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Chapter 293 ~ Heretics

“You little rats!”

Kokabiel’s voice thundered across the battlefield, venom lacing each word. “So that’s how you want to play it, huh? Killing a mere rogue exorcist to show off your courage and get back your little holy sword?”

A cruel smile twisted his lips.

“Fine… Fine by me! This works just about as well! Let’s bring about the second coming of the Great War—sooner than planned!”

With a beat of his wings, the air around him trembled.

Five massive pairs of jet-black, feathered wings unfurled behind him, casting a shadow across the town. His crimson eyes gleamed with pure, malevolent ecstasy.

“And while I’m at it… I’ll make sure all of you suffer before you die!”

The sky warped as Kokabiel raised a single hand—and a blinding storm of light spears materialized behind him. Tens. Dozens. All burning with divine, holy energy.

”Fall.”

He launched them in a wave, raining destruction upon the battlefield below.

“Scatter!” Rias ordered, her voice sharp and resolute.

The Gremory peerage sprang into motion.

The devils unleashed their wings and flew, while Xenovia and Irina ran as quickly as they could.

Kiba rushed towards Kokabiel, his eyes burning with determined intent and rage. When suddenly, he felt his instinct screaming at him. 

He looked down below to his side, and he saw a spear of light heading towards him. 

“Tch!!!”

He slashed and struck down the spear with his demonic sword, but it didn’t simply shatter like glass. No, it was as if he had hit his sword against steel. The sensation left his hands numb. 

If it was him before receiving Yuuji and Erika’s training, that spear would’ve destroyed his sword and pierced him instead. 

Xenovia and Irina were in no better position as they continued to run and defend from the spears of light. 

“Issei!”

“Yes, pres!!!”

“BOOST”

Rias, hovering mid-air, unleashed a storm of crimson-black blades of destruction, boosted by Issei. The charged blasts surged through the air toward Kokabiel.

She knew that they would fall from the spears of light sooner that Kokabiel run out of energy, so she must distract him as much as possible to stop him from shooting, and create an opening for the others to exploit!

Beside her, Akeno raised her arms to the sky, her fingers glowing with electrical fury. “Thunder Judgment!”

A cascade of brilliant lightning cracked through the air and struck at Kokabiel.

But—

Kokabiel only smirked.

He twisted his body midair, evading the spells with a dancer’s grace, then slapped one of Rias’s destruction blades aside with the back of his hand. Akeno’s thunderbolt exploded behind him harmlessly.

“You’re wasting your breath, little girls.”

Below, Kiba rushed towards him once again. Despite his numbed hands, he still gripped his demonic swords tightly. 

“Kokabiel!!!”

Kokabiel narrowed his eyes, his mouth curled into a wide, sadistic grin.

He didn’t bother to fling another spear of light at him. But instead, he caught his sword with his bare hands. 

“Hm, quite the interesting demonic sword. But too bad. It’s too weak!”

He clenched his fist, and the demonic sword shattered like glass—before Kokabiel slammed a kick into Kiba’s side.

BOOM!

Kiba crashed into a rooftop, tumbling through stone and timber with a groan.

“Yuuto!” Rias called out, concern in her voice.

“Let’s go!” Issei growled.

Issei and Koneko launched themselves into the air using devil wings and support magic. Issei, his gauntlet glowing with brilliant emerald light, cocked back his fist. “BOOST!”

“Rook Enhancement!” Koneko’s body glowed as she channeled her raw strength.

The two charged Kokabiel simultaneously—one above, one below.

But Kokabiel’s laughter echoed again.

“Pathetic.”

He swatted Koneko mid-flight with a spear of light, sending her spiraling down like a meteor. Then with a spinning kick, he smashed his heel into Issei’s chest, launching him into a nearby house with a deafening CRASH.

Akeno and Rias continued their aerial assault—spells rained from all angles: fire, lightning, destruction.

But Kokabiel danced through them with terrifying ease. Light spears countered every angle, each precise enough to clip their wings if not for their quick reflexes.

Meanwhile…

Asia sprinted across the battlefield, her breath ragged but steady, ducking behind debris and shattered walls as Kokabiel’s presence loomed high above. Each step was desperate but driven—her only goal: reach the wounded.

“Kiba-san! Koneko-chan! Issei-san—hang in there!” she cried out as she clutched the ring in her left, ring finger. Her sacred gear, Twilight Healing.

Her stamina had improved from training, but even now, the exertion of sprinting under fire had her panting hard. She pushed it aside. There was no time to rest. Lives were at stake.

She reached Issei first, collapsing to her knees beside him as glowing light enveloped his battered body. The blood staining his shirt faded, bruises dissipated.

“T-Thank you, Asia-chan…” he groaned, sitting up slowly.

“Issei-san… can you stand?”

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. “Yeah, I’m good. Go help Kiba and Koneko-chan—I’ll cover you!”

Asia nodded quickly. “Yes!”

“BOOST!!”

With a roar, Issei sprang back into the air, launching a massive Dragon Shot toward Kokabiel. The blast whistled through the sky, crashing into Kokabiel’s light barrier in a bright explosion—not enough to damage him, but enough to draw his attention.

Asia took her chance.

Ducking low, she bolted again—skirting through burning wreckage, leaping over collapsed fences, her healing light dimmed to avoid detection. Her heart raced, but she didn’t stop until she found Kiba, slumped against a cracked wall, sword still in hand, blood trickling from a cut above his brow and his lips.

“Kiba-san!”

Kiba coughed, pushing himself up. His vision blurred, but he stayed upright—barely— while clutching his side. Then warmth enveloped him. Light seeped into his wounds, knitting muscle and sealing the gash over his eye.

“Asia-chan…” he murmured, relaxing as the pain faded. “Thank you.”

“I’ll do my best to heal you… so please, don’t move too much!” she said urgently.

Kiba gave a faint nod—but his gaze drifted to the edge of the battlefield. There, Xenovia and Irina stood ready, holy swords drawn, still recovering from taking on Kokabiel’s spears of light head on. 

Kiba’s jaw tightened as a brief storm of emotion passed over his face.

He glanced back at Asia, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

“You need to go to them.”

“Eh…?”

“You can’t protect yourself in a battle like this,” he said grimly. “But they can at least shield you. Stay close to them. And keep healing us from behind.”

“But—”

Kiba cut her off, his voice low but firm. “I’ll be fine. We need you to survive.”

Asia hesitated, her eyes flicking toward Xenovia—and in that moment, old memories surged back.

The harsh gaze. The cold threat.

“You’re a traitor to the church.”

If it wasn’t for Yuuji that time… she might’ve been…

But now, standing here, with people bleeding and fighting for their lives, she swallowed her fear and nodded.

“O-Okay… I’ll go with them!”

Kiba smiled faintly. “Good.”

He tossed aside his broken demonic blade. In its place, another materialized in his hand—a glowing silver longsword crackling with dark energy.

Then, with a beat of his wings, he shot skyward once again.

Above, Kokabiel still hovered like a dark god, his expression filled with mockery and contempt.

“This is all the devils can offer? You’re not even entertainment,” he sneered. “I’ll kill the heiress of Gremory, and that heiress of Sitri as well, wipe out the rest of you insects, and spark the war this way!”

His eyes glinted with twisted delight.

“Valper!”

From behind the ruins, Valper Galilei emerged—cackling, flanked by a legion of rogue exorcists clad in ruined clerical robes. Each held holy guns and enchanted swords, blessed with unstable power from stolen fragments of Excalibur.

“Hahahaha! Stealing, my dear children, is a sin!” Valper bellowed, his madness evident. “But what should I expect from devil heretics and disobedient church dogs?”

He spotted the fused holy sword, now secured in Xenovia’s hand.

“Well, no matter. I’ll take that holy sword back. And perhaps your heads along with it. Go!”

The rogue exorcists surged forward with war cries.

Xenovia gritted her teeth. “Tch. So they brought the whole circus.”

“Irina—stay sharp,” she said, spinning her blade into a ready stance.

Irina nodded. “I’ve got your back, partner.”

“Asia-chan, get behind me! I’ll keep you safe!”

“Yes!”

Asia stumbled into position, heart pounding as she clutched her gear tightly.

The rogue exorcists surged forward like a tidal wave of steel and fanaticism, eyes alight with madness, each step echoing with unhinged fervor.

“GLORY TO GOD!”

“PRAISE THE HOLY SWORD OF JUDGMENT, HIS GREATEST CREATION!”

“CLEANSE THE HERETICS!”

Almost ten of them, blades glowing, guns primed with holy bullets. They moved with suicidal conviction, fanned out across the rubble, aiming straight for Xenovia, Irina, and the vulnerable Asia.

“Defensive Formation!” Xenovia barked, stepping in front of Asia. 

From her side, a tear in reality appeared and a massive blue gold handle of a sword appeared, wrapped in chains. 

“Heretics, this shall be your judgement.”

She wrapped her hands around the handle, and pulled. 

Chains shattered, and from this tear in reality, a separate space meant to contain and seal, a massive, great, blue and gold sword appeared. 

Durandal. 

A sacred artifact, the other genuine Holy Sword of the church, and proof of her true nature as a genuine wielder of a Holy Sword. 

It was a last resort. Known for its immense power and ability to destroy a great many, Durandal was something she hadn’t been able to completely master. But, she didn’t have the luxury of using something less.

Irina moved to her right, raising her holy sword, Excalibur Mimic, in its katana form and humming with divine power.

Behind them, Asia crouched low behind a chunk of broken stone, her hands gripping her sacred gear, light already beginning to glow from her palms.

“Just focus on healing and barrier reinforcement!” Irina called back. “We’ll keep them away from you!”

Asia nodded quickly. “Y-Yes!”

The first wave struck.

“HAAAAA!!”

A rogue exorcist lunged at Irina, blade overhead.

SWOOSH!

She dodged his swing, and with one swift movement, slashed across his chest. 

Blood spurt from the chest of the rogue before quickly slumping down to the ground. 

Another came at Xenovia—this one immediately stopping upon seeing the great holy sword, and immediately shot at her with his holy guns.

“Hmph! Useless!”

She dashed into him, the holy sword Durandal protecting her from these lesser blessed bullets, before she responded with a horizontal sweep of Durandal. The sheer force of the strike didn’t just knock the exorcist’s weapons away—it shattered them. He screamed as the blade’s shockwave sent him hurtling back, crashing into two of his comrades.

“Don’t hold back,” Xenovia said coldly. “These aren’t warriors. They’re heretics with false artifacts.”

A barrage of holy bullets whistled through the air.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

“M-Magic shield!”

Asia conjured a crimson circular barrier, a basic yet effective protective barrier devil magic. The bullets struck the shield and fizzled harmlessly.

“Asia-chan!”

Irina instantly went and covered her, slashing at the rogue exorcist that shot at Asia, killing him instantly.

“T-Thank you, Irina-san!”

“Uhn! Be careful! And thank you!”

Light glowed around her figure. The healing light of Asia’s sacred gear. And after a word of gratitude, Irina went back into the fray/.

From behind another fallen column, four more exorcists came charging with swords raised, their blades glowing an ominous blue.

Irina rushed to intercept—her sword glowing.

“Divine Slash!”

She brought Excalibur Mimic down in a radiant arc. The impact cleaved through two blades instantly and knocked all four back with a wave of light that illuminated the whole battlefield.

Behind her, Xenovia crouched low and whispered a quiet chant—Durandal burned brighter in response.

“Judgment Break.”

With a single upward slash, a wave of holy fire erupted in a straight line, splitting through the ground and torching a line of incoming enemies.

Screams echoed. Dust flew.

But then, the second wave arrived—this one more disciplined, better equipped. Some of them wore relic-enforced armor, their blades infused with light-enhancing magic.

One aimed a blessed gun directly at Asia.

“DIE!”

“Asia!”

Irina dove in front of her just in time—the bullet ricocheted off her sword. But then, more bullets rained towards her before exploding, sending her crashing to the walls nearby.

“I-Irina-san!” Asia cried, reaching out to her.

“I-I’m fine…” Irina grunted, blood dripping from her lip. She was losing her consciousness. “Take care of Xenovia…!”

Asia quickly refocused, activating her sacred gear again and channeling healing energy to the wounded from afar, even to the ones still fighting in the skies.

Then, a trio of rogue exorcists broke through the side and rushed toward Asia directly, bypassing Irina and Xenovia.

“We’ll get the healer first!”

“She’s the weak point!”

Xenovia noticed—and in one fluid movement, she hurled Durandal like a javelin.

FWOOOOOSH—BOOM!!!

The sword tore through the ground like a divine missile and exploded with a wave of consecrated light, obliterating the trio mid-charge. Holy energy flared across the ground like wildfire.

Dust and light enveloped the battlefield.

Xenovia appeared, walking calming, and lifted the great heavy holy sword from the crater it had made. Her eyes shifted towards the unconscious Irina, and bit her lips.

Asia had frozen mid-motion, hands still glowing.

“Th-Thank you… Xenovia-san…”

Xenovia didn’t turn around. “Don’t thank me. Focus. It’s not over.”

“Tch… Damn church dogs…”

Suddenly, Valper’s voice echoed through the chaos.

“Well, well, how righteous you’ve all become! But let’s see how you handle this!”

With a snap of his fingers, a group of six rogue exorcists emerged, each wielding unstable replicas of Excalibur fragments—forged from stolen pieces and corrupted by black rites.

Each sword pulsed with dangerous, chaotic energy.

Xenovia’s eyes narrowed. “That’s… sacrilege. To think they forged counterfeits…”

“Not quite… but I’m getting close~” Valper responded, his lips curling into a wide grin of a mad scientist.

From above…

Kiba’s wings flared as he hovered in midair, surveying the battlefield below. Amidst the chaos of divine spells, clashing blades, and roaring flames, something pulled at his senses—an aura.

Familiar. Yet twisted.

Corrupted. Defiled.

His golden eyes zeroed in on the man in the blackened priest robes, standing arrogantly behind a circle of rogue exorcists armed with unstable Excalibur fragments.

At his feet were shattered symbols of the Church.

In his hands, the shattered hopes of the innocent.

Valper Galilei.

The one who butchered his friends.

The man who experimented on children like toys.

The architect of their suffering.

And now, he dared to raise that wretched face once more—smiling, amused, as if mocking the very sky.

Kiba’s hands trembled.

His rage exploded.

“VALPER!!!!”