Chapter 41: Clash of Blades
Soon everyone was outside the clubhouse, the two church girls shedding their white robes and revealing black leather outfits. The white cloth encasing Xenovias' sword dissappeared, revealing the massive blade that is the Sword of Destruction, while Irina pulled on one of the strings of her arm band, turning it into a brilliant katana. Adrian and Kiba stood opposite them, readying their Sacred Gear and Sword Birth respectively. Xenovia took notice of the magical swords sprouting around Kiba,
"Sword Birth, is it? I remember now, during the Holy Sword Project, one test subject facing disposal managed to escape."
"Oh Issei it's totally you!" Cried Irina, not even acknowledging Adrian.
"Hey! I'm your opponent! Right here in front of you!" Yelled Adrian.
"I feel like fate is making fun of me right now! My childhood friend who I grew up with has become a devil! What is happening?!" Wesker, standing by with the rest of the ORC, raised a confused eyebrow,
"Childhood friend?" He looked to Issei, "What a minute..." The photograph of the younger Issei and the Holy Sword flashed in his mind, and he turned back to Irina, She was the other child in that photograph! He realized.
"What does your childhood with Issei have anything to do with this?" Asked Adrian, more than a bit confused. Irina kept speaking to herself about how the situation was a test of her faith, but Adrian was hardly listening anymore,
"Okay hold on-hold on! SHUT UP!" He shouted, "You mean to tell me that you're going through a ten year plus heartbreak just because your childhood friend is a devil?" Adrian crossed his arms as Irina became even more melodramatic,
"Perhaps if I had stayed, maybe I could have kept Issei from straying to the path of the evil devils!" Adrian kept up a hard glare, and after a second or two, he bursted with laughter, doubling over and placing his free hand on his knee from rolling onto the ground. Irina stared at Adrian, more than a little offended. "What is so funny?!" Adrian took a moment to catch his breath, and explained,
"Issei didn't stray onto the path of the devils. I turned him into one to save his life." Irinas' eyes widened,
"...What?"
"Yeah. Before Issei, Calvin, Katrina or myself were ever devils, we went on a quadruple date with what later turned out to be fallen angels. I knew they were not human, but I didn't know what, and because of my curiosity, I got Issei killed by Raynare." Adrian took a deep breath, and pulled one of the rune papers out of his pocket, "I wished upon one of these to bring him back to life, and in the process of it working, all four of us became devils." Irina stared at Adrian in shock, "Do you or anybody from the church ever get your facts straight before making an assumption or accusation?" Irinas' eyes became shadowed by her hair, and she tightened her grip on her sword.
"So you were the one who turned Issei to the dark side..."
"Hey lady!" Damon shouted, getting the attention of Irina and Adrian, "This isn't Star Wars! If Adrian didn't turn Issei he would have died! Now shut up and fight!" Adrian readied himself, as did Irina, until they were once again interrupted.
"Hold on!" Called Katrina, quickly running to Adrian. When she was close enough she whispered to him, "If that Holy Sword is as powerful as I think it is, you will need something more than your typical blade, because I'm scared she might cut through it." Adrian looked down at his free arm, and gulped,
"Did not think of that..." he admitted.
"Good thing I did," said Katrina, offering him Soul Reaver. Adrian began to reach for it, until his Sacred Gear gemstone began to light up,
"Oh! Oh! Hold on! I've always wanted to try this. Adrian when you take hold of Soul Reaver, match your souls wave length with it. Trust me, you won't regret it!" Adrian raised an eyebrow, and slowly took hold of Soul Reaver, the entire sword glowing bright blue, and Adrian began to shout as blue flame surrounded his body. Soon the flame died, leaving Adrian unscathed, and the back of his Sacred Gear had changed into the fanged skull of Soul Reaver, brought to life with red gemstone eyes, and the serpentine blade exiting the top of his wrist.
"Whoa..." Adrian said, clearly impressed. His expression turned confused when he heard a new voice murmuring from his Sacred Gear.
"Wh-where...? Where am I?" Katrina stared hard at the Sacred Gear, raising a finger,
"I know that voice...that's Raziel!"
"The creature within the Soul Reaver," said Penglog, "and for the moment, Adrians' temporary partner and my temporary roomate." Raziel gasped loudly, as if he just saw Penglog in his full glory.
"Who or what the hell are you?"
"I am Penglog, the Bone Dragon. Katrina has lent her friend Adrian Soul Reaver, and I urged him to merge the sword with his Sacred Gear, therefore merging us into the same 'prison', for lack of a better term." Raziel paused, intaking the new information.
"...Can it be reversed?"
"If Adrian wishes to reverse it, which I would imagine he would, after this battle."
"Good. It reeks of death in here."
"...Well fuck you too...dickless wraith..."
"That's enough," said Adrian, making the two voices in his arm cease to bicker. "I'll give the Soul Reaver back to Katrina once the fight is over. Now can we actually commence the fight? Some of us don't have all night."
"Fucking finally!" Shouted Damon, bringing out his phone and holding it over his head, playing a song over the intercom system, specifically Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. Adrian shook his head, and once the music began to speed up, he and Kiba dashed at their opponenets. Irina tried to take a swipe at Adrian, but he blocked the Holy Sword with Soul Reaver, gripped the blade with his skeletal dragon hand, and landed a hammerfist to Irinas chest, forcing her backwards as she gasped for breath.
"Wha...? How...?"
"This arm of mine is the Bone Dragon himself, and I'm pretty sure that sword of yours isn't going to do shit," said Adrian. He then charged for her, Soul Reaver at the ready, and began to give and recieve sword strike after sword strike with Irina, each of them blocking as they do so. Adrian forced her back some more getting closer to the tree line, and the ground shook beneath them, making Adrian stumble and knocking Irina off her feet. They both looked to see Xenovia standing inside of a massive crater, pulling her sword out of the ground, while Kiba stood on the edge, looking down and in at her.
"The Holy Sword of Destruction. Believe me, this swords name is not just for show!" Adrian glared at the blue haired girl, and focused on his own fight. Irina stood back up, dusting off her rear,
"Hey Xenovia! Warn me the next time you destroy the ground!" She whined. She quickly retrieved her sword, returning to her original fighting stance, "Anyway, I think it's time we finished this game!" She then made a fast leap for Adrian only for him to casually lift Soul Reaver up at the last second, parrying Irinas' sword out of her hand, and landing a solid elbow to her abdomen. The force of the elbow made Irina lose consciousness, and Adrian caught her in his free arm,
"Yes, it was time to finish," agreed Adrian, and he rested Irina on the ground near the rest of the ORC. He then heard Kiba cough up blood, and turned just in time to see him fall to the ground, too hurt to fight anymore. "And then there was one," said Adrian. He and Xenovia stared each other down, slowly making their way to each other at a slow stride, then a run, and finally a sprint, and they clashed their blades together, sending sparks flying with the speed and ferocity of their strikes. It seemed like neither one was getting an edge, until the song reached the non-vocals section, and Xenovia brought a quick swipe past Adrians' face, making his head turn away. The ORC half gasped half cringed once they saw Adrians' face, and the Devil Virus screamed as he clutched his nose, or rather, where his nose should have been,
"OOOOW! You BITCH!" Xenovia gave him a smug grin as he glared at her through his fingers, but the smile vanished when Adrian took a swing at her with Soul Reaver, then a second, and finally he ejected Soul Reaver from his Sacred Gear, catching it with his normal hand, spun around once, and used the momentum to knock the Holy Sword from her grip, sending it flying into the air. He then stuck Soul Reavers tip into the ground, and with his normal hand clutching his face, he aimed the Sacred Gear at Xenovia,
"Devour!" Red energy escaped from Xenovia, entering Adrians' gear, and the holy girl began to teeter on her feet, "Discharge!" A red energy blast then shot from Adrians' gauntlet, knocking her off her feet. He caught the Holy Sword with his Sacred Gear arm, retrieved Soul Reaver with the other, advanced onto Xenovia, and placed the blades in an X formation at her neck.
"I believe this fight has been won," he breathed. He dropped the Holy Sword at her feet, turning back to his friends while reaching for his face again, a red and black aura seeping from the wound. "Can someone help me find my lopped off nose? It should be on the ground here somewhere..."
