Ren Kuroda stood alone—yet he was undeniably the strongest force present. Issei and the others might have had the advantage in numbers, but in terms of overall combat strength, they were the weakest group here.
Ren Kuroda had never been a match for Xenovia to begin with—let alone now, when she had drawn the Holy Sword Durandal.
Koneko and Irina were evenly matched, while Issei… at best, was still little more than comic relief on the battlefield.
"Dress Break" was devastatingly effective against won, sure—but at this point, Xenovia and Irina barely had any clothing left for it to destroy.
If anything, the strips of fabric clinging to them now were even more tantalizing than complete absence…
"Ren-sensei… could you tell what you intend to do with the Holy Swords once you obtain them?"
Sensing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Kiba suddenly turned to Ren and asked.
He had no hesitation about fighting mbers of the Church—his childhood had left him with a deep-rooted hatred for them.
But Ren was different.
Ren had saved his life before, and had helped President Rias and the others on multiple occasions. If there was any way to avoid it, Kiba truly didn't want to stand against him.
"My goal doesn't actually conflict with yours," Ren replied calmly."I plan to lt the Holy Swords down and use them to strengthen my divine weapon. Once they're reforged, it's essentially no different from being destroyed."
Hearing that, Kiba imdiately broke into a relieved smile.
"In that case… we'll withdraw from this contest over the Holy Swords."
"Oh? Even after realizing our goals don't conflict, you're not choosing to support —but to step aside instead?"
"I'm truly sorry, Ren-sensei. You saved , and you're even willing to destroy the Holy Swords. I should be supporting you with everything I have… but I can't cause any more trouble for President Rias."
Disobeying Rias's orders and acting on his own—among devils, that alone could have been grounds for exile.
And yet, not only had Rias not blad him, she had even sent Issei and Koneko to secretly help him investigate.
To Kiba, that kindness was a debt he could never forget.
With the upcoming summit between the three factions approaching, and Rias's position being particularly sensitive, Kiba couldn't allow himself to stir up further complications for her.
"It's fine," Ren said lightly."Even if you decide to side with the Church this ti… I'm still taking those Holy Swords today."
His divine weapon had been with him for a long ti, yet he had never found a way to fully awaken it.
Now that the opportunity was finally within reach—
Let alone two Church warriors standing in his way, even if an Archangel himself descended here today—
He would fight.
"So… what do we do, Irina?" Xenovia muttered, her tone unusually uncertain."Fight him and return to the Lord's embrace… no, wait—the Lord doesn't even… exist anymore…"
She shook her head, frustrated.
"Forget it. Whether we fight or retreat and report back—it's your call, Irina. I'll follow your lead."
After learning from Kokabiel that the God they believed in no longer existed, Xenovia had already begun slipping into a reckless, almost self-destructive mindset.
Irina, however, was in even greater turmoil.
Her faith had always been stronger than Xenovia's. This revelation struck her far more deeply.
Bringing the Holy Swords back to the Church had been a mission entrusted to them by God—sothing Irina had always taken pride in.
But if God was gone…
Then who had given them that mission?
Should they still carry it out?
Ren's strength was undeniable—they stood no chance against him.
She could accept sacrificing herself and "returning to the Lord"… but what about Xenovia?
Was she really going to let her closest friend throw her life away for the sake of the Holy Swords?
Irina was caught in a storm of conflicting thoughts.
Fortunately, she didn't have to struggle for long.
Rias suddenly arrived—accompanied by Azazel, and a blond, blue-eyed man with a radiant halo hovering above his head.
The haloed man wore resplendent golden clerical armor. A gentle smile rested on his face, and the aura emanating from him was not only overwhelmingly sacred—but terrifyingly powerful.
As mbers of the Church, Xenovia and Irina recognized it instantly—
The man before them was a true angel… and not just any angel, but one of extraordinarily high rank.
"You must be Ren Kuroda of the Tenkami-in household—the elder brother of Kyoto's yōkai commander, and the one known as the strongest among them."
The blond man inclined his head politely.
"It's a pleasure to et you. My na is Michael. For now, I serve as the leader of the angels."
Michael—one of the Four Great Seraphim, bearer of twelve golden wings, a being second only to the God of the Bible in power.
"So you're the legendary Archangel who stands at the pinnacle of the Biblical heavens…"
Ren's eyes glead as he looked at Michael—not with fear, but with unmistakable excitent.
"I can tell—you're incredibly strong. Strong enough that even I'm not confident of winning outright. But if you think taking those Holy Swords will be easy… you're mistaken."
Among everyone Ren had encountered in this world so far, Michael was undoubtedly one of the strongest.
Azazel might not necessarily be weaker—but as Ren had previously surmised, he likely hadn't fully recovered from injuries sustained during the great war between the three factions.
Michael, on the other hand, was in perfect condition—
And he fit the criteria for both of Ren's main system objectives perfectly.
His divine weapon had already absorbed more than enough sacred artifacts for its next evolution.
All that remained… was to stain it with the blood of gods or demons.
If that happened—
It might awaken tonight.
Seeing Ren brimming with battle intent, Michael—who had co with nothing but goodwill—was montarily at a loss. He turned to Azazel with a puzzled look.
Had he said sothing wrong?
Why was the other party so openly hostile?
"Well," Azazel said with a shrug, "just like Vali ntioned—this guy's a battle maniac at heart. He probably sensed your strength and got excited."
Rias nodded in agreent from the side.
She hadn't forgotten that the very first thing Ren had ever asked her was to arrange a sparring match with a Demon Lord.
"If it's a fight you're after… I'd rather pass," Michael said with a weary smile."The workload I've accumulated over the years is already enough to crush ."
He turned back to Ren, his tone sincere.
"Ren Kuroda, I ca here today in good faith. I am also aware of the Church and the 'Holy Sword Project.'"
"After God's passing, the faith system has begun to collapse. No matter how hard I try to maintain it, tragedies like those of Asia and Ren Kuroda have still occurred."
"To prevent further suffering caused by the Holy Sword Project, I have decided to entrust these Holy Swords to you."
"On one hand, they are rightfully your spoils, taken from Kokabiel. On the other, this gesture may serve to nd relations between the angels and the yōkai of Kyoto."
It was hard to strike soone who approached you with goodwill.
Not only had Michael lowered his stance, he was even offering the Holy Swords outright.
Ren, who had been fully prepared for a fierce battle, suddenly felt like all that pent-up montum had nowhere to go.
As for Irina and Xenovia—
After hearing Michael confirm that God had truly perished, the last trace of hope in their hearts shattered completely.
They fell into stunned silence, their spirits utterly shaken.
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