By the time Tenra and Rias made it home, dusk had settled over the city. To Tenra's surprise, Xenovia and Irina were already back, chatting with the others in the living room. The moment they spotted Tenra, both girls hurried over.
"Xenovia, Irina—did everything go smoothly?"
"We've officially left the Church," Xenovia replied, her tone steady.
"No trouble from those guys?"
Tenra couldn't help but smirk. If they were just ordinary believers, maybe it wouldn't matter—but the Church had spent years grooming these two as Holy Sword wielders. No way they'd let them walk away without a fight.
Irina snorted, arms crossed. "They tried to make us hand over Excalibur and Durandal. Had the nerve to threaten us with condemnation, too. We taught them a lesson, then left."
"I'll never forget the way they looked at me when I said I was leaving…"
Irina's voice grew cold, but Xenovia's eyes dropped, pain flickering across her face.
She'd chosen to follow Tenra as her new master, but the Church was still a part of her—she'd grown up there, surrounded by friends and comrades. What she hadn't expected was how quickly those so-called bonds shattered.
Disgust. Coldness. Contempt. The moment she announced her departure, the people she'd trusted looked at her as if she were something filthy—a fallen insect, not worth a second glance.
Friendship, loyalty—gone in an instant. The disbelief stung, but the pain went deeper.
"Xenovia, no matter what anyone else does, we'll never abandon you."
"Forget the past. From now on, just be yourself."
Tenra stroked her cheek gently, silently thanking the Church for making his job easier.
"Yes, Tenra."
Xenovia nodded, a faint smile breaking through as the last threads binding her to her old life snapped. If they didn't care about her, why should she care about them? From now on, she would follow only her master.
"You keep forgetting—just call me by my name."
"Y-Yes, Tenra."
Tenra tapped her forehead, earning a rare blush from Xenovia—a sight that drew a chorus of giggles from the other girls.
"Malle, Grayfia, let's make tonight's dinner a feast."
"Yes, Tenra-sama."
"I'll help too. It's about time you all tasted my cooking," Rias chimed in.
That night, in Tenra's room—
Irina lay sprawled on the bed, breathing hard, eyes glazed and body limp. Around her, Minami, Tosca, Yubelluna, Ravel, Mittelt, and Kalawarna were scattered like fallen petals—most of them out cold.
"Irina, thanks for the company…"
Tenra's voice was low and teasing as he slipped his arms around her from behind.
"Y-You're such a villain, Tenra… If my father ever finds out, you'd better take responsibility."
Irina managed to turn her head, shooting him a look equal parts embarrassment and accusation.
If her father discovered she'd not only left the Church, but also done such scandalous things with Tenra—he might just kill her on the spot.
"Don't worry. I'll handle Uncle Shidou. All you need to do is be my good wife."
Tenra's fingers threaded gently through her hair, soothing her.
"Mmm…"
Irina closed her eyes, trust and contentment softening her features.
They lay together in silence, catching their breath—until Tenra broke it.
"Irina."
"Mm?"
"One more time."
"No, no, I can't—"
"Ahhhh!"
The next morning, Tenra sat up, yawning.
He glanced around at the sea of pale limbs and sleeping girls, rubbing his forehead with a sigh.
Once you start down this road, there's no going back. He was definitely getting more and more depraved…
Finally pulling himself free from temptation, Tenra dressed and decided it was time for some long-overdue morning training. If he wanted to keep living this kind of life, he'd need to stay strong.
He greeted Malle, Grayfia, and Asia, who were busy preparing breakfast, then headed out to the training grounds—only to find someone had beaten him there.
"Koneko-chan?"
Practicing her martial arts, Koneko Toujou paused at the sound of his voice.
"Tenra-senpai."
She walked over, her usual stoic expression in place.
"You're always working so hard, Koneko-chan. Want to train together?"
Tenra ruffled her hair with an easy smile.
Since moving in with Rias and the others, Tenra had kept a close eye on this quiet girl. Their casual closeness felt perfectly natural now.
"Okay."
She tilted her head, considering, then nodded.
They moved to the center of the training ground. Koneko settled into her fighting stance; Tenra stretched, ready to face her.
"Tenra-senpai, you're not using your sword or Red Dragon Emperor's power?"
She noticed immediately that Tenra wasn't planning to use any special techniques.
"It's just practice—no need to go all out. Besides, I want to improve my hand-to-hand skills to better match the Red Dragon Emperor's fighting style. So I'm counting on you, Koneko-chan."
Tenra grinned. He wasn't holding back to be nice—he genuinely wanted to get stronger.
The Red Dragon Emperor's power thrived in close combat. Sharpening his martial arts would only make him more dangerous.
Koneko didn't waste words. She sprang forward, feet digging into the ground as she launched herself at Tenra like a cannonball.
BANG!
Her small fist landed with a heavy thud—despite her size, the force behind it was incredible. Blocking without any Sacred Gear abilities, even Tenra felt his arm go numb.
Impressive. Rias's Rook, through and through—Koneko really was something else.
"Here comes another."
Expressionless, she warned him as her other fist shot forward.
A spark flashed in Tenra's eyes—battle spirit ignited. He met her punch with his own.
Big and small fists collided in midair—
BOOM!
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