"Clang—!"
A sharp, tallic clash rang out, echoing through the silent night. With no one else around, the sound—though not especially loud—seed unnaturally clear as it carried across the empty surroundings.
The boy who had been standing there with his head lowered, face filled with regret as he waited for death, frowned in confusion. He had braced himself for the end… yet after what felt like an eternity, no pain ca.
Hesitantly, he lifted his head and looked forward.
Standing before him was a young man dressed in casual clothes, even wearing a pair of house slippers—so unassuming he looked like just another passerby who had wandered in by accident.
And yet, he was anything but ordinary.
Ren Kuroda.
The na had recently beco impossible to ignore at Kuoh Academy.
A look of shock spread across the boy's face. He couldn't understand why Ren would appear in a place like this. anwhile, the two girls nearby—Xenovia and Irina—were staring at Ren with undisguised astonishnt.
After all, Ren had just stopped the Sword of Destruction with a single finger.
Driven by pure combat instinct, Xenovia reacted instantly the mont Ren appeared. She leapt backward, creating distance between them, gripping the Sword of Destruction tightly in both hands. Her eyes locked onto Ren, filled with wary intensity.
"Irina, what's going on? Why did he suddenly appear here?" Xenovia asked, her voice tense as she kept her guard up.
Ren's sudden arrival was simply too strange. It made sense that Xenovia, absorbed in battle monts earlier, hadn't noticed him approaching—but Irina had been on lookout duty. There was no way she should have missed soone getting this close.
"I… I don't know," Irina replied, equally shaken. "The barrier didn't react to him at all. It's like… he's just a normal human…"
"A normal human?" Xenovia shot back, her grip tightening on her blade. "Since when can a normal human stop the Sword of Destruction like that?!"
Although Ren had effortlessly blocked the attack with a single finger, his gaze now drifted downward, noticing the cracked ground beneath his feet. A hint of interest appeared on his face.
"Not bad," he murmured. "I'm certain I blocked that perfectly… and yet there was a second wave of force. Interesting."
"That's not a 'second wave of force'—it's the power of destruction," Xenovia declared proudly, gently running her hand along the blade. "The Sword of Destruction is one of the fragnts of the Holy Sword Excalibur. It possesses unparalleled destructive power."
She lifted her chin slightly, her tone firm with conviction.
"And I am the wielder chosen by it. A warrior chosen by the Lord."
Ren didn't react much to her declaration.
But behind him, the boy he had just saved let out a cold, mocking laugh, as if sothing deep within him had been stirred again.
"How ridiculous… 'chosen by a holy sword'? What do you even understand about those things?" he sneered bitterly. "Sothing like that… should never have existed in this world."
His words imdiately ignited anger in both Xenovia and Irina.
Both were devout believers of the Church, and they took great pride in being chosen as Holy Sword wielders. To hear the swords repeatedly belittled like this—it was no different from insulting them directly.
"Whoever you are," Xenovia said coldly, turning her attention back to Ren, "anyone who stands with a devil is an enemy of the Church."
Her grip on the Sword of Destruction tightened.
"If you insist on interfering… we won't hold back."
Beside her, Irina removed the ribbon from her hair. In an instant, it transford into another blade—a Holy Sword.
The Sword of Imitation.
Unlike Xenovia's weapon, this one could freely extend and change shape at will. It, too, was one of the seven Holy Swords born from Excalibur.
Ren had only stepped in to save the boy because they knew each other—and because Rias had taken good care of him at Kuoh Academy. Originally, he had no intention of getting dragged into unnecessary trouble.
But the attitude of the two girls in front of him…
That didn't sit well with him at all.
"What a strange sense of justice," Ren said calmly. "Just because I'm standing next to a devil, you've already decided I belong to the side of evil?"
He tilted his head slightly, his tone turning faintly mocking.
"If that's how you see things… then fine. I'll play the villain."
His gaze shifted to the swords in their hands, a faint glimr of interest flickering in his eyes.
"Coincidentally, I'm rather interested in those Holy Swords of yours."
Their black-and-white view of good and evil reminded Ren of certain people from his original world—those who believed that all yokai were inherently evil, while humans were always righteous.
As if such a simplistic distinction could ever hold true.
In this world, Ren carried two main objectives. One of them was to fully awaken the "Divine Blessing" that had accompanied him for so long.
And just monts ago, the spirit within that blade had told him sothing—
The two Holy Swords before him… were perfect materials for its evolution.
Ren himself might be a half-demon, but his blade, Divine Blessing, was not a demonic weapon. It possessed a sacred attribute.
And what could be more compatible than Holy Swords of the sa nature?
"So you're another heretic seeking to claim the Holy Swords?" Xenovia's eyes sharpened, her hostility surging instantly. "Then I'll send you to your grave beneath their light!"
The mont she heard Ren express interest in their weapons, she imdiately classified him as one of the thieves who had been targeting the Holy Swords.
Irina seed like she wanted to say sothing—but seeing Xenovia charge forward without hesitation, she could only sigh helplessly and follow, gripping the Sword of Imitation as she joined the attack.
Knowing the overwhelming power of Xenovia and the Holy Sword, the boy behind Ren instinctively tried to step forward and help.
But Ren raised a hand, stopping him.
"You're badly injured," he said without turning around. "You're not in any condition to keep fighting. Leave this to ."
There was a faint hint of anticipation in his voice.
"I happen to know a thing or two about blades myself… so let's see what these so-called 'Holy Swords' are really capable of."
Xenovia closed the distance in an instant.
Twisting her waist, she swung the massive Sword of Destruction—nearly as tall as she was—downward with terrifying force, aiming to cleave Ren in two.
The earlier exchange had unsettled her, but she convinced herself it had been nothing more than a fluke. After all, she hadn't used her full strength before, and her strike had been partially obstructed.
This ti—
She was going all out.
There was no way he could stop it again.
The massive blade tore through the air, carrying overwhelming destructive power as it descended toward Ren.
And yet, Ren simply stood there, calm and composed.
Just as the sword was about to strike him, he shifted his body ever so slightly—
And the attack missed completely.
The Sword of Destruction slamd into empty space, carving a massive trench dozens of ters long into the ground.
Before Xenovia could even react, a sudden, sharp pain exploded from her waist.
Her body was sent flying uncontrollably in the opposite direction.
Ren lowered his arm, calmly sheathing his blade—still encased in its scabbard—without even glancing at her.
Standing exactly where he had been, he spoke in an even tone:
"Your sword is impressive."
A brief pause.
"But you… rely on its power far too much."
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