The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"This is the Sword of the King—"

A two-handed giant sword appeared before Koya. It was intact, but Koya's instinct as a warrior told him that the weapon was incomplete. It wasn't that the blade had flaws, but that something seemed to be missing from its interior.

But even so, the sword still has deterrent power. When Rias and Akeno saw this big sword, their pupils trembled involuntarily. The Sword of Kings can also be called the Holy Sword by another name. It has a strong deterrent power against demons. Even if it is an incomplete holy sword, it still makes them feel a chill on their backs. Rias and the others have no doubt about the authenticity of the holy sword because their bodies issued warnings again.

"The Excalibur was shattered in an ancient war. Humanity salvaged the fragments of the broken blade and crafted these weapons through alchemy. Seven were forged. This is one of them. The Excalibur I hold now is the 'Holy Sword of Destruction.' It is one of the seven broken holy swords, and is managed by the Catholic Church."

After introducing her weapon, the woman with the highlighted hair wrapped the King's Sword in cloth again. Koya took a closer look and noticed some words written on the cloth, seemingly some kind of spell. Was it a sealing power or something like that acting as a sheath? It was quite unusual.

Another member of the Church also pulled out something from his pocket that looked like a rope. The rope seemed to have its own consciousness and began to twist.

In a flash, it turned into a Japanese sword.

The member of the Holy See said with pride:

"Mine is the 'Mimic Holy Sword'. It can change its appearance at will, making it very convenient to carry around. The King's Sword is similar, each possessing special abilities. This one is currently under the care of the New Church."

"Irina... there's no need to explain the power of the Kingsword to the devil, right?"

"Oh, Xenovia. Even if they're demons, we still need to build trust. Otherwise, nothing will work out, right? And even if the demons here knew the power of my sword, I wouldn't be at a disadvantage."

These two Vatican officials were truly rude. They hadn't even introduced themselves yet, and even needed to learn each other's names. However, considering the relationship between angels and demons, they were quite restrained by just sitting there quietly. The girl named Irina was clearly very confident, not worried at all that Rias and the others might be tempted to grab their holy swords out of greed.

If... Koya wasn't there, if Grayfia hadn't stayed by Rias's side because of Koya, then Irina would have had the capital to be so confident. She should be thankful that neither Koya nor Grayfia were the kind of people with bad tastes. Otherwise, if she told this little girl, "You're standing before two demon kings," when she was so confident, wouldn't her expression be quite interesting?

"...Then why is the stolen King's Sword connected to this provincial city in the Far East?"

Rias couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that Koya didn't get angry because of the contempt of the two Vatican personnel. After all, these two people were sent by the Vatican, and they were carrying the Sword of Kings. If Koya killed them here, it would be a big trouble. Fortunately, Koya didn't seem to be the kind of person who would get angry because of such a small matter.

Rias continued to ask questions with her original attitude. "As for the intimidation of the Holy Sword?" What a joke! Not to mention Koya, even Grayfia could suppress these two Vatican officials single-handedly. Do you understand the value of being the strongest queen?

The woman with green hair highlights and fierce eyes was Xenovia. She took over Rias's question and continued.

"Two, including mine, remained at the Catholic Church headquarters. The Protestant Church also had two. The Orthodox Church also had one. The remaining sword was lost during the three-way war between God, Demons, and Fallen Angels. Of the remaining Excalibur, one sword was stolen from each faction. I heard that the person who stole the sword fled to Japan and brought it here."

Hearing this expected situation, Rias couldn't help but sigh, holding her forehead.

"My territory is full of incidents. So who stole the King's Sword?"

"The criminal is the [Son of God Watcher]."

Xenovia narrowed her eyes and looked at Rias, wanting to see her reaction after hearing the answer. To be honest, this kind of scrutinizing look was quite unpleasant.

Her answer gave Rias an even bigger headache—

"Did the Fallen Angels steal your Holy Sword? That's more than just a misdemeanor. But then again, only the Fallen Angels would steal the Holy Sword. High-ranking demons have little interest in it."

The [God's Son Monitor] is the largest organization among the Fallen Angels, or perhaps even the only one. However, since most Fallen Angels are angels who have fallen, and the reasons for their fall are bizarre and varied, many Fallen Angels do not like being bound by an organization. Even so, the [God's Son Monitor] has gathered most of the Fallen Angels and can be said to represent the Fallen Angel group.

"We have also found the main criminal. He is a cadre of the Son of God's Watch, Kokabil."

"Kokabil, a fallen angel cadre who survived the ancient war... an opponent even mentioned in the Bible has appeared."

Hearing the name of the mastermind, Rias couldn't help but smile bitterly. Even Grayfia, who had been silent behind her, looked up at Xenovia.

A fallen angel leader. Although Koya had only seen this name in the book he brought back from the apocalyptic world, considering the Hell system that Rias and the others were familiar with, this fallen angel leader must be quite powerful. Add to that the troublesome-sounding "King's Holy Sword," and it's going to be a turbulent time!

"Not long ago, we sent priests and exorcists to sneak in here, but they were all dealt with."

Xenovia said this, and just when Rias and the others thought that the members of the Church were ready to put aside the feud between angels and demons and seek help from the angels, she gave a completely opposite answer.

"Our request—no, our request—is that the demons occupying this town do not interfere in the battle for the King's Sword between us and the Fallen Angels. In other words—we are here to ask you to stay out of this matter."

Hearing Xenovia's words, Rias raised her eyebrows in dissatisfaction.

"Your statement is truly arrogant. You don't think we might be colluding with the Fallen Angels—trying to jointly deal with the Holy Sword?"

"Headquarters believes this is possible. After all, why would this Fallen Angel cadre choose to come to your place when there are so many safer places to go?"

The open enemy stepped into their territory without permission, and arbitrarily said that they were not allowed to interfere or interrupt their actions, and also said that they were not allowed to join forces with other organizations, otherwise they would be in trouble. Any normal person would feel uncomfortable with such a threat, let alone Rias, the Demon King's sister. Her face immediately turned cold.

But Xenovia seemed not to notice the cold expression on Rias's face and the lightning that had already appeared around Akeno, and continued to talk to herself.

"Our superiors don't trust demons and fallen angels. If we can eliminate the Holy Sword from the divine camp, it would be a good thing for the demons, right? This would benefit both you and the fallen angels, so it wouldn't be surprising if they joined forces. So, we'll throw a diversion ball first—if you join forces with the fallen angel Kokabil, we will annihilate you completely. Even if you're the Demon King's sister—that's what my superiors said."

Xenovia's tone was quite calm, as if she was stating a fact.

"...Since you know I'm the Demon King's sister, that means you're connected to someone of considerable rank. So, let me be frank. I won't team up with the likes of Fallen Angels. I swear in the name of Gremory that I will never do anything that would disgrace the Demon King!"

Rias remained rational and did not say anything angry because Xenovia saw it clearly. Instead, she responded quite formally.

"Your words are enough. Anyway, we're here to inform Kabil of the three King's Swords sneaking into this town. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, I, and the Church headquarters, will be resented by many. As for assistance, forget it. If you join forces with the God's camp, even temporarily, it will affect the balance of power between the three parties. Not to mention, you are the Demon King's sister."

The reason given by Xenovia eased the atmosphere at the scene. She was right. If Rias was just an ordinary demon noble, it would be nothing, but her brother was a demon king and the leader of the four demon kings. If Rias really made a move to cooperate with the Holy See, the suspicion of the outside world would instantly break the balance of the three tribes.

“Where are the people sent by the Orthodox Church?”

"They're staying out of this matter for now. Perhaps they're considering that Irina and I can't retrieve the Holy Sword, and they're planning to hold onto the last one."

"So it's just the two of you? You want to take the Sword of Kings from the Fallen Angels' leaders with your own strength? Do you want to die?"

Although it was a rather pointed question, Irina and Xenovia spoke with the same resolute look in their eyes.

"Yes."

"I'm the same as Irina, but I don't want to die if I can."

"—Have you come here with the knowledge of death? Your beliefs remain as transcendent as ever."

"Please don't look down on our beliefs, Rias Gremory. Right, Xenovia?"

"Yes. And the Church has decided that rather than allowing Excalibur to be wielded by the Fallen Angels, it is better to destroy them all. Our mission is to at least eliminate Excalibur from the hands of the Fallen Angels. To achieve our goal, we will die. Only Excalibur can stand against Excalibur."

Koya understood their actions. After all, while there were many unreliable gods in Orario, there were also some who truly demonstrated their faith. Take, for example, the Astraea family, whose members had all perished in pursuit of the Lord's justice. Such incidents were common in Orario, so Koya completely understood Xenovia and the others' choices. However, dying for one's beliefs wasn't the same as committing suicide.

"Can you two do it?"

"Yeah, of course. I don't intend to die in vain."

"Very confident, huh? Any secret weapon?"

"Well, whatever you think."

Chapter 212: High School DXD: Witch or Saint

The conversation ended there. The Church's message had been made clear, and Rias had agreed to their request. Logically, this should have been a happy ending for everyone. However, when Asia and Koneko pushed open the door to the activity room and ran into the two people from the Church who were about to leave, things took a turn.

"You, you're the 'Witch' Asia Agenda, right? I didn't expect to see you here."

Xenovia said uncertainly when she saw Asia push the door open.

Hearing the name "witch", Asia couldn't help but shudder. It was obvious that she didn't like this name very much. Unfortunately, she didn't have the same personality as Akeno. If it were Akeno, she might smile and slap the other person, but Asia would just lower her head and endure it all silently.

Irina seemed to have noticed this as well, her eyes fixed on Asia.

"You're the former 'Saint' who was the talk of the church for a while, the one who turned into a 'witch'? You seem to have the ability to heal demons and fallen angels? I heard you were expelled and I don't know where you ended up. I never thought you'd become a demon."

“…Um, um…I…”

Faced with the verbal pressure from the two, Asia didn't know how to respond.

"It's okay. Don't worry, we won't tell the higher-ups about your encounter here. If the people who were previously around the Saint Asia knew about your current situation, they'd probably be devastated."

"........................"

Irina's words made Asia's expression become complicated.

"But you've truly fallen to the lowest ebb, someone once called a 'Saint', turning into a demon. Do you still believe in our God?"

"Xenovia. How can she still believe in God if she's already a demon?"

Shidou Irina spoke with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"No, she smells of faith—that kind of fragrance. It might sound abstract, but I'm very sensitive to it. Even if some people violate their faith, they still feel guilty and don't forget their faith. She exudes that feeling."

Xenovia said with narrowed eyes, causing Irina to look at Asia curiously.

"Really? Even though Asia is a demon, she still believes in the Lord?"

Hearing her question, Asia said with a sad face:

"I just can't let go completely. Because I've always believed..."

Hearing this, Xenovia reached forward and held out the cloth bag in her hand.

"Is that so? If so, you must die by our swords now. Even now, I can still punish you in the name of God. Even if your sins are grave, our God will still extend his hand of redemption."

However, before Xenovia could make any further moves, her whole body stiffened. At this moment, she felt as if she had fallen into an Arctic ice cave. No... even an Arctic ice cave would not give her such suffocating cold. It was not like the sharp blade of death pressed against her neck -

"I suggest you refrain from any outrageous actions. Drawing your sword in front of us just now was just a show, but if you try to use force against my people now, I can't guarantee you'll be able to breathe the next second."

Koya's voice reached Xenovia's ears. Although her back was facing Koya, Xenovia could still see the expression in his eyes, which were completely emotionless and just staring at her. She felt that even moving her hands and feet had become a luxury, and she had become a vegetative state, with only her thoughts moving...

"What do you want to do, and why do you call her a witch—"

The kitten standing next to Asia flashed and stood in front of Asia. Her smaller body could not block Asia's body, but the kitten's voice woke Xenovia up. When she regained control of her body, she turned her head and looked deeply at Koya who was sitting on the sofa with his back to her. But even so, Xenovia did not change her attitude towards Asia. She didn't know whether her inner belief overcame her fear. At the beginning, this child was simply a stubborn person.

"Yes. At least now she is indeed what people call a 'witch', right?"

"You—are you kidding me?! When she was crying for help, no one helped her! You who can't understand Asia's kindness are all idiots! The fact that no one wants to be her friend is completely wrong!"

Perhaps thinking of herself in the past, Tacheng Baiyin was surprisingly angry after hearing Xenovia's words. The situation in which she was forced to wander because of her sister was very similar to Asia's, but they were both lucky. When they were most desperate, Rias extended a hand to them and pulled them out of the bottomless abyss; and now a stranger was talking nonsense in front of her, which made the kitten who usually had a cold face blush.

"Do you think a 'Saint' needs friends? What matters is compassion and love that are impartial. If she seeks friendship and love from others, she can no longer be a 'Saint'. She should be able to survive with only the love bestowed by God. It's clear that Asia Argento was never qualified to be a 'Saint' from the beginning."

Xenovia said it as a matter of course, not caring at all about Tacheng Baiyin's indignation.

"You treated her like a 'saint', only to abandon her the moment she turned out to be even slightly different from your imagination? How could that be possible... How could anyone be like you! You clearly don't understand Asia's pain! What about God? What about love? Your God did nothing when Asia was in danger!"

For a moment, Tacheng Baiyin wasn't sure if she was talking about Asia or herself. Her sister had vanished without a trace, saying, "This is for your own good." Then, news came that she was wanted, and she became a wanderer whom no one wanted...

"God loves her. If no miracles happen, it means her faith is insufficient, or she is hypocritical."

"Really?... Then how about testing my fist with your faith?"

Koya couldn't stand Xenovia's talk any longer. This whole victim-blame theory made him feel incredibly sick. Didn't getting help mean a lack of faith? Very well, then you can test yourself to see if your faith is strong enough for God to cast his gaze on you.

Xenovia and Irina had no right to refuse. After Koya's words, Grayfia took action. She grabbed the two church members like chickens and dragged them to the playground, then set up a barrier to isolate them from the outside world. After what happened last night, she left the field to Koya and Xenovia, while she and Rias stood outside the barrier. Even now, Irina was still a little confused. How did things turn out like this?

"Ahhh, Xenovia, you idiot! How did you get into such trouble again?!"

But at this point, Irina had no choice. In perfect sync with Xenovia, she pulled off her black robe to reveal the tight white combat suit underneath... To be honest, the design of this combat suit was a bit cheesy, showing off the figures of the two girls to the fullest. She was about the same age as Rias and even had a similar figure... How sad would Hayas Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya be if they saw this?

In fact, because the two of them just saw it, and had already started to complain in the group——

Shinomiya Kaguya: "What's wrong with these two? They're members of the Vatican, but why are they dressed like nymphomaniacs?"

Hayasaka Ai [That's right, she's wearing such shameless clothes! ]

Jizi: [Hahahaha, I saw two little girls envying others.]

Shinomiya Kaguya [Sister Jizi, what do you mean by these two little things! ]

Jizi: [Of course I'm talking about your chest~~]

Hayasaka Ai [Hmm! I'm actually older than you.]

Shirona: "Xiao Ai, it's okay if you're just talking to a man, but do you think we women will be fooled by you? You and Kaguya are about the same."

Shinomiya Kaguya [Damn cows! Why are they only this big when they are all high school students!]

Let's put the farce in the chat group aside for now and turn our attention back to the playground. Xenovia said to Irina seriously.

"Irina, you must use all your strength, otherwise we will die."

"what?"

Without waiting for Irina's response, Xenovia took out the holy sword from the package and rushed towards Koya with great momentum. After reaching Koya's side, she slashed at Koya without any hesitation. The huge sword body attacked at an extremely fast speed, making the air howl, but the next second, with a ding sound.

Xenovia's sword was blocked, and then there was another ding sound. Irina's attack from behind was also caught in Koya's hands. Koya's two arms were covered with dark scales. The two swords with great reputations could only create sparks on these scales but could not break through the defense at all.

Koya used his right hand to knock away Xenovia's sword, then punched her in the abdomen. As for Irina, Koya grabbed her sword and threw her out with force.

"Come on, if your gods don't respond to you, your fate will be dire."

Koya's evil taste came to his mind, and he struck a very strange fighting posture, somewhat similar to the ancient Greek wrestling posture, but seemed even more ancient.

"This is a technique I learned from a certain big sister who punched God. Come and try it."

Koya stepped lightly and rushed towards Xenovia like the wind. Xenovia saw the approaching figure in the air and twisted her body to swing the sword with the strength of her waist. However, without a leverage point, this blow did not have the power of the first one, but as long as she could force Koya back or hinder him for a while, it would be enough.

But in the blink of an eye, Koya dodged the attack and came to Xenovia's side. His hands grabbed Xenovia's arms and shoulders. When Xenovia realized it, she was already lying on the ground, with pain in her back, and her right hand, which had just been grabbed by Koya, was completely numb. She could not feel the existence of her right hand from her shoulder.

Just as Xenovia tried to get up, she heard another sound of something heavy falling to the ground. Irina, who wanted to launch a sneak attack, was undoubtedly thrown to the ground by Koya with an over-the-shoulder throw.