People, enough with the PMs asking me for updates. So what if I updated daily a month ago? That was because I had everything planned out for those two arcs that just took place. Right now, we're getting into one of the deeper arcs of Highschool DxD, which means it will be harder to make a plotline. PLUS, there is also the fact that I have to focus on 5 characters and give them each the spotlight they deserve. Do you want this story to be rushed? I personally don't, that's why I'm taking my time. The least you can do is be thankful that there are already many chapters at this point.

Guest-Questioner: I only have one thing to say about that. The big question is that WILL Sora even want to go home when all of this ends? Not my problem if you don't like it.

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Highschool DxD, or any of its characters...

(Play - "Tension Rising")

Xenovia narrowed her eyes at the creatures that were all over the church, both out of confusion and anger. "I don't know what these things are, but they are desecrating a place that is sacred to the Lord!" she cried as she charged forward with her weapon, setting her eyes on the first Dusk that came into view. However, it easily dodged her attempts to attack with its squiggly movements, and it only caused her frustration to increase as the seconds passed.

Griselda rolled her eyes at Xenovia's stubbornness and made a mental note to scold her after this, before she turned her attention to the Dusk that made its way towards her through wiggling along the ground. "What on earth is this thing…?" She frowned at its unusual behavior, before she quickly dodged its attempt to swipe her off her feet with its own.

"Woah! These guys know how to fight back!" Irina exclaimed as she dodged the sharp claws of two Dusks that tried to slash at her with their long legs. This created an opportunity for the girl to counter with an attack of her own, but she couldn't focus on doing so without worrying about the other ones that threatened to blindside her without knowing.

The blue-haired exorcist became increasingly frustrated to the point that she became wild in her swings but the Nobody that she fought against dodged everything without much effort. "Why can't I hit these things? This is getting annoying!" Xenovia gritted her teeth, before yelping in pain when another Dusk managed to hit her with its sharp claws from behind. She quickly turned around and managed to block two more slashes from more Nobodies, as it looked like she was cornered.

"Be careful! These things aren't mindless and they're pretty smart!" Kairi warned as she threw her keyblade to the Dusk that was near Xenovia and directly teleported towards it, easily defeating it with wide sweeps and slashes that left the Nobody with no chance to dodge. She repeated this for the other Dusks that surrounded Xenovia, slowly helping the girl out of her current predicament.

"Kairi… knows how to fight these things? What could she be hiding? Does Gabriel-sama know anything about this?" Griselda said in her thoughts as she fought against another Dusk, following the redhead's tactic and managing to triumph over the Nobody that she was up against as it disappeared. "Well, what do you know? These critters aren't as tough as they seem!" She turned to the two young teenagers before charging towards the next Nobody that she saw. "You two, use wide open attacks so they have nowhere to go! They can dodge, but their reach is not that great!"

Irina blinked a few times in realization as she flashed a thumbs-up whilst grinning. "Ohhh, I get it! Time to switch it up then!" Her katana then changed into a naginata, which she held tight with both hands before smirking at the three Dusks that were before her. "Got you now, guys!" With her weapon's long reach, she was able to fight back against the Nobodies without letting any of them get to her.

Xenovia quickly recovered from the attack she received and took in Griselda's words as advice. "Wide open attacks, huh? No problem," she smirked as she leapt into the air and slammed her weapon into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that momentarily stunned some of the nearby Dusks. This gave her the chance to strike most of them down with the power of her Excalibur Destruction.

Wanting to help Xenovia, Kairi raised her keyblade towards the stunned Nobodies and uttered her spell. "Waterga!" A large ball of water shot out of her weapon and went straight to the Nobodies, blasting them away with the force of the stream. "Thundaga!" Almost immediately, she summoned multiple strikes of lightning towards the Dusks and caused a mini-explosion that severely weakened the remaining ones.

"This girl… can use magic too?" Griselda thought in surprise, wondering how a young girl was capable of conjuring such powerful spells. First, it was that key-looking sword she had, second was her knowledge about these creatures, and now it was her ability to use magic. However, the woman was quick to remind herself that they were still in the midst of battle and forced that thought into the back of her mind. "Think about it later! This is our chance to get rid of them!" She turned towards Irina and Xenovia and called out to the two of them. "Let's attack altogether! That should be enough to beat them!"

"Hai!" The two girls nodded as they joined Griselda and charged towards the stunned Nobodies with their weapons drawn. Kairi stood back and watched as the three clashed with the Dusks head-on, and the combined efforts of all the exorcists were enough to defeat all their remaining enemies. While she kept a close eye on them, she noticed a presence behind her and caused her to quickly turn around with her keyblade ready to block any incoming attack heading towards her.

(Stop playing - "Tension Rising")

The hooded figure had reappeared through another dark corridor, and he was clapping his hands slowly. "Well done… looks like you haven't lost your touch yet, little girl. I thought for sure you'll end up endangering yourself again. Keep it up, because you'll need it for when you face off with Kokabiel and his lackeys…" he remarked.

(Play - "Organization XIII")

"You helped steal the Excalibur fragments, didn't you? How else would you know about the thieves who took them?" Kairi scowled. "Are you planning to start another war again? Because me and my friends won't let that happen!"

"All I did was lend some people a hand, I have nothing to do with the actual time that those pieces got stolen." The figure shrugged his shoulders before pacing around for a bit as he looked like he was about to explain something. "I'm not the one who wants a war here, it's that ugly bat who's so eager to get his hands on the devils of this town. In fact, he was the one who wanted me to help him."

"Why would Kokabiel want to fight against the devils here? His fight is with the church, not them." Griselda asked with suspicion in her tone as the other two exorcists stood by Kairi's side, having finished dealing with the Nobodies. The moment she saw Xenovia about to charge towards the hooded figure, she was about to tell her to stay her weapon for now, but Kairi had beaten her to it by raising her arm to block the girl's path. Luckily, Xenovia seemed to get the message and simply remained in her place as much as hated it.

"That's the plan, isn't it?" The figure said in a sarcastic manner. "Steal the Excalibur pieces and use them to kill the two devils in charge of this town. Since their siblings just so happened to be two of the Great Satans, the Lucifer and the Leviathan, they will blame the church for what happened because of those Excaliburs and another war will take place. The ugly bat will throw himself into it after that to involve the fallen angels and he'll be satisfied."

All four girls had widened their eyes in shock at what they just heard. So that's what the Excalibur fragments were for, just a mere part of a bigger plan that would lead to another three-way . That was a clever plan on Kokabiel's part, but truly despicable at the same time. To think they were very close in playing into his hands…

"Good god… this became worse than what I thought it would be…" Griselda murmured, realizing that they definitely needed to meet with the devils of the town as soon as possible, if they wanted to prevent another war from taking place. "It's just what you would expect from a warmonger like Kokabiel…"

"I know, right? I'm actually impressed with his plan." The figure snickered as he turned back on them before pointing towards Kairi. "That's why you need the little girl's help for this, if you even want to stand a chance against the ugly bat and his goons. Better rally the devils of this town as well, 'cause you can bet that even with the four of you, it's not enough."

"Why would we even choose to ally ourselves with devils? They have no business in this matter. Kokabiel made a grave mistake taking what is ours, and we'll deliver divine punishment to him ourselves." Xenovia said with a hint of arrogance in her tone.

"As if. You needed the girl's help in beating those Nobodies, anyway. If it weren't for her, you'd have ended up in worse shape, Miss Exorcist." The figure scoffed, causing Xenovia to growl in frustration.

"The what?" Irina asked in confusion.

"You'll need her and her friends in this, even those devils, whether you like it or not." He turned his attention specifically towards Kairi, and the girl noticed it. "You're getting close to finding him, you know? You should know who I'm talking about…"

Kairi's eyes slowly widened as she turned her gaze to the ground, taking in the figure's words deep into her heart. An image of her spiky-haired childhood friend appeared in her mind while placing her hand on her chest. Was it the reason why she could smile once again, because she was closer than ever to finding him? She could no longer feel that void in her heart, meaning that the only person who could fill it was close.

"Sora… he's really here in this place?" she asked herself.

Griselda looked at Kairi for a moment, coming to the conclusion that there really was more to her than just being an innocent girl. However, she first turned her attention towards the hooded figure, still suspicious about what his real intentions were. "Why are you helping us? Aren't you supposed to be on Kokabiel's side? You also ordered those creatures earlier to attack us," she said through narrowed eyes.

"All I want is a good show, and you can't have that if one side has the full advantage." The figure replied as a dark corridor appeared behind him, and he turned around to leave. "If you have a brain, listen to the advice I gave you, or it's war for all sides like what the ugly bat wants."

(Stop playing - "Organization XIII")

As soon as he disappeared out of sight, Irina quickly turned towards Griselda, looking confused and had no idea what to do. Should they follow what the figure said and seek help from the devils, or deal with this on their own? Personally, she would rather ask the devils for help, because anything would be better than a war breaking out once again.

"What are we going to do, Miss Griselda?" Irina asked.

Griselda's gaze was glued towards the spot where the figure was standing just earlier as she seemed to be deep in thought. "We continue as what we had planned earlier," she finally spoke but now turned her head towards the redhead in their group. "...but I believe we are more in need of answers at the moment, about things that Kairi seems to know about."

Feeling that everyone's gaze was set upon her, Kairi took a deep breath and pulled out her Gummiphone in response. She was honestly expecting this since Griselda was Gabriel's Queen and with that guy in the hood basically revealing some important secrets about her, there was no way of covering it up. Anyway, since Griselda was close to Miss Gabriel, it's only fitting that she also finds out about this, right?

"Kairi, what do you know about this? Who is that man in the hood, and what did he mean when he said that we need you and your friends? What does he want from you?" Griselda asked, genuinely confused with this girl. From what Gabriel told her, Kairi was only a pure girl who had lost her friends and was on a quest to find them. She couldn't see much of that 'pure girl' after what happened just now.

"What is your connection with that man?" Xenovia asked, raising an eyebrow at her in slight suspicion. Since the guy in the hood knew Kairi, there must be something about her that they didn't know about.

"And what exactly were those things that attacked us earlier? They were pretty creepy…" Irina voiced out with clear confusion evident from her expression alone. Those things didn't look like they were devils of any sort, mainly because she couldn't sense anything from them. It's like they were… nothing.

"To tell all of you the truth…" Kairi began as she raised her phone for the three exorcists to see what was written in the journal recorded. "...I'm not from this world."

(Student Council Room; a few days later)

"Master Aqua is with your sister?! How did that happen?!" Roxas exclaimed in pure shock upon hearing what his leader just announced. Xion, who was standing beside him, felt the same amount of disbelief wash over her but was more speechless than her friend from this revelation.

"You heard it right," Sona replied as she made a quick scan of the letter that Serafall sent to her in response to the one she made a few days ago. "According to my sister, Aqua is doing perfectly fine as she is currently staying with her for the moment. In fact, she was with her and Lucifer-sama on the night of the Rating Game between Rias and Riser Phenex."

"How could've we been so blind?! She was literally in school with us at the time!" Roxas held his head in despair, feeling as though he failed horribly in what he was supposed to do. An imaginary light shone upon him to emphasize what he felt. "I can never forgive myself for this… she must be feeling so alone right now… without anyone by her side…"

"I'm sure she's doing fine…" Xion sweat-dropped as she patted her friend on the shoulder. "She's with Kaichou's sister, so I don't think she's all alone… if anything, I'm more concerned with how she ended up in the Underworld instead of this town."

"There's nothing in here that shows a concrete reason to that, Xion… which means that even Aqua is confused with how she landed in the world of the devils." Sona explained, causing the two to only grow more worried for the keyblade master. It was her idea to find Sora, and yet it was unfair for her that she ended up someplace else while they were now with their friend. "Anyway, the moment she heard from my sister that you two are now a part of my peerage, she was glad that you were both doing fine. She was worried for weeks regarding your condition that she ended up in the hospital after waking up in the Underworld due to having a breakdown from everything that was happening."

"We didn't mean to make her worry… we're as confused as she is," Xion looked down in sadness while Roxas nodded in agreement.

Sona looked at the two of them for a moment before continuing in reading the letter she had in her hand. "She wants you both to know that she is doing fine while living under the care of my sister and the other Maou, and tasked the two of you to keep an eye out for Kairi. Should you ever come across her, she wants you to inform her immediately through a letter." The girl looked up at her two servants before nodding. "If you ever want to send Aqua a letter, simply inform me beforehand. I will gladly send it for you as your King."

Xion nodded, while Roxas scratched the back of his head, looking more confused than ever. "Wait a minute, why is she staying in the Underworld, anyway? She could've gone to us while we were watching that Rating Game and see Sora altogether a few days ago." He frowned and crossed his arms, now becoming serious. "Didn't she want to rescue Sora and bring him back home? She's the one who came up with this plan in the first place."

"The reason why she is in the Underworld is exactly because of Ishida-kun. Aqua is currently working with my sister and the other Maou to find out why your friend is currently a wielder of a Longinus. As for your question, apparently she doesn't want to see Ishida-kun yet."

That reason was enough to catch Roxas and Xion by surprise, wondering what had gotten into Aqua's mind that would make her decide against seeing Sora. By all rights, after Kairi, she was the one who deserved to see him the most since she was the one who brought them all here in the first place.

"B-But why? Next to Kairi, she's the one who wanted to get Sora back the most… why would she not choose to reunite with him? Is there a problem? Is she angry at Sora, or something…?" Xion asked, feeling worried that something was forcing Aqua and Sora to drift apart. If this continues, there will be no way for them to return home altogether.

"I'm afraid that there is nothing in this letter that could answer your question, Xion." Sona shook her head, causing the girl to look down in sadness and causing Roxas to pat her on the back. "While I do believe that there is a personal reason why Aqua didn't want to see Ishida-kun yet, there is no way of knowing what exactly it is unless she reveals it herself."

Silence took over them for a few moments, before Roxas released a deep sigh. At this point, they can't do anything about what already happened and they could only accept what Aqua's decision was. "I don't know what's gotten into her mind but at least, we now know where she is. We can trust that she's safe with your sister, right?" he asked, looking at Sona with a frown that showed he was worried.

"That is correct," the Sitri girl nodded. Internally though, she was already fearing for what Aqua might be going through right now. According to the letter, her sister says that she 'loves having Aqua-chan around' that she already made the keyblade master an offer to turn her into a devil of her peerage. Of course, Sona knew more than anyone just how crazy Serafall could be, but it's better to have Roxas and Xion unaware of that…

"That's good, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go tell Sora about this." Roxas smiled, satisfied with what he had learned and was about to walk out of the room, only for Xion to grab his arm and made him stop in his tracks.

"Roxas, do you think this is the right thing to do?" Xion asked with a conflicted expression on her face. "We just found out that Master Aqua doesn't want to see Sora for some reason, don't you think that would make him sad? He knows that she's in safe hands, but something is preventing them from seeing one another."

"I know about that, but remember Sora's reaction when we told him about Master Aqua and Kairi also ending up in this world. I don't want him to find out about this through some other way." Roxas sighed, as he somehow blamed himself for Sora feeling upset a few days ago. "It's better if we tell him now, at least he'll know she's safe and there's no need to worry about her anymore."

Xion looked at her friend for a few moments, thinking deeply about his words before she sighed in defeat. "You're right… we should let him know, at least."

"I knew you'd understand." The spiky blonde grinned at her before he ruffled her hair slightly, causing Xion to roll her eyes playfully before she pushed his hand off and shoo'ed him away. Roxas turned his head towards his leader, who was blushing for some reason and shook her head furiously to get rid of it. "I'll be back, Prez. Just gonna go tell Sora about all this."

"Y-Yes, I know." Sona tried to say with her cold demeanor, but failing horribly when her mind was betraying her by having thoughts of Roxas treating her the same way like Xion.

This little crush she had on her own servant has to stop somehow…

(Flashback)

"Run, Isaiah! Run away and don't look back!" A young boy screamed in pain, looking like he wasn't going to last any longer.

"You have to get away! You have to survive!" Another child yelled out, coughing violently from the flames that surrounded the place.

More screams filled the burning building as time passed by, and they were all coming from young innocent children. There was nobody else around, meaning that they were all doomed to die on this very night.

"Don't… worry about us…!"

"We'll… be fine…! Go on without us!"

However, against all odds, there was a survivor who managed to escape the place a few minutes earlier. He was barely able to get out, and perhaps it was solely due to luck that he made it out of the building. The boy had sustained various burns and wounds along the way, but he was still in fine shape that he ran through the forest that surrounded the building.

He had short blonde hair and blue eyes, while appearing to be about 11 years old. The boy looked back at the building behind him, tears flowing down his cheeks as he knew that his friends were going to die.

"I promise I'll survive! I'll make them pay for doing this to all of you!" The boy swore as he wiped the tears off his face, clenching his fists in sheer anger towards the people who were responsible for this tragedy.

And with that, he ran away.

Isaiah had no idea where he was going to, but all he could do now was run away. He ran for as long as he could, just so he could be safe from those people that killed his friends, until he would eventually pass out on the ground out of exhaustion.

The last thing he could see before falling unconscious was a girl in red, and he was only left wondering what would happen to him next.

(End of Flashback)

"It's been a long time since I've dreamt about that night… I don't feel so good about this," Kiba said as he woke up in a cold sweat while breathing heavily. He held his head with one hand, trying his best to calm himself after a memory that he often considered a nightmare. As much as he hated that particular memory, it was the constant reminder of his reason for living.

Feeling that he wouldn't be able to sleep after that, Kiba shook his head as he got out of his bed and dressed himself up. There was no way he could fall asleep now, and the only thing he could do was prevent himself from losing it. "I need some fresh air," he thought as he stepped out of his home and into the street.

As he walked through the town, the blonde Knight began to reflect on the time when he used to be a human and not a devil. Those were peaceful days, for him at least, just spending time with the friends he made in that place. That was until that dreadful night, when he had lost everything and nearly gave up on living simply because he had nothing left worth living for. That was still during the time when he was an asset of the church and his enemies were devils…

Heh, how time changes everything then.

Yuuto frowned deeply as he looked up at the night sky. "To think… it's been that long since that night… but I haven't forgotten it yet. I must destroy all of those wretched—" Before he could continue with his thoughts, the young man cut it off as soon as he laid eyes on the familiar person across his path.

"You… You're a devil, aren't you?" The man said darkly with his eyes being shadowed by his white hair. When Kiba didn't answer for a few moments, the man clenched his fists and growled in anger. "Answer me!"

(Play - "The 13th Dilemma")

"It's you again…" Yuuto breathed out with a glare, realizing that this person was Freed Sellzen. Letting go of his inner thoughts about revenge, he regained his calm demeanor as he created a sword in his hand using his Sacred Gear. "I see you're back to spread havoc in this town, but I won't let you."

"Spread havoc? You think that's what I'm doing? You think spreading havoc is the way of God?" Freed said with his voice becoming emotional, clenching his fist harder to the point that blood was starting to flow down his hand. This caused Yuuto to raise an eyebrow at his strange behavior. Did something happen to him that he didn't seem crazy like the last time? But he didn't have enough time to reach a conclusion as Freed charged towards him with the sword he held. "You devils need to learn respect! I'll do God's work myself and eliminate all devils… and then I'll do the same to the church for spreading lies!"

The blonde man was able to raise his sword in time to block Freed's attack as the two were caught in a deadlock, but that was when Kiba had gotten a good look at the weapon his enemy was carrying.

"That sword!" he shouted in rage, completely ignoring the exorcist but not letting his guard down one bit. The holy aura of the blade felt very familiar to Kiba, and it was one that he honestly wished to forget. "Why do you have an Excalibur?!" No wonder he had that dream tonight… it's like his subconscious was telling him that his long-awaited revenge would soon be his.

"What, you think that just because I got kicked out of the church that I can't have one?" Freed spoke, clearly insulted as he kicked Yuuto in the stomach, sending the Knight rolling across the ground before he recovered quickly and got up. "I have a claim to these swords because they were the ones who raised me! But it's not like they're doing what is right anyway, treating these swords as sacred artifacts when we should be using them to get rid of devils like you!"

Despite the rage he felt towards the holy sword at the moment, Kiba could tell that there was something weird going on with Freed. He didn't look as crazy as he was during their first meeting, but he still retained the hatred that he had towards devils. The one thing that made him confused though, was that he now felt angry towards the church for some reason.

With his confusion equalling that of his anger, Kiba was able to ask his next question a lot calmer than before, but still enough to show that he was only suppressing his rage for now.

"When did you get an Excalibur?" he asked through narrowed eyes.

"Wasn't easy…" the white-haired priest scoffed. "I had to go against the teachings of the Lord and steal these from a few churches… but it doesn't matter! The church is not doing the right thing… it's filled with nothing but a bunch of filthy liars and hypocrites!" he seethed in rage, before pointing his weapon towards the blonde devil. "I'll do what the church failed to do, and eliminate all the devils from this world!"

"I'll destroy that sword before you get the chance!" Kiba growled with the same amount of anger inside him, as the two charged towards each other again and clashed with their blades. Sparks of light flew from both weapons every time they hit each other, indicating a clear stalemate between them. Knowing that he had to gain the advantage somehow, Kiba tried to rush behind Freed and attack him from the back, but the priest was able to detect it in time and kicked his sword away.

Now disarmed, Kiba quickly rolled away to avoid the next slash from Freed as he picked up his down weapon. He was about to charge forward again, only for an arm to block his path, surprising him.

He quickly looked at the person who was beside him, and his eyes widened slightly upon seeing a spiky blonde teenager whom he met a few days ago. "Don't let your anger take over you, Kiba. You'll end up endangering yourself even more. Stand back and let me handle this." Roxas said, frowning at the priest standing before them.

"Roxas…" Kiba muttered, quickly reminding himself that two of Sora's friends were now students of the same school as him and turned into devils under Sona Sitri's leadership. It didn't stop him from wondering how did the Nobody of Sora find him in this place. "Where did you come from?"

"I was on my way back home from some late-night shopping when I saw you fighting with this guy here," Roxas explained as he glanced back at the two paper bags filled with goods that he placed beside the nearest street lamp. "I learned about this guy from Sora, and I don't know what's about him that made you so angry…" he turned his attention back towards the Gremory Knight. "...but you can't fight in this condition. You'll end up getting yourself hurt. I'll handle this for you."

"No! This is my fight, so stay out of this!" Kiba shouted as he glared at Freed. His calm demeanor was completely gone and all that was left was his anger towards the Excalibur in the priest's hand. "I must destroy that sword!"

Roxas frowned at him in complete seriousness. He quickly realized that the Knight's anger was fully directed towards the weapon that Freed had. It made him curious with what he had in mind, but chose to ignore it for now. He'll get some answers later. "Kiba, I know how you feel, but you can't fight while you're like this. I'll deal with this guy for now and you can have him after I'm done, especially that sword he's carrying."

Hearing that he would get the chance to destroy one of those cursed swords was enough for Yuuto to calm down, releasing a sigh of frustration as he finally chose to remain in his place. "Fine… but that sword is mine, got it?" Yuuto pointed towards the Excalibur that Freed possessed.

Roxas only nodded as he now turned his head towards the white-haired priest, stepping forth with a scowl on his face. "I've heard about you from a friend, he says you're totally crazy and you don't care about the fact that everything you do is evil. Isn't that disappointing for a man of religion like you?"

"Whoever you are, stay out of this." Freed narrowed his eyes dangerously and pointed his weapon towards Roxas. "I don't want to hurt anyone that isn't a devil or a member of the church. Turn around and leave me to finish my business with the devil behind you."

"Now you're just being weird… since when do you care about who you're fighting?" Roxas remarked in a sarcastic manner, while also feeling confused. From how Sora described this guy, he was an insane bastard who thought that what he's doing was right and didn't care about anyone else. Seeing Freed like this… was somehow weird because he was acting so different. "Anyway, you attacked one of my friends, and I can't let that slide. Besides…" He threw out his arms and summoned both Oathkeeper and Oblivion, before twirling them in his hands. "...I'm a devil as well, so bring it on."

"I don't sense anything from you, but if it's true that you are a devil…" Freed narrowed his eyes even further, before he charged towards Roxas with Excalibur at the ready. "...then I will end your existence as well!"

Roxas ran forward as well, raising his keyblades high and bringing them down on Freed, who blocked the attack with his sword. The spiky blonde teen didn't waste time and followed it up with a horizontal slash that broke Freed's guard and allowed Roxas to deliver a series of dual-wielding attacks directly towards the man's midsection. He then finished it off with a X-shaped slash that sent Freed rolling across the ground from getting overwhelmed with the strength of two keyblades.

Kiba, who was watching from his place, widened his eyes slightly as he watched Roxas fight, being quickly reminded of how his friend Sora uses the same keyblades if he desired it. It was also because of this that his anger was slowly fading away. "Of course… this is Sora's Nobody, and he also consumed a total of 7 pawns. If anything, him and Sora are almost on the same level of power…"

Freed recovered from the attack a few seconds later, slamming his fist on the ground before getting up with an intense glare on his face. "I will not lose to a devil like you! I will finish God's work and prove to the church how they have been mere fools!" He pulled out his light pistol and fired several rounds at Roxas.

"Nope!" Roxas charged forward fearlessly and deflected all of the incoming bullets with his keyblades. As he was approaching Freed, the blonde Nobody quickly slid around the priest and threw his keyblades towards the man's back. Freed expected this and blocked both weapons with his sword, but much to his surprise, the two keyblades magically returned to Roxas' hands as the boy was now directly in front of him.

Freed's eyes widened as Roxas slashed through him completely with such speed that the spiky blonde teen ended up reappearing behind him. The white-haired priest immediately began to stagger and lose his balance, a clear sign of his quick defeat at the hands of Roxas. "This… This can't be…! How can a devil… be more powerful than someone who's been blessed by the Lord…?" he groaned, clutching his chest in pain as he turned around to face his opponent.

Roxas pointed the Oblivion keyblade towards him and smirked. "Had enough? So much for someone who's proud of himself for slaying devils wherever he goes…" he remarked with the same sarcastic tone he used earlier.

"This isn't the last time we meet…" Freed growled as a dark corridor appeared behind him and he stepped into ir, which was something that caught Roxas off guard. "...I will get rid of all devils, including you and your friend, and make the church pay for all that the wrong deeds they've done! I will continue God's work in his absence!" With that, he disappeared out of sight.

(Stop playing - "The 13th Dilemma")

"A dark corridor… I've seen those many before, and that means that this can't be good!" Roxas thought, gritting his teeth at the fact that the white-haired priest managed to get away using the very same method that he deeply hated. He dismissed his keyblades before clenching his fists. "He must be working with that Organization member, but one thing I can't understand… he wasn't acting crazy one bit while we were fighting… in fact, I didn't hear him curse or say anything vulgar at all… he's acting really different from how Sora explained it."

"You're not getting away!" Hearing Kiba's voice was enough for Roxas to snap out of his thoughts, as he quickly stepped in the way to prevent the Gremory Knight from doing anything stupid.

"Kiba, stop! There's no point in chasing that guy, he's gone!" Roxas raised his arms to try and stop the blonde man, who only flashed a savage grin before pushing him aside to continue on his way.

"I'll chase him down then… he can't escape me forever. I'll get rid of those swords if it's the last thing I ever do!" he said out of spite, before he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and forced him to turn around.

"Listen to me! If you follow that guy, you'll get killed!" Roxas shouted with a deep frown on his face, showing the same amount of seriousness that Yuuto had. "You saw how he got away? That dark corridor means that he's fallen to darkness, and that's something you don't want to go against while you're like this. It's suicide if you try and go after him right now! Do you want that to happen?"

Yuuto gritted his teeth and remained silent for a few moments, which meant that he was feeling conflicted now that he heard those words from Roxas. With a quiet voice, he turned his head away and uttered his response.

"No."

Roxas squeezed his shoulder slightly, not wavering in his serious look at all. "Then you have to calm down and think this through! You're not alone in this, you hear? I have no idea what happened to you that made you this angry, but you have to control yourself! If I didn't step in to help, you would've been in bad shape."

The boy's serious demeanor coupled with his reasoning was enough for Kiba to calm down completely, releasing a deep sigh as he turned his gaze to the ground. "Thank you, Roxas." He said in a much calmer voice, but it didn't stop him from feeling horrible that he let Freed get away with an Excalibur.

"You're welcome," Roxas nodded back in return as he let go of the knight's shoulder. "You better go home and get some rest. I reckon what happened tonight must have had a deep effect on you." The spiky blonde teen then walked towards the street lamp and picked up the paper bags that contained the groceries he bought. "I'll head home and tell Sona about all this, because I have a feeling that there's more to that guy than just being a rogue exorcist of the church."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked curiously, frowning a bit since he was also quite intrigued with Freed's weird behavior tonight.

"I'm not sure about it yet, so there's no point in telling you." Roxas shook his head and looked towards the ground. The way that Freed acted… completely the opposite of what he was supposed to be as though he had lost his sense of purpose… was eerily similar to himself in the past. "One thing for sure, that priest is working with that Organization member Sora was telling us about. That's all I know for now, so go home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow at school!"

With a wave, Roxas ran off towards his home, leaving Kiba standing in his place. He felt deeply confused and angry at the same time, unsure of what he should do. Thankfully, the side of reason won over him as he began to walk off into the opposite direction, although he still felt bitter about his revenge being denied on this very night. As he walked back towards his home, there was only one thought in his mind, and it wasn't about his thirst for vengeance.

Was it really 'Freed' whom he encountered tonight?

And there we go. The exorcists and Kairi manage to fight off the Nobodies, and Luxu gives them a big hint in what they should do. Why the hell is he helping them, though? I wonder what he truly has in mind. Kairi is forced to reveal her true identity to them, otherwise she'd lose their trust. Next, Roxas and Xion find out that Aqua is with Serafall, Sona's sister and they are very relieved to know that she is safe. They have no idea why Aqua doesn't want to see Sora though, and hopefully our favorite keyblade wielder doesn't take that personally. Lastly, we see Kiba struggling with his past before having a brief encounter with Freed until Roxas stepped in for him and wins easily.

So, it turns out that Freed was the one who stole the Excaliburs but why is he acting weird? He's not as crazy as he used to, is he? Plus, Luxu said that the one who stole the fragments is an "empty shell". I wonder what the means, hahaha. It should be obvious for all the KH fans out there. Next chapter should be interesting.

Goodbye… and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*

-Lance