KastheJedi
patreon
The Golden Dragon Empress - Chapter 11: An Allegiance Between Enemies
🕑 Added 2023-09-28 12:00:03 +0000 UTCBold- Ddraig/Lux speaking, emphasis
Bold and Italicized- Inner thoughts and Speech
The Next Day
Natsuki did not know what to expect when she went to Issei’s house the next day when he said he had a plan to help Kiba.
“You want us to ask Xenovia and Irina if they'll let us destroy the Holy Swords?” Natsuki asked.
But this was not it…
“Yeah! I mean, destroying the swords would benefit everyone! Kiba can get his revenge and Xenovia and Irina can compete their mission.” Issei stated.
Natsuki did not like the idea of working with those girls but was willing to put that aside because of the greater threat. Although there was a problem with Issei’s plan, “What about Rias-Buchou?”
Issei blinked, “Buchou?”
“Yeah, Rias made it clear that she was not going to involve herself and the Peerage in the fight between the Fallen and the Church. There’s no way she would agree to this.” Natsuki explained.
“Then we just won’t tell her!” Issei responded.
Natsuki groaned, “Issei, how are we going to be able to do this by ourselves? We are not only going against weapons that can kill us but Kokabiel, one of the most powerful Fallen Angels to ever exist.”
Issei thought about what Natsuki said, she was right the odds would be against them if they went by themselves.
But we have to do this, we’re Sacred Gear holders and dragons, our strength should be enough to help Kiba, it has to be. He thought.
Issei then jumped off his bed as an idea came to him, “We can ask Saji!”
Natsuki looked at him confused, “The smug Pawn from Sona-senpai's Peerage?”
“Yeah! Not only is he a Pawn just like us, but he has a Sacred Gear too! I remember him bragging about it once.” Issei yelled. “And he’s apart of another group so we don't have to worry about him telling Buchou. It’s perfect!”
Natsuki was not convinced. She doubted that Saji was as strong as Issei thought, remembering when they first met, and she sensed his low magical energy.
But then she remembered that her own magical energy was average, and Issei’s was terrible, and they were both strong, so she did not have room to judge.
Natsuki sighed, “Fine let’s ask Saji for help. But you know that even if we do win, Rias will still punish us for disobeying her.”
“Huh? But she didn’t punish us when we went to go save Asia?” Issei asked, he did not think this would be any different as in a way they were trying to save Kiba.
“She didn’t, but that was different; Rias was basically telling us to go without saying it aloud, that way it wouldn’t look like she was picking a fight with the Fallen. This is far more serious than what happened before, this could actually lead to war.” Natsuki stressed, trying to make Issei see what the problem was.
“There will already be war if the Church and the Fallen start fighting each other. This fight will be unavoidable, Buchou can't avoid a war in Kuoh by trying to stay neutral.” Issei countered.
Natsuki leaned back in the desk chair she was sitting in, “That still doesn’t change the fact that Rias wanted to stay out of it, and she'll have no choice but to fight if we’re in the middle.”
Before Issei could reply, a small glowing circle appeared on his left arm and Ddraig stared speaking. “Just go ahead and do it! Who cares if you get in trouble later, helping your friend now is what’s important!”
“Huh? Ddraig? You’re speaking to me again?” Issei asked.
Natsuki stared at Issei arm in shock, “Ddraig? The Red Dragon Emperor?”
“Nice to meet ya! It’s been a while since I’ve met one of Lux's partners.” Ddraig greeted.
Suddenly a small white circle appeared over Natsuki’s chest. “Ddraig, it has been some time since we have last spoke. About forty years if I remember correctly.” Lux’s calm voice rang out.
“Haha! It’s good to see ya too, big sis! How’s your Devil been treating ya? Mine wants to become the Harem King or something." Ddraig laughed.
“Unlike your partner, my golden champion has better goals than that. I will make Natsuki the strongest to ever live.” Lux answered, her pride in Natsuki evident as she spoke.
Despite not see his face, it was clear that Ddraig had become excited. “Ah, I see. So, you finally want to join me and that white bastard and fight it out? Finally, a three-way battle between dragons!”
Lux scoffed, “No, I do not want to join you and Albion's petty squabbling. I would lose my mind taking part in such a never ending and pointless endeavor.”
Ddraig sighed, “Well you can’t make Natsuki the strongest without fighting me first! You’re going to have to knock me off my throne first!”
“Why are you encouraging me to beat you? And even if I did, you are not the strongest so beating you would still be pointless.” Lux drawled.
“Okay hold up! This is so fucking weird!” Issei stopped the dragons’ conversation with one another. “Ddraig, you’ve been ignoring me for the last few days and now you finally come out just to talk to your friend?!”
“Eh, what can I say, you were boring me these past few days.” Ddraig quipped.
Issei threw his head back in annoyance, “Whatever, you lazy lizard. C’mon Natsuki, let's get Saji.”
Ddraig huffed, “That’s what I was saying before. You should go fight those Fallen Angels and destroy the Holy Swords. At least this might make you a bit stronger, push us closer to fighting that bastard.”
“Wait, I’ve been meaning to ask, who is this ‘white bastard’ you’ve been talking about? I even remember Xenovia telling me about the ‘White One’ and how I wouldn’t be able to beat them.” Issei asked, remembering the instances when this figure was mentioned to him.
“Issei, the ‘white one’ is Albion, The White Dragon Emperor. You know, the other half of The Two Heavenly Dragons? How do you not know this?” Natsuki asked, confused by her friend’s lack of knowledge about something that was very important to him specifically.
“Huh, what? I have never heard of them? How do you know?” Issei asked.
Natsuki looked at him strangely, “I read about both Ddraig and Albion when we were at Rias’ villa. And Lux told me about him when she told me that she had two brothers.”
“Honestly Ddraig, why am I not surprised that you did not give your wielder any crucial information about his destiny as your host. You are just setting him up for failure.” Lux added, disappointed in her fellow dragon’s lack of foresight.
Issei immediately looked at his left arm, “If this is something I should know, why haven’t you told me?
There was a pause before the dragon answered, “I didn’t tell you about the Vanishing Dragon because I didn’t want you to freak out.”
“So then tell me. I’m ready to hear the truth.” Issei fiercely said.
Ddraig sighed, telling the beginning of his story. “You know of the Great War that took place between Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils, right?”
“Yeah, I do.” Issei replied.
“The war was not just between the big three powers of the Christian faith; all sorts of beings lent their strength to each side. Fairies, ghosts, western monsters, eastern spirits, even humans. Only the dragons refused to ally with any side.”
“Why?” Issei asked.
This time Lux spoke, “By nature dragons are extraordinarily powerful embodiments of free will, Issei. We are inherently selfish creatures. There were a few who joined the war simply to amuse themselves and satiate their bloodlust, but most dragons saw the war as none of their concern.”
Issei looked disinterested, “So the dragons basically thought that all other races were beneath them and those who joined only did so to crush everyone else under their feet.”
“Don’t lose focus, Issei. There’s still an important part of the story that was caused by this superiority.” Ddraig told his partner, “During the conflict, two dragons appeared and began to fight their own war with each other. They were dragons of the highest class, comparable to even God and the Devil Kings. They were completely indifferent to the war going on around them, their violent battles resulting in casualties on all sides. There was no greater nuisance to the three factions.”
“What was the fight about anyway? Lux told me that she didn’t know, but it had to be something major.” Natsuki asked the red dragon.
“A stupid trivial matter that those idiots blew out of proportion.” Lux answered.
“Hey, it wasn’t stupid!” Ddraig yelled.
“Do you even remember what the fight was about?” Lux asked.
Ddraig said nothing, knowing that Lux was right, he could not remember what had started the fight between himself and Albion. It had been so long that all he could recall was that one of them said something to the other, Lux tried to calm them down, this failed, and they ended up fighting.
“That is what I thought.” Lux snarked.
Ddraig growled before continuing the story, “Whatever. In their fury, the three factions decided to join forces for the first time to take down the two dragons. Enraged at having their battle interrupted, the two dragons lashed out against God, the Devil Kings, and the Govenor General of the Fallen, but that would not stand. In the end the two dragons’ bodies were cut to pieces and scattered to the wind. Their souls locked away inside the bodies of humans, as Sacred Gears.”
“So, the three warring factions made an allegiance just to get rid of these fighting dragons?” Issei asked, thinking of just how bad the dragons’ fighting had been for these three sides who famously hated one another to put aside their differences just to take them down.
“Using the humans their souls had been sealed in as intermediaries, they would clash repeatedly throughout the ages. Whenever their respective human hosts died, the dragons would temporarily cease to function. Their souls would wonder the earth until the next human vessels fit to contain their souls were born.” Ddraig finished.
“So, I'm guessing you and this Vanishing Dragon were the two dragons in the story?” Issei asked, already knowing the answer.
“Indeed. I came to dwell within you, and you became a Devil. It's been quite some time since I've occupied one so I'm rather looking forward to our rematch. I wonder how things will turn out this time...” Ddraig spoke, wistfully remembering his last encounter with Albion and his host.
“So do you think I can beat the White Dragon Emperor then?” Issei asked.
“Ha, nope. At your level, we would be horribly crushed.” Ddraig said without hesitation.
Issei hit the floor, feeling a mixture of shock, despair, and anger. “What?! How can you have such little faith in me?! You couldn’t even try to spare my feelings and lie?!”
“Sorry, partner but it’s the truth. It's not your fault though, you and Natsuki both got your Scared Gears late, so you haven’t had time to come into them. That bastard and his partner have most likely been together far longer than us.” Ddraig explained.
“What do you mean by late? Natsuki and I are seventeen, how can that be late?” Issei wondered.
“Most Sacred Gear wielders unlock theirs when they’re small children, usually through either sheer force of will, an overwhelming desire, or a near death experience. You both grew up fairly protected and safe until your run in with that Fallen Angel.”
Issei said nothing deeply think about Ddraig’s words. Then look lifted his left hand in front of his face. “Your right Ddraig, I am weak. You said an overwhelming desire and will is what can summon your power, but I have failed.”
Issei then rose to his feet looking more determined than ever. “Raynare, Riser, and now Xenovia and Irina, they have showed me the error of my ways; I need to make my desires stronger; show everyone just how deep my love of women truly goes! I am going to become a High-Class Devil and then the Harem King!”
“A-h w-what?” Ddraig stuttered, wondering just how the Pawn could have reached this conclusion from what he had told him.
Natsuki gave a depressing sigh, “Just when I thought he was going to say something impactfully and inspiring, he lets me down.”
“I do not know why you were expecting anything different; I have seen plenty of men like Issei, those who have great qualities but waste them on strange pursuits.” Lux said as the two watched Issei and Ddraig take about the Devil’s dream for the largest and greatest harem.
Natsuki hummed and looked at her chest, “There was something I wanted to ask you. Is the reason why we don’t refer to you, Ddraig, and Albion as the Three Heavenly Dragons because you became a Scared Gear later than they did?”
“Not really. My brothers are called the Heavenly Dragons because of the destruction they caused during the war. After I saw that their fight was inevitable, I stopped trying to end the fighting and left, leaving them to their faiths.” Lux answered.
Natsuki could understand why Lux did this, dragons are prideful creatures, if Ddraig and Albion were going to fight than nothing would have been able to stop them, especially not Lux by herself.
“If the three factions didn’t go after you like they did with Ddraig and Albion, how did you become a Sacred Gear?”
Lux did not immediately respond, Natsuki had almost thought that the dragon had retreated into her mind but the continued glow on her chest told her otherwise. “Lux? Is something wrong? I didn’t mean to-”
“It is okay, Natsuki.” Lux spoke. “I am sorry, but I am not ready to talk about this just yet. The story behind my transformation into a Sacred Gear is not one like reliving.”
“I get it. You can tell me whenever you feel ready, I’ll be here to listen.” Natsuki said softly, not wanting to push Lux into talking about something that made her uncomfortable.
“Thank you, محاربي الشجاع.” Lux said. “Now, let us end the stupid conversation between those two idiots and destroy Excaliber.”
Natsuki smiled, walking to Issei, and smacking the back of his head, Issei glared at the girl and the two left his house. Issei pulled out his phone and called Saji, asking him to meet them at the shopping district.
“And? What was the reason for calling me?” Genshirou Saji said, looking across the table at Issei, Koneko, and Natsuki.
“............He’s right. What were you two trying to do?” Koneko asked Issei and Natsuki as she held onto the collars of their shirts, refusing to let go.
The pair had coincidentally met the Rook on their way to meet Saji at a dessert shop in the middle of town. At first Koneko thought nothing of it, but that was thrown out the window when Issei became terrified and tried to run away when she made eye contact with him.
Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose as she watched Koneko tackle Issei to the floor, annoyed that he not only made them look incredibly suspicious but that he thought he could outrun their kouhai.
Koneko pulled one of Issei’s arms behind his back and bent it until he cracked and told them where they were going. Koneko then grabbed them both by their collars and dragged them to the shop.
Issei removed his collar from Koneko’s grasp and faced Saji, “The reason I called you out here was to help Natsuki and I to destroy the Holy Swords that the Fallen Angels stole.”
“Hell No! Are you two fucking insane?! You realize both our Kings will punish us just for being involved with Holy Swords, right? And yet you still want to destroy them? We’re going to get murdered for sure!” Saji screamed, his face frozen in terror at the thought of facing weapons that could so easily kill them.
“C’mon Saji, you’re the only other Devil we know that could help us.” Issei pleaded. He did not know the other members of the Student Council well enough to ask and there would be no way he would be able to convince them to help, Issei and Natsuki also could not ask Rias or Akeno for that same reason.
“That’s easy for you to say! You guys have Rias-Buchou, she’s strict but at least she’s reasonable. Sona-Kaichou is strict and she’s strict! She loves to punish us when we even so much as think of stepping out of line!” Saji exclaimed, shuddering at the very thought of the Sitri heir.
Before Saji could leave, Koneko grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to the ground.
“I had a feeling you would try and run away. It seems to be a Pawn trait.” Koneko said in her usual monotone voice.
“I just want to go home!” Saji whimpered, desperately trying to escape Koneko’s grip but unable to move an inch.
“So, you want to collaborate with the Church?” Koneko asked.
“It would make the most sense, those girls said they would rather destroy the swords then allow the Fallen to continue using them.” Natsuki replied. “And we already know that Kiba is also trying to destroy them, so our goals align with each other for the moment.”
“I'm not sure they’ll be as eager to do this as you two are, though.” Koneko said.
“We should at least try! Especially if it means Kiba can keep being a Devil with the rest of us. We got to do everything we can think of!” Issei exclaimed.
Koneko sighed as she stood up, “First we must find those girls. I don’t like keeping secrets from Rias-Buchou and Akeno-senpai, but we must do something to help Yuuto-senpai.”
“We?” Issei asked confused.
Koneko turned to look at them, “I’m not letting you guys do this alone. We destroy those swords and bring back Yuuto-senpai, together.”
“Cool, so does this mean I no longer have to be here anymore since Koneko-chan is helping you?” Saji asked hopefully.
The three Gremory Devils gave him equally unimpressed stares for the question.
“What?” Saji asked.
Twenty minutes later and the four Devils had left the dessert shop and had begun their search for Irina and Xenovia.
“Damnit. Why did you guys take me along? You already have your Rook here, so I’m useless to you.” Saji complained.
“We need you because the stronger we are the better.” Issei replied.
Natsuki stretched her arms and placed them behind her head. “Besides, we need all the eyes and ears we can get. It's not going to be easy to find them, you know? It's not like we’re going to run into a couple of weirdoes in white ropes on Main Street.”
“Oh, wait! There they are!” Issei yelled, pointing at the girls standing at the corner of the street. They both had their hoods raised and were standing next to a sign that had ‘Help the hand of Love’ written on it. Irina was carrying a bucket in her hands, moving it towards those passing by, hoping to be given some money.
“Oh, what the fucking hell?!” Natsuki angrily shouted.
“Why are you upset? We were looking for them.” Koneko asked.
“Because why is it that whenever I say something won’t happen, it does, but when I personally ask something of the universe, I get nothing.” Natsuki stated, thinking of all the times she wished for money or acceptance, only to be ignored.
“Life is unfair, you should get over it.” Koneko said plainly, giving Natsuki a few pats on the back.
Natsuki grumbled about mean kouhais under her breath as she and the others walked over to the Holy sword wielders.
“Oh, blessings on the wondering sheep before us.” Xenovia said aloud.
“We are pitiful when compared to you, O Lord! Please have mercy on us dear father!” Irina added.
“Or maybe we will.” Issei said as the Devils reached the girls.
Xenovia gave them a nasty side eye, “We do not require help for the likes of you.”
Natsuki scoffed, “You can stop acting like you’re better than us, you’re literally begging for money off the side of the road.”
Xenovia’s glare intensified, “As I said we don’t-”
GRRRRR!!!
Xenovia’s face turned bright red at the loud sound of her stomach growling. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and turned around, too embarrassed to look at anyone.
“You know, you could buy you guys something to eat?” Issei offered.
“Really?” Irina asked hopefully.
“Uh, Yeah, of course! But only if we hear what we have to say.” Issei replied.
“Hear what?” Xenovia asked, looking at the Pawn with a suspicious glare.
GRRRRR!!!
BRRRRR!!!
Both girls' stomachs growled, and they comically fell to the ground, holding their guts in agony.
“Please buy us food!” The girls rose to their knees and begged.
The four Devils looked at one another, shocked by the humans' quick change in temperament.
“Delicious! Japanese cuisine is delicious! Don’t you agree? This is heaven!” Xenovia yelled as she devoured her omurice.
“Yes, yes! This is it! Everything I’m putting in my mouth is like food for the soul!” Irina cheered while slurping down her noodles.
Are they really assassins sent by the Church? The devils thought.
“Watching this is a little too intense for me.” Saji mumbled, astonished by how much food the girls were eating.
Issei agreed, “Yeah, looks like they were really hungry.”
“Here’s your hamburger steak.” A waitress said as she put the food down next to the mountain of empty plates at their table.
Half an hour passed before the girls had finally had their full and stopped eating.
“What just happened?” Xenovia asked aloud in horror of her and Irina’s actions. “Even if this will build our faith, the Devil saving us must mean the end of days.”
“We’ve practically sold our souls to the Devil! How will we ever be forgiven?!” Irina cried, tears streaming down her face, equally horrified at what had just occurred.
Issei slammed his hands against the table, “That’s the thanks I get for buying you food?!”
“Get it together.” Koneko said.
Issei slumped in the booth, “I’m going to be so fucking broke.”
Irina clasped her hand together and closed her eyes, “Lord please have mercy on these kind Devils even if they are Devils.” Irina then ended her prayer by using her fingers to draw the cross over her body.
“AAAAAHHH!” The four cried out in pain, each one receiving powerful headaches due to Irina’s prayer.
“For the love of thick thighs! Damn it; we don’t need God’s blessing so stop it!” Issei screamed.
“Oh! Right, sorry. It’s kind of a habit.” Irinia apologized.
“Well? What’s the deal? What did you want to speak with us about?” Xenovia asked, reminding the others of why they were all together in the first place.
“We want to help you destroy Excaliber.” Issei proclaimed.
Xenovia’s eyes grew cold, “What?”
Issei then explained to the humans why they had wanted to destroy the Excaliber swords, mentioning Kiba’s quest for revenge, their desire to help him achieve this, and wanting to get rid of the Fallen Angels in Kuoh.
“I understand the situation. I don’t mind letting you take care of one sword, if you can destroy it that is.” Xenovia answered.
Irina turned to her partner in shock, “Wait a minute! Are you sure?”
Saji’s head fell in despair at the sight. Damn it! Why couldn’t she say no like I was hoping she would?
Xenovia sighed, “You know who the other side has, Irina. Kokabiel is incredibly dangerous. Honestly despite what I said yesterday, it’ll be almost impossible for us to recover all three swords on our own.”
“Yeah, I get that, but they’re Devils!” Irina retorted.
“We have a twenty percent chance of returning home.” Xenovia said despairingly.
Irina shook her head, “We knew the risk we were taking before we got here. This isn’t anything new, Xenovia!”
“True. We were sent by the higher ups, fully prepared to sacrifice our lives for this sacred cause. I know it may come off as weird to you, but I want to continue living and fighting for God.”
“I want to as well but...” Irina trailed off, becoming conflicted between her wants and her duty.
“That’s why we won’t ask for help from the Devils. Instead, we ask for help from Dragons. The high-ups didn’t tell us not to borrow the strength of two Dragons” Xenovia then looked at Issei and Natsuki, talking about their legendary Sacred Gears.
“I never thought that I would meet the Red Dragon Emperor or the Golden Dragon Empress in a distant country like this. Even if you turned into Devils, I see that the dragon power within you both is still present. If it’s like the legend says, then you can increase your power to that of a Maou and you can absorb the power of all beings, correct? If you gain power to that of a Maou, then you can break the Excaliburs without a sweat. It was God’s doing that we had this meeting.” Xenovia said joyfully.
Irina became silent at Xenovia’s words, but her expression showed that she was okay with it for now.
Issei looked at Natsuki, giving their answer when he saw her nod her head. “Okay then, the negotiation was a success. We’ll lend you guys our Dragons’ power.”
Issei was about to stand up when Natsuki raised her hand in front of him. “Wait. We still need to tell Kiba about this.”
Natsuki then pulled out her phone and called the Knight. The conversation was brief as Natsuki told him that they had a plan to destroy the Holy Swords. Kiba agreed to meet them at the park before hanging up.
“Then let us head out!” Irina cheered as she and Xenovia exited the restaurant.
Issei was about to stand when their waitress appeared and handed them the bill. Issei’s jaw dropped as he saw the price. “¥44,000 Yen!”
“They did eat a lot of food. The only thing any of us got was that milkshake Koneko had.” Natsuki explained.
“Yeah, they had to have eaten about nine platefuls of food each.” Saji added.
Issei could feel his wallet hurting just by looking at the bill. He then slowly turned to Natsuki, making himself look as pitiful as he could. “Hey Natsuki, you want to share the bill with me?”
Natsuki snorted, “Fuck no. You can pay for the food your damn self.”
“Oh, come on! Why not?” Issei cried.
“You were the one who offered to buy them food, it's not my fault you underestimated their hunger. Besides, I refuse to spend any of my hard-earned money on a bunch of snobbish hypocrites.” And with that Natsuki stood up and walked away, standing with Xenovia and Irina outside the restaurant.
Issei then turned to other Pawn, “Saji?”
Saji shook his head, “Nope. Sorry man, I didn’t even want to be here, this is your problem not mine.” Saji then gave him a two-finger salute and left as well.
Issei then looked at the Rook, “Koneko-chan?”
Koneko stared at Issei blankly before reaching into her pocket and handing him a bill.
Issei’s face lit up, “Thank you, Koneko-chan! You really are the best-” Issei immediately stopped celebrating when he saw that Koneko had only handed him a ¥2,000 note.
“That’s for my milkshake.” Koneko replied.
“Eh?! You're only paying for your food?!” Issei shouted.
“Yep. Natsuki-senpai is right; you said you were going to buy them dinner so you should pay for it yourself, don’t force us to chip in just because you’re too nice.” Koneko said before joining the others.
Issei stood there shocked, letting the weight of what had just happened sink in. Depressed, Issei pulled at his wallet and took out all the money in to pay for the Xenovia and Irina ate.
I'm totally fucked until I get my allowance! Damn you Kiba! I’m going through all this shit for you! I’m definitely going to make Kiba introduce me to one of his hot clients! Issei screamed in his head as he and the others walked to the park.
Kiba had been standing next to the fountain when they arrived in the park, his contempt became evident as he looked down at the humans as the group drew closer.
“I get it but I'm quite disappointed that someone who can wield an Excalibur would approve of their destruction.” He spoke.
Xenovia refused to take this laying down and unsheathed her sword. “Speaking of disappointment, didn’t you recently abandon your place in the House of Gremory? We could execute you if you would like?”
Kiba growled, a magic circle forming on his hand, “You’re welcome to try if you’d like.”
“Stop it. Both of you, we’re trying to cooperate not fight each other.” Natsuki said, moving to stand between the two.
Xenovia ignored Natsuki, continuing to speak to Kiba. "You’ve got quite a way with words, for a filthy Devil.”
Irina stepped up this time to try and defuse the situation, “We get that you hold a grudge due to the Holy Sword Project, against the Church and the Excaliburs. But Kiba-kun thanks to the work performed back then, research on Holy Sword users has progressed beyond leaps and bounds. Its only because of those efforts that Xenovia and myself among others managed to achieve compatibility with the swords.”
Kiba looked at Irina with nothing but absolute hatred, his killing intent perennated the area, making the air suffocating. “You think that’s enough to make me forget the slaughter of all those test subjects?”
The killing of all those children was an unforgivable crime, a cruelty of the highest order, an especially inhumane act for those who follow God, making Irina unable to respond to Kiba’s question, leading the girl to stilt her head down in shame.
Xenovia, however, kept her head high and her face devoid of emotion, appearing to not care about the Knight’s suffering. “It is regarded by the Church as a terrible crime. The individual responsible was punished, labeled a heretic and excommunicated. He’s now working with the Fallen Angels, his name is Galilei Valper, also known as the Archbishop of Slaughter.”
“I know Valper. It was all him. He was responsible.” Kiba said, his eyes glossing over as he remembered the last time he saw the name, the twisted smile on his face just before his friends were all murdered.
“We believe that the rouge priest Freed Sellzen is also working with him under Kokabiel. It's not uncommon for there to be collusion among those who have been banned from the Church.” Xenovia explained.
Kiba closed his eyes and took a breath, “Well after hearing that there’s no reason for me not to cooperate with you.”
Irina cheered as Xenovia faced the others, “We shall return the favor the food someday, Red Dragon Emperor, Hyoudou Issei.” She then handed a folded piece of paper to the Pawn, “If anything comes up, please let us know.” And with that the humans left the park.
“Well, I think that went pretty good!” Issei grinned.
“Not good! Not good at all! We could have been responsible for another war with the Church if something went wrong! And it still could!” Saji screeched, thinking about the ways that this deal could go wrong for them.
“Why did you do this?” Kiba quietly asked the other Devils.
“We’re friends, and we belong to the same Peerage. Besides, you’ve helped me out before, so I thought I'd leaned a hand right back. We all did.” Issei answered.
“And if I acted alone, I would cause trouble for Buchou, right?” Kiba asked, partially not believing that the others genuinely wanted to help him.
Natsuki rolled her eyes, “Yeah, Rias would be upset if you went on a rampage, she’d probably blame herself for it too. But we came because you’re our friend and we don’t want you to become a stray or end up dead because of this.”
Kiba stared off into the distance, still not convinced that he should allow the others to help him on his quest for revenge.
“Yuuto-senpai,” Koneko said as she walked up to him and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. “If you went away, I'd be lonely without you.”
Koneko’s usually unemotional face, became filled with grief and anguish, “...I'll help you, so please don’t leave us.”
Kiba became troubled by this show of emotion from his kohai and put on a happy face. “Hahaha. I give up, if Koneko-chan says that to me then I can’t continue so recklessly and run off on my own.”
Kiba then turned to the others, more determined than ever. “Okay, I’ll work with you. Thank to you, Issei-kun, Natsuki-chan, we know who our true enemy is, but this isn’t over until those Holy Swords are destroyed.”
Issei grinned, “Oh, right! Now we’re officially the Excalibur Destruction Squad!”
“Very creative name.” Natsuki said sarcastically, ignoring Issei’s demand for her to shut up.
“Um...does this mean I still have to join too?” Saji asked the four while raising his hand.
“Sorry, for being out of the loop but just what do the Holy Swords have to do with Kiba?” Saji continued once the others turned to him.
Kiba became somber once more, “...I guess I should tell you about my past.”
“Behind the scenes, the Catholic Church once conducted an operation known as the ‘Holy Sword Project.’ They experimented on scores of us kids in hopes of producing individuals capable of wielding Holy Swords. The test subjects were young men and woman in possession of Sacred Gears, as well as an unusual talent for swordplay. Painful, inhuman experiments were performed on us day after day. Believing that we may one day truly achieve something great, we endured the cruel training and experimentation. But in the end, we were marked as disposable. Once it became clear that the experiment failed, we were quickly killed off, simply because we couldn’t manage to synergize with the Holy Swords. After watching my comrades perish and managing to escape, I was about to draw my last breath when I-when I met Buchou.” Kiba explained.
He then closed his eyes and clenched his fists, trying not to lose himself in his memories again. “That’s why I want to erase their regrets. I need to make their deaths meaningful, that all that suffering, and pain wasn’t for nothing. I am living on for all of them, because of them, so I must prove that I’m stronger than any Holy Sword.”
“GAHHH! Oh Kiba!” Saji cried, tears streaming down his face. “I had no idea you had such a horribly tragic past! I don’t care about Sona’s punishment anymore! Hyoudou, Sukehiro, count me in! I’ll help you guys out with whatever you need!”
“Yeah? Thanks man.” Issei said tentatively, surprised by the sudden change in the other Pawn.
Natsuki put her hand up defensively, not wanting Saji to hug her like he did with Kiba and Issei. “We get it, thanks for staying to help us.”
Saji still continued, “To tell the truth Kiba, I used to hate you and your pretty boy ways, but this changes everything!”
Once again, the other Devils were thrown by how different Saji was from when they first met him, the boy in front of them was a good guy and was full of passion.
“All right! This is a good time! If we’re going to be working together, you guys should know a little about me! My dream...” Saji's face changed as he spoke, his eyes shined, and his smile grew larger. “...Is to knock up Sona-Kaichou so we can get married!”
After hearing Saji’s confession, tear drops began flowing out of Issei’s eyes. Of course. Of course, idiot! This guy! Saji! He’s the same as me! He’s the same kind as me! He has the same understanding of the world as me…Issei thought to himself.
He then took Saji’s hand and said it straight at him, “Saji! Listen to me! My dream is to grope Buchou’s boobs……and then suck on them!”
Saji returned the gesture, crying tears of joy as well. “Hyoudouuuu! Do you know what you are saying? Do you understand how hard that dream is, to touch a High-class Devil’s breasts…… To touch the breasts of your master?”
“Saji, I’ve touched them, I've even fondled the.” Issei replied more seriously than he had been for most of the day.
Saji’s eyes almost popped out of his skull from shock, “No way!!!! Is that even possible? No, you’ve got to be pulling my leg!”
Issei showed the same intensity, “It's no lie. Your master’s boobs may be a lofty goal, but they’re not out of reach.”
“Sucking it…!? Sucking Ka…Kaichou’s boobs… You are talking about the nipple right…? The place where you can suck is the nipple right…?”
“Dumbass! If you are going to suck boobs, then the nipple is the only thing you can suck! Yes! I’m going to suck the nipple!”
Saji started to cry harder after hearing Issei’s words.
“Saji! We may be useless Pawns just by ourselves, but it’s different if it’s the two of us. We can fly if it’s the two of us! We can fight if it’s the two of us! We can do it if it’s the two of us! We can make them pregnant and marry them if it’s the two of us! Let’s have sex with our own masters!”
“Yeah. Yes!”
A new friendship was born, Issei and Saji had become kindred spirits connected by the shared perverted nature and desire to sleep with beautiful women.
As the two celebrated their new bond, Natsuki, Koneko, and Kiba stared at them with varying different emotions.
“...Yep, they’re the worst.” Koneko deadpanned.
“Why did we need to know that about either of you? I mean who just blurts something out like that with such pride?” Natsuki asked aloud.
She already knew about Issei’s various goals he had set for himself upon his journey to becoming the Harem King, but Natsuki did not want to know about Saji’s dream of impregnating the Student Council president.
“You know, after seeing how Saji acted towards Sona-Kaichou when our peerages were competing to see who would get to go to the Familiar Forest first, this really shouldn't be surprising us as much as it is.” Kiba awkwardly chuckled.
Natsuki groaned, “Am I the only Pawn out there who isn’t a pervert?”
“Probably...” Koneko answered, sympathetically rubbing her senpai’s back when Natsuki let out an even louder groan.
At the end of this ‘detour’ in the conversation, the Devils agreed to return to their respective homes and prepare themselves to look for the Holy Swords later in the night.
