I do not own Highschool DxD nor do I own Diablo. All rights respectively go to Ichiei Ishibumi, the series' creator, and Blizzard Entertainment, the company who made Diablo.
OP: GARNiDELiA – Ambiguous (Kill la Kill OP)
Unmei no ito wo tachikitta sono saki ni... (The universe is shown as the camera zooms in onto Sanctuary before it zooms even further to Kuoh Academy, then to Aidan, and then to the Red Soulstone from which two demonic eyes show from within the crystal)
(Title reveals itself as Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil)
Senobishiteitanda (Aidan is shown walking to the Academy in his school uniform with sakura petals blowing from the west)
Kutsuzure darake no semai sekai de (Aidan continues walking before he looks up and briefly, his form as the Dark Wanderer emerges)
RUNWAY wo aruku egao no uragawa (The ORC are shown one by one starting from Koneko who eats snacks, Asia who prays in a nearby church, Kiba who walks down the hallway with the ladies oogling over him, and Akeno on the rooftop overlooking the school)
Kakushita tsumori de (Rias is then shown by her desk in front, smiling as she looks at the camera)
Dakedo itsumo kimi ni wa (Aidan walks on one side of the road glaring at his rival Sinestra with his allies right behind him)
Minukareteshimatteite (Sinestra walks on the other side of the road glaring at Aidan with her allies right behind her)
Konna no wa hajimete de tomadou kedo (Three figures are shown on high, revealing to be Kokabiel, Freed Selzan, and Valper Galilei as the shadow of Mephisto looms behind and over them. Sinestra and Aidan come face to face, ready to battle as a tearful Rias is pulled back by Akeno and Kiba from the fight)
(The Angels of the High Heavens behind Sinestra and the Demons of the Burning Hells behind Aidan clash on Sanctuary in a fiery explosion)
Hoka no darenimo kikonasenai (The Eternal Conflict rages on as Angels and Demons clash across Sanctuary, with the Three Factions caught in the middle)
Nandaka wakaranai atsusa ga mune wo kogasu kara (Sinestra and Aidan spot each other on the battlefield as the former empowers herself with her wings whilst Aidan charges, hopping over floating stones before he clashes blades with Sinestra)
Unmei no ito taguriyoseta sono saki ni (The clash of blades delivers a massive shockwave onto the area, leaving Aidan and Sinestra alone as they activate their Balance Breaker and battle one another, each carving wounds onto each other's flesh)
Ima atarashii yoake ga kuru (Aidan and Sinestra back off briefly before they empower themselves up and fight again. As they do, the silhouetted figures of Diablo and Imperius respectfully linger above, fighting one another)
Yeah, yeah. Ay, yay (The camera zooms up on a painfully screaming Aidan chained up in black chains as the Seven Evils watch over him whilst a pained Sinestra is also held by gold chains with her arms bound upwards as the Angiris Council look down upon her)
Omoi wo kitto hitotsu (The ORC, the Student Council, the Four Great Satans alongside Michael, Azazel, Tyrael, and Deckard Kain; and Kokabiel with Mephisto right behind him are shown in flash images before it ends with Sinestra and Aidan glaring up close at one another before it turns black)
(The final scene ends with the King piece and the Red Soulstone)
Aidan's Sacred Gear pulses from the Red Soulstone shard as he glares at Irina and Xenovia, arming himself with Silentium.
"Here we come, Aidan!" Irina proclaimed as she and her companion charge forth. While in front of her partner, she jumps into the air with her katana-style Excalibur raised over her head. "AMEN!"
*CLASH*
Aidan blocks it easily with Silentium, a little surprised at how much force Irina used considering it felt like she was going to kill him. I guess the reason of childhood friend is thrown out of the question. Aidan then sees Xenovia charge in, making the nephalem push Irina away.
*CLASH*
Without time to bring Silentium up to block the attack, Aidan instead summons out the Leviathan in his left hand, the axe's shaft blocking Xenovia's strike. Xenovia was surprised in that her Excalibur Destruction destroys anything, even a weapon like this Leviathan.
Aidan parries Xenovia with the Leviathan, gritting his teeth from her powerful yet equal strike compared to him. Needing distance, he jumps back to catch his breath.
"Oh~, to return to my town, only to be forced to kill one of my oldest friends!" Irina exclaimed in her zealot mode, acting like she is in despair. "Alas, fate can be so cruel,"
Aidan rolls his eyes, noting her blind stupidity.
"Although our new orders from our master prevents us from taking you back to headquarters," Xenovia stated as she prepares herself. "We will show you that it's best to surrender and come with us."
"You want my soul?" asked Aidan as he brandishes Silentium in his right and Leviathan in his left. "Come and take it!"
"Aidan," Rias calls out to her nephalem from the sidelines, standing with the rest of the ORC. "Try to avoid their direct attacks!"
Aidan nods. Against two enemies with swords of great power, he won't stand a chance with just his sword. But with both weapons and a wide open area, this battle would be almost too easy.
"The Al'Diabolos Terror Claws with the soul of Diablo, the Lord of Terror; Asia Argento's fabled Twilight Healing, blessed by the Archangel of Hope, Auriel; and your Sword Birth," Inquisitor Tyrannus said as he faces Kiba, who stood among his swords. "Your master has indeed gathered a very special group of people together, even if some of them are worse than Demons."
"My power is also the power made by my comrades' hatred, those who were killed while filled with regret," Kiba proclaimed, glaring at the Inquisitor with hate. He then pulls out a sword form the ground. "I will defeat those with the Excalibur with that power alone, and I will destroy the weapon that claimed my life and the lives of my friends!"
"You will find that I am not easily impressed," Tyrannus notes. Kiba then charges into him.
*CLASH*
The Inquisitor blocks him with ease with El'druin. Kiba unleashes a series of slashes at him, but they were all blocked and parried without breaking a sweat.
"Rias, are you sure it's okay for us to be fighting them?" asked Akeno. "Just being touched by a Holy Sword could injure a Devil. We're at a huge disadvantage."
"Kiba, I am not concerned about, even if the one he is facing is not holding an Excalibur," Rias responded, watching her Knight battle the Inquisitor before looking at Aidan fighting the two Exorcists. "Aidan on the other hand…"
Aidan raises Silentium to block a downward strike from Xenovia, before kicking her away in the stomach. He then parries Irina's rightward swing and attempts to slash her with Leviathan, but she blocks it and the two lock blades. Hearing Xenovia's footsteps approaching him fast, he breaks the lock with Irina and throws his weapons into the air before warping in quickly. He knees Irina in the stomach hard with his right knee, giving him enough time to grab and throw her at Xenovia. The blue-haired girl jumps over Irina's flying body and goes for another downward strike, but Aidan's weapons fall to his hands just in time as he blocks Silentium with one hand and strikes with Leviathan in the other. Xenovia blocked the Leviathan but the impact of the blades pushed her far back, making her skid across the ground.
"My only worry is his power," Rias said. "I don't want him to leave them too injured but as a nephalem, his power trumps theirs and he still doesn't have control over it."
Xenovia struggles to stand up from the impact, as does Irina from the kneeblow. "Do you have to be so rough, Aidan?" She complained, holding her stomach.
Aidan ignores her and gets into another fighting stance, ready for the next attack.
"To think, hrngh, you are able to handle both of us at the same time," Xenovia said. "I can't believe we underestimated your strength."
Aidan needed to find a way to end this fight and fast. If this continues any longer, it could get serious to the point he could potentially kill them or unleash Diablo onto them. He has to end this in one strike with Silentium, remembering what he did in the mountains months ago when the team were preparing themselves in the Rating Game against Riser.
"Looks like he is going to attack us next," Xenovia told Irina.
"Yeah, but why is he so focused on our faces?" asked Irina as she prepares herself.
"…Please be careful," Koneko said with rebellious eyes despite showing no emotion. "Aidan's a powerful warrior but has the ability to attract beautiful and sexy women, like the two of you."
"What?!" Irina shouted while looking at her childhood friend with wide eyes. "No way!"
"Do not listen to Koneko!" Aidan told the two Exorcists comically. "She's just trying to distract you!"
"You're the one trying to not look at their bodies, senpai," Koneko casually responded.
"Tell that to them in regard to their outfits!" Aidan retorted.
"What a lowly mind! Oh, Father in Heaven! Please forgive this sinful perverted friend of mine!" Irina makes a sad expression while praying, a comical ray of light shining down on her with little cupid angels flying all around her head.
"Will you quit it with your damn faith, dammit!?" Aidan exclaimed!
"Aidan! If you were craving for a woman's body, I wouldn't have mind giving mine to you!" Asia said whilst comically sad.
Xenovia sighed, looking at Aidan with scornful eyes. "I see. The mass of sexual desire. Seems as if our intel on you was a bit off."
Aidan roars out of frustration. "AAARRGGHH! Enough!"
*POW*
Inquisitor Tyrannus punches Kiba in the face hard, making the Knight fly backwards. But the blonde recovers and lands on one knee. Throughout the fight, his frustration grew as the Inquisitor was left without a scratch, blocking all of his attacks and countering with only punches.
Kiba creates a second demonic sword where he stood and grabbed it. With two swords in his possession, he crosses their blades and gives an incantation. "Fight me with your blade, or burn! And freeze!" With that said, the two elemental swords are powered up as one is engulfed in flame and the other one into ice frost.
Kiba roars and charges in, attacking the Inquisitor with godlike speed. But the Inquisitor was fast, evading them all with such ease.
"I have faced far worse things, Isaiah," said the Inquisitor as he evades. "I have faced even Darkness Incarnate."
*KACHING*
With a swing of El'druin, Inquisitor Tyrannus turns Kiba's swords into dust, shattering them instantly. Kiba is speechless of seeing his blades destroyed so easily, but that distraction proved his undoing as he is punched in the face hard and is sent flying, making him skid across the floor as he lands on his chest. He looks up with bitter hatred towards the Inquisitor who walks to him without emotion.
"You fail to compare with that hatred of yours," The Inquisitor coldly remarks. "Do you believe that destroying the Excalibur will be as simple as even deciding who lives and who dies? What justice is there in simply killing those who wield the weapon because of what you went through?"
"…Destroying all seven swords will indeed be a difficult path," Kiba's eyes had not lost their color of hatred as he wipes away the blood from his mouth with his right hand before standing up. "But I will not stop until it is destroyed, and I will cut down anyone who stands in my way."
Inquisitor Tyrannus was unmoved by his declaration. Kiba had basically been consumed by vengeance and hatred altogether.
"So be it," The Inquisitor replies.
*CLASH*
Aidan blocks Xenovia with Silentium with both hands, the two locking blades.
"This is preposterous," Xenovia grits her teeth as she tries to push forward but cannot and struggles. "My sword is a mass of destruction. How are you still alive?"
"You may not have noticed, Xenovia," Aidan responded, holding his ground. "But despite me being a Pawn, I am not a Devil."
Aidan pushes her back with Silentium before letting go of his left hand to summon Leviathan. With one horizontal swing, he manages to grant her a cut her stomach. Xenovia hisses as she jumps back to retreat. Though the cut was shallow and bleeding, it was not enough.
Wanting to show that her power can trump over Aidan's, she points her sword downwards and thrusts it to the ground.
*BOOM*
The moment the blade stabs into the dirt, a big crater was formed where Xenovia stood. Irina lost her balance when the ground rumbled so violently but Aidan stood his ground, unafraid of it even as the dirt and dust flew across him.
Once the cloud settles, Aidan sees Xenovia standing where she was.
"This is my Excalibur," She proclaimed. "It can destroy anything that comes its way." She pulls the sword out of the ground and prepares herself. "It is not called an Excalibur for nothing. And it too has the power to destroy you."
"Does it now?" asked Aidan as he wipes a piece of dirt off of his shoulder. "I know of weapons far more terrifying than that relic that you carry."
"Geez!" Irina complained while wiping the dirt off of her clothes. "Warn me next time you're going to do something like that, Xenovia!" She picks up her sword and points it to Aidan. "But it is time to end this!"
Both she and the blue-haired charge at fast speed. Aidan knew that this was it so he decides to give himself a boost of power by having the black veins travel up his arm and stop at his neck. He also dissipates Leviathan, knowing of what he must do next.
The two girls swing down at him at the same time as Aidan blocks both strikes with Silentium only, locking blades.
"Now!" Aidan exclaimed as he pushes his opponents away.
Suddenly, an influx of power in the form of red and black tendrils of energy surrounds and illuminates behind Aidan. A familiar dark shadow of the Lord of Terror rises behind him, glowing with red eyes full of terror. Everyone was holding their ground against the intense wave of power, witnessing him stand up tall and straight with his sword pointed upwards, the face of the blade facing them and gathering power as it glows red and white. The area seems to quake and the Red Soulstone shard in Aidan's Sacred Gear and the chunk in his forehead glow red.
"W-What is this?" Irina asked, overwhelmed by the power and by fear of the shadow.
"I…do not know," Xenovia responded.
"He's not going to…?" Akeno asked in shock and awe.
"He is," Rias confirmed. "He will have to be careful not to kill them by accident. He is not just using his nephalem powers but also Diablo's."
Aidan was right. Despite using this power, he has to be careful not to induce serious harm per Diablo's wishes from within. Silentium was soon powered up and charged with demonic energy and nephalem energy.
"Krisol'fak Aram!" Aidan chanted as his eyes glowed demonic and red. "Terror Blade!"
With one downward swing of the empowered Silentium, Aidan's attack charges forth at the two Exorcists. Xenovia and Irina, unable to block or dodge the attack, scream in shock and agony as they are overwhelmed and no match for its godly power. Their feet were swept off the ground as they were sent flying from the arch, before falling to the ground.
The arch passes over them and into the skies, cutting a hole through the clouds. When the dust clears, Xenovia and Irina were on the floor, their uniforms nearly shredded except their chests and private areas. In pain and immobile, they could only watch helplessly, if not in fear of Aidan approaching them.
Irina tries to approach Xenovia on her right to help her but is kicked out of the way onto her back and is met with Silentium's tip at her neck. Xenovia tries to reach for her sword, but Aidan throws the Leviathan at her arm, trapping it underneath. Thank goodness the blade did not cut her actual hand off.
Aidan glances between the two, the shadow of Diablo radiating off from behind him as it watches on. He stood as the victor, yet his darker nature wanted to instill fear onto him, never to challenge him again lest they meet a fate worse than death.
Xenovia glared in frustration at him, but concedes bitterly. "I, yield."
"Yeah," Irina panted, more tired than her companion. "I'm done."
Aidan did not trust nor take their word for it but having had enough and seeing that the corruption was growing further, he relents and takes away Silentium away from Irina's neck and takes out Leviathan from the ground to free Xenovia's hand. He puts the weapons away in a flash of light as his red eyes revert to his blue one and the corruption resides back to his Sacred Gear on his left arm.
Returning to the ORC, everyone stood smiling at him, proud that he was careful with his power upon defeating them. But celebrations would have to wait for the sound of metal brings their attention to Kiba and Inquisitor Tyrannus' fight.
Kiba gives a battle cry, raising his already hardened spirit, as he creates a gigantic sword held with both hands and releasing an ominous aura. It was longer than Kiba's height by about two meters and looked heavier. "The blessed power of your Holy Sword or the destructive power of my demonic sword! We will see which one is stronger!"
He charges at Inquisitor Tyrannus, swinging at him with great force.
*CLASH*
But once more to his shock, the Inquisitor holds up El'druin and blocks the heavy strike easily, not even struggling against it.
"Fool," The Inquisitor said. "You have ensured your doom."
Pushing the sword out with ease, Tyrannus then emits a white flash that leaves Kiba's eyes blinded briefly. Then, his ankle was grabbed by what seemed to be some sort of tendril of blue light protruding from the Inquisitor's back along with many others. He was then lifted off the ground by Inquisitor Tyrannus, struggling to break free.
The Inquisitor brings Kiba forward before punching him, disorienting him enough to make him let go of his demonic sword. Tyrannus destroys the sword with El'druin, shattering it into dust before he turns his attention to Kiba as he goes in for a horizontal slash.
*SLING*
With one quick strike past him, Inquisitor Tyrannus leaves a cut mark on Kiba's stomach, the Knight screaming in pain enough for him to fall to his knees as he clutches his stomach, vomiting blood.
"No way…" Aidan was shocked as was everyone else.
As Kiba lies on the ground wounded, Inquisitor Tyrannus approaches him with the tendrils of light still illuminating from his back before they dissipate by being absorbed back in. With Kiba's attention, he holds El'druin over to his face.
"Your weapon is just a variety of swords that you can create with your power," The Inquisitor remarks. "But by just looking at the way you handle your blades, it tells me that you not only lack the strength to use it, but also that you sacrifice the speed that you are proud of in exchange for a power much weaker than you think."
With that said, Inquisitor Tyrannus takes El'druin away from Kiba's neck, returning to his students as they put their cloaks o and were ready to leave.
"No…wa…wait!" Kiba struggled to say as he reaches his hands out towards them despite the end of the battle.
Inquisitor Tyrannus stops to look over his left shoulder at him, bearing a small smile of sympathy. "There is no justice in murder, Isaiah. Do not allow hatred to consume you. Otherwise, you may never return and the deaths of all of your friends will have been for nothing."
Kiba could only glare at the Inquisitor with hatred though, but the latter ignored it as he turns his attention over to Rias.
"My apologies for my students' behavior." He bowed out of respect. "I hope these two duels have lived up to your satisfactory?"
"Yes, I am glad that no one was fatally hurt," Rias responded with a smile. "I'm just glad Aidan was not taken from me. I thank you for your honor, Inquisitor."
"Then I take it I trust you will not interfere, as discussed earlier?"
"Of course," She nodded. "But just out of curiosity, did you identify who was stealing the Excalibur swords?"
"We do the main culprit," Xenovia answered. "One of the leaders of the Grigori named Kokabiel."
Rias' eyes widened in surprise at the answer, as did Akeno's. As for Aidan, he knew of the Grigori. They were a group of Fallen Angels whom their leader, Azazel, was in charge of during the Great War. They also participated in the Second Dark Exile, for it was Azazel's idea for them to come together to hunt down the Prime Evils.
But what Aidan knew that the others didn't was that something happened to the Grigori. Something related in the aftermath of the Second Dark Exile. Something only the Four Great Satans, Uncle Deckard, and Azazel knew of.
"To think the Holy Swords were taken by a leader of the Fallen Angel organization," A shocked Rias said. "Were you aware of this, Inquisitor?"
"I was, indeed," Tyrannus nodded.
"If you do, then you realize that the three of you going against someone like Kokabiel is suicide. Not that I am offering you aid, just stating facts."
"We already understand the danger," Xenovia said with the sword on her shoulder. "But I am willing to trade my life to fight them"
"The Church has already made the decision to eliminate all of the Excalibur swords rather than let them fall into the wrong hands," Inquisitor Tyrannus stated. "While our minimum objective remains to get them away from the Fallen Angels."
"There's already been one casualty," Irina spoke up. "A priest who came to this town to check things out ahead of time was killed."
"I know who killed him," Kiba said as everyone looked at him, the Knight struggling to stand due to his wounds. "Freed Selzan!"
The name sent anger in Aidan as his eyes narrow. It was no surprise the mad priest was still alive and in town but if he has now fallen in league with Kokabiel, then that makes the mission all the more dangerous.
"Really?" Rias asked. "That Stray Exorcist?"
"Where is Freed now, Kiba?" asked Aidan.
"I don't know," He replied. "I just happened to be there when the priest was murdered. Freed definitely had a Holy Sword in hand and he escaped before I could skewer him."
"You've encountered him?" Irina asked.
"Unfortunately."
"Well, at least that rules that out," Inquisitor Tyrannus said as he turns back to Rias. "We do not wish for you to be involved in this fight, but if the situation forces you to, then we will accept it without question." He then turns to Aidan. "Your power has indeed grown but I will tell you one thing: The Angiris Council has sent their Angiris Apostle."
Aidan's eyes narrow, hearing that name again.
"You will meet her eventually, but even with Diablo in your Sacred Gear, you stand no chance."
'Wait. Her?'
Inquisitor Tyrannus walks away with Xenovia and Irina behind him. The latter turns around and waves to Aidan.
"Bye, Aidan. That was fun. I'll be back to take you to the Vatican!" She held her cross and winked at him. "Amen!" She then leaves to catch up to the other two.
Aidan rolls his eyes at Irina before thinking to himself briefly. The situation was now more troubling than it seemed. His good friend Irina was an Exorcist after his life based on lies and deception, the Fallen Angel Kokabiel was behind the thievery of the Excalibur swords, and Freed Selzan has his hands on one of them.
But the question is, how will the Demons react to this? And more importantly, what role do they play?
His thinking was halted by the sound of Kiba trembling in anger about his defeat by the Inquisitor before he stood up and walked away.
"Kiba, wait!" Asia called out as the others look worriedly at him with his back turned to them.
"…I was able to run away from there, thanks to my comrades," Kiba said coldly, refusing to face them. "That's why I have to put their regrets into my demonic swords…"
"You do realize that I won't forgive you if you leave me!" Rias stated firmly. "You are a Knight of the House of Gremory. Doing this would mean you'll be going rogue!"
"I know, Buchou, and I'm sorry."
Kiba continued to walk away with Rias watching helplessly with hurtful eyes.
*FWOOM*
Aidan however had enough. Warping in front of Kiba in a flash, he gets the blonde's attention.
"Kiba…" Aidan addresses to Kiba in a foul mood. "You once told me that you and I do not get to hide. I also learned that we do not get to run either. I never thought of you to go so far to the point you may become a stray! Yet here you have done so-brazenly!"
That made Kiba snap in anger towards Aidan. "The only thing I am guilty of, Aidan, is seeking vengeance; while all you have been doing is hiding, cowering, behind your fears!"
"SILENCE!" Aidan shouts, emerging in his Balance Breaker armor. Kiba is startled a bit at such a sudden power influx that he took a step back on instinct.
"Aidan, stand down!" Rias shouts to her Pawn but he does not listen.
An angered Aidan approaches his fellow Knight. "You will now answer for your transgressions!"
With that, Aidan grabs Kiba by the collar, to the surprise of all including the Knight in question. Aidan's grip was tight as he lifts Kiba into the air, making the Knight struggle as he underestimates his strength. Everyone tries to get the two to stand down but none of them listen.
Summoning Silentium in his right hand, Aidan points it towards Kiba and thrusts it at his head.
*DING*
Kiba, with his Knight-like speed, manages to push the blade out of harm's way. Then, with his wings deployed, the two struggle and come to blows as Aidan rams Kiba into a tree, roaring as he does.
*BAM*
"Gaah!" Kiba cried.
"Stop this! Now!" Rias again commanded but her words fall on deaf ears.
The two soon fall to the ground, with Kiba on top of Aidan. Silentium was out of his grasp as he saw it to his left. Angered, Aidan pushes Kiba off of him and warps over to his sword to retrieve it.
But as he reaches out for the blade, it is pulled away by Kiba, who points it at him.
"YOU. WILL. STOP. NOW!" The booming voice of Rias rages across the area as she sends a powerful blast between Aidan and Kiba.
*HYU BOOM*
The blast had destroyed a tree and knocked it down to the ground. When the boys saw the blast fired between them, they had stopped and merely glared at one another, with Kiba holding Silentium at Aidan's neck.
Rias rallies over to her Knight and her Pawn and was about to say some words, only to get cut off by Kiba speaking to Aidan.
"You cannot judge me," Kiba proclaimed. "I am justice and vengeance incarnate! Don't you see? I was meant for this!" Aidan stands up as he glares at Kiba. "I was meant to claim my revenge on those who have robbed me of my life! To destroy the Excalibur by any means necessary! But if you and everyone else intend to hold me back because of this… then I will no longer stand as your brother."
With that, Kiba twirls Silentium and impales it to the ground between them.
*SHCHING*
The impaling was so loud it left a ring from the sword. Kiba then angrily walks out, away from the pleas of Rias.
"If you turn your back on me, we are forever enemies," Aidan warned. "There will be no returning from this, Kiba."
Kiba, unknown to Aidan, took those words to heart yet continued to walk away. Yet he knew in his heart, that his brother in arms and fellow comrade was right.
Back at Aidan's house, Aidan and Asia had returned and the latter retires for the night. Aidan was in the living room speaking to Uncle Deckard. All the maids besides Grayfia were present.
"So Kiba is now gone," said Deckard, as Karlamine pours tea into the elderly man's cup. He sat on one sofa while Aidan sat on the other, opposite of each other.
"Yes it is, Uncle," Aidan said as he leans forward, his fingers on the bridge of his nose like he was frustratingly thinking of what to do. He just explained everything to the Last Horadrim regarding the Exorcists, the Inquisitor, and their mission to retrieve the Excalibur swords. He also explained of Kiba's leaving and his reason, along with their fight.
Aidan then looks at his Uncle. "Kiba has now been consumed with hatred and revenge. Most of the time he was always focused in battle, but he's lost it, Uncle. And I don't know what to do. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a Stray."
"I am sure he will come back" Deckard reassured. "Such thoughts pass through like water over time. But more importantly, I am curious about this Inquisitor you mentioned, specifically of his sword."
"Yes," Aidan said. "He said it was El'druin. But that's impossible, isn't it, Uncle? Only the archangel Tyrael has wielded it."
"Of all the mortals, only one other has wielded it. Yet I believe this Inquisitor may be who I think it is but we won't know until we know the truth. What did you make of him?"
"He seemed to be…stern and strict, but also kind and faithful to his word. And he also seems to be a follower of justice, just not in an obscured way."
Deckard nods as he caresses his white beard, trying to figure out what his adopted nephew was thinking.
"I am also concerned that there may be Demons behind this plot, Uncle," Aidan spoke. "Considering what you and I know about the Grigori, I don't think these events and the thievery of the Excalibur swords are of coincidence, especially if the Exorcists and the Inquisitor have traced them here to this town."
Deckard agreed and nodded his head.
"So, what will you do?" asked Deckard. "Rias has asked of you not to interfere given of the deal she and the Inquisitor made, but what will you do if you believe the Demons are behind this?"
Aidan answered by saying, "I have a plan, Uncle, but its going to be very risky."
AT THE CHURCH…
Meanwhile, in a chamber that was created for baptismal purposes with a large pool of water that was only a foot-deep lied Irina. With no way to clean herself, she stood naked as she washed herself.
"I don't understand why I can't take a bath comfortably," she complained, bending over to fill some of the water in her hands before throwing it onto her chest. "I bet this is another trial from God."
"Do you really believe that?" Xenovia asked as she walked out equally nude when Irina turned around. "After all, you were the one who sent all our money," She angrily told her by pointing out to a painting of a saint that was drawn poorly hanging against the wall, near the entrance of the chamber. "For a fake painting?"
Irina however was offended. "What are you saying? That is the painting of someone who looks like a saint, according to the person in the exhibition!"
*SLASH*
Inquisitor Tyrannus, walking into the chamber with his armor and cloth still on, furiously made his appearance by brandishing El'druin and destroying the painting in one strike.
The two girls were shocked by his sudden appearance, with Xenovia quickly turning around and covering her breasts and womanhood. Irina did the same but lowered herself into the water.
"Master?!" She exclaimed indignantly. "Why did you have to do that? That could have been Saint Peter—"
But Irina's voice was silenced when Inquisitor Tyrannus used his powers to conjure up his tendrils of light from behind his back and grasp Irina's throat. He then does the same to Xenovia, holding the two by the throat and bringing them over to him, ignoring the fact that they were naked.
Xenovia and Irina try to break free from the tendrils of light, but the grip was too strong. They then saw the look of their master's glare onto them, showing discontent regarding their actions earlier today.
"Xenovia Quartet. Irina Shidou." Inquisitor Tyrannus spoke darkly, his tone of voice so harsh and cold that it brought fear to his two students as he looks at them. "I am gravely disappointed in you."
"But Master, please listen to—" Xenovia was silenced by the Inquisitor's glare and the tightening of her neck from the tendril.
"You deliberately disobeyed me. You kept information from me regarding your second mission. And what's worse, you nearly died in the duel. Do you understand what is now at stake? You jeopardized your future because of your narrowminded faith!"
Irina and Xenovia looked at each other nervously, knowing that against their master, they would be no match and had to come clean. "Master…ghk, have mercy, please." Xenovia struggled
"We would never keep anything from you," Irina tried to smile.
But Tyrannus' dark expression only tightened his grip at their attempts for pardon. "Then why was I never informed about your other mission?" He demanded. "As the Inquisitor of the Zakarum and as your teacher and friend, I am just about close to bring you over to the others to punish, if not execute you, for your treachery. If you wish to avoid such a fate, then you will give me your reason as to why I was never told of it."
The dark tone of Inquisitor Tyrannus' words scared his two students. Even if they had their swords with them, they knew they would be no match. Their teacher always surpassed them in their training, and not once had they won a match against him, individually or together.
With such fear from him in their minds, they looked at one another before they looked back. "We were told… not to inform you."
"What do you mean?" asked the confused Inquisitor.
"The ones who gave us the mission to capture Aidan Kain told us not to inform anyone, not even you," Xenovia explained.
Inquisitor Tyrannus, seeing that they are starting to tell the truth, lets them go from his tendrils of light, lowering them to the ground as their necks were free from the strangle, making them catch their breath. But Tyrannus' expression did not change as he held out El'druin to the both of them, demanding an explanation.
"Explain yourselves," Tyrannus ushered.
Xenovia, after gathering her breath, continues. "They feared that if anyone else is informed of the situation, more priests and Exorcists would come to this town to try to wipe out the evil within the Pawn. And they feared they would be killed, thus they sent only us two with the mission and strictly told us not to inform anyone unless more bodies were accounted for."
This troubled Inquisitor Tyrannus greatly. Either those who gave them the task were clever for not informing him or stupid. But he also feared that they may not have been what the two thought they were i.e. they could have been infiltrated agents of one of the three races. Despite knowing of Aidan's dilemma regarding Diablo, Tyrannus trusts his will and might to contain the Demon and control the power. But perhaps the Church is so consumed with fear that they are trying to find ways to break out of it and gain some measure of power that is not theirs.
For an Inquisitor, he would greatly disapprove of it. Yet he cannot help but wonder if the Demons have also infiltrated into the Church as well, spewing lies into the ears of its inhabitants.
"Master…" Irina spoke, catching Tyrannus' attention. "How can you not see that same evil that we do? The Devils are our enemy, and one of them contains the soul of something much more evil and much worse."
Tyrannus' expression calmed down as he closes his eyes, as if remembering something from long ago.
"Because long ago, I saw the same plight within humanity," The Inquisitor said. "I saw within them the same evil you saw. But then the sacrifice of one, who forsook his own power for his own humanity, changed my mind and made me see that there is no justice in murder."
He then turns around and takes his leave but before he disappears into the darkness, he recited some very familiar words that he spoke of long ago in another long lost age.
"I did call them abominations...and I was wrong! My vote is for them...For I would see what they might become...and marvel in it."
Xenovia and Irina were left confused as their master departed, looking at each other and wondering what he meant by them.
At an ice cream shop in Kuoh's town, Aidan sat and waited for two people he had to call. He told them to meet him inside the shop that was popular with many girls and women coming for sweet treats.
"Aidan!" The nephalem heard Issei's voice call out to him, and right next to him was Saji. "You wanted to see us after school?"
"I did," Aidan replied. "I will get straight to the point of this. I need your help."
"Sure, what's up?" Saji asked as he and Issei sat down.
Aidan then explained his plan to them on the basis of looking for demonic activity in regards to the thievery of the Excalibur swords.
And their reactions were exactly what Aidan expected from them.
"Hell no! Are you insane?" The two whispered loudly, looking at Aidan with wide eyes, thinking he was out of his mind.
"Surely you can't be serious!" Issei said.
"I'm serious," Aidan said. "And don't call me Shirley."
Saji jumped out of his seat and exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind?!" Some of the customers in the shop looked at him, which made him discovered to the point of embarrassment, making him sit down.
"You do realize that both of our Presidents would never allow this?" Saji whispered, scared of Sona's punishments. "We could get into serious trouble!"
"Forget that! We're going to get killed!" Issei exclaimed. "I mean you got Rias. She's strict, but kind and reasonable and downright gorgeous! But Sona is strict AND strict, and would not hesitate to punish us!"
Saji then jumped out of his seat. "Do what you want, but leave me out of this," He demanded and turned around, only to flinch and yelp at something in front of him.
That something was what Aidan would call his insurance in the form of Koneko, holding an ice cream. "...I had a feeling you'd try to run away," She said in her usual tone.
A moment later and Koneko sat with them, along with Saji who was comically crying. "I wanna go home..." He whimpered.
"...So you want to cooperate with the Church?" asked Koneko with wide eyes.
"Only to look for clues to demonic activity," Aidan said. "I know that those three want the swords destroyed rather than have them fall into the wrong hands, but if the Fallen Angel Kokabiel is aligned with the Demons, then the situation is gone from bad to worse. We need more proof if the Burning Hells are moving again in the form of a Fallen Angel."
"But the Church also wants your head," Koneko reminded him. "Do you really think it's wise to go to them?"
"Kiba wants to win against the Excalibur and claim his vengeance, bringing justice to his comrades' death. Inquisitor Tyrannus, Xenovia, and Irina want to retrieve the Excalibur from the Fallen Angels even if they have to destroy them. And we wish to join not only because this is our town but also on the basis if the Demons are involved. And besides, I doubt the Inquisitor will let the Church capture me. What is left is to see if those two will listen to the words of a nephalem and his Devil compatriots."
"This is a big gamble your are playing with, Aidan," commented Issei, with Koneko nodding in agreement.
"I know the stakes and risk, but we cannot just play into the Demons' hands like last time," Aidan said. "If we simply stay put, Hell will follow. That's why we are keeping this a secret from our masters. And we may not have a lot of time before Kiba is declared a a Stray. If you are willing to join me, then make your decision.
Koneko then stood up, along with Issei, with Saji going along as well against his will. "I won't run away..." Koneko said with eyes full of strength. "It's for Kiba."
Aidan smiles and joins up in their stance. "Then let's do this."
Twenty minutes later, they continued searching for the Church trio. Along the way, Saji would not stop complaining about being dragged along for the ride. Issei was at first worried but decided to follow and trust Aidan's lead, even if it possibly meant getting punished afterwards.
"We've been at this for twenty minutes, you guys," Saji moaned with a hunched back. "Why do you need us for? You got those three Phenex servants."
"Too risky," Aidan said. "I don't want to get the Phenex Family or Grayfia involved in this in any way whatsoever. We need to be secretive about this, off the record."
"But where could they be?" asked Issei, looking around the marketplace they were trekking through. "It's not like we're going to find a pair of girls wearing white robes, and a big man wearing green clothing and golden armor."
"Blessings to the lost lamb." A familiar voice spoke out.
"Please give charity to us on behalf of Our Father in heaven!" Another familiar voice spoke out.
Speak of the Devil in some sense, the four found Inquisitor Tyrannus, Irina, and Xenovia on the road. The two girls prayed while the Inquisitor sat with a box of money for it to be placed in. Already the people were giving odd glances at them.
"Well…" Aidan said. "We don't have to look far."
LATER…
"Delicious!" Xenovia exclaimed as she rapidly eats her food. "I didn't think Japanese cuisine was this good!"
"Yes, yes!" Irina agreed, scarfing down her good as well. "This is the taste of the food of my homeland!"
Inquisitor Tyrannus had nothing except a glass of water.
After having them agree to let them buy food considering their shortage of money, Aidan and his friends brought them over to a family restaurant. The Devils ordered drinks while Xenovia and irina go out of their way to order whatever they want on the menu. Aidan must have guessed that they haven't had anything good to eat since arriving here, but it was better than just bread and water.
The girls eventually finished their fifth plate of food.
"What joy is there in all this?" asked Xenovia with her hood still over her head. "It's the end of the world to be helped by a Devil."
"To think we have sold our souls to the Devil," Irina said in misery with her hands clapped together in prayer. "How would we ever be forgiven?"
"You can be forgiven by stop making a damn ruckus," Aidan said in annoyance. "We came here to talk."
After finishing his water, Inquisitor Tyrannus places his cup on the table, getting everyone's attention. "So, why did you come to us?" He asked Aidan with a stern expression without hostile intentions.
Aidan took a somewhat deep breath. "We want to hep you destroy the Excalibur."
Xenovia and Irina both looked surprised of his proposal, while the Inquisitor's narrowed, meeting the nephalem's expression as he sat in silence waiting for a suggestion. While the other three of Aidan's were at least somewhat frightened by the look, Aidan was unintimidated, even if this action meant an all-out war right from the get-go.
"…Very well," The Inquisitor replied. "We will be glad to accept your aid. In return, you may destroy one of the Swords."
Irina protested, "Master, wait! You can't be serious!"
"He's right," Xenovia said, to Irina's surprise. "It would be impossible for us to retrieve the Excalibur swords and to battle someone as powerful as Kokabiel with just the three of us."
"But… even if it is Aidan, he's still a Devil, you know?" Irina argued.
"Actually, Irina, despite me being a Pawn, I am not a Devil."
"Huh?" the confused chestnut girl turns to the Dark Prince of Kuoh.
"The truth is…" Aidan took a deep breath. "I am nephalem."
"A what?" Irina asked, not knowing what a nephalem is.
"Half Angel, Half Demon; but stronger than both," Inquisitor Tyrannus revealed, stunning the two.
"Master, you know of these…hybrids?" asked Xenovia.
"More than you could know," Tyrannus said. "I am well aware of their kinds and the danger they possess. They are not too different than humanity itself."
While the two Exorcists did not know what their master meant by that, the Devils looked at Aidan and understood fully the meaning. They are well aware of the stories of the nephalem and just how powerful they are. Some would call them gods but the nephalem never actually ascended to be such a thing. Rather they lived out their ordinary lives in peace among humanity, protecting it from the shadows wherever danger lurked.
"With our Master, there is only 50% chance we will succeed in our mission and return home safely," Xenovia stated.
"Even so, we thought the success rate was high enough to come to this country prepreared to put out lives on the line," Irina said.
"I am well aware that your superiors told us to continue our mission and dispatched us here to finish the job," The Inquisitor said, leaving no room for argument. "You two are my students and the best the Church has to offer, which is why they sent me. And as in command of this operation, I will not accept any more arguments, nor will I accept your deaths should you fail. We will accept their aid and face this threat together."
Aidan nods and before long, he pulls out his phone to call a particular Knight.
Kiba meets with Aidan, Saji, Issei, and Koneko at the park at night. The Knight was waiting by the water fountain and luckily for Aidan, he showed no intention of assault, making it easy for Aidan to explain his plan to him.
"…I understand the situation," Kiba said with a sigh, looking at the three Church representatives with a glare. "But I am disappointed to know that the wielders of the Excalibur are giving me permission to destroy it."
"Didn't you recently abandon your place in the House of Gremory?" Xenovia mockingly asked, earning his hateful glare. "Since you are a stray, we can deal with you right here and now."
But just as the two were about to draw blades, Aidan holds Kiba back and Inquisitor Tyrannus does the same to Xenovia, albeit in a forceful manner of holding her hand tightly, enough to nearly crush it. Xenovia winces in pain and struggles against her teacher's strength before she is eventually let go.
"Kiba, we are not here to fight; only to destroy a common enemy," Aidan explains, trying to keep cool.
"Especially if that common enemy is the one not only behind your past but also the thievery of the swords," Inquisitor Tyrannus said, bringing everyone's attention over to him. "Your hatred and anger come from the fact that you alone survived the project."
"Obviously," Kiba replied in a low and cold voice.
Irina tried to reason with him. "But Kiba, thanks to the project, regardless if it failed or not, the research on the Holy Sword users showed results. That's why it created people like Xenovia and I who can synchronize with the Holy Swords."
*SLAP*
A loud slap was heard as Irina's face was turned to the left. Stunned, she holds up her cheek and slowly looks frontwards to see Inquisitor Tyrannus give off a furious look at her, having been the one to backslap at her. Everyone was shocked to see such a drastic move, even Aidan and Xenovia.
"M-Master…?" Irina hesitantly and fearfully whispered.
"Do you have any idea of the cost of it all, foolish child?" asked the Inquisitor very harshly to his student.
Irina was on the verge of tears, seeing her master in a look she had never seen before. He was usually kind and caring, helping her improve upon her faith. But now here he stood with a look if even greater disappointment like last night.
"Do you think it was a forgiving act to kill all of the test subjects because the project was thought to be a failure? Do you have any idea just how far the Church had fallen from this? How much more of a zealot can you be, or have you really diverged off of my teachings, Irina?!"
Irina didn't know how to respond. Naïve as she was, she was only going off of what she was taught throughout her childhood, literally ignoring the growing corruption within her faith as she believed it to be pure without question.
"Your Lord may have been more forgiving on those who killed the children," Inquisitor Tyrannus said as he turned away from her and looked down with disapproval. "But I am not. There was no justice in this…murder."
"What do you mean, Inquisitor?" asked Aidan.
Inquisitor Tyrannus looks at the nephalem before lowering his head and closing his eyes, remembering that day.
"When I was told about the project by one of my fellow Inquisitors and that it was deemed a failure, along with the fact that the clergy had begun to execute the children, I ran as fast as I could to cease their injustice."
Inquisitor Tyrannus recalls that day he went down into the chamber and held a little girl dying in his arms before she went limp. Then, his eyes were filled with anger as he turned to the arriving executioners.
"But by the time I had arrived, I was too late. All of the children were dead, killed by the poison gas induced into them. When the executioners arrived, I decided to impart my own justice… by annihilating them all with El'druin."
Tyrannus remembers when he took out his sword and killed all the clergy sent to kill the children. He left no survivors as he killed all those involved, even if they were not involved in the project per se. All that was left were bodies and standing on top was the Inquisitor as blood dripped from his sword. The blood of the guilty.
Once the Inquisitor opens his eyes from the flashback, he turns back to the nephalem. "Once I had finished with the execution, I had the Inquisition track down the man responsible for it all. The one in charge of the project. But before we could catch him, he was excommunicated by the Church for heresy and is now aligned with the Fallen Angels."
This made Kiba snap out of shock as he asked the Inquisitor, "What's the name of this person?"
"The Genocide Archbishop, Valper Galilei."
"Valper…" Kiba replied his name with hate to himself.
"So what does Freed have to do with all of this?" asked Aidan.
"It's not uncommon for there to be a commotion among those who have been excommunicated," Xenovia stated. "My guess is that he was hired right off the bat so long as his bloodlust was satiated with the killing."
"All the more reason we have to stop them," Irina said.
Kiba was silent for a moment, before saying, "Then I see no reason not to cooperate with you."
This brought a sense of ease to everyone, the Inquisitor included as he sighs in relief. He then turns to Aidan. "We will contact you when we are ready with a plan. When that time comes, meet us at the abandoned church."
Xenovia hands over a piece of paper to Aidan. "If something happens, call this number," she said.
"Thanks for the meal, Aidan!" Irina exclaimed. "Treat me again next time as well!"
With that, the three of them turned around and were off on their way.
Issei soon lets out a sigh of relief. "Whew. That went well," he said.
"We are not…doing that again!" Saji exclaimed. "We could have gotten killed or could have started another war!"
"Aidan… brother…" They all turned to look at Kiba, who was looking at Aidan. "Why did you do this?" He asked, surprising the other three. "You shouldn't be getting yourselves involved with my vendetta. So why?"
Instead of scowling and criticizing him for it, Aidan remained calm and simply gave a small smile. He then went up to Kiba and said something familiar, something Kiba told Aidan long ago.
"You and I… we don't get to hide."
This made Kiba gasp, his own words that he spoke to Aidan when the nephalem exiled himself in Entsteig come right back towards him.
"Everyone at home misses you," Aida continued. "If you continued this path, you will be hunted down as a Stray as I nearly did. I won't ask to understand the pain you went through as a child but I do ask of the pain that you would cause to the rest of us if you keep going like this."
"And it's not just your group," Issei said, making the Knight look at him. "Even Vice President Tsubaki is worried about you."
"She is?" asked a surprised Kiba, caught off guard of it.
"There are people outside of Rias' Peerage who worry and care for you just as they did to me." Aidan said. "If there is anything I would hate to see ever again, it is Rias in her devastation for losing someone precious to her."
Memories of Kiba's first interaction with Rias then coursed through his head, remembering that cold, dark night. "Rias. Of course," He said quietly. "…Of course…"
"Here's something I don't understand though," Saji said. "If the Inquisitor killed the guys who killed your friends, why did he let it continue for as long as it did?"
"It's because those that were involved kept it a secret even from him," Kiba explained. "Day after day, we were subjected to horrific experiments. Mere, innocent children stripped of their freedom and only treated as livestock, not even as humans. Like cattle we were ignored. But our dream was to live on, forced to believe that God loved us, and we were just waiting for that day to come in the belief that one of us would become special. But none of us could wield a Holy Sword and the experiment failed…"
"They used poison gas on the remnants once the project shut down, didn't they?" Aidan concluded.
Kiba nods. "I thank Rias from the bottom of my heart for taking me in as part of her Peerage. But the truth is that I only joined because of my comrades' sacrifice for my sake. I want to grant their souls the rest they deserve and not make their deaths in vain. I must prove that for all the work they did on me, I am stronger than the Excalibur."
Suddenly, Saji was crying aloud. Aidan and Issei looked at him in confusion at the number of tears spilling out of his eyes. "Kiba! I never knew you had such a horrible past, and I don't care about punishment!" He then turned to Aidan and looked at him with an expression of determination. "Aidan! Count me in! I'll use everything I've got to take down the Excalibur! What say you, Issei?"
"Count me in as well!" Issei exclaimed passionately. "I want to make those guys pay for Kiba's sake!"
Kiba then felt something grab the hem of his shirt and looked down to see who it was. He was surprised to see Koneko look at him with a worried expression.
"…I would get lonely…if you disappeared like this," She said. "I will help you, Kiba… that's why please don't go."
Kiba was surprised. Having known Koneko to be emotionless, he never thought to see her this way. Smiling in defeat if not laughing a bit, he said, "Okay, I give up. If Koneko says that to me then I can't do anything reckless. Okay, I will work with you."
He then turns to Aidan and holds out a hand. "Thanks to you Aidan, I know who my true enemy is. But since we are doing this together, we are definitely going to defeat the Excalibur."
"I wouldn't want anything more…brother," said Aidan as he grasps Kiba's arm and shakes it firmly.
The two brother in arms' reconciliation was now complete. After all, for people like Aidan and Kiba, they don't get to hide.
A few days later, Rias and Sona were back in the latter's sauna. The Gremory heir explained about what had happened with Kiba, as the Sitri heir takes in the information.
"I see," Sona said. "So Kiba did all of that?"
Rias nods with an expression of misery. At this point, everything was now out of her hands and she had to turn to one of her best friends for help. She needed to speak to someone who is also a master of a Peerage.
"Do you think… I made a mistake?" Rias asked as sweat starts to pour from their bodies.
"He is still a member of your House, is he not?" Sona asked.
This made Rias snap out of her doubt effectively immediate. "Of course he is. And no matter what he said, there is no way I let Kiba leave me like that. He's just being dramatic and needs time."
"I am not surprised," Sona chuckled. "The House of Gremory is famous for its strong bond between its family members and their servants, are they not?"
Rias nods her head.
"While I believe Kiba may have conflict within his mind and soul, it won't drive him to the point he will become a Stray," Sona said. "There is no doubt he will forever be a member of your Peerage and your household. Besides, it's not the first time you've had someone from your Peerage go astray, is it?"
Rias again nods, remembering Aidan's self-exile to Entsteig after he awoke from his coma. The memories play back like they were yesterday and now history, in some sense, began to repeat itself but on a less dramatic way in the form of her Knight.
"Kiba will come back to you, Rias." Sona reassured. "I know it. Because Aidan did the same thing before."
Rias stares at Sona for a moment in wonder before she smiles. Her best friend was always supportive of her, especially in her moments of weakness. And she was right. If Aidan could return to her, then Kiba could do the same.
"Thank you, Sona," Rias said.
"My pleasure," Sona nodded.
Just then, two small magic circles appeared before them, showcasing two small holograms of Akeno and Tsubaki.
"Excuse the intrusion, Buchou," Akeno said.
"Thank you both for all your hard work today," Rias told them.
"It is getting pretty late, though. What's the matter?" asked Sona.
"The situation has now become fragile at the moment," Tsubaki revealed, grabbing Sona and Rias' attention.
"How bad?" asked the redhead.
"Very," Akeno said. "It's them again, Rias. The Demons… are returning. And Aidan is following them."
"Aidan?" A worried Rias asked, fearing the worst for her nephalem.
Meanwhile, the man who had become Aidan's regular client and drinking partner was now sitting on the edge of a dock at a harbor. He was currently getting ready to fish and waiting for Aidan.
His phone soon rang, indicating Aidan. "Hello?"
"Ahz, it's me," Aidan said.
"Hey, kid! Where are you? I was just about to start without you."
"I'm sorry, Ahz, but something important came up that demanded my full attention. I won't make it to tonight's summoning."
But Ahz merely smiles with his eyes closed. "Damn shame. Alright. I'll call you another time. Later." Ahz ends the call and looks at his phone in amusement. "Only a Devil would cancel at a last minute, but I never thought a nephalem would. They're usually on time for things like this."
Ahz then turns around to see two figures. One of them was a handsome young man with dark, silver hair and hazel eyes. He wore a dark green V-neck shirt with a high collared black leather jacket over it, burgundy jeans with a silver chain dripping over them along with black leather chaps with three bands encircling his right calf, and black shoes with black buckles.
The second figure behind the first was hard to tell due to staying underneath a nearby tree and its shadows overcoming her. But by the looks of it, she seemed to be wearing a maiden's outfit and was of the same height as the first figure.
"Come to keep a sad, lonely old me company?" Ahz asked the two of them before tossing his fishing line into the water.
The two of them simply stand there, with the second figure gazing her pierced eyes over the water as if she was searching for something.
She then only said one word. "Somnus…"
Okay let's recap. Xenovia and Irina try to defeat Aidan and take him by force back to the Church to seal him but they fail. Kiba is defeated by the Inquisitor, and we know who is the mastermind behind it all. Or do we? The question now is, what are the Demons up to and how do they play a part in all of this? That will be explained next chapter.
For those that played Diablo III, you may recall that 2nd cinematic in the game between Tyrael and Imperius. Well, let's just say that for Kiba, justice and vengeance flow through him not like oil and water but rather a mix of the two. Vengeance for the deaths of his comrades but also justice to put their souls to rest. With him and the others now going AWOL, it is only a matter of time to uncover the truth of it all before Rias and Sona discover their activities. As ever, the shadow moves in ever at its own pace.
And finally, two figures I am sure we know of meeting Ahz (guess who he is?), and one of them knowing of Aidan's real name.
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