[Third-Person POV]
The place the three of them entered appeared to be a former facility, most of its contents had already been removed prior to abandonment, leaving a surprisingly spacious interior.
"Doesn't look like anything's here… Maybe it already escaped?"
Issei voiced his doubt as he scanned the area. The space offered few hiding spots, and there was no sign of the stray devil. But Koneko shook her head.
"No. It's hiding… back there, in the shadows."
As if responding to her voice, a pale, silver-haired beauty stepped out from behind some pipes. Her appearance was ethereal, almost fragile.
"Oooh! A delicate, mysterious beauty! That's exactly the kind of Undine I always dreamed of!"
Issei's excitement burst out.
"Don't start fantasizing now, Issei-senpai! It's coming!"
Koneko snapped sharply, her senses alerting her to the stray devil's rising power.
In the next moment, the devil's appearance transformed. The delicate expression vanished, replaced by a twisted mouth full of sharp fangs radiating malice. From the waist down, it resembled a massive spider, grotesque and inhuman.
The upper body remained humanoid, but its lower half was pure arachnid.
"Wha—!? A spider monster!? Is this one of those Arachne things!?"
Boost!!
Despite his shock, Issei began charging his power through his Boosted Gear. Meanwhile, the stray devil scuttled rapidly across walls and ceilings, just like a spider, trying to throw them off balance.
In these situations, Issei's usual strategy was to hold back until his power built up, adapting to the battlefield from the rear. Yuuto, as the "Knight," would suppress the enemy's mobility, while Koneko, the "Rook," would deliver the finishing blow.
"Yuuto-senpai, please!"
However, even after Koneko called out, Yuuto remained oddly unresponsive, as if in a daze.
"Yuuto-senpai!"
"…Ah! Sorry."
It was only after Koneko raised her voice sharply that Yuuto snapped out of it. But his sluggish state didn't go unnoticed by the stray devil. From the gland where a spider's silk would normally emerge, it fired a stream of corrosive liquid directly at him.
It was an attack Yuuto could have easily dodged under normal circumstances, but his distraction left him motionless.
"Yuuto-senpai! Watch out!!"
Koneko dove in and pushed him out of harm's way, taking the hit on her left arm instead. Thanks to her immense defense as a "Rook," the damage wasn't severe, but it still rendered her momentarily immobile.
Sensing an opening, the stray devil lunged in for the kill.
"I won't let you!!"
Explosion!!
"Dragon Shot!!"
Though his power hadn't reached its peak, Issei fired his energy blast straight at the devil. It hit head-on, forcing the creature to stumble backward.
"Hey, Kiba! What the hell are you doing!? Snap out of it!!" Issei yelled at Yuuto, who was still hanging back and failing to take advantage of the devil's vulnerability.
Jolted by the shout, Yuuto finally slashed from behind, severing one of the stray devil's arms. However, he failed to check his landing and tripped over debris, falling to the ground.
Enraged from the lost limb, the devil pounced. With Yuuto down and unable to dodge, he was pinned in an instant.
"Kibaaaaa!!"
Just as the beast was about to bite down, Koneko recovered. With a burst of strength, she grabbed its remaining arm, snapped it in one powerful motion, and then, with a shout of "Get lost!", threw the stray devil clear out of the building.
====================
[Ikki POV]
Crash!
A sharp shattering of glass rang out. Outside the factory, where Rias and the others were waiting, something broke through the skylight, flung into the air. It was the stray devil, spider-like and writhing.
"[Akeno]."
"Yes, President!"
At Rias's command, Akeno, who had been stationed in the sky for a wide vantage point, unleashed a pre-charged lightning spell. A searing bolt of electricity struck the stray devil mid-air.
Blackened and charred in an instant, the monster crashed to the ground in front of them. It was barely alive, though clearly hanging by a thread.
"A vile creature who abandoned its master and rampaged for its own pleasure… Such insolence deserves nothing less than total destruction. In the name of House Gremory, I shall erase you!"
"GYAAAAAHHH!!"
Rias released a wave of destructive magic, reducing the devil to dust. The stray devil extermination was over.
"We did it!"
Issei, Koneko, and Yuuto emerged from the building, as Akeno descended beside them.
"It had lost all sense of self. That thing can no longer be called a devil."
"Man… I never wanna end up like that…" Issei shuddered at the thought of himself turning into a monster like that.
"No wonder it was an emergency extermination order."
"Koneko-chan, let me see your injury!"
"Sorry…"
Asia quickly noticed Koneko's wound and rushed to heal her. The injury wasn't severe and was fully healed within seconds.
Smack!
A dry slap echoed. Rias had struck Yuuto across the cheek.
"Did that wake you up? If Koneko hadn't shielded you, you'd be seriously hurt right now. And by freezing up like that, you endangered everyone else too."
From where I was standing, I couldn't see the whole battlefield, but Rias clearly had. I'd been wondering why Koneko got hit by something she'd normally dodge with ease. Now it made sense, Yuuto's hesitation caused the whole chain of events.
Irritation began bubbling up inside me.
But no, calm down, me. You already know Yuuto hasn't been in the best state lately. And Rias just scolded him herself. Me blowing up at him now would only make things worse.
"…I'm sorry. I'm not feeling like myself today. I'll take my leave here. Koneko, thanks for protecting me."
Yuuto's tone was distant as he turned to leave. But Issei grabbed his shoulder and followed.
"Hey, Kiba! What the hell's wrong with you today? You've never talked to the President like that before!"
"This doesn't concern you."
"Of course it does! I'm worried about you!"
"Worried? You? About me? Devils are supposed to be selfish by nature… But fine. I admit I was out of line today."
"What are you even talking about…?"
Yuuto finally turned around.
The look in his eyes was like nothing I'd seen before, cold, distant… hollow.
"I just remembered something important. The reason I exist."
"…The reason you exist?"
"Yes. The Holy Sword, Excalibur. Destroying it… That's my purpose."
====================
That night ended with a bitter aftertaste. Now it was early morning, just before 7 a.m. I was checking my school supplies when Kuroka suddenly frowned.
"Nyaa… I don't like this feeling. Is that a holy sword I sense?"
"Holy sword?"
I focused my senses. Sure enough, I could feel a sharp, condensed presence of energy, emanating from the direction of the old church at the edge of town. I hadn't sensed it during training earlier, probably because it was hidden behind the church's barrier.
"Yeah… and not just one. There are two high-grade holy swords over there. This stinks of trouble, nyaa."
Bingo. Kuroka nailed it. This is probably the beginning of Kokabiel's invasion, essentially a declaration of war.
I continued tracking the holy sword's presence for a while. They stopped at the front gate of Kuoh Academy, where they encountered the presences of President Sona and Tsubaki-fukukaichou, then turned back toward the church.
Even if they didn't cause any trouble during the day, the idea of holy sword users coming into contact with our devil allies makes me nervous.
"What do you think?"
"Smells like church-related trouble is about to hit this town."
Ugh. Kuroka asked my opinion, but I feel like I'm cheating off her test paper.
"Sigh… Can't they leave our peaceful town alone?"
Kuroka can't afford to act openly right now. The real problem is… if Koneko gets dragged into this, we're already in the red.
"Well, whatever happens… we'll handle it."
That's what I tell myself, anyway. I just hope nothing too crazy breaks out.
"Oh? Getting bold, aren't you? I'll be watching, nyaa~"
====================
Note: Ikki's role will grow with Kokabiel's appearance, but until the final showdown, he's mostly just background noise, lol. Kokabiel, hurry up and give Ikki his time to shine already!