Taking a plane back to Kuoh was something he regretted doing. The six were forced to fly economy the rest of the way after getting off on their connecting flight in Moscow. The whole experience was dreadful. Long hours and Shin had an unlucky draw. He ended up sitting in the middle in front of a hyperactive child that constantly kicked his chair. At times during the flight, he was tempted to blast a hole in the plane and let it be done, but he had to remind himself that he wasn't a terrorist or a mass murderer.
"Thanks for letting us crash here," Irina said as she dragged her duffle bag over to the front door.
"No problem. Onee and Riser aren't here so I'm in charge. You and Xenovia can use the guest room," Shin said.
"I'm hopping in the shower before I head home," Ichika said as she walked past Shin and pushed the gate open.
"I don't know if Ravel is home so you'll have to heat up the water yourself," Shin said as he pulled a key out from under a fake rock.
"Um…"
"What?" Shin glanced over his shoulder to see Sophia looking around at the front of the house.
"Why are there clay pots in your yard?" Sophia asked.
There were 20 aged clay pots stacked in piles of 5 by the window of his house.
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. It's something I'm going to set up later. For now, I just want to get home and—"
The door flew open and a pillow flew into his face. He stumbled back, rubbing his nose slightly. Shin's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the person standing at the doorstep. Ravel stood there, smiling as she readied another pillow. "Welcome back."
"Some welcome," Shin said.
"Whatever. I made dinner," Ravel said as she walked back into the house. "I had some maids from the Phenex Household to prepare the guest room. I assume Sophia's staying here?"
"Irina and Xenovia too," Shin said. "Asia said she's staying with Ichika."
Ravel raised an eyebrow as she turned around. "I thought only Sophia was coming."
"Well, change of plans. I thought I told you about it," Shin said as he walked inside.
Ravel huffed and followed him inside. "Well, they're going to have to stay in your room then and you can sleep downstairs because we only have the one guest room," she said.
"Eh? Wait a minute. My room? I have stuff in there!" Shin whispered.
"Just shove it all in your closet like how you usually do," Ravel said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Ravel? Come on! Ravel!" Shin said.
Shin ended up ceding his room to Irina and Xenovia that night. Luckily, he and Ran worked overtime to hide all of Shin's less-than-savory material inside a closet, locked by a thousand sealing charms that he spent 3 hours engraving. He yawned as he walked down the hallways of Kuoh Academy, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
"I told you that I have more room at my house. You know it's just me and my mom," Ichika said as she watched him rub his eyes.
The two stopped in front of one of the school's vending machines. Shin slipped a coin inside and ordered an iced can of coffee. "It's fine. Besides, I don't want to impose on Miki-obasan especially since Asia is already staying there."
"Shin, you know my Mom would be thrilled to have Irina staying over," she replied as she ordered her own drink.
The two walked over to a bench and sat down, sipping their drinks.
"Are we really going to have to fight a Fallen Angel that strong?" Ichika asked as she looked down at her chocolate milk.
"Yeah, the way things are going. We might have to," Shin said as he took a long sip of his coffee. He crushed the can in his hand and tossed it into the recycling bin. His eyes narrowed as he thought about their situation. It was less than ideal but without his sister or Riser here, he'd need to step up.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? You barely got rest on the plane and back on the Vatican before we left," Ichika said, slightly worried.
He smiled gratefully at her. "I'll be fine. I just need to do something after I meet with Rias and Sona about the whole thing. Irina said she's going to help out so I don't need to worry. There's also that whole thing about what Vivi asked me to do when we found all the Excalibur Fragments."
Put her back together.
What does that even mean, Vivi? Shin thought.
"Well, don't overdo it," Ichika said as she tossed her milk box in the garbage. She gently grabbed Shin's hand, interlacing their fingers together.
"Of course. When have you ever seen me overwork?" he asked. He squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture.
"You're right. Put more effort into it so I don't have to step in," she replied.
"Ah. Shin, you're here."
The pair looked to see Tsubaki approaching them. The Vice President pushed her glasses up as she came to a stop. "Public displays of affection are—"
"Okay! And that's it," Shin pulled his hand away from Ichika's as his cheeks turned red. He immediately got up and turned to Ichika. "I'll see you later."
Ichika nodded, still blushing from Tsubaki's words.
"You know, you didn't have to stop—"
"Not another word," Shin said as he followed her.
"I'm just saying. While public displays of affection are not allowed, I wouldn't mind if—"
"We're not like that!" Shin hissed, his cheeks burning even brighter as he listened to Tsubaki speak.
The older girl smiled as the two walked down the hallway. "Well, suit yourself. I'm sure you'll realize it in time."
Shin's blush deepened. "Realize what in time? Also can we just focus and go to the meeting place?"
The two walked until they reached the Student Council Meeting Room. Tsubaki pushed the doors open. Rias and Sona were already inside, engrossed in a game of chess. None of the other student council members were there, and neither were the Sitri or Gremory Peerages. Rias looked up from the chessboard and smiled.
"Ah, how was your trip to the Vatican?" Rias asked.
"Eventful," Shin said.
"I'm sure it was. You spent an entire family's combined yearly pay at a very expensive store in Rome, Shin," Sona said, analyzing the board in front of her.
"It was for the mission," Shin said.
"The first one was but what was that bill for 6480 stellar jades I saw show up in my statement?" Sona asked, giving him a deadpan stare.
"No comment," he said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I think we should put this game on hold for now, Sona," Rias said.
Sona pushed her glasses up and nodded.
"So. Is it true? What you told me over the phone?" Sona asked without missing a beat.
Shin frowned. Straight to the point as always. Sona did not beat around the bush at all. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, thinking of a way to explain the current situation.
Rias raised an eyebrow. "What was this thing you two talked about?"
"Valper Gallilei," Sona said.
Rias blinked. "The guy behind the Holy Sword Project? I thought he was hiding in a hole somewhere so Heaven wouldn't smite him."
Shin shook his head. "Apparently not. He was there in the Vatican though we never saw him. We did run into a few of his colleagues. One of them ended up dying. But we do have a big problem on our hands. The Church sent a few exorcists here to retrieve something that was stolen from them."
"And that thing is?" Rias asked.
"The Excalibur Fragments."
Sona furrowed her brow. "I see. This is the big thing you told me you'd give me more details about."
Shin nodded. "Three of them have already gone missing. The Church tracked them here to Kuoh and sent some Exorcists to retrieve them," he said.
"So you want us to do what?" Rias asked.
"Since I'm working with them for now, I want you to give us some free reign in the territory to track them down."
"What? How do we know they won't just—"
Shin cut her off before she could finish. "Since I am Sona's 'attack dog', I'll keep an eye on them and make sure nothing happens. Besides, Sona knows Sophia and Irina well enough that she knows they won't try anything. If anything, me asking is just a formality."
Rias sighed and looked over at Sona who seemed to be deep in thought. After a few seconds, Sona looked up at Shin. "There's more to this, isn't there?"
Shin's smile faltered and he nodded. "Yeah. Kokabiel is here."
"What…? What's a Cadre Class Fallen Angel doing here? And why is he working with someone like Valper of all people?" Rias said incredulously.
"I have an inkling as to why but you two won't like it. But for your safety, if shit hits the fan, then—"
"No."
Shin and Sona blinked and turned to see Rias standing there with an impassive look on her face. She crossed her arms. "No. I know what you're going to say and the answer is no. This is my home. I'm not going to let some crow traipse in here and make a mess of this place."
"Rias, you do realize what Shin is implying, right? There's—"
"Okay, but Sona, even if I wanted to, I can't."
"You can't? Why can't you?" Shin pressed, feeling slightly annoyed by Rias's stubbornness.
"Because… if the Excalibur Fragments really are here, then evacuating isn't an option for me. The moment it gets out that those swords are here then… Yuuto won't rest until he destroys all of them."
"Thanks for helping me get groceries, guys. If I don't make food, Shin would probably starve to death," Ichika said.
Xenovia nodded silently as she held 5 bags in each hand. She followed Ichika and Sophia out of the grocery store, eyeing the things inside the bags. Just how many people was she planning to cook for? She looked up at the two, unsure of what to say. Irina had ditched her with them because Shin needed her for something.
"That's true. If it's not a job, Shin just flounders around," Sophia giggled as she walked down the street.
"Is Shin really that helpless outside of combat?" Xenovia asked.
Ichika let out a light laugh as she waved her hand dismissively. "No, no. I'm just poking fun at him. He's actually a pretty reliable guy if you get to know him."
Xenovia furrowed her brow. "I see…"
"We should take her out more. Xenovia barely gets out when it's not involving missions or anything either," Sophia said, nudging Xenovia with her elbow.
"I'm not… that sheltered," Xenovia said. Her ears were red from the slight embarrassment she felt.
"By the way, what are Shin and Irina doing?" Sophia asked.
"Well, Shin's meeting with the Red-Haired Demon King of Ruin and the Archdemon Empress of Azure Waters. Irina is off visiting someone because she wants to… buy the house back? Her old house is still here and no one's moved into it. I'm sort of guessing it has something to do with Shin's family but I can't be too sure," Ichika said.
The three turned down onto Ichika's street. Next to them, there was a park with a few children playing on the sets. The sun was hanging low over the horizon, bathing the neighborhood in its warm orange glow.
"Why are there 20 clay pots in front of Shin's house?" Xenovia asked.
"I don't know. He hasn't told me anything about it," Ichika said. "He's been very quiet about it. I heard him calling someone in Kyoto the other day before our flight here."
"Well, a few people owe Shin some favors over there so he's probably calling to cash it in," Sophia said.
"Well, whatever it is, I'll have to ask him… about it… later? Eh? Yuuto?" Ichika raised an eyebrow when she saw a familiar figure standing in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking their path. Ichika slowed to a stop as they got closer to him.
The blonde boy stood there with an uncharacteristically dark expression on his face. It was different from the expressions Ichika had seen him make in the short time he had been here. A lump formed in her throat. Something wasn't right here. Her training from Bea was paying off a little too well. It was just Yuuto, a friend she made from the Occult Research Club. Even so, why were all her instincts screaming at her that a fight was about to happen? Her heart began to race slightly.
Yuuto looked up, his gray eyes darkening with each step they took toward him. His eyes darted over to Xenovia, fists clenching and unclenching in a fit of silent rage.
"So I wasn't going crazy when I felt something off last night," Yuuto said.
Ichika stiffened when she felt a wave of pressure wash off Yuuto. She instinctively dropped into a battle stance when a field of demonic swords appeared on the sidewalk and roads.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, Yuuto? I never took you for someone who'd just show up to attack three girls so randomly," Ichika asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not here for you, Ichika. I'm here for that woman behind you. I never once thought in a million years… well, I guess what they say is true. Wherever a 'dragon' is, powers tend to gather," Yuuto said as he picked up one of the demonic swords that were embedded into the road.
"Ichika, what's this guy's deal?" Sophia asked. Her eyes glowed faintly as violet light arced off the tips of her fingers.
"I don't know. I've only known him for a few weeks! I didn't expect him to just randomly show up and threaten us!" Ichika said.
[Welsh Dragon Booster]
A pair of gauntlets and greaves appeared on Ichika's arms and legs.
"Step aside, Ichika. I'm not here for you. I'm here for the Holy Sword user," Yuuto said as he took a step forward.
"Sword Birth, I take it."
Ichika and Sophia turned around to see Xenovia setting the grocery bags down and stepping forward. "I heard that there was a subject in the Holy Sword Project that managed to avoid getting disposed of. I'm guessing that it's you."
Ichika's eyes widened considerably. Her mouth fell open to try and say something but no words came out.
"So he's the missing survivor," Sophia said quietly. "Ichika… do you remember the meeting before the flight?"
"Yeah," she said.
"That means that…"
"Yeah, he probably knows Xenovia is carrying one of them in her storage space," Sophia said. "I didn't want to have to do this but—" She tugged at her gloves to take them off but a look from Xenovia stopped her.
"I want to test the power of this so-called disposed subject," she said.
"What? Xenovia, we're not here to pick fights with Rias Gremory's Peerage. We're here to find the Excalibur Fragments and return them to the Church. Do not deviate from mission objective. As your commanding officer, I order you to stand down," Sophia said sternly.
Xenovia faltered for a few seconds.
"If you won't come to me, then I'll gladly come to you!" Yuuto vanished from his spot in a burst of surprising speed.
Ichika shoved Xenovia out of the way and raised her gauntlets, blocking Yuuto's swords. She clenched her jaw at the surprising amount of strength Yuuto was displaying.
"It seems that you're not as scrawny as you look," Ichika said with a strained smile on her face.
Yuuto narrowed his eyes and jumped back. "Move."
"Make me," Ichika said.
"Ichika, I—"
"I'm a neutral party. You're not. I'm not as well informed as you two are on the state of affairs between the Church and Devils but something tells me if you two got into a fight, we'll be dealing with worse things than whatever is in this town," Ichika said.
"You're really that hellbent on fighting me? Fine. I hope Ravel has enough Phenex Tears to fix you when we're done," Yuuto said. He set the sword down and pulled out another sword. This one was a massive zweihander with a closed helical design in the blade.
Ichika took a slight step back when she felt the immense pressure but calmed herself. She widened her foot and adopted a new stance.
This isn't complete yet but I've been working on it since I began learning under Shishou. Copying her movements was tricky but I gotta work with what I have, she thought.
Yuuto dashed toward Ichika, surprising her with his speed.
I knew he was a Knight but damn! Ichika ducked under the blade and pushed him back. She raised her hands, blocking his strikes. Sparks flew everywhere as his demonic swords made contact with the gauntlets of her Boosted Gear.
Yuuto pressed his advantage over her, remaining on the offensive.
I have no choice but to use it! Ichika's eyes glowed. A triangular halo appeared above her head.
"What the—"
"Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes…"
Yuuto jumped back as swathes of shimmering red cubes swirled in from out of nowhere, nearly slamming into him. He narrowed his eyes as the cubes surrounded Ichika, forming a protective barrier.
Blood trickled down Ichika's nose as she fought through the stinging pain that was slowly building.
"Heh, I picked up a few tricks from the Vatican," Ichika said.
"Even Irina wasn't able to pick up Miracles this quickly. Is this some sort of natural talent?" Xenovia said, watching with wide eyes.
Sophia remained silent as she observed Ichika's fight.
"Miracles. Tch! Of course," Yuuto said. "Still, it won't be enough to stop me from getting to the Excalibur." He dug his heel into the concrete and took off toward Ichika, raising the large sword above his head.
Ichika's eyes focused solely on his movements. Her eyes tracked and her body reacted accordingly to each strike Yuuto inflicted on her. As soon as the sword came arcing toward her once more, Ichika intercepted the sword, coating her gauntleted hands in the swirling red cubes.
She used the force of Yuuto's swing, redirecting all of its force in a single direction.
An explosion ripped apart a portion of the park and the sidewalk as Yuuto's sword struck the ground instead of Ichika.
What…? What was that? Ichika only knows Judo. Where did she learn to—
Yuuto jumped back as Ichika's palm came shooting out from the dust cloud, nearly striking him in the chin.
The dust cloud cleared and Ichika stood there with her right palm raised in front of her and her left palm resting at her side. Blood trickled down her nose as the triangular halo remained steadfast above her head. The cuboids made of holy energy had vanished, destroyed after Ichika had caught his sword and redirected it.
"I guess I underestimated you," Yuuto said.
"Are you really going to risk getting Prez in trouble over some petty grudge over a magic toothpick?" Ichika asked. She kept her eyes trained on Yuuto, waiting for him to make another move.
Yuuto narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "I see Shin's been rubbing off on you."
"Shin's been rubbing off on me since we were kids. Answer the question," Ichika demanded.
"Yes, I am. This is the end goal of my life's journey. You don't know anything. You've lived a normal life with a family that's still alive and a friend that cares for you. What do you know? You know nothing about loss," Yuuto said.
Ichika's eyes widened. Her jaw tightened as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her chest. Her eyes began to flicker to silver. Her eyes became cold flickering pits of silver light.
"I-Ichika?" Sophia said as she saw the tips of Ichika's hair turning silver. A pressure began to slowly press down on the entire area. However, Yuuto seemed to be too lost in his own anger to notice the change in Ichika's demeanor.
"I won't stop until I… we get our revenge on Excalibur and its wielders," Yuuto said. He shifted on his heel and charged once more, only for Shin to appear in his path. His eyes widened as Shin slammed his palm into Yuuto's midsection. Nothing happened for a few seconds.
Then, Yuuto gasped as a force akin to a truck ripped through him, sending him flying back a considerable distance.
"Onigari-Ryu: Chimamire Hana," Shin muttered as he straightened himself.
Yuuto shakily got to his feet, gripping his torso. His school uniform at the middle had been blown to shreds and the skin underneath was red and raw as if Shin had peeled off the top layer of skin.
"You—!"
Before he could move, several red magic circles appeared around him and detained him.
"You could've used less force."
"You took your time getting here. And what do you mean less force? He's alive at least. If I put any more strength into that, you'd be taking Yuuto home in a bucket," Shin said.
Rias appeared in a flash of red light next to Yuuto.
"P-President—"
"Not another word," Rias said. Her stern voice made Yuuto go quiet. "Sorry about this mess, Shin. I'll handle Yuuto for now. Just go and do your job."
Shin nodded.
Ichika fell to one knee, coughing as the halo above her head vanished. Blood splattered all over the pavement.
"Ichika!" Shin dropped to his knees, checking on her.
"I'm fine. It's just a side effect. I'm not used to casting them yet," she smiled as she wiped some blood from her mouth.
"But—"
"I'm fine," Ichika reassured him.
Shin bit his lip before nodding. "Rias. I can leave Yuuto to you?"
"Of course. Don't forget. I'm here too. Don't just run to Sona for help whenever you need it," Rias said as she curled her finger. The magic circles glowed and Yuuto vanished in a flash of red light.
"Come on. Let's get you home to Asia so she can get you checked out," Shin said as he helped her up to her feet.
Ichika nodded and got to her feet. She swayed slightly as her legs wobbled underneath her weight.
The Moon cast a dim glow on the town. The streets were virtually empty, save for a few stragglers and Devils out to perform their nightly contracts. The entirety of Kuoh was virtually asleep by now or should have been. A lone figure jumped from roof to roof, quickly making his way to his destination. Below him, only the meows of stray cats accompanied him on this lonely stretch of road. His feet lightly landed on the rooftop of a house right across from his target. His red-orange eyes fixed on a window with a white haired girl slumped over on a desk. His wings folded against his back, leaving behind a small trail of dark feathers.
As he was about to jump across, a series of dark strings sliced through the air, cutting through his form. However, the form faded away, leaving nothing behind.
"If I were you, I'd stay away from that house. The owner doesn't take too kindly to people trying to break into her home, especially after the last time when a Fallen Angel broke into her home and got into a fight with her brother."
Klein smiled as he stepped out of the shadow of a streetlamp. His closed-eyed smile stared back with some level of mockery at his opponent.
The light of the moon cast its ambient glow on the figure's silver hairs and six-pairs of black angel wings.
"Stay out of this," the figure said.
"No can do. I was told by the older sister to protect them," Klein said as he manipulated his strings. The strings slithered and twisted in the air around Klein as if they had a will of their own.
"You don't understand. She's a vital part of what they want. The Holy Swords. All of it. Excalibur. None of it matters. The files and MS-621 are their true target," the figure argued.
"Mmm?" Klein raised an eyebrow. "Whose target?"
"The woman with the white hair. The one who sent the Masked Woman and that psychotic priest to attack the facility with Excalibur Nightmare!" the figure said.
Klein frowned. He recalled his strings and stared at the figure above them.
[Appraisal Complete]
[Generating Enemy Data]
Klein smiled when the data was displayed before him.
"CM-002, is it?" Klein said. "Or do you prefer the name Abbess Maria gave you?"
The figure named CM-002 flinched at his words. CM-002 glared at Klein. "I don't care what you call me, Onyx Star."
"Oho? I guess Bea told you a lot more than she lets on," Klein clapped. "Then again, she did say her brother was rather annoying when it came to how protective she was. I didn't think you'd resort to kidnapping your own sister, CM-002."
"Kidnapping isn't the right word. MS-621 needs to return to the Vatican now," CM-002 said.
"Oh? And why is that?" Klein said.
"Bea should have told you, right? Project Daybreak's data is extremely valuable not just for what it can create but the impossibility Mother managed to pull off during the Project. Its true value lies with what happened as a side effect of that project. To pull it off, they need someone. Someone specific. They need someone with the same ability as Abbess Maria to pull it off. Someone with Miracle Amplification."
Klein frowned. He flexed his fingers, deploying his razor wires once more.
"What's more is that because of it, that thing is here," he continued. "I'd worry about her far more than I would about Kokabiel."
"Mmm? What could possibly be in this town that's more dangerous than a Cadre Class Fallen Angel?" Klein asked.
CM-002 took a deep breath and descended to the ground. His wings retracted into his back as he looked up at Klein with a serious expression on his face.
"That White Haired Woman they call the Second Praetor is here."
Project Daybreak
A clandestine project conducted at a Vatican Black Site.
It was headed by Abbess Maria, a famous researcher from the Church. Her most notable achievements were her ability to convert Devil DNA back into that of a Pure Angel's via genetic recombination techniques and Miracle Amplification.
Following its dissolution, only 3 subjects remain: CM-001, CM-002, and MS-621.
RoyalRain20xx: Oh, I can guarantee you that Ichika is going to go hog wild with that Forbidden Miracle during the fight. If you think her having nosebleeds and coughing up blood, just imagine how much agony she'll be in when she uses a power she hasn't mastered yet. I'm not going to go into what the Miracle is because it'd be easier to just show it rather than tell you here right now but just know, if she misses, everyone around her will die. Regarding Sophia though, you're on the right track with her. Her emotional instability will lead to... a mess that will have drastic consequences in the future, a few arcs down the line from now. Though for now, I won't say much other than it aligns with the goals of our antagonists.
Dante687: Thank you, I try.
Anyway, with housekeeping out of the way, I want to explain a few things some people might not get in this chapter.
1. Why are they after the Excalibur and not Project Daybreak's data?
Currently, Rias and Sona's death via Excalibur from Kokabiel presents a greater danger. The vague ambiguity of how potentially dangerous Project Daybreak's data isn't as important to the Church right now and the people who know about it only know that it can't be complete without a single component: Abbess Maria's Miracle Amplification. Currently, a war between the three factions presents a more immediate danger than the potential for someone to try and replicate whatever data is so valuable on the flash drives. To them, it's all prioritization of what needs the most attention at the time. Not to mention the fact that the data Valper gave away is incomplete and the rest of the data is with Sophia.
2. Will Yuuto play an important role?
No. Yuuto's arc will resolve in the background.
Alright, to continue a bit further. We have the introduction of the last... well, not last, new character: CM-002! I purposely withheld his real name because that would have been me slipping more about the Project and I don't want to reveal the entirety of it juuust yet. Just know that he's the second thing created by Project Daybreak.
That's all for me. I'll see you all later.