Even though Xenovia's words were extremely rude, as a high-ranking devil with status, Rias restrained herself and did not show any obvious anger.
"Those words of yours are rather arrogant. Is this supposed to be a warning? Don't tell me you think we might be colluding with the fallen angels and planning to deal with your Holy Swords together?"
"That possibility cannot be ruled out, can it?"
Xenovia stubbornly admitted it outright, causing a cold glint to flash in Rias's eyes.
The Holy Sword wielders belonged to the Church, and behind the Church stood the faction of angels and their divine system. Even though the peace treaty existed, centuries of hostility were not something that could be easily erased.
In the eyes of the three factions, the peace treaty had only been signed out of necessity. They were still fundamentally hostile camps, far from any true reconciliation.
To Rias, Xenovia's behavior was equivalent to an enemy swaggering into her own stronghold, arrogantly instructing her not to interfere with the Church's actions.
And on top of that, they were warning her not to cooperate with another enemy, otherwise she would face the consequences…
Yet Xenovia seemed completely unaware of the implication and continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.
"Our superiors do not trust devils or fallen angels. If the threat of the Holy Swords could be eliminated from the Divine System, then no matter how you look at it, that would benefit both devils and fallen angels. So the possibility of you two factions cooperating is entirely plausible.
"So we are stating our position first. If you choose to cooperate with Kokabiel in this matter, we will completely eliminate you. Even if you are the younger sister of a Maou. That is the exact wording from our superiors."
Ryuya spoke calmly from the side.
"Cut the empty threats. Not to mention we would never cooperate with fallen angels in the first place, but given your current situation, you don't even have the capacity to support any major war. So stop puffing yourselves up. What's the point of throwing around threats?"
His blunt words slapped their claims down mercilessly, causing Xenovia and Irina Shidou's expressions to darken.
"Are you looking down on our Church?"
"This concerns the dignity of God. We cannot pretend we didn't hear that."
"Tch. I'm just stating facts."
Ryuya remained unmoved, calmly looking at the two of them.
"So what now? Are you going to defend your god's dignity with your lives? If you've got the guts, come on. I wouldn't mind beating the two of you again."
Xenovia: "..."
Irina: "..."
The two girls fell silent, truly caught in an awkward position.
They were genuinely angry, but they also genuinely could not beat him.
Even if they were willing to risk their lives for their faith, what would happen to the Church's mission to retrieve the Holy Swords if they did that?
Ryuya looked at the two foolish girls, unsure what to even say.
He truly did not understand how the Church had managed to brainwash its followers to such an extent. It was rather impressive in its own way…
Akeno and Rias exchanged a glance before both giving Ryuya approving smiles.
Both of them could not help but feel emotional. Ever since Ryuya joined them, it seemed they had never once lost an argument with anyone.
"Ahem, that's enough."
Seeing that Ryuya had already gained the upper hand, Rias stepped in to smooth things over.
"Since you know that I am the sister of a Maou, that means your own identities must not be simple either. You should also be connected to your higher-ups, correct? In that case, I will state my position clearly. I will absolutely not cooperate with the fallen angels. Absolutely not. I swear it in the name of the Gremory family."
Xenovia glanced at Ryuya before finally nodding lightly.
"Very well. In that case, I will inform you of something. Kokabiel has already infiltrated this city with the three Holy Swords. You will likely be affected by this as well. Consider this a warning."
"Alright. Thank you for the warning."
Hearing Xenovia say this, Rias could not help but frown slightly.
After the two Holy Sword wielders left, Ryuya asked softly, "How strong is Kokabiel?"
"I've never met him personally, but he must at least be at the level of a fallen angel executive. It's very likely that his strength surpasses that of a High-class Devil."
Rias's brows knitted tightly, clearly worried.
Ryuya, meanwhile, could not help recalling the final spear of light that had attacked them in that dimensional space. The sheer power of that strike… could it have been Kokabiel's attack?
"If that's the case, sending just those two Holy Sword wielders from the angel side would basically be sending them to their deaths."
Ryuya continued, "Even if those two have hidden trump cards and aren't as simple as they appear, they probably still wouldn't be a match for a fallen angel of that level."
"They clearly know that themselves, yet they still came. Perhaps that's simply their faith." Rias shrugged.
Sitting down on the sofa, Ryuya fell into deep thought.
On the surface, this was a dispute between the angel faction and the fallen angels, something that had nothing to do with them.
Yet for some reason, Ryuya felt uneasy.
He carefully replayed Xenovia's earlier words in his mind, and suddenly realized something.
Wait… she said the fallen angels had brought three Holy Swords here.
But why come here?
With the abilities of fallen angels, even carrying Holy Swords, there were countless places in the world they could go.
So why bring them here specifically?
Unless there was something here that the fallen angels wanted.
Or someone.
Ryuya tilted his head slightly, the situation still feeling unclear.
Rias looked at him. "What's wrong?"
"I'm worried about the fallen angels' intentions," Ryuya answered honestly.
"They definitely want to stir up trouble, but for fallen angels that's nothing unusual," Rias replied. "Don't worry. If something really happens, I'll inform my brother immediately."
Having a Devil King for an older brother who dotes on you really is convenient.
Ryuya could not help but chuckle.
Then suddenly his pupils shrank.
"Wait."
Everyone turned their eyes toward him. Ryuya's expression had become serious. After thinking for five or six seconds, he finally spoke.
"What if… what if the enemy's target is actually a Maou?"
"…What do you mean?"
Rias asked in confusion.
Ryuya slowly continued.
"Why would the fallen angels bring three Holy Swords here? Think about it carefully. In this town, is there any target worthy of the fallen angels making such a move? And why didn't they just attack directly? Why go through the trouble of stealing Holy Swords first?"
"I don't get it," Koneko said bluntly, shaking her head. "Just explain it clearly."
Meanwhile, the expressions of Rias and Akeno gradually became serious.
Ryuya spoke quietly.
"In this town, there are two younger sisters of Maous. If they were suddenly eliminated here by Holy Swords…"
"Rias, could the enemy's target be you and Sona Sitri? For example, killing the two of you to draw out the Maous."
Ryuya spoke calmly.
But his words sent a chill through everyone present.
...
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