"Balance Breaker…" Valper spat with disdain. "A failed experiment dares to stand against me?"
Kiba said nothing. Words wouldn't cut through this monster's arrogance. Only his sword would.
He lunged.
His body blurred into motion, faster than the human eye could follow. Valper swung his Excalibur to meet him, sparks shrieking in protest as steel met steel. The holy aura wrapped around the blade tried to burn into Kiba's flesh, but the Sword of the Betrayer—a weapon born from his Balance Breaker—erased it, cutting away that divine light.
The exorcist's eyes widened.
"That sword… it surpasses even the originator of holy swords!?"
Kiba pushed forward, pressing the clash with all his weight. His teeth clenched as old memories screamed in his heart. The laboratories, the failed children, the broken bodies—his comrades who could never wield a sword again.
"This Excalibur can't cut the feelings of my comrades," Kiba roared, eyes blazing. "And it will never cut me down!"
He struck again, feinting left, then spinning to Valper's right. The old man blocked, but his stance faltered under the sheer intensity of Kiba's speed.
"Chi!" Valper clicked his tongue, staggering back.
Then his lips curled into a grin.
"Stretch."
The blade of his Excalibur twisted grotesquely, elongating, writhing like a serpent. It lashed out at Kiba from multiple angles, stabbing at his blind spots.
"Excalibur Mimic!" Valper laughed, his voice carrying a manic edge. "How will you stop this, failed experiment!?"
The sword split again, its tip branching into two, multiplying its speed. It shot forward like arrows, faster than a whip crack.
"Excalibur Rapidly!"
The attacks came from every angle—front, side, and above. But Kiba was a knight. Speed was his nature, his gift. His blade flickered like lightning, parrying each strike. Sparks exploded around him, painting the battlefield with chaotic light.
Valper's glee wavered. Sweat dripped down his wrinkled forehead.
"Why!? Why can't I hit you!? You're supposed to fall before the Holy Sword! You're supposed to break! Why does it not work!?"
Kiba's expression was unshaken, his blade unwavering.
"Because your sword has no heart. And without heart… it's just steel."
Valper snarled, fury breaking through his arrogance.
"Then take this!"
The blade shimmered, its edge vanishing from sight.
"Excalibur Transparency!"
The sword disappeared, yet its killing intent cut through the air like a predator. Invisible strikes slashed at Kiba, each carrying enough force to cleave steel.
But Kiba's Balance Breaker sharpened his instincts. Even without sight, he felt the blade. He pivoted, parried, and burst sparks from the invisible edges as his own sword rang in defiance.
Steel clashed with unseen light.
Giin! Giin! Giin!
The battlefield sang with their battle.
Then—
"Yes. Keep him there."
A voice cut through the storm of steel.
Xenovia stepped forward, her expression calm but resolute. She raised one hand into the air, her other gripping her Excalibur.
"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy Mother Mary. Please hear my voice."
The air distorted before her. Reality itself seemed to tear, and from the shimmering gap she pulled forth a blade that radiated divine majesty.
Its aura burned brighter than any holy sword Kiba had ever seen.
"Durandal," Xenovia declared, her voice like a church bell. "In the names of the saints who reside within this blade, I release it."
Valper staggered back, eyes wide.
"A Durandal!? Impossible! You wield that sword!?"
Even Kokabiel, hovering at the edges of the battlefield, narrowed his eyes in surprise.
Xenovia raised both blades—Excalibur in one hand, Durandal in the other. The power she exuded was overwhelming, splitting the earth beneath her feet.
"I was originally chosen as the wielder of Durandal," she said coldly. "And chosen for
Excalibur as well. That is the difference between us."
Valper's face twisted in disbelief.
"Absurd! Humanity has never reached the stage to wield Durandal artificially!"
"I am not artificial," Xenovia replied sharply. "Unlike common wielders created by the Vatican, I am a natural-born holy sword user."
Her blades crossed. Power crackled.
Valper stumbled back. For the first time, fear showed on his face. "No… no! I am the culmination of research! I am—"
Xenovia lunged.
The clash was decisive. Her Durandal shattered through Valper's defense, her Excalibur cutting deep. He screamed as the Balance Breaker's aura and Xenovia's holy light overpowered him completely.
But before victory could be claimed—
"Enough."
The air exploded.
A storm of dark light crashed into the battlefield, shaking the earth. A vast, oppressive aura descended, drowning out everything else.
Kokabiel moved.
The Fallen Angel Cadre's wings spread wide, blotting out the night sky with their sinister glow. His power was suffocating.
Kiba barely raised his sword before Kokabiel's strike hit. A blast of light and darkness intertwined tore through the ground, sending Kiba flying. He slammed into the dirt, his body screaming in pain, ribs shattering, and blood spilling from his lips.
"Yuuto!" Xenovia cried, but her voice was cut short. Kokabiel's second wave struck her directly, overwhelming even Durandal's aura. She crumpled to the ground, blood soaking her uniform.
Kiba forced his eyes open. His limbs trembled. His sword was broken in half. He could barely move. Yet his heart screamed.
Not again. I won't let my comrades fall again.
But his body betrayed him. Darkness swallowed his vision.
"Yuuto!"
A softer voice broke through his fading senses. Warmth touched his ruined flesh. Gentle hands pressed against his chest, glowing with a healing light.
Asia.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she poured her power into both Kiba and Xenovia. Her small frame shook, but her determination never wavered.
"Please… don't die."
The warmth spread through Kiba's broken body, knitting his torn flesh and soothing the unbearable pain. His vision steadied enough to see her face, filled with desperation.
"…Asia…" he whispered weakly.
~~~
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