Chapter 134: The Fall of the Ark and the Holy Coffin (New Arc: High School DxD)
This was a city steeped in history.
Every day, countless visitors from around the world came here to pay homage.
Because in their hearts, this place was sacred ground.
Some came purely out of a desire to set foot in the holy land, to feel its sanctity.
Others came to atone for sins they believed had violated the laws set by the Lord, seeking redemption.
"Report, a devil has been spotted."
"What's it here for? Just eliminate it."
Whatever the devil's purpose, the moment it set foot here, it had committed a sin. As warriors of the Church, they couldn't allow a devil to defile this holy city.
And besides, could the devil really have no ulterior motive?
Perhaps it had caught wind that a sacred relic was being transported to another holy site today and had come to cause trouble?
With that in mind, the person who had received the report headed toward an underground passage.
Emerging from the tunnel's exit, they were greeted by the sight of a magnificent temple.
This temple had been built in the 10th century BCE, yet after three thousand years, it looked as though it had just been completed.
At the far end of the temple, a group of priests was engaged in prayer, their devotion directed toward a sacred artifact.
The artifact in question was a chest made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold. Atop it stood two golden cherubim, their wings outstretched to form a space between them—a space symbolizing the presence of the Lord.
Yes, this sacred artifact was none other than the Ark of the Covenant.
Originally, there had been no plans to move it. After all, the local Church forces would go to great lengths to prevent its relocation.
Yet recently, through sheer negligence, a devil had managed to breach this place—an utter disgrace.
Thus, headquarters had forcefully demanded to take it away.
"What?"
"Damn it! Taking the Ark is one thing, but now the Holy Coffin too?!"
"Absolutely not!"
The local faction was furious and ready to intervene.
As both sides drew their weapons and conflict seemed imminent, she—the head of this transport operation—could no longer stand idly by.
Unwrapping the long object in her hands, she revealed a sword.
"That's—"
"The Holy Sword, isn't it?"
The faces of the church members from the local faction twisted in frustration, but in the end, they could only watch helplessly as the sacred relics were taken away.
In the blink of an eye, the items were secretly loaded onto a transport vehicle.
Outwardly, it looked like an ordinary truck—after all, anything more conspicuous would only signal to the devils that something valuable was inside.
"Hmph!"
Clutching the Holy Sword, she sensed a loathsome presence approaching.
Leaping out of the vehicle and onto the roof, her sharp gaze beneath the hood pierced through the night like a blade.
With a sudden swing behind her, the massive, jagged stone pillar hurtling toward her shattered into pieces.
As the debris scattered, the obstruction to her vision vanished, revealing a pitch-black devil nearly blending into the darkness. Without sparing it another glance, she turned away.
The moment she turned, the devil's body exploded like a tomato.
A quick scan of several other spots revealed demonic presences—but they were already fleeing.
If not for her duty to safeguard the relics, she wouldn't have let a single devil escape.
Thus, the rest of the journey proceeded much more quietly.
Upon reaching the rendezvous point—
"What? We're switching to air transport?"
She frowned.
Air transport was faster, but if anything went wrong mid-flight, the consequences would be dire.
Ground transport, though slower, would likely be plagued by constant harassment.
But if headquarters insisted on air transport, then so be it.
Soon, both items were transferred onto a cargo plane.
After a thorough inspection to confirm no evil presence lurked nearby, she finally allowed herself a moment of relaxation once the plane reached cruising altitude.
Suddenly, sensing something amiss, she lunged forward and seized the arm of an accompanying personnel, crushing the bones. The object in their hand fell, which she caught.
It looked like some kind of remote device?
"What is this?"
"Hah, just the detonator for a bomb."
Her expression darkened—this was the worst-case scenario. Should she destroy the detonator immediately?
No, of course not. Destroying it might trigger the bomb.
"Where's the bomb—"
The man spat black blood and died—clearly a prepared death, a loyalist.
So where was the bomb?
Hmm? An ominous sound—beeping?
Growing faster and faster?
It was coming from beneath the Ark.
She rushed forward, slicing through the metal floor to reveal a bomb already counting down.
Fortunately, everyone aboard the plane was no ordinary person, and they steadied themselves.
Then, severing the restraints, she shoved both large crates out of the cargo plane.
It wasn't about letting the objects fall freely to the ground—the large crate was also equipped with a special parachute as a precaution.
"The Ark is my responsibility—you handle the other one!"
The two sacred relics weren't tied together, so she couldn't take care of both. She had to choose the more important one.
So, she leaped toward the crate containing the Ark.
The other personnel went for the other one.
Less than ten seconds after leaving the plane—
"BOOM—!"
The transport plane was engulfed in a fireball.
"Damn it!"
She saw a terrible situation—the other relic had a problem. Debris from the exploding plane had struck it, seemingly damaging the parachute.
What a headache!
A golden-haired, blue-eyed girl dressed in a nun's habit.
Due to certain circumstances, she had been driven out of one place and was now heading to another holy site to offer her final close prayer to God.
At the moment, she was staying in a small town not far from the holy site.
Tomorrow, she would be able to go and pray.
Well then, good night~
"BOOM—!"
The deafening noise forced the girl, who had just closed her eyes, to snap them open again, letting out a frightened cry.