After leaving the street district, Ryuya and Asia teleported together to Rias Gremory's castle.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Asia looked worriedly at Ryuya. She knew the two Holy Sword wielders were actually very strong, and Ryuya's victory had not been as effortless as it appeared.
"I'm fine."
Ryuya shook his head. That Xenovia had indeed put some pressure on him. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to activate the ability of the King's Sword.
The fight between him and the two Holy Sword wielders had essentially been a private duel. Neither side wanted to make a big incident out of it, nor could they keep fighting endlessly. So after Ryuya used one of his trump cards to gain the upper hand, he immediately stopped.
In this day and age, aside from some fallen angels who liked stirring up trouble, the three factions of devils, angels, and fallen angels were no longer in a state where they had to fight to the death upon meeting.
The ceasefire treaty from several hundred years ago still carried considerable authority, and the leaders of all three factions recognized and supported the current situation.
Because of that, the battle between Ryuya and those two Holy Sword wielders had technically been forbidden.
Unless they encountered exiled rogues, direct combat was not allowed.
The reason Ryuya had such a poor impression of fallen angels was precisely because there existed a faction among them that could be considered exiled hunters of Sacred Gear users.
Those fallen angels specialized in tracking down humans who possessed Sacred Gears. They would either attempt to seize the Sacred Gear or kill the wielder to eliminate the threat.
Both Ryuya and Asia had once been targeted by such a group. Because of that, Ryuya had always disliked fallen angels.
Even though he now understood that not all fallen angels liked causing trouble, he still held a certain bias toward them.
It could not be helped.
After all, he had once been killed by that kind of fallen angel.
If Rias had not reincarnated him as a devil, then his entire transmigration would have been meaningless. How could he not feel resentful?
"I should tell Rias about this."
Ryuya said this to Asia as they walked into the castle. It seemed that Rias and Akeno had not returned yet.
After waiting for a short while, the figures of Rias and Akeno quickly emerged from the teleportation circle. Ryuya noticed that Rias looked somewhat anxious.
"Ryuya! Asia! Are you two alright?!"
She rushed forward and pulled both of them into her arms, clearly letting out a huge sigh of relief.
"Uh… President…" Asia said blankly, looking confused.
"Rias, what's wrong?"
Ryuya asked curiously. Rias immediately replied:
"Did you run into Holy Sword wielders? They attacked you, didn't they?"
"Hm? So you already know."
He had originally planned to report it to her, but it seemed unnecessary now.
"Akeno and I went to meet President Sona. She told me that Holy Sword wielders from the Church had appeared, and that they were in the same area where you two were active. I started worrying you might run into them. When we went there, we found traces of battle."
Rias explained the situation, the lingering fear still visible on her face.
"Holy Sword wielders are very dangerous people. When I came back, I had already prepared myself for the worst… Luckily… luckily you're both safe…"
As she spoke, the girl tightened her embrace around Ryuya and Asia and said seriously:
"I'll cherish you two even more from now on."
Only then did Ryuya fully understand.
Hearing her words, he revealed a faint smile.
He could truly feel Rias's concern and tension. Before he had arrived in this world, Ryuya would never have believed that he could form such close bonds with others.
It was Rias and everyone else who had gradually changed him.
His gaze softened considerably as Ryuya gently hugged Rias.
"I'm fine. Sorry for making you worry."
"Hehe, and Ryuya even defeated those two Holy Sword wielders!"
Asia spoke with a hint of pride. When she thought of how Ryuya had stepped in so decisively to protect her, her heart felt sweet, and the way she looked at him was almost overflowing with affection.
"What? You really defeated them?"
Both Rias and Akeno were startled, clearly not expecting Ryuya to beat those two Holy Sword wielders.
"They underestimated me, so I managed to take advantage of that and catch them off guard."
Ryuya did not think it was anything remarkable. After all, it had not been a life-and-death battle. Neither side had fought with their full strength.
"Hehe, it seems we worried too much," Akeno remarked with emotion. Ryuya's growth rate was truly astonishing.
"What did President Sona want to talk about with you? Do they also know about the Holy Sword wielders?"
Ryuya asked about Rias's trip.
"To be precise, the Holy Sword wielders first contacted Sona Sitri, and through her they found us. Tomorrow we'll meet in the clubroom. They say they have something to discuss."
As for what exactly it was about, Rias did not know.
However, the appearance of two Holy Sword wielders did not seem like a good sign no matter how one looked at it.
Ryuya nodded.
"Then we'll meet them tomorrow."
The next day, after finishing their classes, Ryuya and the others gathered in the clubroom.
And soon, the two Holy Sword wielders arrived. It was Xenovia and Irina Shidou.
When they saw Ryuya and Asia, both girls froze for a moment.
"So you're Rias's peerage."
"Please, have a seat," Ryuya said calmly. "You could say we've already been introduced through battle."
He invited them to sit down. Akeno had already prepared tea. Ryuya, Asia, and Koneko sat to the side, quietly listening as Rias spoke with the two Holy Sword wielders.
Rias felt rather pleased remembering that Ryuya had given these two Church members a good beating the day before. Sitting there with a smile, she crossed her legs, her smooth, slender legs gently swaying, clearly reflecting her cheerful mood.
"So then," she began, "believers of God requesting to meet devils. What exactly is going on?"
"Hmm, I won't beat around the bush. Among the three factions of the Church, there were originally seven Holy Swords. One was already lost long ago, and the remaining six were divided among the three factions for safekeeping. However, three of them were recently stolen by fallen angels."
Xenovia explained the situation succinctly, causing everyone's eyes to narrow slightly.
Ryuya immediately recalled the boy named Number Two who had appeared in that fallen angel's artificial space before. The weapon he wielded had been a Holy Sword.
Rias's eyes flickered as well. She realized she had actually already brushed against this matter before, and she smiled slightly.
"So? Why did you come to me?"
"This is a matter between our Church and the fallen angels. If the devils here get involved, things will become very troublesome."
Xenovia spoke very directly.
Or rather, she was simply that straightforward by nature. She never really considered whether her words might offend someone.
Ryuya clicked his tongue.
That idiot Xenovia really did not know how to talk. Earlier she had already offended Asia because of it, and now it looked like she was about to irritate Rias as well…
...
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