AN: Hero Academia DxD is officially one year old now! Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
"Holy Sword Project?" Izuku asked.
Rias gave a nod. After they got home, Izuku, Rias, Ibara, and Ochako were in the former's bedroom after calling it a night. After Izuku asked about Yuuto's strange behavior, she decided to them about Yuuto's life before he became a devil.
"Yes. It was a secret project in the Church in which they gathered orphans so they can be trained to be exorcists in wielding holy swords," Rias explained. "And Yuuto-kun was one of those orphans."
"The Church ran such a program?" Ibara blinked quietly, "This is the first time I ever heard about it."
"I'm not surprised. It was a top-secret project that not many even in the Church knew about. It would've affected the flow of the supernatural world on a grand scale if word got out. If anyone else had heard of the project, rivals and enemies of the Church would have attempted to steal the research for themselves or destroy the project completely."
"So Yuuto-kun was raised as a soldier for the Church?" Ochako asked.
"That's right," the red-hared devil nodded. "Holy swords are the antithesis of the demonic swords like the ones Yuuto's Sword Birth creates. They're pretty effective against devils and any other dark creature. A single touch is able to burn us and if we were to be cut down by one we would disappear forever. The Holy Sword Project, however, focused on one holy sword in particular: Excalibur."
"Excalibur? As in the sword King Arthur pulled from the stone?" Izuku asked.
"Not exactly. The Sword in the Stone, Caliburn, is a separate sword altogether. Excalibur was given to him by the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. But Excalibur hasn't been a single sword for a long time. During the Great War, it broke into seven pieces. Through the use of magic and alchemy, the pieces were turned into a new set of swords, each one carrying a different attribute," Rias explained.
"Huh?" Izuku asked, looking puzzled. "Wouldn't it be better to put them all back together again? And how did it get broken in the first place?"
"No one knows how Excalibur was broken. Members of the Church claim it was the work of us devils, but just as many argue that Nimue cursed the blade when the Church refused to return it, shattering it so that believers in God could never use it properly. However it was broken, the Church felt that wielding multiple pieces of Excalibur could bolster their strength," Rias answered.
"Okay, but why does Yuuto-san hate the sword so much?" Ochako asked. Rias sighed, hoping not to answer the question.
"Because the Holy Sword Project ended in failure," Rias said gravely.
"What?" Izuku asked. "Failure?"
"Everyone who received artificial treatment couldn't adapt to Excalibur. None of the orphans reached the requirement. After that the project was shut down," Rias said.
"What happened to the orphans?" Ibara asked. "Were they sent off to another church?"
Rias closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "The orphans were deemed as 'defects' and… were disposed of…" Izuku's eyes widen in shock while Ibara's and Ochako's hands were covering their mouths in horror.
"But… if this happened years ago, wouldn't that mean they were all young kids at the time?" Izuku asked, slowly trying to comprehend what he heard.
"No way… Yuuto-san," Ochako stuttered.
"But… that goes against the principles of the Church," Ibara whispered as she looked down, tears slowly falling from her eyes.
"They, the people of the Church, calls us devils an evil existence, but I think the bad intentions of people - human, devil, or angel - are the greatest evil in this world," Rias continued on. "It was thanks to the sacrifices of his brothers and sisters that Yuuto managed to escape. However, he ended up mortally wounded. I saw him dying out in a snowfield during one of my strolls in Europe. I thought I would reincarnate him as a devil just to give him a second chance. He didn't accept it at first since he was raised in a Church facility but he gradually grew past that and became my Knight. I had honestly thought he had let go of his past," she let out a sigh. "But I guess there are some things you can't just let go of."
"Buchou, I think I know what set Yuuto-san off," Izuku told her before walking out of the room. A few seconds later and he returned with a photo album. "It started when he was looking through my family album and he saw this." Flipping to the page that had the photo of him and the girl, Izuku placed it on his desk to show them.
"Izuku, what is this?" Rias asked.
"It's a photo of me and Rinchan before she moved away. When Yuuto-san saw this he asked me about the sword. He told me it was a holy sword," Izuku answered.
Rias looked closely at the photo, her eyes narrowing down on the sword in the picture. "Yes, this is without a doubt a holy sword," she nodded. "It may not be a strong as Excalibur but this is a genuine article. Perchance, was your friend part of the Church?"
"Yeah," Izuku nodded. "It's been years since I last saw her, but I remember that she was a strong believer. She and her family even used to invite me to go to the church sometimes before it was abandoned. If I remember right, her dad was a priest."
"So, there was one near you… A holy sword in this area about 10 years ago. It's rather terrifying." Rias said.
"I hope Yuuto-san will be fine," Ibara said. "He's been through so much. All because of the Church…"
Rias sighed heavily. "It's probably best to give him space for now. His head is full of the feelings he has towards the holy swords. But I hope he returns to his usual self soon."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ochako said, her cheerful smile returning. "He'll probably feel better by tomorrow."
"Yeah, I hope so too," Izuku smiled.
Rias smiled back. "Good. Now that we're finished with unpleasantries," the crimson-haired girl stood up and started to take off her shirt, showing off a sexy lace bra. "We can finally go to bed."
"Buchou?! What are you doing?!" Izuku exclaimed, his face glowing red while Ibara and Ochako gawked.
"Hm?" Rias tilted her head. "Why, I'm sleeping with you tonight. You know I can't sleep unless I'm naked," she smiled sultrily as she pushed herself on Izuku's right side. "I also can't sleep unless I have my Izuku to cuddle with."
"H-Hey!" Ochako quickly began to strip also. "We need to cuddle with our Izuku, too!"
"He's not just yours, Buchou!" Ibara cried out as she swiftly stripped off her PJs until there was nothing left.
"Ibara, Ochako, I let you have a free pass last time. So please let me sleep with him tonight," Rias insisted.
"No can do," Ibara replied. "I want to sleep with him tonight."
"Yeah," said Ochako. "We have just as much right to sleep with Izuku as you do, Buchou."
"In that case, we'll let Izuku decide," Rias declared.
"Wait, what?!" Izuku exclaimed.
He could only look around in shock as, to his distress, the naked bodies of three beautiful girls crowded closer around him. He blushed in reflex, and an interesting reaction happened.
"Kyah!" Ibara cried out, blushing as she started feeling something warm and hard rubbing against her crotch. Rias leaned in close with a… 'unique' look in her eyes, and Ochako hugged him tightly.
"Izu…"
"Izuku…"
"Izuku-san…"
"…Who are you going to sleep with tonight?!"
Bakugo blasted towards Freed. But not with as much force as he thought. 'Damn rain.'
With all the humidity from the rain and the rain jacket he had on, he was sweating more than he would usually. The only problem was the rain itself, as it minimized the power of his explosions.
'Not like it matters!'
Freed attempted to use the sword to impale Bakugo.
But Bakugo had made an explosion in his palm, launching him to the right side and avoiding the blade. With gritted teeth, Bakugo launched himself forward with an explosion in his right hand, rocketing towards Freed from behind. "DIE!" Bakugo let loose a quick concussive explosion off in his face, causing Freed to whip his body back.
"OOOOOWWW! WATCH IT!" Freed exclaimed, holding his eye with his free hand. "You nearly took out my eye! This ain't sexy at all!"
Bakugo cackled like a villain at the psychotic rogue priest's suffering. "Ha! It's an improvement if you ask me, freak! You and that fake-ass sword are nothin' but talk!"
"Fake-ass?!" Freed growled. "This is the real motherfucking deal, baby! I'll prove it!"
Freed was off, full-on sprinting at him, the mad exorcist's footsteps pattering like raindrops, but there was far too much distance to close. Bakugo grinned and prepared to counter, and then in a blur, he was gone.
"Wha-"
His head snapped up and to the side and there he was, laughing like the lunatic he was as he shot toward Bakugo. In the split-second he had, Bakugo could only jump back. Had he not, Freed would've cut his arm clean off. Instead, he got a large gash.
"AGGGHHHH!" Bakugo screamed, clamping a hand on the wound.
"Some have called the Holy Sword of the Heavenly Flare the Excalibur Rapidly, but I don't! I call it the 'super-fast sword'," Freed laughed.
"Damnit!" Bakugo gritted his teeth, cursing the crazed exorcists.
"Now let's try this again," Freed moaned as he licked Bakugo's blood on the blade. "Time to die!"
Freed vanished once again, this time reappearing directly being Bakugo. With his free hand, the blond tried to blast Freed with an explosion, but Freed had already vanished before he could. Bakugo's eyes tried to track the mad exorcists, but Freed was moving too fast. All Bakugo could follow were the afterimages.
But this just caused Bakugo to grin, having figured out how to win. If he can't see where Freed was, then he'll just have to figure out where he's going to be.
"Time to send ya to hell, explosion boy!" Freed laughed as he charged at Bakugo from the side.
But Bakugo was ready, placing the palms of his hands close together as he aimed at where Freed was coming from.
"DIE!"
*KABOOM!*
A large blast engulfed Freed. The mad exorcist fell back, dropping the sword as he tumbled along the ground. "GAAAHH! You blew my ear out!" Freed yelled, blood dripping from his right ear.
Bakugo panted, wiping away water from his eyes. "You're gonna have to try better than that, you bas-"
*BANG!*
Bakugo's eyes widen, recoiling back in horror as he felt his skin pierced by something.
"Surprise, biatch!" Freed laughed, having drawn a gun out of nowhere. "No good exorcists doesn't come prepared! And don't worry, the gun's totally legal 'cause it shots light!"
"Y-You cockbite!" Bakugo growled out, placing a hand on his stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
"'Cockbite'? That's a new one! I'll have to remember it," Freed laughed as he picked up the Excalibur. "Now where were we?" Freed's murder-happy face turned to a scowl as a small ringing blared from Freed's pocket. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and put it to his face.
"What? I'm in the middle of something!" Freed snapped. His eyes widened slightly after hearing the message on the speaker. "Seriously? Fine then. I'm on my way." He dismissed his phone and looked back to Bakugo, who was starting to gasp for air. "Looks like it's your lucky night. My boss needs me for something so I have to leave. But not before I fill you full of holes!"
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Bakugo could only gag as Freed unloaded his gun, each shot piercing a different part of his body. Eventually, the pain became too much, Bakugo's body going limp as he collapsed.
Smiling, Freed stopped shooting. "Have fun bleeding out, asshat! See you in Hell~!" Freed laughed before leaving.
Bakugo could only stare off into the raining sky, his eyes dull as he bled to death. "D-Damnit…" he coughed out blood. "I can't… believe I'm dying… before shitty Deku!"
"Really? Those are your final words?"
Bakugo weekly turned his head, finding a figure standing near him. He couldn't make out many details due to his blurring vision, but from what he could tell was that it was a man wearing a green yukata.
"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. But it looks like it was a good thing I decided to keep an eye on you."
Izuku drank a glass of water after that fiasco in his bedroom. In the end, all three girls agreed that they would sleep with him. All the girls were able to sleep but he couldn't due to all the voluptuous and nude bodies pressing against him. So the only thing he could do was take a glass of water along with a sleeping pill.
How he got out of the bed without waking any of them up was beyond Izuku, but he wasn't going to complain.
[Trouble in paradise?]
Izuku groaned as he looked at the glowing green gem on his hand. "Not now, Ddraig. I have a lot on my mind."
[I can tell. That Nomu monster, the Balance Break you did, All Might's offer, and that's not counting the girls.] Izuku blushed at the last bit. [But that can wait. There's something I need to tell you.]
Izuku was caught back by the urgent tone of Ddraig's voice. "W-What is it?"
[I've been sensing a strong spiritual pressure near you lately. It's making me anxious and I can't sleep.]
"It might be Buchou that you're sensing," Izuku replied. "She has been…" he stopped, a faint blush appearing on his face.
[It isn't the Gremory. I barely notice her or your other friends anymore.]
That snapped Izuku out of it. "Then… is it an enemy?"
[Perhaps. At first, I thought it was your classmate, Hyde, but the presence I've been sensing is different from his.]
"Wait, Kido-san?" Izuku tilted his head in confusion. "Why did you suspect him?"
[You know that blade of his, the Insulator? Well, whenever you were near him when he was using it, like when you two were a team during that battle trial against Bakugo and that Tsubasa girl, the power I sensed from it made my skin crawl. I don't think he has a Quirk. It feels more like a Longinus.]
"Kido-san has a Sacred Gear?!" Izuku gasped. "Are you sure? And why didn't you bring this up before?"
[There never was any reason to bring it up. At the very least his 'Void Red' is something supernatural in nature. But we're getting off-topic. If the presence I've been feeling is the White One watching you, then I think you should accept All Might's offer. Having power like that will be invaluable for when you encounter him.]
"…I've been meaning to ask you about that," Izuku sat down on the couch. "Who's this 'White One' you keep mentioning?"
[The White Dragon Emperor, Vanishing Dragon Albion.]
"The Vanishing Dragon?" Izuku asked, feeling unsettled by the sound of the name.
[You know of the Great War that took place between Heaven, the Fallen Angels, and the Devils long ago?]
"Yeah."
[During the war, all sorts of beings lent their strength to each of the Three Factions. Fairies, ghosts, western monsters, eastern spirits, even humans. Only the dragons refused to ally with any one side.]
"How come?"
[By nature, dragons are extraordinary embodiments of free will. As such, while a few joined with the devils and fallen angels, most dragons saw the war as none of their concern. However, two dragons began a fight of their own during the war. They were the Two Heavenly Dragons, dragons comparable to even God and the Devil Kings. Completely indifferent to the Great War, their battles resulted in casualties on all sides.]
"Why were they fighting?" Izuku asked.
[Who knows? It happened so long ago I doubt that they even remember. In their fury, the Three Factions decided to join forces for the first time. "There will be nothing left to fight if we don't take care of these two dragons first! We need to cooperate to take them down."]
"The Three Factions actually worked together to fight you and Albion?"
[Yes,] Ddraig replied, not even bothering to hide that fact anymore. [Enrage at having our fight interrupted, me and Albion lashed out against God, the Devil Kings, and Azazel, the fallen angel's leader. But in the end, we were cut to pieces and scattered to the winds, our souls locked away inside the bodies of humans as Sacred Gears. Since then we've used them as intermediaries to meet and fight, over and over again.]
Izuku gulped. "You're saying that, eventually, I'll have to fight whoever has the Vanishing Dragon within them?"
[Assuming the opposing host is still alive. Sometimes one of them was already dead before me and Albion could meet, and so we didn't fight, but most of the time we did. If the vessel died, that dragon would stop functioning for a certain time. Our spirits float around in this world until the humans with dragon powers are born. That cycle has repeated countless times throughout the many long years.]
Izuku looked down, deep in thought as he asked, "If the White One were to appear right now, do you think I can fight him?"
[Depends on how powerful they'll be, but if you want my honest answer; No, you won't last long against them, especially since you don't have a true Balance Breaker yet.]
Izuku's eyes widened at that. "That wasn't a true Balance Breaker?" He asked, shocked that the armor he summed during the USJ to fight against the Nomu wasn't a genuine Balance Breaker.
[Indeed. It was more of a pseudo-Balance Breaker, sorta like what we saw with All Might, a nifty power-up for a brief moment. Why do you think it shattered so easily or why it lasted only 10 seconds? Even if it was the real thing, there's a chance you could no longer use it.]
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, shocked.
[What I mean is there's a chance that, with a change of your feelings, you may lose your Balance Breaker. At the time you had the urge to protect those close to you. Now that the danger has passed there's no longer any reason for you to keep it. Just because you were able to accomplish something once doesn't mean you can do it again right off the bat.]
"…What do I need to do to unlock a true Balance Breaker?"
[That's the tricky part. It varies from person to person. It could awaken from trauma, or from training. There are even rare occasions where one is born with their Balance Breaker already active. It all depends on the person's feelings. And, considering how emotional you can get, it might take a while.]
"I can't help but feel you're making fun of me…" Izuku sighed. This whole thing with his Balance Breaker felt like a copout. "I need to get to bed. This has been a long day."
Morning came. The sky was still overcast, but that didn't stop one Bakugo Katsuki from jumping out of bed in shock, his body drenched in sweat. "The hell…?" Looking around, he saw that he was in his own bed at home. Glancing over his body, he didn't find any wounds. There wasn't even any scar tissue.
"The fuck?" He knew what happen wasn't a dream. He could recall how he ran into the psychopath and the fight, then he got shot, and then some weird guy showed up and offered to help. Bakugo couldn't remember what his response was, but it was obvious that the old guy did help since he's okay now.
"KATSUKI!"
He flinched when he heard his mother yell from downstairs.
"GET THE FUCK UP! BREAKFAST HAS BEEN READY FOR TEN MINUTES NOW!"
"BE QUIET, HAG!" He yelled back. He then noticed what looked like a note on his desk.
Curiously, he picked it up and began reading. 'Come to this address tomorrow after school.' Below was, indeed, an address and a smiling face in the likeness of the guy from last night with a thumbs up.
"Who the hell-"
"KATSUKI! HURRY UP AND GET DOWN HERE OR YOU'RE GOING TO SCHOOL WITHOUT BREAKFAST!"
"SHUT UP, HAG! I'M COMING DOWN!"
The sky was soon clear from the previous night's rain. Yawning, Mizu lazily walked toward U.A. bright and early. A few students were walking near her. They seemed to be the type who arrived at school a whole hour early. Mizu paid them no mind, she just wanted to get to work, have breakfast, then get ready for the day.
She had reached out to her contacts about the spider woman Ochako and the other Gremory devils encountered last night, but it'll take a while for any meaningful information to come up.
Mizu nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulders. She relaxed somewhat when she saw Midnight's smiling face next to hers.
"Ah, Kayama-senpai!"
"Ah ah! I thought I told you to call me Nemuri?"
"Right, sorry," Mizu replied.
"You handling being a teacher, Akari-chan?" Mizu smiled and nodded. Midnight was surprisingly supportive of Mizu becoming a teacher, happy to have another female pro on the staff. The R-Rated Heroine even offered her advice from time to time. "Good! Care to have a drink later to celebrate then?"
"I'll have to pass," Mizu replied. "I don't feel like getting drowned in booze again."
Midnight playfully pouted. "I said I was sorry. I promise not to do it again."
Before Mizu could reply, she stopped. Standing next to the entrance was a young woman around Midnight's age dressed in a white cloak with hoods on. Mizu recognized her right away.
"Griselda?" She blurted out.
"Hmm?" Midnight turned her gaze toward the hooded woman, who began to approach them.
"Long time no see, Mizu," Griselda greeted.
"She a friend of yours?" Midnight asked.
"Something like that," Mizu replied.
"Oh~!" Midnight smiled. "Then is she willing to have a drink with us later, then?"
"Sorry, but I don't drink," Griselda politely declined.
"Darn," Midnight pouted. "Well, have fun catching up, you two," Midnight waved as she strutted onward.
"Her attire was…" Griselda hesitated, trying to find an appropriate word. "…Scandalous."
"Like you have room to talk," Mizu replied. "What brings you to Musutafu?"
Griselda turned to the sorcerer, her friendly smile gone. "I wish to speak with Rias Gremory."
"Did Rias say why there's no meeting today?" Ravel asked as she, Koneko, Izuku, Ochako, and Ibara had just left U.A.'s school grounds.
Izuku shrugged. "Only that Mizu-san needed to speak with her, Kaichou, and Dantarion-senpai about something."
"You think it's about Yuuto-san?" Ibara asked.
"…There was no sign of him today," Izuku lamented. "But I don't think it's about him. If it were Buchou would've involved all of us."
"It must be pretty serious then," Ravel commented, she and Koneko waiting for the light to change.
Izuku then looked to Koneko. "What about you, Koneko-chan? What do you make of it?"
"There's anything wrong with Buchou talking to someone," she said. "But…" the others noticed the small amount of worry in her tone. "I'm more worried about what's going on with Yuuto-senpai."
"Yeah," Izuku nodded.
"I'm… Sure Yuuto can take care of himself," Ravel tried to reassure. "It's probably best to give him some space." The light changed and allowed the two middle schoolers to cross the street. "We'll see you all tomorrow unless something happens. Take care."
"…See you," Koneko said.
"See you tomorrow," Ochako said, waving her hand.
"Bye," Ibara said. The two girls then saw that Izuku wasn't saying goodbye like them and was instead staring at them the white-haired girl in particular, deep in thought. "Is something wrong, Izuku-san?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry," he apologized. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" Ochako asked.
"…I joined the group because of Raynare killing me, Ibara-san joined to be with friends, and Ochako-san joined because Rias offered to help your family. Yuuto-san joined with the intent to get vengeance on the Excalibur." He paused for a moment, continuing to watch the younger girl walk away. "So… why did Koneko-chan and Momo-san join?"
"That's a good point," said Ochako. "Now that I think about it, Momo-san never mentioned why she wanted to become a devil."
As the three continued home, Izuku thought back to how Kyoka and Momo somehow know All Might. He guessed they happened to meet him and find out his secret when they were saved from that sludge villain over a year ago. Could that somehow be part of Momo's reason?
"So what are we here to discuss about? Something tells me this secret's a good one." Kudelia asked. She, along with her Queen Tye, along with Rias and Momo, were in the Student Council Room. Sona and her Queen Tsubaki were present, as was Mizu, who stood in the center of the room.
Mizu didn't respond for a moment, making sure no one would listen in. A second later, she opened her eyes and said, "This morning, an exorcist from Church contacted me."
This aroused surprise and suspicion from Rias, Sona, Kudelia, and their Queens. "It's been a long time since they've been to this town," Sona commented.
"Did they tell you what they wanted?" Rias asked.
"They want to meet with you, Rias," Mizu answered.
Said girl gasped. "Members of the Church want to speak with a devil?" She narrowed her eyes. "What do they want? There's no other reason for them to be here except to stir up trouble."
"That's not how Griselda does things," Mizu calmly replied. "She doesn't like to antagonize devils, fallen angels, and the like."
"Wait, back up!" Kudelia exclaimed. "'Griselda'? As in Griselda Quarta? One of the best exorcists the Church has to offer? That Griselda?!"
Mizu nodded. A heavy tension filled the air as the devils all exchanged worried glances. All except for Momo. "I'm sorry, but who's Griselda Quarta?" She asked.
"She's a top-ranking exorcist and one of the best," Tsubaki answered. "She actually fought in the Second European War, fighting on the front lines."
"And she's here in Musutafu?" Tye asked.
"Yep," Mizu nodded. "Along with two others. They weren't with her when we met this mourning, though I have a good idea who one of them might be."
"What do you want to do, Rias?" Sona asked.
Rias closed her eyes in thought, going over her options. "If I ignore them, then there's a chance that it could cause an incident. But if I do accept their request, it could be part of some trap. Worst case scenario would be another Great War. If that were to happen…" as she continued to mumble, Sona, Tsubaki, Kudelia, and Tye all blinked in confusion at the sight, while Momo and Mizu could only smile in amusement.
"Uh, Rias…?" Sona asked.
Rias was snapped out of it and looked to her friend, blinking as she realized that they were staring at her. "What?"
"You've been hanging out with Midoriya too much," Mizu said, trying to hide her amusement.
The red-haired devil flustered up immediately, realizing what she meant. "I was-"
"Yep." Momo and Mizu immediately answered.
Rias' blush seemed to grow as the other devils giggled. "I wasn't aware that Midoriya's mumbling habit was contagious," Sona smiled.
"Let's get back on topic," Mizu said. "So, what's the call?"
Rias sighed, "I'll meet with them. Tomorrow after school will be fine. If they're willing to formerly meet with a devil then the circumstances might be serious."
Mizu nodded. "I'll contact Griselda right away."
"By the way, you said there are two other exorcists in the city, correct?" Sona asked. "Do you know where they are?"
Mizu shook her head. "No. All Griselda said was that one wanted to see an old friend."
"An old friend?" Rias asked. Suddenly the picture of Izuku, the holy sword, and the girl flashed in her mind, making her gasp. "No way…"
Izuku, Ibara, and Ochako were about ready to enter the Midoriya apartment when they froze in place, a cold sweat building on their brows as they felt a dangerous presence nearby.
"This feeling, what is it?" Ochako asked, dread spreading across her face.
"What is this?" Ibara muttered.
Izuku looked in dread at the door. There was no doubt about it, the dangerous feeling was coming from his home. And he recognizes it.
"I know this feeling… it's just like when I first met you, Ibara-san… when I showed you to the church…" he explained, eyes narrowing. "And just like when I met Freed. Someone from the Church is here…" horror suddenly filled him, the greenette devil rushing forward.
Ibara and Ochako were quick to follow, rushing through the front door. "Mom!" Izuku called out as soon as he entered.
Inko looked back at him with a bewildered look, "Izuku? Why the crazed look on your face?" Inko looked perfectly fine, much to his confusion and relief. With her were two girls around his age, both of them draped in white robes.
The one on the left had chin-length blue hair with a green fringe on the right side with dark yellow eyes. Next to her was a large something that was covered in white cloth. It looked very much like a sword. The one on the right had chestnut-colored hair tied in twin tails held by blue scrunchies, purple eyes, and white armband on her sleeve. Izuku couldn't help but feel that he'd seen her from somewhere.
What bothered him most was the large covered up thing and the armband that they both had with them. And the fact that the thing the blue-haired girl had with her looked very much like a sword put him on instant standby, especially after learning about the holy swords the other night. Izuku felt his senses screaming all around his brain, warning him to stay the hell away from whatever they had.
And he still saw that both had crosses hanging from their necks. For all he knew, they were interrogating her about having relations with devils.
"Mom, who are they?" Izuku asked cautiously as both Ochako and Ibara caught up to him.
"Just a pair of guests!" Inko replied, clasping her hands happily, "Not just that but an old friend of yours! She was very eager to see you again!" Izuku blinked in surprise. One of them was someone he knew?
"Izuku's old friend?" Ochako tilted her head.
"Hey, Zuku!" The chestnut-haired girl greeted. "It's great to see you again!"
'Zuku?' Izuku blinked. Suddenly his eyes widened, the pieces falling in place. Only one person had ever called him Zuku. And she had purple eyes like that too. The green-haired teen's jaw dropped. The girl, Shidou Irina, offered a kind smile.
"R-Rinchan?!" He exclaimed, feeling a mixture of emotions well up inside of him. Irina had changed from when he last saw her. She's definitely more girly than he remembered.
"Surprised to see me in something that isn't a t-shirt and shorts?" Irina asked with a smirk of amusement, walking a bit closer to Izuku.
"It surprised me, too," Inko giggled. "Irina-chan grew up to become a fine woman! I almost didn't recognize her until she pointed it out to me!"
"Oh~, you flatter me, Inko oba-san," Irina laughed.
"Are you following this…?" Ochako whispered over to Ibara, the vine-haired devil giving a sheepish smile as she shook her head.
"W-Why are you h-here?" Izuku stuttered.
"I see you still have trouble with girls, Zuku," Irina giggled. "I came back due to business, but I'm amazed at how much everything's changed, you especially Zuku. I'm happy you're finally becoming a hero!" Irina's smile suddenly turned bitter, "You can never know what can happen in ten years, can you?"
Izuku noticed both her and the other girl's eyes narrow at him. The way she said those words to him put him on edge.
'…Oh crap,' he silently cursed, he and the other two devils realizing what Irina meant.
"Oh, Irina-chan!" Inko suddenly said, unintentionally interrupting the paranoia. "You never mentioned your friend's name. Who is she?"
"Ah, how rude of me!" Irina exclaimed, her cheerfulness returning. She gestured at her partner, who was still looking intently at Izuku, "This is Xenovia, she's a friend of mine who transferred from Italy a while back."
The other girl, Xenovia, turned her face to Inko and gave a small nod, "It's a pleasure ma'am," she said before looking to Irina. "Irina, we should leave now. It's starting to get dark."
"Oh, it's that time already?" Irina frowned, looking over at the kitchen clock. "It's been so long since I've been to Japan so I guess I felt nostalgic. Unfortunately, I'm only visiting for a few days so I'll try and come to see you again before I go."
"Oh, that's too bad," Inko frowned sadly before smiling again. "At any case, say hi to your parents for me."
"That's a promise! Let's get going, Xenovia," Irina smiled back as she turned to leave through the front door. Xenovia nodded, taking her large baggage and hefting it over her shoulder. As she passed by Izuku, she gave one last glance at him.
"I'll be ready for you at any time," she whispered with a chilling gaze. The three devils all grimaced as they watched the two leave.
Shortly after they left, Rias came teleporting into the apartment and trapped all three of them in a tight hug.
"Izuku! Ibara! Ochako!" she whispered as she held them all as tightly as she could, "You're all safe! Thank goodness. Did they do anything?"
"It's okay, Buchou," Izuku smiled, comforting her. "Mom's still human so I doubt they would want to try anything in front of her."
"Yeah, nothing happened. Don't worry, Rias-buchou," Ochako added.
"Regardless of that, when I was told about some of the Church's affiliates were in the city I feared the worst. I'm so glad that nothing happened to you three," Rias said, hugging them close, with Izuku's head ending up in her cleavage.
Izuku's head began to steam at his current predicament. "Uh, B-Buchou, y-your b-b…"
"I know," Rias said as she let them go before she started to unbutton her blazer. "Oh Izuku, you're really becoming spoiled with me, aren't you?" Once the blazer was gone she began to undo her shirt.
Before Izuku could respond, Ibara and Ochako pulled him away from her, their cheeks puffed in jealousy. Rias couldn't help but give a small giggle at this. After which she cleared her throat to continue. "The reason Mizu called me over was because she ran into one of these exorcists this morning. She told me that they wished to negotiate something with the devils controlling the city, which means they want to have a word with us."
Izuku gave a surprised look, "They just want to talk?"
"I'm not too certain of their intentions, but they'll be at the clubroom tomorrow after school. We'll hear what they have to say then," Rias explained. "I suspect it has to do with the disappearances and murders of the local priests of this city. But the fact that they wish to speak to devils directly must mean that something much more serious is happening." She gave an exhausted huff. "This has truly been a tiring week."
Ochako then noticed that Ibara was nervously rubbing her arm. "Ibara, what's wrong?"
"These exorcists… what if they recognize me?" Ibara whispered nervously.
Izuku, Rias and Ochako looked her worriedly, remembering about Ibara's former life as a Holy Maiden. Rias took the vine-haired girl into a hug and rubbed her back soothingly. "Don't worry, Ibara. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"We all will," Izuku added, him and Ochako smiling. "Promise."
Izuku let out a heavy sigh as he leaned forward. This situation with the Church continued to worry him. He was somewhat thankful that Rias decided to send him out for one of his contracts.
"Is something wrong, Devil-boyo?" Izuku blinked his eyes open, realizing that he might have looked rather troubled in front of his contractee.
"A-ah, no, not really. Just uh… got a lot on my mind." Izuku admitted, scratching his head sheepishly for letting himself fall into his thoughts. He originally wanted to distract himself from what was coming, but considering that fishing required a bit of silence and patience, it didn't do much to distract him.
"You shouldn't worry too much about the future, kid. You're too young for thoughts like that." The man chuckled, turning his gaze back out to their poles. "Try to sit and enjoy what's happening now. Deal with things as they come."
"Y-yeah, you're right, it's just… kinda hard. Especially when I don't know what's going to happen." Izuku said, resting his chin in one hand as he stared out at their poles.
"Things usually work out for the best if you let them. Sometimes all you can do is sit back and relax." His contractor shrugged, his eyes trailing forward. "By the way, your line's getting pulled."
"Huh?" Izuku soon realized what he said was true, quickly attempting to fling out the fish from the water. With wide eyes, he realized he brought in a decent-sized trout, smiling as he marveled at it. "Wow, I didn't think I'd catch something like this here!"
"See? Just being patient can help bring about the best result." The older man chuckled, standing from his seat and grabbing a bucket. Izuku quickly unhooked it, tossing it inside. "That should make for a good dinner. Thank you."
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just surprised you don't really want me to do more than just hang out for our contract, though." Izuku admitted with a chuckle.
"I'm just happy to have company. It's nice to hang out with someone your age," the man said. "If you don't mind me asking, what's on your mind?"
"Oh, uh, I'm not sure how much of this I should share with a client, but members of the Church will be meeting with us tomorrow," Izuku said.
"Really? Any idea why?"
Izuku shook his head.
"I see… Ah well, not like there's much I can do to help," He laughed in reply. "You may go now."
"Okay. Thanks for having me, sir. I'll see you later," Izuku nodded, disappearing in a magic circle.
The man watched him disappear with a small smile, "He knows how to do that, yet prefers to walk up to his clients. He's certainly a strange one. Still, if the Church already has people here, then he's making his move. Guess I don't have much of a choice."
Reaching into his pocket he took out a phone and typed in a number, holding the phone to his ear. After a couple of seconds, someone answered. "Hey, Rintarou! How's it going?" He scowled at the recipient's response. "Yeah, I know. Only that girl gets to call you that. Just listen for a second, okay? There's a bit of a situation happening, and it could spiral out of control if not taken care of soon."
The atmosphere was tense in the ORC club room and it wasn't because of the three exorcists in the room. Every member was there, including Yuuto who finally decided to come back. Somehow, he found out about the exorcists and went to the meeting. Izuku looked in concern at Yuuto's current emotional state.
Anger. Hatred. Bitterness.
All of those things written all over his face and they were directed at the three exorcists.
Griselda had taken a seat on a couch positioned across from Rias with Xenovia and Irina sitting on each side of her. Rias calmly sat across the table facing the exorcists, her servants all standing behind her seat. Mizu was also present, sitting in a chair by the table in-between the two groups. "Thank you for taking the time to see us. I know that this is out of the ordinary for all parties involved, so I will not make this more difficult than it needs to be." Griselda said first, removing her hood, revealing her green hair. "Allow us to introduce ourselves, I'm Griselda Quarta."
Irina smiled and waved, her twin tails bouncing. "Hi! I'm Irina, Shidou Irina!"
Her partner on Griselda's right nodded politely, though it was obviously forced. "Xenovia."
"It's unusual for followers of the Church to request a meeting with devils. At least not on peaceful terms." Rias said, crossing one leg over the other as she met Griselda's gaze. "So what exactly has brought you here?"
Griselda spoke first, "We'll go straight to the point. We're here because three Excalibur pieces have been stolen from three churches. From our recent reports we had learned that the thieves are stationed here. However, when we tried to send in priests and exorcists to get them back, they were all killed."
Rias frowned. "To think that something like this is going on inside my territory. I find it hard to believe that mere thieves would be able to steal some of the church's most valuable treasures. Do you know how the culprit was able to steal them?"
"We're still investigating, but we do know who the culprits are. A rouge exorcist named Freed Sellzen, working under the orders of Kokabiel, a Cadre of the Grigori of the Fallen Angels."
Rias narrowed her eyes. "The Angel of the Stars, one of the survivors of the Great War and recorded in the Bible. He's hiding in this city?"
Irina nodded. "Yes. And because Kokabiel is one of the most dangerous fallen angels, we have been allowed usage of two of the remaining Excalibur pieces for use in this endeavor," she said, regarding her armband while Xenovia lifted her package.
Xenovia unraveled the white cloth from her large packaging, revealing a two-handed sword with a cross in the pommel, a grip long enough that could be held with three hands, an ax-like guard, a second grip with a chain-like form, and a long blade that ended with three points. "Mine is Excalibur Destruction, the Holy Sword of Destruction. As the name implies this Excalibur piece is the most destructive out of all seven. This sword is under Catholic supervision."
"And mine…" Irina popped in as she pulled her armband. As soon as she did, it instantly morphed into a katana. "…Is the Excalibur Mimic, the Holy Sword of Mimicry. This is normally kept under the watch of the Protestant Church. This thing's unique feature is that it can change shape to almost anything you like, so it makes carrying it around totally easy," she boasted as the blade started to change shape into whatever she could think of.
"The last piece that wasn't taken is the Excalibur Blessing. It is heavily guarded with extra security in light of the incident," Griselda finished. "And as you already know the last piece was lost long ago. The pieces that were stolen are the Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Nightmare, and Excalibur Transparency."
Despite the holy radiation he felt coming from the swords, Izuku felt the swords looked very impressive, especially the Excalibur Destruction. Looking at Yuuto, he saw his eyes narrowing at the swords. He prayed that his friend wouldn't try anything rash.
"I see. So what exactly is it you need from us?" Rias asked, narrowing her eyes as a sultry smile spread on her lips. "I have no information regarding the matter and if I did I wouldn't feel terribly inclined to give it to associates of the Church."
"We don't need information. This is simply a formal meeting to give you fair warning." Griselda dismissed, crossing her arms. "This conflict is between the Church and the Fallen Angels. All the higher-ups request is that you remain neutral in this. We won't cause an incident with you if you do the same for us."
"Are you insinuating that we would aid the Fallen Angels? That's a bold accusation," Rias asked, her own eyes accusing Griselda of such.
"The higher-ups might believe so, but I don't," Griselda said. "Which is why… I would like for your assistance if you're willing."
This caught everyone off-guard, especially Irina and Xenovia. "W-What?!" Irina exclaimed.
"Griselda, you cannot be serious!?" Xenovia said. "The devils are our mortal enemies. Working with them is- OW!" She was cut off as Griselda delivered a dope slap on her head.
"I don't like it any more than you, Xenovia," Griselda scolded. "But we're up against Kokabiel, a Cadre. He's the enemy I'm worried about. As such, if our best chance of stopping him is working with the local devils, then we will. Understand?"
Xenovia gave a defiant expression but quickly backed down when Griselda narrowed her eyes at her. Puffing her cheeks, Xenovia turned her head away from her in annoyance. 'She's pouting…' A resounding thought echoed with the devils, the tension from before now losing its edge.
"Well, back to the matter at hand, I can at least reassure your concerns," Rias spoke, turning Griselda's attention back to her. "I have no intention of aiding the Fallen Angels and would never be so foolish as to tarnish my family's name in doing so. But also remember that I have no obligation to aid your side, either. I must ask, though, why would the Church send only three exorcists for such an important matter? Even if one of you is a renowned exorcist, this seems both very foolish and extremely arrogant on the Church's part."
"It was originally only me and Xenovia. Griselda joined after learning certain…details…" Irina answered. Mizu, who had remained quiet throughout the whole meeting, looked in concern at Griselda, having a good idea of what that meant. "Regardless, we have the blessing of God on our side. If it's His plan for us to die for this mission then we will gladly accept," Irina said, looking irked. "But it's not like we're that foolish enough to throw our lives away. We do intend to come back alive with every ounce of our being."
"I see your beliefs are as inflexible as always. You seem too sure of yourself. Do you have a secret weapon?"
"We'll leave you to decide on that," Griselda stood up, Xenovia and Irina followed after. "Since there isn't anything else, we should take our leave now."
"Really? Why not stay for some tea?" Rias asked, gesturing at the set on the table.
"We appreciate the gesture, but we're fine without it," Xenovia said, not bothering to look back.
"Sorry, maybe some other time," Irina smiled sheepishly, trying to be a bit more polite to make up for her friend's bluntness.
Before Griselda went to open the door, Xenovia stopped, her eyes lingering on a particular vine haired girl. As she began taking in the features, she spoke, "Actually, there is one other thing that I wish to confirm. You're the witch Shiozaki Ibara, aren't you?"
Ibara's pupils shrunk as her body stiffened, bad memories immediately resurfacing in her mind when the blue-haired exorcist called her by that name. Izuku frowned and his fist balled up, glaring at the one responsible for his friend's triggering.
"Really? The former Holy Maiden of Japan? I didn't recognize her," Irina remarked, seeing Ibara in full, "I mean, sure she did get banished, but I never thought she'd be reincarnated into a devil…"
"Er…um…" Ibara stuttered fearfully.
"Xenovia, she's not important," Griselda said. "What became of a former nun who was banished is none of our concern." She gave a sharp look at Xenovia. "Let's go."
"Even if she was banished, to become a devil is a rather large jump," Xenovia declared, ignoring her foster sister's words. "I suppose once you've fallen that far, who knows how far you'll keep going. Tell me… do you still believe in God?"
"…Huh?" Ibara blinked.
"Isn't that asking too much?" Irina scolded, "She's a devil now so why would she still believe in God?"
"Even if she does, it's her choice to do so, not ours," Griselda added.
"I…" Ibara began slowly, "I can't just let it go. I lived with the Lord's teachings my whole life." Tears welled up in her eyes as she started to sob. "In spite of everything, I can't find myself giving up on God!"
Xenovia closed her eyes, looking almost regretful. "Is that so? In that case, it should be best to cut you down right here and now in the Lord's name. Perhaps then God would be able to forgive you." Ibara gasped fearfully as Xenovia brandished her sword.
"That's enough!" Rias shouted, standing up and getting ready to unleash her magic, "Don't you dare belittle my servant!"
"I am not belittling her. I am simply offering her a chance at redemption as a fellow woman of faith- Ow! OWOWOWOW!" Tears started to form in Xenovia's eyes as Griselda pulled on her ear. Hard.
"Xenovia…!" The older woman growled, causing the blue-haired exorcists to wince in fear. "Whether or not she still believes in God is not our concern. We're here to prevent a war, not start one!"
"You won't lay a finger on her!" Turning back, Xenovia blinked as she realized that Izuku had somehow cut between her and Ibara, glaring at her fiercely. What surprised her the most was the red gauntlet that manifested on his arm. "What the hell gives you the right to judge someone simply because they wanted to help someone in danger?!"
Irina couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by her childhood friend. Though she wasn't that surprised at the reason for Izuku's anger. 'I guess, even as a devil, he's still a hero at heart,' she thought, a warm smile spreading on her lips.
"Is that a challenge to the Church?" Xenovia asked, getting loose from Griselda's grip. "Perhaps I should teach that big mouth of yours a lesson."
"Oh, you won't be fighting him."
Everyone turned to the other person who suddenly spoke. Yuuto chuckled darkly as he approached them with his hands in his pockets. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to take a crack at you."
"And you are?" Xenovia asked.
"You can call me your senpai," Yuuto replied venomously, demonic swords sprouting around him, "Although compared to you, I'm just a failure."
Rias looked back and forth between Izuku, Yuuto, and the exorcists, with a look of panic and worry. After everything she tried to do, emotions still ran high and it was all about to be let loose in a bad way. And now, a fight was inevitable.
She looked to Mizu, a hint of desperation in her eyes for the sorcerer to intervene. What she got though, was not what she had hoped. "I have a suggestion," Mizu spoke up. "Since Yuuto and Xenovia are so keen on fighting, let's have a little spar to help settle things."
"WHAT?!" Rias exclaimed.
"[Now arriving at Tatooin station.]"
The overhead announcements rang throughout the station, passengers getting on and off the trains as it did so. Three certain passengers, though, paid the crowds no mind as they stepped out of the station.
One of them, a young woman with dark hair, stopped as she glared at the skyline. "I never thought I'd see this stupid city ever again. Still, it's better than hunting for some tiger."
"Stay focus, Raynare," said a blond woman with brown eyes, wearing a black suit. Raynare merely huffed in annoyance. The blond woman then turned to their third companion. "Senpai, is it really okay for you to be out in the open like this? What if someone recognizes you?"
The third person was a man in his early 20s. His skin was very pale and his black hair was short and choppy with long side bangs that turn white at the tips. He wore a dark brown coat and tinted glasses. His hand was covering his mouth as he coughed.
"*cough* *cough* If it becomes a problem, I'll deal with it." The disguised Akutagawa Ryunosuke replied. "Come. We have a war to prevent."
AN:
Sorry to anyone who doesn't like the Balance Breaker thing, but there is some basis for it in the Light Novels. Marsilio, a member of the Hero Faction who appears in the short story, Rias in Wonderland, lost his Balance Breaker because he felt satisfied, saying that his revenge was complete. And, (MANGA SPOILERS!) like how Izuku struggled to control Black Whip (MANGA SPOILERS off), it'll take a little while before Izuku can use his Balance Breaker properly.
Anyway, things are now heating up! Freed managed to kill Bakugo with a cheap shot, literally, only for someone to save him. Wonder who? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Izuku has reunited with Irina after 10 long years, only now they're on opposite sides. Big deal. Also, since we never learn what Griselda's hair color is in the Light Novels, I decided to give her green hair since, well, Xenovia had to have gotten the idea for the green streak in her hair from somewhere.
Oh, and Raynare's back, this time with Akutagawa and his subordinate/rabid fangirl Higuchi. That can't be good.
Next time, we'll see a couple of fights, an uneasy alliance, and more. So until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and listen to science.
See you next time. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!