That was why his Sensei looked like a machine when he fought seriously. If you want to pull off the perfect surprise attack, one must discard all emotions to the point they become something close to a robot so the enemy can't read you.
"Tch! You really are a pain in the ass, Red Dragon Emperor-kun! But are you forgetting I have another sword!?"
The madman immediately swung the other Excalibur fragment to force Issei to disengage... or so he tried. With Saji's Absorption Line wrapped around his wrist, his arm was stuck in mid-swing, leaving him wide open.
"Koneko-chan!"
"Fly."
"Gah!"
The rook's fist smashed Freed's chest, sending him crashing against a bench. They didn't go for the kill as they needed him to spill the beams regarding their hideout, but Koneko was sure the man wasn't going to be able to fight for a time.
"Urgh..." The exorcist spat some blood as he tried to stand up. "You really did it this time... shitty devils... I guess this is my clue to get out of here..."
"We're on the same page for once, Freed Sellzen!" Before they could even react, the fallen angel flew to his side and caught him. "Our duty here is done. We must return to inform Lord Kokabiel about this alliance between the Church, the devils, and the Slayer."
"See ya!"
The two flew away at a great speed, but the exorcists didn't stand idly.
"After them! They are our ticket to their base!"
Xenovia and Irina ran behind them, with Kiba following them closely, and leaving Issei, Saji, and Koneko there dumbfounded.
"Hey, wait a moment! We need a second to catch our breath!"
It was actually just Saji who looked like he was about to faint, but aside from that, they couldn't just leave the two corpses there.
Issei looked at Koneko. "What do we do now?"
"Perhaps you could start by telling me why in the world are you fighting a group of fallen angels in the middle of the night."
The voice behind them made the three devils pale so much that Koneko's hair became the less what thing around. When they turned around, what awaited them was Rias and Sona with really scary faces.
Maybe expecting a fight of such scale to go unnoticed was too naive of them...
They were royally screwed.
The wind graced Shirou's auburn hair as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop with his reinforced legs.
Covering four miles with his servant parameters wouldn't take more than a minute, but with a human body, it was taking him more than he thought, a least if he wanted to save magical energy for the real battle. The same reason why he refrained to use a noble phantasm to finish off the fallen and stuck to just black keys.
However, he was able to see where the fallen fled to. It was the abandoned church in the town's outskirts, the place that was used by the fallen angels that killed Issei and Asia as a base.
He should have guessed it. Sometimes, the best place to hide was actually the most obvious one.
"Huh?"
Shirou stopped in his tracks as he reached the park where the fight with the fallen angels and the madman had taken place. The sight that met him made him raise an eyebrow by reflex.
Rias and Sona were slapping Issei and Saji's asses respectively with their hands wrapped in demonic power. It was surprising that their yelps of agony didn't wake up the entire neighborhood.
If this was their policy to punish servants that disobeyed their orders, then he wasn't going to stick his nose in that. However, it still irked him. This wasn't the time for that.
The sound he made by landing beside them put a stop to the show of pain and suffering. Before they got to open their mouth, Shirou spoke as he passed by them.
"I wouldn't be wasting your time like this, Rias, Sona. I recommend you start preparing yourself for the incoming battle. The Kokabiel guy is actually here in this town."
"And where are you going, Shirou-kun?" That was the only thing that Sona bothered to ask.
"To make sure those three don't go dying on me. If I don't return... expect the worse outcome."
Having said that, Shirou didn't waste any more precious seconds and kicked the ground to rush to the abandoned church.
"Wait, Sensei-" Issei tried to go after him, but his butt was in so much pain that he couldn't take a single step. Beside's, his master wasn't going to let him go anyway.
"Issei, we can't just rush at the enemy base. That would be suicidal. The only thing we can do is, just as Shirou-kun said, is to prepare ourselves in case they fail."
Unbeknownst to Rias, those words struck Issei's resolution even further. She not caring about the exorcists was one thing, but the fact that she didn't care if Shirou died at all shook him.
It was as his Sensei said. She didn't feel empathy for humans in the least. She let Shirou go there because she wanted him to save Kiba.
If it wasn't for his help, she might've very well ended up married to Raiser. He helped them, or more exactly, helped Issei since he saw he was still human at heart, but he did so without asking anything in return.
And his master was willing to let him die...
Back with Shirou, he sailed through the trees on the hill leading to the abandoned church.
It took him another minute to reach the building, and he immediately jumped inside it through one of the broken windows.
There wasn't a single soul there, but that could be said about just that floor. The hole in the middle of the room, most likely caused by Excalibur Destruction, and the sounds of battle coming from beneath it were enough to deduce what happened while he wasn't there.
The magus immediately dived into the hole bow in hand. The fall to the basement was brief, but it was enough for him to assess the situation.
The two exorcists and Kiba were widely outnumbered by more than forty fallen angels, and while they kept busy Kiba and Xenovia, a fallen angel with ten wings that gave out a huge aura was literally playing around with Irina. The Japanese exorcist had her body filled with wounds and was in her last legs.
Time to turn things around.
The first "arrow" was notched, an E-rank nameless noble phantasm, and he fired it directly a who he assumed was Kokabiel.
The ancient fallen angel was actually able to perceive the surprise attack at the last moment and jumped away to avoid it. However, the shot fulfilled its purpose, getting him off of Irina, and distracting all the other fallen angels, who were left dumbfounded at the sight of their boss having been forced to retreat.
Those precious seconds they wasted looking at Kokabiel could have actually saved their lives.
Shirou fired "arrow" after "arrow" like a machine gun. It was a literal rain of steel that obliterated all the fallen angels around Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina.
When he landed in front of them, the only thing remaining around them was a pile of corpses, blood, and black feathers. The bow was discarded in favor of his favored twin swords as he turned to glance at Kiba and Xenovia.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
It took them a couple of seconds to react, and then the exorcist gave him a small smile.
"Your timing was a little off, but you made it in time, Archer."
Shirou could see what she was referring to. The Excalibur Mimic in its katana form was now in Kokabiels hands, which made it three Excaliburs in their possession again. But more concerning, there were still more than twenty fallen angels, aside from the six-winged fallen and Kokabiel himself.
And regarding their side, even if Xenovia and Kiba weren't that much injured, Irina was already lying unconscious beside him.
Things weren't looking so good.
The boss stared surprised at Shirou for a second before a smile crept to his face.
He was a man with long black hair, pointed ears, and red eyes. If it wasn't for his raven wings, Shirou wouldn't have thought he was actually a dead apostle. A sight of how his original nature as an angel was completely twisted after all these years of committing sin after sin.
"You must be the so-called "Slayer", right? I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this meeting. And looking how you disposed of my men like if they were trash, you didn't disappoint."
His bloodlust was expanding by the second, but he seemed to be open to dialog before they proceeded to kill each other. Shirou decided to ask then, even if he could already guess the answer.
"And you must be one of the leaders of the Grigori, Kokabiel. The one that's plotting to restart the war between the three factions. But I must ask, why are you doing this?"
"Isn't that obvious? The war ended due to that fragile cease of fire the three factions put up to delay the inevitable. Unlike the devils or the angels, we, the fallen angels could have continued fighting without trouble. If it wasn't for that bastard Azazel and his obsession with the Sacred Gears, we would have won instead of retreating like cowards! And now, after all these centuries, I'm going to claim the victory that was stollen to us!"
The way he said that with pride was enough to irk Shirou, but he kept his cold mask.
"So you're just a resented warmonger that doesn't give a damn about the consequences, huh?"
"Oh, but having me and my followers destroy those pests plaguing mankind, isn't it the same objective you strive for, Slayer? The offer one of my followers proposed is still standing."
"And my answer is still the same. I will never side with someone that thinks of others as disposable trash." Shirou's hostility raised to match Kokabiel's, but the only reaction he got from the former archangel was a disappointed look.
"A pity. However, as much as I want to test a human that is not an herbivore, livestock just for the benefit of all the other factions, I shall still stick to my schedule."
Saying that he tossed Excalibur Mimic into the hands of an old man who had approached him while the two were talking. The man looked like a harmless priest, but the twisted smile that spread through his face as he put his hands on the holy swords betrayed that image.
"Valper Galilei..." Kiba barely repressed his urge to rush at him and cut his neck, but with Kokabiel in the way, he knew it would be futile.
"Hehehe. With this, we have already four Excaliburs. Just as you said, we should start already the process of fusion. Getting that girl's Excalibur can come later."
That actually made Shirou's eyes widen. Not just the horrible thought of having those abominations fused together through wrong means and not reforging them properly, but what he said before that.
"Four Excaliburs? Don't tell me-"
"Of course, you fool!" The familiar voice of the madman resounded throughout the toom as he approached Kokabiel and Valper. "What do you think was that diversion for!?"
"It wasn't a smooth operation though. The defense mechanisms in your house were quite troublesome. Some of my elites perished in the process."
Kiba and Xenovia looked surprised at Shirou. There wasn't any ward around the house or anything like the magicians usually used to defend their workshop.
And that was the thing. Anyone expected mundane traps in the lair of a mage. He had set a simple mechanism that would fire several black keys the moment someone forced the door open. However, the trap wasn't prepared to deal with a small army, just any possible phantasmal that managed to track him.
Disposing of the corpses in his house was now added to the increasing list of things to do regarding the "Moon-lit world". And replacing the black keys with more deadly weapons while he was at that.
"You shouldn't have let devils enter your house, Slayer. Tracking their scent was child's play for my men."
"Oh, and not just that. I have to thank you too, shitty devils. This thing was quite awesome. See? As good as new."
Freed threw a small vial to Kiba's hand, and the sight of it caused the devil to widen his eyes with surprise. "A Phoenix Tear!? How did you get your hands on something like that!?"
"Just like the black market of the mundane world, getting something like that is possible with the correct contacts and the right amount of money. And speaking of oddities." Valper's eyes landed on Shirou, a murky gleam on them. "A human that can wield a holy sword without holy element is a rare specimen I would like to work on, Lord Kokabiel. Maybe we could obtain a more efficient method to produce a holy sword user without these things. I'm starting to run out of them after using three on Freed."
Valper brought out a small blue vial with a weird diamond shape. Even if he couldn't see the contents, Shirou was able to sense it... and it just pissed him off even more.
"Could you please take him alive after we kill the heiresses?"
"I'll consider it." The boredom on the fallen's tone was a sign that he wasn't going to waste any effort to accomplish that request.
"Hmph."
Shirou couldn't bite back the snort as he stared at the mad scientist wearing the skin of a priest. What he'd done was already unforgivable, but now that Shirou had put the pieces together, now he knew that what he had achieved with his research wasn't that far from some magi researches.
Valper Galilei was now on the list of "kill without asking".
"You got it all wrong. Humans don't need holy element to wield those things. If that were the case, there wouldn't be any natural wielders. That's something only supernatural creatures produce."
The surprise in both fake priests' faces was quite the sight. Behind him, Xenovia and Kiba let out surprised voices too. Kokabiel's face however showed interest in his words.
"What are you saying!? I've been researching about holy swords all my life! Are you expecting me to believe your nonsense!"
"That might be true, but as someone that was raised by the sect called "the Holy Church", of course, your point of view would be distorted by their lies. That thing in your hands isn't holy element. That's just crystallized lifeforce. The only thing you achieved with your investigation is a way to suck people's souls and transfer the energy obtained to humans that doesn't have enough energy to fuel the swords naturally. Heh, and the Church decided to keep using that method. What a joke."
In just a moment, every defense Galilei could put up was completely demolished. Even if he has been researching about them together, he would never be able to learn more about them than the Unlimited Blade Works after reproducing them.
And the fact that he was trapped in the lies of the organization that deemed magic as heresy when they basically used the same just with other names didn't help.
An amused smile crept to Kokabiel's face. "So you were able to see through the lies spread by that fool Michael. Interesting. Now then, we'll be putting up the show in the headquarters of the devils, that is, Kuoh Academy. The whole city will be at stake. Come to challenge me there, Slayer. If you survive, of course."
The leader of the fallen angels then used some magic to levitate what looked like a weird throne, and he, Valper, and Freed mounted it before it flew out the room.
His subordinates didn't follow him though. Their boss' orders were clear even if he didn't voice them, and their increasing hatred towards the human that slaughtered their fellows wouldn't allow anything else. That much was obvious for Shirou.
"Xenovia, Kiba, tgo after him. And take Irina with you. Asia might be able to heal her. I'll take care of this."
The blonde devil didn't need to be told twice. He immediately rushed out of the room using his knight speed and ran after the trio carrying the four holy swords.
Xenovia however hesitated a little. They couldn't leave Irina without medical treatment for too long... but leaving Shirou against all those middle-class fallen angels and a high-class one...
"Good luck..." She finally made her choice and prioritized her partner's safety.
"Now then..." Shirou eyed the fallen angels.
They were eager to attack him, but they weren't fool enough to just throw themselves at him recklessly. Even if he was just a human, their instincts told them that he wasn't an enemy to make light of.
"What's the matter? Are you afraid of a lowly human?" Shirou taunted them. Just rushing at them wouldn't do either. His strong point had always been the defense, so it would be better to wait for them to come, preferably without any formation or tactic.
"Don't mess with us, bastard!"
And it worked. Even if the six-winged fallen didn't fall for it, some of the fallen finally snapped and rushed at him ignoring attention to their instincts.
"Wait-" Their superior's warning was too late.
"Trace, on."
They rushed to their deaths. Having discarded his bow, they didn't expect a ranged attack. But who said he needed a bow to fire swords?
"Wha-"
"No wa-"
The surprised screams turned into screams filled with pain and agony as the swords fired from behind him destroyed their spears of light and sunk into their flesh.
And then, the magus kicked the ground and jumped through the falling corpses. Taking advantage of the commotion, he cut down two more fallen angels before the rest of them came down on him.
And even so, to their horror, the "lowly human" held his ground in the middle of the battlefield. He deflected all their attacks with ease as he danced through them, and fired more swords to deflect the spears thrown at him.
Admittedly, their group didn't have cohesion at all. Despite all of them being middle-class fallen angels of four wings, they were just a bunch of fanatics that followed Kokabiel because they too shared his lust for conflict, even if they never lived that war. Their attacks weren't coordinated, more often than not getting in the way of each other, and Shirou exploited all those errors to take them down quickly.
The only one who seemed to know what he was doing was Kushiel, and he didn't seem to be cut out for the job of a commander.
After some minutes, he found himself alone fighting the magus above a pile made of the corpses of his fellow brethren. And to his surprise, even without anyone getting in his way, the human was able to keep with this swordplay just fine... if it could be called swordplay.
After exchanging blows with the six-winged fallen angel, Shirou could tell that he was swinging around the light blades without technique. Calling him a swordsman would be an offense for every man and woman that dedicated their lives to the path of the sword.
The only reason the fallen was able to keep up with him was his speed and strength were far superior to Shirou. That and Shirou wanting to save his energy for Kokabiel.
"Damn human!" In the end, Kushiel couldn't reign over his accumulated frustration. "You have the nerve to berate our Lord when you massacred our fellow without even batting an eye!"
"Heh, a fallen angel that came here seeking a bloodbath wants to give me lessons about morals?"
Shirou's sarcastic remark just pissed the fallen more, causing him to swing his right sword recklessly. The magus easily battered it aside, and it left him open for a kick.
It didn't do much to the fallen, but it created a distance between the two. Shirou then threw his twin swords to the side, surprising Kushiel.
The two blades drew an arc in the air, coming for his neck from both sides. However, he managed to deflect the two blades by the skin of his teeth, one of them actually cutting his shoulder.
The fallen angel didn't think twice and rushed to his unarmed opponent. He must have been too confident on that attack actually finishing him off, and now he was going to pay that mistake-
"Trace, on."
A newly projected pair blocked his attack, and Kushiel's instincts told him that the fight was already decided.
"Gah!"
He spatted blood as the pair of Kansho and Bakuya previously throw returned to Shirou, attracted by the pair in his hands, and pierced his back. The shock produced by the sudden pain and the blood filling his lungs left him unable to defend himself, and the magus finished him off with a cross-slash.
The fallen's lifeless body dell to the ground and joined all his comrades. Shirou turned around without sparing him a second glance.
The magus never got to know the fallen's name, nor the reason for his patriotism, but he didn't care. They came here asking for a fight, so they should have been prepared to lose their lives.
His attention instead was focused on the figure that had been watching from the entrance for a least the last five minutes, but he could tell that he had been hiding since even before the fight started. He couldn't feel hostility from him, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.
He was a teenager not that older than Shirou, with silver hair and hazel eyes. His outfit made him look like a biker gang, and actually... it resembled the favorite casual outfit of a certain Golden King.
But aside from that last part, what made Shirou keep his guard up was his presence. It was similar to Issei's but at the same time completely different. And that could just mean one thing...
He just run with the other wielder of the power of the last pure-blood dragon, or at least this world's counterpart that seems to have suffered a different fate.
"You came to join the party, too?"
The silver-haired young man showed the magus a smile. "Finding someone like you at this age is nearly impossible. A human that gives the feeling of a predator instead of prey. If I'm being honest, I'm dying to challenge you, but I'm even more interested in how you fare against Kokabiel. For someone like him to challenge a human as an equal... That is going to be a show I can't miss."
"Hmph. So the white dragon came here just to watch from the sidelines?"
That actually surprised him a little, but it just fueled the fire in his eyes. "I was actually dispatched by Azazel to deal with Kokabiel, but I'll interfere just if you fail to defeat him. So show me what the mighty Slayer is capable of."
Shirou's eyebrow trembled for a moment. Shirou was starting to hate that title. Perhaps he should have been the one to spread a title of his own and go with his true name instead. He doubted anyone in this bizarre world would recognize him.
"Thanks for your cooperation I guess..."
Shirou passed by him and ran out of the ruined Church. There wasn't anything to say, and he couldn't afford to waste more time.
There was a city to save.
"Haaah... haaah... haaah... Damn it... we really aren't going to make it..."
Issei barely managed to get out those words between ragged breaths. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to stop even with the energy of twenty boosts circulating through them.
The Red Dragon Emperor slowly managed to stand up, his brown eyes ever fixed in the foe in front of them. With, Kiba, Koneko, and Xenovia defeated, he was the last close-quarters fighter standing, and the last line of defense between that bastard and Buchou.
How did they end up in such a dire situation?
Not that long after Sensei left them in the park, the enemy boss himself showed up to challenge them to a battle in the school.
They immediately reunited all the members of both peerages and went to fight him. It was decided that Sona and her peerage would be the ones in charge to maintain a barrier around the school to keep the fight in secret to the mundane world, and Rias' peerage would buy time until Sirzetch or a member of his peerage came to defeat Kokabiel.
Xenovia and Kiba arrived at the beginning of the battle, too. Even if Asia had to spend a few minutes healing Irina, having their strength on their side too was reassuring.
The battle didn't go as smoothly as they thought. Even if they managed to defeat the shitty priest wielding the four Excaliburs fused as one and all the minions Kokabiel sent in their way, things got really ugly when he himself entered the battlefield.
Anything worked on him. Akeno and Rias' magic attacks were easily repelled, even after being greatly augmented by Issei's Boosted Gear Gift, the other half of his sacred gear power that allowed him to transfer his accumulated power to his allies.
Kiba's newly acquired Balance Breaker in the form of a holy demonic sword, obtained after coming to terms with his feelings a finding a new resolution, barely graced him.
Not even Xenovia's trump card, Durandal, was able to defeat him. It was a sword said to be on par with the original Excalibur, and if he had to tell, even stronger than his Sensei's Camael Muramasa.
A weird name now that he thought about it, given that that sword was everything but holy, but he was digressing.
While Xenovia's Durandal was really powerful, it was obvious that she had barely any control over it. It was more like a rampant monster, wasting power aimlessly. On the other hand, his Sensei wielded the katana expertly, drawing all its potential in every swing, making it more deadly in comparison.
And that was the key to this ordeal.
They were all greenhorns compared to their opponent. This was a losing battle from the beginning, and they weren't going to make it alive until the Maou's reinforcements arrived.
But he wasn't expecting them to arrive at all. Instead, the condition for victory Issei had in mind was completely different...
[Partner, at this rate, we are going to need to resort to the Balance Breaker.]
"That's... Just one minute... I'm sure... he'll get here at any time... Ddraig..."
[It's your decision. But I don't think you're going to last even that...] Even the Red Dragon was starting to sound worried.
"Guh!" A voice by his side made him deviate his eyes.
It was Xenovia, who had managed to get up, too. She was a mess just like the others and was using Durandal as a crane to keep her balance.
"Xenovia..."
"I can't just... let you do the work... Hyoudou Issei. It would bring shame to the Church... And well... I can't let Emiya's sacrifice go to waste..."
They said his Sensei sacrificed himself so the three could escape from the enemy base, but Issei didn't buy it in the least. He knew some fallen angels weren't enough to defeat Shirou, but he sure was taking his time.
Admittedly, it has been only around ten minutes after the fight started, but still...
"Hoh? So you're still refusing to go down, huh? Very well, I'll entertain you." Kokabiel spoke to them with a bored expression.
All his battle lust faded quickly in the middle of the fight after seeing they couldn't hold a candle to him. The only signs that he was in the middle of a fight were the bruise in his check caused by Kiba's sword and the burns in his hands caused by Rias' attack.
It actually seemed that he was waiting for something to happen...
"But I must ask, the devils trying to exterminate me is understandable, but why do you, the envoys of the Church, fight after your Lord died long ago?"
Those casual words caused the entire battlefield to plunge into a dead silence, with everyone, even the devils, widening their eyes in shock.
"No... No way... You have to be kidding?"
Xenovia tried to refuse what she just heard, her legs starting to shake wildly. All her will to fight was fading quickly, as she deep down knew that Kokabiel could be lying just by the way he spoke.
Kokabiel noticed it, and then, he started to laugh his ass off.
"Hehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's right! How could I forget!? That's other of the greatest lies Michael fabricated!" For some reason, a wry smile showed on his face as he spoke. "That bastard thinks that humanity is so fragile that the death of God would cause it to crumble apart, and so, he dedicated every resource to keep it as a secret. Only the highest rank among every faction is aware of it. He thinks that posing as God and pretending that it never happened is going to accomplish something..."
For a moment, Kokabiel stopped looking like a monster that only sought the lust of battle, and that just destroyed any doubt Xenovia had about the veracity of his words.
"Then... Everything I've done... all the life I dedicated to the Lord... it was meaningless..." Xenovia dropped to her knees, Durandal falling to her side. There was no life left in her eyes.
"Asia!? Wait, hold on, Asia!" And as expected, Asia fainted by the shock of that revelation.
Issei wanted to rush at her, but with Xenovia in that state, he couldn't leave the front. He clenched his draconic fist with rage but repressed his emotions just like Sensei told him.
If the enemy wanted to talk with them, then so be it. It played in their favor.
"Pathetic. That much being enough to break you is proof of how wrong Michael is. His lies are just hindering humanity. This just confirms that I must restart the war to end this farce once and for all. To think that only that snake was able to deduce it, and even he was about to break after discovering that not only his investigations were lies. Perhaps I should put you out of your misery, too..."
His red eyes then settled o Issei, making him raise his guard. "I was just playing with you to kill time until the Lucifer or the Leviathan arrived, but this is disappointing. Is it that they don't care in the least for their sisters? You, Red Dragon Emperor. I see you're the only one that has yet to lose hope. Do you have so much faith in those monsters you call your leaders?"
"Heh... Actually, not in the least..." Those words left his companions without breath, but it was the truth.
As powerful as Buchou's brother seemed when they met if he had to choose, of course, he would choose...
"I have faith in... no... I know Sensei will get here in no time... I know Emiya-sensei will kick your ass!"
Those words made Kokabiel show a small smile. "Oh, it seems that man actually beat some sense into you..."
The fallen angel raised his arm and accumulated a huge amount of aura on it until he created a spear of light of the size of a car.
Issei's blood ran cold. Kokabiel had already used an attack like that to intimidate them at the beginning of the battle, so he didn't need to make calculations to know that thing could easily blow up a building of considerable size. The crater that had been the school's gym was proof of it.
"Let's see how that man takes the sight of his disciple's slaughtered body!"
"Crap-"
Kokabiel threw the spear unceremoniously, and Issei knew that there was little he could do about it.
He couldn't dodge. Doing so would mean Buchou and everyone else would receive the attack. Even if his trust in his master had deteriorated, he didn't want her dead.
He could try to deflect it with a dragon shot, but he didn't have the time to fully charge it, and even if he managed to pull it off, he doubted it would make any difference.
He wasn't dying without trying though!
"Dragon-"
He created the ball of energy in front of him and pulled his fist with all the strength he could muster...
He wasn't going to make it. The spear was already a couple of meters in front of him.
"Rho Aias!"
But someone beat him to it. A familiar flower-shaped shield manifested in front of him, taking the spear head-on.
"Gah!"
The force of the impact caused Issei to fall on his but, and Xenovia was forced to return to the real world as the debris and smoke caused by the explosion passed by them.
Once the explosion died down, everyone, even Kokabiel stared surprised at the shield, which had resisted the attack with just a crack on the first layer to attest to it. As expected the shield that blocked Hector's spear.
"I barely made it in time, huh?"
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar golden-eyed boy with his clothes soaked in blood walking to them from the side as he dismissed the shield.
While everyone was still having problems processing it after thinking of him dead, a bright smile made its way to Issei's face.
"You really took your time, Sensei!"
Issei tried to walk up to him, but his legs failed him, and almost tripped if it wasn't for Shirou holding him.
"You guys did well holding him off until now. Now you can leave him to me."
"Wait, you really are going to fight him, Shirou-kun!?" The two of them turned to look at a Rias that looked at him like he had grown a second head.
"Someone has to fight him. I'll definitely buy some time." Shirou let her take Issei as he walked to face Kokabiel. "You can do whatever you want with this time. Try to run away with your families, or hurry your brother so he gets his ass here already. However..."
Shirou stopped to walk when he was ten meters away from Kokabiel. His hand landed in his black and white jacket and he took it off with a single pull. At the same time, his clothes shone before being replaced by a combat gear.
It consisted of a light black armor that didn't cover his arms, and a red mantle that hung from his waists, covered his left arm, and was tied around his head like a bandana.
Shirou then turned to look at them sideways while showing a confident smile.
"Do you guys mind if I defeat him?"
The sight left them completely speechless. Issei could tell it. With that outfit, his Sensei gave off an impressive aura. It was like if a puzzle with a missing part was finally completed.
That strong back which gave the sensation that you could definitely rely on him... Those eyes burning with resolution... It was like...
A hero.
His positivity got to even Rias, who showed a smile. "The Gremory house isn't made of cowards. We are definitely not running away. I'll see what I can do to make Nii-san get here faster."
Shirou nodded at her and turned to look at Kokabiel. The enemy was waiting patiently, despite the eagerness in his face.
"So you finally came, Slayer. You've failed to disappoint me yet again. But before we start killing each other, I'm interested in hearing what you think about the death of God."
Contrary to what happened to Xenovia and Asia, the only reaction the fallen angel got from him was a raised eyebrow.
"So the biblical God is dead... What of it? People die every day. A God dying isn't that strange either."
His answer left even Kokabiel dumbfounded. He didn't mourn it, nor did he celebrate it. It was absolute indifference.
"So you say mankind shouldn't care about the demise of the God that has been guiding them since primordial times?"
"Of course. Has anything changed after his death? The answer is no. In fact, he was the one hindering mankind, refusing to accept that we don't need his help to keep moving forward. That is the truth the supernatural creatures refuse to accept. The flawed system of sacred gears is obvious proof. It has made more harm than good. The fact that Excalibur turned to be a joke instead of the Strongest Holy Sword that carried mankind's light as it was meant to be is another proof!"
The intensity of Shirou's voice was growing with every word. He closed his right fist and to a step forward.
"Your stubbornness of not wanting to let go of humanity is what didn't let it become the apex predator that was destined to be! It is what made them lose the will to keep moving forward! If anyone hasn't stood to put an end to this farce until now, then I'll be the first one to do it! I won't let you mess with humanity for your own selfish wishes anymore! No matter if they are devils, vampires, angels, or even the Gods! I, Emiya Shirou, will exterminate anyone that endangers humanity's hopes and dreams!"
His speech was met by Kokabiels laugh. It wasn't one to mock him. It was more like... relief? As if he finally met someone he had been waiting for for decades or even centuries.
"So it is finally here, huh? I've finally met a human that is not a mindless ship to be used by the supernatural, but the predator they are meant to be... Then, let me ask. Why do you fight, Emiya Shirou?"
The way the fallen didn't act like a mindless monster craving for blood surprised Shirou, but he humored him though.
"I fight to save everyone, of course. I'm going to be a hero that can prevent that tragedy to happen again!"
"A hero, eh? I can see you're cut for it. But, do you realize that dream is just an unreachable fantasy?"
"That might be true, but it is still a beautiful dream everyone thinks of, even if they don't try to accomplish it. And I know it is not wrong to chase after it. This is the path I've chosen, and I'll keep on believing in it until the end."
"I see... I guess we cannot get along then..."
"Yes. Even if our goals might have something in common, as long as you're willing to sacrifice innocent lives, I'll never join your side."
"Then come at me, Emiya Shirou, and show me the true worth of what humanity can become!"
The two then fell in silence. Kokabiel manifested a pair of light swords in his hands, and Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya. There was nothing more to say. The fight was imminent.
His golden eyes scanned the enemy in front of him. There was no opening in his stance. Unlike the other fallen angels he had fought, Kokabiel seemed to have skill with the sword. How much he had, Shirou couldn't know since the swords in his hands were just constructs of energy so there was no history to reproduce.
The only way to obtain that information was to fight him head-on.
Kokabiel seemed content to let him take the initiative, the smile on his face offering a quiet invitation.
Shirou took a step forward then. Predicting how the enemy was going to react to his attack and how to avoid the consequent retaliation, the red knight threw away everything and kicked the ground.
The distance was crossed in a heartbeat, Kanshou already coming down for the fallen's neck.
As expected, the enemy pushed aside the Yang-sword with ease, but Shirou continued to attack with the Ying-sword in his other hand.
It was to no avail. The Fallen warded off his attacks like nothing and lunged his right light sword to pierce his throat. An attack of massive speed that made all his previous attacks against the devils seem like a joke...
CLANG!
But the twin swords blocked it in time without much problem. It didn't come as a surprise for any of them, and the smile on Kokabiel's face just grew wider as he continued to attack without holding back anything.
Shirou was forced into defense, the first attack being the only one allowed to him. But he continued to avoid the raging attacks of the fallen by the skin of his teeth. Like a ship sailing through a stormy sea. Reading ten steps ahead, ensuring five seconds more of survival with each attack parried. Shirou's fighting style was put to test for the first time in this world.
The enemy clearly had a strength and speed equal to a superior dead apostle or even a true ancestor. His eyes were barely able to see his attacks, and he was forced to rely solely on his accumulated combat experience, refined into his superior Mind's Eye.
"No way... He's actually holding his ground against that monster..."
Meanwhile, even if he was just surviving, the image of a human fighting on equal ground with such an ancient being left dumbfounded the devils and Xenovia.
"It should be impossible... Even if his skill does compensate for his lack of power... he should have been blown away by Kokabiel's attacks... Those attacks repelled even Durandal..."
"It's weird... His magical power is constantly fluctuating... like if it were really unstable, but at the same time seems calculated..."
"That's... the mana burst..."
Issei's choked voice made the two Onee-sans put their looks away from the impossible sight. His face was really pale, but it wasn't due to the surprise. He was the only one that had decided to put his face on the hero instead of the Maou, so it had to be something else.
"Mana burst? Oh, right, the technique he passed to you... That is definitely powerful, but how can it turn the scales in this battle?"
[You're underestimating that technique, Rias Gremory. The fact that my partner is still learning how to use it properly doesn't make it weak at all. In fact, it is an appropriate technique for a dragon-kind.]
It was actually Ddraig who answered her question since his host was too much distracted seeing his Sensei going all-out for the first time.
"The Welsh Dragon? Can you please elaborate?"
[That technique can turn even the weakest of the weapons into a lethal attack, and in turn, it requires a great amount of energy to use it. However, that human circumvented that problem by using it in calculated short bursts instead of keeping it active all the time. But, the amount of skill and practice he has to be able to time it correctly and use the exact amount of power to counter the enemy's attacks without wasting energy, all that while predicting attacks that he can barely see... He is truly something else...]
As if the fight wasn't already mind-blowing, the dragon casually dropped that bomb on them.
Forget about Raiser. Now Issei's observations that Shirou would have mopped the floor with him were more than confirmed. The fact that his skills reached that level put him in a far superior league.
And that was the reason Issei was so shocked. When Shirou showed him the mana burst, he just thought that he used it as a trump card in some situations. But the level of mastery he had of that technique bordered the absurd to be able to use in that way.
Forget about decades. How many centuries would take him to reach that level? That thought was making Issei feel completely hopeless, but at the same time, it fueled his determination.
That wasn't a technique born from talent, but one honed through countless years of training and combat against beings far superiors to him.
And that was precisely why Shirou was able to match Kokabiel. Because fighting such monsters was his specialty.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
As the battle continued, Shirou could feel how his human body was reaching its limit. Fighting at the level of a servant and spamming the mana burst was making his circuits overheat.
But, he was finally getting a grasp on Kokabiel's fighting capabilities. His speed and strength were easily able to overwhelm the majority of his opponents, and his incredible reflexes honed through countless battles made his defense nearly impenetrable.
However, there was a flaw in his fighting style. Just as his fellow angels, he wasn't a swordsman either. He didn't follow the path of the sword for enlightenment or because it was his strong point, but just because it complement his true strength. And that was, overwhelming his opponents from the distance with his spears of light.
Why should a being of his power hone his skills with the sword when he could just blast away most of his opponents with his range attacks? More so when the majority of his opponents in the war fought like him or threw spells like the devils.
That was the path to victory Shirou was able to see. Kokabiel's lack of experience fighting opponents who hold a candle to him in close-quarters. That was the difference between Kokabiel and a true swordsman like King Arthur or Miyamoto Musashi.
That and...
CRACK!
"Huh?"
Kokabiel looked surprised at how his right light sword fell apart after clashing against Kanshou.
That was his other weakness. Even if his constructs were really powerful compared to other fallen angels, at the end of the day, they were just a mass of energy given form. They lacked the conceptual weight that had noble phantasms like Kanshou and Bakuya, nor did they have an exceptional forging process or battle experience.
These two weaknesses would be meaningless in almost every battle, but against Shirou, they were going to be the cause of his defeat.
With a quick spin, the red knight held Kanshou in reverse grip and immediately lunged it at Kokabiels exposed side. He clearly wasn't accustomed to having his swords shattered, so he didn't make it in time-
CLANG!
But he didn't need to. Kokabiel's wings had bent in impossible angles and trapped the blade just inches away from piercing his flesh. And by the sound, Shirou could tell does wings were as hard as steel.
"Good try. You almost got me there. But let's see if you can find another opening in my defense!"
Kokabiel swung down his other light sword, but the red knight didn't make any attempt to retreat. Instead...
"Trace, Overedge!"
"Wha-"
Kokabiel had barely a second to react after he sensed how the red knight overloaded the Yin-sword with magical energy. The blade literally burst, growing twice its original size and acquiring a more aggressive appearance with steel splints on the back of the blade.
Kokabiel managed to put his body out of the way of the blade, but the same couldn't be said about the wings that had been holding it. Some of the wings were actually torn apart by the explosion, leaving a bloody mess between the two.
But the red knight didn't stop there.
"Haaaaahhhh!"
He jumped at Kokabiel, both his hands holding Bakuya for an overhead swing.
It was such a telegraphed attack that it sent alarms to Kokabiel. However, due to his wings having been repelled by the explosion, he had lost his balance, so blocking was his only option.
And his suspicions were spot on. The sword in Shirou's hands changed in the middle of the swing. Bakuya faded away before being replaced almost instantly by a katana that sent chills down his spine.
Throwing out the window any notion of grace, Kokabiel kicked the grown with all his might to get as much distance as possible. It was only his god-like reflexes that saved his life.
The katana cleaved through his remaining sword like a hot knife cutting butter, and sliced his luxurious suite, leaving a superficial cut in his chest.
The way the blade cut through his flesh as nothing left him a horrible feeling. Something told him that the sword would have cleaved through not just his flesh had he not avoided the attack.
"Kuh!"
Kokabiel used the wings that were still operational to regain his balance. His red eyes saw how the red knight rushed at him, not wanting to let him get a hold of himself.
And he had to admit it. The red knight outperformed him in close combat. That's why he needed to stop playing around and use his true battle style if he wanted to emerge victoriously.
"Let's see how you fare against THIS!"
Kokabiel expanded his power, creating a huge amount of spears of light around him, and all of them were fired with a flick of his hand.
The red knight's golden eyes widened as he saw all the projectiles coming at him, but he kept his cool. This wasn't anything new for him. After considering all his options, he chose the best one to counter the attack.
The katana in his hand was replaced by another one, this one with a more fancy design. Its guard had the form of a star, and the handle resembled... a key?
"Michael, Rataibu!"
Shirou summoned the angel's true name as he swung the katana in front of him. The blade cleaved through the fabric of space, creating a hole in front of him that engulfed all the spears.
"Huh!?"
Kokabiel had little time to be surprised about the true name of that katana or its power. The moment the first spears entered the hole, several smaller holes appeared around him, forming an inescapable dome.
He had just a fraction of a second to react. Even with his reflexes, the only thing he managed to do was create a barrier around him just before all his attacks were returned to him from every possible angle. Around hundred spears, each of them to destroy a small building, came down at him at the same time.
"Kuh... aaaaaAAAAAAAAARRRGH!"
It took everything he had to keep up the barrier as everything around him turned into a cacophony of explosions. Every second felt like an eternity, but he managed to resist until the last of the attacks.
A swing of his arm cleared all the smoke raised by the explosions. Even if his body was screaming at him that he needed to catch his breath, he couldn't let the red knight keep the initiative-
"Retriever!"
But he was late. All the time he had been busy blocking his own attacks was more than enough to prepare the cursed sword, and it was already coming at him at match speed fired from the black bow.
However, it shouldn't be a problem. He still had the barrier around him, and even if the wicked aura around the sword was giving him goose-bumps, he couldn't feel that much power on it.
"Wh-"
Those thoughts were immediately crushed the moment the sword pierced through his barrier as if it were just a curtain of smoke.
Even if the news about the Red Dragon Emperor beating the crap out of the Phenex heir spread like wildfire, nobody actually knew the name of the sword Issei used during the fight, nor did they know how it actually worked.
And so, Kokabiel could just stare dumbfounded at the "arrow" that created a hole in his barrier by devouring the magical power used to sustain it.
Putting everything he had, the fallen angel twisted his body as quickly as he could. He managed to get his heart out of the trajectory, but the "arrow" still graced his shoulder and blew away three of his wings.
He could just clench his teeth as the curse of the sword started to rot the flesh around his wound, noting that it wouldn't take long for him to lose the mobility of that arm. As a fallen angel that no longer was allowed to use holy light, purifying the curse was beyond his abilities.
The explosion behind him that carved a massive hole in the school building went completely ignored in favor of focusing solely on his opponent. This time, the red comet that came at him didn't take him by surprise, so he was able to avoid it jumping to the side.
The red comet halted by his side, the flames enveloping it dispersing to reveal the red knight wielding a long, flame-shaped, crimson sword. Kokabiel immediately summoned another pair of light swords to meet him, but it became apparent that he was no longer the one with the advantage.
Not only his injuries were more serious than the ones he managed to inflict on the red knight at the beginning of the fight. Shirou's movements... they were completely different. They were no longer a clear stream of precise and practiced movements, but a chaotic festival of fancy pirouettes.
Such weird swordplay should be full of flaws and wasted movements... but that was just a first glance. Even if it looked like he was fighting another person, that sword style still retained the basic core of Shirou's fighting style.
Every movement was deceivingly calculated, with no wasted energy. The pirouettes were just a decoy to confuse the opponent, making them think that they would be able to see through them easily, just to be crushed without being able to pierce through the defense of his Mind's Eye.
Being on the receiving end of the technique of the Bride Saber, Kokabiel found himself being quickly overwhelmed. His instincts were already warning him of his imminent defeat.
Having been pushed into a corner, there was only one option left for Kokabiel.
"Guh... ENOUGH OF THIS!"
He concentred his remaining power and unleashed it in the form of a shockwave, repelling the red knight several meters from him.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
The fight came to a pause as both combatants stopped to catch their breath. Kokabiel was the worse of the two with just four of his wings intact, his left arm at the verge of falling limp, and several burns throughout his body.
Shirou however wasn't that far behind. Even if he hadn't received a wound that serious, all his muscles were on fire, and he was letting out steam with each breath due to his overheated circuits.
The two of them were on their last legs.
"To force me into this state..." Kokabiel spoke between ragged breaths. "You are an even more terrifying killing machine... than that Durandal user a met during World War II... The title of "Slayer" doesn't do justice to your skills... How can it be? You're not older than those greenhorns, but what I see in front of me is a true warrior... seasoned through countless battlefields..."
Shirou just shrugged at his question. "Everyone has his secrets... But I must say... after having crossed swords with you... I can tell... that warmonger personality of yours... it was just a mask, right? A lie that became real after being repeated so many times..."
Hearing his words, Kokabiel let out a choked giggle. "Heh, so you managed to see through even that... Yes... that was the only thing I came up with to make others join my cause... as absurd as it may seem, it was easier for them to follow a blood-thirsty megalomaniac than someone that asked them to willingly cause the twilight of our pantheon because he believed they were a hindrance to humanity... And if it weren't because I heard of a human that rejected the system of this world from that mad dog... I would have become just that..."
"I see... so it is true that your real goal was always put an end to the overextended Age of Gods... so the Age of Man can finally prosper as it should... But even so... I cannot approve such method... a war to end all wars... all the lives that would be lost wouldn't be worth it..."
"So you are not going to try to change my mind?"
"It is too late for that, and you know it. The only thing I can do for you... is putting you out of your misery..."
"Heh, I figured as much... However, I'm not going to die without putting up some fight..."
The fallen angel used his remaining wings to take some distance. When he was already more than twenty meters above the ground, near the boundary of the barrier surrounding Kuoh Academy, he stopped and raised his hands. All his remaining energy started to accumulate into a gigantic light spear, his final attack.
"Try to stop me, Emiya Shirou! If you don't block this attack, both heiresses will perish, and even if I die in the process, their siblings with massive sister complex will initiate the war I crave!"
The morale that had been raised after Shirou managed to corner Kokabiel suddenly plummeted.
This was it. That was the equivalent of a nuke. Only something on the level of a Maou or an Archangel could stop it. And it has been only five minutes, so the odds of reinforcement arriving were near to zero.
"Damn it..." Issei clenched his fist with anger and impotence. Even after getting his as handed by his Sensei, that bastard was going to get away with it.
"I guess I should answer in kind then... Trace, on." But Shirou's calm words made him turn to look at him surprised.
The crimson sword was nowhere to be seen, and in turn, a European sword was in his hands. Its blade was longer than the average, with a classical golden cross-guard slightly curved with almost any decoration.
But even if it looked really simple, the amount of power he could feel from the sword made his hair stand on end. It made even Durandal look like a cute kitty trying to be intimidating in comparison.
"Ddraig... wh-what is that sword?"
[I don't know partner... But I can tell that sword is easily the strongest one I've seen even with my fragmented memories... No wonder he treated the Excaliburs like toys...]
The sword wrapped itself in golden light as Shirou poured all his remaining magical energy into it. It wasn't holy light, but its intensity was so great that it was starting to melt the concrete around the red knight.
"Heh..." The smile on Kokabiel's face grew wider seeing Shirou accept his last challenge. "Very well then... Recieve this attack of mine, for this will be my parting gift, EMIYA SHIROU!"
Kokabiel lunged the gigantic mass of energy in the form of a spear unceremoniously. It descended upon the ground like a falling star announcing the end of times.
The red knight readied his sword for a vertical swing, his eyes full of determination never leaving the falling star.
"Sword of selection, it's time to purge the unworthy..." Shirou took a step forward and finally swung the sword. "MERODACH!"
With its true name released, the Original Sin fired its mighty beam of light that burns everything it touches against the falling star.
The clash between the two attacks shook the ground, blew away all the crystals in the vicinity, and tore apart the barrier around the school like nothing. Anyone could see the result of the clash, as the light would have burned their eyes like if they were staring at the sun.
But... even if it felt like an eternity... the result of the clash was decided from the beginning. There wasn't even a second of struggle.
The falling star's light that was just bright due to its size, was instantly severed by the light of selection. Kokabiel didn't have any time to react as he was engulfed by the beam.
"Ah..."
The last image he was able to see before his body was burned away was those golden eyes staring back at him.
That unwavering gaze... that firm conviction to seek his ever distant dream despite having seen for himself the cruelty of the world... That heroic image... holding the original model of all swords of selection...
In the end, Kokabiel passed away with a smile, knowing that the future of humanity now shone with life.
The beam of light continued to ascend, illuminating the night sky and splitting the clouds like a gigantic sword. Covering that was going to be a real pain in the neck, but that didn't mean it wasn't a breathtaking sight.
As the light faded away, the battlefield plunged into the mother of awkward silences.
"Wow..." That was the only thing that some of them could say.
All the eyes gradually fell back to the back of the red knight. He was standing firm there, with his red cloak waving with the wind. If the combat gear already gave the feeling of a hero, the sword in his hand reinforced that image as a real legend.
However, the way he wasn't dropping his guard sent them alarms. It was unquestionable that Kokabiel had been completely incinerated, so that could mean just one thing...
"That was truly a fight worthy being recorded in history."
An unfamiliar voice came from the sky. There, they saw a figure clad in white armor with blue gems and wings. Its draconic design so similar to Issei's Boosted Gear Scale Mail gave away his true identity almost instantly.
"That's... the Vanishing Dragon..."
Even without knowing him, Issei's entire body got tense in front of his natural enemy. His instincts screaming at him to destroy that man's existence almost overwhelmed his sense of caution despite the immense power the White Dragon was irradiating, comparable to even Kokabiel.
However, the White Dragon barely spared him a glance of acknowledging as he descended in front of Shirou. His interest seemed solely focused on the red knight.
"So you finally decided to join the fight... or did you come to fight your natural enemy?"
The man inside the armor snorted at Shirou's words. "As impressive as it is to see you standing just by sheer willpower, defeating you in that state would be meaningless. So you can rest assured, Slayer- no, Emiya Shirou. I came to retrieve Kokabiel's body, but you didn't leave a single atom, so I'll have to settle with just Freed as Valper is dead, too."
The White Dragon walked to where the fake priest's unconscious form besides the shattered fragments of the Excaliburs and picked him up like a bag of potatoes. He was about to take off, but a voice stopped him.
[Are you going to ignore me, White?] It was Ddraig, but contrary to his words, there was just a little of annoyance in his tone.
[Oh, so you are actually awake, Red.] Another deep voice came from the gems of the White Dragon Emperor in response to Ddraig's. It didn't take a genius to deduce that was Albion.
[Well, as you can see, the situation we found ourselves in this generation is quite peculiar.]
[Yeah. Even I cannot see the point in fighting as we are now.]
[Perhaps we should just enjoy ourselves until the day we finally have our fated battle, Albion.]
[That isn't a bad idea actually. We'll meet again, Ddraig.]
"Train and get stronger, my fated rival. If not, the day we fight will be disappointing."
Leaving those words behind, Albion's host ignited his armor and flew away, leaving another heavy silence. But this time, a loud sound interrupted it, like something hitting the ground.
"Eh? Sensei!?"
Without any possible threat in the vicinity, Shirou finally collapsed from exhaustion, his swords fading away in light specks.
Issei was the first one to rush to his side, ignoring completely the pain throughout his body. However, someone beat him to it.
"Eh?"
The image of Xenovia accomodating Shirou's head in her lap and staring at him with an indecipherable look was quite shocking. Those two didn't start with the right as Shirou outright rejected the teachings of the Church.
But for some reason... the blue-haired girl no longer looked like a living corpse. Her eyes were no longer that empty, as a slight glint of hope...
A certain ex-nun rushed past him and immediately started to examine him. The explosion produced by Kokabiel's spear clashing against Rho Aias managed to wake her up, so she had witnessed the battle.
"He's just exhausted... All his injuries... have somehow disappeared..."
It was as she said. Even if the cuts in his clothes and the blood were still there, it was like he had never received any injury in the first place. Another mystery to add to the long list.
"I'll carry him home." Xenovia declared as she gently placed the auburn-haired boy on her back after being healed by Asia.
"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Rias asked her with a sincere tone. "You have to carry your partner, too."
The exorcist stared back at her. There was no longer that extreme prejudice in her look, but her pride still didn't allow her to accept their help.
However, that was no longer necessary.
"No... I can already walk..."
They turned to look at an Irina that was walking to them with some trouble, but she was fine overall. If Shirou didn't have arrived then, she would have been far worse.
Her eyes however seemed conflicted, her usual cheerfulness nowhere to be seen. The reason was obvious. It seemed she was awake when Kokabiel revealed the truth behind the Church's lies.
"We'll leave you the clean-up. We too have a report to write... and perhaps even more than that..."
Rias nodded at them. "We'll send you the shards of the holy swords."
"And you better start explaining what in the world happened here while we are at it." A Sona with her hair completely messed spoke as she approached them.
From her point of view, she just saw Shirou entering the barrier to join the fight, and just some minutes later, all hell broke loose, with that massive beam of light as the icing of the cake. Seeing how part of the main building was completely destroyed by the impact of the broken phantasm was starting to sour her mood, even if the city was somehow saved.
The reinforcements of the Maou arrived at the place not that long after to begin the damage control. Coming up with a cover for the beam was the hardest task as expected.
However, even if it seemed that this was just another skirmish between the three factions, it was far from it.
An unpredictable variable had shown up. A human that proved to be a predator after defeating an ancient being in a straight confrontation has appeared in a world where mankind was relegated to be at the bottom of the food chain.
A literal abnormality. Something that shouldn't have existed in this world forever stuck in the Age of Gods. Not to mention all the impossible weapons in his possession that could easily shatter the balance of the world.
The days were Emiya Shirou could just hide his identity behind the mask of the "Slayer" were coming to an end.
But that was a thing that thing for him to think about in the future. Right now, he had other things to worry about. For instance, the blue-haired exorcist at his door pleading to him.
"...so please, would you consider taking under your wing this lost lamb?"
It has been just a couple of days after the battle with Kokabiel, but more importantly, it has been less than half-day since he woke up from his slumber.
Shirou was still coming to terms that he just declared war on this entire world in the spur of the moment. It had been an accumulation of things that finally blew up.
Everyone making light of mankind, the biblical God royally screwing up in his attempts of babysitting humanity, Excalibur not being the Holy Sword that was meant to be in consequence...
He couldn't just stand idly anymore. Even if this was going to be a huge pain to deal with, this was his decision. He was going to show this world the true potential of humanity, and hopefully, it will renew its will to keep moving forward.
In other words, he was going to protect the hopes and dreams of this world's humanity.
It helped him that lessons were suspended for a weak. Repairing the hole in the main building in one night is one thing, but rebuilding an entire gym took some days even with magical means.
However, having Xenovia show up to ask him for guidance regarding her decisions in life now that she has lost her purpose in life after discovering God was dead was too much to process.
"Wat?" That was the intelligent answer he was able to formulate. His face must have been a sight to behold.
Since the rooms those two had used were now empty, he had assumed that they had returned to Italy. But it seemed that it was more about asking him formally if they could stay here.
"The way you rejected the Gods and instead put your faith in humanity... the way you stood heroically in front of Kokabiel holding to your beliefs... Please, Emiya- no, Emiya-sensei! Teach me how to follow that path! If you are worried about the money, you don't have to worry, I'll surely find a part-time job! Or if you want me to compensate you in o-other ways a won't mind-"
"Wait, hold up a second!" Shirou stopped her before his migraine got worse. "I'll pretend I've never heard that last thing... If I've got it correct, you just got kicked out of the Church after finding out the truth, and now you want to find a new purpose in life, right?"
After getting a nod from her, confirming that he wasn't just hearing things and she just wanted to bid him farewell, he caressed his temple.
"Letting you stay here isn't that big of a deal. The financial issues are something we can think about later. However, that kind of psychological help you need is beyond me. I just did what I thought was the right thing to do. There's nothing more to it."
Her yellow eyes widened as she raised her head. "That's fine with me! If I can observe you're way of life, I think I might be able to find the answer I need."
Shirou's eyebrow trembled for an instant. The words she used would have creeped out anyone else for sure. Chalking it up to her closed upbringing, his golden eyes then drifted to the other girl in front of his door.
"And what about you, Shidou-san? Do you want to stay here as well?"
The only answer he got was a nearly imperceptible nod. The girl in front of him might as well be a different person that just shared her appearance with Shidou Irina. Instead of a lovely, cheerful girl, she looked more like a walking corpse that came to collect blood for a dead apostle.
Xenovia tried to offer him an apologetic smile, but it came out as one full of sorrow instead. To think that their roles as a team would have been swapped in this way...
It was to be expected. Xenovia's faith in the Biblical God was rather lax compared to Irina's. Shirou couldn't even imagine how it felt to be told that your only reason to live was long gone before you were even born.
But, the fact that a part of her still wanted to reach out for help meant that she wasn't a lost cause. She still could be saved.
"Haa... Come in then... I'll see if I can get you transferred to Kuoh Academy..."
Even Irina raised an eyebrow at that. "Eh? You want us to go to your school? But isn't it full of devils?"
"I don't want to have the police asking me why I have a pair of school deserters in my house. Besides, if you get used to their presence, it's not that bad. However, if they try to lure you into one of their peerages, give me a call and I'll make sure the idea never crosses their minds again."
"O-oh, right..." At that moment, the face Shirou made was really scary.
And so, Shirou's life got even weirder than it was already.