Chapter 18: Working Out the Kinks

"Come on kid, what happened to all that spunk you had a minute ago?"

I gritted my teeth, doing my best to endure the resistance and fought back as much as possible. I didn't think it would be this difficult.

"I already racked up lots of points and you're still dead zero."

"Shut up. I can do this." That smile of his is really starting to get on my nerves, "Grr, Hah!" Finally, I got one. Or at least I thought I got one.

It was just a boot.

"Ha! Didn't know you like eating leather kid." Azazel ducked from the thrown footwear with the ever same smile, "Not bad, try using your wrist more. Maybe then you'll actually hit me."

"Enough with your games. What is it that you want from me?"

After letting him know that I know, Azazel proposed that we unwind with fishing of all things before we got to serious business. He was quite insistent so I relented and tried something I've never done before. And it was an absolute failure. Seeing all the fish he's got in his bucket with mine practically empty got me agitated enough to actually catch at least one. But the boot made it worse. So here I am, sitting on the pier with a borrowed fishing rod next to what probably be the current most powerful fallen angel.

"Now that's just mean. I know you're mad at me for making you come all the way out here, but I'm actually helping you to relax. Kids your age are supposed to party hard and screw with girls instead of being serious all the time." He then wiggle his eyebrows, "Speaking of girls, I saw the extra pair of women shoes at your apartment. Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

I threw the rod away, pulled Dream Sword out of my pocket dimension, and pointed the tip just a millimeter away from his neck, "You better not come all the way to my apartment on the second floor, just to drag me out here to kill your boredom."

Azazel held his hands in a surrendering gesture, but his smile never wavered, "Jeez kid, can't take a joke. Are you really that blue balled?"

Channeling magic, my sword was exploded in blue energy, all the while with my face as flat as a board.

"Okay fine. We'll get down to business so you can go back to your girlfriend already."

Pulling back my magic, I kept my weapon on hand just in case, "She's not my girlfriend. And the name's Daisuke."

"Daisuke, gotcha. As you already know, I'm the Governor General of Grigori, swooned by ladies all over, the sinfully handsome Azazel." With all the narcissism in him, he pointed a thumb to his face.

...

"This is the part where you gasp in amazement."

...

"Tough crowd. Anyway, the first agenda is that I want to thank you for stopping my subordinates for doing something stupid like potentially starting another war. I didn't expect Kokabiel to betray me and went back to his warmongering ways."

"So Kakabiel did go behind your back." Playing the clueless fool won't get his attention more than necessary, "And next on the agenda?"

Still smiling, his aura somehow became slightly more serious, "Kokabiel is planning to start a war in Kuoh."

My eyes narrowed, "Is it because of the sisters of the Maous?"

"It's kinda more complicated than that. It's not just with the devils, he wants a war with all three factions. He's always been too proud of our race and bloodthirsty, should have seen this coming. I always thought we could come to an understanding but it seems his ambitions came first."

"Not much of a war if he's just by himself. How is he planning to fight against multiple Satan-class opponents?"

"That's where you're wrong. Kokabiel's been secretly plotting this for years now, gathering subordinates who are still dissatisfied with the outcome of the war and making bases of operation in various parts of the Underworld."

'That's... different.'

"And now he's finalizing his preparations by stealing three out of seven of the Excalibur fragments and planning to use it on your master. I've already sent a messenger to Heaven, telling them I'll handle the problem and return back the fragments. But they didn't take it too well, and will be sending representatives here."

'Xenovia and Irina. So that's how they knew who the thief was.' "What do you expect? One of their enemies' higher-ups stole one of their most important treasures."

"Couldn't hurt to try, right? And I'm also gonna send messengers to Lucifer's and Leviathan's sisters. Though they'll take a while to get here, can't let Kokabiel get any suspicions."

I rose an eyebrow, "If you're gonna send messengers, why tell me first?"

"Forcuis reported that three of you voted to spare the lives of Raynare and the others. Out of those three, you got the smartest head. I figured you'd at least hear me out instead of the highly possible dismissal from those girls."

"Smart." Can't help to begrudgingly respect the crazy pervert, "And what would you do if I attacked you?"

"I'd knock you out with sleeping gas and take you back to my hotel. And if you used your wind, I'd use you as a guinea pig for my new magic alloy rope I've been working on."

Both my eyebrows shot up, "How do you know about my wind spells? I only got them about two weeks ago."

"You'll be surprised what devils would sell with the right amount of money. I personally like the part where you kicked him in the balls. Oldest trick in the book, but it's still in the book for a reason."

I am really glad that I stopped Miho from participating. And if the fallens already know about our abilities, then who else knows?

"There's already someone who's investigating Kokabiel's bases and for any other useful information. Once the time is right, he'll raid them until every last traitors are apprehended."

Is he talking about Vali?

"Though he's kind of a battle maniac who gets lost in good fights, so he can be late with resolving problems sometimes. Try to last until then."

Oh yeah, that's Vali alright. "Wait a second, don't you already know those locations? Why wait instead of raiding now?"

"Because all the bases are numerous with good communication between them. I got some other selected helpers but if we carelessly assault one right now, the others will be notified and retreat to someplace else. Ideally, we need to catch all of them, not just some. Kokabiel doesn't know I've infiltrated Kuoh yet. So if the plan gets leaked, we're back to square one."

He's got a good point. Azazel is as flippant and ingenious as he's depicted in the anime. Then I guess he's safe to trust. However, "That's it? You want me to convince my King that your messengers are harmless? No way that can be it. For the top leader to waste his time and come all the way out here to meet me, there's something you personally want from me Azazel. What is it?"

Laughing cheerily, "You're as sharp as they say. Okay fine, you caught my interest due to a certain incident not two months ago. Our sensors picked up a minor disturbance in the Dimensional Gap. Forcuis, originally sent on another mission, was called back to help Raynare and investigate the disturbance if possible."

My grip on Dream Sword unconsciously tighten.

"The readings were slightly different than the norm. Double Burst, while not a Longinus, is still powerful enough to consider one of a kind unlike Sacred Gears such as Twilight Healing."

My heart's beating faster.

"And it just so happens that I met the previous wielder. He was young, just awoke it actually but shortly after, he got caught by a stray devil before I could reach him and died. And all that happened three years ago."

Now my eyes narrowed.

Azazel looked at me in interest, like a puzzle, "You are definitely not a toddler. Piecing all of that with your timely appearance in Kuoh brings to my question. Just who are you, Daisuke?" Silence permeated through the air as I couldn't figure out a convincing explanation. The part where he met the previous wielder was extremely bad luck on my part.

Azazel just kept his eyes on me, "Well, I didn't think you would straight up tell me anyway. I've got a lot of theories but here's my most promising one. Sacred Gears tend to choose their hosts the moment they are born, in other words, as infants. In turn, the gears adapt themselves as the hosts' body and spirit mature into stronger forms, until they are capable of withstanding the stress. For you to activate Double Burst so soon must mean you are extremely compatible with it."

His grin became wider with a hint of insanity, "But that doesn't explain why you acquired it as a teenager, so here's what I came up. Almost nothing can survive in the Dimensional Gap aside the Ouroboros Dragon and True Dragon, but what if there is a human that can briefly travel through it? What if there are other worlds besides Heaven, Earth, and Underworld? What if a human from another world was 'born' into this one. A human like you."

I. Am. Fucked.

"So, language? Culture? Geography? Anything different from your world?"

"You're crazy." Desperate times call for desperate measures, the last resort is to bluff my way out, "Other worlds? What else did you think of? I originated from outer space?

"Actually yes. I theorized that you're a tentacle alien in disguise, hunting for girls to-"

"Even if that's true, how the hell can someone travel through time and space? It takes extraordinary amount of energy at the very least."

"That's the hard part. My guess is that one of the dragons got bored or something and poked into your world, bringing you here. Unless there's something on your end which can rip dimensions, you're pretty much stuck here."

"I'm just a guy who got killed by one of your subordinates and reincarnated into Rias-sama's servant. I moved from a small country to Kuoh for educational purposes. I don't know if you're really imaginative or insane, but I'm just a normal guy like everyone else."

"A normal guy with zero history. That's right, I researched your backgrounds. No family, no relatives, no friends, nothing. Coming from me with tons of connections, that's pretty much impossible. And the report states that you're borderline Mid-class, yet the Rating Game says you've reached High-class. Not a lot of devils can advance that fast without some sort of hidden power."

"Skill and luck. I'm from Earth, and I also have a family and friends back at my hometown. That's a fact so you can shove your other world idea into the trash can."

He put his thumb under his chin, "You're not lying, but you're not completely honest either. Whatever, solving the puzzle is the fun part anyway. Oh!" Reeling in his line, he caught another fish and tossed it in his bucket. I'm still pissed that couldn't even snag a nibble. "I think that's enough fun for tonight." He threw his prizes back into the ocean.

"The hell? What's the point of catching them if you're just gonna set them free?"

"Like I said, they're for relaxing or the stress will get to you. I can always order steak back at my hotel." Packing up, he got up and flashed me a grin, "See ya."

I immediately stood up, "Wait, that's it!? You're not gonna con me into giving your answer? Or torture me? Or drug me with truth pills or something?"

"Nope. I got plenty of time, and also other errands to run. Let me give you a word of advice Daisuke, move your tongue in circular fashion. Girls like it when their walls-"

"You do know I'm gonna report your presence to my King right?"

"Hah! You can try, I've already infiltrated this place for two whole days now and none of you suspected a thing." He pointed his finger at me like I just made a joke.

"We can scout through the place. What makes you think you can hide here as long as want?"

"Because of one important detail."

"What?"

Azazel pointed both thumbs at himself with swagger, "I'm just that awesome."

Both of my eyes twitch, "For some reason, I can somehow believe that."

"Relax, I haven't told anybody about you yet. At least not until I hear your story. I'm not stupid enough to blab out to everyone in a ten meter radius. Later."

He walked until his silhouette vanished while I just stood there, replaying our conversation in my mind. Azazel knows my secret, I don't know how long I can play as a fool but he knows. Some of the top dogs in the supernatural world might find out as well. I don't think Azazel will do anything drastic, but what about the malicious ones? At least now I know how I got Double Burst, and my next clue to go home. Regardless, I'm so fucked.

With nothing else to do, I stored back Dream Sword and returned to my apartment. Maybe sleep will clear my mind.

Sleep did nothing to help my mind. Dark rings prominent under my nearly bloodshot eyes. My thoughts kept going back to last night's meeting and now Miho's staring at me with even more worry than before.

"Hanwei-sama, you are showing more fatigue and exhaustion. Perhaps you should rest for the day."

"Maybe tomorrow, Rias and the others need to know about Azazel." Assuming she's still not hung over about her rejection, the timing couldn't be worse.

"I still do not understand how he can decipher so much about you with ease."

Eating my cereal, "Azazel is known to be one of the best geniuses this world has to offer. Anything mysterious is his favorite game. He's at the top of the Grigory Institute, researcher of Sacred Gears, and even successfully created his own artificial versions. Watching all his wacky antics made me forget what he's truly capable of. I've been so busy with normal and paranormal activities, I completely forgot what people can do outside of canon. This knowledge is starting to become a real double-edge sword."

"Are you certain he is trustworthy? I do not mean to doubt you Hanwei-sama, but he is the leader of all fallen angels. My parents once warned me how sinister he can be."

"If what that history book said about him is correct, maybe he is. But now he's changed. I don't know what, but he genuinely wants to build peace not just between the three factions, but with all the supernaturals. The fact he didn't force me to spill is proof of that. If he really does want to be a better person, I'm willing to give him a chance. Hatred will only cause worse."

Miho wanted to say something else. Another thought must have crossed her mind as she relented, "As you wish, Hanwei-sama."

Quickly finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, I wore my shoes and got ready for school, "I'm heading out."

She smiled, "Have a good day."

The elevator made it with the usual 'ding' as I stepped inside. Now for the other hard part, Rias and Akeno usually waits for me at the entrance. Will today be any different?

""Good morning, Dai-""

Guess they're still the same. That's a relief.

"Daisuke-kun, what happened to you last night? Did you stay up too late?"

Akeno asked as Rias fidgeted in worry and what looks like guilt. I smiled as reassuring as a half-dead man can, "Don't worry, I was just too engrossed in my personal project. Though I'm gonna need to ask everyone in the club to discuss a certain matter."

Both relaxed in relief, more so for Rias. Then we walked to school like always, enjoying the small talk and ignoring the glares. How long will it last though? Especially when Kiba will be blinded my revenge. If I don't do something decisive, he might leave earlier than expected. The future will diverge even further but what's the point of knowing if I can't use it to help my friends. I refuse to let them unnecessarily get hurt like when I failed to help Asia. Better safe than sorry.

"Sorry Rias, I got a favor to ask of you."

Kiba smiled politely to his fangirls, leaving them happy as they got their, in the girls' words, daily dose of Kiba-kun. Leaving class and arriving at the club house, he greeted his friends with a wave.

"Good afternoon everyone."

"Good afternoon Yuuto." Rias smiled back.

The Knight noticed his junior, Gasper was still in his box, on the couch talking to Koneko about what she did in class today. Daisuke may have known about his situation, but he still finds it amazing how he can influence the people around him to such an extent. Kiba also respects Daisuke not only for his hard work, but with how he entrusts his friends with his secret as well. Speaking of Daisuke, he doesn't see him anywhere.

"Issei-kun, where is Daisuke-kun? He usually accompanies you and Asia-san on your way to club."

"Beats me." The Pawn shrugged, "He ran out of class as soon as the bell rang."

"Daisuke is fine. Yuuto, I'm sorry to disturb you so soon, but could you tend to a client. I need everyone else here for a discussion."

There was something weird about how his master worded it, nonetheless, Kiba always obeys her wishes, "It is no trouble at all Buchou."

Stepping onto the magic circle, he teleported to what he thought would be a house, apartment, or mansion. To his surprise, Kiba was teleported to their new training ground, "What?"

"So you're here."

A lone figure stood in front of the staircase which leads back to the club room. But that wasn't what caught his attention, it was the sword in his grasp. Kiba's blood ran cold, clenching his fists, rage fueled his veins as dark memories returned.

'Why does Daisuke-kun have an Excalibur!?'

He pointed the blade towards Kiba, "You recognize this sword, don't you. It's only natural since it played a big role in your childhood."

"Daisuke-kun, what is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing, just wanted to see what you would do if a fragment is right in front of you."

Kiba gritted his teeth hard. He wanted nothing more than to steal that abomination and destroy it out of existence, if not for the fact it's in the hands of one of his important friends. Something is not right, Kiba needs to leave and calm his mind before he does something he'll regret. He can always retrieve it later. Channeling magic, he prepared to teleport back to his apartment, until he realized the circle wasn't responding.

"What?"

"Don't bother. I asked Buchou to cancel the teleportation. The only exit is through these stairs."

Facing him, Kiba bared his teeth and yelled, "Why is it do you have that!? You should know what those accursed swords have done!"

"How about we let our blades to the talking? I know you're itching to fight me."

"If that is what you want, I won't complain."

Kiba unsheathed Holy Eraser and sped straight towards his opponent, intent to hit the center of the sword and destroy it. Daisuke maneuvered to parry his strike. Not one to wait, Kiba immediately charged again to swing vertically from top of Daisuke. He merely moved Excalibur to block it. Kiba growled in frustration, he's not getting anywhere at this level.

"Is this really you?" Daisuke asked in an almost sad tone, "Lead one move into the next. Waste as little movement as possible. Weren't those your teachings during our training? Yet you're doing the opposite."

"Shut up!" Kiba backed off and summoned a large number of demonic swords from the ground around them. Grabbing a flame sword in one hand and an ice sword in the other, Kiba assaulted in wild arcs, forcing Daisuke to move since they started and either dodge or block with relative ease. More swords spiked up from the ground where Daisuke is about to land, but he unfurled his wings to halt his movements.

"Damn it!"

"This isn't like you Kiba. Your only aim is this sword, just practically hammering yours in hopes to break mine. Is your mind clouded by hatred that much?"

His blank expression was agitating Kiba more and more. White hot anger swirled even more violently within in, "What do you know!? You only saw what happened! You never felt the pain! The despair I had to feel all because we were disposed."

Creating Destruction Sword, Kiba ran forward again and crashed onto Excalibur head on, "We waited patiently, hoping that one day we could be accepted by God! But that never happened! Do you know what it's like to see the friends you've spent years with killed right in front of you!? All because of this wretched Holy Sword!"

"No I don't, because I won't let anyone kill them." The Rook pushed back, sending Kiba skidding away.

"I am the sole survivor of the Holy Sword Project. I have to destroy every last Excalibur fragments. You don't truly know what we hoped for. All our dreams, all our life, wasted! If I cannot destroy them, my fallen comrades will never be able to rest in peace!"

"You're right, I truly don't know. But you do. So tell me, what were your fallen comrades last words?"

Kiba opened his mouth to say they wanted revenge, but couldn't remember anything about that. Actually, he could barely remembered his last moments with them. The most he could recall was red blood, screams of fear, their dying faces, and his desire to live. The horrors of what they went through. With coldness clutching his heart, Kiba gripped his sword until his hands bled.

"If you don't know, then I'll tell you." Daisuke finally went on the offensive, rushing towards the confused blonde and pushed the sword against his.

"LIVE!" Kiba's eyes widen. "They never wanted you to avenge them. They sacrificed themselves because if all of them was going to die, they wanted at least one to be free."

The Knight's conviction wavered. The Rook kept slashing, forcing his opponent back with each step they take, "If you don't want to live for yourself, live for their sakes. If they have dreams bigger than yours, if their will to live is bigger than yours, live to fulfill their wishes for them. Don't let their sacrifices be in vain, become the man who lives the most!"

At this point, Kiba nearly lost his will to fight. Daisuke swung in a wide arc, tumbling the blonde into the ground. Tearing up, Kiba gripped the dirt, emotions locked up in his heart began resurfacing. Remembering all the times he laughed, cried, and played with his deceased friends. The oath he made to avenge them, the oath he swore to Rias as her Knight. Emotions, good and bad, conflicted each other. Always wondering to himself if he should have tried harder to find the Excaliburs instead of having fun with his friends.

"If you had calmed down and thought about it, you could've seen through the illusion as well." Parts of the Excalibur Destruction faded until it faded completely, revealing Daisuke's own Dream Sword. Shock crossed Kiba's face. "I know the locations of all seven Excaliburs, including the missing fragment. If you want me to reveal them..." Daisuke stabbed his sword onto the ground, hands spreaded open wide and vulnerable, "... strike me down from where I stand!"

Kiba got up. All seven fragments, including the one no man has ever found since the Great War? This was too good of an opportunity to refuse. He can finally end his quest for vengeance. No more suffering can fall on children like him and his friends. Getting up, Kiba tighten his hold on Destruction Sword, ready to cut down and force Daisuke to answer.

'Just promise to continue be who you are right now. That's what most important.'

The blade missed at the last moment, curving away and smashing a good chunk of the ground. Daisuke didn't even flinch and stood perfectly still, ready to take the hit with no protection at all. Kiba stared at Daisuke's eyes, finally understanding what his friend's words meant. Guilt overcame him for fleetingly thinking of hurting one of his current friends for the sake of his old ones. Downed on his knees, the Knight finally let go of his sword and dropped it onto the ground.

"I'm not telling you to give up your hatred. Just don't let it take over you and forsake the others. Like helping Buchou to save her from fire chicken, and accepting me as an otherworlder, we will help you achieve your goal. Whether you like it or not, we care about you, so don't write us off as bystanders who have nothing to do with your revenge. Until you're ready, please think hard about it."

With those last words, Daisuke retrieved his sword and walked up the staircase, leaving the lost soul pondering about his words. Kiba's master, Souji Okita, was the first to teach him about having fun and looking for meaning besides revenge. He was the one who saved him from that stray devil all those years ago. And it was on that same day, he finally opened up to his King and accepted the name Kiba Yuuto, the Knight of Rias Gremory and started anew. Daisuke must have confronted him today for a reason. But the question is, what would Kiba do if someone who is not his friend had an actual Excalibur?

I said what I had, now it's up to Kiba to decide what's his next move. Hope I got through to him, otherwise we're going on the same road trip with the church duo behind Rias' back. And I really don't want my ass getting spanked. Only Rias and I knew of this, everyone else waited in confusion as to why I entered from the training ground. After about half an hour, the bookcase opened.

"What's your answer?"

His faced showed exhaustion but at the same time resolution, "As expected, I cannot forget my path for vengeance." Then he soften, "However, I do not wish to abandon the friends I have now because of my fallen comrades. No matter how long it takes, I will earn your favor so large, you have no choice but to tell me their locations."

Smirking, "Don't worry, you'll get it sooner than you think. And I also know one more information you want: the person in charge of the Holy Sword Project, Valper Galilei."

"What? He's still out there? He went missing so I cannot confirm what happened to him."

"Okay Daisuke, I know you know about the future and all, but I'm getting really curious. Kiba's here now, so could you finally tell us what the hell is going on?"

"Alright. I was planning to tell you guys next week but there's a change happened to me last night." My voice became serious, earning full attention of everyone present, "I want everyone to stay calm when I tell you this." After receiving collective nods, "Last night Azazel came to my apartment and-"

"What!?"

"Buchou, I thought I asked to stay calm."

Rias sneered in anger, "That was before I knew the leader of all fallen angels dared to make direct contact with my servant. What did he do to you? I swear upon my name, if he hurt you-"

"He figured out that I'm from another world."

Pin drop silence. Each of them had the horror of realizing the ramifications of this. Issei in particular, had this mouth wide opened in shock. Rias and Akeno were the more fearful kind, pupils dilated with eyebrows arched up high. Even Koneko showed a visibly large amount of fear.

"Yeah, hard to keep my features neutral when such a powerful enemy knows my biggest secret. Had to bluff my way out but he wasn't entirely convinced. From what I can tell, he doesn't know I'm from a parallel Earth or how exactly I got here. But the fact he managed to piece the puzzle this far speaks volumes for his mind. He hasn't told anyone yet but I'm not sure if there are others aware of me."

"Daisuke, why didn't you call us the moment he arrived? He could have kidnapped you?"

"Two reasons." Holding up my index finger, "One, Azazel had the speed and power to subdue me before I could even blink, calling for help would be next to impossible."

"Fine." Rias conceded, rubbing her temples to alleviate her growing head, and probably working out her own plan, "What is the other?"

I held my middle finger, "Two, you guys didn't see what I saw about him. He may be our enemy now, but he'll become a great ally in the short future."

"An ally?" Akeno narrowed her eyes in disdain and worry, "How can we trust a fallen? There is no guarantee he is the same as you know. He could be tricking you to let your guard down."

"From what I can tell last night, he's definitely the same as in the anime. That'll happen in next month or so, but he genuinely wants to approach the more peaceful solution. I trust him, so please trust me." Reluctance was all over them, thinking whether my decision could be good, or really really horrible. "Please, I would never let you guys down."

"If Daisuke says so, then I guess I could trust him." Issei complied with a tight smile.

The King sighed followed by everyone else, "Very well. However, if he presents any suspicious movements, I will take immediate action."

"Good enough for me. Thanks guys." I smiled, "Okay, the next part is actually more complicated. Remember Kokabiel?"

"The bastard who ordered Raynare and the others to kill Asia. How could I forget?"

"That's the one. Azazel told me he'd send messengers to explain the details. Turns out, Kokabiel defected from Grigory of his own volition, stole three out of the six fragments guarded by the church, and bringing them here to Kuoh."

"Here? In Kuoh?" Kiba exclaimed in shock, "So, that is the reason why you confronted me. You knew what would happen should an Excaliber be present right in front of my eyes."

"Yeah. The anime could get quite dark sometimes. I know it's your secret, but don't you think everyone else should know about you by now?"

All heads turned to him, especially the curious newest members. Kiba thought about it for a minute before giving in. And so, he revealed his past and everything that has happened to him. The experiment, the Excalibur, his fallen friends, all with thinly veiled anger and sadness.

"Kiba." Issei went forward and grabbed his shoulders, "I never knew you suffered like that. No matter what happens, I'll be there to back you up. Just say the word and I'll cave that bastard's face in."

"Kiba-san, I'm so sorry. I always thought the church was always good, but you didn't do anything to receive that." Asia clasped her hands, "Oh God, why- Kyah!"

Ignoring the headaches, Gasper even sniffled and cried a little, "Yuuto-senpai, I didn't know you had to go through that. I'm sorry."

"Yuuto, you are my Knight. I will not allow you to go alone and enact vengeance by yourself. As your master, I will follow your path and help you find solace."

"I'll make sure you get your revenge and pay him back for his selfish deeds. Trust me, you'll get what you want and more."

"Everyone." The Knight was touched, smiling happily and bowed, "Thank you very much."

Smiling in fondness, guess I got through to him after all. After seeing him carrying all that burden by himself, there's no way I could let my friend experience it alone. Not when deep down, he really wants to continue his fun life with Rias and everyone else. "Now that you're in it, I guess I can resume where I left off. Azazel also sent a messenger to Heaven saying he'll handle this, but they didn't take it well and will send two agents from the church wielding Excalibur fragments."

"Wait." Rias interrupted, "Only two? What can two of them possibly accomplish against three Excalibur users and a Cadre?"

"Valper intends to fuse as many fragments as possible into an incomplete Excalibur and give it to Freed."

"Freed? You mean the psycho bastard with a shitty mouth that tried to slice and dice us? We're gonna see him again?"

"And possibly a third time if he re-escapes." I turned to Rias, "This is only my theory. Apparently, Heaven isn't able to send more due to circumstances -I'll need to discuss about that later- and sent only those two specifically, they have an ace up their sleeve. Dispatching any more might spread their forces too thin. I can think of one person who can beat Kokabiel one-on-one but he's Heaven's top fighter. I think they want to preserve as much as possible in case for the worst possible scenario.

I turned to our healer with a gentle smile, "Asia, those two agents will criticize your decision to heal that devil all those years ago." She shrunk back in fear, "However, no matter what other people say, you did what you thought was best. And I fully support your kindness. Issei, make sure to back her up, got it?"

"Damn straight I will. Those jerks don't have the right to insult Asia just because she helped someone in trouble." Issei voiced with total confidence.

The Bishop stopped her trembling and relaxed, eyes glistening in kindness and happiness, "Thank you Issei-san, Hanwei-san."

"You truly look out for everyone, don't you Daisuke." The King spoke warmly. "But what is that fallen's motive?"

"To restart the Great War." All of them paled, "Kokabiel's a warmonger right down to the core. He was dissatisfied with Azazel withdrawing first and wanted to prove the fallen angel's superiority with an army at his beck and call, but Azazel already has the last part covered. The only problem is that he'll target Kuoh Academy and blow up the town in order to lure either Sirzechs-san or Serafall-san. The Student Council members will erect a barrier around the school to minimize collateral damage as we fight the crazy warmonger."

Rias is visibly in a turmoil. Carefully considering her options, "Should that be the case, we will fight and overcome Kokabiel."

I groaned, "I was a afraid you were gonna say that. Are you sure we can't just ask your brother for help?"

"Onii-sama is the Maou Lucifer, if word that there is an emergency that would require his presence, it would cause panic among the devils. The ceasefire is on thin ice already. Many devils still hold a grudge against angels and fallen angels, the war may restart regardless if they caught wind of a high ranking fallen angel attempting it." Rias smiled uneasy, "Furthermore, I'm sure you already know what onii-sama would do if he happens to know of this."

An image of not one but two enraged sis-cons going on a wild rampage to eradicate every single enemy indiscriminately while professing their love for Rias and Sona before Azazel has a chance to explain himself comes to my mind.

"Good point. But our chances are slim at best, what makes you think we can win?"

She smiled fondly, "I'm sure you're already formulating a plan to save us all."

"Ufufu, that does sound like Daisuke-kun."

Looking at the same smile and trusting eyes from my friends, I drooped my eyes in exhaustion, "Guys, Kokabiel is on a whole different level compared to fire chicken. I'm not some miracle worker that can change anything with just my skills and knowledge you know."

"So, are you saying you don't have a plan?"

...

My eyes twitch, "Okay fine, I may have something, but it's decent at best. And there's one last problem to address, it's about Heaven's circumstances. Kokabiel will reveal a secret so important, it could affect everyone's morale, especially Asia's." The Bishop tensed until Issei puts a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "But if he doesn't, we'll potentially lose our future Knight. What will you choose Buchou?"

Sharpening her gaze in thought, "The future is never set in stone, I do not know which is the correct choice except to let it naturally progress. We will just have to raise back our morale if it lowers. As long as we safely achieve victory, I will take full responsibility of the consequences."

"Alright, that's almost everything. Time for the curtains to unfold." I rubbed my hands in anticipation, "The Excalibur Arc counter attack."

One and a half weeks later, we decided to keep up with our daily lives. I already informed Miho and she's pumped to show off the results of her training, not surprising since she's been pumped even before our Rating Game against fire chicken. Glad she is, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Rias is the only one who knows about Azazel also meeting Issei, albeit agreeing begrudgingly. No offense to Issei, but he'll get all jittery if he knows.

Everyone's tending to their clients, leaving me, Koneko, and Gasper playing a four-player fighting game in the club room. Little progress on Gasper willing to come out of his box, but now he can talk face-to-face as long as there's no physical contact. Haven't gotten to practicing his Sacred Gear yet, but considering that he's showing himself earlier than canon, I'm taking it as a win.

"Woah! Aaaaannnd... gotcha! Phew, now the score is tied. Gotta admit, you two are pretty good at this."

"We've been playing this for a long time now, Daisuke-senpai." Gasper spoke with more confidence. He's only ever like this when it comes to video games, "Koneko-chan and I play for fun all the time since we were kids. She comes to my room sometimes."

"Really, I thought those doors were locked 24/7?"

"They're locked to outsiders only. Gya-kun can go in and out anytime or anyone he allows. Though he's still just a scaredy cat."

"Koneko-chan is so mean..."

"I see, guess it can get pretty boring with nothing much to do." Petting her head, "Good job in being there for him."

She leaned in to my touch, really does remind me of my old pet cat. "Daisuke-senpai's hand feel nice."

"Really? C-can I have one too?"

"Sure." My other hand went for the Dhampir's head, gently caressing his somehow feminine hair like I always do. At this rate, I'm gonna need to invent a spell to give me more arms, "Is it nice?"

"Yeah." Gasper relaxed into it, "You're really good at this Daisuke-senpai."

"Thanks. It's kinda refreshing that I got two cute kouhais to dote on." After that, we resumed another round as a tie breaker. As a fellow gamer, I gotta show them what a senpai is really like. Just when I was about to win...

"Daisuke-senpai, did something happen between you and Buchou?"

One moment of faltering lead to my defeat, placing Gasper in first place. Staring flatly at the cross-dresser, "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Eh? Um, no. I was just curious. Sometimes Buchou looks torn about something when she touches you."

His eyes swimming around the place told me it's both. I sighed, "It's complicated. I'm gonna let time to soothe her but I'll talk to her about it if it gets serious." Can't tell the members that I dumped her, it'll make us both look bad. She's still making physical contact and interacting with me like usual, but she seems hesitant. My guess is that she's still trying to get my attention like Akeno. Ugh, why can't my life ever be easy?

My and Koneko's phones rang, opening it up to see a message from Rias... My mood became serious.

"Daisuke-senpai, something the matter?"

"Looks like we got a mission. Stay here Gasper, we need to take care of a stray devil."

Guest: Thanks, I'm trying to make the emotions as real as possible.

Guest-Questioner: Thanks for the info, that does make sense. I've watched that anime a long time ago, pretty good. Maybe I'll re-watch it again.

A.N.: Hey guys, school's time-consuming. Wow, I was expecting you guys to complain like crazy about the previous chapter but there were a few good reviews too. I'm honestly surprised since so many people told me to stop making Daisuke so dense. Hope you all like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Ja Ne