The tension inside the Occult Research Club immediately escalated to a dangerous point.
Jeanne Alter's scornful gaze and mocking words had severely wounded Xenovia's pride, turning her expression icy cold.
Xenovia swiftly grabbed an object tightly wrapped in cloth beside her. She stared sharply at Jeanne Alter, hostility radiating intensely from her eyes.
"You…"
"Xenovia! What should we do?"
Irina Shidou anxiously nudged Xenovia's arm with her elbow.
Thinking Irina was hesitant because their opponent was human, Xenovia calmly reassured her.
"It's fine, Irina. She may be human, but she's associated with devils. We only need to retrieve the holy sword, not take her life. If you're reluctant, I can handle it alo—"
"We really don't seem to have any evidence that sword is ours, though."
Xenovia's breath hitched, and she looked strangely at Irina, who remained oblivious as she continued speaking.
"This girl isn't wrong, after all. Our names aren't on the sword, and it certainly won't answer if we call out. Seriously, why didn't they give us some kind of proof if they wanted us to reclaim these swords? Hey Xenovia, your expression's weird—did you get sand in your eye?"
Irina mistook Xenovia's look of utter disbelief for irritation from debris in her eye. Xenovia, meanwhile, barely contained a tidal wave of sarcasm inside, leaving her mind blank as she awkwardly bit her lip.
At that moment, Jeanne Alter's attention shifted to the item in Xenovia's hands.
"What's that?"
Distracted by Irina's words, Xenovia momentarily lost her fighting spirit. Noticing Jeanne Alter's curious expression, she reluctantly removed the cloth, revealing what lay beneath.
It was another holy sword, its blade glowing with radiant light. Though visibly different from Jeanne Alter's own sword, it was obviously of the same type.
And just as pitifully weak…
Unaware of Jeanne Alter's insulting thoughts, Xenovia gave a brief introduction. "This is [Excalibur Destruction], one of the series along with your [Excalibur Rapidly]."
"Oh, and mine is [Excalibur Mimic]," Irina chimed cheerfully, bouncing forward. She pulled a rope from her cloak, which instantly transformed into a katana. "As you can see, it can shapeshift freely, making it convenient to carry!"
"Irina… do we really need to explain the swords' abilities to devils?"
Xenovia stared intensely at Irina, her tone serious.
"Oh, come on, Xenovia. We're here to seek cooperation, so building mutual trust is important, right?" Irina smiled innocently, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, even if these devils know what my sword can do, it won't put me at a disadvantage."
Her words made Rias and Koneko visibly tense. Being belittled like this in their own territory by their mortal enemies naturally rankled.
After Xenovia and Irina revealed their holy swords, Jeanne Alter subtly stepped back, eyeing the blades with obvious disdain.
"So that's how it is. Mass-produced holy swords? No wonder they're so weak. They're nothing compared to that cold-blooded woman's holy sword."
"They're not weak!"
Xenovia shot back indignantly. "There are seven holy swords in total, all fragments of the legendary [Excalibur]! During the ancient Great War, the true [Excalibur] shattered into pieces. Humans collected these fragments, reforging them into seven separate holy swords using alchemy."
Jeanne Alter froze, staring incredulously as if hearing something utterly absurd.
"[Excalibur]?"
"Yes, [Excalibur]—the world's most renowned holy sword."
[Excalibur]… isn't that the legendary sword wielded by King Arthur, the apex of holy swords?
Which meant…
"Pfft…"
Jeanne Alter clamped a hand over her mouth to preserve her image, struggling to contain herself—but it was useless.
"Hahahahaha!"
As if ridiculing someone absent, Jeanne Alter burst into exaggerated laughter, drawing puzzled looks from everyone else.
"What's so funny?"
Xenovia asked, confused.
"Haha! What's funny…? Everything! That idiot king's holy sword! Of course, I know it's not truly hers, but it's too hilarious! I can't stop laughing, dammit! Haha, I think my abs are coming out…!"
"Good! I'm glad it shattered! That annoying brat always bragged it was the strongest sword on the planet—breaking apart is perfect! I've always wanted to smash it to pieces in front of her. Just imagining that crocodile-faced king's expression upon seeing her precious sword in fragments… Haha!"
Jeanne Alter's rambling contained information that made little sense to Xenovia and Irina.
She talks as if she's actually seen [Excalibur's] wielder personally…
The true [Excalibur] was destroyed in the ancient Great War. If Jeanne Alter had truly met [Excalibur's] owner, it meant she'd lived through that conflict—an impossible notion.
"Hey, Rias."
Jeanne Alter abruptly stopped laughing, turning to Rias, her tone eager with anticipation. "She said there are seven fragments of [Excalibur]. Do you know where the others are? Suddenly, these holy swords interest me."
Rias hesitated visibly, but before she could reply, a voice spoke from behind her.
"If you learn the location of the other swords… what will you do?"
"Yuuto!"
Rias snapped around to look at Kiba Yuuto, who'd asked that question.
But Kiba remained unresponsive, his brow furrowed deeply, hollow eyes fixated intensely on Jeanne Alter, awaiting her answer.
"Take them for myself or destroy them outright?"
Jeanne Alter shrugged nonchalantly, a prideful smile emerging. "Either option suits me. It's rare to have such a perfect opportunity to infuriate that black-armored knight king. Honestly, I'd love nothing more than smashing these swords one by one right in front of her!"
"We won't let you do that!"
Xenovia snapped sharply, throwing a hostile glare at Jeanne Alter before turning to Rias.
"What exactly are you and your servants planning, Rias Gremory? We warned you devils clearly: You are not to interfere in the Church's struggle with the fallen angels over the holy swords."
Her arrogant tone—issuing warnings despite their vulnerable position in devil territory—was immediately overshadowed by a sudden, terrifying pressure.
Everyone's faces abruptly paled.
Overwhelming pressure blanketed the room, air turning thick as breathing became nearly impossible.
Wild, scorching mana erupted endlessly from Jeanne Alter's body, akin to the dragon's breath itself, evaporating moisture from the air.
"You two just said something quite amusing… Church, you say?"
Feeling targeted by an unimaginable threat, Xenovia and Irina instinctively drew their holy swords, clutching them tightly for reassurance.
Jeanne Alter simply stood there with a cold smile. Yet, without realizing, both girls found their clothes drenched in cold sweat.
"I've changed my mind."
Her smile became even colder. "If you belonged to some other faction, I'd hesitate about stealing your weapons. But… since you're from the Church, these holy swords now belong to me."
"You're joking—"
Their words cut off abruptly, Xenovia and Irina's eyes widened in disbelief.
Jeanne Alter was suddenly standing right between them, her movement completely unnoticed.
"Ghh!"
Xenovia quickly bit her lip, forcing calm as she swung [Excalibur Destruction] toward Jeanne Alter.
But in the next instant, Xenovia felt a sharp pain in her back, and her view shifted from the room's furnishings to the ceiling.
I fell? How? What did she just do?
More importantly… where was her holy sword?
Xenovia struggled, attempting to rise, but Jeanne Alter swiftly pressed her head against the floor with her foot, knocking her unconscious.
Now holding [Excalibur Rapidly] in one hand and [Excalibur Destruction] in the other, Jeanne Alter clicked her tongue irritably.
"Tch! These swords are absurdly fragile—one [Mana Burst] would shatter them beyond repair."
Precisely because of their fragility, Jeanne Alter had restrained her flames at the critical moment, resorting instead to close combat.
Irina reacted a step slower. After seeing Xenovia effortlessly defeated and disarmed, Irina instantly tried retreating.
But Jeanne Alter's gaze shot toward her, eyes sharp as blades.
Irina felt a sudden, searing pain in her neck, hot blood spurting forth—or so it seemed. She reached up instinctively, finding no wound, just dripping cold sweat.
Before Irina could fully recover, Jeanne Alter swiftly smacked her with [Excalibur Rapidly], rendering her unconscious as well.
"I hate fighting while holding back like this."
Now possessing the third holy sword, Jeanne Alter scowled irritably, turning toward Rias and the others.
"I've spared their lives, at least. Now… tell me where the rest of these holy swords are."