Reenacting a legend

by davido747

In a world in which humanity never parted ways with the Gods and became the dominant species, an unexpected variable enters to disrupt its delicate order. After regaining his memories as the nameless hero King of Fakers, Emiya Shirou will have to teach this world why humans cannot be underestimated, and show them all what means to be a real hero.

5. Chapter 4: The hero and the dragon

We meet again, people! I know it's been a long wait, especially for those of you who don't follow my other stories, and I know I said in my last update that I was going to focus on finishing my other story, "Date a Density". However, I decided to write one last chapter of this story before getting to that so the people who only follow are aware of that, and they can have this massive chapter in the meantime. More than 30k words… I think I overdid it a little, but I didn't find a good place to cut this chapter into two parts.

At any rate, this chapter covers the events of the peace conference, with a lot of important conversations for character development and foreshadowing, and a good dose of action at the end.

Now, regarding some of the reviews of the previous chapter, first and foremost, you shouldn't take everything Shirou says as the absolute truth. He's trying to apply Nasuverse logic to the DxD world, which led to a constant state of paranoia. I never mentioned it directly since I don't want to overexplain things, and this chapter is already going to have the first steps to solve that. If King of Fakers' character arc in my other stories was to learn about love and leave behind his lonely path, in this story it is going to be putting aside his prejudice towards the supernatural. His relationship with Issei is the starting point, but this chapter will have the introduction of the character that will truly help him in that regard.

Now, aside from the complaints about things I already explained in the first author's not of this story, someone pointed out that Issei is actually a bit taller than Shirou, which surprised me. I never thought of Shirou as tall, even if having him beside Saber most of the time can lead to that misconception, but I always pictured them about the same height.

And some of you remarked that Shirou shouldn't have been able to project so many weapons during the fight with Kokabiel. You have to bear in mind that this version of Shirou has more or less the same quantity and quality of magic circuits as Rin, leaving aside family crests. You might think that's busted, but if you look at it from the perspective of the age in which he lived, the first century, it's a laughable amount just like the original Shirou. And aside from that, the only taxing weapons he used were Rho Aias and Merodach. Kanshou and Bakuya, and Aestus Estus don't require much energy, and the katana he used were all perfect replicas since he was the one who forged them. If anything, what really exhausted him was the continuous usage of mana bursts.

And to wrap things up, let's talk about Excalibur. I said I wasn't going to pay too much attention to the Excalibur shards, but as a Fate crossover, I can't put the concept aside. It will be an important issue in the future.

Now, after this long rambling, let the chapter begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate Franchise, or High School DxD.

---

"The essence of the smith has been retrieved and the vessel has been defeated. Mission complete. I expect the payment in due time~"

"Hehehe. You're still the same wicked fox. You speak as if you didn't nearly get your ass handed. At any rate, what should we do with him? Should I turn him into a puppet with my ***** of ************?"

"No. He's the one that put a stop to the ************ of the ***** ***** with his sword, and the *** of a ******* **** deemed him a threat as well. We must dispose of him in a way that he won't be able to interfere with our plans for a while. **********, will you do the honors?"

"Hmph, normally I would charge this as an extra fee, but I'll make an exception since I'll borrow the ***'s power. Throwing him anywhere should be fine, right?"

…

"Heh, dumping this on me all of a sudden after defeating me with your sword… But I guess it's quite fitting. After all, ********** ****** is my specialty."

---

"Mmm…" A pair of golden eyes opened as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window.

Shirou caressed his temple as he pushed away and checked the hour on his cellphone's screen. His internal clock had awakened him at the same hour as usual, and he didn't remember doing something exhausting yesterday, but for some reason, he was having a headache.

It might've been the lingering aftereffects of using everything he had against Kokabiel. If it wasn't for Camael Muramasa's flames healing his human body, he was sure he would have fallen apart in the middle of the fight.

But he was sure that wasn't the reason. A quick structural grasp revealed no remaining damages in his body. It was…

"What a weird dream…"

He barely remembered its content, and he certainly didn't recognize those faces. A fox, a carnivore, and a priest… Well, the fox was somewhat familiar, but at the same time felt different… And if that wasn't confusing enough, what did Muramasa Senji have to do with that?

He had vague memories of the incident in which the two formed a single pseudo-servant, but that wasn't exactly him, and their bond should have ended the moment they swung that blade… So then, why did he feel like their connection ended not that long ago?

It was one of the reasons why she chose to use those katana against Kokabiel, aside from their low cost to project due to being perfect reproductions. And that was definitely the reason why he felt so offended by the craftmanship of the Excalibur shards.

However, trying to make heads or tails about that matter with so little information would be a waste of energy, and he had more important issues to worry about.

The golden-eyed teenager stood up and headed to the dojo to start his morning routine. His mind started to go over all the recent incidents while the sweat started to slide down his skin.

Yeah, the small fries stopped coming to the town. They didn't seem to be crazy enough to come to challenge the one that defeated one of the leaders of the Grigori, regardless of him being human.

Unfortunately, he knew that only would apply to the small fries. It was only a matter of time for another bigshot like Kokabiel to show up. And this time, the one with a target on his back would be him.

An irregular human that isn't just a passive bystander in this world ruled by Mystery was something any God would overlook.

He was a third-rate magus, so the only thing he would be able to achieve would be some basic bounded fields that would be easily trespassed by the kind of being that was going to target him. The only way for him to fight them off was a direct confrontation.

Knowing his situation, the leaders of the three factions are likely to offer him shelter, but that would be the same as slapping a collar around his neck. That would be his last option.

Perhaps this was his clue to use one of the contacts Kiritsugu left him and flee this city. And leave behind this attempt of his of having a regular life. He knew such a thing was impossible for him from the start, but still… even someone like him yearned to know how that kind of life was.

No, fleeing wasn't an option. Those contacts were mundane at the end of the day, and he would be exposing them to great danger. And besides, that was a one-person ticket that didn't cover the two girls under his protection.

Their situation was arguably even direr than his. They were still severely inexperienced when it came to living in this kind of world. To this day, their view of the world was black and white. Anything that wasn't affiliated with the Church was evil and should be exterminated.

But now, their vision of the world was turned upside down. The people that dictated their way of living now labeled them as heretics, and they didn't have any contact. They even had to resort to asking him for help.

However, as gloomy as the situation seemed, not everything was bad news.

"Trace, on."

After finishing the physical part of his routine, he turned on his magic circuits and projected Kanshou and Bakuya. The twin blades started to dance around the dojo as he practiced his movements.

Any person that had seen him fight previously would notice immediately something changed. His movements were quicker and smoother as if his real fighting style was being slowly unraveled.

Shirou suddenly stopped. There was no sweat nor ragged breath despite being using the speed and strength of a servant for a couple of minutes.

"I guess it was to be expected… Now that the name Emiya Shirou is starting to spread, my Spirit Origin is regaining its strength. I'm still stuck with an E rank in all my parameters except for noble phantasm, but it's better than nothing." He whispered to himself as he let the married blades fade.

This would be his trump card for the moment. This world was aware of his noble phantasms now, but they didn't seem to know what a heroic spirit was. And well, he finally found a way to recover his strength and carry out his mission… whatever it was.

But that brought another glaring issue. The final and most evident clue is that this world wasn't even a parallel world that greatly diverged from the main branch. His strongest trump card, his true noble phantasm, the sword forged within his reality marble, wasn't usable.

It wasn't because mankind in this world was reaching the point of stagnation, but because it isn't the same humanity whose hopes and dreams were used to forge that sword. It would still be able to fight against evil, but its performance was severely diminished.

In case an equivalent of an Evil of Humanity appeared, he would have to resort to the divine blades in his reality marble. The image of Excalibur or the Tsumukari Muramasa. And both options would imply burning himself, the former to reproduce it and the latter to use it.

At least, just as his Spirit Origin, he could get his noble phantasm back to its original power if he collected this world's humanity's hope and dreams.

"Now then…" Putting the towel over his shoulders, his golden eyes drifted to the side of the dojo. There, a blue mop of hair was peeking out the doorframe.

Her stealth skills definitely weren't her strong point.

"Is there something I can help you, Xenovia?"

She flinched the moment she heard her name but entered the dojo nonetheless. Her yellowish eyes stared right at his as she thought of how to say what was in her mind.

"Shirou-san… would you train me in the way of the sword!?" She chose not to beat around the bush in the end.

He fought the urge to not pinch the bridge of his nose. Why did everyone take him for a swordmaster or something along those lines?

"Haaah… Look, I'm gonna tell you the same I told Kiba and Issei. I can't teach you sword techniques since yours might actually be better than mine. What I can teach you is how to fight… and well, you said Durandal is still in your possession, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. They allowed me to keep it reluctantly since it was the sword itself who chose me."

"I see. I can help you control that sword's power and use it efficiently. That's the only thing I can offer you."

"That's… more than I can ask!" She replied with more enthusiasm than usual. "I'll be in your care… err… Shirou-sensei? Did I get it right?"

"If you want to go with that… Will start first thing tomorrow."

""

He didn't want to increase the people calling him "sensei", but he could make an exception. "Now then, I'll go get I quick shower before preparing breakfast. Is Irina also awake?"

"Yes, she's in the living… and well…" Her expression took a 180-degree turn thinking about her companion, and Shirou made a serious expression as well.

"Yeah… we haven't made any progress in that regard…"

The two left the dojo in awkward silence and headed to the bathroom and living respectively.

The shower became a short affair now that Irina's condition was plaguing his mind, and he made a quick breakfast to not be late for school.

Just as he said, he wasn't the right person to deal with psychological problems like Irina's. But unlike Xenovia hoped, Irina's mood didn't change during these days. Yeah, she didn't look like a corpse that much anymore, mostly thanks to his food, but she had yet to speak more than three words per phrase.

Looking at her emotionless expression while eating made Shirou feel a lump in his stomach. He really didn't know what to do to cheer her up.

He didn't pay much attention to the bombshell that was the biblical God being dead, but now that he did, it was further evidence that this world was in a whole other universe separated from Proper Human History.

When he said that a God dying wasn't that strange, he really meant it, but from his perspective. Divine spirits can have their physical forms destroyed, effectively dying, but just as a servant, they can be summoned again as long as their saint graph is intact.

Take for example the Goddess Ishtar. She was killed by Ereshkigal after invading her domain, but she came back to life shortly after. With her soul still trapped in the underworld, but alive nonetheless.

Now, if the Biblical God was dead for real, then there were only two options. Whether someone managed to actually burn His saint graph despite the absurd amount of faith He received… or the Gods of this world were closer to living beings rather than concepts given form by human thoughts.

"Now that I remember, Shirou-sensei, how is the issue of enrolling us in your school going?" Xenovia's words brought back the golden-eyed teenager.

The way she used the "sensei" suffix managed to get a reaction out of Irina, making her look at Xenovia surprised, and consequently, she started paying attention to the conversation.

"Oh, about that… Sona is still getting ready the paperwork, but you'll be able to enroll in the same class I am in a few days."

"Eh? Just like that?"

"She said this is their way of returning the favor of defeating Kokabiel and saving the city… that and she's using her contacts to spread my name in this city as someone good at repairing things. Aside from third-rate magician and experience killing supernatural creatures, my curriculum is quite empty, so that's the only way I came up to earn money… at least legally."

"I see…" The idea of him alone being in charge of financial matters didn't sit well on the girls, but their situation was the same.

He had told them that doing the chores while he was away or helping him patrol the city was more than enough, but they didn't agree. And that just made Irina feel worse.

"I'll be going then…"

"See you later."

And so, Shirou stood up and left the Emiya residence. Despite the fact that it now had more people living in it, he could hardly tell it was livelier.

---

The moment Shirou arrived at Kuoh Academy, he noticed that something was off. Not in a supernatural sense though. It was just…

"What in the… Why are there so many people here?"

He couldn't help but blink a couple of times. Kuoh Academy had been always a convoluted place at rush hour, but today it reached a whole other level. And more than half the people were adults that could easily be the parents of the students here.

Things didn't change when he entered the building itself. In fact, he had to literally make his way to his classroom through a crowd.

"Haaaah…" He let out a sigh as he slumped into his desk. Even inside the classroom, there were people watching them. "Seriously, what did I miss?"

"You really hear about it, Sen- I mean, Shirou?" A certain Red Dragon Emperor noticed his confusion and approached him. "Today is the Observation Day. You know, that day when our parents can enter the school to watch us."

"Oh, right… That was a thing." Shirou drifted his eyes to a couple at the classroom's door he recognized.

"Asia-chan! Look here!"

"We'll be here rooting for you, Asia-chan!"

Those were Issei's parents… whose attention was completely focused on an Asia that could only look at the camera they were using to film her greet them back with an awkward.

Shirou's eyes returned to Issei, and he could tell that he was dying on the inside regardless of how much he was trying to hide it. However, what actually made the magus look at him with pity was the way his parents were ignoring him.

Yeah, his reputation preceded him, and Asia was a model student compared to him… but still.

"At any rate, is anyone coming to see you?"

The moment Shirou started to raise his eyebrow at him dramatically, Issei realized how stupid had been that question. He didn't know much about Shirou, but he did know that he was an amnesiac, and both his biological parents and foster father were dead.

The urge of facepalming almost overcame him, but he found a way to solve his mess.

"I-it doesn't have to be strictly a relative. Xenovia-san and Irina-san could have come."

"That… would've been a good idea if I had remembered this was a thing. Wait… now that I think about it, if the students' relatives can come, then-"

"Now, now, I know it is a special day, but I ask you to behave in a civilized manner. The same goes for the ladies and gentlemen who came to observe this class."

The teacher's voice put an end to the ruckus in the classroom before Shirou got to finish what he was saying, and the class representative proceeded with the usual greeting.

He didn't need Issei's confirmation though. The moment he focused his senses, he immediately sensed several wicked presences in the campus that were like massive beacons.

He recognized Sirzech and Grafia, and there was another huge presence that didn't fall behind those two among the other presence. Presumably, Sona's sister, who was another of the current maous.

Well, if the school was still in one piece, then he doubted anything was going to happen. Repressing his fight or flee instincts was going to be another different matter though. He got used to the presence of the devils in the school, but something of this level was impossible to ignore.

"Now then, since this is a special day, we are going to deviate from our usual schedule." The teacher announced after taking attendance and proceeded to unpack the huge package he brought with him. To everyone's, its contents were several blocks of clay.

"Today's class objective is to develop your artistic abilities! You can use one of these clay blocks, compose a poem, or whatever you want as long as you give free rein to your mind to create something."

While that actually got his classmates and the adults observing the class all excited, Shirou could just deadpan internally.

What did this have to do with a Japanese class? Yeah, they do often analyze books and poems, which he already found absurd, but this kind of thing was more related to afterschool clubs.

However, seeing that anyone was complaining, he decided to go with the flow. Of course, he refrained from picking a clay block since he knew how that was going to end. Having to explain how he precisely modeled one of his swords from scratch was the last thing he needed.

He took a sheet and a pen then. It was the option that would attract less attention.

"How hard can be composing a poem?" He whispered to himself as he emptied his mind.

This might actually be a perfect way to put aside for a moment all his troubles and the nagging feeling the maous' presence gave him.

He lost any notion of time. His hand moved on its own as he just ignored everyone and entered a trance state. At that moment, if anyone were to touch him, he would've collapsed on his desk.

"I'll give you 7000 yen!"

"8000 yen!"

"9000 yen!"

When Shirou finally got to his senses though, the classroom was rowdy again. All the male students were surrounding Issei and shouting prices as if they were in an auction while the girls looked at them with faces filled with disgust.

The only girls that weren't freaked out were Asia, who was making a pissed off face that actually turned out to be a pout that felt like if someone kicked a kitty, and Kiriyuu Aika, a girl said to be the Pervert Trio's female counterpart, who was teasing both Issei and Asia.

The reason behind the commotion became apparent once he used his enhanced eyes to peer through the crowd and see Issei's sculpture. And for the second time in the day, he found himself blinking in disbelief.

"What have those two been doing the last month?"

In front of Issei was an ultra-realistic sculpture of Rias Gremory… completely naked. Its level of detail was simply absurd. He could bet that if he were to use structural grasp in that thing, he would be able to see even Rias' moles and birthmarks.

Issei did tell him that she insisted on sleeping in the same bed as him completely naked every, but he thought he was just delirious due to living with two beauties.

In the middle of the commotion, Issei casted a pleading look at him, but he couldn't do anything but turn him down. The only solution he saw to stop the "auction" was buying the sculpture, and that would only make things worse.

"It's not for sale, guys! This will be my most precious treasure!" Issei ultimately decided to solve his mess own and hugged the sculpture before making a run for it.

"After him!"

"I'll have that sculpture! Even if I have to trade all my collection!"

"Nooo! We can't let them defile Rias-One-sama!"

About 70% of the class ran after him like mad dogs before the amused looks of the parents, and weirdly enough, the teacher just looked at them with a nostalgic look saying: "It's good to be young."

If things kept like this, then this day was going to be quite hectic.

"Teacher, I'm finished." He raised his voice to get the man's attention. He might as well deliver his poem already and forget about it.

"Oh, you went for a poem, Emiya. The good ol' reliable. Let me see what you've got here."

The teacher put on his reading glasses and took a look at the poem he wrote. The way his face started to slowly morph into a mixture of horror and concern already caught everyone's attention, but it was further cemented by the look he threw at Shirou, which was usually directed to people with mental problems.

"Emiya-san, if you have any problems at home- no, scratch that. Haven't your parent come to see you?"

The golden-eyed teenager could only deadpan at him after being asked the same question in less than an hour.

"I live alone. I don't have any living relatives that I can remember."

The answer alone made the man freeze, but the flat tone in which he spoke made the sense of concern start to spread like wildfire among his classmates.

"I-it can be that bad, Sensei!"

Asia took a look at the poem, but any kind of hope visible on her face died after reading the first line.

"My body is made out of swords."

"My blood is of iron and my heart is of glass."

"I have overcome countless battlefields."

"Not even once retreating."

"Not even once being understood."

"The hero lies here alone, forging dreams on a hill of swords."

"Thus, my life needs no meaning."

"This body is made out of infinite swords."

After finishing reading the poem out loud, the ex-nun shot a worried glance at Shirou that made him feel bad.

"Why did you write this, Shirou-san?"

"I just… wrote what was on my mind? I mean, yeah, it might sound a little depressing, but it has a hopeful side, right?"

At the end of the day, that was the only poem he could put together with so little time. The poem about himself he used to reach a certain place. He really didn't see why it would be that concerning.

Maybe picking the clay wouldn't have been a bad idea after all…

The teacher and Asia didn't seem to buy his answer entirely, but his other classmates seemed to come to the rescue.

"Nah, that has come from a videogame, right, Emiya-kun?"

"Yeah, that definitely fits a dark fantasy videogame."

"I didn't know you had a gamer side, Emiya-kun! Have you been pulling all-nighters this last week?"

How in the world the girls related the Japanese version of his poem to video games was lost to him, but he wasn't wasting the opportunity.

"Well, I really haven't been able to sleep properly as of late…"

He didn't confirm anything they said, but that was enough to defuse the situation. At least the "viewers" didn't make a fuss of it either and thought of it as part of their shenanigans.

The only one that kept looking at him with pity was Asia. That girl was more perceptive than she let on, so she was most likely drawing her own conclusions.

"At any rate. Let's see what your other classmates have done." The teacher let go of the issue and immediately continued checking what the others had done.

---

When the lessons of the first period ended, Shirou found himself walking straight up to the rooftop.

Some of his classmates followed their usual routine and formed the usual groups, and others went to have lunch with their parents. As someone that didn't belong to any of those groups, he felt even more out of place than usual.

Strangely enough, Koneko didn't join him for lunch today. That made him feel happy for her. It was better for her to socialize with regular people than to spend lunchtime eating in silence beside him.

"ONEE-CHAN, YOU IDIOT!"

"Eh?" He didn't need to reinforce his ears to hear that scream filled with despair and horror.

When Shirou peered over the rooftop fence, he was greeted with an unusual sight. There was no perfect student or "Kuoh's Ice Queen". What he saw was a regular girl that threw all manners to the wind and was running as if her life depended on it.

This day was just getting weirder by the second…

"I guess that's that foreign thing called family matters, huh?"

"Man, that's a really depressing thought."

He just sent a quick glance to Issei before sitting down and starting to unpack his bento.

"So you hid here for the rest of the classes. Where's the sculpture though?"

"I found Buchou on my way here and tossed it to her. Giving it to its model was enough distraction to sneak away."

He basically threw his master under the bus, but Shirou guessed the red-head devil would be fine being the most popular student in the school.

"Since all your things are still in our classroom, I assume you don't have anything to eat." His deduction was confirmed by the roaring sound coming from the devil's stomach. "You can have the bento I prepared for Koneko since it seems it's going to go to waste."

"OOOOH! Thank you, Sensei! This day might not be that bad after all!"

The Red Dragon Emperor didn't think twice and dug into the massive bento. The two doubted he could finish a ration enough to satisfy Koneko's appetite, but at least not everything was going to be wasted.

And unlike Koneko, Issei couldn't bear the silence. "Now that we are alone, Sensei, I've been meaning to ask. I get you want to keep the secrecy of magic and all that stuff, but why do you insist on being all alone. Isn't it… you know, boring?"

Perhaps he didn't think that question wasn't that big of a deal. Issei just wanted to return the favor to his Sensei by trying to get him some friends. But to really answer that question, Shirou would have to reveal almost everything about him. He would have to resort to half-truths as always.

"All the people I held dear are dead… so I guess I try to avoid losing someone again." Because if that were to happen, he doubted he could pull through it again. "Besides, I doubt I could make any friend even if I tried."

Now it was Issei's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Why do you think that? Of course, you could! I know for sure all the girls in our classroom are looking forward to it. As for the dudes… well, you can start with Matsuda and Motohama? Or at least you have m-me. We haven't done friends stuff, b-but I like to think that, aside from my Sensei, you are my fr-friend."

Shirou could just giggle at that. The way he was stuttering seemed like he was confessing to a girl.

"I doubt your friends want to be anywhere near me. But we're friends, huh? It makes sense, I guess. You are the only one that tries to interact with me for something more than asking me for a favor or business."

That was the thing. He did try to not bond with the devils, but he wasn't going to kick them out if they approached him with more persistence. Koneko and Asia were good examples of that, and maybe Sona.

Kiyome also approached him to apologize for indirectly calling him a monster when she didn't know he was the "slayer". But aside from that and the times he went to lend a hand with the Tennis Club, they didn't interact that much.

So yeah, they were more than just acquaintances. Something he didn't know what to make of.

He wasn't the same as those versions of him from which he acquired those vague memories of bonding and even marrying those girls. No servant was the same after being summoned again in normal circumstances. For him, it was as if he had read a book about those events and didn't even finish assimilating the knowledge. It's only due to the nature of his Unlimited Blade Works that he's able to use the abilities and noble phantasm those versions gained in their journeys.

But aside from that, there was a bigger problem.

"Issei, what do you think friendship is based on?"

That question took the devil by surprise. "Err… I guess it's based in mutual trust, no hiding secrets, that stuff."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I think…"

He knew basically the essentials of Hyoudou Issei. There wasn't really that much to it though. He was just a regular student a few months ago before becoming a devil and discovering he was this generation's Red Dragon emperor. He had some pervert tendencies after meeting a weird old man when he was in elementary school, but he was a good boy at heart.

Now, when you looked at it the other way around…

"Well, since we are friends, I think I have to tell you this."

Issei stopped eating when Shirou suddenly looked at him with a really serious face and swallowed loudly.

"This isn't really my first life. I'm actually a soul that made a contract with The World around the first century to become a heroic spirit upon death and somehow got reincarnated in this body. And I am probably from another entire universe that's fundamentally different from this one."

"Eh?" At that moment, Issei's brain melted trying to process all that information and failing miserably.

However, the flash of a camera got him out of his stupor. He then saw his Sensei holding his phone and giving him a mischievous smile he never thought he would see on his face of all people.

"You really got me there, Sensei. I'd never thought you could pull off a joke on me."

"Your face just now was priceless. Take a look."

Even Issei had to admit his face of "what the hell" was really funny.

"You were talking so seriously that I almost believed you, Sensei. I mean, I'm still assimilating that magic, devils, and all that stuff is real. Adding multiverse, isekai, and "Back to the Future" stuff is too much."

"Yeah, I got a little carried away there. Who would believe such a thing?"

Who would believe such a story? That's why a deeper relationship wasn't allowed to Emiya Shirou. Having to blatantly lie every day would be too much. A relationship built on falsehood was destined to crumble.

He might have been reincarnated, but in essence, he was still a heroic spirit. A transient being that was only summoned to solve a problem and then go in their way. He could protect humanity but doing something like changing the world should be up to the people living in it.

"Speaking about you turning into a devil… have you talked with Rias?"

All the good mood between the two boys started to fade with that question, but he had to ask.

"I didn't have an occasion to talk with Buchou alone. Asia insists on not leaving us alone when we are at home for some reason, and there's always someone else in the club. And Lucifer-sama just moved into my house yesterday temporarily. But aside from the lack of occasions, I honestly don't know how to approach the issue either. I could use some advice…"

That little piece of information about one of the rulers of the underworld moving into this town triggered some alarms on Shirou's head, but he left it for later.

"Well, in cases like that, I just choose the most straightforward route. It doesn't end well most of the time, but in this particular case, that might be the way to go. I mean, aside from the issue of your death, your mental hell should be an enough concerning issue. I might've left things a little vague back then as Koneko and Saji were there, but Issei, what do you think it's the fundamental difference between humans and devils, or any supernatural creature?"

It took him some time to think of a reasonable answer. "Buchou says devils are creatures driven by greed and desire, so it has to be that?"

"That is only partially correct. Devils may be greedier than humans, and we might lose in pretty much every aspect, but what they lack that humanity has is the will to keep moving forward."

"And that means?"

"That means that we humans always strive to change their surroundings to adequate it to our necessities instead of adapting to it. We are always changing, unlike all the other species that only make advances imitating human society. But don't get me wrong. Humanity isn't all good. In fact, we choose the wrong option more often than not. However, we are also specialists in solving those messes. The human world is now more or less in a peaceful state compared to how it used to be, and meanwhile, the supernatural species are still in a cold war state."

Shirou made a pause. Seeing Issei's face, he knew he was starting to get lost, so it would be better to stop his rambling.

"What I'm getting at is that you're going to go from a world that is constantly in change, to one that is almost stagnated in old customs, and for way more time than your soul is prepared. Unless they have some way to deal with that, you are going to have a bad time with that."

"Now that you put it like that… it sounds really concerning. I definitely have to talk about that with Buchou. And I should bring Asia up to speed, too…"

Issei looked at his Sensei. The way he spoke really felt like he was hearing an old man sharing his vast experience in life. There wasn't anything to gain from helping him, but he did so without giving it too much of a thought.

And he was all rude to him just a month ago because he was more handsome than the average.

He really couldn't think of a way to repay him. Not just for helping him beat Raiser or saving them from Kokabiel. For every lesson he received from him. The only way he could see to repay him would be helping him with that lonely expression he made every time he was talking about himself.

But he got the feeling that would be even harder than solving his own pervert tendencies. Getting him friends or even a girlfriend might be just the tip of the iceberg.

"Sensei-" He was about to thank him at least, but Shirou stopped him with a gesture.

The auburn-haired teenager got up suddenly and stared at the rooftop's door. Issei recognized his stance immediately.

A deceivingly relaxed stance, with both hands slightly opened and prepared to grasp the hilts of his twin swords, eyes sharpened and coldly analyzing the possible outcomes.

In other words, he was prepared to destroy a possible enemy, and that made Issei get ready to summon his Boosted Gear at any moment, even if he didn't sense anything wrong.

However, the figure that appeared from behind the doors immediately threw the serious atmosphere down the drain.

"Oh! I finally found the rooftop!"

A… little girl? of blue eyes and black hair tied in twin tails kicked the door open and entered as if she owned the place. But that wasn't what left the two boys completely dumbfounded.

Her clothes could only be described as a pink magical girl cosplay, and she was even carrying a wand with a star at the end of its tip.

"That's… a Milky Spiral Seven cosplay!? And a really good one at that!" Issei shouted after recognizing the outfit, and Shirou could only give him a blank stare.

"A maou suddenly barged into this place and that's what you are concerned about?"

"Eh?" That piece of information now made Issei realize why Shirou had been so tense a second ago.

The problem was that, after focusing a little, he now too could feel the overwhelming power the creature in front of them was exuding. Suddenly, breathing became really hard. It was the part of him that was a prideful dragon that allowed him to not collapse.

The girl's eyes finally focused on them, and the playful smile on her face grew wider.

"If you two are having lunch here, then you must be the main characters! Allow this magical girl Levia-tan to join you!"

Her words only confused the two even further, but that nickname she used to refer to herself gave away her true identity.

She was Serafall Leviathan, one of the four Great Satan's currently ruling the underworld, and Sona's sister.

No wonder the strict and rigid Sona lost her composure in such a way after meeting this girl. They were polar opposites in every sense. And Shirou wasn't referring to those huge "assets" that seemed so out of place in such a small body.

"What do you mean by "main characters"? We are just a pair of friends having lunch in a quiet place."

Shirou tried to play dumb, but the girl chuckled at his attempt. "The Red Dragon Emperor, and the mysterious magician that came out of nowhere and annihilated Kokabiel. What else could you two be if not the main characters? I wanted to meet you in person after watching So-tan during her lessons, so I came to the most frequented place by main characters, and here you are."

Shirou gritted his teeth. Aside from her absurd logic, if she recognized him so fast, then every single member of the three factions must know his face, and that was being generous. In the worst case, he already had a target on his back.

He was expecting that would be the case eventually, but this was too fast.

"Then, what has a maou-"

"Shirou-kun, was it?" She interrupted him and grabbed his hand with both of hers. He could see stars in her eyes the moment their eyes met. "I heard you can transform! Can you please transform for me!? Oh, and do the entire sequence, the epic speech about protecting humanity included!"

"Huh?" Shirou had it quite hard to understand what she was referring to, and there was only one thing that came to mind. "I don't know where in the world did you hear that, but I don't transform like one of those magical girls shows. I just... changed to my combat outfit quickly."

"Then do that! I want to see it for reference material for my show!"

Shirou felt the urge to caress his forehead. The first maou he met was when he barged into the private party to celebrate his sister's marriage, and now this.

It was good to know his luck parameter was finally at its usual rank.

Technically, he was now able to transform if he accessed the power of his spirit origin and became a full-blown pseudo-servant, but he wasn't showing her that. Showing his ability to change his servant attire from spiritual form to physical form and vice versa should be enough to stop her from insisting further.

After giving one last look around to make sure they were alone, Shirou willed his combat suit to replace his uniform.

"Oh…" Serafall watched at how the combat suit appeared in light specks like a kid watching a live show for the first time, which only made things more awkward. "Awesome..."

"You can't do that?" Issei asked curiously. He thought that, if it was something a self-proclaimed third-rate magician like Shirou could do, then a maou would be able to do it.

"Of course not! We have to use a combination of illusions and post-production editing for the transformation sequence! I've been searching for a wizard that can perform such a spell for ages, but they always say that such a trivial matter isn't worth the effort researching…"

Serafall's serious eyes drifted to Shirou again and she completely ignored his personal space. "I need you to teach me how to do that! So-tan said you are short in money, so I'll make sure to pay an appropriate amount. If you want, I can make you my contracted magician-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Hold up a minute!" The magus stopped her rambling before her face got closer to his. "This isn't a spell, so I can't it to you. It has more to do with how the suit was manufactured. Besides…"

All the emotions were drained from his face as he internally prepared for combat. "If you have heard about what I told to Kokabiel, then you should know that, while I'm not your enemy, I'm not your ally either."

Contrary to his expectation, she didn't lose her smile upon hearing his cold voice. "C'mon, Shirou-kun, don't be all tsundere now. I can tell you are the kind of person that would go save someone without thinking twice, regardless of their race."

"That depends on the situation. I only saved your sister because she was part of the human city Kokabiel was going to destroy."

"Tch, tch." Again, she ignored his hostility and shook her finger. "That's just an excuse. That attack you blocked in your classical "hero arriving at the last second" entrance would have killed everyone in the vicinity, and you chose to protect them."

"Well, she has a point, Sensei. I mean, your catchphrase is: "I don't need a reason to help someone in need.""

Shirou's cold expression faded as he threw a betrayed glance at Issei. "Which side are you on!?"

"At any rate." Serafall's face became serious for a moment, shedding her magical girl persona for a moment. "You don't trust us, devils, that's obvious. Your suspicions seem to be founded in your experience meeting other similar creatures, am I right? As the maou in charge of external affairs, I'll definitely change the way you see us!"

At the end of her speech, she pointed her finger at his face and gave him a confident smile.

For a moment, her figure was replaced by the one of a certain empress of roses. The picture of passion. A woman that would never give up until she got what she wanted, no matter how many times she tried and failed, and never losing her smile.

But before Shirou could give an answer to her challenge, they were interrupted. A group of people entered the rooftop, which consisted of Sirzechs, Rias, a man who looked like an older Sirzechs, who was their father if Shirou was remembering correctly, Grayfia, and a Saji who looked like he just ran an entire marathon.

"We finally found you, Serafall. You shouldn't leave just like that. You are making it really hard for Saji-kun here." The other maou spoke in a lighthearted tone despite being admonishing her.

Her blue eyes left Shirou's reluctantly and drifted to the wielder of the Absorption Line, causing him to immediately correct his posture and stand firm like a soldier waiting for orders.

"I-it's not an inconvenience at all, my Lady! My ki-king only ordered me to wa-watch over you, so you're free to go everywhere you want… a-as long as you don't cause a commotion!"

"Hmph…" She stared at him for a moment, as if she acknowledged his presence for the first time, and then nodded to herself. "So-tan was able to acquire a fine pawn. Keep up the good work, pawn-kun! I'll let you have one of my autographs by the end of the day!"

"That's the greatest honor I could have, my Lady!"

It didn't take a genius to know what was happening here. Even Shirou and Issei could deduce Saji's intentions, and Serafall was enjoying every second of teasing him.

"Well, I see you have met the two young stars of this generation. Have you mentioned that?"

Serafall rested a finger on her chin trying to remember what Sirzechs meant, and her eyes widened when she did.

"Oh, right! I forgot that after Shirou-kun showed me his transformation sequence." The red knight didn't find the energies to correct her and just willed the servant attire to return to its astral state, causing her to pout.

"This is something the leaders of the three factions have been discussing for some time, and after Kokabiel's incident, we finally decided it's finally the time to do it. We will hold a peace conference between the three factions here, in this academy, and you are invited to participate, Shirou-kun. Of course, you will come too as a member of Rias-chan's peerage, Red Dragon Emperor-chan."

""HUH!?""

There were several voices of surprise. The ones coming from the two boys were to be expected. However, Rias joined them. Her expression however was horrified.

"Onii-sama, Serafall-sama, why do you want to hold such an important event in this academy!?"

"Well, this is the place where the fight with Kokabiel took place, and that's one of the main issues that are to be discussed in that reunion. We would like to have there all the people who participated in the battle, so…" Sirzechs' eyes met Shirou's. "What is going to be your answer, Shirou-kun?"

"I'll have to answer with another question then. What do I have to do with you guys putting your differences aside for the first time?"

"Well, if we manage to sign a peace treaty, the war that Kokabiel wanted to restart will only be a thing of the past, and humanity won't be dragged along again. Doesn't that align with the objective you so boldly proclaimed?"

Trying to bargain with the devil surely was hard… His logic was sound, even if it was obvious that their main purpose of having him around was to try clearing some of the unknowns around the anomaly that was Emiya Shirou and most likely try to recruit him.

The fact that they are making peace doesn't mean that all is going to be all well and good. There is a bunch of other pantheons that are likely to go to war with them the moment they discover the only God of this pantheon is gone, and not every member of the three factions is going to take the news well.

And he wasn't just an anomaly, but also carried the bombshell of being aware of the Biblical God's demise.

His position here was quite dire. At least he could get rid of the contract that compelled him to not antagonize the devils at any moment, but he had been holding that trump card for the right moment.

And well, if there was no way he was getting out of this without being taken advantage of, he might as well take advantage of them in return.

"I'll assist to that meeting, with one condition."

"What would it be? If do you want some kind of compensation, we can negotiate-"

"I want to bring two guests with me."

That answer surprised everyone, but a slight smile appeared on both maous' faces after realizing his intentions.

This was the best chance for Xenovia and Irina to settle things with the leader of their former faction.

"It is a deal then. You can bring those girls with you, and whoever you consider adequate. It will take place in three days at dusk. Be sure to be punctual." His blue eyes then shifted to the people accompanying him. "Now, I think we should leave this issue here. Lessons are about to begin. But before I forget, Rias, I give you permission to lift the seal of your first bishop."

"Yes, Onii-sama. I'll gather my peerage after the lessons and begin the procedures."

Shirou did know about Rias' first bishop. The idea of dispelling the seal with Rule Breaker crossed his mind before they explained that kid's situation. However, as things were, that was pushed far away in his long list of concerning matters.

What he wasn't going to overlook was Issei's situation. He palmed the devil's back, and he immediately got the message.

"Bu-Buchou! I need to talk something with you!" He seemed to have settled with facing her head-on.

His master looked at him with surprise, and for some reason, her father and brother looked at Issei with expectation.

"What is it, Issei? We can discuss it with the other members of the club before dispelling Gasper-kun's seal."

"No! I mean… This is something I would like to talk about with you alone… in private."

Rias' cheeks started to match her hair, her relatives seemed to be at the edge of the seat, Saji looked at him with a mixture of envy and admiration, and Serafall was showing a teasing smile.

Shirou was starting to think that everyone was getting everything wrong, but he wasn't going to be the one that shattered their illusions. Not when Issei was so focused on Rias' answer that the possibility of her thinking he was going to confess to her didn't even cross his mind.

"Oh, yeah… w-we can talk after the lessons. I'll tell Akeno to tell the others to leave us alone for a moment."

With the first step taken, Issei looked at his Sensei with a smile, and he in turn gave him a thumbs up. The interaction further cemented the misunderstanding.

All the students left for their respective classrooms, leaving the three old devils alone.

"Serafall, what do you think about him?"

The strongest female devil looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "You want my opinion on Issei-chan's confession or on Shirou-kun?"

"Actually, both."

"Well, to begin with, sorry to ruin your expectations, but I think the chances of him referring to that are close to zero. Judging by the way he didn't even react to Rias-chan blushing like a typical schoolgirl in love, he's not even aware of her crush."

That felt like a punch for father and son.

"That's unfortunate. But perhaps, Venelana and I can change that when he comes to our territory for summer."

Sirzechs looked at his father with a playful grin. "Weren't you the one who was so eager to marry her with the Phenex heir?"

"That event made me reflect, and Lord Phenex agreed with me. Perhaps we shouldn't force our demands onto our children like that and hamper their growth."

Sirzechs didn't know what he was referring to with "that event", the ruined party, or the lecture he received afterward from Venelana.

"Oh, I would have loved to see that. The mighty Red Dragon Emperor following Shirou-kun's coaching to beat the crap out of Raiser-chan…"

"Now, what do you think about Shirou-kun?"

"About that… well…" The way her face lost her enthusiasm was a massive red flag for the crimson maou. "It is going to be complicated. The moment I entered this place I felt such a killing intent that my mind went back to the days of the civil war. He calmed after he saw I wasn't an enemy, but still, that kind of reaction with just noticing my presence…"

Her conflicted emotions were as clear as day. She would never allow someone who could emit such a killing intent to be around her precious litter sister, but that same person was the one that saved her.

And just with that interaction, she could say that the cold personality was just a mask. Underneath that mask was a good person that wanted to help people, to an unhealthy degree if his demand was of any indication.

He could have asked anything in return, and as long as it was reasonable, Sirzechs would have complied. After all, he also wanted to thank him for saving her little sister, for the second time at that. And instead of asking for something that would make his life easier, he asked for something that would help those girls he just met a week ago.

It was more as if… he valued others more than himself. That, combined with his prejudice towards the supernatural in general, was going to make it really hard getting a relationship deeper than just pure professionalism with him. But…

"But I'll definitely get through that thick skull! I swear on my Leviathan title!"

For the first time in centuries, Sirzechs and Grayfia were able to see again that determined look in Serafall. The one that had that girl when she decided to take up the arms and fight to make the underworld a better place to live.

"What kind of magical girl would I be if I can't get the co-protagonist to join my party?" And she just ruined the moment.

"Ahem." Grayfia coughed to catch everyone's attention. "We should get going, Sirzechs-sama, Zeoticus-sama, Serafall-sama. Rias-sama and Sona-sama's lesson is about to start, and we still have yet to visit all the facilities of this building."

---

For the first time, Hyoudou Issei felt the lessons transcurrent quite fast from his perspective.

The… peculiar activities all the teachers insisted on doing might've been a factor, but with his mind completely focused on how he was going to approach the conversation with Rias, he completely ignored what was happening around him.

His Sensei gave him what little advice he could, and the dragon in his left arm suggested the same, so it was entirely up to him. Although Ddraig had been oddly silent today. It was as if he was lost in thought. Not that Issei could check it.

When the lessons of the day came to an end, convincing Asia to leave him alone with Rias had been a losing battle. The way she pouted was just too cute. However, the moment Rias told her to wait for some minutes outside the room with a serious face, she finally relented.

And here they were. In their clubroom, alone.

"W-well, wh-what did you want to talk about, Issei?"

Now that Issei looked at her, why did she seem even more nervous than he? And why was she so flustered?

After trying to find a reason for that and failing, he pushed it into the back of his mind and got to the matter at hand.

"Umm… I don't know how to… bring this up, but I guess I'll just ask right away. Buchou…" The moment he called her that, the good mood on her face plummeted, but Issei continued. "…that night I… died… were you aware of that… woman's intentions?"

He finally squished those words out of his throat, and seeing how she widened her eyes in surprise, his heart started to beat so fast that he felt as if it wanted to burst out of her chest.

"Issei… what do you mean by that?" Rias started approaching slowly her servant, who was clearly starting to hyperventilate.

"Wh-what I mean is… hah… i-i-if you knew I was going to die!?"

His master gently rested her hands on his shoulders and looked right in his eyes. "Issei, I need you to calm down."

"I-I'll calm down… if you answer that question, Bu-Buchou!"

Rias let out a sigh. She had been avoiding that delicate question since she didn't know how to approach it either, but seeing Issei like that, there was no way she could delay it anymore.

"We did know she was a fallen angel after you brought her to the school to introduce her to your friends. However, we didn't know about her intentions. For all we cared, she could have been trying to blend in with human society just like us. I ordered one of my familiars to give you one of our flyers with a magic circle, just in case she tried something, and I could come into your help, but that didn't go as planned. When the circle activated, you had already stopped breathing, and the only way to save you was using the evil pieces I had left to reincarnate you as a devil…"

Seeing how her expression turned into one of grief and sorrow, even Issei could tell she wasn't lying.

"So… it was... an accident?"

"Yes." Rias pulled him into a tender hug, and he was finally able to calm down. "If I had been able to get there in time… you wouldn't have been through such a horrible experience…"

There was still something messed up in her process of thought. She didn't seem to have ever considered just asking Koneko or Kiba to watch over him. She clearly wanted to leave a positive impression on him by saving him from that woman, and she regretted the trauma that experience could have left, not the fact that he just died due to her mistake.

But that's just how she is. Just as his Sensei said, her values and morals were different from his. The Hyoudou Issei before turning into a devil wasn't that much of a concern for her, it was only the Issei that became her pawn who she cherished, as expected from the Gremory clan.

And… he could live with that. Of course, he wouldn't see Rias in the same way as before, but he didn't regret saving her from her arranged marriage.

He will continue to serve her. She may have her flaws, but she was still an admirable woman in his eyes, and she made sure to make up for her mess by giving him a second chance and taking care of him.

But more importantly, his eyes were still set on his dream of becoming a harem king. It was a selfish dream, not something so beautiful like his Sensei's, but that was the path he chose. Even if he might regret turning down the opportunity to be human again, and he will have to see how the people he grew with died while he was still young, but now that he found his answer, he won't back down.

However, there was still another concerning matter.

"Err…" He broke the hug slowly and looked straight at her blue eyes. "Aside from that, there is another thing I want to ask. Sensei said that the human soul isn't prepared for an extremely long lifespan like the one devils have, so…"

"Oh, that's something you don't need to worry about, at least for now. That was one of the first issues that were brought up when the evil piece system was created, so we have people who specialize in those cases. If you manage to adapt is up to you, Issei, but as long as you have an objective and don't stagnate, you should be fine."

That lined up with what his Sensei said, too. As a human, it was in his nature to keep moving forward. As long as his soul had a purpose, he should be fine.

"I see. Thanks, Buchou. With this, I no longer have doubts."

Her mood was still sour for some reason, but that made the pureblood devil feel at ease.

"Why did you feel the urge to ask, Issei? Just curious. It was something Shirou-kun said?" There was a small threatening feeling in her voice when she said the last part, but Issei shook his head immediately.

"It is correct that he gave me some advice, but I too wanted to solve those doubts. He never lied to me. He just wanted to help me with my condition, and by proxy, help Asia."

"Hmm, how considerate on his part. You really have him in high regard."

"Well, of course. I mean, he's my inspiration as a man."

After saying that, she looked at him as if she was doing an incredible effort not to pout.

However, the conversation couldn't continue further as someone started knocking on the door.

"Buchou, are you already done!?" It was Asia's voice, but she seemed quite agitated.

"Oh, uhm, yes. We've just finished talking. You can enter, Asia."

The door then was almost kicked down, and it was Akeno who entered first, with Asia, Koneko, and Kiba in tow. The latter was sweating more than the other as if he had run at full speed to here.

"Buchou, Shirou-kun and the White Dragon Emperor have met at the entrance of the school."

Akeno's words felt like an ice bucket dropping on them. Neither Sirzechs nor Serafall was around, having returned to their temporal residences, so actually, their best chance to defeat the wielder of the white dragon's power was the magician that defeated Kokabiel.

But a fight breaking out at this time of the day would be a catastrophe. They could only pray that things didn't escalate.

---

A few minutes before…

"Hmm… I should start thinking about buying school materials and uniforms for the girls… That last thing though… maybe it would be better to give them the money to avoid getting the wrong size?"

Shirou was whispering to himself as he made his way to the entrance of the school. Now that those walking nuclear plants were no longer in the vicinity, he was able to finally relax.

Unfortunately, however, his mind was already racing to think countermeasures and plans for that "peace conference". This was one of those times when he wished he was wrong, but that event was an accident waiting to happen.

Getting several important figures in one place was calling for a terrorist attack. If that weren't the case, then country presidents wouldn't need so much security around them.

Just in case, he needed to prepare Xenovia and Irina to be able to survive on their own no matter what happened. And doing that in three days was going to be even more impossible than training Issei for the rating game.

Fortunately, the people around were minding their own business. The way his expression completely changed the moment one of his feet crossed the entrance to the campus would have gotten some raised eyebrows.

His head turned quickly to the right, and there his golden eyes met hazel eyes. There he was, with his back leaning on the wall surrounding the school and with his arms crossed, as if he was waiting for someone to walk out of the school.

The White Dragon Emperor.

Whom he was waiting for became obvious the moment he unfolded his arms and walked up to Shirou.

"Yo. It's good to see you've recovered in such short notice, Emiya Shirou." He greeted him with a smile, like if they were old friends.

But he wasn't fooling anyone, nor was he trying. All his corporal language screamed he was having trouble keeping in check his eagerness to pick a fight.

"First the maous and now you. I didn't know this was also a day when the school admitted any kind of weirdo."

"It is precisely because it's that kind of day that I came here to observe the terrain. Are you aware of the "peace convention" that is going to take place here?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I'll have to be part of that event."

Shirou could see how the White Dragon Emperor's smile grew wider upon hearing that.

"Now I have even more reasons to attend. Things are going to be interesting with you there."

He could only squint his eyes at him. What was he, a stalker?

"If that were your only reason to come here, you could have come at night. So… right, I didn't catch your name. What should I call you? White Dragon Emperor? Albion? Vortigern, the will of Britain?"

That last part actually took him by surprise, but his smile returned to his face quickly.

"I don't know what do you mean by "the will of Britain", but no, I'm not Vortigern. He was the one who held the title of the strongest White Dragon Emperor even after losing to King Arthur… until I was born, of course. You can call me Vali."

That was quite the confidence to say that he was stronger than the monster who swallowed Excalibur's light and forced the King of Knights to use the Lance that Shines to the End of the World to defeat him.

Things seemed to be different in this world, as Excalibur was literally destroyed in that fight, and their motives to battle differed. In this world, it seemed to be just due to the nature of their Sacred Gears instead of the white dragon representing the island's will to preserve the age of Mystery battling the Red Dragon, who was created to counter him and allow the transition into the Age of Man.

"So, what is your true motive to come here, Vali? Did you come to see your fated enemy?"

Vali scuffed at that. "Of course not. The fact that he hasn't come to face me by now is already telling. It is really a pity that my rival is so underwhelming. Perhaps he will be able to grow to a decent level with training, but it will take him an eternity to catch up to me. Besides, why would I pay attention to him when I have such an interesting opponent in front of me?"

"Hmph, I figured as much. However, unlike you, I don't like meaningless battles."

"That is regrettable." The way he said that made Shirou feel a bad omen. "Aside from that, I wanted to let you know there is a group of fellow humans that is eager to meet you."

The golden-eyed teenager rolled his eyes. "Great, just what I needed. What are they, a bunch of magicians that want to dissect me to unravel the secrets of my magic?"

"Not quite. In fact, they are on the same wavelength as you. You know, killing monsters and proclaiming humanity's supremacy. Hero stuff."

For the first time in the conversation, Vali felt how his body was hit by a monstrous wave of hostility, which actually made him feel even more eager to fight the human in front of him.

"If that's what you think a hero is, then I guess you turned off the part of you that is human a long time ago."

"You…" His eyes widened for a moment. "Hehe, you really are a box full of surprises. Well, I recommend you to be on the lookout. That group of humans will make sure to meet you before any other faction does."

His eyes then drifted to the other side of the entrance for a second before he turned around and started walking away.

"I guess it's time to take my leave. See you around, Emiya Shirou."

Shirou looked in the same direction Vali looked and saw Kiba and Koneko among the crowd. Judging by the way they were sighing was telling. They had been watching them just in case a fight broke out, but that would have been the worst possible outcome.

Now, it was time to go back home.

---

"Hmm…" Irina stared into the ceiling, the "tik-tak" sound of her alarm clock being the only thing that could be heard in her room.

Sleeping hadn't been a problem until now, but her heart right now was so agitated that it was just impossible. She knew it was going to be impossible the moment Shirou dropped such a bombshell after returning from school.

Being able to meet in person the current leader of the Church faction, the archangel Michael, was the best way to solve her existential crisis, but at the same time, it could backfire horribly.

Her problem was that she no longer had a purpose in life, so asking him for an explanation of why they were kicked out just like that wasn't a solution. But it definitely would do as the first step to find an answer.

And what was she going to do to repay the house owner? Not only did he give them such an opportunity, but he also provided a place to rest, food, and an opportunity to reinsert into society. All that, and he just asked the bare minimum in return.

Perhaps Xenovia could shrug it off, not only the feeling of being in huge debt, but she seemed to be seeking an answer in a different way. Even if her faith was undeniable, Xenovia would often question the methods of the higher-ups, and she must have seen something that left a huge impression on her that night.

But that wasn't the case for Irina. She knew being all gloomy wasn't going to accomplish anything, and she could tell both Xenovia and Shirou were worried about her, even if they hid it really well.

The feeling of being a liability was starting to drown her slowly, even more than her current lack of a goal in life.

Not being able to bear that whirlpool of emotions, Irina ended up pushing aside the blanket and walking out of her room. As simple as it was, going to the kitchen for a glass of water helped her to distract her mind a little bit.

"Perhaps I should as Shirou-kun to help me train with the sword… Xenovia seemed really excited about it, and it could help me empty my mind… Cooking would be another viable option." She mumbled to herself as she put down the glass.

The kitchen in the Emiya residence was an exclusive territory for Shirou, but he could use some help. Especially if he got home late. And between her and Xenovia, the choice was obvious when it came to doing something as delicate as cooking.

She turned off the light of the kitchen and turned to walk to her room as stealthy as possible.

"Hu-kyaa!" However, the moment she turned around, her heart skipped a beat.

There was a figure sitting on the porch leading to the inner yard. He was so still that she didn't notice him until she looked in his direction.

But, that auburn color of hair was so familiar that she immediately recognized him and let out a relieved sigh.

She approached him, and despite not concealing the sounds of her steps in the least, he didn't even react. That led her to think he was fast asleep, but once she sat beside him, it became evident he was lost in thought, his eyes fixed on the starry sky.

If someone needed some sleep, it was him. After living for a week with him, it became obvious his stress levels were through the roof. The result of being constantly paranoid and expecting an enemy attack out of nowhere. The high density of supernatural creatures in the city was most likely the cause.

"Shirou-kun, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

The golden-eyed teenager finally noticed her presence and looked at her with middle surprise. It was the first time she was the one to strike up a conversation after the battle with Kokabiel.

"I could ask you the same, but I can already see the reason. It isn't that far from mine."

"I see. Then why are you here?" It wasn't like he was going to catch a cold since summer was around the corner, but it was still somewhat… strange.

"Stargazing often helps me clear my mind and relax." He answered as his eyes returned to the night sky. "A habit I picked up from my foster father. The sight is not as spectacular as it used, but it's still great."

Now that she looked at it, the sight was mesmerizing despite the city's light pollution staining it a bit. She never stopped to look at it, neither when she lived here nor when she was in Italy.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as Irina too started to enter the same trance as Shirou. Not in the same level, as she still felt that nagging feeling in her chest, but she was finally able to get a moment in which those feelings weren't eating her away.

And now that the two were alone, in this kind of mood, it was the moment to finally make the question she had been wanting to ask but couldn't muster the courage to do so.

"Shirou-kun…" She called his name softly, prompting him to look at her again. "I know Kokabiel asked the same, but I want to ask it again nonetheless, as a fellow human. Why do you fight? Why do you go to such lengths to help others like me?"

"I don't need a reason to help someone in need." He answered without a second doubt. "I just think it's the right thing to do. But if you want a more in-depth answer… that's a really long and boring story, so I'll skip the details. I was saved from tragedy when everyone else died. I think even a part of me died in that hell. And at that moment, I saw a smile on the face of the person who saved me. It was a really beautiful smile. And then I thought: "I also want to be able to smile like that.""

Shirou turned to look at the sky once more. His eyes were filled with nostalgia, and a small smile spread across his face.

"With time, that simple wish became a dream. I wanted to become a hero that could save everyone. A hero that could prevent that tragedy to happen again. In short, I just wanted people in my view not to cry. That's the path I chose, and continued to walk since ever, to perhaps, one day, be able to smile like that."

He showed her an apologetic smile. "I don't know if that answers your question, but that's really all that is there to it."

"No… I can see what you mean…" There was some sorrow in her voice, but there was also a part of admiration. "The only thing I don't get is… how can you be so… selfless? Even as a former servant of the Lord, I would say that's on the level of a true Saint."

That caused him to chuckle. "I assure you I'm the farthest thing there is to a Saint. And that question has a really simple answer. I'm not selfless at all."

"Eh?" Irina winked a couple of times, looking at him like he had grown a second head. "Why do you think that?"

"The reason I don't ask things in return is that the fact that I can help someone is more than enough for me. Seeing them happy and smiling because I managed to help them is the only thing I could find that makes me happy."

The way he could say something so messed up with a straight face made her heartache. His convictions couldn't be described with another word aside from noble, but the reasons behind shocked her.

Now, her problems seemed trivial in comparison. The one that wanted to help others the most, was in turn the one that needed help the most.

"But enough about me. I won't force you, but the only thing I know about you is that you are a former exorcist, and that Issei mistook you for a boy when you still lived here before going to Italy."

That last bit made her blush. "I-I wasn't really girly at the time, I guess… And my curriculum isn't that special. I became a servant of the Lord due to my father being an exorcist… But with time, I started appreciating the beauty in the teachings of the Lord, and when I realized it, I was a fervent devote. That led me to seek a more active role in the Church and finally earned the right to wield an Excalibur shard… But now that I know He's gone…"

Shirou felt the urge to punch himself. Of course, that question would lead to that issue. He needed to make up for his mess now that she was finally returning to her old self.

"I'm not going to take back my words about the Gods, but I'll admit the Biblical God wasn't that much of a dushbag as the Gods from other mythologies tend to be. I don't see a problem in continuing to follow his teachings even after he… kicked the bucked. I mean, his legacy still remains in this world."

Shirou scratched the back of his neck. He felt really awkward, but at least that managed to stop her from sinking again.

"That's… a really good point… But…" Her eyes meet again, a single tear sliding across her cheek. "I know this isn't comparable to your case by any means, but how were you able to move past your parents dying… twice…"

"Well…" That caught him by surprise. "I really don't know how to answer that. I don't remember my biological parents, so I really didn't pay too much attention to that. As for Kiritsugu, I mourned him, of course… but I couldn't remain like that forever. That's how we humans are. A wise man once said human lives are stories of love and hope. Even if our journey is a short repetition of meeting and parting, and pain awaits at its end, it is precisely because of that that they are dazzling like the twinkling of the stars."

Those words full of hope left Irina completely speechless. Even after following the Lord's teachings throughout all her life, she doubted she would have reached such a conclusion.

A warmth started to fill her chest. Even if he didn't even give a definitive answer to her question, now she felt confident enough to seek one on her own.

For someone who proclaimed himself as incapable of providing psychological assistance, his words surely touched her heart.

"I guess we should wrap things up before I put you to sleep with my ramblings." He said half-joking as he got up.

"No…" Irina followed suit. However, the moment he saw her face again, he was met with a dazzling smile. "Thank you, Shirou-kun. That gave me the strength to keep moving forward."

---

The three days before the peace conference went by in the blink of an eye, at least from Shirou's perspective.

Issei had been quite busy if the things he told his Sensei were anything to go by. Rias' second bishop seemed to have his share of persistent traumas... and fetishes.

A half-vampire with a broken-ass sacred gear that allowed him to freeze the time of anything within his vision range. And of course, he had barely any control over it.

The Biblical God must have been very high when he had been devising the sacred gear system.

Issei actually asked him to lend him a hand with training Gasper's control over his sacred gear, but that didn't end well. Well, something that didn't even begin couldn't end well.

Gasper Vladi had a severe case of anthropophobia. He couldn't even bear being near a person he wasn't acquainted with, due to his tragic background.

If the humans of this world were already terrifying for him, then a human that was an actual predator being anywhere near him caused him to outright faint. Until they could work with that problem, it was better if he stayed away.

Aside from that, he actually met Michael and received the holy sword Ascalon as a peace offering. That sword was admittedly a fine piece unlike the Excalibur shards, but he just gave a Dragon-Slayer sword to a dragon.

Like father, like son.

There was also Akeno dropping the bombshell of being a hybrid between human and fallen angel on Issei, but he took it better than his Sensei expected.

Now, returning to the present…

"Shirou-sensei, are you really sure you want to go to the meeting with your casual clothing?" Xenovia asked with some curiosity.

The sun was already setting, and the three humans were reunited in the dojo before setting out for the school.

"This is just to draw less attention than we already do while we get there. I'll change to my combat outfit then."

The two ex-members of the Holy Church were wearing those black spandex under their nun garments. None of the three had a formal suit, nor the money to buy one.

"Seriously, it is going to look more like we're going to cosplay convention… At any rate. We must discuss the plan in case shit hits the fan. But before that, this is for you, Irina."

His magical circuits flared up, and a katana shrouded in a holy aura appeared in his hand before he offered it to the twin-tailed girl.

"This is… Excalibur Mimic?" Her assumption was confirmed the moment the sword touched her hand and it shapeshifted into an armband.

"I knew your magic was all about copying swords, but seeing you pull it off with one of the Church's greatest weapons is still fascinating. Can you do it with Durandal?"

Well, there was no harm in telling them that much. "I can reproduce it as long as I can understand its internal structure and process of forging. And while I was at it, I solved some of the internal flaws of that sword. It'll still be smacked if it clashes against something on Durandal's level, but now it won't lose against Kiba's balance breaker."

"So, the plan is to attack before they can attack us?"

Both Shirou and Irina shot a blank stare in Xenovia's direction, but the blue-haired girl didn't find anything wrong in her own logic.

"Of course not! That would be suicidal. If they start fighting each other, I'll take us out of there with one of my swords. However, you need to be prepared in case we got separated and you have to survive on your own. That's why I want to give you this, too."

Several bladeless handles appeared on Shirou's hands, and he let the girls inspect them.

"This… is what you were firing at the fallen angels that night?" Irina shot in the dark, somewhat recognizing the shape.

This world apparently didn't have black keys either. It wasn't necessary if they were able to mass-produce swords of light though, but he got lucky they didn't pay that much attention to that slip of his.

"These are black keys." Shirou poured some magical energy into one of the handles, causing its blade to manifest. "They are effective against anything that can be labeled as "evil" or "heretic", so it can come in handy if you need to fight a fallen angel that isn't weak to holy light. If your opponent is an angel though, you'll have to get creative."

"And how do we draw the blade?"

That was a tricky question. They didn't have magical circuits to produce and control magical energy, but they should be able to control their energy in some regard if they could wield holy swords.

"Just do whatever you do when you command a holy sword to unleash its holy aura."

Fortunately, that did the trick, and they were able to activate the black keys. However, the moment they had the blades in their hands, their expressions turned into ones of confusion.

"Isn't this shape… weird? I mean, the handle is too short and all the weight is concentrated in the tip."

"That's because they are meant to be thrown instead of being used for proper swordsmanship. They are more like a support weapon. You can use them as catalysts for baptism rites, too."

"Where did you get this weapon, Shirou-kun?"

"I took the blueprints from a fake priest a faced a long time ago… he's no longer around." Unless something really weird happened, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada should be long dead in this world.

"I doubt I can perform any ritual, but having a range option is good I guess…"

The two former exorcists hid their respective sets of black keys inside their nun garments.

"Is everyone ready?" Shirou asked one more time, and the two girls nodded resolutely.

Now it seemed more as if they were going to war, but all three knew that kind of event had two only possible outcomes. Either the peace treaty is signed, or the war starts right off the bat.

Since it was Saturday night, they barely encountered anyone on their way to the school building.

The entire campus was encapsulated by a powerful bounded field, the result of the leaders of the three factions joining forces for once. Judging by the power it exuded, Shirou was sure that thing could even take on high-rank noble phantasms and not crumble.

He didn't need to test that theory as the guards opened a gate for them once he identified himself. And it didn't seem they were the only ones who came ready for a war.

Hundreds of devils, angels, and fallen angels were flying over the high school building. The tension was so dense they could even breathe.

But of course, the moment they entered, all the eyes were on them. Most of them were on the walking anomaly in a black and red combat suit, while some of them drifted to the two girls clad in nun garments.

The oppressive feeling was gone when they entered the building, the two girls letting out a relieved sigh.

A warm welcome for sure.

The fact they didn't meet anyone on the way to the room prepared for the meeting meant they were the last ones to arrive. And it was further confirmed when he opened the door.

Hiding his reaction when the massive power concentrated in that room hit him on the face was one of the greatest challenges he had to overcome in this "second life".

The five leaders were sitting around a round table at the center of the room while the other participants were waiting behind their representatives.

The representatives of the Devil Faction were none other than Sirzechs, and Serafall, the latter waving at him amicably. Behind them were Grayfia, Rias, Sona, and their respective peerages. Koneko and Gasper were absent though, and Shirou could already guess the reason behind that.

The representative of the Grigori faction was a tall man of black hair and golden bangs, whose eyes immediately started analyzing Shirou the moment he entered the room. Behind him was Vali, who greeted him with that vicious smile of his.

And the representatives of the Holy Church were a pair man and woman of mesmerizing beauty. And as expected from pure angels, their hair looked like strings of gold and their eyes were like a pair of emeralds. They didn't have anyone accompanying them though.

"It seems the star is finally here. And he has really good taste in choosing his companions. Way to go boy." The leader of the Grigori broke the silence with a light-hearted tone, causing all the eyes in the room to land on him.

"Azazel, you should watch your manners around our honored guest." The one that must be Michael admonished him, his calm and serene voice contradicting his frown.

"Hmph." Shirou just snorted as he rested his back against the wall opposite to all the other people in the room, with the two former exorcists staying close to him.

That was quite the quick thinking, he had to give it to the now identified Azazel. He prevented any bad vibes between Xenovia, Irina, and the representatives of the Holy Church with just a joke.

Michael then looked at the magus. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Emiya Shirou. You already know Sirzechs and Serafall, so it is only appropriate if we introduce ourselves as well. I am Michael, the current leader of the angels. And this is my sister, Gabriel."

"Nice to meet you, Shirou-kun. I hope you find yourself comfortable." The woman in question greeted him in a less formal manner, and for some reason, Serafall started to send glares at her.

"And I'm Azazel, the leader of the Grigori, and former co-worker of the guy you turned into atoms. I've been wanting to make contact with you for some time, but I decided it was better to wait for this occasion." The final representative greeted him as if they were a couple of friends who just reunited to have some drinks.

"I guess it is an honor getting to know such important figures." The slight sarcastic tone in his voice was only caught by his companions, who were already sweating under their garments.

"Why don't you take a seat with us, Shirou-kun?" Serafall offered while pushing back an empty chair, which was suspiciously near the two super devils.

"I'll have to decline that offer, Lady Serafall. I didn't come here to participate in your negotiations, but just because of the Kokabiel mess."

His blunt answer made her deflate a little, and the leader of the Grigori spoke instead.

"Are you sure you don't want to state any terms? Or is it that you aren't confident in your capabilities to impose them?"

His violet eyes stared right at the red knight's. A direct way to question his resolution after the speech he gave to Kokabiel.

"I already stated my terms that night. If you endanger humanity in some way, then I'll begin to consider you as enemies. And you don't want certain information to get leaked, do you?"

His reply only made Azazel's smile grow wider, but he ceased to confront him.

"Now that you've brought that issue, Shirou-kun, before this conference begins, I want to confirm it. All those present here are aware of the forbidden subject, the demise of the Lord."

Sirzechs announced, shrugging off the backlash coming from pronouncing that name, and all the people in the room nodded.

"Some of those people were even kicked out of their job and home because of it."

That not-so-subtle jab had way more effect than Shirou expected. The way Michael's eyebrows twitched and his faint smile faded were quite telling. And the questioning look Gabriel was giving him was making it worse.

"Then, let us begin with the negotiations."

But before that took root, Sirzechs began to state their terms for the peace treaty. By the looks of it, he wanted to leave that for later, when the negotiations were over.

Shirou didn't pay too much attention to it. All the bureaucratic stuff went over his head anyway. Though, he managed to pick up some interesting things.

Since the Biblical God wasn't around anymore, the angels didn't have any way to expand their numbers. A massive flaw in the design of the creatures that were meant to be "perfect guardians". From a biological point of view, their species is not capable of thriving on their own. That only further cemented that God's death was too sudden he wasn't even expecting it.

To solve that, they were trying to create a system that allowed them to reincarnate other species into angels, heavily inspired by the evil piece system. And as such, they were asking for cooperation since the other two factions were more technologically advanced.

On another note, Azazel seemed to be really interested in the science behind the sacred gears, to the point that he had been welcoming hundreds of sacred gear wielders into his faction. The other leathers thought he was amassing an army, but his process of thought was more akin to a researcher than to a belligerent.

How many of those sacred gear users ended on a dissecting table was a question Shirou refrained from asking.

"…and that's why I've been wanting to propose peace to the Holy Church and the devils. I'm not like Kokabiel, who was stook in ancient times. I would rather allocate all our resources into keeping up with the changes of the world."

"We four seraphs think the same. There is no reason to keep this constant bloodshed. As much as it pains me, the reason for that war, Father and the Four Great Satans have long since died."

"We are in the same boat. We had to fight in an internal war so we devils can finally leave the past behind. Another war would surely spell our end."

The three parties were coming to an agreement quite fast. Most likely due to their delicate situations and similar mindsets.

Shirou allowed himself to sigh internally. It didn't seem they would have to fight for their lives tonight…

"This is going faster than I expected." Azazel admitted while relaxing on his chair and crossing one leg over the other. "But before we sign anything, I guess we should move to the issue with my former coworker."

"Rias, Sona, could you give us a quick rundown that took place in this city a week ago?"

""Yes, Lucifer-sama.""

The two took a step ahead and began to recap the whole fiasco, with some assistance from Kiba to fill in the gaps when they weren't present. Mostly the first time Shirou stumbled with Freed Sellzen and the fight at the park.

Shirou hadn't met Kiba since that event. He chalked it up to their usual disagreement regarding chivalry and honor, but if the look the blonde knight gave him when he was talking about those events was anything to go by, he seemed quite sorry.

He realized how messed up had been the way he just tried to chop someone's head just because they were holding a certain sword. That was a sign that the veil of rage and hatred was no longer covering his eyes.

"… and after that… well, Shirou-kun arrived and somehow defeated Kokabiel. That concludes our report."

The two returned to their place among their peerages, with Sirzechs praising their professionalism and Serafall winking at them.

"Now that leads us to the star of the show." All the eyes turned to the red knight as Azazel spoke. "Would you share your thoughts on that matter, Mr. Hero? Just so we are clear, even if I wouldn't have gone to that extent, I agree Kokabiel needed to be dealt with."

"Where do I start then…" Shirou cleared his throat and pointed to the boy behind the Leader of the Grigori with his eyes. "Oh, right. I wouldn't have needed to resort to such drastic measures if that lazy ass over there had done his job properly in the first place."

That got a laugh out of Azazel. "Hehehe... Sorry about that. Not only one of my coworkers went mad, but my boy here is going through a rebellious phase."

"But then we would have missed the event of the century. Don't you agree, old man?"

"Yeah, if I were in your position, I would have done the same I guess."

"Azazel…" Michael didn't find the strength to admonish her former comrade.

"But aside from that…" Shirou raised his voice again. "…I have to correct something you said some minutes ago. Azazel, you said Kokabiel was a warmonger who was clinging to the old ways, and that is completely wrong. It was actually the contrary."

For the first time in the hour that had elapsed since the beginning of the meeting, Azazel frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He was the only one who sought for this world to truly move forward. Meaning, he wanted to put an end to the seemingly everlasting Age of Mystery so humans could part ways from the Gods. That is what truly means to move forward is you ask me. Of course, so many years pursuing that quest alone led to him turning into… that."

The devils and fallen angel didn't visibly react to his words. The former had already heard them priorly, and the latter could agree with him to some extent.

For the pure angels though, it was an entirely different matter. Not only did they hear the real reason why their former comrade fell into an endless pit of madness, but one of the humans they swore to protect and guide just completely rejected them. From his point of view, even if they weren't evil, they were still hindering humanity.

"If you had the same thoughts as him, why didn't you join him?" It was Serafall who asked with some hesitation in her voice.

"Because I couldn't agree with his method. It is not worth it to sacrifice so many lives for something that doesn't need to be violent. But he reached the point of no return, so I had to… put him out of his misery."

Even if he used a flat tone of voice all the time, it was obvious how he disliked the idea of killing the enemy. But at the same time, he wouldn't hesitate, nor did he have any regrets.

"About that, I must ask, what was that sword?" Sirzechs asked with genuine curiosity. "We devils have been keeping a good relationship with the Shinto faction, and the power they felt that night caused some hysteria. And that wasn't the only sword you showed that night."

"You could say I have plenty of weapons at my disposal. However, I good magician doesn't reveal his secrets, don't you think? The only thing required from me was to testify about the events from a week ago, and I can testify the version given by Rias-san and Sona-san is quite complete."

His negative to reveal anything got the strongest devil sighing. "I didn't want to resort to this, but I would have to bring it sooner or later…"

That caused Serafall to give him a mortified look. If he was going to do what she thought he was going to do, it was going to ruin any effort put into befriending Shirou. However, the stare she received from his friend made her give him a vote of confidence.

"The contract you signed to be able to stay in this town was quite explicit about siding with the Holy Church or the Grigori, and you violated that clause. I would rather overlook this transgression since this meeting is coming to a positive conclusion, but I ask a minimum of cooperation from your part."

Contrary to his expectation, the only reaction he received from the red knight was a raised eyebrow.

"A contract? I don't remember signing any contract. I'm just exercising my right as a Japanese citizen to live in the residence I inherited from my foster father."

At first, Sirzechs thought he was just pretending to have forgotten the contract, but something in his tone made him reconsider it.

"Grayfia, you have the contract with you, right?"

"Yes, sir."

The maid formed a magic circle on her hand and pulled out a small tube from it. She opened the plug at one of its ends to reveal a paper, and the moment she unfolded it, the couple widened their eyes in absolute surprise.

"What is the meaning of this… I was the one who processed this contract…"

Serafall and the two heirs peered over Sirzechs' shoulder, and their reactions were the same. The place where Shirou's signature should have been was now burned.

"What the!? We saw how he signed it!"

"Your mind must be playing tricks on you. Too much stress can cause that kind of thing." His playful tone just fostered their suspicion.

"Hahahahahaha!" Azazel couldn't repress a laugh, quite the opposite to Michael and Gabriel who were watching the interaction with concern. "It seems you got completely outsmarted this time, Sirzechs! Have I said how much I like this boy already?"

"If he has a sword that can cut through space itself, then I wouldn't be so surprised if he has a weapon that can sever magical contracts." Vali pointed out casually, making the number of widened eyes raise exponentially.

"Wait, what? For real!? The only sword capable of that is the sword in the stone, Caliburn."

So, in this world, Excalibur and Caliburn's roles were swapped. Another weird thing to add to the list.

Michael nodded to confirm Azazel's assumption. "Excalibur and Caliburn were the greatest achievements of that swordsmith said to have reached the realm of the Gods. Vali, are you sure he didn't make a copy of the Sword in the Stone like it is stated in the reports?"

"No. I'm pretty sure he actually called it "Michael" to draw its power. A peculiar choice of name if you ask me."

"That is just a coincidence." Shirou finally spoke after realizing there was no way out of this situation now that all those questions were on the table.

It was better to reveal a tiny bit and change the subject to the important issue. At least Xenovia and Irina were on his side, choosing to not reveal anything despite he never told them to do so.

"Its real name is Michael Muramasa, and I was the one who forged it." He dropped the first bombshell of the night.

"That lines up with your unique magic..." Sirzechs observed without letting the surprise show on his face. "But forging a sword like that isn't something to scoff at. And the Muramasa part…"

"I… borrowed the smithing techniques of that school. Why do you think forging a sword that can cut through space is so surprising anyway? That's what any smith worth their salt should strive for. Any sharp blade can cut through flesh, even a kitchen knife. A true swordsmith should aim for a sword that can cut through bonds, certainty, and karma."

At that moment, Shirou realized Muramasa's ideal sword was too alien for them, if the faces they were making were anything to go by.

"At any rate. You wanted to know what was the sword I used to finish off Kokabiel, right? I guess there is no point in hiding it after showing it once. Would that suffice to make clear I don't want to make an enemy out if possible?"

He quickly changed the subject before they could make more questions, and the five leaders nodded. The fact that he was revealing all that stuff was already a win in the book of some of them.

The same European sword he wielded that fateful night appeared in his hands, and he stabbed its tip in the floor. Its oppressive aura already made some of the people present flinch.

"This is Merodach, the Original Sin and the original model of all the legends of swords that elect the King."

The five leaders exchanged looks, but none of them seemed to recognize that name.

"I would call it bullshit if I didn't have the evidence right in front of my face. How do you explain such a sword was never recorded in history?"

That question made it glaringly obvious they were that knowledgeable when it came to legends. And here Shirou thought that explanation was more than enough.

"Haah… I guess I'll have to explain it from the very beginning. You should know all legends tend to be related, or outright take inspiration from others. However, all legends have a common origin. The first epic poem recorded in human history. The Epic of Gilgamesh."

"I appreciate the history lesson, but what does the King of Heroes have to do with that sword?"

Shirou grunted at Vali for interrupting him, and he raised his hands noticing the glares of everyone else.

"I'm getting to that. Gol- I mean, that man was a collector. He would take any kind of treasure in which he found value, most of them weapons of any kind, and would keep them in his treasury. Upon his death though, that treasury was opened, and all the weapons spread across the world, and eventually became the models for all the weapons that appear in legends. That is what a model is."

He fell in silence, letting them process the information and reach an inevitable conclusion.

"You said that sword is the original model of all the swords that elect the king, right? Then you mean that sword is actually Caliburn's model?"

The red knight nodded at Michael. "Swords like Caliburn or Gram are based on this sword. They might differ in appearance, but their true nature and idea of creation are the same. However, as the original model, its power eclipses the later iterations."

Shirou didn't have any doubt this knowledge would just make the target on his back even bigger. But at the same time, it was just the tip of the iceberg. If someone came with a strategy based only on that information, they were in for a bad time.

To give them some credit, the leaders of the three factions didn't overreact, and instead digested the information in silence. He could see the cogwheels in Azazel and Sirzechs' minds starting to spin.

Now, it was a race against time. How much was going to take them to find the inconsistencies in his otherworldly knowledge?

He hoped it would be enough window to be able to regain his parameters as an Archer servant at least, and his Saber parameters if things work really well.

"But enough of "history" lessons. I think it's about time you answer these girls' questions, Michael."

The leader of the angels let out a sigh of resignation. "I guess there is no point in delaying it any longer. The Red Dragon Emperor wanted to ask a question too, so I'll answer to the best of my capabilities."

Issei swallowed loudly as those emerald eyes drifted to him and clenched his fist to muster the courage to speak up in front of such figures. From his perspective, what was really fascinating from Shirou's speech was the way he could speak so casually with such monsters.

"I did want to make a question to you on behalf of someone, Michael-sama, but now that everyone is here, I think it's better if she asks it herself. Besides, it is the same question Xenovia-san and Irina-san have."

Asia's entire body flinched after quickly deducing he was referring to her and looked at Issei for reassurance. The confident smile he gave her was more than enough for her to walk up to the table without fear.

"I'll be heading off then, Shirou-sensei."

"I told you to not call me that with people around…"

At the other side of the room, Xenovia bid farewell to Shirou as if she were a soldier heading to the battlefield. Her legs were shaking with each step she took, but she didn't hesitate in the least.

On the other hand, Irina wasn't doing so well. She was taking deep breaths to calm herself, but her legs were starting to fail her. She decided to come here even if the answer she was going to get might do more harm than good, but when the moment came, all the insecurities she thought buried resurfaced at once.

"Eh?"

However, a hand rested gently on her shoulder, and all the shaking stopped suddenly.

She looked behind her and met Shirou's eyes. His expression was still serious, and his hand was far from soft. But for some reason, the warm feeling of that night returned to her and washed away the doubts clouding her mind.

"I'll be going then, Shirou-kun." With a confident smile plastered across her face, she joined Asia and Xenovia.

With the three former members of the Holy Church standing in front of the two angels, the question they wanted to ask couldn't be more obvious. But they voiced it nonetheless.

"Michael-sama, why were we excommunicated?"

The way Gabriel's expression froze was a sign this was the first time she was hearing about this, and most likely the reason why her brother was trying to avoid the issue.

"I… I can only beg for your forgiveness…" The angel stood up and bowed in apology, making the three girls widen their eyes. "However, I really didn't have much choice. You see, the system God created which regulates the prayers, exorcisms, and miracles… it isn't designed to be operated by none other than himself…"

"So… now that the Lord is gone, it isn't working properly… is that what you are getting at?"

He nodded at Xenovia's deduction. "The amount of energy required to keep it working is so big only other God could provide it without being completely drained. We distributed the load between the four Seraphs, with me as the center of the system, and even so… its performance can't be compared to when Father was alive… And as a consequence, some… "bugs" are occurring, like Kiba Yuto's balance breaker."

He made a pause. Whatever he was going to say, it wasn't going to be nice to hear.

"To prevent the system from falling apart, we have to avoid anything that can shake the faith of our believers. That includes sacred gears like the twilight healing, which can heal devils and fallen angels… and of course… anyone that knew about Father's demise."

"In other words, you're prioritizing your people above the humans who put their faith in you."

Michael could only nod at Shirou's observation. There wasn't any hard feeling on it. It would be hypocritical to blame him for that.

"That is a valid way to see it. Even if you can't forgive me after hearing this, I at least want you to understand why I took that decision even if it pains me. We lost the holy sword Durandal, and three fervent believers."

"You don't have to apologize, Michael-sama. Even if I was reincarnated as a devil, I'm now surrounded by precious people… and I still believe in the Lord's teachings- ugh…"

Asia's words, which were meant to reassure him, felt more like a stab in the heart.

"In my case, even if I can no longer return to my home… I think this has been an opportunity to find my true purpose in life. I still believe in the teachings of the Lord, but Shirou-kun's words truly opened my eyes. So, I would rather stay with him even if I had to choose."

Xenovia on the other hand came rather clean with her thoughts, and the angel accepted them with a sorrowful smile.

"Well… I don't have a definitive answer like Xenovia… Unlike her, I truly felt desperate. With the Lord gone, I really thought that my life no longer had a meaning."

Irina started with a soft voice while playing with her fingers, but her tone became more resolute with each word. Now her unwavering eyes were looking straight at Michael's.

"However, a precious person gave me the strength to move forward. Even if it still pains me, I won't let it drag me down. Even if I'm not welcomed in the church, I'll still keep on believing in the Lord's teachings, and fight for the sake of humanity."

"I see… I'm happy to see the three of you have managed to pull through… and your gentle hearts can forgive me…"

*Sniff Sniff*

""Huh!?""

The three girls let out surprised voices when Gabriel suddenly pulled them into a hug. Some tears were sliding down her cheeks as she looked at them with sorrow and compassion.

"For such good girls to suffer like that… I knew about your case, Asia-chan, and I'm really sorry for that… But Brother, why didn't you tell me about Xenovia-chan and Irina-chan?"

Michael gritted his teeth and looked away, unable to see his beloved sister in that state. "I didn't want to put any unnecessary stress on you, sister. Not when this meeting was about to take place. Besides, I knew they were under the protection of a rightful man like Emiya Shirou…"

"You should have told me nonetheless!" She turned to look at him with a pleading expression. "Can't we do an exception for them?"

"You know it's not that simple. All the higher charges know about the incident, so they would have to change their identities. And even so… it would be unfair for all the other believers who arrived at the horrible truth."

"And what if we managed to reincarnate them as angels?"

That question left Michael speechless for a brief moment. "Well, they could continue to act as the agents of the heavens in the shadows… But Xenovia here has already taken her decision, right?"

The blue-haired girl nodded. "Yes. I appreciate the offer, but as I said, I would rather stay as a human."

The very moment Xenovia finished speaking, all the eyes landed on Irina. But what made her hesitate wasn't that.

She was now presented with a really hard choice. Would she take this second opportunity she was offered to serve the envoys of the Lord directly at the cost of losing her humanity, or would she choose the same path as Xenovia, to fight for humanity as a member of them?

After dwelling on it for some minutes, she looked at her comrade in arms with a faint smile.

"Sorry, Xenovia… I'm not as strong as you or Shirou-kun… I can't refuse such an offer from the angels I always admired… But I promise I'll be an ally of humanity no matter what."

Her eyes slowly turned to look at Shirou. Her heart started to beat faster than even some minutes ago as the fear of seeing a disappointed expression on his face.

However, his expression didn't change. No, she could see a small smile on his face. "If that is the path you've chosen, then I have no right to judge you. I can only pray you don't regret it."

"Very well. Irina Shidou, I promise you that I'll reincarnate you the moment we manage to complete our reincarnation system."

"Well, seeing a happy ending once in a while is nice, but you're rushing things, Michael." Azazel interrupted them with a teasing smile. "We still have to ask the opinion of the two legendary dragons before we sign the treaty. Do you have any objections about this, Vali?"

The White Dragon Emperor snorted. "As long as I can fight strong opponents, I don't mind it."

Quite a predictable answer. The way he looked at Shirou was really unnerving, but they ignored it and looked at Issei instead.

"What about you, Issei? Do you have any qualms about this peace treaty?" Sirzechs was the one who asked, and the boy couldn't help but scratch the back of his neck.

"Honestly, all the things you talked about during the negotiation went over my head. But if that treaty helps to prevent an event like the one a week ago from occurring, then it's fine in my book. I mean, I would never use this power for something other than protecting the people I care."

Those words put a smile on the face of the rest of the OCR's members, and even some of the members of the student council.

"That is some wishful thinking, but I guess it's to be expected from someone as young as you." Sirzechs eyes drifted one last time to the red knight as he said that.

"I think this concludes this meeting with a really positive-"

Whatever Azazel was going to say was interrupted when a huge abnormality invaded the place.

---

Shirou blinked as all the alarms in his mind went off and immediately dropped his relaxed posture. Not only his "sixth sense" was going crazy, but he was feeling the strain of a certain blade summoned from his reality marble to counter the abnormality in the atmosphere trying to invade his body.

"A bounded field like the Blood Fort Andromeda… no… it isn't trying to suck my energy… this is…"

He looked up and immediately noticed what was wrong. Some of the people in the room were completely frozen in the spot… no, all the world around was frozen, with some minor exceptions.

"The flow of time has stopped!?" As he said that, he realized how ridiculous it sounded, but it was the only possible conclusion.

"That is correct." Azazel confirmed his thoughts. "I'm surprised you too managed to avoid being affected. We, the leaders, repelled it with our sheer power. The same applies to the two dragon emperors."

His eyes then drifted to the other three swordsmen in the room. "Kiba has his balance breaker, which is already an abnormality on its own, Xenovia pulled out Durandal in time, and… wait is that an Excalibur shard? Weren't they destroyed?"

"Well, Shirou-kun procured me a copy… This shouldn't be a problem, right?" Irina asked the angels a little embarrassed now that Excalibur Mimic took the form of a katana.

"That is the least of our concerns now, Irina. Besides, I know you will not use it for evil."

"Wait, if those are the reasons why we aren't frozen, why is Buchou able to move?"

[That's because my protection reached her due to having been holding your hand.] The dragon in his arm answered Issei's question, causing him to look at his master surprised.

"Well, it gave me the courage to not falter…" What was truly surprising was that he didn't notice it during the entire meeting.

"What is the situation?" Xenovia asked without beating around the bush, returning their attention to the matter at hand.

And to answer that question, Sirzechs slid the window curtains to reveal the view of the school's courtyard.

There, hanging in the sky, were several figures wearing typical wizard robes, and firing a multitude of magical attacks at the building they were in. The building was taking the attacks pretty well, but there was no one stopping them from keeping their onslaught. Any of the guards from the three factions were nowhere to be seen. The lack of corpses however indicated they were teleported away instead of being killed while they were defenseless.

"Those are magicians without a doubt. Such a coordinated attack can only be the work of a terrorist organization. And if they could teleport inside this barrier, then there must be a magic circle in this school that was prepared beforehand."

"Oi, Emiya Shirou, those won't happen to be your colleagues, right?"

Shirou threw a blank stare at the leader of the Grigori. "Do I look like a sectary to you? If I were to interact with them, the nicest things I would be called would be third rate-magician or blasphemous."

"Who in their right mind would call someone who can copy legendary weapons "third-rate"!?"

"That's the only spell I can use, Issei. Something so complicated as a teleportation circle is way above my league."

"That sounds… convincing. Now, about the time stopped, there's only one possibility." Azazel looked straight at Rias, who was already able to deduce the cause, too.

"This must have been caused by Gasper-kun's sacred gear… Not only did they interrupt this meeting, but they turned a member of my peerage into a terrorist weapon… How humiliating…"

"They must have transferred power to him via magic or another sacred gear and forced him into a premature form of his balance breaker. It will be a matter of concern if they keep transferring power to him to the point it affects us as well."

"I knew that kid's sacred gear was busted, but this is ridiculous. This is reaching the level of a marble phantasm or a reality marble…"

When Shirou noticed the questioning looks, he had to hold back a really long sigh. It would seem those terms were completely alien to them.

"Forget what I said. Where is Gasper?"

"In our clubroom. He was with Koneko, but I guess they captured her as well…"

"The old school building, huh? Emiya Shirou, you should have a clear line of fire if you sneak into the student council room."

"You're asking me to just blow the building alongside everyone inside it?" Shirou asked back to Vali with a raised eyebrow, making Rias and Issei have a microinfarct. "I'm not killing a pair of innocent kids. Go stain your hands yourself. As a person working under the same guy who ordered Issei and Asia's death, you shouldn't have trouble."

The borders of Azazel's mouth twitched. "I didn't order them to do that, but I'll admit I'm the one to blame for not keeping an eye on them, and I'm willing to amend it by helping them with their sacred gears. And Vali, don't go suggesting such things now that we are about to sign a peace treaty."

"Hmph. Even if you don't want to choose the easy way, we should get into action already. Time is not on our side. Unless you want to run, that is. That Michael sword should be able to take us out of here, right?" Vali spoke with an impatient tone.

"Running would mean leaving behind two members of my sister's peerage. I would like to save them, but I won't blame you if you want to avoid conflict."

"No, we fight here. Running away will only move the fight to a populated area." Shirou spoke resolutely, bringing a smile to everyone else in the room. "Someone should go to rescue Gasper and turn off his sacred gear. The rest keeps the enemy busy."

"A simple plan, but we don't have much choice. We have to decide a rescue party then-"

"I'll go, Onii-sama." Rias interrupted him before he could go on. "As members of my peerage, they are my responsibility. Besides, my remaining rook is in the old school building."

His sister's quick thinking brought a prideful smile to his face. "You want to use the castling, huh? That most likely will catch them off guard. Grayfia, would it be possible to transfer her with some backup?"

"That would require an actual ritual, but yes, it is possible to transfer another person alongside Rias-ojou-sama."

"I'll go with her then!" Issei took a step ahead, his gauntlet already manifested.

"In that case, take this with you."

The Red Dragon Emperor almost stumbled to catch a pair of objects thrown at him by Azazel. Upon closer inspection, he noticed they were a pair of bracelets with a purple gem and inscribed runes.

"What's this?"

"That's the fruit of my research on sacred gears. It will help the half-vampire to control his balance breaker, and you can have the other. It will serve as the sacrifice to activate your balance breaker. It will drain your stamina as always, but you won't have to turn another part of your body into a dragon. Oh, and remember that your blood will help him, too."

"Err… Thanks, I guess?" He didn't look at a gifted horse in the teeth and stepped beside his master.

His mind was now focused on saving his two kohais. With all the leaders here, plus his rival and his Sensei, he was sure the frozen people were going to be safe.

"Now then, why don't you go there and wreak havoc, Vali? If the white dragon comes out to fight right off the bat, we might be able to lure in the mastermind."

The silver-haired teenager just shrugged. "I guess that'll help to alleviate my boredom to some degree. Balance Breaker!"

[Vanishing Dragon's Balance Breaker!]

And just like that, he tapped into the power of the white dragon and summoned the same pristine armor he used a week ago.

His sole presence already gave a pause to the countless magicians outside the building, and they were quickly thrown into disarray when that monster flew out of the building like a fighting jet and started firing beams of raw magical power everywhere. The school's courtyard was quickly covered in tattered robes and blood.

"Rias-ojou-sama, Issei-sama, the spell is ready."

At the same time, Rias and Issei stepped into the circle drawn by the strongest queen with determined expressions.

"Take care of my sister, Issei-kun."

"Of course, Lucifer-sama!"

"We will bring Gasper-kun and Koneko-chan in no time!"

With that, the two devils disappeared from sight, replaced by a small rook figure which Sirzechs caught.

"What do we do now?" Serafall asked her old friend, her eyes constantly shooting concerned looks at her frozen sister.

"We should wait to have our complete numbers before we counterattack."

"I don't think we'll have such luxury!" Shirou's dead serious voice put everyone on alert. "Someone is gathering a huge amount of magic ener- power outside the building!"

That was more than enough explanation for everyone present.

"Sister!"

"Yes, brother!"

Both angels clapped their hands and closed their eyes as if they were praying, and a warm, golden light emerged from their bodies to form a barrier around all the people in the room. The other three leaders and Grayfia immediately reinforced the barrier with their energy, barely making it in time.

A huge explosion took everyone's sense of hearing. Everything outside the barrier was completely demolished, and they fell to the ground alongside a good chunk of the school building.

Fortunately, no one was harmed. The barrier didn't only protect them from the falling debris, but also helped them break their fall.

"Hahahahaha! What a pitiful sight! Devils working alongside their fated enemies, what a sick joke!" A voice filled with disdain came from the sky as the group pulled themselves together.

Once the dust settled, they were able to see a woman hanging in the sky with the help of her bat-like wings. Of tan skin, brown hair tied in a bun, and purple eyes behind a pair of glasses, her voluptuous figure was opulently dressed, and she carried a staff as her weapon.

And for some reason, the face of Sirzechs, Grayfia, and Serafall morphed into a mixture of surprise and seriousness the moment they saw her face. An old acquaintance presumably, and not a pleasant one.

"Katerea Leviathan, the descendant of the original maou Leviathan. What are you doing here?" Sirzechs confronted her directly and revealed her identity at the same time.

"Isn't that obvious, Sirzechs? Just as you decided you wanted peace, we, the legitimate descendants of the original maous, reached the opposite conclusion. We joined the Uroboros and his Khaos Brigade to destroy this world and rebuild it into a new world under our rule. And your deaths will be the cornerstone for our plan."

While the mention of that name actually instilled panic into them, Shirou could see Azazel caressing his chin while whispering something to himself. Something he caught with his reinforced ears.

"So that's the name of that organization Shemzahaza found out… Nothing good can come out of bringing together exceptional beings into a single organization, but if that dragon is the one controlling them…"

"Katerea, stop this! Causing chaos left and right isn't going to accomplish anything!"

"SHUT UP!" The moment Serafall spoke, the woman's superb expression became twisted in madness. "You who stole the title of Leviathan from me! You don't have the right to reproach me! I'll kill you right now and reclaim my rightful title, even if it is meaningless in the new world!"

"So the remnants of that civil war crawled back from hell, literally, and now they say they want to destroy the world as vengeance… I've destroyed countless evil plots, but yours is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard. From what B-movie did you come out?"

Katerea's face was filled with disbelief after her mind registered, and Azazel's laughter just made it worse.

"How dare you, a lowly human, mook our crusade…" Now she was truly angered. "I was going to offer an invitation to join us, Emiya Shirou, but I changed my mind. You are dying here alongside Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel!"

As if to answer to her wrath, all the magicians floating around them opened fire in an attempt to break the barrier protecting them.

"Hmph, as if I would join a bunch of weirdos saying they want to destroy the world. Anyone's got a plan?"

"Well, if you don't mind me, I'll take her." Azazel took a step ahead while cracking his neck. "Even if you don't see me with good eyes, we are on the same page, Emiya Shirou. It's just that I'm not as radical as Kokabiel. So allow me to honor her cliché speech of a villain about to die."

"Just remember friendly fire is still a thing."

Showing them a last carefree smile, the leader of the Grigori stepped into the battlefield and immediately used his twelve crow-like wings to rush at Katerea with a spear of light at hand.

The massive explosions were not long in coming, shaking the entire place. If it wasn't for the barrier surrounding the entire place, covering this incident would be impossible.

However, the magicians didn't pay attention to the two monsters fighting in the sky and kept on with their onslaught. At the moment, their combined strength didn't even scratch the barrier, but more and more of them were coming from that magic circle in the sky.

"Michael, Gabriel, Grayfia, and I will stay here powering the barrier to protect the frozen people." Sirzechs immediately took charge. "Shirou-kun, if you managed to break that magical contract, does that mean you can do something about that circle?"

"I can try the same method, but that would mean getting there."

"Serafall, Yuuto-kun, help him carve a path there."

"We'll help, too!"

As Xenovia and Irina joined the two devils alongside Shirou, the impromptu assault squad was complete. Now they needed the other crucial part. A plan.

Shirou looked at Serafall. Despite her looks, she was the adult there. All those years of experience as one of the leaders ruling the underworld after a bloody civil war shouldn't be for show.

The only input he got from her part was an expectant look. All hopes were on him, who barely had any experience when it came to fighting as a team. But a simple plan would suffice in this situation since Azazel was dealing with the major threat.

They had an angle covered by the school building, so he could manage something. He raised his hand as the blueprints of numerous swords were loaded from his inner world.

"I'll create a small distraction so you guys can go out and wreak havoc among their ranks. I'll make a beeline for that magical circle after that. Turn off the barrier at my signal."

"Are you sure about that?" Michael questioned his plan with a worried face while eyeing the frozen people. But the only answer he got was…

"Trace, on!"

All his magic circuits flared to life and released a huge amount of magical energy, which quickly condensed at certain points in the space above him. A moment later, several swords were filling that space.

They weren't the best blades of his stock by far, low-rank nameless noble phantasms. But that was more than enough to counter several of the short incantation spells those magicians were spamming.

Taking that as a signal, the three swordsmen took their stances, the two former exorcists exchanging looks with the same idea in their minds.

"Now!"

After receiving the signal from Shirou and a nod from his sister, Michael agreed to turn the barrier off. And at that moment, before any spell could assail them, all the swords were fired in unison with pinpoint accuracy.

Steel cut through the magic, countering the current barrage of spells and making its way into the flesh or some magicians who couldn't react in time due to overconfidence or lack of reflex.

The confusion didn't last long as the magicians didn't care in the last about their slain fellow and resumed their onslaught with an uncharacteristic lack of fear. Either they were fanatics who didn't mind giving their life for their wretched cause, or they had too much faith in a leader that had her hands tied.

It didn't matter in the end. Those seconds they wasted regrouping spelled their doom.

"I'll take the right side!" Kiba vanished after leaving those words behind.

Just as Shirou assumed, their impractical garments gave away their aversion to close combat. As such, they were completely merciless against the Gremory knight. His speed made it impossible for them to land a single spell, and his holy-demonic sword was able to cut through their protection spells like a hot knife cutting through butter.

More like an assassin than a swordsman, Kiba ran through the courtyard slashing the magicians one at a time with quick attacks.

On the other hand…

"ORRRAAAAAA!"

Xenovia threw with all her might her Durandal wrapped in holy light at the group of magicians at their left. The pristine blade spun like a circular saw, destroying everything in its way.

Throwing a legendary sword at them just like that was a really good way to leave the enemy completely confused and disoriented. But at the same time, it was a one-time attack, leaving her with just her set of black keys… or should have been had it not been for the string made of steel that was fired after it.

Excalibur Mimic wrapped itself around Durandal's handle, and Irina used her entire body as a pivot to spin it around in a wide swing that annihilated even more magicians.

"Xenovia!"

"On it!"

Irina dropped the legendary sword in the middle of the air as her partner was already running in that direction with a pair of black keys at hand to deflect any incoming spells. But it was hardly unnecessary as she got her back covered.

The Excalibur shard retracted and reached inside Irina's garments. The next thing the magicians knew, a bunch of black keys were flying at them.

And amidst that chaos, Xenovia recovered her sword to unleash another massive wave of light.

Their flawless teamwork allowed the pair of humans to hold their ground against the seemingly unending waves of magicians. If Kiba was ruthless and precise, then Xenovia would qualify more as an unstoppable berserker letting the power of her sword run wild with the confidence that Irina had her back covered with her more sophisticated and planned attacks.

But they couldn't stay like that forever. Their stamina wouldn't last forever, and a single mistake would be fatal.

"Shirou-kun, I'll create a path for you!" Serafall's voice stopped Shirou before he jumped into the fray.

She walked in front of him and stretched out her right arm. He was able to feel an absurd amount of energy concentrated in the tip of her thumb, index, and ring fingers, which she released in the form of a small shining drop.

The moment that drop made contact with the ground, a massive wave of ice burst forward. All the magicians in front of her died, either trapped in the ice or skewered by the icicles protruding from it. But more importantly, the ice was forming a ramp that led directly to the magic circle in the middle of the air.

Shirou didn't allow himself to be surprised. Kanshou and Bakuya were already in his hands, and he pumped magical energy into his legs to shoot forward.

The intentions of the red blur rushing at them were obvious. Even if the magicians who survived Serafall's attack, or just came out of the circle, didn't know about Ruler Breaker, they completely forgot about the people inside the barrier and fired everything they got at him.

Only to widen their eyes in disbelief.

"What the…"

"I-impossible!"

"Why aren't we even scratching him!?"

The red knight batted aside all the spells fired at him without slowing a bit. Be it fireballs, icicles, or straight-up beams, they were all cut down by the married blades. None of them had enough power to pierce through his magic resistance enhanced by his cloak and twin blades.

Their only option was a large-scale ritual, but that option was denied by the devil flying behind him who was bombarding them with ice spears with just a snap of her fingers.

"Why are you doing this!? Aren't you a fellow magician!? Why are you siding with them!?" One of the magicians who was the last line of defense reproached him, lost in the hysteria of seeing death coming.

"Right back at you! You are the ones siding with terrorists and some dragon nonsense!"

"You-" The magician could answer back as the twin blades came at him from different angles.

Kanshou and Bakuya drew a pair of beautiful arcs, cutting through some of the magicians and intersecting right on that particular magician's neck.

Taking advantage of the hole in their defense, the red night slipped past them, the iridescent, jagged dagger already in his hand. With a sound like glass breaking apart, the massive magical circle returned to nothingness.

Figuratively speaking, that was the first nail in the coffin. Now that their last source of confidence, their capability to continuously replenish and increase their numbers, was gone, the remaining magicians started to panic.

They couldn't lower their guard though. A cornered prey is always more dangerous, and they were still outnumbered.

But the magicians had something else coming.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting! Ascalon!"

[Blade!]

Issei arrived just in time to skewer a magician who tried to sneak on Irina with the blade emerging from his gauntlet.

His entrance however was ruined when blood splashed on his face and the urge to throw up his dinner assailed him. This wasn't the first time he saw something like this, courtesy of his sensei, but this was the first life he took a life with his own hands. And from a human, nonetheless.

At the end of the day, he wasn't someone trained to kill like Xenovia or Irina, nor did he have battle experience like Koneko or Kiba.

"Get a hold of yourself, pervert-senpai." Fortunately, Koneko was just behind him to cover his distraction, and her monotone voice brought him back to reality.

[You better start getting used to this, partner. As a dragon, you are going to see your fair share of bloodshed.]

"You don't say… Sensei makes it look so easy…"

[I wouldn't use that man as a reference in that regard. I would daresay those golden eyes have seen more conflict than those angels and the maous.]

Issei widened his eyes upon hearing the words of the dragon. Coming from him, Issei could say that was probably true.

"I'll be joining this party if you don't mind!"

Kiba also joined the fray, and balls made out of power of destruction rained on the magicians, tearing down their defenses like nothing.

"Don't worry, Gasper-kun! This will be over in no time!" Rias reassured the little… boy dressed in a girl's outfit beside her.

As a half-vampire, his skin was already pale, but he surely had seen better days. Whatever the magicians had been doing to him, it drained him both mentally and physically.

However, as his red eyes watched how his comrades and new allies, his expression grew resolute, and his little hand reached the metallic band attached to his arm.

"No, Buchou, I'll fight too! As a man of the Gremory house, I too have to protect the girls!" His voice surprised her, a motto he picked from his senpai.

"Wait, Gasper-"

She was late as he had already activated Azazel's device. The band emitted a blinding light before breaking apart, and the half-vampire fell flat on the ground without any energies left.

But his efforts weren't in vain.

"Gasper-kun!" Asia ran to his side with a worried face, leaving for later the fact that, from her perspective, the world around her suddenly turned into a battlefield.

"It seems he managed to revert the effects of his sacred gear. I guess it's a bit late, but we should start the counterattack."

The two angels and Grayfia nodded at Sirzech's words and commanded the barrier protecting the now unfrozen people to fade.

"Sirzechs-sama, what is going on here?" Akeno asked the question on everyone's mind, her brain still struggling to process what just happened.

"That is a long story. For now, as you can see, we are under attack by a terrorist group. So we could use a hand dispatching the remnants."

"Of course! Leave something to me, Buchou!" Akeno rushed to her master's side with a disturbing smile.

"Everyone, this is an opportunity to put in practice all the formations we've been training! Standard formation, go!"

""Yes, Kaichou!""

Sona's peerage immediately engaged in combat with a formation befitting of a military regime, but she remained behind as she couldn't find a person among them.

"Sirzechs-sama, may I ask where is my sister?"

"About that…" The ruler of the underworld allowed himself to giggle at the sight.

"She seems to be having the time of her life." Gabriel beat him to it. There was a kind smile on her face seeing how the other female leader was no longer making stern faces. That she was the reason for that was unbeknownst to her though.

"You have to be kidding…" Sona stared in shock at the duo tearing through the magicians with a surprising level of coordination. "How can he get along with her!? They are polar opposites!"

"That is indeed a good question. I haven't seen her so enthusiastic about something that isn't you in a long time."

"Let's show them the power of our magical girl-hero combination, Shirou-kun!"

Shirou would have given her a blank stare had he not been busy warding off the enemies' attacks. She insisted on fighting side by side when she could just destroy them in an instant if she wanted.

His eyes then drifted to the battle in the sky, and by the looks of it, its outcome was already decided, too. However, there was still a troublesome factor that everyone seemed to have forgotten. Everyone except that boy's caretaker.

"I guess it is time to wrap things up…"

---

"Heh, it seems you are running out of gas, Katerea Leviathan!" Azazel remarked with a teasing tone.

There wasn't a single wound to see on his body, some minor burns on his expensive suit at best, and he didn't seem to be fatigued at all.

On the other hand, Katerea was having a hard time. Devils always had a bad matchup with fallen angels, even if their light no longer held holy attributes, and that was reflected on all the burns she had across her body.

The battle was already decided. However, Azazel was still wary of his surroundings, as if he were expecting a surprise attack.

"Your underlings are about to lose, too. Won't you make things easier for me and just give up on this excuse of a terrorist attack? You should have known better than picking a fight you can't win."

The woman gritted her teeth, barely holding back the anger compelling her to attack the man in front of her.

"If you think my source of confidence came from those lowly humans we hired, then you are sorely mistaken."

Azazel could only raise an eyebrow when the woman introduced her free hand between her "assets" and took out a small bottle. When his eyes recognized what was inside that bottle, however, his easy-going expression faded.

"A snake? Don't tell me-"

"Yes, this is a gift from our leader! Now tremble in fear, Azazel!" Katerea smiled, confident in her victory as the snake crawled into her mouth.

The effect was immediate. Her body was flooded with an absurd amount of power, to the point it was starting to mutate into something gross. Her presence was so oppressive that everyone else stopped what they were doing to look at the two combatants.

"Try to not die, Azazel-"

She stopped in her tracks after realizing Azazel just smiled at her transformation, without any trace of fear or distress.

"That's more like it. Now you are the perfect opponent to test this little baby of mine."

The leader of the fallen angels then pulled out what looked like a small, golden spear with a huge purple gem at the tip of its handle. But what really gave Katerea a pause was the draconic presence she could feel from it.

"Meet the first artificial I was able to create! The Down Fall Dragon Spear! And of course, its balance breaker!"

The spear-like dagger emitted a blinding light, and at the next moment, it became a golden armor covering Azazel's body. Its design was obviously inspired by Vali's balance breaker, but instead of dragon wings, Azazel was still using his crow-like wings to fly.

"I-impossible." Now Katerea was the one starting to panic. "How did your research go that far!?"

"You could say I have a really good sample to study. Now, try to not die too quickly, okay?"

Throwing back at Katerea her own words, Azazel rushed at her with a halberd made out of light.

It could be hardly called a fight. While the descendant of the original Leviathan obtained a power she was barely able to control and was slowly destroying her body from the inside, Azazel increased all his parameters without sacrificing anything.

In less than a minute, the devil was again in a sorry state, full of wounds and burns. Her trump card had proven to be meaningless, as the fallen angel could feel she was still no match for them.

However, the way she started to smile as his spear tore holes in her body was concerning. He chalked it up to her finally losing her mind, but then he finally realized it.

The power her body was barely able to contain was now starting to escape through her wounds.

"You finally noticed it, Azazel!? I didn't want to resort to this, but I guess I will take every one of you with me to hell!"

"You really lost what little rationality you had, woman!" Azazel gritted his teeth.

If he didn't play with her, this wouldn't be happening. Now, his enemy turned into a ticking bomb on her own accord, and attacking her relentlessly would only speed up her detonation.

Granted, he wanted to capture here so they could obtain more information about that so-called "Khaos Brigade", and there was an obvious counter to that strategy.

But said counter wasn't showing up-

"Guh!"

Azazel gasped as a fist sunk into his back, causing him to crash into the courtyard, near his fellow governors. The golden armor faded away, leaving only the purple gem behind.

"That hurt… I guess it still needs a lot of improvements if I want it to be close to the original…"

Azazel grumbled as he raised from the crater he caused with his landing and waved a hand to tell the others he was fine.

"You bastard! What are you doing attacking your ally!" Issei reprimanded his natural enemy with a really annoyed face. If it wasn't for Koneko holding him in place, he wouldn't be able to repress the primal instincts compelling him to destroy that man's existence.

"What can I say? This side is more interesting, and I couldn't refuse the proposal they made when I met them after retrieving Freed Sellzen. The opportunity to fight Norse Gods is really appealing."

"You joined a terrorist group just because of that!?"

"What took you so long, Vali? You were supposed to join me after we infiltrated the place!"

Vali ignored Issei's outburst and looked at Katerea. His helmet made it impossible to see his expression, but everyone was sure he was showing her a mocking smile.

"Who said I did that to protect you? I just couldn't control my impulse to attack a fake dragon. Besides, I wouldn't be that confided about your strategy."

His armored hand pointed behind her, and what she saw upon turning around made her vision turn red.

There was the woman who usurped her rightful title of the Leviathan, flying straight at her while holding the human who mocked her ideals. The only thing that crossed her mind at that instant was killing them.

"Shirou-kun, I hope you have a plan!" Serafall shouted as she saw Katerea starting to gather her power in the tip of her staff.

The red knight didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the enemy. Forcing magical energy into his eyes, he activated the skill born from his fusion with Muramasa. The lack of the swordsmith's ambition greatly diminished its effectiveness, but his current enemy had such a stagnated karma that it was hard to not see it.

"Trace, on!" He traced the katana that was most appropriate for the job in his hand, and its wicked aura made Serafall flinch for a moment.

"Throw me at her!"

"What!?"

"Just throw me! I'll cut her!"

That was the definition of not having a plan at all and just facing the problem head-on. However, the determined expression she saw on his face, which was actually really close to hers, was enough for her.

"DIEEEEEEEEEE!"

Katerea fired a massive beam of raw magical power at them just as Serafall dropped Shirou at her like a bomb.

The devilish blade of his katana sliced the beam without any difficulty, causing the voluptuous woman to gasp in astonishment.

"You little!" She switched targets, prioritizing now the pest that was coming at her with that flimsy katana. Her fingers stretched as if they were living creatures, and shot forward to restrict him.

But it was useless. The wicked katana severed them with abnormal easiness. Her fate was sealed the moment Shirou was able to see through it, and she wasn't able to discern the nature of that blade.

Had she been aware of it, she would have never allowed such a super demonic blade to touch her.

The confidence in her face born from thinking the only thing he would accomplish with that attack would be just killing himself alongside everyone in the vicinity, faded the moment Myoujingiri Muramasa cleanly cut her body in half.

She didn't feel an ounce of pain, but she immediately knew she was doomed as her body started to crumble like a house of cards blown by the wind and the energy dispersed harmlessly.

"Curse you… Emiya Shirou…" Those were the only words she was able to utter before becoming dust carried by the wind.

The last thing she saw was that human landing and letting his katana fade away. He never looked at her vanishing for, as the chances of her surviving were literally zero.

"He cut the snake inside her…" Gabriel started with a faint voice, her mouth trembling as she couldn't believe what she just saw. "… alongside her fate…"

"Well, it seems he wasn't just bragging about forging swords that can cut through karma and that bullshit… But leaving that aside…" Azazel pushed aside his scientific curiosity and looked at the treacherous dragon in the sky. "I really thought for a moment you would side with her, but I guess it's just like you joining them for the sake of just fighting strong opponents, right, Vali Lucifer?"

That bombshell quickly overshadowed the previous surprise. The implications of that family name were just… mind-blowing, at least for the inhabitants of this world.

"You have to be kidding… he's actually the descendant of the original Lucifer!?"

The leader of the Grigori nodded at the conclusion they arrived. "Born from a descendant of the original Lucifer and a human girl, and as fate would have it, that human part ended up being the host of the Divine Division. A true monster this world has never witnessed if you ask me."

"I like to think the word "miracle" suits me better." Vali responded with a playful tone and looked at Issei. "Isn't fate cruel, my rival? I am, without doubt, the strongest White Dragon Emperor, and in turn, you are the weakest Red Dragon Emperor. I've been waiting for years to meet you, excited to reenact a legendary battle, just to be disappointed. But you still have a really long life ahead to keep training, so maybe you will one day catch up to me, Hyoudou Issei. I can wait patiently…"

Those vicious eyes exuding an immense battle lust turned to look at the red knight, who returned the stare with an unsurprised expression.

"… especially now that I've found a fellow "miracle" to compare strength."

"Hmph. So that's the reason you revealed yourself as the traitor. You think I will fight you if you are officially an enemy."

"Of course. Isn't that what heroes do? Fighting for the sake of justice and trampling evil? But more than that, I want to know. I've made an investigation, and the name Emiya Shirou doesn't appear in any record regarding the supernatural. For all intents and purposes, you should be a regular human who just has a particularly tragic childhood. But here you are, leaving a mark in the world and making possible what was thought impossible."

Vali descended from the sky as he spoke and finally landed in the middle of the courtyard. Now they were on equal ground, a symbolism that wasn't lost to the present.

"That would label you as a fellow genius, but we both know that's far from the truth. In fact, you are my antithesis. You have no gift or talent, and from an objective point of view, you will never be more than a third-rate magician. But you took that strange magic of yours and developed it to its utmost limits. You trained to master numerous disciplines so you could use that magic to its utmost potential, and honed those skills through countless battles, to the point you became strong without a doubt. All of that... in less than two decades of life."

The White Dragon Emperor clenched his fist as his barely suppressed hostility started to expand.

"I'm not a researcher as the old man, so as a fellow warrior, let's exchange blows to get to know each other!"

Shirou let out a sight. It was like he was staring at the lost son of the Hound of Ulster. And trying to talk things out with such people with muscles for brain was as, if not more, impossible than with a magus.

"And why would I accept your challenge when we can just gang up on you? If you are trying to appeal to my pride, then I'm sorry to inform you I threw that thing into the trash can a long time ago."

"Heh, I figured it out that would be your answer. So, I guess I'll have to spice things a little bit. You no longer have anyone you can consider dear to you, and you surely have been actively avoiding such relationships. However, that seems to have changed after you took those human girls under your wing. I might not be able to content against the heavy hitters, but aside from them, I can easily kill all the other people."

The only reaction Vali got from the red knight was a slight twitch of his eyebrows, so continued to taunt him.

"And do you think this barrier can contain me? It would be really easy to go out there and wreak havoc. Isn't that enough reason to reenact one of the most repeated matches in history, the hero vs the evil dragon? Or is it that your conviction in that childish dream of yours, to save everyone, isn't that strong?"

There was a pregnant pause with no one daring to say anything, some worried looks focused on Shirou's back.

And then, the red knight wordlessly started to walk, circling Vali so that there wasn't anyone behind him that could get caught in the crossfire. With each step he took, his hostility grew to match the dragon's, and when they were able to see his face, they met the expression that was familiar to just a few of them, but it was shocking all the same.

An expression devoid of emotions, and those cold eyes staring right at the opponent and analyzing the optimal way of destroying them.

"Sensei…" While everyone was paying attention to the red knight, Issei clenched his right fist.

Due to his weakness, Shirou would have to be the one fighting that bastard on his instead. He could use that band to use his balance breaker, but he knew very well that he was more likely to get on Shirou's way instead of helping him.

So instead, he decided to do the thing only he could do.

[Boost!]

"Are you really doing it, Emiya Shirou?" Azazel asked for confirmation, even if he already knew the answer.

"I'm gonna do what you should have done a long time ago." The Yin Yang swords were projected into his hand one more time and he lowered his center of gravity. "I'm gonna beat that cockiness out of him."

"Now that's what I wanted to see. Show me the true monster that humanity can be!"

As a reminiscence of the battle between the fallen angel and the hero, both combatants stood there, none of them wanting to take the initiative. But unlike that time, this seemed more like a classical Wild West duel, where the two gunslingers would make a quick draw at any time.

Shirou filled his lungs with air in anticipation and took the first step. The moment his steel-tipped boot rattled against the floor, there was a sudden change in the environment.

But before anyone could get a grasp on that change, Shirou was already running full speed at Vali, and this one answered creating several magic circles above him and firing a barrage of massive beams from them.

That attack would put to shame the combined power of more than fifty of those magicians hired by Katerea. But the only difference against his opponent was that he was forced to zig-zag between them instead of just rushing through them.

From his standpoint, Vali observed with fascination how the red knight drew the optimal path to surpass his attacks without expending too much energy. His twin swords deflected the beams he couldn't dodge, and he ignored the ones that got really close to avoid being led into a trap.

Such precise movements could only be born from experience. Experience fighting a kind of opponent that was war itself, sending constant barrages of deadly attacks at the opponent. But what really caught his eyes was the way his attacks' trajectory was diverted the moment they graced him. There was something more at play there.

"Hnnn!"

Kanshou came for his throat the moment Shirou finally closed the distance between them. He could easily block the attack with his armor, but the fight against Kokabiel was an example of why he shouldn't underestimate the red knight. So instead, the White Dragon jumped backward to create more distance between the two.

The red knight immediately reacted by throwing the twin swords at him, but it did little as Vali just batted them aside with the claws of his armor. However, that second of distraction was enough for Shirou to close the distance with a mana burst.

The clashing sound of steel resounded throughout the battlefield as Vali blocked the second pair of Yin Yang swords in the red knight's hands with his forearm. To his surprise, the blades managed to carve a few inches into the scale mail, but he paid it no mind and immediately attacked back with his other fist.

The punch passed inches away from Shirou's face, and he shoved Kanshou over his arm, aiming at the opening between his breastplate and helmet. The dragon side-stepped and readied his fist, aiming to Shirou's side.

However, that attack stopped when he felt an impact on his right side. A surprise attack in the form of the Bakuya previously thrown which came back attracted by the Kanshou in Shirou's hand. His armor stopped the sword before it sunk into his flesh, but it still drew the first blood.

The red knight took advantage of that momentary and attacked with the Bakuya in his hand, and now Vali was aware of the other Kanshou coming at him from the opposite direction. Playing it safe, Vali used his right hand to block the attack with easiness and fired a blast of magical power at the other sword with his other hand.

But he then realized Shirou already predicted that outcome. Bakuya self-destructed upon impact, cracking his gauntlet and throwing off his balance.

Vali gritted his teeth when he saw Shirou project the third pair of twin swords and poured magical energy into them to deal the finishing blow of his technique and decided to throw his pride out the window and disengage completely. His bluish wings shone with power, and he rose to the sky in an instant with his blinding speed.

"That was a close call. That technique was specifically devised to defeat stronger opponents… if it wasn't because of my armor… Hehe, fascinating." The White Dragon Emperor chuckled with excide and raised his hand. "Now, let's see how you react to this, Emiya Shirou!"

At that moment, tens of magical circles came to life behind him. Something of that scale needed some time to be prepared, either he prepared it beforehand, or he prepared it while he was fighting Shirou. A demonstration of his absurd talent when it came to devil's magic.

All the circles fired massive beams at once, each of them with the power to easily destroy a small building. A situation that was somewhat familiar to the red knight.

And to everyone's surprise, Shirou didn't move an each as the first beam rained upon him. The cacophony of explosions left everyone deaf for a few seconds, and the courtyard was shrouded by a big cloud of dust and smoke.

"No way… Shirou-kun…" Irina squished out a faint voice as she witnessed the destruction in front of her. And at her side, Xenovia was holding her breath without realizing it.

"You don't need to worry girls." The tension was then disrupted by Serafall's voice as she rested her hands on their shoulders to ease them. "If you didn't notice, the first beam dispersed before even touching him."

"What could that be though? It's not a power coming from those swords, right?" Azazel hummed as he replayed the confrontation in his mind.

"That seems similar to the magic resistance trait of the Balam clan… but it seems to work differently. It nullified the attack before it even impacted instead of just making him more resistant to it."

"We have some records of some individuals developing that kind of trait too, but not to such degree…"

A massive wave of power interrupted the speculations between the three leaders and blew away the smoke to reveal Shirou's figure. His red cloak had some burns, but aside from that, he was completely fine.

He was shooter's stance, leaning on his knee as he pulled the string of his black bow. The projectile he was about to fire was a pitch-black long "arrow" with small edges coiling around a thin core. The great amount of magical energy pumped into it was causing it to exhibit a reddish glow, and it was giving off a huge bloodlust.

"Hrunting!"

With its true name uttered, which caused some gasps among the audience, the broken phantasm was fired at an immense speed at the dragon still waiting in the sky.

Vali's eyes widened behind his helmet, and his instincts kicked in. With another burst of speed, he dodged to the side, barely avoiding having his chest pierced by the demonic bullet.

"What the!" However, he couldn't relax as the "arrow" just "bent", correcting its trajectory to seek a straight path between it and its target. It was like a bloodhound chasing after its prey.

For the first time in his life, Vali put to test the speed he was so proud of as a dragon and began to zig-zag to shake off the arrow.

"He just fired a legendary sword as a heat-tracking missile… from a bow… Tsubaki, please tell me this is a dream and I just fell asleep before the real conference…"

"Kaichou, I think we wouldn't see that even in our wildest dreams..." Tsubasa commented with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.

"Aww, don't be like that, So-tan! Isn't this the coolest thing you've seen in your life! I'm definitely using that in my show!"

"Onii-sama… that sword…"

Sirzechs nodded to his sister. "That's one of the swords my pawn inherited from the original Beowulf. A sword that always seeks the optimal swing… but I guess that's what happens when you fire it as an arrow…"

Now, the obvious question was, how in the world did Emiya Shirou put his hands in that sword?

"Move out!"

Some of them had a micro-stroke as the red knight ran through them like an exhalation in the direction of the school building. He reached the outer wall of the building... and then started to run up the wall.

"What!? Since when is running up walls like "Matrix" is a thing!? Can you do it too, Kiba!?"

"We-well, I've never tried it before, Issei-kun."

"Huh?" At that moment, Michael noticed her sister was unnaturally still, her eyes fixed in the form of the red knight. "Is something wrong, sister?"

"Spirit…" She mumbled that word in a tone of voice so low that only he could hear it. She seemed to be in a trance as she kept muttering apparently random things. "A lonely man… a hill of swords… a light carrying humanity's hopes and dreams…"

"Gabriel?"

Calling her out had no effect, but she returned to reality once he shook her. The woman blinked a few times as if she was expecting to see something else when looking at the red knight.

"Is everything okay, sister?"

"Oh, uhm… yes… It's just that… when Shirou-kun got close, his presence felt… different."

Michael decided to save that information for later as the two angels focused again on the battle.

"Kuh!" The White Dragon Emperor gritted his teeth. The demonic bullet was literally on his heels, and it didn't seem it would lose momentum any time soon.

His last option before taking head on the "arrow" was to try to make it crash into something else. And so, he made a beeline for the school building, hoping that a last-minute turn would be enough to shake off the demonic bullet.

However, that was the most obvious course of action to take, and Shirou was already prepared for that.

"OORRRAAAAAAAA!"

Having jumped from the rooftop of the school, the red knight was already in front of Vali, swinging a massive stone axe-sword at him.

The only thing he was able to do was cross his arms in front of his face and brace for the impact. But the unexpected monstrous strength behind the attack blew him away like a rag doll into the courtyard.

And just a moment after his back crashed against the concrete, the Red Hound fell upon him like a falling star.

"Shit-"

A massive explosion shook the entire place, shattering what crystals remained in the school building and the ice ramp Serafall created. Fortunately, the two angels erected a barrier to protect everyone from the shockwave.

The red knight landed beside the crater, never relaxing his posture as he watched how the dust and smoke dispersed.

"Guh… That hurt…"

A figure raised from the crater with some difficulty. The only thing that remained of his pristine white armor were some shards, and his clothes did not fare well either. Not only it was torn in some places, but it was bloodstained.

"If it wasn't for the barrier I created at the last moment… I would have lost consciousness at best... This is the second time you almost killed me in just a few movements… You really are terrifying, Emiya Shirou…"

"You still want to keep going?"

"But of course. I'm having the time of my life here. It would be a pity if things ended here." Having said that, his body shone, and at the next moment, the white draconic armor was back as if it had never been destroyed.

"Wait, how!? I wasn't able to use the Boosted Gear for three days after using the balance breaker!?"

[You are just weak, partner. That is actually how dragons fight. Never yield to your opponent as long as you draw breath.]

"Besides, Vali can keep his balance breaker for an entire month. Even with those injuries, I would say he will be able to fight with it for some hours."

Ddraig and Azazel's words felt like a pair of knives staving his chest, and Asia had to comfort him.

"Now then, fighting you as a spellcaster was a mistake." Vali admitted without shame as he leaned his body forward and put power into his armor's wings. "I thought you excelled at fighting stronger opponents, but now I know your true specialty is killing magicians. So, I'll return the favor… by fighting like a dragon!"

Shirou's golden eyes widened as he was barely able to put his head away from the trajectory of Vali's fist. Another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya were projected into his hands as he turned to look behind him, and once again, he barely avoided the white blur by sidestepping.

Now, the white dragon was using his immense speed to attack relentlessly from all possible angles with devastating blows. Shirou's eyes weren't able to track him, and he had to rely only on his Mind's Eye and the huge killing intent the dragon was giving off. No counterattack was allowed to him, and the only thing he was able to do was to ensure his survival.

Vali knew he was going to be bested in a head-on fight, as he wasn't as nearly as skilled as Kokabiel. So instead, he was going to just overwhelm him with his speed and strength.

"How can he be that fast?" Xenovia asked, her face growing pale by the second.

[Dragons can nullify concepts like inertia and friction at will. That's why he can increase and decrease his speed so quickly. It's impressive how he mastered it when he's just the vessel of the power of a dragon.]

"That bastard is really a genius in every sense, huh?"

"As things stand, it's only a matter of time Shirou-sama makes a mistake…"

"No, Grayfia-chan! Shirou-kun won't lose!" Serafall affirmed with utmost confidence, her eyes never leaving the form of the red knight. "He will definitely turn the tables!"

Contrary to her hopeful words, Shirou was starting to see his own defeat. He was losing his balance with each attack he had to deflect, which finally led to a situation in which he was forced to block Vali's fist.

And the moment the gauntlet made contact with the twin swords…

[Divide!]

The fist pierced through them as if they were glassworks, and continued its way right at Shirou's chest.

The red knight could see the smile behind Vali's helmet. He found a weakness in his magic that was only exploitable by a power like his. By using the power of his sacred gear to absorb half of the magical energy used as the foundation for his projections, their structure became flawed and they fell apart with little strain.

The only thing he was able to do was reinforce his armor, muscles, and bones to their limits, summon the swords of his reality marble to cover them, and grit his teeth.

"Gah!"

The red knight flew through the battlefield like a rag doll. He lost his vision for an instant as the immense pain assailed him.

He rolled through the ground, clamping down the pain with sheer willpower, and was finally able to sink his boots on the concrete to slow down his momentum. While he regained his balance, he swallowed all the blood accumulated on his throat and introduced air in his lungs again.

Even with all the precautions he took and his now E-rank endurance, that punch fractured several ribs, ripped some muscles, and damaged some organs. Camael's flames were already healing the internal damage, but he wouldn't be able to fight in an optimal way for a while.

He didn't have time to think of a strategy either. His enemy was already crossing the distance, only slowed down for a couple of seconds by the weird sensation of punching a wall of steel. He could only deduce he didn't use his sacred gear to steal his energy because it was negligible compared to his.

Shirou didn't want to resort to extreme methods, but given how dire the situation, he had no choice. He would have to end things quickly before he ran out of energy.

"Trace, on!"

A pair of red daggers were projected on his hand, and he crossed them in front of him. The dragon threw his punch again, ready to use the same strategy to destroy such flimsy blades-

[Divide!]

CRACK!

"Gah!"

Blood splattered on the concrete followed by the sound of steel being shattered. The fist of the White Dragon Emperor was completely repelled, his gauntlet falling apart, and blood splattered from inside his helmet.

The red knight's plan was a total success. His arms were left numb after the impact, but he regained their mobility after putting strength. It was now or never.

"What's this!?"

Vali was barely able to think straight as all his body screamed in pain as if something really harmful had invaded it. The feeling faded after a few seconds, and then he heard the voice of the Vanishing Dragon.

[Vali! I don't know how, but the moment you absorbed the power of those daggers, a surge of anti-dragon attribute invaded your body! I was able to expel it through your wings but be careful with those blades!]

That explained a lot of things. He had been wondering if the red knight had a dragon-slayer weapon in his arsenal, but a pair of daggers was the last thing he expected.

Using his wings to regain his balance, Vali faced his opponent one more time to reassess the situation… only to see how Shirou threw the daggers in the air and proceeded to punch them at him.

"Kuh!"

Vali created a barrier in front of him to block the attack. Thankfully, his magic didn't hold draconic attributes, and even so, the impact of the daggers felt like a speeding truck crashing against him.

But that was the least of his concerns. A shiver ran down his spine as a really dangerous aura came flying at him. His heart skipped a beat when a red sword wrapped in flames clashed against his barrier and nearly pierced it.

[You have to get out of here, Vali! I've never seen such a powerful dragon-slayer sword in my existence! Its power is comparable to that Merodach sword that human showed!]

Having a prideful dragon like Albion admit that with such a worried tone was the straw that broke the camel's back. But he was late.

"HAAAAAAHHHH!"

Shirou kicked the pommel of the sword, causing a massive mana burst that blew away the barrier and his right wing.

Vali rolled through the gran, the burns on his right shoulder causing a huge numbing pain.

"Albion, repair the wing!"

Another wing barely came to life just in time to avoid being burned to cinders. Their roles were now swapped, with Vali being forced to constantly dodge that sword Shirou continuously punched at him.

And those moments he didn't have the sword, he would pull out that pair of daggers that were able to shred his armor like nothing as well. Though refined, it was a brutal fighting style that felt more like… if he were fighting another dragon.

"Those daggers he used during our training… were just the side weapons of that sword…" Now Issei's face was starting to resemble Vali's armor.

"Huh?" Azazel let out a small surprised voice when he noticed the purple gem in his hand trembling slightly. "You have to be joking… The Dragon King Fafnir is trembling in the presence of that sword? And here I thought this couldn't possibly get more ridiculous…"

The thought of using a certain chant crossed Vali's mind in that moment of desperation, but there was no way Shirou would let him finish it.

The wounds he received from that sword were starting to catch up to him, but at the same time, his opponent wouldn't be able to keep that pace for a long time. He had only one last card to play.

Taking some distance, the White Dragon Emperor spread his wings and extended his hand, pointing at the Gram already flying at him.

[HALF DIMENSION!]

The space in front of him became distorted, and the light of the flaming sword faded away. The sword crumbled just before piercing him, as its foundation was reduced to half.

"What the…" Shirou looked with surprise how everything around him started to be compressed as if they were inside an industrial press.

The mystery of how Vortigern destroyed Excalibur in this world was solved, but that was really bad news. His magical resistance was having a hard time repelling that power trying to squish him… and that had been his final trick.

"Come on, Emiya Shirou! Just as I showed you my final trump card, show me yours!"

"Way isn't he attacking back?" Xenovia asked at the edge of her sit, figuratively speaking.

"He ran out of gas." Sirzechs stated flatly. "Unlike with Kokabiel, he couldn't finish the opponent off before running out of magical power."

"But he almost won…" Serafall spoke with a pained expression, seeing the inevitable defeat of the hero. "That must be a bluff. There's no way Vali can keep that thing working in such condition."

"Even if that's the case, it will come down to who loses consciousness before. And at the end of the day, Emiya Shirou is just a human… I guess we should try an absurd solution then…"

Azazel turned to look at the Red Dragon Emperor, but before he could speak…

[EXPLOSION!]

Issei's gauntlet shone with a respectable amount of power.

"Ddraig, do you think this will be enough!?"

[This is hardly enough to face the White Dragon, but that human doesn't require that much energy to use his magic, so I say we give it a try.]

Issei then turned at Koneko, who was startled having such an intense look pointed.

"Koneko-chan, throw me at sensei!"

It didn't take a genius to deduce his intentions, and the little girl nodded at him without thinking twice.

"Hnn!" Using her rook strength at her utmost limit to throw Issei at the red knight.

"Sensei! Accept this power!"

When Shirou turned to the side alerted by the voice, he had barely any time to react when Issei tapped his shoulder with his gauntlet.

[TRANSFER!]

The power flooded his body completely in an instant, giving him a somewhat familiar feeling.

It was hardly the power of a low-rank servant, not coming close by any means to that massive power able to destroy his body once unleashed, but it was more than enough.

"Thanks, Issei! Now… trace, on!"

His black bow appeared in his left hand, and a drill-like sword appeared in the other hand. He immediately loaded the sword in the bow, altered its shape to be more aerodynamic, and started to pour all the power gifted to him into it.

As the oppressive aura of the sword started to spread across the battlefield, the White Dragon Emperor smiled through the cracks of his helmet, as if to tell Shirou he was waiting for it with enthusiasm.

"I am the bone of my sword…" The first line of his aria was uttered to reinforce the fake spiral sword, and it was finally ready to be fired.

"CALADBOLG!"

The moment he let loose the bowstring, a sonic boom tore apart the concrete surrounding and caused Issei to fall on his butt.

The "arrow" flew at the dragon like a blue comet, and the dragon immediately pointed at it his Half Dimension. However, it was a useless attempt.

Before Vali's surprised eyes, the sword's drill-like blade was spinning so fast that caused a spatial distortion around it, which repelled his technique without a problem.

He tried to dodge the sword, but it was no use as he was caught in that twisting spatial distortion. A choked voice came out of his throat as part of his body was twisted, any protection his armor could offer being rendered useless.

The "arrow" continued its path without slowing down, blowing away the barrier surrounding the campus and piercing through the clouds, leaving behind a spiraling trail.

"Haaah…" Shirou let out a tired sight amidst the awkward silence and slowly walked up to where the White Dragon Emperor.

He surely had seen better days. His armor was completely gone, and his left arm and leg were completely shredded. It was a sight that would make most people puck. But even so, he was still conscious.

"You missed… on purpose…"

"Hmph." Shirou grumbled at him. "I've never said I was trying to kill you. You're no terrorist, just a brat with muscles for brain who needed some scolding. I'll give you the last chance. If you quit that Khaos Brigade, you'll have plenty of battles to fight against them, right? Even if you don't give a crap about fighting for what is right, I don't think a dragon would settle with being someone's attack dog."

"Heh… you do have… a point… But that side lacks something… this one has… The key to… fight the… strongest opponent…"

The red knight let out an exasperated sight as Kanshou was projected on his left hand.

"If you want to cling to that dream so much… then you leave me no choice." His tone became cold as he raised the twin blade over Vali's neck, and the White Dragon Emperor closed his eyes in acceptance.

"I guess… dying against a true hero… isn't that bad…"

"STOP!"

The executor's blade stopped inches away from its mark, and his cold golden eyes turned to the direction that voice came from.

When those eyes met Irina, she felt a lump in her stomach. The dissonance was so big she thought she was looking at another person for a moment.

But she could still see that gentle boy beneath that cold exterior. It was obvious he didn't want to resort to that. It was just… she didn't find the courage to say it out loud…

"Don't do it, please… It doesn't have to be this way…" A gentle voice filled with sorrow took Irina's place. It came from a Gabriel looking at him with eyes filled with compassion. "Even if you cover it with steel…your heart of glass won't endure it forever…"

That oddly specifical choice of words gave the red knight a pause, and another fellow blonde widened her eyes in realization.

"Tsk!" Shirou clicked his tongue. Coming from those two of all people, he couldn't just ignore them. And even if he could, he no longer had time.

CLANG!

He had to swing Kanshou to block a staff coming at his chest and was sent sliding a few meters away.

"Kuku, not bad. I was sure I concealed my presence, but you still saw my attack coming."

A young man clad in traditional Chinese armor stood between him and the fallen dragon. His staff, the famed Ruyi Jingu Bang, would be enough to deduce his identity, but as it wasn't the original but a really faithful replica, then this yokai had to be someone related to Sun Wukong.

He was concealing his presence and animal traits, but his experience dealing with Assassin servants helped the red knight to avoid the attack.

"That face… just must be the infamous Emiya Shirou. Seeing how you left poor Vali here, I guess the rumors were even an understatement. I'm Bikou, a pleasure to meet you. Man, this makes my blood boil!"

Shirou screamed internally. Just what he needed, another Cu Chulainn eager to fight him when he was on his last legs. But fortunately, this one seemed to be able to keep his battle lust in check as he prioritized his comrade.

"If you don't mind, I'll bring him with me. I guess our little trip to Asgard will have to wait. But this are definitely some interesting news to deliver."

"Hey, I don't know who the hell are you, but you aren't-"

Issei stopped in his tracks, his hand already reaching to the band Azazel gave him, when his sensei stretched his free hand to the side.

He appreciated the help, but this was the worst matchup for Issei. No matter if he used his balance breaker, an opponent as skilled as that yokai would mop the floor with him.

"To think the descendant of the original Sun Wukong would join that terrorist organization, too… Things are about to get complicated." Despite how serious the situation was, Azazel was showing a smirk as he spoke.

"Heh, I live the way I choose, unlike the old geezer. Now then, see ya!" And just like that, the descendant of the Monkey King took his leave with the unconscious Vali on his back, and no one made an attempt to go after him.

It had been a really long night, so it was understandable.

The moment the adrenaline left Shirou's system, he almost lost his balance and fell on his butt.

"Sensei, are you going to just faint like last time?" Issei asked with some amusement as he lent him an arm to lean on.

"I think this time I can at least make it to home… Ugh…" The way he spat the last remains of blood in his throat wasn't inspiring confidence.

"Let me heal you, Shirou-san!" Asia was the first one to approach him. Being the only one who had worrying injuries, she couldn't help it.

But Shirou stopped her before she could activate her Twilight Healing. "There's no need… My wounds are mostly healed."

He couldn't show proof of it since what little injuries he had left were internal, and that caused the ex-nun to ignore his words with a determined expression and start healing him.

"Shirou-kuuun!" However, she was interrupted when Irina hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you were going to die!"

Everyone there was able to witness for the first time a small blush on Shirou's cheeks. He sent a questioning stare at Xenovia, who could just shrug before proceeding to hug him too. It made a quite tender sight.

"I guess all's well that ends well. Heh, I never lost my faith in you, Shirou-kun."

"Is that so? You seemed really worried a couple of minutes ago, Onee-chan."

Serafall threw a betrayed look at her sister, who was smirking behind her stoic mask. This was the first step to return all those years of teasing.

"Well, we should wrap things up here. There are a lot of things to do aside from making official the treaty, preparing countermeasures for this "Khaos Brigade" being the most urgent. And for that…"

The other four leaders followed Sirzechs, who walked up to Shirou. It didn't take a genius to deduce what they wanted to ask.

"Well, I don't mind siding with you guys to fight those terrorists. The entire world is at stake here."

"Excellent. Having the representant of humanity on our side will be crucial in the dark times ahead."

Shirou blinked a couple of times at Sirzechs. "I'm not that important. Just a nameless who decided to act in times of need."

"But from my standpoint, the way you fight with all those weapons of legend is as if you were using the collective power of mankind."

"And you were chosen by the original sword of selection, right?"

He couldn't argue against Azazel and Michael's logic. Azazel's in particular was closer to the truth than he would ever suspect.

"Think whatever you want."

The guards that were teleported away didn't take long to arrive at the place and start managing post-battle activities.

The leaders started to speak about negotiations with other factions and about reporting the events to the Shinto faction, but Shirou didn't have the energies to pay attention to it.

"Let's go home, shall we?"

""Yes…""

The two girls were also exhausted, and the three were about to head home, but they were interrupted by Michael.

"Irina, I'll send an envoy to pick you up when the system is ready."

"Oh… Thank you, Michael-sama."

"No, I must thank you again for forgiving me."

"Lord Michael, if I'm allowed to ask…" Surprisingly, the one who cut into the conversation was Sona, and she continued once she got a nod from the archangel. "What should I do about the paperwork I have already prepared to transfer Irina Shidou to our academy?"

"Oh, right, that was a thing…" With how hectic those days had been he completely forgot about that.

"Keep them ready. We will need them when we send her here as a representant of the angels."

His answer took Irina by surprise, and that surprise turned into a bright smile. This would be just a goodbye instead of a farewell.

""See you again, Shirou-kun!""

The strongest female devil and the most beautiful angel bid him farewell in an amicable way, and when they realized it, they had opposite reactions. While Gabriel smile tenderly at her fellow, Serafall glared daggers at her.

The red knight could just wave his hand, his brain too tired to process the situation. His life just became more complicated in another sense.

---

And that's it for now. A pretty long ride with a lot of things to take. If you have stayed all the way to here, I can only thank you.

Now, let's see if you guys can complete the flashback at the beginning of the chapter. It is a little clue of how King of Fakers ended up in the DxD world, and at the same time a way to connect this story with the other ones I'm writing. The are four characters in that flashback, and the identity of three of them should be quite obvious, but who might be the fourth one that talks at the end of the flashback? You'll discover it soon enough… I hope.

On another note, I think this chapter clears any doubt about Rias being manipulative. Her moral compass will remain alien, but just like in the original story, she isn't a villain.

And talking about villains, as hinted by Vali, the Hero Faction will make their move in the next chapter. It wouldn't make sense for them to not try to recruit the human that defeated Kokabiel and now Vali. And by the way, the slight additions I gave to Vali's fighting style come from Melusine. I think it's quite fitting.

I do have another arc in mind with Shirou getting involved in the magic society to replace the arc of the rating games, in which he doesn't have anything to do there. Shirou traveling around the world to get to know the different factions will be really important, and not just so he can regain his strength as a servant.

And about he and Serafall hitting it off from the beginning, well, if you have read other of my stories, "Madness empire of blades", it should be pretty obvious. It's not love at first sight, but it will get to that eventually. For now, she's just taking her work as the one in charge of external affairs seriously for once.

Oh, and for those of you who follow "Date a Density", keep this line of Vali in mind: "Show me the true monster that humanity can be!" It will be really ironic in the future. For those of you who are wondering why am I going to focus on that story if this one is admittedly more popular, well, I've been working on that story for more than two years. The final arc is literally, in which things are going to get really interesting, and I want to make an ending that leaves satisfied everyone who has been with me all the way.

As always, I would like to hear your thoughts about this chapter, and I hope I entertained you. With this, I said goodbye for now. Hasta la vista!