After the battle in which Vasco Strada had continued to seize the initiative, the young cardinal, Teodoro Legrenzi, stepped forward and made a declaration on behalf of the Church warriors.
In response, everyone on our side raised their fighting spirit and aura.
No, seriously, guys, we're still in a residential district here, okay? And even the enemy warriors, while clearly ready for battle, still hadn't actually drawn their weapons yet… though a lot of them were only one step away from unsheathing them.
Well, it did look like they had already set up a barrier to keep civilians away, but still.
Amidst the tension, Vasco Strada spoke to Xenovia.
"Xenovia. Have you mastered Durandal?"
"Tch—! I'm going in!!"
The moment he said that, Xenovia cloaked Durandal in a holy aura and charged straight at him.
Xenovia-saaan!? Even for you, that's way too reckless! I already knew she was the charging type, but seeing it in person still made me do a double take at how little thought she gave to consequences!
"Choosing action over words, hm? Yes—that is exactly how a wielder of Durandal should be!"
No good. That old man was completely insane too.
He looked way too happy about this!
Xenovia swung Ex-Durandal down from overhead and Strada stopped it with a single finger.
"Still lacking."
"Yes. I know I am!"
Though Strada shook his head in disappointment, Xenovia was already accustomed to having her strikes stopped with absurd ease.
Without freezing up for even a second, she shifted the blade slightly, slipped it along the inside of his arm, and redirected the slash toward his face in a trajectory meant to split him in two.
"Oh? That was mildly dangerous."
But even that was intercepted instantly as his opposite hand moved in and caught the blade barehanded.
"I see. Setting Durandal aside, you have grown far more as a warrior than I expected."
Though the latter half sounded like praise, the part that mattered most—that she had not yet mastered Durandal—was clearly criticism.
Grinding her teeth, Xenovia stepped back.
"Xenovia! Your Eminence! Forgive my rudeness, but I'm coming!"
As Xenovia withdrew, Irina spread her angelic wings and rushed forward with Hauteclere in hand.
But before she could reach him, a shadow slipped instantly between Irina and Strada, stopping Hauteclere's strike cold.
"Cristaldi!"
"Irina. Even against a powerful foe, you must never narrow your vision."
While lightly scolding his flustered former student, Cristaldi deflected Hauteclere whose power had not fully transferred into the strike and pushed Irina herself backward.
"The former wielder of Excalibur!"
The next to charge in was Yuuto, gripping his demonic holy sword.
Seriously, what is with these swordsmen!? Do they all have to charge headfirst before they're satisfied!?
Watching this is giving me a heart attack!
Cristaldi caught Yuuto's holy demonic sword with his own blade. Looking at the mingled holy and demonic power within it, he nodded in understanding.
"A holy demonic sword. It differs greatly from those distributed by the Church. I see… so you are a survivor of the Holy Sword Project. However, now that I observe it directly, it is distorted. You are unable to properly draw out the sword's true power."
"What did you say!?"
Perhaps taking it as mockery, Yuuto unleashed a furious storm of sword strikes.
But the former Excalibur wielder answered with equally swift slashes of his own.
"You as well, holy demonic swordsman. I understand that a survivor of that project would harbor feelings toward me. But a swordsman must keep his mind calm even while his soul burns fiercely."
In the middle of the exchange, Yuuto stepped in harder than usual and Cristaldi swept his leg aside with a sharp SPAN!
Yuuto's balance collapsed instantly.
Cristaldi followed with a crushing overhead strike.
Yuuto managed to block it with his holy demonic sword while dropping to one knee, but the impact alone created a crater beneath him before finally overwhelming him.
Ignoring the damage, Yuuto quickly leapt away.
Still, even he understood that Cristaldi had deliberately allowed him that chance to escape.
That kind of careless mistake was unlike Yuuto.
But "distorted," huh…
He wasn't wrong. Right now, Yuuto's powers aren't fully synchronized.
Still, pointing it out directly wouldn't solve anything. There was a way to overcome it, but with his current holy demonic sword, it was impossible.
Cristaldi probably understood that too, which was why he stopped at such a vague warning.
As the others began moving after witnessing Yuuto get overwhelmed, Vasco Strada suddenly raised one hand, signaling everyone to stop.
"Please do not misunderstand. We did not come here to wage war. We came to deliver our final appeal. I ask only that you understand this much."
As he swept his raised hand sideways, the warriors surrounding the area withdrew as well.
"...In that case, it would be best for both sides to lower their weapons."
Acting as our representative, Rias-senpai gave a hand signal for everyone to stand down too.
After confirming it, the three cardinals remaining at the scene turned and departed.
"We shall meet again soon, young warriors."
Leaving those words behind, they vanished.
The swordsmen who had been so effortlessly brushed aside stared at the spot where the cardinals had disappeared, each wearing a bitter expression.
=========
Several hours after the Church faction delivered their challenge, the VIP room of Issei's house had become a gathering place for the members of D×D currently active in this region.
The only ones absent were the members of Slash Dog. Since they were occupied with another mission, they would receive a report afterward instead.
Right now, we were speaking with Michael through a holographic communication system.
[I sincerely apologize for involving all of you in Heaven's affairs one after another…]
Michael apologized both for the coup faction incident and for the recent attack on Heaven just before Christmas.
But honestly, while maybe the coup situation warranted an apology, the attack by Rizevim and the Evil Dragons definitely wasn't something Michael should blame himself for.
[What they desire is a match against D×D. In Kuoh Town—the birthplace of the peace agreement—and against all of you, who symbolize that peace… they wish to pour out the entirety of their convictions one final time.]
Following Michael's words, Sister Griselda explained the motives behind the coup faction.
"Most of them lost family or friends to supernatural beings such as Devils or Vampires. Others had their lives destroyed by them. While it is hardly healthy, many among them have fought with vengeance buried deep within their hearts."
…..
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