sword and blocked without much effort.

"—I can stay at a safe distance and kill you with my Holy Slashes! Good luck trying to reach me~"

Freed continued slashing and sent a volley of Holy Slashes at Shirou, which Shirou continuously blocked with his Dyrnwyn.

"You know that's actually pretty clever." Shirou thought while blocking and knocking away the flying slashes. "But…"

Shirou gathered Demonic Power in his right hand that wasn't holding his Sword and conjured a magic circle on the ground beneath him.

"Watch your step." Shirou muttered.

At that moment, the spell he made activated. It was an earth spell that broke up the ground in front of him. The flat, even pavement was now cracked, broken up, completely uneven, and messed up. The ground was nothing but jagged rocks and rubble, as if it was torn up by a jackhammer. Naturally, it wasn't a stable ground to be running around on at high speed.

Freed found that out when right after the spell activated. He realized something was wrong when he suddenly lost his footing and soon tripped over, about to fall, coming to a complete stop.

Shirou saw this as an opportunity and took advantage of it. Like a speeding bullet, he dashed at Freed and cocked his fist back, gathered his aura and power into his fist, and prepared to punch just as he reached Freed.

DRAGON FORCE STRIKER!

Before Freed even hit the ground, he felt his body being hit was a strong, blunt force that felt like having someone smash an Iron Hammer right into your spleen. Shirou's new signature attack dug right into the center of Freed's body, and he could almost hear the damage it was doing to his insides. This was followed by Freed being blown back and was on a collision course with a wall that was at the end of the street. He crashed into it so hard that the concert behind him started to crack.

Things didn't end there. Shirou shot forward, planning to end the fight, and by his will, Dyrnwyn's powers activated, and the blade ignited in strong flames. With that ready, Shirou thrust his blade forward and stabbed Freed in his side. This made the Stray-Exorcist cough out blood. He felt so much pain from the stab that he screamed out in pain. Though, ironically because the blade was on fire, even though it increased the pain and damage he took, it also singed his bleeding wound closed and stopped the bleeding.

Though Freed wasn't exactly grateful.

"Bastard…" Freed cursed in pain.

Music Off

"There's one way to beat someone whose only strong point is speed; take away their footing." Shirou noted with a smirk. He pulled Dyrnyn out of Freed's body. "Also, you might think Excalibur is all-powerful, but all I see is an old hand-me-down Sword that was made from recycling a broken one. It's nothing special."

Freed grit his teeth at his anger and frustration.

Kiba just looked on in amazement. "He defeated an Excalibur and its user, and he did it effortlessly. Shirou-kun didn't even need to use his Sacred Gear, and he was even wearing weights, so this was nowhere near his best. How much stronger has he become?"

"Gehehaha…" Freed started to chuckle, which confused Shirou. "Fine, I'll say it; you got me. But it's funny because no matter how strong you think you are, you can't hold a candle to my boss. And one more thing." He quickly takes something round from his pocket and smashes it on the ground. "Don't blink!"

POOF!

An almost blinding flash of light goes off, along with a smoke screen from whatever Freed used. When it passed, and Shirou opened his eyes, the former priest was nowhere to be seen. Blinking to heal his eyes, Shirou looked around to find him, but Freed had completely vanished from the scene. Escaped.

"He got away again." Shirou cursed. "Well, guess he's fastest when it comes to running away."

With the fight over, Shirou went back to where Kiba was, and Kiba was now standing.

Kiba just stared at him, stoic and emotionless. "Shirou-kun, why did you come here?"

"What, no 'Thank you,' no 'Are you all right?', I thought you'd be more grateful considering I just saved you." Shirou pointed out.

"I am grateful. But I need to know how you knew that an Excalibur was here and why you came." Kiba clarified.

"Well, you see, after I gained Dyrnwyn, I've been able to get a better feel for Holy-aura, and after Rias told me that Excalibur fragments were around the same level as Dyrnwyn, I figured it was a pretty safe bet that one was here." Shirou explained. "As for why I came, I was checking to see if it was an enemy. The fact that it was Freed gave me my answer."

"Then, why didn't you try and go after him?"

"There'd be no point. Once the flash cleared, I couldn't sense him anymore. The only option is to make for him to make another move."

"I see…" Kiba looked down, feeling upset.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Kiba then looked at him with a sad smile. "I was just amazed. You defeated an Excalibur wielder like it was nothing."

"Oh, that?" Shirou shrugged. "It actually wasn't that impressive. Speed and power aside, my Swordsmanship could still use some work. The only reason it worked out so well was that Freed was even worse. I learned this the last time I fought him. No matter what Sword he uses, he has no real skill with them. He just wildly swings them around with the grace of a fly swatter, and even with the best Sword in the world, anybody could stop you if you just flail around like that."

Kiba thought about it and realized he was right. As a Swordsman and a Technique-Type, he knows better than anyone the importance of skill, especially when using a powerful Sword like Excalibur. Brute-Force is not real Swordsmanship.

"Although, I couldn't help but notice you were pretty much doing the same thing." Shirou pointed out.

Kiba clenched his and averted his gaze. He felt a bit of shame at how he fought after he lost himself to his anger. It was a complete breakdown of his style. But he couldn't help it.

"Although, given the circumstances, I can see why. And…" Shirou paused for a moment before he continued. "I can sympathize with your desire for payback."

Kiba then looked up curiously. "You can? What do you mean?"

Play OST Sadness and Sorrow (Full Version) - Naruto

Shirou sighed. "Well… I guess since I know yours, you might as well hear mine. You see, Kiba. Like you, I also have something or rather someone that I want to destroy."

Kiba seemed surprised. "What?"

"Guess I should start at the beginning." Shirou looked up at the night sky. "It all started Seven Years Ago. I was from a family of four; Mika, my parents, and of course myself. Life was sweet; I almost wished the days would never end. But one day, things took a turn for the worst." He grimaced, remembering the next string of events. "I don't know exactly what happened or remember much, except for my parents yelling at me to run, they just kept saying run, and the next thing I knew it, everything went dark."

"You fell unconscious?" Kiba asked.

Shirou shook his head. "No, someone knocked me out." He explained. "I actually learned about this a little while ago. When your guard is down and you take a razor-sharp blow to the head, you can completely blackout within an instant. Everything is normal, then all of a sudden, Bang! Everything is dark. When you wake up, you realize you must have been knocked out."

"And what happened when you woke up?"

Shirou gritted his teeth and gripped his hand over his chest. "That's when took a turn for the worst. When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that I couldn't move, my limbs were locked up by chained cuffs, and I was hanging in the middle of a dark room. And that's… That's when… The torture began."

Kiba's eyes widened. He now looked utterly shocked by what he had just heard. "Torture?"

"Yeah." Shirou seemed as if just talking about it was painful. "It's something I can never forget. I think I even remember every detail of it. It started with small stuff like just a whip or punching me. Then they move on to the things with sharp edges like blades or spikes. The guy would always hit with enough force to leave a scar and aim for a different spot each time as if he wanted to crave up every part of my body." He started to shake. "Though he made sure to hold back enough for me to survive, I think death would have been better since he loved taking his time."

Kiba was horrified by what he was hearing, plus he realized he had already seen the evidence not too long ago. "Your scars."

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I was lucky no one brought it up at the time, so I didn't have to talk about it." He then loosened his grip. "I also started wearing bandages to cover them up, just so I wouldn't have to look at them."

(Flashback)

"In a fight, I'm a lot of things. I'm violent, ruthless, brutal, merciless, cruel, unforgiving, cold-hearted, and especially destructive." Shirou listed. "I'm all those things, but the thing I would never do is torture someone, especially go out of my way to attack someone who couldn't even defend themselves anymore." Shirou looked away and gripped his fist. "That's something that always turns my stomach."

They were all surprised. Not one of them expected him to be so affected by something like this.

Then Kiba asked what they all suspected.

"Shirou, were you once tortured?"

Shirou didn't even look at them. He just kept his head down.

"Don't ask." Was all he said.

(Flashback End)

"So that's why." Kiba thought, understanding Shirou's reaction from back then. "But then, how did you—" Kiba started to say.

"How did I get away?" Shirou finished his sentence. "Actually, believe it or not, that's where my memories start to get hazy." Shirou took a deep breath. "After he was finally done torturing me, I was just hanging there, completely drained, scarred, and dripping in my own blood. I didn't even have the energy to scream anymore, but what woke me up was when he told me that he was planning on torturing my Sister next."

"What?! Mika was there too?!"

"She was. Knowing that was the most terrifying thing for me because it made me wonder if she was going through something similar. When those thoughts entered my mind, all I saw was red." Shirou placed a hand on his head. "I don't exactly have all the details, but the next thing I knew, someone else entered the room, and he unhooked me."

"Someone rescued you? Who?" Kiba became curious.

"That's what I wanted to know." Shirou responded. "I had no idea who it was, and truthfully I can't even remember his face. But I didn't care at the time. All I could think about was finding Mika and escaping. The good news was I found her pretty quickly. The bad news was it was only because I could hear her screams of pain. When I found her she was in a room just like mine only she wasn't as injured. But while what happened to her was tame compared to me, it was still serious for a girl her age. I grabbed her and ran. I was still injured, but my adrenalin kept me going. Only… When I thought I reached the exit, the worst part happened."

"The worst part." Kiba thought, slightly afraid. "After all that, what could the worst part be?"

"I saw them, both my parents lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood." Shirou said grimly. "And standing over them was the same man who tortured me. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't look away. I just stood there frozen. Even a kid like me could tell they were dead. And that he killed them."

"But why?!" Kiba asked in disbelief. "None of this adds up. Why kill your parents and why did he kidnap and torture the two of you?! What could he possibly of wanted?"

"You think I haven't been asking that same question for years?" Shirou questioned, which silenced Kiba. "I don't know. Maybe he was their enemy or something."

"That doesn't seem like much of a reason."

"You say that but aren't there also people who would kidnap a bunch of orphans and experiment on, only to kill them afterward just on the premise that they might be able to wield a Sword?" Shirou pointed out.

Kiba realized Shirou made a good point.

"Besides, I never really knew a thing about my parents. Where they were from, how they met, if I had any other family besides them, I didn't know a thing." Shirou admitted. "But I was just a kid at the time and never thought that stuff was important or, I guess, I just assumed there would have been time when I was older. I never thought something like this would happen." He said regretfully. "So if there were a reason, I obviously wouldn't know about it."

"That makes sense; it's normal not to worry about most things when you're a child." Kiba looked regretful himself. "In most cases anyway."

"Whatever the reason, the story didn't end there." Shirou continued. "After I saw that, I felt all the strength I had to leave my body as if everything keeping up had just disappeared, and I just fell. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital bed, and someone was sitting beside me. I was pretty sure it was the same person who saved me before. He got up, said the words (It's okay, your safe now.), and left, never to be seen again."

"So you never found out who he was?" Kiba asked.

"Fraid not. It's a shame, though. I wanted to remember, but." Shirou put a hand over his head again. "Every time I try to remember, there are so many blank spots. I just don't see it."

"It's probably a psychological trauma." Kiba guessed.

"I thought the same thing, but honestly, it didn't matter to me all that much. Because." Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Of all the things I do remember, there was one thing I never forgot. Even now, it's been permanently burned into my memory."

"And, what was that?"

"The face of the man who was behind all this." Shirou answered with a fire in his eyes. "I can still see it even now, the face of the one who ruined my life, who ravaged my body, who took everything from me. I remember every detail of him, especially his expression. It was cold and callous, like he didn't see a thing wrong in what he was doing or didn't even care. And whenever he looked at me, it was as if he thought he was so much better than everyone, like the world wasn't good enough for him." Shirou placed an arm over his torso. "Every time I remember his face etched into my mind, the scars bay, and I can't stop myself from breaking something."

Kiba didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. The fire that Shirou had in his eyes, the pure hatred he was emanating, the rage he directed towards the one he hated, and how it appeared just through him thinking about it. It wasn't much different from his own and that's what surprised him. Not once did ever believe that the incredibly strong, seemingly untouchable Shirou could ever be reduced to such a state.

Music Off

"That's why, more than anything in this world, what I want most was to find him and return the favor." Shirou proclaimed. "I want to kill him."

"Are you saying you desire revenge?" Kiba asked.

Play OST - The More Precious the Burden Heavier and More Difficult It Is To Shoulder It - Gintama

"It's not a desire. It's my dream." Shirou corrected. "Rather, it's the dream that both me and Mika share. Our final goal; the end of our journey. And that's why I swore. I swore that I would live. No matter what, I would live and never be defeated until that dream has been realized. And even if I don't know who that guy was or even where he could be, I know he's still out there, so even if I'm basically chasing after a phantom, I'll find him and end him."

Kiba heard his words and clenched his fist. "…Just like me." He whispered.

"So it's pretty clear neither one of us had a good beginning to our lives." Shirou noted. "But at the very least, I know where you're coming from, maybe not exactly but close enough."

"Just one question…Does anyone else know about this…?"

"No one. Mika and I are the only people in the world. Not even Asia knows."

"Then, why tell me?" Kiba questioned.

"Because… When I look at you, I think I see how I could've turned out." Shirou responded. "After I made it through all that, I decided something. I wouldn't let my dream change who I was. I was only able to follow through with that because Mika was with me. If not, I might have turned out much worse, kind of like you are now but all the time."

"I was able to change because of the Chief." Kiba argued. "After she found me and rescued me, I become a Knight of Rias Gremory; I still—"

"Then let me ask you." Shirou interrupted. "If you had to choose, which is more important to you, serving Rias or destroying Excalibur?"

Kiba immediately stopped and just looked conflicted.

"That's the difference between the two of us. Rias may have saved you and given you a new life, but it's not like she was directly involved or had any understanding of what you went through." Shirou pointed out. "Tell me, how do you think you would have turned out if someone else from the project survived and escaped with you?"

Kiba's eyes went wide and had an unreadable expression.

Shirou shrugged. "Well, that might be going too far. But you get what I'm saying. Someone who helped you and someone who suffered with you are two completely different things."

"Shirou-kun, if I said I planned on trying to destroy Excalibur, even if it went leaving the Chief, what would you say?"

"I'd say go on ahead." Shirou answered without even thinking about it. "In the end, what you decide to do is your choice. It's not like I would stop you, and considering Rias' position, it'd probably be better that way."

"I see… And what if…." Kiba paused. "What if I asked for your help?"

Shirou raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Shirou-kun, right now, what I want most is to get my revenge and destroy both Excalibur and those who wield it. But despite that, I'm not entirely sure I have the strength to do that." Kiba said regretfully. "And even though this isn't your problem, you are the only person I know who has the power to accomplish this. Will you help me, please?" He pleaded.

Shirou just looked at him before deciding. "Alright."

Kiba gasped. "You will?"

"It's obvious that I'm the only Devil in town that can stand up to Excalibur, so I planned on fighting anyway." Shirou admitted. "If you want to break the Swords afterward, then go on ahead. Besides, I told you that I wouldn't stop you, but I didn't say I'd let you do this alone. So I'll tell you what I told Rias before; This time, I'll help you out."

Kiba looked distraught and bowed his head. "I am grateful."

"Anyway, we should probably head home." Shirou suggested. "We've been out in the rain long enough, so if we find out anything on Freed, let's meet up again."

Kiba nodded, agreeing to that, and the two parted ways for the night.

Thus a new alliance was formed.

Music Off

After walking back to his residence, Shirou opened his front door and walked back inside his house. He didn't bother announcing his return since he felt it was obvious everyone was asleep by now.

The first thing he did was use some of his magic power to heat up his entire body with a lesser form of Fire magic. After he was dried off from being in the rain, he stopped.

"Magic, it's too convenient not to use."

Once that was done, he decided to head to his room. On the way, he passed by the living room. The Silver-haired Pawn was planning to keep walking until he noticed something. He approached to get a closer look and saw something on the couch. It was the younger Tsukiharu, Mika, who seemed to be fast asleep. Mika's sleeping face was completely peaceful.

"Was she waiting for me?" Shirou thought as he saw her.

"…..Big Bro…" Mika muttered in her sleep.

Shirou sighed and went over to her. He lifted up the resting figure that was his Sister and began to carry her upstairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting?" He thought while gently carrying her in his arms.

As he reached the door to her bedroom and stepped inside, he entered her room which was a complete mess as always but decided not to let it bother him for tonight. Instead, he quietly approached her bed and placed her on it delicately. Shirou then proceeded to drape a sheet over Mika's body to keep her warm.

When that was done, Shirou quietly and swiftly exited the room and gently closed the door behind him. Though once he did, he just stood there and was left in the dark with his thoughts.

"I will never forget, for as long as I live." Shirou thought with narrowed eyes, remembering the words he told Kiba. "No matter what, I'll fulfill our dream."

He clenched his fist and took a deep breath until he was able to put those thoughts away and proceeded to his own room.

Shirou entered his room, and then, with a solemn gait, Shirou walked over to his own bed and laid down. For a long time, he didn't say anything. He just laid his head down on his pillow and let his mind slip into the sweet embrace of slumber, with only one last thought.

"This is gonna be a Bitch of a fight."

And that's the chapter. To start, like I said, I wanted this chapter to be longer, but as I was writing, it felt like this was a good point to end it. And now we've heard Kiba's backstory from Rias, which is something anyone would know if they read the Light novel or manga or even watched the Anime. The big reveal, however, was that we got backstory from Shirou.

I always planned out the backstory for a while and how Shirou and Mika got scarred so much before, mentally and physically. The reason there is a blank spot in his memory, however, is because there is more to the story than even Shirou is aware of. Like the person who saved him and the man who killed his parents. They will both be appearing at some point in the story. You'll know who they are soon.

Now for the Freed fight. I made the fight a cakewalk for Shirou for obvious reasons; for one, he overpowers Freed in every category, not to mention Freed is a maniac who lives on bloodlust while Shirou is a fighting genius. Also, Shirou has fought Freed plenty of times, enough to know how Freed fights. For all those reasons, Freed never had a chance.

Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you want more, then be sure to leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite. If you want an early release, feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.