Chapter 21: Shards of Faith and the Elegant Rogue
The morning sun did not bring clarity; it brought a soft, suffocating warmth that made Lucian Gremory want to drift back into the void. He felt a steady heartbeat against his ear and the scent of roses filling his lungs. As he shifted, his hand brushed against silk and smooth, warm skin.
He opened his eyes and froze. He wasn't on the sofa. He was in Rias's bed, and she was holding him as if he were the last anchor in a stormy sea.
"Rias... what... why am I here?" Lucian whispered, his voice cracking with confusion.
Rias didn't open her eyes immediately. She simply reached up, placing a slender finger over his lips. "Quiet. You were shaking in your sleep, Lucian. Akeno told me everything. The compressed destruction... the backlash. You're an idiot."
Lucian sighed, the tension leaving his body. He realized then that this wasn't just "cousinly care." The way she held him, the fear in her voice when she mentioned his power—it was an embrace of genuine, deep-seated affection. He understood now: if he kept pushing her away, if he kept acting like a distant collateral relative, he would lose her. And in this world, a Gremory who feels abandoned is a Gremory who goes rogue.
"I gave up on being a gentleman a long time ago," Lucian muttered, finally wrapping his arms around her. "But if Sirzechs comes through that door, you're the one standing between me and his Power of Destruction. Deal?"
"Deal," Rias whispered, a small smile playing on her lips. She pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his. "But... tell me something. Will you wash your hand properly?"
Lucian blinked. "What?"
"Akeno," Rias said, her face clouding with a faint, sharp pout of jealousy. "I know how she 'stabilizes' mana. Just... wash it."
Lucian let out a dry laugh. "Yaar, I just had the best sleep of my life, and you're worried about Akeno's saliva? Priorities, Rias."
"Cool," she teased back, though her eyes remained soft. "You really did sleep well. You didn't even notice me thinking."
She didn't tell him that while he slept, she had been staring at the ceiling, agonizing over Kiba. She had felt her Knight's heart break at the Hyoudou residence, but she chose to give Lucian this moment of peace. He had sacrificed enough for one week.
"Get dressed," she said, gently pushing him toward the edge of the bed. "We have school. Unless you want to stay like this? You're becoming quite the pervert, Lucian."
"You made me a pervert, Rias. It's a workplace hazard," he shot back, finally standing up.
The Night of the Broken Blade
While Lucian had been wrapped in silk and safety, Yuuto Kiba had been drowning in cold steel and old blood.
In a dark alleyway on the outskirts of Kuoh, the "Charming Prince" was gone. In his place stood a boy possessed by a ghost. Kiba faced Freed Sellzen, the white-haired, lunatic ex-exorcist who grinned as if he were watching a comedy show.
"Oh, look at you!" Freed cackled, swinging his light-sword with manic energy. "A little devil puppy trying to bark at the Church! Do you smell that, boy? That's the smell of your friends burning in the Holy Sword project!"
Kiba didn't speak. He couldn't. His breath was a jagged hiss. He summoned a Sword Birth, but the blade was different—unstable, flickering with a desperate, holy-demonic resonance. He lunged, his speed blurring the air, but Freed moved with the grace of a demon.
"Too slow! Too angry! Too weak!" Freed mocked.
Kiba unleashed his ultimate move, a flurry of blades erupting from the ground, but Freed cut through them like they were paper. The lunatic moved inside Kiba's guard and, with a flick of his wrist, sliced through Kiba's school vest. He didn't cut the skin; he just shredded the fabric, leaving Kiba exposed and humiliated.
"I could kill you now," Freed said, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "But you're more fun when you're broken. You survived that project because you were the weakest, didn't you? The one who ran while the others died?"
Kiba screamed, a raw, guttural sound of agony, and summoned a dozen more magic circles. The ground cracked, the holy energy tearing at his own hands. But before the clash could finalize, a magic circle appeared behind Freed.
"Duty calls, puppy!" Freed laughed, stepping into the light. "Someone important wants to play. Stay alive, okay? I want to see that look on your face when I snap your 'Holy' dreams in half."
He vanished, leaving Kiba alone in the rain, shaking, alive, and utterly defeated in spirit.
The Arrival of the Pilgrims
At the Kuoh train station, two figures stepped onto the platform, attracting every eye in the vicinity.
Xenovia Quarta, tall and stoic with blue hair, adjusted the heavy, wrapped bundle on her back. Beside her, Irina Shidou, a cheerful girl with twin tails, was looking around with wide-eyed nostalgia.
"Is this the place, Irina?" Xenovia asked, her voice like cold marble. "Are we in the correct territory?"
"I lived here with my parents when I was young, Xenovia-chan! I can't go wrong!" Irina chirped, though her expression turned serious as she looked toward the Academy. "The Excalibur fragments are here. I can feel the resonance. But the air... it smells like high-level devils."
"Let them come," Xenovia said, her hand drifting toward the hilt of her blade. "We have a mission. The Church does not tolerate thieves, even if they wear the Gremory crest."
The Dragon and the Shadow
Meanwhile, Issei Hyoudou was in his backyard, sweating and panting as he pushed his body to the limit. His "Boosted Gear" flickered on his arm, the green jewel glowing with an eerie light.
[My host...] the voice of Ddraig echoed in his mind, sounding strangely exhausted. [I have had many vessels over the millennia. Kings, conquerors, world-destroyers... but you are the first one whose primary motivation for power is a 'Harem Dream'.]
"Hey! It's a valid dream, Ddraig!" Issei shouted, throwing a punch into the air. "A harem is about love! And responsibility! And... and boobs!"
[I chose the wrong partner,] Ddraig muttered, his draconic dignity wounded. [I really chose wrong this time. I am a Heavenly Dragon, not a matchmaker for a teenager with a one-track mind.]
"Just keep boosting!" Issei ignored him, his eyes set on a vision of a future where he was a High-Class Devil.
In parallel, Lucian walked through the gates of Kuoh Academy. He noticed it immediately. The usual crowd of girls was there, the "Elegant Prince" murmurs were louder than ever, but one presence was missing.
The "Charming Prince" was absent. Kiba hadn't shown up for homeroom.
Lucian gripped his bag, his right hand throbbing with a dull ache. He looked up at the rooftop, sensing the shifting mana in the air.
"The board didn't just move," Lucian whispered to Tamamo, who was hidden in his shadow. "The board is on fire."
"Master," Tamamo replied, her voice uncharacteristically grim. "The Knight has gone rogue. And the Church just walked through the front door."