With the help of the Student Council, a large protective barrier covering the entirety of the school was built up, and they themselves were maintaining the strength of the defense.

"We don't know how long this will hold, especially if the situation changes, so if you guys can, please finish this fast." Sona said.

"Here, let me help you." Kurin clasped his hands, and in sudden smoke, an identical doppelganger appeared.

"Wha-" All parties looked at the two. While both were similar in stature, one noticeable difference was there: While Kurin's longcoat was black, the doppelganger's was white.

"I've essentially put a bit of sustaining power in him to help you guys hold this barrier. I assure you, it's not gonna affect me much in this fight." Kurin explained, while his clone saluted.

"Whatever needs to be done, just tell me." He told them.

Tsubaki then returned after fulfilling her duties in taking care of Irina.

"Is Irina alright?" Raynare asked.

"Thanks to Argento-san, Irina is in no mortal danger." The Student Council VP answered, causing Asia to smile in relief.

"On the topic of the two, I know they'll show up. I did try to call Xenovia-chan, but nothing." Kurin said.

"And Yumi-chan?" Saji asked.

"No response from her either. But I feel that those two are alright. They wouldn't leave us behind to face a threat like this." The human said.

"In any case, we'll do our best to keep the barrier up, and with Kurin's assistance, it could be the boon to keep us going a bit further. That being said, it doesn't mean the school building itself will not suffer any damage. In any case, it would be a regrettable loss for all of us involved." Sona said.

"I'm not going to let that happen." Rias defiantly said.

"Rias, we still have time. Ask for assistance from your brother." Sona said, with a bit of a hint of pleading.

Of course, Rias shook her head. "Shouldn't you be calling your sister for help too?"

Kurin, unnoticed by everyone else, blanched. 'Serafall. Dear gods...I don't know if I could trust myself if I see her face again.'

Serafall Leviathan. Now that was a name he hadn't heard in a long time. Not since the last time they had met, which was some time after the death of his aunt and uncle. Frankly, he was relieved to not have heard anything about her, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he was prepared to see her again. But he pushed that thought aside.

"No need to worry, Sona-chan. Sirzechs-sama has been notified, as I contacted him. Surprisingly, though, I heard that Grayfia-sama had also notified him of it, as she was called by Kurin to notify her about the situation." Akeno said, who had returned from doing just that.

"Akeno?! Kurin-kun?! I didn't ask either of you to do that!" Rias exclaimed, taken aback.

"Rias, I know you don't want to trouble your brother with this, but we are facing an enemy that's just way out of our league. He's a Fallen Angel Leader for a reason." Akeno then gave a small smile. "We will need some help. Let's take their helping hand."

Rias sighed, and for Akeno, that was a sign that she agreed...even though she did not it.

"I called Grayfia-chan a while ago, and I asked her to give us an hour and a half before sending reinforcements, which of course would be here in no time."

"When I had called to inform Sirzechs-sama, he told me the same thing. We have an hour and a half before reinforcements arrive."

Rias smiled in relief. "Always one step ahead, both of you. We can do this now. An hour and thirty minutes, you say?"


Entering their building, Rias laid out her plans as, with the Undying Remorse's ability, the Evil Pieces flowed within Kurin with the 8 pawns and Raynare with the Knight.

"Kurin, with your immense strength, you're our main attacker. However, with your ability to share your energy and power, you can also be our support with Asia-chan."

"As you say, Rias-chan. However, I will be flowing my power the moment I complete the promotion to Queen." Everyone nodded at that.

"Koneko, Kalawarner, you both must protect Asia, as she is integral to our success. She is our only healer, and if she's down, we will fall one by one."

"Hai!"

"Everyone else, be on the offensive, but remember to be decoys for the other to attack if space is open. We are the ones who are on the offensive this time as we're storming the academy to prevent Kokabiel from unleashing his power, and unlike our battle with Riser, our lives are on the line. I'm going to make sure none of you will die tonight. Is everyone clear?"

"YES!"

"Then let's move forward!"

'Promotion: Queen!' Kurin felt the surge from the Rating Game mechanic flow into him, and his body glowed a purplish aura. He grinned, the Desolator just being kept patiently in his cloak. With his fingers pressed against each other, he pushed out his hands, facing the rest of his friends. "I'm ready. Flow!"

That same purplish aura flowed into the others, and they felt empowered too. While it would be concerning that the power emanating from a human is flowed into Devils and Fallen Angels, it would turn to be nothing but just a mild inconvenience to them, a twinge on their minds, but nothing more.

They approached the swirling yellow channel of magic.

"Is that..."

"Four Excaliburs, fused into a single one. It's what Valper wants, really." High up, Kokabiel said as he looked down on them.

"Sitting pretty on your chair, Kokabiel?" Kurin greeted.

"Keep that attitude, human, and you will surely die." He said.

Kurin chuckled. "I've heard that many times."

The Fallen Angel grinned. His sights turned to Rias. "So, is it Sirzechs? Or will it be Serafall? Which one will come to your aid, little Devil?"

"Neither. In their place, we will be the ones to stop you." She told him.

Kokabiel snapped his fingers, and he threw a light spear multiple times the size Raynare usually creates at the gymnasium. The gym was engulfed in an explosion that left lots of debris in its wake. Kurin stood, unflinching, using his shield to protect them.

"The gym's gone!" Raynare cried out. 'He's on a whole other level. Not even my strongest could scratch the one he made!'

[Are you scared, Kurin?] Sellorion asked.

He grinned at that. 'Of him? Nah. Vivian's near now. You and I can feel her presence even from here. When she arrives, we can then beat the crap out of him. Just have to delay long enough. Even with only us here, we have a good chance.'

"Since you came all the way here, I'll entertain you for a while."

The ground opened up in a blaze of hellfire. From the opening rose a giant three-headed dog.

"Cerberus." Kalawarner said in both awe and horror.

"The guardian of the gates of Hell." Asia said, fearful.

"He summoned it here in the human world?!" Rias said, eyes wide.

"Nothing we can't handle. The empowerment should give you a huge boost. That being said..." The familiar armblades appeared on his forearms.

"Xuelan-chan, Ray-chan, to me!" The trio charged forth at the monstrous guardian, weapons raised. Cerberus charged towards them as well, blowing out a searing flame breath. This was negated with Akeno's ice magic, switching into her priestess robes. The frozen breath shattered. More three-headed guardians appeared.

Koneko, Akeno, and Rias were busy fighting off one of them, while Kalawarner did her best to fight off one of them as she protected the ex-nun.

And from that, Xenovia appeared, cutting off one animal's head.

"You're late, Xenovia-chan!" Kurin called out.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?!" She called back as she sliced through one of the dogs in half. The dog faded into red dust. With the exorcist's help, they started to mount back a resistance. The girls started pumping more power into their attacks, reducing the guardians to mere dust. And that was when Yumi arrived as well, helping them destroy the last one standing.

"Good to see you." Rias said, embracing the swordsmistress.

"I had to come here. It's the only way this ends." She said. "And...I'm sorry for my behavior these past few days."

"It's alright." The ORC president patted her knight on the back.

"What a satisfying start." Kokabiel said. Rias retaliated by throwing a giant ball of destructive energy towards the Fallen Angel. He merely deflected it, and it struck back to the ground, creating an even bigger crater in its wake.

"Hmmm, interesting. This is the power at your disposal with the Undying Remorse's power augmentation." He grinned.

Back outside, everyone holding the barrier felt the immense power. They felt that they may not be able to hold the barrier if not for Kurin's clone, who was occasionally giving them the extra strength needed to continue putting up the barrier.

"It's done!"

"What?!" They all turned to Valper, who was grinning in anticipation of the completion of the sword.

"Oh damn. The sword's now fully fused." Kurin said.

Meanwhile, standing at the overlooking pass, the young White Dragon Empress watched. 'Ne, Kurin-kun, let's see how you'll fare. I hope what Azazel says is true.'

Back on the battlefield, the yellow circle's glow dissipated, and the sword stood on it's pointed end.

"Once the fusion is complete, I will take the energy exerted from the power of the sword. It's only a matter of time." Kokabiel said.

"You put that much power into a single earth-shattering spell?" Kalawarner asked in disbelief.

"You might as well leave the city while you can. This whole area will be razed in twenty minutes." Valper said.

"We're not going to let you make our home disappear forever!" Raynare said, light spear ready.

"If that's what you want, dear traitors, then the only way to do so is to beat me. So I ask you this," The wings came unfurled, and the throne faded away. "What now, Rias Gremory?!"

Rias and Akeno didn't need to speak as they unleashed their strongest blasts at the Fallen, but he just caught them with ease, surprising the two. Combining them, he threw the blasts back at Rias.

"Buchou!" Akeno and Raynare rushed to her defense. Kurin did so as well, even quicker, coming to the girls' defense, yelling out "Chaos Shield!" The ensuing blast resulted in Kurin taking up more than three quarters of the damage that broke through the shield, while Akeno and Rias only took minimal yet noticeable damage. All four of them had also taken clothing damage, with Kurin's cloak having more than a few holes here and there.

"Kurin-kun!" The girls yelled. Kurin was crashing down to the ground, but was quickly caught by Raynare, who was faster at flying down. Asia came to their aid, as did everyone else.

"Damn, this was my best cloak yet." He chuckled. When she was going to use her healing on him, he waved it off. "Not...yet, girl. Use your Healing Field, but for later."

"Are...are you sure you can stand, Kurin-kun?" Asia asked.

"Heh...give me time." He closed his eyes.

"Kurin!" Raynare quickly lowered her ear to his heart. There was still a beat. She sighed in relief. "He's not dead, at least."

Akeno sighed in relief. She turned to the others. "We may not last long. We can only stall until Sirzech's reinforcements arrive."

Kurin looked up at her, slowly opening his eyes. "Don't feel so down now, Akeno-chan. We can still win this."

It was then that they all saw Yumi approach Valper.

Her sword was ready. "Valper Galilei...you may not know me, but I'm the sole survivor of the Holy Sword Experiments. Though, really, on that day I did die. I am now reborn, and I will not die until I avenge my fallen friends!" She charged forth.

"Yumi, look out!" Rias said as Kokabiel threw a light spear towards her. Koneko and Xuelan tried their best to reach her, but the spear impacted the ground, creating a giant explosion. Both girls were thrown back by the blast force.

As the light faded, Yumi was revealed to have fallen flat on the ground. "Quick one, this girl. She was able to avoid a direct hit despite her currently one-track mind blindsiding her." The fallen angel noted. "Freed! Take the power of the Holy Swords into your hands and finish this once and for all!"

"With pleasure, sir!" He took the sword in his hands. "Now then, who wants first try?" He asked with a manic grin. Both Xenovia and Raynare took off to fight the stray exorcist maniac.

It took a while, but Valper realized who the struggling swordsmistress was as he approached her trying to stand as best as she could. The tired look on her face says it. "Ah, of course. I did hear of an escapee of the subjects, though I did not expect that escapee to be a Devil of all things! Amazing turn of events, really. I must thank you for what you've done really. With your contributions, the experiment was fully realized."

Yumi gasped. "The experiments...were complete?! But how?!"

"Quite simple, but it took me a long time to realize the answer." The ex-priest then explained just how.

"You see, in truth, I had realized that none of you can single-handedly be able to wield the power of the Holy Swords. You all tried, but in the end ultimately failed. This forced me to come up with that answer: to extract that power by force!"

'WHAT?!'

"I then found a way to crystallize that power." He revealed a blue crystal, showing it to everyone. "This crystal is made from their power!"

Yumi looked up, and her heart was falling into disarray upon realizing what had happened to her fallen comrades.

All the while both girls continued to do battle with Freed.

Upon seeing the crystal, Xenovia realized, 'That crystal...it's the same one Irina had taken into when were given the Holy Swords. So...it was to give the power that we lacked? So we were...' She did not want to continue that thought, for Irina's sake.

"Hypocrites, the church is. They exiled me as a heretic, yet they continue to use the fruits of my research. If it were Michael, he might have taken power without having to kill them."

Yumi stood up, despite the struggle. "Then...none of us would have needed to die. Why, then?!"

"In the end, in all of my experiments, you're just materials. Once it's done, there's nothing left but to dispose of you. What was I going to do if I didn't?" The ex-priest answered.

"How could you...we were taken, believing that we were serving the Lord, and we endured the excruciating pain that came from it. And yet...you thought of us as nothing except for your materials."

Asia, against Kurin's judgment, used her Healing Field, empowered by his share, healing up her friends. Yet one could see the sorrowful look she had upon listening to the exchange between the girl and the exiled priest, as did everyone else. Once the Healing Field's duration ended, she and Rias helped Kurin stand up.

"Would've wanted you to use it a bit later, but thank you." Kurin said, smiling as they walked on. He looked up at the spectating Fallen Angel leader. "He's

Valper threw the crystal at Yumi's feet. "Go ahead. You can use this crystal if you like. We have the technology to produce more refined crystals anyway."

The girl knelt and took it in her hands. "My friends..."

"How could he?!" Raynare said, embracing her boyfriend. "He won't live to see the end of today. He's gonna go to hell for this!"

"Tell me, Valper." Yumi said, standing up. "How many lives did you extinguish for your experiments and your greed?"

It was then that a blue light enveloped around him, and it manifested into numerous forms.

"Are those...people?"

"Yes. Most likely this was the result of this much power flowing around this entire area, along with the souls that Yumi's heart released from the crystal."

Unaware of what was happening around her, Yumi had wondered, "All this time, I keep thinking to myself if I deserved to live, while all my other friends had died. They had better dreams than me. They had a bigger drive to live than me. So...did I deserve this? Did I deserve to live in peace?" Then she looked around, surprised at the sight around her. Her friends' souls were all there by her side.

Kurin just smiled. "Ah, so it is time. Beautiful."

"What is it?" The girls asked.

"[When a Sacred Gear owner's hopes and dreams reach a certain, transcendent level, with a change in heart or spirit, their Sacred Gear will exceed its limits, thus the name Balance Breaker.]" Sellorion explained for the boy, as they watched the souls of Yumi's friends wrap around her, ultimately transform into an aura, eventually fading away.

"I understand now. My friends...they never wanted me to pursue revenge. They never did in the first place. However, there is still an evil that must be extinguished." A new sword appeared, this one much more different from before. It had a more distinguishable black streak along it.

"Freed!"

"Coming, boss!" Freed jumped between Yumi and Valper, his Excalibur glowing yellow.

The heretic priest gained a smirk. "You should've died when you had the chance."

Yumi had the support of her friends. Her family. The people that would stay by her side in her new life. She looked at them, then back at the evil standing in front of her, closed her eyes, and smiled.

"Thank you, everyone. With the support of my friends, my comrades now one with my soul, it is time we fulfill the regrets and dreams of the old days. As the knight of my President and allies, I will be their sword! Sword Birth!" Raising her sword, it glowed blue, white, and black, and it transformed into an entirely new one.

"This is the Sword of Betrayal, a holy and demonic sword!" Red inscriptions started to appear on the black streak of her sword.

"Amazing what Balance Breaker can do." Akeno said, astonished.

"A Holy Demonic Sword?! How? How could two opposing forces merge?! This could never happen!" Valper yelled. He honestly wasn't believing what he was seeing.

Yumi walked forth, flanked by both Kurin and Xenovia.

"Do we still stand as allies?" She asked.

"I hope so." Yumi answered.

"Don't think like that, Yumi-chan. You bet we still are!" Kurin said.

"Heh. Then let's work together to destroy the Excalibur." Xenovia said.

"Are you sure, then?"

Xenovia nodded. "That may be a Holy Sword, but it is not a sword that is truly holy. An anomalous sword, one can say."

Kurin nodded. "Right." The Desolator materialized, resting on his hands.

"Impossible! I thought that sword was destroyed!" Valper said, unable to fathom the reappearance of the red sword. Kurin could feel fear radiating from his body. He knew the tide was shifting against the old man.

"I guess you should've looked into it more, old man." Kurin told him.

Xenovia stabbed her sword to the ground and started chanting, "Petra, Basilius, Dionysus, and Mary, the Holy Mother, hear my voice." On her side, a magic circle appeared, and a blue sword bound in chains began to come out. Grabbing the hilt, the chains broke.

"In the name of the saint that rests within this blade, I will unleash..." With a swing, she points the sword towards their enemies. "...Durandal, the Holy Sword!"

"The Holy Sword?!" Yumi said in surprise, looking at the blue-haired sword-wielding exorcist.

"So it has returned, finally." Kurin said. "An Excalibur-tier sword that is said to be able to split anything in this world."

"How could this be?! My research has never produced anyone who can wield the Durandal!" Valper said, shocked.

Xenovia smirked. "You're looking at two individuals who can wield the sword. Unlike Irina or Yumi, we're all-natural." She said.

"Not one, but two genuine Holy Sword wielders?!"

"I've wielded the Durandal before, but I decided to leave that to Xenovia-chan for it, since I already have this with me. The sword can cut through anything it touches. I've trained her for a while to wield the legendary sword, but even then for both of us, it's difficult to wield it, so the sword's sealed in a separate dimension." Kurin explained. "And come on, if you saw me wield the Excalibur Desolator, then you'd realize that I'm a genuine Holy Sword wielder, right?"

"Nothing this sword can't cut!" Freed said and raised his sword. He swung down, only to be blocked by Kurin and the Desolator. The sword forced it to change form. It attacked again, only for Xenovia to cut it apart, forcing it to change form again. Kurin rushed his attack, but Freed backed away in time.

"Didn't see that one coming, did ya?!" Freed said. From behind Kurin, Xenovia leaped forward, sword raised.

"That isn't a complete Holy Sword. It's useless against Durandal!" Freed used the speed boost on his Mimic part to avoid her strike.

"ENOUGH WITH THIS! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" The stray exorcist roared.

"Your rip-off of a Holy Sword..." To his surprise, despite his surge in speed, Yumi was able to catch up to him quite easily. The two clashed, though it was obvious Freed was losing.

And then the sword broke. "...it won't ever break our ties!"

Freed crashed to the ground, the broken hilt right in front of him. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! No way a devil shit is gonna beat me—AAAACK!" He couldn't complete that thought, as his left arm suddenly got hacked off by Yumi.

"I have surpassed the power of Excalibur." She stated. She turned to Valper, who had collapsed onto his back, flinching at the sudden turn. "Prepare to die, Valper Galilei."

"My eyes don't truly deceive me...it isn't possible for the Holy and Demonic forces to converge, unless...that's it! I understand now!" Valper's eyes shined. "If the balance has shifted, then it is actually possible! Then that means that both the Maous and God have-" He would not finish that thought, as he was impaled by Kokabiel. Said individual lowered himself down.

"Valper, I must thank you for your contribution. You were very capable in furthering my plans. The fact that you had managed to get to that thought proved it." He said.

"What is going on here?" Rias asked.

"At the end of it all, they were just a means to an end. With their tasks completed, they've outlived their usefulness. I'm done being the watcher. Now I'll satiate my hunger for blood." He focused his view on Kurin and pointed at him. "You, boy. We do battle."

"No, Kurin! Don't!" They pleaded. Unfortunately for them, he took a step forward and didn't listen.

"Why do you want to fight me?" He asked.

"Does it matter?"

"To me it does."

He grinned. "You interest me, child. You seem to be the strongest among you, and you're a human at that. And also for me to send a message to your other girlfriends for not bringing me Sirzechs or Serafall to battle."

"Then let's get started, shall we?!"Kurin's Desolator dematerialized in favor of his armblades, charging at Kokabiel at fast speeds.

'I just need to buy time. Hopefully Vivian won't be taking her time for too long.'

Sellorion chuckled. [Like as if you need that girl to help you beat this one, Kurin. You have me!]

Kurin laughed. 'Yeah, but this is just the perfect reunion for another friend, really. Getting back Xenovia is one perfect reunion already, why not make it two?'

"You won't be laughing after this battle, child." The Fallen Angel warned, throwing a giant light spear that the human avoided, making sure his friends didn't get hit either.

"I'm only hoping to last long enough." Kurin answered.

"If that's your way of thinking you'll never win!" Kokabiel flashed forward and punched Kurin in the stomach. He recoiled from the hit, but responded with a slash across his face.

"You're too focused, in my opinion." Kurin mocked, and his body glowed purple. "Showtime, everyone!" What Kurin had done was flow his power into them once more. During the whole time Kurin had rested, he had channeled back his shared power back to himself to quicken his recovery. With the human back in full form, he flowed that power back to everyone in his area. Now everyone had glowed purple.

"This power...it's massive! You may even rival the higher-tier devils with this!" Kokabiel said in exhilaration. "It may look like I might not have to wait for Sirzechs with you all here!" He grinned. "Come! Unleash all your power!"

And unleash they did. The Two Great Ladies unleashed their destruction and lightning powers at him. As he blocked those powers, he would try to deflect it back, but Raynare and Xuelan were already in close range, about to strike him. As a result, he could not hold the momentum of both blasts and released them upwards, causing no harm done to anyone else.

Still, Akeno refused to back down. She shot another large bolt of lightning towards Kokabiel, but still, the wings protected him. "You dare attempt to stop me, wielder of Baraquiel's power?"

Akeno only upped the power she unleashed, glaring at him with unbridled rage, telling him, "Never associate me with that name!"

Like before, the wings merely left a slight graze on his clothes. He unfurled them. "Interesting group of friends you have by your side, Rias Gremory. A Sacred Gear-wielding human, a survivor of the Holy Sword Experiments, an ex-nun-turned-devil, two Fallen Angel traitors, a former Phenex peerage member, and Baraquiel's daughter!"

"So it seems my detection senses weren't wrong after all." Kurin had been meaning to ask Akeno about her mixed heritage when he detected Fallen Angel blood in her soul. While he never learned about her insecurities as a half-Fallen Angel and half-Devil, regardless of her answer, he would accept her just the same. While he didn't want to know it like this, it did ease his mind a bit about his suspicions. Either way, he still wants to get the true story about Akeno from the Devil-Fallen Angel hybrid herself.

"Like your brother, you collect trash. Purely undeserving of your status, really." He finished, about to land.

Rias grit her teeth in anger. "No one ridicules my brother. No one insults the Maou and gets away with it. And most of all, such words against my servants, my friends, my family?! You will be punished through death!"

Just as Kokabiel landed, he blocked a light spear throw from Raynare and a flame kick from Xuelan, summoning two light swords to battle.

Kalawarner had summoned her giant blade to assist, and Koneko charged alongside the blue-haired Fallen Angel, but like the other two, they were blocked by his strong wings.

"Pathetic weaklings!" He spun around, and so did his wings, slashing all four away from him. "That distraction play earlier was smart, preventing me to use the blasts directed at me, but still meaningless. This little diversion is also meaningless. Buy the time all you want, you've deluded yourselves into thinking you had a chance against me!"

"As long as we're standing we'll always have a chance against you! SWORD BIRTH!" Yumi unleashed her swords, forcing Kokabiel to protect himself with his wings and destroy them. Unfurling them, Yumi was right at his face, but the Fallen Angel leader held her sword down. Then she tried with her left, with the same result.

"What now, survivor?" He mocked, only to be surprised by her next move: she summoned a sword, with the hilt being held by her mouth, slashing him for the second time, this one at the other cheek. He yelled in pain and kicked away the girl, also deflecting Xenovia's attack from above. At the same time, Rias and Akeno once again fired off their magic blasts, and while Kokabiel was able to grab the blasts and fire them back at the girls, the distraction gave Kurin the opportunity to strike. Kurin's Desolator materialized once more, slashing the Fallen Angel from behind at his wings, while casting a Chaos Shield at both girls. The girls only took minimal damage, though their clothes weren't exactly left unscathed. While all of this was happening, Asia, with the power boost from Kurin, had been tending to the downed girls.

"Never insult my friends and girlfriends ever again." He warned him.

For the first time, Kokabiel was down to one knee. "You will pay for that." In his anger, his wings reached out and stabbed Kurin right in his shoulder, and then fired a huge blast heading towards Yumi.

'SHIT!' Kurin thought, flashing back to Yumi's side to protect her, except he had collapsed, holding his bleeding shoulder. However, Xenovia recovered in time, blocking the blast and destroying it. Asia watched the whole field and realized that she can't really heal them one by one. With the boost once more, the ex-nun opened her arms and commenced a Healing Field, healing everyone of their wounds. Yumi held Kurin as he sat up.

That being said, it didn't help them recover the energy needed to fight. Only Kurin could recover his energies with the help of Sellorion.

The battle had reached a momentary ceasefire.

"I'll be honest. I didn't expect you to continue fighting after losing your master. So imagine my surprise when you had arrived earlier." Kokabiel said, as he stood up, with a bit of a struggle at first.

At that statement, everyone grew-wide eyed. Kurin and Sellorion did so as well, but for a different reason.

'Oh no.'/[Oh no.]

"What are you talking about?!" Rias and Raynare asked.

"What made you say that? Why did you say that I've lost my master?!" The exorcist asked.

"Oops, looks like I wasn't supposed to tell you." He mockingly said.

"Answer me, Kokabiel!" Xenovia shrieked, feeling fearful about where this was going.

The Fallen Angel leader began to laugh. "How could I forget? This is war I'm inciting, so there's no need to hide it!"

"Girls." Kurin called out, and they all turned to him.

"I didn't think it'd have to come this early, and in a situation like this, but he said it, so I'll have to let this out."

"Kurin-kun, what are you talking about?" Raynare asked.

"So you do know." Kokabiel noted. "I do not know how you were able to find out, nor do I care. So tell them! Tell them what I mean!"

"I'm getting to that, idiot!" He barked. He sighed. "In the Great War, it wasn't just the Four Maous who died."

He paused, before continuing. "God perished in the war as well."

The pure shock on the faces of everyone (except the two who knew) was evident, none more so than Asia and Xenovia and the Fallen Angel girls.

"Impossible..." Xenovia breathed out.

"God...is dead? All this time?" Kalawarner and Raynare uttered.

"How?! Such a thing could not have happened!" Rias said, trying to deny it.

Sellorion held his silence throughout it all. He could feel nothing but immense regret as he was reminded of the memory of that day. He knew he was a part of the reason for God's death.

'It's not your fault.' Kurin could only offer nothing but words.

"The Great War left many casualties, and it brought an end to the Maous and numerous High-Class Devils, along with most of the lower Angels and the Fallen Angels. As a result of this, the Pure Angels could no longer reproduce, and the number of pure-blooded Devils are very few now."

"No...this can't be..." Asia whispered.

"Due to the war itself, in the aftermath, all three factions had to rely on the humans to survive. And of course, they could not let them be notified of God's death. The leaders of the Angel, Fallen Angel, and Devil factions concealed God's death to make the humans, who believe in God, survive!" Kokabiel continued.

Xenovia collapsed onto her knees. "You lie. You lie!"

"Like I give a care now. What mattered to me, however, was the fact that after those deaths, all three factions deemed that war was no longer meaningful! I couldn't take that. It was unbearable! They told us to lower our weapons, our raised fists, but we could've won if we kept fighting! That asshole Azazel even said that there would never be another war. I couldn't stand that anymore!"

Asia shakily stood. "If...if our Lord's gone, then...then...where is His love coming from?!" She asked, stuttering.

"Michael is doing a good job at maintaining the system. He had been the one who took God's role in leading the Angels and humans after His death."

"Wait, Archangel Michael is substituting for God? Then, this means..."

"As long as the system is working, the prayers, the blessings, the exorcisms, they still work to an extent."

Asia couldn't take the information she had gotten and combining with the resulting shock fainted, caught by Koneko.

"Asia!" Raynare went to her side.

"She can't help it. When something like this becomes known...I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind either." Xenovia explained.

Kokabiel continued, "That being said, the number of people who believe in God has decreased. Without an entity to maintain the balance, it becomes skewed, and the anomalies like the Holy Demonic swords would be inevitable. Of course, those two elements should never come together, but when something like that happens, well, it happens. God's death changed the worlds forever, and we can't ever return to that."

Raynare and Koneko rested Asia against a tree. They both looked at the girl with sympathy, knowing how devout she was.

"I will end this war how it was supposed to end, and I will start by taking your heads as souvenirs!" Kokabiel finished his rant.


Back outside, Kurin's clone was slowly fading away. "I've used up almost all my power to help you maintain the barrier, everyone."

"Hey, thanks for your help, Kurin. If you didn't show up, I might have let go far before this point already." Saji said.

"No problem, Saji. Now...we can only hope that they can finish the job." The clone had used up all his power in supplying everyone, and had faded away completely.

'Thank you, Kurin.' Sona thought.


"War. Like the quote from a certain game, war never changes. War will never bring us anything other than pain and suffering. And even if you do win, nothing good comes out of it. We will all suffer from that." Kurin said, standing up.

"You should know words like that never mean anything to me, foolish human." Kokabiel stated.

"I know that, but you don't have any reason to take this all out on people and homes that never did anything to you. And...even though my anger has gone, I still want justice for the deaths of my parents and my guardians." He said.

The Fallen Angel leader took a good look at him, and had a realization. "The last Salamencia. I remember now. You're not the little boy that I had seen back then when I watched your parents die. You have grown. And I can't wait to finally finish what I started."

Those words awakened something in the young human. It wasn't anger, however. Instead of the usual purple glow, he glowed black and white this time.

"Wings out!" His red wings unfurled. The others tried to back him up, but he shrugged his head. He turned back around and smiled at them. "Guys, rest. We've done it."

He turned back to the Fallen Angel leader. He grinned. "Your time's up, Kokabiel. You're done for."

"We haven't even started yet! How are you so sure?" He asked, laughing.

"Because I'm here, and because she's finally decided to stop wasting time." He looked up. "Did you miss me, Vivian?"

They heard a womanly chuckle. "I'm touched you waited for that long for me."

The barrier broke, and it blew the entire student council away.

Sona, however, realized just who broke it.

Against the view of the moon, she showed up. Vivian Lucifer, the White Dragon Empress, appeared in her dress armor, with the familiar wings that came with it.

"The Vanishing Dragon?!" Kokabiel said in shock. "What drew you here?!"

"Simple, really." Kurin took advantage, punching Kokabiel in the stomach and threw him away, while Vivian grabbed a pair of wings and ripped them.

"These wings...they're inferior, like a young crow's. Azazel's is much darker, like the eternal void."

"What are you after?" He asked, grabbing the spot where those wings were, grunting in pain.

"Did you think Azazel wouldn't be aware of it?" Kurin asked from behind before kicking him again. "From the moment you decided to incite war, you lost. Azazel sent her to bring you back for judgment."

"The wings you have, there's no need for a man who's fallen below the ground to deserve them."

"You can't stop me!" Kokabiel flied up and summoned his biggest light spear. He was about to throw it, when-

"Divide!" Vivian's power cut down the spear until it was gone. From behind her mask, she grinned.

"What?!" Kokabiel said in surprise.

"This is the power of my Sacred Gear. This is Divine Dividing. Every ten seconds, it halves the power of anyone I touch and returns that power to me." The White Dragon Empress explained.

Kurin flew up and kicked Kokabiel towards the girl, who punched him in the same spot Kurin did the first time. "Your power will be even weaker than a human's, Kokabiel. And that's the thing you hate, don't you?" Kurin mocked. "Weaker than a human. Weaker than me."

With blinding speeds, Vivian brought down the rogue Fallen Angel, as he yelled out, "DAMN YOU, AZAZEL!"

The light from the circle used to fuse the Excaliburs dissipated.

"Rias, they won...but what was that light?" Sona wondered, as the rest of her peerage watched.

Both winged individuals landed down. Kurin, after storing up his wings, turned to the others and smiled. "It's over." The girls went over and hugged him.

Vivian picked up both the unconscious Fallen Angel and Freed. "Aside from bringing Kokabiel back, there's some questions for that stray exorcist as well."

Kurin pulled away from the group hug and allowed Sellorion to take over.

[Been a while, hasn't it, Albion?] Sellorion asked.

Albion, from the gauntlet, chuckled. [Indeed it has, old friend. Though I'm disheartened that this generation doesn't have a wielder for Ddraig. I guess I'll have to wait for the next generation. We're lucky someone can fill up that void at least. Kurin has improved, from what I'm sensing.]

The Undying Remorse's embodiment laughed. [We are! And yes, he has improved lots. Might even beat your wielder too.]

Albion laughed alongside him. [We'll see, Sellorion. We'll see.]

With that, Sellorion relinquished control back to Kurin. "Hey, Vivian." He approached her as she put both men down on the ground, relinquishing her dress armor.

Kurin now stood facing her from only a few inches away. Both looked at each other intensely. Then, without warning, the young human ruffled the girl's hair. She pushed him away, and both laughed.

The girl quickly embraced the human. "We'll see each other soon."

"You better. I missed you as well."

The girl donned her dress armor again, picked up both men, and flew away as the others watched.

"The White Dragon Emperor, or should I say Empress. This is rather unexpected." Sona had arrived with the rest of her council members.

"At least it's over now. Kurin had stalled enough time for her to finally get here, and they saved the city together." Rias said. She turned to the human, and so did Raynare. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know. I'll explain as best I can." He flew upwards to survey the damage.

'Wow, that's actually a whole lot of damage.' He cringed at the sight.

"Right, then, Tsubaki, let's get to repairing the school. We need to finish by morning." He heard Sona say as he landed.

"We'll help you guys out." Rias offered.

"That's alright. The student council is the ones usually responsible for taking care of the school." Sona said.

"Well, if you're sure." Raynare said, shrugging. As Yumi went towards Rias and apologized to her and everyone, Kurin noticed Xenovia just a bit farther away from the rest, so he decided to approach her, leaving them to decide Yumi's punishment for her previous actions.

"Hey." He called out. The blue-haired woman turned and smiled towards him.

"Hey yourself. You were amazing. If...if we sparred again, I know I'd lose." She said, turning back to her sword, which she was planning to seal it back.

He sighed. "Don't think like that, Xenovia-chan. You're still an incredibly strong individual. I mean, who else, probably other than me, can wield the Durandal? And even then, you're a better user of it than I am. Don't sell yourself short, girl." He then reached out and wrapped his arm around her body and pulled her towards his, embracing her and taking her by surprise.

"H-hey!" She said, her normally stoic voice becoming high-pitched due to her surprise.

"I made a promise, remember? And I kept that promise. You're still here, still with me." He told her.

"You always did keep your promises." She remarked, looking at him deeply. Feeling bold, she decided to go with what her heart had been urging her to do for some time since reuniting with him. She pulled his head towards hers to crash her lips towards his in a passionate kiss. It had been a long time (for her) since she last met Kurin. As with the effect the young human has, the human girl fell for him like his girlfriends did. The separation did nothing to erode the love she felt for the nigh-immortal boy. The feeling came back in full force in their reunion, and it only fueled her feelings even more with each passing moment they shared together.

Xenovia wrapped her arms around his neck while Kurin wrapped his around her waist to pull her closer, her body flushed against his. She let out a moan when he gently bit her lower lip, and the ensuing action made Kurin engage his tongue in her mouth, exploring her moist caverns. Xenovia of course didn't let up, and wrested control against Kurin with her tongue. Still, she lost, and she simply surrendered to his machinations and fall to his actions.

Eventually they pulled away, gasping for air.

"Are you going to stay here?"

"It could be possible. But I have to first report everything that's happened here, but it is likely. There is a reason why the Church themselves only know God's true fate and hid it from the entirety of humanity. In any case, I will be branded a heretic and be excommunicated."

Kurin sighed. "Yeah, all of that is true. But, what about Irina?"

Her eyes widened. "She cannot know. She's more devout than I am. To know of God's death would devastate her."

He nodded. He turned to the others, who were all slack-jawed with wide eyes.

"Awww shit." Kurin sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. He knew this little harem was gonna grow, whether he had wanted to or not, and he'll need a bigger house soon enough. Not to mention explaining the fact that he already has two girlfriends to Xenovia...

Being with all of them, however, made it all so worth it.

That being said, he just wanted to ask one more question.

"Yumi's punishment isn't too bad, right?"


The next afternoon met Kurin and Raynare with an interesting sight.

"Meet Kuoh Academy's newest student." Rias announced. The two turned to the blue-haired girl.

"So you decided to go to school with us. That's nice." Kurin went to embrace his newest girlfriend, and everyone of course wanted a hug too, so he gave them a hug each as well.

"I was unsure what to do after what happened. The verdict was swift, and I said my goodbyes to Irina. I decided to follow what was best for me and stay with you."

Rias nodded, a smile on her face. "We now have a valuable ally who can wield the Durandal. Unfortunately, the prowess Xenovia has makes her a better knight, which means Raynare," She called out.

"Yes, buchou?"

"You will have to switch to the role of Rook from this point on."

Raynare nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best!"

"Asia Argento." Xenovia called out, turning to her.

"Yes?"

"I owe you an apology for my harsh words." She bowed down. "With our Lord gone, there is no one to love or save us. I went from being a noble Holy Sword wielder to a taboo-breaking heretic. The way they changed their view of me was immediate, and you must've experienced the same thing."

"I'm very happy with my life right now, Xenovia-san. I may be a Devil now, but that led me to this bond that I've forged with everyone here. I wouldn't change anything."

Xenovia at first was surprised, but it was quickly replaced with a smile, one that exhibited both relief and genuine happiness for the ex-nun. "I only have one favor to ask."

"Anything."

"Could you give me a tour of the school?"

"Of course!"

"And we can also train with each other, Xenovia. You, me, and Yumi can train in wielding our swords better, now that you're here." Kurin offered.

"That would be glad." Yumi said. Xenovia nodded.

"Right, then. With that settled, shall we get onto our club activities?" Rias stood as she asked.

Everyone nodded, their excitement felt very evidently. Everything went back to the usual normality that was standard for everyone.

...Still, Kurin's thoughts were locked onto one name since yesterday, and unfortunately, this was a name he desperately wanted to push out, but couldn't.

'Serafall...'


AN: That wraps up the Excalibur arc (and my longest chapter yet). To be honest, having to divide between school, social life, gaming (mostly Paladins casual/ranked), and writing stories is super difficult, and sometimes I end up having doing too much of one to leave time for the others.

30K views! I'm so happy that my story got that much. I hope to reach 50k soon too lol, but seriously thanks for getting the time to read this little fic.

So, officially, Xenovia is the third girl to be a part of Kurin's harem. Any guesses as to who might be next? There's still only one girl that I haven't listed that's gonna be a part of the harem. The answer might surprise you.

The next arc...this should reveal a huge part of Kurin's backstory and the involvement of a few certain people. We're gonna delve into his past, especially when a certain someone shows back up in his life.

I just put up a Twitter account a week ago, so if anyone wants to follow me, pm me so I can tell you guys. From time to time I'm gonna post up about progress about my fics (and probably rant from time to time lol)

So, as usual, review. See you all next update.