Kiba ran. That fight. He couldn't win. The best he could do was do a tactical retreat. Even when the opportunity was presented to him, he was still too weak to do it. He couldn't fight against even a single fragment.

"Ahaha! Mister Devil! Come on! Don't run now!"

The psychotic laughter of Freed echoed through the alleyway.

If Kiba wasn't so injured, he would have hid and planned a surprise attack. However, Freed's speed and reflexes had increased exponentially thanks to the Fragment. It surpassed Kiba's own and he had no way of fighting back against it.

He slid behind a dumpster, slowing his breathing. The sound of footsteps getting closer and closer caused his heart to pound violently against his sternum.

"Huh? You're going to hide? Really?" Freed said. "Mmmmm…"

Sweat poured down Kiba's forehead in droves. The sound of a trash bin being sliced in half echoed down the road.

"Huh? Come on! I'm on a time crunch! How long are you gonna make me play hide and seek for!?" Another trash can was cut apart.

Kiba looked around the corner and saw Freed stab a dumpster with the Excalibur. He pulled the sword out and scratched his head in confusion. Freed sighed. "Damn, I guess I really lost him…" He shrugged. "No big loss. When we get the other two fragments and the one from the other exorcist heading over here, Kokabiel-sama will destroy the Devils in this town."

Kokabiel? Kiba couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped from his throat. He covered his mouth. Freed didn't seem to notice it. If he did, he didn't show it. The man stuck his finger in his ear, twisting it a little before flicking a stray piece of earwax at the wall.

Kiba ducked behind the dumpster when Freed walked in his direction. The sound of footsteps rolled right past him and faded into the distance. Kiba waited a few seconds before letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. He slowly stood up and walked out from behind the dumpster.

The moment he stepped foot into the open, a blade slid cleanly through his abdomen.

"Pfft, you thought I left?"

Kiba slowly turned his head and saw Freed materializing into existence behind him.

"W- Wha-" A clot of blood forced its way out of Kibas mouth.

"Looks like this is the end for you," he said, pulling the blade out forcefully. He kicked Kiba in the back, forcing him to the ground.

Kiba turned on his back, not even caring that he was losing a large amount of blood from the open wound in his gut. "Y- You have?"

"Two? Yeah, pretty lucky of me huh?" Freed said. He raised the bloodied sword into the air and swung it.

"Your sister is going to kill you."

Shin stopped eating his meat lover's and turned his attention to Vivi. The spirit was sitting next to them. Akeno sipped water through her straw and smiled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, are you sure that you're supposed to be here? I heard from Ran that Akane hates this place," Akeno said. She reached over and wiped some tomato sauce from Shin's mouth.

"What Onee doesn't know won't hurt her," Shin said, swallowing his slice.

"Whatever. I'm heading out. I'll give you two some privacy on your date," Vivi said.

"It's not a date!" the two exclaimed. The other customers turned to look at them. Akeno and Shin shrank in their seats, faces stained red from Vivi's statement and the sudden attention. Vivi raised her sleeve and laughed into her hand. The two reminded her so much of…

Vivi's eyes dimmed. She had been remembering him more nowadays. Vivi banished the thought from her head. It's just because the Excalibur Fragments are in town, Vivi thought. She got up from her chair. "I'll see you two at home. I'm going to go for a walk around town to clear my head."

Shin looked at her with some concern in his eyes. He had noticed the light die slightly in Vivi's eyes. Years with her had allowed him to pick up on her more subtle emotions. And… despite it being Issei's birthday, Shin also knew that this week had another day. One where Vivi would disappear for an entire day.

"It's almost that day, isn't it?" he asked.

Vivi stopped. She turned around and gave him a sad smile.

"I'll be fine. I always have been."

"Day?" Akeno asked, watching Vivi leave the pizzeria.

"You know Vivi's true identity right?" Shin asked, biting into another slice.

"No. I don't think so. I just know she's your Sponsor," she said, picking up a pizza.

"Vivi's real name is Vivian. She is… the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Myth," Shin said.

Akeno's eyes widened. Kiba would have a field day with this. If word got out, Kiba might actually be angry enough to attack her on sight. Her mind began to turn. Kiba had been rather testy and angry in the past few days. Does he…

"Akeno? What's wrong?" Shin asked.

"Yuuto… doesn't like Holy Swords. You know that right?" she asked.

"I had a feeling. He'd been giving me weird looks since I saw him glare at me for using Clarent. But… I guess people have their own feelings. He has a reason for it, probably," Shin said.

"Well, there is. Do you happen to know about the Holy Sword Project?" Akeno said, placing her glass down.

"No. I vaguely know it from Kaa-san but I'm not too familiar with it," he replied.

"Well, the Holy Sword Project was a project initiated by the Catholic Church to create… super soldiers capable of wielding the Excalibur Fragments. It got the greenlight from all the leaders of the different denominations of Christianity and was carried out in secrecy from the leaders of Judaism and Islam," Akeno said.

"And… oh. Yuuto is the sole survivor of the project," Shin connected.

Akeno nodded. "Which is why I'm worried. Like you said, Yuuto's been acting hostile to you and Vivi for the past couple of days."

"Yeah…" Shin's mind flew to Irina and Xenovia. The two were here on work, bringing two fragments of the Excalibur with them. Vivi, Yuuto, Xenovia, and Irina in the same town. That was a recipe for disaster. A war could very well spark between Heaven and Hell over Yuuto killing the two, not to mention the God who sponsored Irina. "Akeno-senpai, there's something I have to tell you."

Akeno's face became serious. Shin had called her "Senpai". He rarely called her that nowadays. "What is it?"

Vivi walked down the street with her hands in her jacket pocket. 1521 years. To her, it was the longest and also the shortest length of time she had ever lived through. The world had changed so much since she left her lake. It was almost that time of year. She needed to complete her yearly ritual.

Her path led her to a flower shop on the outskirts of the residential area.

"Ara, Vivi-chan. Is it that time?" an old lady called out to her.

"Ah! Oba-san. Yeah, the usual please," Vivi said.

"Ah, yes. Daffodils, dark red roses, and purple hyacinths," the old lady said, searching for said flowers.

Vivi smiled.

"Vivi dear," the old lady said, picking a few purple hyacinths.

"Yes?"

"I'll be waiting for the day you stop leaving these types of flowers at the grave. I'm sure he'd want you to be happy," the old lady said, placing the rest of the flowers in a bouquet for her.

"It's too early for that," she said sadly.

The old woman frowned momentarily before walking back over to her. She raised her hand when Vivi reached for her wallet. "This one's on the house. I owe you for that sugar."

"But Oba-san, these-"

"Just take them. Besides, it's an important time of the year."

Vivi sighed and took the flowers. "I'll be back with that 100 yen, Oba-san," she said.

"Suit yourself."

Vivi began walking back to the house. It was a tradition of hers to get these flowers a few days early. She had many things to prepare in lieu of that day. "Time to get eggs, flour, and… hmmm." she placed a finger on her chin. "Ne, Arthur, what would you like for dinner today?" she whispered to no one in particular.

A nostalgic smile crept onto her lips. "Mmm hmmm hmmm," she hummed a song she never thought she would hum in a thousand years. Her peace was interrupted when she sensed a familiar energy signature.

"An Excalibur? Is it those two?" she wondered. Vivi turned around to see that it was coming from an alleyway across the street. "Did that girl really bring Mimic out here to fuck in the open?" Vivi walked towards the alleyway. Almost immediately, her nose was hit with a coppery smell. She narrowed her eyes. "Hello? Irina? Did you stab Issei by accident or something?"

She peeked around the corner and dropped the flowers. "Yuuto!"

Freed stopped mid-swing and turned his sights on her.

"What… Vivi? Run!" Kiba yelled.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Vivi yelled, running towards the two.

"Heh? It looks like your girlfriend is here. Oh, wait! I have an idea! Why don't I have a little fun with her first? I haven't cut a woman open in a long time!" Freed said, running the blade of Excalibur Transparency across Kiba's cheek.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Kiba roared from underneath. His words fell on psychotic deaf ears. Freed disappeared in a burst of speed. It was a blink-and-miss.

"Vivi! Behind you!" Kiba yelled, trying to get to his feet.

Vivi turned around and saw Freed swing the Excalibur at her face.

"Heh."

Freed's psychotic grin turned into a look of confusion. The blade had stopped. No, it hadn't stopped. He was still pushing against it. The blade itself wouldn't move another inch. Vivi stood calmly across from him, the blade of Transparency mere centimeters from her face.

"What…?" Kiba looked on in shock.

"How? Come on move!" Freed pushed. He thrust the tip of Rapidly towards her stomach, hoping to run her through. However, the same thing happened. The blade came to a halt as soon as it got within 2 centimeters of her torso.

"Are you serious?" Vivi asked.

Freed jumped back and stared at her. "That was just a fluke! A fluke!" he dashed towards her, using Rapidly to enhance his speed. He did an x-slash with both swords, hoping to slice her into four. However, the same thing happened. His swing stopped as if the brakes were forcefully engaged.

"My turn. I hope you're fine with that." Vivi raised her hand and pressed it against Freed's torso. A concussive force equivalent to a speeding car ran through Freed. Freed felt the air get knocked out of him alongside the shattering of several bones and the tearing of his gastrointestinal tract.

He flew at high speeds across the alleyway, crashing into the wall.

"O- Ow, fuck!" Freed vomited blood.

"You survived? Any normal person would have been killed by that," Vivi said. She raised her hand. A series of blue cubes coalesced into a sword in her hand.

That sword is Clarent! The sword that Shin uses! Kiba thought.

"The weakest holy sword in the Round Table vs the Strongest. Let's see how you hold up," Vivi said.

"Tch!" Freed took a step but stumbled. Even if he was confident that he would win in every aspect, the injury this woman dealt to him would make him an easy target. For now, he needed to leave. "You win this round, bitch. For now…" He reached into the pocket of his vestment and pulled out a small pellet. He raised his hand and threw the pellet on the ground. A golden cross appeared from underneath him and swallowed him whole, erasing all traces of his presence in the area.

Vivi sighed and dispelled the sword. She turned around and saw Kiba's pale face. "Hey. Hey! Stay with me!" she urged, putting pressure on his wound. She lowered her head to his chest. His heartbeat's faint. I need to get him to Asia now! She thought frantically. "Can you handle teleportation?"

Kiba's blurry vision and diminished hearing only caught part of what she said. He nodded in his anemia-induced delirium.

"Come on, don't die on me now!" Vivi said. Water rose up from around them, encasing them in a bubble. In a flash of azure light, the bubble popped and Vivi and Kiba were gone.

"Isaiah! Calm down. All the food is still going to be here when you put your spoon down," she said.

Yuuto looked up, hearing a name he hadn't heard in years. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her. Her blue eyes shined kindly, patting his back. It was only then that he noticed he was choking on food.

"T- Tosca?" he coughed.

"Mmmm? What is it?" she asked.

"How are you here? You… You're de-"

A hard slap sent him to the floor.

"You idiot! Do I look dead to you?" she asked.

"S- Sorry. I just had the strangest dream," Kiba said, rubbing the back of his head in pain. "I dreamt that you and the others were killed. That we were trapped in that hel…" he trailed off, not even bothering to finish his sentence. He finally took in his surroundings for the first time. The dark, grimy walls with small windows only allowed in the minimal amount of sunlight to keep their bodies healthy. The less than sufficient ventilation produced choking thick air. He was back. Back in that hell.

"Isaiah," Tosca said, grabbing his head and laying it on his lap. "Just rest. Ezekiel and Ethan had to drag you back here after your trial that day."

"Ezekiel and Ethan? Are they okay?" he asked.

"They're just serving time in an isolation room as punishment. These people won't kill us, remember? Not until they get what they want," Tosca said.

"What they… want?" Kiba looked up at her face. His skin lost several shades of color and he backpedaled away from her.

Her face was slowly melting. The flesh adopted a texture and flow similar to that of a thick batter. It slowly fell off in clumps and hit the ground with wet, moist smacks. He backed into a wall, looking at her with a mixture of fear and horror. Bile and food slowly began making their way up his esophagus and to his mouth.

"What's wrong, Isaiah? You look like you've seen a ghost?" Tosca asked, walking towards him. Her skin had completely fallen off, revealing the bubbling muscle tissue underneath. One of her eyes popped out of its socket, remaining attached to her head due to the blood vessel that pumped blood into her skull.

"Y- You're not real. I'm dreaming. This is a horrible trick. I was… I was…" Kiba trailed off. The last thing he remembered before ending up here was Freed and her. He looked up and saw Tosca reaching for his face.

Kiba woke up with a start, gripping his chest. His heart beat a thousand times per minute. The sound of the contracting and ejecting of blood filled his head. Sweat poured down in droves and his breathing was labored. A sharp pain shot through his gut, forcing him to bend over in agony.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, kid. I thought you were a goner."

Kiba wearily turned his head. Riser leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"Riser-san?" Kiba asked.

"You should lay down. You lost a lot of blood. We contacted Rias. She should be here any moment now," Riser said, throwing a vial into the garbage.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We're in my room. Well… this is the guest room. I'm borrowing it for the time being," Riser replied.

Kiba turned his head and saw a photo frame on the bedside. He saw a younger Shin and Akane standing side by side. Shin was grinning, receiving a piggyback ride from his older sister.

"Who brought me here?" he asked, trying to get out of bed.

Riser walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down.

"Be careful. Phenex Tears may heal wounds but they're not painkillers. You're lucky that Ravel had one on her. And for your information, it was Lady Vivian. She ran into you being attacked by a Stray Exorcist and saved your life," Riser said.

Kiba looked down at the sheets. He tightened his fist, grabbing a fistful of the blanket.

Why… Why did she save me? He wondered.

"Riser. Can I come in?"

Riser looked towards the door. "Look, Vivi is here with some Tylenol. I'm gonna go downstairs and prepare some food. You think you'll be fine here?" he asked.

Kiba said nothing.

"Look kid, whatever beef you have, do it outside of the house. I'd rather you not destroy my girlfriend's house while you're here," Riser said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked towards the door and opened it.

Vivi stood in the doorway, holding a tray with water and a cup with two tablets inside. Riser nodded at her and walked past, heading down the stairs. Vivi walked into the room, closing the door behind her with her foot.

"How are you feeling?" Vivi asked, placing the tray on the bedside.

Yuuto said nothing, preferring to remain silent. The creator of the object of his nightmares was standing next to him, looking down upon him with her false pity.

"Are you in any pain right now?" she asked.

"...ine…"

"What was that?"

"I said I'm fine. You can go now," Kiba said.

"You're not fine," Vivi replied.

"I said I'm fi-" Kiba winced, keeling over. The pain was still there. Even if the wound disappeared, his body was still experiencing the pain of being stabbed. The lingering aftereffects of a holy sword inflicting an internal wound.

Vivi sighed and grabbed his face with her hand.

"What are you-" his eyes widened when she forced his mouth open. She grabbed the cup and placed the Tylenol tablets in his mouth. Her blue eyes glowed with untold power.

"Swallow."

Kiba couldn't help but obey her. He swallowed the pills.

She nodded and let go of his face. Vivi picked up the water cup and offered it to him.

"Why did you save me?" he asked, taking the cup from her.

"Do I need a reason to save you?"

Kiba remained silent.

"You were being attacked by that Freed person, weren't you? I don't need a reason to jump in and help you. You're Issei's friend. Issei would be sad if you died," Vivi said.

"If I wasn't Issei's friend, would you have left me there?" Kiba asked.

Vivi sighed. "I don't know where this is coming from but… in all honesty, I'd still jump in. I'm not heartless. If I know I can help, I'll do it but I won't involve myself in something that I can't take care of. I could easily fight that ma-"

"Lies. Then where were you?" Kiba spat.

"Huh?"

"Where were you when the Church experimented on us? Where were you when they took the sword you made and used it on us!? Where were you!?" Kiba's voice began to grow louder and louder. "That sword you made has done nothing but cause suffering for everyone! Innocent children died because of that sword. We were just kids. But they used that sword as a reason to toy with our lives! In the end, we were just nothing to them but a means to get that sword! A perfect vessel for it! So tell me, oh Great Lady of the Lake." He didn't mean for it to spill out. It just happened. Her presence had pushed the words he had been keeping within him over the dam he carefully constructed over the years. Perhaps it was because she was Excalibur's creator that he could vent to her. Or maybe, he was pushing some of the blame onto her.

Vivi's eyes widened. He knew her title. She grimaced at the way he spat it with such venom.

"Where were you when the sword you created ripped people's lives apart?" Kiba said, turning to her with a look of despair on his face. Her emotionless face said it all. In Kiba's eyes, she was just as horrible as everyone involved in the death of his friends. He gripped the blanket tightly and stared down at the bed. The covers became stained with fresh tears. "You're just as bad as they are. In my eyes, the blood of countless children are on your hands. And you don't even care. Well… now I know. I guess meeting you hardened my resolve. Even if I have to kill you, I will not allow anything to get in my way… for them. I will destroy the sword you cherish mo-"

A hollow laugh escaped from Vivi's mouth. It wasn't the sudden laughter that startled him. It was how empty it sounded. He turned over to her with furious eyes and was about to yell. But the words died in his throat.

The look in her eyes bothered him. It sent a wave of unease through his entire body. Her hollow blue eyes stared into his own.

"Go ahead. If it will make you feel better, then destroy that damned sword," Vivi said.

"Wha-"

"That sword has done nothing but cause the misery of thousands, if not millions of people. It is the most worthless blade on the entire planet. The most useless weapon I ever created. It's a failure of a sword yet people still covet it? Why? Why would they want such a cursed blade? So yes, you'd be doing me a favor. Destroy the sword before it takes anything else. That sword knows nothing else but to take. You'd save me the trouble of tracking down all the fragments and destroying them. Maybe… Maybe then…" I can finally move on from this guilt I've been feeling, Vivi smiled sadly.

"You want me to… destroy it?" Kiba asked.

She was the Lady of the Lake. Why would she want a sword she was supposed to have cherished to be destroyed? None of this made sense. Was it all a trick? He shook his head and glared at her.

"Those poisonous eyes were the same as all the others who coveted that blade," she said. "But yours are different. You covet its destruction, not the sword itself."

"Even if you never gave me your blessing, I would have destroyed the blade regardless," he replied. Kiba threw off his covers and walked past her.

"I'll only tell you one thing," Vivi said.

Kiba's hand stopped shy of the doorknob.

"When you're faced with that choice of destroying the blade, remember that this revenge you've taken was never for your comrades. Revenge is never done for the sake of the dead. Revenge is always taken by the living who could never cope with the guilt they feel," she said.

I would know. No one in this world knows this better than me.

Vivi looked down at her hands. Their blood was still there. No matter how much she washed herself clean. No matter what life she led now. The blood of everyone in Camelot stained her forever. Shin knew this but he didn't care. He accepted her for who she was. However, even if she appeared to move on, there was always that part of her that would always be haunted by the mistakes she made. Vivi doubted that even if Excalibur was destroyed, the pain she felt each year would go away.

"Don't become me," Vivi said, looking over her shoulder and smiling sadly.

"I would never become you. Because unlike you, I'll shatter this blade with my own two hands. You're right. This wasn't just for them. If that blade is gone, maybe, just maybe…" Kiba trailed off and opened the door. He said nothing more and stepped out.

The door shut soundly behind him, leaving Vivi alone in the room with her thoughts.

"Hah… 1,500 years is a long time to be holding onto this. Arthur, please… tell me. What should I do?" she said.

"Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice. Princess Sophia has already informed me of the situation. That's why I called this meeting. I know that you and… your partner," Rias stared pointedly at Irina, "Well, just your partner had some business to attend to."

"Ehehe." Irina rubbed the back of her head.

Xenovia sighed and elbowed Irina. "Act befitting of your role, Tenka Seisai," she said.

"Ahem. As Xenovia said, we are here on business and ask that you either cooperate or remain on the sidelines," Irina said.

"Oh? Business?" Rias asked. And… Tenka Seisai? What's that?

Akeno stood next to Rias, calmly listening in on the conversation. Shin had already informed her of this situation and his suspicions over their dinner. She had an inkling of what they wanted but… the problem was staying out of it. Yuuto… Akeno thought.

"Our request-... no, we insist that you stay out of our upcoming mission," Xenovia said, crossing her arms.

"What is this mission exactly?" Rias asked.

Irina sighed.

"We are here to retrieve the Excalibur Fragments that have made their way to this town," Irina said.

"And pray tell, how did said Fragments end up in my territory?" Rias asked

"They were stolen," Xenovia replied.

"By who? Who would be brazen enough to attack the Church?" Akeno asked.

"One of the Cadre and a Top Ranked Watcher. The Angel of Stars, Kokabiel," Xenovia answered.

"You two will fight Kokabiel by yourselves?" Akeno asked.

"Well... if push comes to shove, then yes. But we are aware of the gap between us so we requested backup from the Church," Xenovia said.

"Backup?" Rias asked.

"One of the Current Saints of the Church is coming. The wielder of Excalibur Blessing will leave Italy within a week."

[]

Excalibur Rapidly

One of the Seven Fragments of Excalibur.

It was blessed with the power to grant its wielders extreme speed.

[]

Tenka Seisai

A title wielded solely by Irina Shidou.

In Italian, the title is Giudizio Celeste.

The meaning of this title is "Judgement of Heaven".

The origin of this title refers to the Contractor of a certain God from a certain pantheon.

Whoever wields this title is referred to as the Wrath of God.

We're getting to the meaty parts of the arc. Vivi and Kiba meet. And yes, Vivi does not like Excalibur. Even if she wants Shin to someday recreate it, to her, it's just a goal. Her actual feelings for the sword have been said in a few chapters already. Maybe she and Kiba can get along and destroy Excalibur together. Maybe get together afterwards *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*. Anyway, if any of you know flower language, leave in the reviews what Vivi's bouquet means and why you think she's getting those flowers.

Another thing I want to talk about will be the gradual shift of tone. Right now, it looks happy and whimsical but I'll slowly make the story darker. It's a gradual shift from light to dark. It won't be too obvious but it won't be too sudden either. I just want to make it clear that this story will not be overall happy what with "God" running around looking for four certain individuals.

And finally, guess who the wielder of Excalibur Blessing is.

With that, I once again am begging for your reviews! Please leave them! And remember to have a great day or not, the choice is yours.