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Chapter 286 ~ Church’s Exorcists

A solemn atmosphere loomed over the Occult Research Club room.

Issei, Asia, and Koneko sat in silence on the couch, the weight of their memories dragging down their expressions. They had just finished recounting their encounter with the rogue exorcist, Freed Sellzen. But even more than the horrific sight of a murdered priest or the Excalibur fragment that gleamed with divine malice, it was the absence of their friend that troubled them most.

Kiba hadn’t returned since that night.

He hadn’t come to class.

He hadn’t appeared in the clubroom.

He had simply vanished.

On the couch opposite them, Yuuji, Erika, and Aika listened quietly. Though they didn’t speak, their eyes reflected the same grim understanding. They remembered this arc—this moment—from the anime. The circumstances may have shifted slightly—the timing, the victim—but the trajectory was unmistakable.

The “Holy Sword Project” arc had begun.

A long, weary sigh escaped Rias’s lips as she leaned back on her desk, arms crossed and brow furrowed in thought. Akeno stood nearby, concern clearly etched across her face, her usual smile nowhere to be found.

“Well… this is troubling,” Rias muttered. “More than troubling.”

She shook her head, crimson hair swaying as her eyes narrowed.

Not only had a fragment of the legendary holy sword, Excalibur, been found in her territory—wielded by a deranged stray exorcist, no less—but it had also reawakened a trauma buried deep within her Knight. A scar that hadn’t truly healed.

Issei finally spoke, breaking the silence.

“President… What happened to Kiba? Why did he lose it like that?” His voice was low, heavy with concern. Asia sat beside him, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, her expression mirroring his worry.

Rias remained silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled.

“…Perhaps it’s time you knew.”

Her voice was steady, but tinged with emotion.

And then she began to tell them the truth.

The truth of the boy she had once found half-dead, discarded like trash at the edge of life and death. The boy who had crawled away from the shattered ruins of an unspeakable nightmare. The sole survivor of a hellish experiment conducted by fanatics masquerading as clergy.

The “Holy Sword Project.”

A secret program devised by heretics within the Church—an abomination in which innocent children, orphans, were taken and tortured in a desperate attempt to artificially create wielders of the Holy Sword, Excalibur. In their arrogance, they sought to recreate Godʼs blessings through manmade means, regardless of the price… even if it meant sacrificing the lives, hopes, and souls of dozens of children.

Kiba was the only one who survived.

Barely alive. Broken in body and spirit. He should have died there.

But Rias had found him.

And with a single Knight Piece, she gave him a second chance. A new life… as a devil.

“H-How could something like that…?” Asia whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide with grief.

“Those bastards…!” Issei growled, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Even Koneko, normally impassive, clenched her fists tightly and looked away, her cat-like ears twitching with tension. Though she had already known the story, hearing it again still stirred something deep and bitter.

Rias continued, voice softer now.

“Since that day… Kiba has hated Holy Swords with every fiber of his being. He sees them as the instruments of his torment, the reason why his friends—his family—were slaughtered. He’s sworn to destroy every last fragment of Excalibur.”

A heavy silence followed.

Issei lowered his head, the realization hitting him like a cold wave. Now he understood the fury in Kiba’s eyes. The way he fought with reckless abandon. That wasn’t just anger. It was vengeance. Trauma. Grief.

The room, once solemn, now felt smothered by the weight of truth.

It was then that Yuuji’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Two unfamiliar presences, steadily approaching Kuoh Academy. They were subtle, but not enough to avoid his trained senses. He honed his focus, zeroing in on the approaching figures.

‘…Holy energy.’ he spoke in his mind.

Aika’s eyes flickered in response to the message he sent through their magical link. Activating her Elemental Sight, she quickly confirmed it—two individuals, walking toward the school from the nearby residential district, carried faint yet distinct traces of holy power.

Yuuji’s voice echoed softly in Aika and Erika’s minds.

‘We’ve got visitors. Two of them. Not from around here. It could be them…’

They came closer with each passing second.

And then—

Knock knock.

The sudden sound echoed through the clubroom, sharp and crisp in the tense silence.

Everyone turned toward the door.

“...Come in,” Rias called out.

The door opened, revealing two figures cloaked in pristine white with golden embroidery—undeniably Exorcists of the Church. Their faces were concealed by their hoods, but the contours of their figures made it unmistakable that they were women.

“...Exorcists?” Rias narrowed her eyes, arms folded beneath her chest as she gazed at the visitors. “What business do agents of the Church have, entering devil territory without even the courtesy of prior notice?”

In response, the two raised their hands slowly and lowered their hoods, revealing themselves.

To the right stood a youthful girl with long chestnut hair styled into twin tails. Her innocent features were framed by her vibrant violet eyes and a bright, playful smile.

To the left, her companion had chin-length blue hair with a green fringe dyed on one side. Her brown eyes were sharp, suspicious. Her posture was tense, the aura of a trained warrior—unwelcome, and alert—surrounding her as she silently scanned the room. When her gaze landed on Asia, a flicker of disdain flashed in her eyes.

“Hello~! Sorry for barging in~ We just need a teensy bit of your time!” the twin-tailed girl chirped with exaggerated sweetness.

“Eh?! I-Irina?!” Issei jumped up, eyes wide in shock. “Is that really you?!”

“Hey, Issei-kun Long time no see!” Irina beamed, giving him a playful wink.

“Issei-kun… you know her?” Rias asked calmly, though surprise lingered in her eyes.

“Y-Yeah…” Issei scratched his head awkwardly. “She’s Shidou Irina, my childhood friend. I, uh… only just realized she’s a girl.”

Even in this tense moment, Koneko gave Issei a deadpan look, unimpressed.

“...Idiot,” she muttered, shaking her head.

Rias exhaled slowly to regain composure, then turned back toward the visitors. “I see. And your partner?”

“Xenovia Quarta,” the blue-haired girl introduced herself firmly. “We’re here on Church business. What we have to say is for your ears alone… not outsiders.”

Her eyes flicked to Yuuji, Erika, and Aika, dismissing them as unimportant despite their exceptional appearances. To her, their auras were too contained, too... ordinary.

The trio said nothing, observing the exchange with calm, silent curiosity.

Rias responded before they could speak. “Anything you wish to say, you may say in front of them. I trust them with my life.”

Xenovia narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased, but relented with a slight nod.

“So be it. We’ll speak openly.”

She took a breath, her voice turning coldly official.

“Several fragments of the Holy Sword, Excalibur, were stolen from the Church. The thief—believed to be a fallen angel of cadre level—has fled. Intelligence suggests one of the fragments has found its way to this town. We’re here to retrieve it and return it to sacred hands.”

A hush fell over the room.

The members of Rias’s peerage—Issei, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia—exchanged tense looks. They knew exactly what Xenovia was talking about: the rogue priest, Freed Sellzen, and the unholy aura of the sword he wielded.

Yet they said nothing, choosing instead to wait for Rias’s judgment.

Rias rested her hand on her chin, her gaze unreadable. “A fallen cadre, you say... And the Church sent only two Exorcists to face such a threat?”

“That’s not your concern,” Xenovia snapped.

Rias’s brow twitched. “Is that so? Then you’ve come merely to inform me of your presence?”

“No,” Xenovia said flatly. “We’re here to warn you. Do not interfere in our mission.”

“Warn me…?” Rias echoed, her voice dangerously low.

“Yes. We cannot dismiss the possibility that you or your faction are aiding the thief. It’s not unheard of for devils to exploit holy relics to weaken the balance.”

That was the breaking point.

Rias slammed both hands onto her desk. “How dare you accuse me of collusion?! I am Rias Gremory, heiress of one of the 72 Pillars! We do not need to stoop so low as to steal your sacred scraps and incite war!”

Xenovia remained unmoved, her expression stoic. “Then we’re in agreement.”

She turned to leave but paused, her gaze falling on Asia once more.

“So, this is the heretic—once a sister of the Church, now a devil’s pet?”

Asia flinched, placing a trembling hand over her heart. “I-I didn’t abandon my faith... I still pray... even if it hurts…”

Xenovia stared her down with merciless eyes. “Then show your repentance. Redeem yourself by surrendering your life. I will guide your soul back to the Lord.”

She drew a sword from beneath her cloak, her movement fluid and practiced. The blade glinted, and with it, her true attire was revealed—a black, form-fitting leotard beneath plate armor and strapped accessories, as fitting for a warrior of the Church as it was intimidating.

She raised the blade toward Asia.

In an instant, Rias’s peerage reacted—Akeno and Koneko moved defensively, Issei already rising to intercept.

But then...

“Enough.”

That single word stopped the world.

Xenovia’s body locked. Irina’s breath hitched. Neither could move, as though their muscles had turned to stone. Only their eyes retained freedom—and those eyes turned, wide with disbelief, toward the source of the voice.

Yuuji.

He had been silent until now. Unassuming. Ordinary.

But now… divine light poured from his form—golden, pure, all-encompassing. The sheer holiness radiating from him eclipsed anything they had felt, even from the Archangel Michael himself.

[Holy Aura II: Fortitude]

The pressure disappeared in an instant, replaced by a warmth so profound and calming. Comfort, protection, strength—it was as if the world itself had suddenly come to embrace them in a protective warmth against all the vices of reality.

Xenovia and Irina gasped, stumbling a step back—not from fear, but from the sheer awe of it all.

Every soul in the room turned toward Yuuji.

His eyes glowed with gold, radiating a majesty that humbled even those who had spent their lives devoted to the divine. He stood, graceful, calm, resolute.

“Lower your sword, faithful of the church,” he said gently, but his voice carried the weight of a divine decree. “The war is long over. This is not the time to reignite it. Not when true evil still works in the shadows, fanning the flames of conflict.”

Xenovia, stunned, lowered her blade.

Her voice wavered. “W-Who… who are you…?”

The light around Yuuji began to fade. His eyes returned to its previous eyes; a deep, mysterious black.

“I am Tsubakihara Yuuji, a first-year student at Kuoh Academy. I transferred here just a few days ago. These are my friends—Kiryuu Aika and Chiba Erika.”

Xenovia blinked in disbelief. Such an ordinary introduction was the last thing she expected from someone who had just unleashed an aura more divine and overwhelming than anything she or Irina had ever encountered—even in the presence of archangels.

“I must apologize for my earlier outburst,” Yuuji continued, his voice calm and unwavering. “Asia is a friend of mine, and I do not take kindly to anyone threatening her—no matter the justification.”

Asiaʼs breath hitched. Her hands, once clenched over her chest in fear, now pressed softly against her heart for an entirely different reason. A blush bloomed across her cheeks as warmth swelled within her.

“But,” Yuuji went on, his expression softening, “I admit I was impolite to you. And for that, allow me to offer a gesture of goodwill… in the form of advice.”

Xenovia stiffened slightly, her pride wounded from earlier and her face flushed—not just from embarrassment, but from the weight of everything she’d experienced in the last few minutes.

“W-What advice…?” she asked cautiously.

“I do not doubt your strength. On the contrary, I can tell you both are highly capable. Which is why I can also say with certainty—if you go after Kokabiel on your own, you will not survive.”

The silence that followed his words was broken only by the sharp intake of breath from both exorcists.

“Y-You know about Kokabiel?” Irina asked, wide-eyed. “And you know he’s here?!”

“Yuuji-kun?!” Rias turned to him, surprise flickering in her gaze.

Yuuji nodded solemnly. “This is one of the threats we’ve been preparing for.”

He turned back to the two exorcists, his gaze steady.

“Kokabiel is a cadre-class fallen angel—a warmonger who survived the Great War and commands terrifying power. He is not someone the two of you can face alone. But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless.”

A warm, reassuring smile curved his lips. There was no condescension in his words, only genuine concern and an earnest desire to help.

“The fallen are strong, yes. But if you stand alongside the heiress of Gremory and her peerage—if you fight together—then your mission has a real chance of succeeding.”

Xenovia recoiled slightly, her brows furrowed. “You expect me to fight alongside devils? To ally myself with the enemies of Heaven? That’s… heresy—!”

“You are no longer enemies.”

Yuuji’s voice rang out, firm and resolute. The room seemed to still again—not from power, but from conviction.

“The real enemy is not the devils, nor the angels, nor even the fallen themselves… It is those who seek to reignite the fires of war—those who would plunge the Three Factions into another cycle of bloodshed, hatred, and despair.”

Xenovia’s mouth fell open, her voice caught in her throat. There was no denying the truth in his words. The conviction in his eyes was unshakable.

“There are evils in this world far greater than our old grudges,” Yuuji continued. “Evils that would not only bring war to Heaven, Hell, and Earth—but destroy everything we hold dear.”

He took a step closer, his voice now gentle.

“It’s time to let go of ancient hatred, sins of the past, and enemies only told in legends. If we truly wish to keep the people we love and this world—our world—safe… then it is time we all must stand together.”