GBK 9

Merry Christmas! Got a few chapters for you guys to open at your leisure. Enjoy yourselves, and if you're interested, there's a quick update in the author's note at the end you may be interested in, and it'll also be on my main profile page. So yeah, give it a read if you... Oh, who am I kidding, you guys don't read this opening author's notes. So go ahead and continue reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online or Highschool DxD.

Late that night, Azazel pushed the door to the church open. The two girls were still asleep. Like Vali had said, it would be too easy to injure them severely enough to force them to withdraw. With their guard so lax, he could sever a tendon or break a limb and leave before either of them were even aware of his presence. Even still, that was a last resort, and things hadn't reached that point yet.

"You girls really should sleep on a proper bed." He said loudly, waking them both, "Otherwise, it'll really kill you a few years down the line."

"Fallen Angel!" The blue haired one, Xenovia, roared, swinging her Holy Sword of Destruction at him, but he blocked it with a wing.

"Honestly, you really shouldn't jump the gun like that." He said, raising an eyebrow at her, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd have never woken up. I'm sure you must've realized that I could kill you without waking you if I'd actually tried. Or are you really that eager to start a war?"

"Twelve wings…" Irina gasped, "You're Azazel?!"

"That would be me." He nodded with a small bow to her.

"Why are you here?" Xenovia ordered, backing away but not lowering her sword.

"To tell you girls to leave." He answered, "Go back to the Vatican, tell the pope I'll handle the Excalibur incident and return the swords. There's no reason for you girls to give up your lives on a mission you have no chance of accomplishing."

"For the glory of God, we have no problem with giving our lives!" She responded, and he shook his head.

"That's commendable. He's lucky to have such devoted and capable followers. However, there's a world of difference between giving your lives and wasting them. You have no hope of defeating Kokabiel. If you truly want to do what's best, leave. The only thing you're doing by continuing is hurting your cause. Kokabiel already has three swords, and he may already have another. Do you want to risk giving him two more?"

"We won't be misled!" Xenovia shouted, swinging her sword again, and he stopped it with a single finger.

"Then you're already dead." He warned, turning away from her and looking at her partner, "What about you? Your life is your own. Don't waste it needlessly fighting an enemy you can't possibly defeat. Return to the church. Tell your superiors that I give my full assurances that the swords will be returned shortly. That should be enough to quell any complaints they raise."

Unlike her partner, Irina smiled but still shook her head, "I'm not going to abandon my partner. Besides, as long as God is on our side, I'm not convinced we can't prevail against Kokabiel."

"You have your answer!" Xenovia growled, still trying to free her sword from his grasp.

"If that's your decision, so be it." He sighed, tossing Xenovia and her sword across the church. Before he turned to leave, Azazel tossed a cell phone to Irina, "If you find him, call me. The number's already programed in. Just in case you feel like saving yourself in the future." he whispered so that Xenovia wouldn't notice.

"Thank you for understanding." She bowed, slipping the phone into her pocket before Xenovia could notice it.

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time." He said, walking out the door, "I still think you girls should go home before it's too late, but if you won't listen, I won't waste my time. At least try to last long enough for me to do your jobs for you, alright? I've got my reputation to think of."

Kiba didn't come to school the next day, and it was clearly on Rias' mind. Even when she was overseeing the club activities, she wasn't herself. It wasn't just her either. Akeno seemed almost as concerned, and Kirito was willing to bet just about anything that Issei and Koneko's skipping the club meeting had something to do with Kiba as well.

Something had to be done. Kiba's mindset was all too familiar to him. He'd seen dozens of people just like him during SAO, working endlessly towards clearing the game without rest. He'd even been among them, after what happened with the moonlit black cats. If it wasn't for Sachi's message, he probably would've ended up like most of them. Just another crossed out name on the monument.

"Rias, mind if I go out and deliver fliers?" He asked after finishing a particularly annoying section of Yui's smartphone app.

She jumped slightly, before smiling apologetically, "Sorry, what was that?"

"Just wondering if I could go out and deliver fliers for a bit." He answered, stretching his legs, "I could use a bit of air."

"Sure, that'd be fine." She said, reaching into her desk and pulling out a handful of fliers, "I was going to send out my familiar later, but if you're offering, I won't say no."

"Thanks." He said, taking the fliers, slipping them into his bag and strapping his swords to his back.

"I'll come too." Asuna said, getting up from the other laptop where she was working with Yui.

"No need. I can-" He started to say, but she shook her head.

"I was planning to head out for a bit anyway." She replied, before adding into the microphone, "I hope that's alright with you, Yui."

"It's fine mommy." Yui smiled back at them.

"Let's go then." Asuna said like it was already decided, and Kirito just went with it.

As soon as they left the clubhouse, Asuna rounded on him.

"So, what are you planning?" She asked him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked convincingly, but she pointed at the swords strapped to his back.

"Something's been up with you all day, you randomly volunteer for flier duty, and for the first time, you bring your swords with you? I'm not an idiot, Kirito." She answered, "What are you planning?"

"...I'm going to try and talk some sense into Kiba." He sighed, "You saw him yesterday. He's not right. We've both seen exactly what happens to people like that."

Asuna nodded silently. She'd seen exactly the same thing as him, after all. She probably knew better since he wasn't particularly close to any of them.

"I can't let Kiba do this, and frankly, I might be the only one who can get through to him." He said, holding his sword's hilt, "If I have to use force, I want to be ready."

"I see." She nodded, taking the bag of fliers from him, "Then I'll do your work for you. It's probably the only thing I can do for now."

"Thank you, Asuna." He said, preparing to run off, but she grabbed his hand.

"Just come back safely, alright?" She whispered nervously, and he nodded.

"I'll be back before you know it." He promised, racing off as soon as she let him go.

The first place he went was to Kiba's apartment, but there was no answer at the door. Since he couldn't hear anything from inside, he was forced to conclude that he probably wasn't inside.

It wasn't for another half an hour, after searching at least a dozen different places around town (including getting uncomfortably close to the church), that he found him.

"Kiba." He said, stepping out from behind the trees in the park, where Kiba was angrily slashing at the trees.

"What are you doing here?" Kiba asked without slowing down. The sword in his hand was already dulled to the point of near uselessness, and judging from the appearance of the tree, it had been in that state for some time. Despite the rapid attacks, there wasn't much more then damage to the bark, and there were no clean cuts.

"We need to talk." He answered, "Mind sparing the tree for a bit?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Kiba responded, dropping his sword after a moment. The sword shattered as soon as it touched the ground, "I told Rias the same thing. This is my fight. You don't need to get involved. "

"I can respect that more than most." Kirito admitted, "But you're wrong, Kiba. You're our friend, that's reason enough for us to want to help."

"I don't need your help." Kiba said, finally turning to face him, and Kirito responded by drawing his swords.

"Then prove it." he sighed since it was obvious Kiba wouldn't listen to reason.

"Stay out of this, Kirito." Kiba repeated, creating a sword of his own.

"I can't do that." Kirito answered, and Kiba charged. Blocking his first strike, Kirito took a step back, then charged with a rage spike. Kiba sidestepped at the last second, and tried to counter before the skill lag ended, but he missed.

Seeing that, Kirito immediately followed up with Sonic Leap, and Kiba tried to sidestep it again, only to trip over his own feet and fall to the ground. Before he could get up, Kirito had him pinned to the ground.

"You see?" Kirito asked him, "What exactly do you think you can do when you're too exhausted to even fight properly?"

"I'll destroy Excalibur!" Kiba growled, creating a sword in his teeth and slashing at Kirito. Dodging by a hair, he broke the sword with a well-placed punch, connecting with Kiba's face as well.

"The only thing you'll destroy is yourself!" Kirito countered, "Look at you! We both know that I shouldn't be able to beat you! In any other case, I'd be the one on the ground! I get that you're pissed, but it's not helping! You're weaker now then you've ever been!"

"Shut up!" Kiba roared, standing up again and running at him, but Kirito easily dodged the slash and kneed him in the gut.

"Kiba, I'm going to stop you from getting yourself killed." He warned his friend who was doubled over in pain on the ground, "If you won't listen to reason, I'll drag you back to Rias and we'll tie you down until you do!"

"What would you know about it, huh?!" Kiba spit back, "You have no idea what it's like! You don't know what it feels like to watch your friends dying right in front of you and being powerless to stop it!"

For just a moment, Kirito snapped, and punched him full force in the face, knocking him into one of the nearby trees. While Kiba was still dazed, Kirito took a calming breath and sighed.

"You're wrong about that, Kiba." He said, "I know exactly how you feel. When I was in Sword Art Online, I was part of a guild called the Moonlit Black Cat. They were good people, training because they wanted to help clear the game even though they weren't the best players. I was miles ahead of them, but I still joined up with them to try and help them out a bit. But I was too stubborn to tell them my real level. I didn't want them to hate me for being so much stronger."

"One day, while we were exploring, we came across a treasure chest inside a hidden room. I couldn't stop them from setting off the trap in time. I tried my best, but there were just too many monsters, and I saw each and every one of them die fighting a hopeless battle that I should've been able to stop. In the end, I was only survivor."

Kiba had listened silently with a shocked expression on his face, and Kirito continued to the part he needed to hear.

"Afterwards, I got carried away with fulfilling their desire. I wanted to clear the game at any cost. I started fighting recklessly, leveling without any regard to my own safety. In the span of just a few months, I grew thirty levels and became the single strongest member of the assault team. On Christmas, after I nearly died fighting solo against a boss, I received a message from one of my fallen friends. She's probably the only reason I'm still alive right now. She managed to get through to me when nothing else would. Thanks to her, I managed to get back on track and put that incident behind me."

Kiba didn't respond to the end of his story, so Kirito knelt down beside him, "I'm not telling you to give up on your quest to avenge your friends. If it's something you feel you need to do, I won't stand in your way. But don't be reckless and don't go at it alone. We're here to help you, if you'd just let us."

"Kirito…" Kiba finally said after a few moments, and for the first time, he looked more like his old self.

"Don't live for revenge. Live for the friends you've made, both then and now." Kirito said, extending his hand to him, "If you do that, Excalibur won't have a chance."

"Thank you." Kiba said, accepting his hand and getting back to his feet, "I guess you're right."

"So how long have you been out here anyway?" Kirito asked, looking at the destruction of the surrounding trees.

"Since yesterday." Kiba answered truthfully, "I just got angry and before I knew it…"

"Go get some sleep." Kirito chuckled, "And make sure you go to school tomorrow. Otherwise, Rias will get mad."

"Yeah." Kiba nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, but then his phone started to ring. Shrugging, he answered it, "Hello? Issei? Yeah, I guess. I'm at the park. Meet you by the fountain? Alright then."

"Issei?" Kirito guessed, and Kiba nodded, "Any idea what he wants?"

"None, but I guess I'll go find out." Kiba replied, slipping the phone back into his pocket and turning to walk away.

"I'll come too." Kirito said, following just a few steps behind him.

Issei arrived at the park about ten minutes after he and Kiba did, and he wasn't alone. Koneko and Saji from the student council were with him, along with the two holy sword users.

"Issei." Kiba said, watching the two like a hawk, and Kirito sighed. It's almost like he'd already forgotten what they'd talked about.

"Listen, Kiba, we want to help you." Issei said, pointing to himself and Koneko, "We talked with the people from the church, and they're willing to accept our help and let you destroy one of the Excalibur shards that Kokabiel stole!"

"I'm somewhat disappointed." Kiba replied, "I didn't think that a wielder would approve of Excalibur's destruction."

"It wasn't my first choice." Xenovia admitted, "But we will use any method to achieve our mission, to retrieve or destroy Excalibur. I'm willing to allow you to destroy it if it will give us even a one percent increase in the success of that mission."

"Kiba, I think we should do it." Kirito said, patting his fellow knight on the back, "This is exactly what I was telling you about. Give us a chance to help, alright?"

"...Fine." Kiba said after a moment.

"Yay!" Irina cheered, and Issei breathed a sigh of relief.

Kiba looked at her and sighed, "About yesterday. I'm-" He started, but she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it too much." She smiled at him, extending a hand, "We're on the same side now, right?"

"For now." Kiba responded, shaking her hand.

"What'd you say to him?" Issei whispered to Kirito while Kiba and Xenovia were glaring at each other.

Kirito grinned, "Just a talk between men."

"That's it?" Issei asked in surprise, and he shrugged.

"There may have also been a fight." he admitted, "But nothing too serious."

"Did it work?" Issei asked worriedly, and he shrugged again.

"Hard to tell. So far, he's been within ten feet of two Excaliburs and not exploded, so maybe?"

Issei gave a soft chuckle, "I guess so."

"In the interest of sharing information, there's something you may be interested in." Xenovia said to Kiba in particular, "Following the Holy Sword Project, the man in charge, Galilei Valper was excommunicated by the church. Since then, he's joined with fallen angels, and given his knowledge of Excalibur, the odds of him being involved in this incident are very high."

Kiba clenched his fist tighter than ever, enough to actually cut him hand, "So, he's here then? Perfect. He's mine."

Xenovia actually managed a smile, "Whether scum like him lives or dies is of no concern to me. He's all yours."

Kirito couldn't help but feel uneasy about Kiba seeming so calm at the prospect of murdering someone, but given his past, it wasn't exactly hard to see why.

"Issei, we should probably get back to the club before Rias notices something's up." He pointed out to the pawn, "Since I'm assuming that she didn't sign off on this little plan of yours?"

Issei winced, "No, not really…"

Turning to Kiba, he added, "We can't do much right now. Go home and get some rest. We'll meet up later tonight, if that's alright with everyone else."

"Fine with us." Xenovia responded, and both Issei and Koneko nodded as well.

"Well, I'll be busy, and you guys should have more than enough manpower, so-" Saji started until Koneko grabbed him by the shirt.

"Come on, man!" Issei pleaded, and eventually he relented.

"We'll meet at the old church then." Xenovia said, pulling up her hood. "Irina and I still need to search for our comrade."

"Don't waste your time." Kiba said simply, "He's dead. I happened to be there a few days ago, the one who killed him was a stray priest named Freed Sellzen."

"The fucking priest is back?!" Issei shouted angrily.

"Hardly a surprise, in all honesty. "Xenovia said after a moment, "But a sore blow nonetheless. And the sword he was carrying?"

"Freed took it. "Kiba answered, and she nodded.

"I see…"

On that depressing note, the duo from the church split off to prepare for the search, and Kirito left Kiba to Issei so he could regroup with Asuna. On the way, back to the school, she listened to his update.

"I let you out of my sight and you get yourself into even more trouble…" She sighed, "Well, at least Kiba's not going off on his own. Besides, I guess it's overall safer for you to go with him in case he loses it again."

"Yeah." Kirito nodded, "So I probably won't be back until late. Sorry."

"Not a problem." she smiled, "But we'd better get back before Rias thinks something's up. We already been gone for a little too long."

Kirito grinned, "Well then…." he said, parking the bike in a nearby lot, "Grab on."

Asuna looked at him questioningly, but held on to him tightly, and he immediately took off at full speed, flying through the air while Asuna screamed.

Kokabiel smiled coldly as he ran his fingers across the four swords in front of him, "Rapidly, Nightmare, Transparency, and Blessing."

"I would have liked to reforge the sword in full, but four pieces should more than suffice." Galilei Valper said from across the room, "I should be able to start the ceremony in about an hour."

"No, let's wait awhile." Kokabiel responded, "After all, Michael's sent his fighters out. And both of them have a shard of the sword."

"Six of them…" Valper whispered in awe, "It would be nearly perfect... But I'll need to make alterations to the ceremony to adjust for the increased power. Please excuse me while I prepare."

"Naturally." He replied casually while the former archbishop left the room. Once he was sure that Valper wouldn't be eavesdropping, he smirked and turned around. Concealed in the shadows, nearly invisible in the darkness, was a girl with long black hair staring at the wall. "So, you don't have any problems with this plan, Ophis?"

"...No." the Infinite Dragon God answered without even looking towards him. Raising her hand, a small black snake materialized above her head, "As long as I can acquire the silence, I don't mind what you do."

"Once I've taken Heaven, it's all yours." He said, accepting the snake, "And thanks to this, it won't be long…"

Despite his insistence that it was necessary, Asuna insisted on waiting for him to come back, so at eleven, he waved good bye and walked out the front door. The street was nearly deserted, so Kirito didn't hold back his speed and raced across town to the abandoned church they'd decided on for the meeting. Kiba and the girls from the church were already there, and Xenovia and Kiba were still glaring at each other, but they didn't start fighting when there was no one to stop them. So, at least Kiba must've taken some of what he'd said to heart.

Saji, Issei, and Koneko arrived not long after he took a seat beside Kiba, which was nice considering that the tense silence was starting to wear on him.

"Any ideas where we should start looking?" He asked, but all of them shook their heads.

"We've been searching all afternoon, but we can't seem to find a trace of them." Irina sighed, "It's like they've disappeared."

"They've gotta be here, right?" Kirito asked, and Kiba nodded slowly.

"I tried to chase after Freed the other day, but he just disappeared." he answered, "Which means that they must have fortified a location nearby with barriers to prevent discovery."

"That's true, but it doesn't help much." Xenovia sighed, "If you really did follow him, then they could very well have moved their headquarters to prevent discovery if you informed your master. The odds of them even being in the same area is slim."

"But it's worth a try." Irina smiled, "Listen, we'll search that area and see if we can find anything. You guys look around the other side of town. We don't know the town that well, so you might find something we missed."

"Sounds good to me." Kirito said, and the rest of the devils nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Irina smiled, pulling out a cell phone, "Give me your contact information just in case you we find anything."

"Issei Hyoudou." Xenovia said while Koneko exchanged information with Irina, "I thought it would be a good idea to tell you that the White Dragon has awakened."

Issei stiffened at the statement, "Is that right? Well damn. I was hoping I'd be one of the lucky ones."

"What's up? Kirito asked in confusion, but Issei waved it off.

"Nothing we need to worry about right now. Let's get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Anyone have any ideas where to start?" Issei asked, and Kiba nodded.

"There is one place…"

Got the next chapter beta'd and the next four written, so this next bit is slightly less important in the context of this story, but still, better add it here so you know what's going on after those chapters are out of the way.

Now, onto a general writing status/update you should know going forward. I recently got a new job, and as such, my time spent writing has been reduced quite a bit. Between work and sleep, most of my writing is done on my day off with my beta, and while he does work on this story (I tend to prioritize stories he works on when I'm with him), it's also only one of many, so I can't guarantee I'll be working on it constantly. I understand that it's something you all want to see continued, and I vow to continue it, but while I'm adjusting to the new job and hours and such, I ask for your patience if the pace of the chapters slows back down. Thank you for understanding, and as always, I look forward to reading your reviews.