It was Kiba.
The boy was practically glaring at Gilgamesh, his blue eyes filled with dark emotion and rage, his face showing astonishing hatred.
"You could say…" Gilgamesh said to him, his tone monotonous and his face impassive.
"Your friend from the Church… you were with the Church," Kiba repeated. "No wonder you're strong and know how to use your power." He stated, making me narrow my eyes.
"Excuse me?" Gilgamesh asked coldly.
"Yuuto…" Rias called, trying to warn him, but Kiba ignored her, his eyes still locked on Gilgamesh.
"The Church probably sent you here to spy on us!" Kiba spat angrily. "We should've known; there's no other reason for your sudden rise in power! Those Fallen Angels targeting you, and you knew your cover would soon be blown, so you try to intimidate us by showing off your Longinus power so we can't act openly against you!" He growled at Gilgamesh.
Put that way, it could be true. His accusation wasn't just random nonsense; it was quite reasonable. He might be right in some cases—Gilgamesh could be a Church spy, his power sealed to spy on the two Maou sisters.
But unfortunately, he's wrong.
The demons here also turned to Gilgamesh, their looks accusatory. Even Sona had a look of shock and disappointment as she gazed at Gilgamesh.
"No… I'm no longer with the Church," Gilgamesh said, and it's true; he had no connection with them. Gilgamesh rarely helped the Church, and his only contact was with Gabriel.
"Nonsense!" Kiba spat. "Even after all this! You still deny it! You're spying on us and lying to us! I should kill you here and now!" He shouted, charging forward, a sword materializing in his hand instantly.
"Yuuto!"
Kiba was fast, even for lower classes, he was still fast. Probably because of his Knight trait, not to mention the sword he created. It wasn't demon magic; it was his Sacred Gear.
Kiba's Sacred Gear was [Sword Birth], also known as the Demonic Sword Creator.
[Sword Birth] has the ability to create various Demonic Swords with different attributes according to the user's will. The swords, however, aren't as powerful as one of the Excalibur Fragments. It can also be used to create countless Demonic Swords from any surface within a certain distance from the user, which can also immobilize opponents. The user can also create multiple copies of the same sword and even pass them to others to wield.
To everyone here, it was clear that Kiba was moving at a blur, his speed so great that fighting him up close would be difficult.
---
But Gilgamesh could see his movements clearly.
As he approached Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes also advanced. Gilgamesh raised his leg and kicked Kiba in the stomach. Time seemed to stop when Gilgamesh's kick hit him; the boy instantly gasped, saliva escaping his mouth before time resumed, and the blond boy was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall hard enough to create a web of cracks.
"Yuuto!" Rias gasped, standing up, and not just her—Sona too.
All the demons in the room tensed instantly; the atmosphere became charged as they all looked at Gilgamesh. A few helped Kiba, who was still on the ground, to stand.
Gilgamesh could tell they were now ready to attack him. In truth, Gilgamesh didn't want to do this, as he wasn't neutral with them, but Kiba wasn't calm enough, and if Gilgamesh didn't act, they'd still suspect him.
Gilgamesh's eyes glowed as they emitted power.
It was as if gravity itself shifted. There was no commotion in the room or anything extraordinary. But there was a change in that place as suddenly all the demons widened their eyes, their skin paling slightly as if something had just appeared in the middle of the room. Their shoulders grew heavier; the weaker ones immediately fell back.
The strong ones, Sona and Rias, also trembled, still trying to stand firm and appear calm, and fortunately, they managed, as this wave of energy wasn't as strong as the one Gilgamesh used on Rias.
"Listen here, Yuuto Kiba," I called, looking at him as he stared back with wide eyes. "I don't know what your issue is with the Church, but don't you dare use that as an excuse to attack me. When I say I'm on my own side, I mean it. I'm not on your side, not theirs, and not on the side of the Fallen Angels."
Gilgamesh then withdrew his aura, and everyone returned to normal. The only ones unaffected by Gilgamesh's aura were Xenovia and Irina, as he hadn't directed it at them.
Then Gilgamesh turned his face to see Koneko trembling as she looked at me. Gilgamesh approached her, and she flinched. Akeno was about to move, but she still seemed frozen. Rias was the one who moved, though trembling, trying to approach Gilgamesh.
Unfortunately, it was too late for her. Gilgamesh raised his hands and pinched Koneko's cheeks.
"Mugyu?!" Koneko let out in a muffled tone as Gilgamesh pinched her cheeks. Then, he added pressure, pulling up, down, and stretching his pinch. The moment Gilgamesh added pressure, she let out a cry, but Gilgamesh ignored her and kept pinching.
For a few seconds, Gilgamesh could tell everyone just stared at him in bewilderment, to the point that Rias, who was about to approach, stopped, looking at him as if Gilgamesh had grown a second head and three extra arms.
It continued for a few more seconds, with Koneko trying to protest, but it came out as a muffled sound. They finally snapped out of their shock when Koneko couldn't hold it anymore and let out a painful cry as tears streamed from her eyes, prompting Gilgamesh to let go.
"Calm now?" Gilgamesh asked Koneko, who stared at him the moment he released her. When Gilgamesh asked the question, her eyes widened as she realized he had just snapped her out of her fearful expression again. She gave a small, weak nod, and Gilgamesh was satisfied—good, he didn't want to traumatize her again.
---
Clearing his throat, Gilgamesh gathered the attention of the demons around him.
"I'm sorry about that, everyone, I really am, but I had to make you guys and girls understand that I'm not on their side or any of yours. And I can't explain when all of you have doubts about me because of Kiba-san's words," Gilgamesh said, gesturing to the blond man, who flinched when his gaze fell on him.
No one spoke after Gilgamesh said that. He could tell that despite not making any threatening moves, they were still suspicious, except for Sona, who immediately nodded at my words.
"I understand, Gilgamesh-san," Sona said, looking at me. "We can understand how you felt when the Church accused us of associating with the thief, right, Rias?"
"Huh?" Rias seemed stunned for a moment before clearing her throat and nodding. "Yes, yes. Sona's right, but I'm surprised you acted so offensively," she muttered the last part, but I still caught it.
"As I said, I'm on my own side. I don't want you associating me with them because if you do, heavens know what your superiors will do. They'll send a letter to the Church, and blah, blah, blah. In the end, it'll give me a headache or spark another war," Gilgamesh said, and he could tell they shuddered when he mentioned the war part.
What Gilgamesh said was practically true. If it were true that he was a Church spy, especially a Longinus user, it could be considered a severe offensive act. Not exaggerated, but Sona and Rias here could be considered royalty due to their status, and the demons could demand something from them, accusing them of wanting to start a war, and worse, they could demand anything.
And that was the main reason Gilgamesh hid his identity.
"That's reasonable," Rias murmured in understanding.
"Well, I think we're leaving," Gilgamesh said, receiving a nod from Irina and Xenovia.
The three left, leaving the demons with their thoughts.
The Night.
Soon after the meeting with the demons, Gilgamesh returned home with his friends and prepared everyone for anything.
Irina and Xenovia had gone out to investigate the Excalibur Fragments.
Gilgamesh had also received a call from Azazel. The Leader of the Fallen Angels had asked Gilgamesh to deal with Kokabiel.
It seemed that all the Fallen Angels allied with Kokabiel were gathering in Kuoh to aid their leader. According to Azazel, it was a considerable army; some were already with Kokabiel, and others were coming here.
Gilgamesh reassured the Leader of the Fallen Angels and said he would handle it.
Gilgamesh had also discovered that Kiba, Issei, and Koneko, along with Saji, Irina, and Xenovia, had gone after Freed Sellzen.
This resulted in a battle where Freed managed to escape, and Irina and Xenovia went after him but were intercepted by Kokabiel, though Xenovia managed to escape.
Gilgamesh found out about all this through his familiars, crows created by magic that observed the entire city. He did this to keep an eye on the city, and they worked similarly to Odin's crows.
And that brings us to now.
Surrounded by a barrier were Rias and her peerage, along with Sona and Tsubaki, facing a ten-winged being and Freed, who had a maniacal smile.
---
Rias glared at the being flying above her with hatred.
"What do you want?" Rias shouted.
The Ten-Winged Fallen Angel only laughed.
"This is our first meeting, daughter of the Gremory house. Your red hair is beautiful. It reminds me of your brother, whom I hate enough to make me want to vomit," Kokabiel said with an amused tone.
Rias's anger began to rise.
"Pleased to meet you, one of the leaders of the fallen angels, Kokabiel. And my name? Rias Gremory. Also, I'll add one more thing: We, the Gremory house, are one of the closest to the Maou and also one of the furthest from him. If you're here to discuss politics with me, it's pointless," Kokabiel said with sarcasm.
Kokabiel used his magic and summoned a person.
"This is a gift," Kokabiel said, tossing the person.
Everyone quickly went and caught the person who fell.
The person was revealed to be Irina, covered in blood and injured.
"She came to my base. So, I gave her a warm welcome. Well, I couldn't get the other two," Kokabiel said with a laugh.
The Fallen Angel didn't care and continued speaking.
"I wouldn't do something stupid like badmouthing a Maou. Well, if I kill his sister, Sirzechs's anger will be directed at me. That wouldn't be bad at all."
Rias glared at Kokabiel with furious eyes.
"…So, what's your motive for contacting me?"
Kokabiel answered Rias's question with glee.
"I want to see you all enraged, using the city as a base and Kuoh Academy as a starting point. Then Sirzechs will show up too, right?"
"If you do something like that, the war between God, Fallen Angels, and Demons will start again. You know that?"
"That's what I'm hoping for. I thought Michael would start a war if I stole Excalibur… But what he did was send holy sword-wielding exorcists. It's boring. I'm truly bored, indeed!? That's why I'm going to cause a commotion at the base of Sirzechs's sister. See? Sounds fun, right?"
"Hyahahaha! Isn't my boss the best? His madness is the best. So, I'm looking forward to this too. He even treats me like one of them," Freed said crazily.
Freed continued talking as if he didn't care if anyone was listening.
"I'm the first person in the world to wield so many Excaliburs? I also received an element from old Balba that lets me wield holy swords. Now I'm in hyper mode, letting me wield all of them, you know? I'm invincible! I'm wonderful! I'm the strongest!"
---
Kokabiel this time spread his wings and unleashed his power, making all the demons cower in fear.
"Fighting you might be good, but fighting that man will be even better," Kokabiel shouted, to everyone's surprise. "Won't you show up?"
Kokabiel's question surprised everyone, but the sound of footsteps caught their attention.
Everyone turned their gaze to the source of the footsteps, revealing two people.
The first was a tall man with golden hair that seemed made of pure gold, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement and pure power.
It was Gilgamesh, walking calmly as if he didn't care about Kokabiel.
Beside Gilgamesh was a young man with glasses, blond hair, and a strand covering his face, usually wearing a business suit.
It was Arthur Pendragon, walking slightly behind Gilgamesh as if he were his bodyguard.
Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Kokabiel and smiled.
"It's been a long time, Kokabiel," Gilgamesh said with a smile.
All the demons were surprised by the familiarity with which Gilgamesh spoke the name of the Fallen Angel of the Stars.
Kokabiel gained a maniacal smile on his face as he instantly created a spear of light, its intensity so great that the demons couldn't even look at it.
And he fired it at Gilgamesh with full force.
When the spear was about to hit Gilgamesh, it was shattered and broken.
Everyone was surprised by what happened.
In front of Gilgamesh stood Arthur with Caliburn in his hand, releasing a powerful holy aura that frightened the demons.
Kokabiel showed slight surprise upon seeing the sword.
"To think you'd have that sword by your side, the Strongest Holy Sword, Caliburn," Kokabiel said, to everyone's immense surprise.
"Attacking me like that, Kokabiel? I thought our last encounter was pleasant. Do you still have the gift I gave you?" Gilgamesh asked amicably.
Kokabiel growled before gaining a fierce smile on his face.
"Yes, I still have it," Kokabiel said.
Then he pulled his clothes, revealing his chest, where there was a massive vertical scar. Everyone was shocked by the scar.
"Our last battle was very pleasant, Kokabiel," Gilgamesh said, smiling.
Gilgamesh had fought Kokabiel during his time in the Church.
It was the same day Gilgamesh earned his title as "The Golden Beast of Destruction." That day, an attack from the Old Satan Faction occurred. Dozens of High-Class demons on their way to Satan-Class, along with dozens of Fallen Angels and rogue Youkai, had joined forces and attacked the Vatican.
The Angels couldn't intervene as they were trapped in heaven due to an enemy spell.
Gilgamesh fought the army alone, using the Balance Breaker with the Longinus [Regulus Nemea] for the first time.
When Gilgamesh finished fighting and massacred the army, Kokabiel appeared, revealing himself as one of the masterminds behind the act, wanting to restart the Great War.
Gilgamesh fought and defeated Kokabiel that day, leaving a massive scar on his chest, but in the end, Kokabiel managed to escape.
And that's why Gilgamesh was surprised that Kokabiel tried to attack him again.
"Do you think you can beat me this time, Kokabiel?" Gilgamesh asked curiously.
"Well, against you, it's worth it, and also…" Kokabiel said before spreading his arms.
Around Kokabiel, dozens of magic circles appeared, revealing dozens of Fallen Angels, an army by Kokabiel's side.
"I'm not alone," Kokabiel said, smiling.
"I look forward to our battle, Strongest Exorcist, the Golden Beast of Destruction, Paladin Gilgamesh," Kokabiel shouted, making everyone widen their eyes upon discovering who Gilgamesh was.
In an instant, Kokabiel disappeared in a magic circle along with all his allies.
Everyone calmed down when Kokabiel vanished.
Gilgamesh approached the demons and sawolgo saw that everyone was okay.
"Gilgamesh, what he said…" Sona began, addressing Sona's doubt.
Gilgamesh sighed.
"Can we talk about this after we resolve this issue?" Gilgamesh said to everyone, who nodded.
Gilgamesh extended his right hand and created a magic circle beneath Irina, making her disappear.
"I'll have Asia heal her," Gilgamesh said, receiving everyone's agreement.
"Are you going to help us?" Rias asked.
"Yes, now head to Kuoh Academy. I've heard more Fallen Angels are coming to help Kokabiel, and we'll deal with them," Gilgamesh said to everyone, who nodded.
Sona and Rias quickly created magic circles for their peerages and disappeared.
"What do we do?" Arthur asked, uncertain.
"Go home, gather everyone else, and stop Kokabiel's army heading to Kuoh," Gilgamesh said, receiving a nod from Arthur.
Gilgamesh looked seriously toward Kuoh Academy, where he could feel the energy of the Fallen Angel of the Stars.
"I'll take care of Kokabiel myself," Gilgamesh said seriously.
After all, Gilgamesh couldn't allow Kokabiel to destroy his city.
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