GBK 8
So, as always, I'm back after over six months. First off, I'm really sorry that I haven't uploaded for a while. But on the up side, chapters 8-13 are already complete, so I'll be pestering my beta to keep making some progress on them. In the meantime, I forced him to get this one taken care of, so here you are.
Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or SAO. No money is made from this story, and no copyright infringement is intended.
To Kirito's dismay, Asuna was awake when he returned home.
"Hey…" He waved nervously, and she stopped tapping her foot to glare at him.
"Where were you?" She asked, and when she saw that his jacket was destroyed from the stray devil's acid web, she clenched her fist, "Doing something dangerous?"
"...Would you believe me if I said no?" He tried hopefully, but her look immediately caused him to confess. Despite her anger, she listened to his account of the event, and when he finished, she sighed.
"You're such an…" She shook her head, "Listen up, because I'm only saying this once. You are not going to be going off on your own doing god only knows what without telling me in the future, understand?"
He looked up in surprise, "You're taking this better than I was expecting." He said honestly, and she smiled bitterly.
"I might be angrier if I could've actually changed anything, but since I'm still human, I can't be too much help. Still, I at least want to know what's happening. You can't keep me in the dark like this."
"...Okay, I'll tell you everything in the future." He promised, and she nodded.
"Good, then come back to bed. We still have school in the morning."
"Sure." He said, following her back to their bedroom.
Elsewhere across town, ignoring the rain pouring down on him, Kiba continued walking while lost in his thoughts. Despite his words to Issei, his time with Rias and the others was still important to him, but he could never forgive himself if he allowed his feelings for his new comrades overcome his desire to avenge his fallen friends. That was his duty as the only survivor of the Holy Sword Project.
"Please, help!" Someone shouted from behind him, and he turned around just in time to see a priest fall to the ground from an almost certainly fatal slash across the back. Even as he died from the wound, he refused to allow the sword to leave his hand.
"Oh, a bonus round!" A sickeningly familiar voice laughed from the nearby alley.
"Freed." Kiba spit, creating a sword for himself as the stray exorcist came into view. However, as soon as he saw the sword in Freed's hand, he felt a chill run down his spine. This sword was nothing at all like the previous sword of light that Freed had used. Freed didn't attack him immediately, though. First, he pried the sword from the priest's hand and slipped it into a sheath he wore at his waist.
Then, Freed grinned at him, "See something you like, pretty boy?" He asked, waving the sword around wildly at superhuman speeds, "I can't say that I blame you. But devil scum like you are only fit to die to my Excalibur!"
"I was right!" Kiba shouted, springing forward and forcing Freed to block with the Excalibur in his hand. Kiba's sword, the holy eraser, attempted to seal the light away, but it made no difference. The blade shattered long before Excalibur ran out of power.
"Did you think that something like that could work against the great Freed Sellzen with an Excalibur?" Freed asked, licking the edge of the sword.
"I was just confirming your words." Kiba responded, creating another, much stronger blade in place of the holy Eraser, "For once, Freed, I can say thanks. Now I get to not only shut your dirty mouth for good, but I can destroy that sword as well!"
"Should you really be making that face?" Freed taunted as he parried Kiba's superhuman speed with his own, even managing a small cut on his arm, "We wouldn't want it to stick like that, do we?"
"Shut up!" Kiba roared, giving a full-strength slash that forced him back, but he wasn't injured at all. Instead of counterattacking though, a small magic circle appeared beside his head.
"Heya boss." Freed chuckled, but then he whined, "Do I have to?" Sighing, he glared at Kiba, "Your life got an extension, Devil Scum. My boss wants me back right away, so I can't' play with you anymore."
"Wait!" Kiba shouted when he turned and fled, but he dropped his sword from the pain of the cut he'd received from Excalibur. It was an intense pain, the likes of which he hadn't endured since the final day of the project, when he'd been forced to breath in so much poison, but thankfully it didn't last for too long. The cut wasn't serious, so after a few minutes, he was able to pick up his sword again.
"So that's Excalibur." He practically hissed, but the pain of the sword only made his resolve stronger. He would destroy that sword. For his friends who lost their lives in the pursuit of it, and for the comrades he refused to allow to follow in their footsteps.
Atop the hill overlooking the city, two cloaked figured pushed the door open. Silently, they surveyed the damage done to the building. Pews were upturned, the altar was broken, windows shattered, and scars in the floor showed that a battle had taken place here. However, more than that, nearly every religious symbol in the building was defaced.
"So, our information was accurate." One of them said, pulling down the hood on her cloak, "The Fallen angels did indeed lay claim to this place."
"How cruel…" Her comrade replied, lowering her own hood as well, "Xenovia, how could they do this and still claim to love God?"
"We shouldn't expect anything else from creatures who have fallen from grace." Xenovia responded, laying her sword against one of the upright pews, "Surely you know that much, Irina."
"Of course I know!" Irina replied, face red, "But God teaches us to forgive, so I want to believe the best in everyone!"
"You're so naive, Irina." Xenovia sighed, "I can't believe you spent on our money on that dubious painting…"
"How dare you!" Irina shouted back, "A painting of a saint is worth its weight in gold! After getting it for the bargain I did, I can't help feeling like I should repent for swindling that poor man!"
"Let's just drop it." She sighed, laying down on one of the pews, "Fighting now will only get in the way of the mission. You're sure you know your way around this town?"
"Of course!" Irina said brightly, here previous anger already forgotten as she took out a picture of her with a young male friend of hers, "I used to live around here, after all. Maybe we can pay him a visit tomorrow? His parents were truly good souls, so I'm sure they'd offer us a room to stay in."
"We can check once we've met with Lucifer's sister." She replied, "Ensuring that the devils stay out of our affairs is more pressing than our accommodations while we're here."
"I know that too." Irina said, laying down herself on one of the other pews, "I don't think we'll have too much of a problem. If she really was the one who drove off the fallen here, why would she side with them now? She'll agree, I'm sure."
"I honestly wonder if it will be that easy." Xenovia said, closing her eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.
"So, you got chewed out, Kirito?" Akeno giggled after Asuna asked Rias to let her know the next time they did anything dangerous.
"I wouldn't say chewed out… "He answered, scratching the back of his head, "But maybe told off?"
"Regardless, I think it's a reasonable request. "Rias smiled at Asuna, "You have my word, Asuna. The next time we do anything dangerous, I'll be sure to let you know first."
"Thank you, Rias." Asuna bowed gratefully before looking around the room, "Where's Kiba? He wasn't hurt last night, was he?"
"No, he's perfectly fine." Rias sighed, leaning back in her chair, "But he hasn't been himself recently. I only just discovered last night that he got an unpleasant reminder earlier this week."
"What kind of unpleasant reminder?" Kirito asked, before remembering the look on Kiba's face when they were over at Issei's house, "Does it have something to do with a holy sword?"
Rias looked stunned by his comment, "I'm surprised you've heard of it, but yes, the holy sword is the most likely reason."
"What's a holy sword?" Asuna and Kirito asked at the same time.
"This is going to take a bit of explaining." Rias smiled, pouring a cup of tea for everyone.
"This is getting tiresome." Azazel sighed, staring down at the holy swordswomen from church entering their meeting with Lucifer's little sister, "I'd hoped to have this wrapped up before Michael sent his fighters, but too late for that."
"If you'd like, I could take them out." Vali offered casually.
"We're trying to show that we're not looking for war." Azazel reminded him, "Having you attack them won't help anything."
"They're here on a suicide mission." Vali reminded him, "I would think it'd be preferable for them to be injured by me before Kokabiel kills them. Besides, if it comes down to it, we both know I can defeat them before they can even perceive their under attack."
"If that's how it has to be, I'll deal with it." He replied, "In the meantime, keep searching for him. I want to know the instant you find him."
"Fine." Vali sighed, equipping his armor, "You know, Azazel, if you weren't so hands off, we might not be in this situation." Before he could respond, Vali had already taken off.
"Goodness, that boy is more trouble than he's worth." Azazel smiled, "But in this case, I can't really say he's wrong. I should've acted on this a long time ago."
Either way, crying about it wouldn't change anything. If Kokabiel was allowed to get his way, this world would end. And Azazel was willing to do whatever it takes to prevent that. Even if it cost him a friend.
Kirito watched cautiously as the two girls from the church entered the clubhouse, escorted by Akeno. As soon as he took a look at their swords, he felt a chill run down his spine. They were dangerous, alright. There was no doubt this was a holy sword. Inwardly, he was glad that Kiba had decided to skip school today. There's no telling how he'd react to something like this.
"I'm grateful you were willing to meet with us. "The blue haired girl carrying the larger sword said, taking a seat across from the rest of them, "My name is Xenovia."
"And I'm Irina Shidou, but you already knew that!" Her companion said happily, smiling at Issei in particular.
"Well, it's not every day that holy swordsmen come to see a devil, so I take it you've some kind of business in my territory." Rias smiled sipping her tea.
"As you're no doubt aware, there are seven holy swords of the name 'Excalibur'" Xenovia said, holding up her own, "Mine, for example, is Excalibur Destruction."
"And I have Excalibur Mimic!" Irina nodded, pointing to the string wrapped around her arm.
"Yes, I'm familiar with the stories." Rias nodded her head, "The greatest of them, Excalibur Ruler, was lost to the church as well, so there are only four other swords in your possession, correct?"
"Actually, there is only one." Xenovia answered, "Three of the swords were taken by Fallen Angels. Irina and I were sent to retrieve them, along with the wielder of the Excalibur Blessing."
"I see. And what does that have to with us?"
"All we need you to do is stay out of our affairs." She replied coldly, "If you do that, then we'll handle the rest."
"I would have done that anyway, so I can only assume that you believe we'd support the fallen angels if you didn't confront us directly." Rias said just as coldly.
"I wouldn't rule out anything if you believed you could eliminate a threat like the holy swords." Xenovia smiled, glaring right back into Rias' eyes.
"Well then, allow me to lay those fears to rest. I would never dream of assisting a fallen angel, and provided you cause no troubles for my household or the people living in this town, I'm perfectly fine turning a blind eye to your fight with them." Rias said with a smile, but her eyes were practically burning with anger, "So, is that all you have to discuss with me? Or perhaps you'd like some tea before you go?"
"No thank you, I'd rather not associate with devils any longer then I must." She said, standing up and hanging her sword on her back, "As a matter of fact, the only reason I came here today was that it was ordered to."
"Very well, though I'm sure you understand that I won't be helping you either." Rias said, clearing doing her best to reign in her emotions.
"That's fine. As long as you stay out, we'll be victorious." Before he left, however, her eyes locked on to Asuna, "You there, girl. Why would a human associate with devils?"
"Because someone I care about is a devil." Asuna responded without hesitation, "regardless of what he is, Kirito is still Kirito."
"Caring about a devil means you're beyond saving." Xenovia sighed, turning away.
"If you refuse to see the good in others, maybe you're the one that's beyond saving." Asuna replied calmly, "I'd rather associate with kind devils then malicious saints any day."
Xenovia's eyes narrowed, and her hand found the hilt of her sword, "What did you just say...?"
Before she could draw it, Kirito had his sword to her throat.
"I won't let you threaten Asuna." He warned, ignoring the outcry from his companions to stop.
"Cocky, aren't we?" Xenovia smiled, and the cloth fell away from her sword, "Is it a war you want? A war with the church?"
"Sounds fine with me." A voice said from the entrance to the clubhouse, and everyone looked towards it. Kiba stepped into the room, "I'll take all of you on myself."
"Kiba!" Rias scalded.
"And who might you be?" Xenovia asked, eyes darting between Kiba and Kirito.
"I'm your senior." He answered, "Nice to meet you."
"Kiba…" Rias sighed, but neither of her knights seemed likely to back down, "Let go outside first."
The entire group walked to the back of the old-school building, where they were safely hidden from the view of the rest of the clubs.
"Just an informal bout." Rias said, "No serious injuries on either side. Understood?"
"Naturally." Xenovia smiled, drawing her sword in earnest and swinging it a few times.
"Not to worry." Irina said, untying the string from her arm. It immediately transformed into what appeared to be an ordinary katana, "After all, this is against our orders too, so we wouldn't want to risk getting in trouble."
"I got it." Kirito nodded, but Kiba didn't respond.
"So, who is fighting who?" Xenovia asked once the rest were out of the way. She turned to Kirito, "It was you who started it, right? You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
"I could say the same thing to you." He said, standing opposite her.
"Then I guess that leaves us." Irina smiled at Kiba, and he laughed back.
"I wasn't expecting this at all." he said, and a dozen swords erupted out of the ground around him, "But for the very thing I've wanted to destroy for all these years to appear in front of me is truly a blessing. I guess god smiles down on devils every now and then."
"Isn't that sword birth?" Irina asked, and Kiba picked up a sword.
"So, that's what he meant." Xenovia said, paying more attention to Kiba then Kirito, "You're the boy who escaped the Holy Sword Project. I can't say I'm surprised you turned to be a devil like this."
"Save your pity." Kiba roared, leaping at Irina, who sidestepped the blow. After recovering from the shock of his sudden attack, she easily parried the follow-up and went on the attack herself.
Xenovia watched them with interest for a moment before she blocked Kirito's Rage Spike with the flat of her blade, "Do you make a habit of attacking someone when they're not looking?" she asked once Kirito had taken a step back.
"Not really, but if you see an opening, you take it." He shrugged, "So, you ready to actually fight now?"
"Fine, bring it." she answered, swinging her sword down and shattering the ground beneath them. Kirito jumped out of the way and charged at her from the side. Though taken aback by his speed, the size of the blade made it possible for her to block his attack with minimal movement. Immediately, she hooked the blade of his sword in her guard and twisted it, throwing his blade away and immediately following it up with an attack. Creating Elucidator again, he tried to block, but the sword split as soon as the two touched.
"The holy sword of destruction." Xenovia smiled, watching Kirito back away, "Flimsy swords like that can't stop it."
'No kidding.' he said to himself, grabbing the first Elucidator off the ground rather than waste time and energy creating another. Instead, he used 'Double Circular'. She blocked the first attack without a problem, but she didn't notice him create the sword until it was too late to block, and only just managed to dodge the second by the skin of her teeth.
"You've been holding out on me." She said, jumping back slightly to creating some separation, "Your sacred gear, what is it? It doesn't seem to be sword birth like your friend, and it's not Blade Blacksmith. So, what is it?"
"I haven't a clue." He answered, taking his stance anyway, "But you should know I'm not limited to swords."
"It doesn't matter either way." She replied, whether you have two swords or a hundred, I can destroy them all."
"Let's see it!" Kirito shouted, charging at her with Sonic leap. She parried the attack, and blocked when he followed it up with Slant. Before he could back away again, she swung her sword down on him.
Crossing his blades, he caught the massive blade. Contrary to her prediction, the swords strained under the powerful blow, but they wouldn't break. This seemed to catch even her by surprise, and she wasn't prepared for him to launch Vertical Arc immediately after breaking the guard. The first hit just nicked her arm, and the second would've sliced her leg pretty badly if she hadn't blocked at the last second.
"Well done." She said, looking at him with what might have been respect, "I concede this round. I can't beat you with this sword."
"You weren't bad yourself." He smiled, sheathing the Elucidator on his back again, "If your sword were a bit lighter, you probably would've been able to beat me."
"No." she shook her head, "You have me beat in speed. My only option is power, and you were my equal in that regard once you used that second sword. There was simply no other way the battle would've ended."
"Still, it was fun." He smiled, and both of them turned to watch the remaining fight.
After first glance, it appeared to be a fairly even match. Kiba's speed kept Irina on her toes, but she was continually able to block his attacks. However, looking at it more closely, the winner was obvious. Irina was too exhausted to be expected to keep up her guard for long. Kiba's attacks were too numerous and too fast. She didn't have any chance to actually counterattack. Xenovia sighed, shaking her head. At least she could see the writing on the wall. Rias, rather than looking glad that Kiba was doing well, seemed more concerned than anything else.
After a particular powerful blow, Irina's guard was blown wide open, and Kiba struck.
"I got you!" He roared, swinging down his sword with his full might. Kirito leapt forward and caught his blade in his cross block.
"That's enough, Kiba!" Kirito shouted once Kiba had taken a step back.
"Why are you getting in my way?" He growled angrily.
"That attack would've killed her and you know it." Kirito said while Asia was seeing to Irina's minor wounds.
"So?" He responded, "What do you care? This has nothing to do with you."
Kirito couldn't help but stare in amazement that Kiba actually seemed to mean that.
"Go cool off, Kiba." Rias ordered, stepping between them.
Kiba didn't respond, walking away without looking back.
Rias turned towards the two from the church, "My apologies for that." she smiled at them.
"It's alright." Irina smiled, transforming her sword back into a string and tying it around her arm again, "No harm done, and you did stop it before it went too far."
"You've my thanks." Xenovia said to Kirito, "Our comrade has been missing since he arrived in this town. If we'd lost Irina as well, I doubt I could succeed alone."
"The fallen angel is that strong?" Rias gasped, "I would've thought you could handle most threats yourself."
"The thief is Kokabiel." Xenovia replied, to everyone but Kirito and Asuna's astonishment.
"Just two of you?!" Rias shouted, "Two of you against a leader class? Are you out of your minds? This is a suicide mission!"
"Maybe so." She admitted, covering her sword again and putting her cloak back on, "But such is the importance of our mission. If we have even a one percent chance of success, it's worth our lives to try."
"Even one percent is overly optimistic." Rias sighed.
"Regardless, will you keep your word and stay out of our affairs?" Xenovia asked.
"I meant what I said." Rias replied, "However, just know that I will have to prepare to take action myself. A leader class being within my territory isn't something I can ignore."
"Provided you don't interfere with our actions, I don't care what you do." she answered, "Let's go, Irina. We've done what we had to."
"Sure!" Irina nodded, but before she left, she smiled at Kirito, "Thanks again! You really saved my neck."
"No problem." Kirito replied with a wave before watching them leave.
"Thank you, Kirito." Rias said once they were gone, "I don't think anyone else could've stopped him in time."
"No problem." he answered, "I knew Kiba was out of it, but…"
"I know." She sighed, "I think we'll end club activities for the day. I'm going to have to go have a talk with Kiba."
Kirito said nothing as she followed Kiba, but he knew the look on Kiba's face well enough to know to know that he wasn't going to listen to anything she had to say.
So, that's another chapter out of the way. I'm going to be closing the poll now since I'm starting to plan out the GGO chapters. So, with that in mind, I'll be writing the important parts and skipping the rest. As always, review to your heart's content.