Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or the Naruto Elements

Chapter 13: The Painful Past & Exorcist

(Hotel Room)

After their surprising meet up, the four ended up taking their talk to their hotel room. Takuya sat next to Haruka, while Xenovia and Irina sat next to each other on the other bed. Takuya heavily rubbed his temples as he sat with three familiar alone in a hotel room.

"I...I see..." Takuya said quietly said while looking a bit staggered to find out on what he was told. "So the Church found Haruka, and she ended up as a mercenary for the Vatican. She then ended up with you guys after you all received your missions..." Takuya summarized. Irina nodded at him.

"Yep! Even if she is the mercenary of the Church, she is truly qualified to be considered an Exorcist, especially with her powers!" Irina said optimistically, but then pouted. "But she keeps on declining our offers. No matter how much we tell her that she is doing it for the will of God, she keeps on turning it down!"

"And as I answered before Irina, I'm a shinobi and shrine priestess. I believe in a another religion, as well as staying loyal to my home village." Haruka answered back with a patient smile. "And besides, the Church and I agreed on something. I will assist in your activities, while in return, you will help me find three certain people. But it turns out that I found one of them." Haruka said while offering a kind smile towards Takuya.

"Yeah." Takuya said with a nod, before he turned to Xenovia and Irina.

"Well, it's quite a surprise to discover that you two are Exorcist for the Church. I never thought of that."

"And we believed you to be a regular citizen. But you turn out to be a shinobi like Haruka." Xenovia said to him as she folded her arms. "I believe that we both kept certain secrets from each other." Xenovia said with a neutral tone.

"Well to be fair, we shinobi don't exactly shout out our occupations, just like how you Exorcists keep your abilities and your knowledge of the Three Factions to yourself." Takuya pointed out.

"Indeed." Xenovia said. "Now then, I'm quite curious to see why a Shinobi like you is doing here in Devil territory." Xenovia said while looking at Takuya with an analytical look. Haruka looked at him with curiosity as well, as she didn't know why Takuya is here.

"Well it's quite simple really. My home village has assigned me to this area and keep watch over any hostile supernatural activities that occur. So once and a while, me and my team encounter a Stray Devil once in a while, but nothing more." Takuya simple answered.

"Oh! How admirable! To send just a small amount of people to just keep watch over an area like this!" Irina chirped while quietly clapping her hands.

"Is that so? So have you taken any action against the Devils that are currently living in this area?" Xenovia questioned once more. Takuya raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you talking about Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri?" Takuya asked, making the young woman nod at him while Haruka looked at Takuya with a bit of surprise.

"Well, I did manage to establish a friendly relationship with the both of them to allow me and my team into their territory and allow our activities in stopping Stay Devils." Takuya answered, making Xenovia narrow her eyes at him.

"You what...?" Xenovia quietly said. Haruka immedeatly caught onto Xenovia's looks and decided to change the subjects.

"Well now, I guess this make things much more easier then." Haruka spoke up, before she turned to Takuya. "Takuya, we were assigned on an important mission, and we have to talk to Rias Gremory about a few important things. You think it is possible that you can help us set up a talk for her?" Haruka asked.

"It isn't going to be hard, sure." Takuya answered with a shrug.

"Perfect. That makes things more easier then." Haruka said, before she stood up and looked at the two Exorcists. "Why won't you two get some rest now? I'm just going to catch up a bit with Takuya." Haruka told the two.

"Yeah, it has been a pretty long day." Irina said while yawning.

"I suppose we should get some rest before tommorow's events..." Xenovia said quietly while eyeing Takuya.

"Night you two." Takuya said to the two as he and Haruka exited out of the room.

The two then made their way towards the rooftops of the hotel. As they made it to the top, Takuya took out a cellphone and went to his contact list. As he did, he turned to Haruka with a small smile.

"Hey Haruka, ready to meet up with Jimbei and sensei?" Takuya asked, making the young woman smile at him

"Yes! I'm so eager to see they're okay!"

(Roof)

"Ha ha ha! Looks like you're here as well Haruka-chan! Well, I won't lie to say it's good to see you, even if you are stuck with us in this world!" Kagura laughed as he patted Haruka on the shoulder.

"Glad to see ya Haruka!" Jimbei greeted with his usual laid-back expression.

"Oh Jimbei, sensei! I'm so glad to see you're safe!" Haruka said with relief as she went towards Jimbei and gave him a friendly hug. Jimbei returned the hug and gave her a friendly pat on the back.

"Careful now Haruka. Wouldn't want Takuya to get funny ideas." Jimbei teased as he took advantage of the hug already. Haruka quickly separated from Jimbei while giving away small blush on her cheeks, as well as Takuya who looked at Jimbei with a slightly irked look.

"J-Jimbei!" Haruka protested with dismay.

"Dude!" Takuya responded with an annoyed tone.

Jimbei just chuckled at the two and backed away from them. It was then the sensei of the team cleared his throat, gaining the attention of his three students.

"Well now, as much as I like this little reunion of this little team of ours, I believe there should be a few questions that should be answered. The first, what have you been doing ever since you arrived here?" Kagura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Right. Ever since I've been separated you guys, I ended up landing in another place that isn't exactly here on earth." Haruka answered, and then looked a bit embarrassed. "I thought I actually died when I was there."

"What happened to you?" Takuya asked with concern.

"Well, I wasn't exactly harmed. Far from it. The place I was in is rather surprising." Haruka reassured her teammate. "I ended up landing in Heaven."

Silence passed with the team as they all looked at Haruka with blank expressions, before they let surprise enter the faces.

"...Heaven. As in...the Heaven where Angels reside and souls go to rest?" Takuya asked his female teammate. Haruka nodded at him. Jimbei just lets a confused look enter his face.

"Wait a second, how is that even possible? Don't you need to be dead in order to enter Heaven?" Jimbei asked. Haruka shook her head.

"No, that isn't actually true. Anyone can enter Heaven under the right circumstances. I just happened to land there after being sucked into Kaguya's jutsu." Haruka told them, making Kagura nod in understanding.

"Ah, right. That happened to all of us. Takuya and Jimbei landed together on Earth, I ended up landing in the Grigori, and you ended up in Heaven. Funny how that works." Kagura said, making Haruka look at her sensei with surprise.

"You landed in the Grigori sensei?" Haruka asked her sensei with a surprised tone.

"I did. Meet a good buddy when I landed there." Kagura nodded with a fond smile, making Takuya groan while Jimbei chuckled, making Haruka a bit confused upon this.

"Good buddy?" Haruka questioned.

"Trust me Haruka, you're better off not knowing." Takuya warned his teammate, making Haruka look at him with a confused look, before she decided to let it go.

"A-Alright. I'm sure you guys are curious what I did over the few months, so I suppose it is time to explain." Haruka started.

After being separated from the others thanks to the dimension jutsu, she ended up landing right in Heaven, home of the Angels and sanctuary for the souls. After being healed and treated by the Angels, she explained her situation to the higher up members of Heaven, and they have decided to send Haruka down to Earth and have her work with the Vatican.

So while she assisted Exorcists and doing a few jobs of her own, the Church used their system to find three certain people around the world, but to no avail. It was only at the time when Haruka was assigned with both Xenovia and Irina on an important mission, leading her here to Kuoh itself.

"So that's what you've been doing all this time, huh? Well, it's been a while searching for each other, but it's better late than never I suppose." Kagura said with a nod.

"Agreed. Now Team Zero is back in business, huh guys?" Jimbei said as he folded his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, it's good to be back." Takuya said with a nod.

"Now that it's out of the way, I suppose we should get back to matters at hand." Kagura spoke up, before he looked at Haruka. "Now then Haruka, would you mind if you explained to us about why you're here with the other Exorcists?" Kagura asked.

"Right. I should inform you all that this mission is a serious matter at hand." Haruka told them with a serious tone, before she slightly narrowed her eyes. "The Excaliburs have been stolen, and we believe that the Fallen Angels are up to something no good." Haruka told her team.

"Excaliburs...!" Takuya quietly said with alarm.

"Well that doesn't sound good..." Jimbei commented while allowing a soft frown enter his face.

"Fallen Angels are up to this..." Kagura quietly said, before he looked down in thought. "No, that doesn't sound like Azazel. He doesn't like violence and prefers with peace. So that must mean...!" Kagura said with realization, before a frown entered his face.

"Looks like one of his members are acting up now." Kagura said to himself, something that Haruka noticed.

"We believe that Kokabiel, one of the Cadres, is trying to initiate another Great War." Haruka informed her sensei. She heard her sensei click her tongue.

"Oh, that guy, huh? Always knew he was suspicious the moment I laid eyes on him." Kagura said while narrowing his eyes, before he nodded at Haruka. "Right. Thanks Haruka, you've played a great role in telling us the situation. Now I have to give Azazel a call and tell him about what is happening." Kagura said as he walked off and leaped down to their apartment.

"Well, I better get a few things prepared as well if things are acting up in town." Jimbei said as he followed his sensei.

Takuya was silent with a narrow look on his face ever since hearing about the crucial information.

'Trying to start another Great War? Damn it all, and here I thought we escaped from those war hungry mongers...'

[There are shadows lurking in every corner my host. All it needs it the right timing to pounce into the light and truly create chaos.]

'And here I thought Madara was a problem. But there's another. And the Excaliburs are showing up now of all places' Takuya thought to himself, narrowing his eyes in thought on both a potential war coming up, as well as dealing with the hatred that is soon bubbling forth in Yuuto.

"Takuya...?"

Haruka's voice soon snapped him out of his thinking, and made Takuya look at his female teammate with surprise.

"Oh, Haruka. Sorry, I was busy thinking about a few things" Takuya apologized.

"No, it's alright. I'm sure with what we know, of course we would be stressed." Haruka said with an understanding tone.

"It's not only that, but I'm concerned about the Devils here as well, especially with one of them I'm worried about." Takuya answered.

"Ah, right. You've actually established a relationship with the Devils here." Haruka said, remembering what Takuya said earlier.

"Yeah. Tell me Haruka, what do you think of Devils?" Takuya asked, considering that she's been working with the Church, no doubt giving her one sided information about Devils.

"Well, from what I've been told and encountered, many of the Devils were Stray Devils. The Stray Devils were rather violent when they were approached. However, I did not believe that all of them were evil, but I wasn't sure." Haruka admitted.

"That's understandable. However, the Devils I met her are rather sensible, rational, and can actually act like human beings. They're a greedy and prideful, but they're not bad or evil." Takuya explained to Haruka.

"I see..." Haruka quietly said, before she nodded. "Thank you Takuya. I wouldn't want to be so judgmental with the information I was given. So I can believe that Rias Gremory and the other Devils are rational people."

'Rational is far from them...' Takuya thought, remembering certain quirks with Rias and her Peerage, and then inwardly shuddered at imagining Akeno showing her sadistic side.

"Yeah, you can say that we are in rather...close relationship." Takuya with while a troubled look appeared on his face, making Haruka look worried about seeing this.

"Is something that matter?" Haruka asked with concern.

"You can say that..." Takuya said, before he looked at with a slightly hesitant look, but then decided to trust her on what has been happening. He wouldn't really keep anything from her, considering who she is to him.

It was then Takuya proceeded to explain the relationship that has happened between him and the Peerage, especially the pivotal moments between Rias and Akeno. Though, he did leave out a few certain parts.

"I...I see..." Haruka quietly said while looking a bit down after learning about Rias Gremory hold affections for Takuya, as well as learning that Akeno is coming onto him. She lets out a shaky smile while shaking her head. "It's honestly like back at Konoha. But only this time, Rias truly holds feelings for you..." Haruka said.

"Yeah..." Takuya said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, before he shook his head. "But it isn't like that between me and her. I see her as a friend, and there is nothing going on between us. It's just rather one-sided." Takuya told her, figuring that Haruka might get some misunderstanding out of it.

Haruka stayed silent for a few moments, before she looked Takuya straight in the eye. "Do you truly mean that Takuya?"

Takuya nodded without any hesitance. Haruka lets out a small relived smile as she received her response.

""I see..." Haruka said, before she looked at Takuya with a worried look. "But what now Takuya? You honestly can't lead her on like this."

Takuya flinched upon her reasoning. "I know. But I'm also afraid of breaking her heart, and I don't know what to do. I mean, I turned down the girls back at our village, but that's when they had shallow affections. Rias-senpai possess more than that." Takuya quietly said, looking troubled upon seeing the situation, before he gave off a serious look.

"Look, Haruka. I can't just hurt my friends, nor can I just let her be hurt with rejection." Takuya said, before he gave a nod. "For now, maybe she'll lose interest in me when I turn down her advances and act oblivious to it. She'll lost her interest in me eventually." Takuya explained to her.

Haruka gave a slight frown in response upon hearing his answer.

"Takuya-kun, you honestly don't know a girl's heart, do you?" Haruka told him, making Takuya looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Takuya asked.

Haruka was about to speak up, before she closed her mouth when she realized what she is about to say.

"It's...It's nothing." Haruka quietly responded. Takuya softly frowned, before he sighed.

"Well, I suppose we should get some rest for tonight. We have been through a lot." Takuya told his female teammate.

"We should..." Haruka quietly said.

"Are you going back to Irina and Xenovia?" Takuya asked, making Haruka nod at him.

"Yes. This is my last mission that I'm doing for the Church, considering I found you guys. So it's only reasonable that I should be supporting them." Haruka said, before she gave a reassured smile towards Takuya. "Don't worry. I'll be together with the team when all of this is over."

"Yeah. I'll be waiting." Takuya said while allowing a soft smile enter his face.

With those words, Haruka slowly turned around and walked off to the edge of the roof. She turned around and gave Takuya soft smile, before she face back towards her direction and hopped off the building.

Takuya stared at the spot where she left, and looked down to the ground.

"...Haruka."

(The Next Day - Occult Research Club Room)

The entire Gremory group was now gathered at the club. Takuya and Jimbei were there as well, and Takuya debated whether or not to bring Asia to the meeting as well. He then decided to bring her so she could be more aware of the situation.

Irina, Xenovia, and Haruka arrived later as well. Rias and Akeno were on their respective sofas, talking with the two exorcists that sat on the opposing sides. Ever since those two came in, the first thing that Takuya noticed was Yuuto's mood. He saw Yuuto glaring at them grudgingly, looking like he wanted to kill them over and over, without even being satisfied each time.

Takuya shook his head, being reminded on how he used to act like towards Danzo. His hatred against the man will never end, but he never allowed it to control him. He won't allow himself to be controlled by the past. So he gave a worried frown for Yuuto, seeing how his hatred is starting to get the better of him.

When the meeting went on, Irina spoke up.

"Recently the Holy-swords Excaliburs that were kept by the Catholic Church Headquarter Vatican, Protestant Church, and Eastern Orthodox Church were stolen." Irina supplied them

"Now it looks like this." Xenovia said, and took out a long sword.

"This is Excalibur." Xenovia stated, making every Devil in the room shudder upon feeling the holy aura around it.

"Excalibur was broken into pieces during the war a long time ago. The fragments were collected and turned into a new form by alchemy. It was made into 7 swords. This is one of them." Xenovia stated.

"The Excalibur I hold is "Excalibur Destruction". It's one of the 7 holy-swords that were created. The Catholic Church is in control of it." Xenovia said, and put the sword away in a cloth. It was then Irina took out a long rope, and the rope moved and shifted into a katana.

"Mine is "Excalibur Mimic". I can change its shape into anything I want so it's really useful for carrying around. Just like this, each "Excalibur" has its unique ability. This one is in the possession of the Protestant Church." Irina said in pride. This made Takuya raise an eyebrow upon them giving away such crucial information. Haruka merely sighed as she shook her head.

"Girls, you didn't need to give away information about your Excaliburs..." Haruka softly chided them.

"Don't worry, Haruka. Even if they are devils we still have to form a trustworthy relationship with them in this situation. Also, even if my sword's ability is revealed, I won't fall behind all the devils here." Irina said with confidence.

'Don't say that in a room full of Devils...' Takuya mentally groaned, seeing how Irina's positive personality acts in these type of situations.

But asides from his thoughts of Irina, he then sense the feeling of hatred flare up. He immediately looked Yuuto, and narrowed his eyes upon seeing him. The blond Knight was glaring at the Excaliburs with absolute hatred, like he just wanted it to burn over and over, till its existence was nothing more. The item that Kiba hated the most was now in front of him.

[Hm hm hm...such intense hatred. How amusing for a mere tool..]

'Not now Zero.' Takuya said while dismissing Zero's comment.

"…So what does the stolen Excaliburs have to do with this country located in the east of the World?" Rias said with an even tone.

"The Catholic Church was in possession of two Excaliburs including mine. The Protestant Church also had two. Also in the Eastern Orthodox Church there were two as well. The last one went missing in the previous war between God, devils, and fallen-angels. One Excalibur was stolen from each Church. The ones that stole them escaped to Japan, and brought them to this town."

'Considering that two of the Maou's sisters are here, I wouldn't be surprised if they're targeted for certain reasons...' Takuya analytically thought. Rias put her hand on her forehead and took a breath.

"Looks like my territory is full of incidents. So who are the ones that stole the Excaliburs?"

"The ones that stole them were the Grigori." Xenovia responded. This caused surprise to the Devils within the room, and Rias had her eyes widen at the answer.

"The holy-swords were taken by the fallen-angel organization? It's not a matter of mistake. But certainly it would be the fallen-angels when it comes to stealing them. For the devils working at the top, holy-swords does not give them much interest." Xenovia stated. She then continued.

"We know the main culprit who stole the Excaliburs. One of the leaders of Grigori, Kokabiel." Xenovia stated.

"Kokabiel…One of the leaders of the fallen-angels that survived the previous wars since ancient times… I never expected to hear the name of the one that appears in the Bible." Rias said with a smirk.

"We sent priests, exorcists, to this town secretly but they kept getting killed." Xenovia stated solemnly. She then turned back to Rias with a serious expression.

"Our request…No. Our order is to not to have any devils intrude in the battle between us and the fallen-angels for the Excaliburs. In other words, we came here to tell you not to interfere with this incident." Xenovia told her, which caused Rias to change expressions.

"Such manner of speech. Is it restraint? Are you thinking that we might collaborate with those fallen-angels? Perhaps that we might team up with them to do something with Excalibur?"

"The headquarters think that it might not be impossible."

Her words merely caused Rias to become angered upon hearing their words.

"The higher-ups don't trust devils and fallen-angels. We were ordered as [If the holy-swords are taken away from God's side then the devils would also be happy right? The fallen-angels would also profit from it. For those reasons it won't be weird for them to form an alliance. That's why we are giving you a warning. If you form an alliance with the fallen-angel Kokabiel then we will eliminate you all. Even if you're the little sister of the Maou, by our boss." Xenovia said, without any care.

This caused Rias to glare at her more, and was about to outburst. But she then felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Takuya standing there. He gave her a "calm down" look, which effectively worked on her. Rias took a deep breath, and her anger left her.

"…If you know that I am the sister of a Maou, then it means that you have lots of connections with the higher-ups in the Church. Then I will say it. We will not form an alliance with the fallen-angels. Never. In the name of the Gremory house. I will not do something that would tarnish the name of our Maou." Rias said to her in a professional, yet strong tone. Xenovia gave a small laugh at her.

"Fufufu...Hearing that is good enough. I had to warn you just in case that Kokabiel is hiding himself in this town along with the three Excaliburs. If something were to happen I would be the one to be hated by the bunch in the Church headquarters. Well, we won't ask for cooperation. If you were to form an alliance with God's side temporally, then it would affect the balance of the three factions. Especially if it's the little sister of a Maou."

'Honestly, with the way things are, establishing true peace between the three factions is going to take a long time. It makes wonder how Azazel is going to pull it off.' Takuya quietly thought.

"Where is the person the Orthodox Church dispatched? It is her?" Rias asked.

"They have that person put on hold for this case. They are planning to protect the last Excalibur if Irina, Haruka, and I fail." Xenovia told her, making Rias look a bit confused.

"But who is she then? What Church is she from?" Rias questioned. It was then Haruka gave a small smile towards Rias.

"I am not affiliated with the Church at all. Rather, I am hired for my services in assisting these two." Haruka explained.

"So you're a mercenary then?" Rias asked in surprise.

"You could say that. But I work under the title of Kunoichi, or a ninja if you prefer to go with more simple terms." Haruka explained, making Rias and the others look at her in surprise.

"Another shinobi...!" Rias quietly said in surprise, and turned to look at Takuya and Jimbei. Takuya merely gave a plain expression, but looked at Rias and nodded. Seeing this, Rias turned back to the others.

"So the Church decided to hire outside help as well? I didn't believe that was possible." Rias stated.

"Haruka is considered a special case." Xenovia answered.

"So it's just the three of you? You are going to retrieve the Excaliburs from the leader of the fallen-angel with just the three of you? How reckless. Are you trying to die?" Rias said to them in an amazed voice. It was then Irina and Xenovia said with a straight face.

"Yes." both of them said, while Haruka didn't say anything and gave a neutral look.

"…You came here to Japan prepared to die? The belief in your teaching is extreme like always."

"Don't talk ill of our beliefs, Rias Gremory. Right, Xenovia?"

"Right. Also the Church decided that it would be better to eliminate all of the Excaliburs rather than letting them get used by the fallen-angels. Our minimum objective is to get the Excaliburs away from the fallen-angels. To accomplish that, it's okay for us to die. The only way to fight against the Excaliburs are Excaliburs."

'How arrogant.' Takuya thought with a frown upon hearing that statement.

[How pathetic. Merely thinking that a sword can be taken out by another sword of its kind.]

'I wonder if the Church really wants to succeed. I thought they'd send in more serious Exorcist.' Takuya mentally commented.

"Is it possible with only the three of you?" Rias asked.

"Well, we won't die in vain." Xenovia said fearlessly to her.

"You seem confident. Do you have a secret weapon? Possibly her?" Rias asked her while giving a look towards Haruka.

'With Haruka's strength, she very might be their secret weapon.' Takuya thought, while Haruka just stayed quiet as she watched their interaction.

"Maybe. I will leave it to your imagination." Xenovia said, and stood up along with Irina.

"Then we will take our leave now. Let's go Irina, Haruka."

"So you won't drink your tea? I can prepare a snack for you." Rias offered.

"I don't need it." Xenovia declined.

"I'm sorry. See you." Irina apologized, and then left.

"I apologize for their behavior." Haruka said while giving a bow. She went to follow them, but she soon noticed that the two stopped as they look towards Asia.

"You looked familiar...Are you the "Witch" Asia Argento? I never expected to meet you in a place like this." Xenovia said. Those words caused Asia's body to shake, like it was painful to her. Irina seemed like she noticed as well and stared at Asia.

"Are you the rumored "witch"? The former holy-maiden? You are said to have the power that can also heal devils and fallen angels, right? I heard that you were sent somewhere after getting exiled, but I never thought you would live here with the Devils." Irina said incredulously. It was then Takuya narrowed his eyes at them.

"…Ummmmm…I…I…" Asia said, while she didn't know how to react to Irina and Xenovia.

"It's okay. I won't tell the higher ups what I saw here, so rest assured. People who were around the "Holy-maiden Asia" will also get shocked as well." Irina reassured the girl.

Asia made a perplexed expression at Irina's words, and stayed silent.

"But for a witch to seek sanctuary from Devils. The one who was called a "Holy-maiden". You fell to the lowest place you could. Do you still believe in our God?" Xenovia asked her. Irina looked at Xenovia in surprise, while Haruka gave a narrow look towards Xenovia.

"Xenovia!" Haruka with a stern tone.

"Xenovia. There's no way that she, who became a devil, still believes in God." Irina said to her with an amazed face.

"No, I can smell the "belief" from her. It might be an abstract way of saying it. But I'm sensitive to these things. There are people who betray the teachings and still have guilt within them because they couldn't forget the teachings. I can feel something similar coming from her." Xenovia said with sharp eyes, and Irina looked at her with interest.

"Is that true? Asia-san, you still believe in God even if you have become a witch?" Xenovia asked her.

"…I just can't put it aside. I believed in it for my whole life…" Asia said to her, while holding a sad expression. It was then Xenovia took her sword out of her cloth and pointed it at Asia.

"Is that so. Then you should be cut down by us this instant. If it's now, I can cut you in the name of God. Even if you have sin, our God will forgive you." Xenovia said to her. It was then Haruka gave a stern glare towards Xenovia.

"Xenovia, that's enough!" Haruka shouted towards her partner, making Xenovia halt a bit upon her voice.

"Stay out of this ninja. This is a matter between her and us." Xenovia responded cooly, and turned back to look at Asia. But her eyes widened in surprise when Asia wasn't there, but Takuya was in her place.

And he gave a narrow look towards Xenovia.

"I believe you've acted foolish long enough. If you want to make things easier, leave this room right now." Takuya warned her with a serious tone. Xenovia narrowed her eyes upon his words, and merely prepared her sword.

"Stay out of this as well, Shinobi. This witch needs to be cut down in the name of God." Xenovia told him, which made Takuya give her a raised eyebrow.

"In the name of God? What, did your God tell you to do such an act, or are you merely doing it on your own selfish desires?" Takuya pointed out with a raised eyebrow, making Xenovia look at him with a slight angered look.

"Do not mock us Exorcists of the Church, or God for that matter. Letting heretics like her walk around merely tarnish God's name." Xenovia told him.

"Really now? It that what God told you as well? Because I don't see a direct message coming from him." Takuya countered, making Xenovia scowl.

"Silence! I will now allow you to further slander His name! We are merely taking out duty to take out the sinners!" Xenovia told him.

"Oh, so Asia making a mistake in healing a Devil, as well as the fact of wanting friends makes her a sinner? I sure hate to see the more innocent ones." Takuya calmly retorted.

"Do you think the "Holy-maiden" needed friends? What's important is the charity to others. The "Holy-maidens" are finished when they seek friendship and love from others. She could have continued to live with the love from God. So Asia Argento didn't have the right to be a "Holy-maiden" from the beginning." Xenovia pointed out.

Silence passed through the room when Xenovia said that, and Takuya merely gave off a scoff at her.

"God's love...?" Takuya said, before he just gave an unimpressed look towards her. "Really? That's your argument? God's love? That has got to be the most stupidest statement I ever heard."

This made Xenovia look sharply at him as she gripped her sword tightly, and then pointed it towards Takuya's face.

"Excuse me...?" Xenovia responded sharply, pointing her sword towards Takuya. "Don't you dare mock God's love you heathen!"

Takuya calmly pushed the sword aside and gave her the same calm and cold look.

"God this, and God that. Nothing but dribble from the words of a blind fool." Takuya calmly said, as he took a step closer to her, making her look into his eyes.

"Let me tell you something exorcist." Takuya said with a cold tone. "God's love is nothing more than an illusion that you merely believe. It's a false concept that you choose to follow, using it to prove how right you are. Well let me tell you something. It's nothing more than a lie for you to use for your own blind desires." Takuya pointed out, as he took another step forward, making Xenovia step back as well.

"Where was God's love when his followers cried out for salvation, hoping to be saved from the tragedies before them. He did nothing but watch."

His mind flashed back to a mission where innocent villagers back in his home world kept praying to some sort of God in order to save them, but the help never came.

"Where was God's love when others were suffering when they did absolutely nothing wrong at all. He did nothing but watch."

His mind flashed back to an innocent family being torn apart by a single missing-nin.

"Where was God's love when even the most loyal followers were left to die to the most stupid reasons for all? He did nothing but watch."

His mind flashed back to devote followers of a certain religion, only to die at the hands of some man who killed for a sport and saying that is what the follower's God wanted.

"Where was God's love when an innocent child watches his parents being murdered before his very eyes? He did nothing but watch."

He and his family...torn apart by a mere war hawk who thought nothing more than the "benefit" of his home.

It was then he stopped, and Xenovia looked absolutely pissed as her body was trembling. The others looked on in surprise, and Asia looked absolutely shocked to hear what he is saying.

"God is nothing more than our creator. He won't be there to save everyone, even if the rest of the world believe and follow him. Not even God's love will protect the person from harm." Takuya calmly pointed out, all the while giving out a cold aura that made everyone shudder.

"God leaves us alone to prosper and suffer. So up until now..." Takuya gave out a bitter smile. "God never had to do anything with this, and He never will." Takuya pointed out.

"So what you've been people doing under the name of God is nothing more than your own selfish desires. I wonder how that makes you different from the Devils?"

Takuya immediately grabbed Xenovia's wrist when she was about to swing her sword at him. This didn't faze him at all as he calmly looked into her angered eyes.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Takuya pointed out calmly.

"You bastard! I will not allow a heathen like you to slander God's name in such a way!" Xenovia exclaimed angrily.

"Again, your words hold so little meaning. I wonder how long you can keep up that foolish drivel you keep on spouting." Takuya cooly responded.

"You...!"

"I-Irina, c-calm down!" Irina said, before she gave an unsure expression towards him. "W-While he speaks offenses, it's also important not to let your anger get the best of you!" Irina told her.

Haruka merely remained quiet as she watched the interaction, and merely shook her head. Xenovia lets out an annoyed "tch" as she took a step back from him, but gave him a steady glare.

"You speak of big words heathen. But do you honestly think people like you can just back it up so easily?" Xenovia challenged.

"Strange. I was about to say a similar thing to you. How can Exorcists like you handle an operation like this? What you're up against is something that you'll fail at with high probability. Though, your chances are lessened if you have her by your side. But the odds are against you if you're against minions with the Excalibur and a Cadre himself." Takuya said while giving a glance towards Haruka.

"Oh? Then why not prove it now?" Xenovia returned. "We'll show you that we have the power to suceed with the Excaliburs and God's protection!" Xenovia exclaimed as she raised her sword at him in a challenging gesture.

"That's good timing. I will be your opponent." spoke up a voice, and the others turned their heads to see it was Yuuto. Yuuto was carrying his sword, and there was an enormous aura of intent to kill coming out of his body.

"Who are you?"

Kiba smirked at Xenovia's question.

"I'm your senpai. Though I apparently was a fail-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yuuto didn't sense anyone behind him.

"Don't make things worst for yourself dude." Jimbei merely stated.

*SLAM*

After a strong impact to the back of his neck, Yuuto was effectively knocked on and collapsed towards the floor. But his fall was soon stopped when Jimbei caught him.

(Outside)

Takuya calmly stood in front of the two Exorcists, while the rest of the members stood aside to watch. It was then a red barrier surrounded them.

"Let's start." Xenovia said, as she and Irina took off their white robes and revealed that they were wearing black battle purpose clothes. Takuya's eyebrow twitched when their black battle suits were rather skin tight, emphasizing the curves that they had.

'I'm starting to be more doubtful about the Church now...' Takuya thought flatly. He soon snapped his head back into battle.

"Midorikawa Takuya-kun." Irina said to him, to which Takuya turned his attention towards her.

"When I met someone who I thought of as a friend, and he has spoken insults against God himself...I am shocked." Irina said while showing she is depressed by this.

Takuya didn't say anything but gave a raised eyebrow towards her.

"...What a sad fate between us. For us to be separated by things like this! Aaah, this must be a trial that God gave me! A density where good friend of mind has bad thoughts against God! The way time moves is harsh! But by moving forward, I will turn into someone with the true belief towards God! Now Takuya-kun! I will give judgment to you with this Excalibur! Amen!" Irina said as she pointed her sword at him while having sparkles in her eyes, as well as around her.

With the serious atmosphere being broken down by her positive attitude, Takuya could only sigh. "...You haven't changed at all, Irina."

"That's enough." Xenovia spoke up, as she raised her Excalibur and went into a battle stance. "We are here to prove this heathen that we are more than capable of handling the mission given to us by our boss and our Lord, and have you take back those words about God."

"If only." Takuya coolly responded. "That is why I'm going to test you two. To see if you truly handle yourselves." Takuya said, before he formed a dark chakra kunai in his sleeve, and slid it out to his hand.

"You might be proud of those swords and your Lord's protection, but they mean nothing if you don't prove your skills with them. So for now, I'll be fighting you with my kunais as my weapon." Takuya said while twirling the small blade around his finger.

"He's looking down on us..." Xenovia quietly scowled as she raised her weapon. "To be so arrogant to think he can win against the two of us alone. Irina!"

"Right!" Irina said as she prepared her sword as well. She then sprung forth and delivered a slash towards him.

Takuya didn't move from his spot as he merely raised his kunai to block the incoming blade, making the two blades grind against each other. Irina then took back the blade and delivered a swift side slash. Takuya merely tossed the kunai to his other hand and blocked the blade as well. His other hand swiftly reached towards Irina, and she didn't have enough time to react before she felt a strong grip on her throat. She shortly gagged, before tossed the kunai up in the air and allowed his other free hand to grab her wrist.

He then spun his body and effectively threw her towards Xenovia, and the bluenette managed to catch Irina by reaching out her arm to catch. After catching her, Xenovia immedeatly looked back where Takuya was standing, and her eyes widened when she saw Takuya not standing there.

"Where-!?"

"Behind you." said a quiet voice.

Before she could register where Takuya is, she cried out in pain as she felt an impact on her back and fell forward to the ground. Meanwhile, Takuya stood there with his leg extended outwards, and then gave the two downed exorcists with a raised eyebrow.

"First hit belongs to me. All thanks to the help of a single small plain blade. What did your Excalibur even do?" Takuya told them with a plain tone.

The two exorcists picked themselves up and readied their blades once more, all the while Xenovia looking agitated by listening to Takuya's words, while Irina gave a worried look upon the situation.

"You keep on talking as if you're winning...but you haven't met the true power of my Excalibur Destruction!" Xenovia cried out as she jumped into the air and swung her sword done towards Takuya.

Takuya merely moved out of the way, allowing the sword to impact with the ground. It was then a massive explosion erupted from the impact, allowing a smoke cloud to enter the area. The smoke soon died down, showing Xenovia standing alone in the crater that she made.

"This is my Excalibur. It can destroy anything that comes its way." Xenovia stated while pointing her sword towards Takuya.

However, Takuya just gave a slightly bored look towards her. "As if the name isn't obvious enough." Takuya pointed out, once again making Xenovia annoyed by the Shinobi.

"Don't forget about me!" Irina said as she appeared behind Takuya with her sword ready to slash. She then swung her blade diagonally for his back. However, her eyes widened when Takuya's right arm was raised and held the kunai, resulting in stopping her attack. And he wasn't even looking. She then cried out in pain as Takuya went for a back kick, pushing her away.

"I also dealt with behind the back attacks. You're going to need more than that if you want to make me go serious." Takuya told them with a narrow look on his eyes.

Seeing the skills he had, the two Exorcists began to look more serious, and slowly circled around him. All the while looking cautious of him now, while Takuya calmly stood there in the center.

The two exorcists sent each other eye signals, and then nodded at each other. Irina was the first to go as she went forth and charged towards him with her blade ready. Takuya readied his blade as he soon began parrying off her assault of blades. He noticed that her strikes were lighter and the swings were faster, making him raise an eyebrow upon the change of power and pace.

He then noticed Xenovia raising her blade once more, and proceeded to swing it down. The results were the same as a huge explosion occurred and smoke was everywhere, with Takuya in the smoke. Seeing that he is in a smokescreen, he decided to jump out of it. Jumping sideways and out of the smoke, his eyes soon caught the sight of blue hair.

"You're finished!"

"Amen!"

Xenovia and Irina delivered their slashes, and they felt a sense of victory when they saw their blades cut into Takuya. However, their eyes widened in shock when they saw Takuya pop in smoke and reveal and log in his place.

"What-!?"

"Got you."

Their bodies stiffened, and turned their heads towards the source of the voice, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

Takuya stood near them, while having his arm stretched out and both hands having kunais. The two kunais were both pointed at the side of their necks, a mere centimeter away from the blades to touch their skin.

The two looked at Takuya with widened eyes in shock.

"If I were your enemy, I would've ended you lives right here." Takuya told them with a neutral tone. "While that was an effective strategy in blinding me and attacking me in the process, you're going to need more strategies if you honestly think you can make me go serious." Takuya told them, before he withdrew his arms and allowed the dark kunais to dissipate. He then walked away from them.

"You're going to need a lot more than that if you so much as want to retrieve Excalibur from the likes of Kokabiel. Your probability of completing this missions would require a miracle. But I'm sure your God can do such things, right?" Takuya pointed out.

And with that, he left the area in a puff of dark smoke, leaving the Exorcists to their own thoughts.

(Occult Research Club)

After the battle, the two Exorcists, along with Haruka, immedeatly left to do their mission. Takuya silently sat on the sofa in the clubroom, and closed his eyes as he was in thought. As he kept thinking, he heard another voice.

"Hold on! Yuuto!" Rias shouted out. Takuya opened his eyes, and turned his head towards her. She had an angry expression on her, while Yuuto looked like he wanted to get out of there.

"I won't forgive you if you leave me! You are the "Knight" of the Gremory group. I will also be troubled if you turn into an "exiled". Wait this instant!" Rias shouted out to him.

"…I was able to run away from there, thanks to my comrades. That's why I have to put their regrets into my demonic-swords…" Yuuto spoke lowly, and then walked out of the club room and dissapared.

"...Yuuto..." Rias said with a sad face. Takuya then glanced towards where Yuuto left, and then clenched his fist.

'...Kiba...' Takuya thought, and then grew a determined look on his face. 'I won't allow you to lose yourself in the darkness, just like I did...'

Takuya merely sighed as he gave a troubled look. Rias looked troubled as well, before she looked at Takuya.

"I know this is rather sudden Takuya-kun, but can you answer me one question?" Rias asked.

"What is it?"

"Does the Church and Shinobi villages share some sort of alliance or partnership? Because I know that the Church rarely hires outside help. And seeing a Shinobi-"

"The proper term is Kunoichi for the female ninja." Takuya corrected her.

"...Kunoichi hired to help must mean something." Rias pointed out after correcting herself. Takuya merely sighed as he looked up with a thoughtful look.

"We Shinobi don't discriminate who hires us. So long as you give us a mission and payment at the end, that's all that it matters." Takuya answered her, making Rias sigh upon this.

"I see. It's a bit troubling to see a Kunoichi on their side, but it does give them an edge against the Fallen Angels." Rias said.

"You shouldn't worry about Haruka. She won't harm you guys." Takuya reassured her, making Rias blink upon this.

"Wait, how do you know Takuya-kun?" Rias asked.

"It's simple. She's my teammate." Takuya answered her, making the Peerage and Asia look at him with surprise.

[Huh?!] everyone gave out a noise of surprise.

"W-Wait, so Haruka is...!?" Rias said, shocked to hear the information. Takuya silently nodded at her.

"If she is your teammate, then why is she working with the Exorcists?" Rias said with an incredulous tone. Takuya merely sighed as he folded his arms.

"There were many complicated events that happened at home village. We soon found ourselves being separated after being assigned with certain duties. Haruka was needed elsewhere, while Jimbei and I were needed to take care of other missions. Sensei had to work on other things to, but we soon joined up together. I'm guessing Haruka ended up working for the Church after paying for her services." Takuya explained.

Rias made a complex expression as she placed her head upon her temple and shook her head.

"But isn't it strange? You're seeing your teammate work with the Exorcists you dislike." Rias pointed out.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. After their mission is done, Haruka can simply join us back. After all, she is a Shinobi like us Rias-senpai." Takuya explained to her.

"I...I see..." Rias said, before she sighed. "The situation has become more complicated as it is..."

"Tell me about it..." Takuya said while sighing.

(Next Day - Rooftop)

Takuya stood alone on top of a tall building in Kuoh. He stared off into the distance, all the while having a thoughtful and focused look on his face. As he did, his ears picked up footsteps.

"Glad you made it." Takuya said, turning his head towards the person who approached him.

"Of course I would buddy. We're teammates after all." Jimbei said with his usual grin. Takuya gave a small smile and nodded at his best friend.

"So we're going to act now considering the situation we're in?" Jimbei asked curiously.

"Yeah. With Kokabiel aiming to start up another war, Kiba allowing the hatred and his past to control him, and the fact that it's happening right in this town is something I cannot ignore. We have a lot of work to take care of." Takuya said with a serious tone.

"Yeah. It wouldn't do us good if we just played ignorant to this whole thing. Now then, what should we do first? Help Kiba with his problems, or prevent a potential war from springing up?" Jimbei asked curiously.

"We'll take care of this one step at a time. And I believe there is the first appropriate step to taking this." Takuya said while gazing at a certain direction.

(Kuoh Streets)

Takuya just sweat dropped while Jimbei kept on chuckling upon the sight.

"Please give blessings to the lost lamb-"

"Please give charity to us on behalf of the father in heaven!"

The two of them were praying on the road, which made them stand out. People passing by gave them odd glances when they passed by. On the other hand, Haruka was off on the side sighing while shaking her head. She then noticed her two teammates and waved to them. The two quietly made their way towards her while they remained hidden from the two Exorcists' sight.

"Hey Haruka. Mind explaining what happened here?" Takuya quietly asked the girl. Haruka merely sighed.

"It's a bit of a long story..." Haruka said.

She wouldn't have to explain any further, as the two Exorcist spoke aloud.

"How can this be? This is the reality of the developed country of Japan? That's why I don't like countries that don't have the smell of our beliefs."

"Don't say that, Xenovia. We lost all the money we had. So we have to rely on charity from these heretics or else we can't get food, you know? Aaah, we can't even buy a single loaf of bread!"

"Hmph. It all happened because you bought that fake looking painting." Xenovia said as she pointed at a really bad drawing, which appeared to be a some vague picture of a saint.

"...I think they got scammed." Jimbei commented. Haruka just quietly sighed while Takuya face palmed.

"What are you saying? This painting has the drawing of someone who looks like a saint! That's what the person in the exhibition said as well!"

"Then do you know who the person in the drawing is? I certainly don't." Xenovia stated.

"…I think it's…Saint…Peter…?" Irina assumed, not really sure of herself.

"Don't mess around. Saint Peter wouldn't look like this."

"No, he must have looked like this! I'm sure about it!"

"Aaah, why did my partner have to be someone like you…God, is this also a trial?" Xenovia said, while looking to the air.

"Hey don't hold your head down. You really get depressed when you are down, don't you." Irina whined to her.

"Shut up! That's why the Protestants are called heretics! You guys have different beliefs than us Catholics! Show more respect to the saints!" Xenovia exclaimed at her.

"What! What's wrong, it is Catholicism where they still abide by the old law!"

"What did you say, heretic?"

"What did you say, heretic!?"

Those two started to argue by banging their heads against each other…

*Growl*

The Excalibur Duo and the Shinobi Trio now heard the stomachs rumble, and the two just dropped onto the ground with their stomachs rumbling.

"…First of all, let's do something to fill our stomachs. Or else it's not a matter of retrieving the Excaliburs."

"…You are right. Do you want to get money from the heretics by threatening them? I think God will forgive us if we threaten the heretics."

"Do you plan to attack the shrine? Or do you plan to steal their offertory box? Don't do either. Let's use our swords to put on a performance. It's an international entertainment that works in every country."

"That's an excellent idea! If we can cut fruits with our Excaliburs, then we can gather cash!"

"Well, we don't have fruits. It can't be helped. Let's cut that picture."

"No! You can't cut this down!"

The two of them started arguing again, trying to argue on how to earn money. The Shinobi Trio just looked at them with disbelief, as well as sweat drops going down their heads.

"...*Sigh*...And they're the Church's wielders of Excaliburs?" Takuya asked himself. He then shook his head. There is no point in doubting them right now. What he must do right now was to get them to cooperate with him and his teammates.

With a deep breath, he walked towards them.

(Restaurant)

The two were able to cooperate easily with the offer of food. With a simple question, they accepted straight away. Now they were at a family restaurant, sitting at a table.

"Delicious! Japanese cuisine is delicious!" Xenovia exclaimed as she dug through the food.

"Yes, yes! This is it! This is the taste of the food of my homeland!" Irina ate with ecstasy as she ate her food with vigor. The Shinobi trio just blinked at them. They never knew that these two had a large appetite.

[This is to accomplish our mission.]

Those two kept whispering to themselves as they ate their meals, and Takuya's eyebrow just twitched at that. Then again, he did pretty much bluntly point out the flaws that the two Exorcists didn't want to hear. It also put a dent on his wallet as well, but he wouldn't worry too much about it. After all, the thieves, thugs, and yakuza in town have plenty of money in their wallet.

"Phew. Now I'm calm. It's the end of the world to get helped by a heathen." Xenovia stated.

"That's what you say to the guy who pretty much treated you to food?" Takuya pointed out with a flat tone.

"Pheeeew! Thank you for the meal. Aaaah God, please give charity to the pagans before us." Irina said, while using her cross. Xenovia then drank a cup of water and took a deep breath.

"So...what did you want from us?" Xenovia asked with a slightly tense tone. She couldn't exactly forget the spar and words that she received from him. Takuya simply narrowed his eyes at her.

"We recently received a message from our home village. We we're given the orders of protecting this land and people from Kokabiel's operations. So it appears what we both have a common enemy to face with." Takuya told the two, making their eyes widened upon the information.

"They did? But I thought Kokabiel's operation is top secret!" Irina exclaimed in surprise.

"You shouldn't underestimate the information network we Shinobi have. Given the right amount of time, we can have the information we need on any type of subject." Takuya calmly responded. It was true, considering what his home village had.

"How troubling to know..." Xenovia quietly commented.

"In any case, seeing that we both have a mutual goal in mind, I though it would be wise to let you two know. And to make things even better for the both of us, was can form an alliance or non-aggression pact." Takuya told the two.

Xenovia and Irina looked at each other, communicating each other with eye contact. Takuya and his teammates stayed silent, and was prepared to receive whatever response they came from them. After a brief moment of silence, Xenovia turned back to them.

"As much as I hate to say it, but...We'll accept your help." Xenovia said begrudgingly. "At the very least, we're receiving help from the native warriors of this land and not from the Devils. But make sure that your identities aren't revealed. We also don't want our higher-ups to think we got outside help from others." Xenovia told him.

"Fine by me." Takuya responded.

"To be honest, it would really be tough to retrieve the three Excaliburs and to battle Kokabiel with only the two of us. The minimum objectives we have to achieve are destroying the three Excaliburs or take them back. If our Excaliburs are going to be stolen as well then we should break them before it happens. Even if we use the last resort, there's only a 30 percent chance that we will succeed in our mission and return home safely." Xenovia informed them. It was then Takuya saw the opening in her statement.

"So you wouldn't mind if we managed to destroy an Excalibur." Takuya carefully asked. Xenovia nodded at him.

"As much as I would not like to, it's the only option we have to succeed in this." Xenovia said to him.

"Good. Because we're going to have one more guy join the group, and he has a personal vendetta against the Excaliburs."

The two Exorcist could only raise their eyebrows upon confusion.

(Later)

A phone call and a moment later, Yuuto was immedeatly with the group.

"…I understand the situation." Yuuto said with a sigh, after drinking his coffee. "To tell the truth, I feel unsatisfied when the wielders of the Excaliburs are giving me the permission to destroy it." Yuuto said coldly.

"That's a rough way to speak. If you were a "Stray-Devil", I would have cut you down without any time to spare." Xenovia retorted. The two then gave each other glares.

"Both of you, stop it. Kiba, they're giving you the opportunity, do not waste it. Xenovia, don't antagonize him any further. He's already volatile enough as he is." Takuya told the two. The two looked at Takuya, and then gave each other a glance, and ended their glare-fest.

"So you do hold a grudge regarding the "Holy-sword Project". Against the church and the Excaliburs." Irina asked him, which caused Yuuto's eyes to turn sharp at her words.

"Obviously." Yuuto said in a low and cold tone.

"But Kiba-kun. Thanks to that project, the research on holy-sword users showed results. That's why it created people like Xenovia and I who can synchronize with the holy swords." Irina said to him, trying to calm the agitated Knight.

"But at the cost of young innocent lives Irina? Is that really worth the price?" Takuya interjected while giving a narrow look, making Irina wince upon his statement and look down, while Yuuto looked a bit relieved to know Takuya is supporting him.

"That incident also became one of the worst cases among us and people felt disgusted about it. The person in charge of that project at that time was said to have a problem with his belief. So he was charged with heresy. Now he's one of those people on the Fallen-Angels side." Xenovia told him.

"On the Fallen-Angel's side? What's the name of that person?" Yuuto asked Xenovia with interest.

"…Balba Galilei. The man who is called the "Genocide Archbishop"." Xenovia told him. Yuuto nodded at her, and then gained a look of determination.

"…If I go after Fallen-Angels, then can I reach him…" Yuuto said, making Takuya merely frown upon what he is seeing.

"Then it looks like I have to share information as well. The other day I was attacked by a person who had the Excalibur. At that time, he killed a priest. The one who was killed is probably from your organization."

"!" was everyone's surprised reactions. Yuuto then continued.

"The attacker even had told me his name. The name of that person is Freed Zelzan. Does this name sound familiar?" Yuuto said, making Jimbei blink a few times while scratching his chin in thought.

"I see. So it's him." Xenovia said

"Freed Zelzan. Former exorcist of the Vatican. The genius who became an exorcist at the age of 13. He had lots of big achievements because he kept on eliminating Devils and mystical beasts." Irina said.

"But he overdid it. He even killed his allies. Freed never had any beliefs towards our God from the start. The only thing he had was fighting instinct and killing intent towards monsters. And an abnormal obsession for battles. It was a matter of time that he'd be charged for heresy." Xenovia said.

'It's in the back of my head...' Jimbei quietly thought to himself, trying to remember where he got the name from.

(Park)

The group soon left the restaurant, and walked into the park.

"Anyways, let's move onto the cooperation strategy." Xenovia said, and took out a pen and used it to write on a memo pad, giving her contact information.

"If something happens, call this number." Xenovia said.

"Thanks. I already got your numbers. But for some odd reason, we never called each other. Guess it was because we were busy." Takuya told them, and handed the number to the others.

"Then that's it then. I'll repay you for the meal another time." Xenovia told the group.

"Thanks for the meal, Takuya-kun! Treat me again next time as well! Even if you are a non-believer, God will allow it if it's Takuya-kun who treats me to a meal! It's okay if it's food!" Irina thanked him with a cute wink.

"...Why don't you two go off ahead? I need to take care of a few things with my teammates." Haruka told them, as she wanted to spend some time with her team, as well as having a feeling that she needed to stay for this.

"...Alright then." Xenovia responded, as the two walked off. Takuya simply gave a deep breath as he watched the two Exorcist leave the area.

As they did, his ears picked up Yuuto's voice.

"…Takuya-kun. Why did you do this?" Yuuto asked him quietly. Takuya turned his attention towards him.

"...Normally, I wanted all of you guys to be left out of this. However, you're considered an exception. As well as the fact that seeing you like this doesn't sit well with me." Takuya answer him.

"If I act by myself, then I would cause trouble for Buchou. That's also the reason, right?" Kiba said to him.

"A small part of it. But that's not the only reason Kiba." Takuya told him.

"You can save your usual reasons. I've heard them all before from Buchou and everyone else. However, this is something between me and the Excalibur alone. I appreciate what you've done for me, but I cannot allow others to stop me from getting my revenge." Yuuto told him with a firm tone.

Takuya silently looked at the Knight for a short moment, before he narrowed his eyes.

"No. I won't allow you." Takuya told Yuuto cooly, making the blond man look at him with sharp eyes.

"Excuse me?" Yuuto quietly asked with some ice leaking into it.

"I said, I won't allow you to carry out this quest for vengeance alone. I won't allow it." Takuya said to Yuuto with a cool tone once more.

"I don't think you don't understand the situation at all Takuya-kun, or do I need to repeat it to you?" Yuuto said with a glare. "I managed to live thanks to my comrades. I have to take their regret into my sword and avenge them! If I don't, then I'll live with this constant pain in my chest, knowing that the man and Excalibur responsible for their deaths it still out there!" Yuuto growled while glaring intensely at at Takuya.

"You don't even know the pain I'm experiencing at this moment!" Yuuto hissed at him.

Silence passed through the group, with Haruka looking sadly upon hearing this while Jimbei looked neutral while shaking his head. Takuya, on the other hand, gave the same cool expression towards Yuuto.

It was to Yuuto's surprise when Takuya soon lets out a hollow look and bitter smile.

"Unfortunately, I know pretty well what it's like to live with that sort of pain." Takuya said with bitter tone, making the blond man take a step back in surprise.

"...What?" Yuuto uttered. It was then Takuya gave a deep sigh while looking down towards the ground.

"You know, I got to know something rather personal in your past without even asking you. I honestly haven't been open with you guys at all, but I suppose now is a good time to tell you about mine." Takuya announced, making Yuuto look at him with widened eyes. Meanwhile, Haruka looked a bit pained to know about this while Jimbei silently closed his eyes.

"You and I are lot alike Kiba. Just like you, I too was part of a secret project." Takuya revealed, making Yuuto look at him with shock. Takuya continued.

"I was a kid at the time, having a decent and innocent life I had with my family. It's amazing how it changed in one day when that bastard decided to ruin my life." Takuya said with a bit of venom leaking into the tone upon the mention of Danzo.

"It all happened so fast. My parents killed before my very eyes and me being abducted by his men and taken to some dark facility where I was treated nothing more than a lab rat." Takuya said while clenching his fist.

"I wasn't the only one. No, it turned out there were others like me, who were orphans outside of my home village. All of us were subjected to testing for some power that he wanted to control." Takuya continued while his mind was flashing back towards the dark days of his childhood. Yuuto silently watched while looking at him with widened eyes as he saw the similarities between him and Takuya.

"Like you Kiba, the failed ones were forced to be die due to not meeting the standards or ideal results." Takuya said, and then lets out a bitter scoff and looked at Yuuto with narrow eyes.

"But there is a difference between you and I. You were a failure of your experiment, while I was unfortunately the successor of the experiment." Takuya revealed, making the Knight to continue looking shocked by this.

"But you succeeded..." Yuuto quietly pointed out.

"Yeah. That was the worst part. If it wasn't for my village leader, I would've ended up as a mindless puppet, obeying the orders of some bastard that took away my family away from me." Takuya retorted, before he gave a tired sigh.

"As you'd know, the moment I knew who took away my parents and a part of my life that I lost was the moment I became filled with hatred and vengeance." Takuya confessed, and then gave a slightly pained look towards Yuuto.

"And you know what happened when I was overcome by hatred? I ended up losing myself to it where I raged against everything. It was to the point where I ended up hurting my own team." Takuya said with guilt as he looked at Haruka and Jimbei with sorrow. His two teammates in return looked at him with understanding.

"Takuya, it's alright. I already forgive you and I couldn't blame you what happened to you. So please, don't beat yourself up so much about it." Haruka softly told him.

"It's water under the bridge dude. Chill." Jimbei said with a shrug while offering a reassuring smile.

Takuya looked a bit down, before he looked towards Yuuto with a focused look.

"Do you understand now Kiba? What you're doing at this point is close to what I ended up as. You're going to allow your hatred to get the better of you, and eventually lash out on even your comrades and Peerage. Do you truly want that?" Takuya asked, making Yuuto's eyes widened upon the statement. The Knight stayed silent for a short moment, before his body untensed and his shoulders dropped.

"I...I don't want to..." Yuuto admitted.

Hearing that answer made Takuya breath out in relief. "Seems like you haven't gone too far, good."

"But still...I have to stop Galilei." Yuuto said as he clenched his fist.

"Right. That is why we are working on this." Takuya said, before he walked towards Yuuto. "Kiba, I won't allow you to act alone in your quest for vengeance."

"But-!" Kiba protested, but was soon cut off by Takuya.

"You didn't exactly let me finish Kiba." Takuya cut off what the blonde Knight was about to say.

"I said I won't allow you to carry out this quest of revenge on your OWN." Takuya said while emphasizing the word at the end of his sentence. "Instead, me and my team while help you relieve that burden and pain that you carry." Takuya explained, making Yuuto look at him with widened eyes.

"...So that's what you truly meant." Yuuto said with realization. Takuya nodded as he held out a hand towards him.

"So what do you say? You don't have to carry this out on your own. Your friends are there for you." Takuya told him.

Yuuto looked at the offered hand, and lets our a small smile as he took it.

"...Yeah. I highly appreciate it..."

(Class)

It's been a few days since the search for the Excalibur Fragments, but not much progress was made. Takuya was now at his desk, and kept pondering on what to do next. It turned out to be really hard to find a war monger Cadre who is hiding in the town.

[Uh...when are these people going show themselves up? They're thinning my patients...]

{It's all in a matter of time, Zero. It's all in a matter of time.}

[Oh shut up.]

Hearing the usual banter between Ddraig and Zero, Takuya just took it in stride as he kept on pondering what to do.

'We've searched every nook and cranny in this town. All the abandoned buildings, suspicious looking locations, yet we still come up with nothing.' Takuya thought as he narrowed his eyes. 'Kokabiel must've chosen a good hiding spot if he was hiding within this area.'

"Oi. Takuya. You still in there?" Jimbei asked him, while giving soft knocks to his head, which snapped Takuya out of his thoughts.

"Yeah yeah. I'm still here. No need to hit me." Takuya told him, while swatting away Jimbei's fist. Jimbei gave a slight chuckle at him.

"But I needed to knock to see who's there." Jimbei told him. Takuya rolled his eyes at him, and then noticed Jimbei smiling at him.

"What's with the smile?" Takuya curiously asked.

"Oh nothing. It's just that Reya-chan and I planned to go on bowling and karaoke. But both of us agreed on inviting more people." Jimbei told him with his nonchalant smile, making Takuya blink in surprise upon hearing this.

"Really? I thought you and Reya wanted to go on a date together?" Takuya asked with a perplexed tone. Jimbei simply shrugged.

"Eh, I plan on taking thing between Reya-chan and I slow. I want a comfortable pace before we really go into the dating phase." Jimbei admitted with a shrug. Takuya gave a tired sigh as gave a wistful look.

"Must be nice..." Takuya quietly said while feeling a bit envious of Jimbei's situation with romance. Such a nice and simple relationship going on compared to his luck with woman.

Jimbei simply chuckled at his expression.

"Ah don't worry about it dude. I'm sure we can adjust it into making it a double date if Haruka comes along." Jimbei said with a knowing tone, making Takuya give an indigent glare towards him.

"Oi..." Takuya said with an annoyed tone, once again being teased upon the subject.

"Oh relax. Asia is coming along as well, so the double date is off. I also told her she can bring friends along as well." Jimbei told him, making Takuya blink upon this.

"Wait, what kind of friends is she bringing?" Takuya asked.

"If you say it like that, then it sounds like its a bad thing." a voice spoke up, making Takuya turn his head towards the source of the voice. As soon as he saw who the person was, he only had one thought.

'...Oh crap.' Takuya thought, as he recognized that it was Kiryuu standing before him. He couldn't help but inwardly sigh at Asia's innocence and clueless towards the people around her, especially their quirks.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say you're a good influence towards Asia." Takuya told her. Kiryuu simply pouted upon this.

"Oh come on, I'm just trying to bring in some excitement between you two. But you always keep things boring." Kiryuu told him, before her eyes looked down to his lower reigion. Takuya followed her eyes, and saw her looking at a place where it is considered inappropriate.

'...Did she just look at my crotch?'

"Hmm I see, I see." Kiryuu said, while her glasses reflected off the sunlight. She then gave a mischievous smirk.

"Fufufu. My glasses can calculate the size of guys' "thingy". From length to circumference." Kiryuu told him, and then puts her hand his shoulder. "Your size seems to be average. But don't worry, you can still satisfy women with it. Yes, Rias-senpai and Asia would definitely be satisfied." Kiryuu told him. Takuya slowly backed away from her, while Jimbei also gave her an odd look, and slowly backed away from her as well.

"...I wonder if this is sexual harassment?" Jimbei quietly asked himself.

"I think it is, Jimbei." Takuya told him. It was then Kiryuu turned to Asia.

"Good for you, Asia."

"?" Asia grew confused at her words. Kiryuu noticed Asia's confusion, and gave her a sigh.

"Geez, it can't be helped. I'm saying that Midorikawa's thingy…" Kiryuu said, and was about to whisper into Asia's ear. Before she could, Takuya immdeatly grabbed onto Asia, and began pushing her out of the classroom.

"I don't think Asia needs to hear these kind of things." Takuya told her as he and Asia left the classroom, with Jimbei following in suit, leaving Kiryuu to pout in disappointment.

"I swear, that woman is out to get me." Takuya muttered with an annoyed tone.

(Afternoon)

Once again, their search for Kokabiel has resumed. This time, Takuya decided it was best if they split up to cover my ground. Jimbei and Yuuto went together in a pair, Haruka went on her own, and Irina and Xenovia were paired together as usual.

Takuya frowned as he looked around on top of a building, and closed his eyes to sense anything that stands out with his negative emotion sensing.

'...There isn't that much darkness to find around this area.' Takuya thought to himself. 'Zero, can you sense anything?'

[With my range, I can barely sense anything that's worth sticking out. A huge disappointment if you ask me.]

'Indeed. Kokabiel should be hiding around the area, but we can barely sense him. I would imagine a war monger like him would have some sort of sinister emotion emitting from him.' Takuya thought.

[Either that, or he's more tactful that we anticipated.]

'Possibly. But we better keep out senses out.'

[Hn.]

Takuya hopped of the building and went onto another rooftop and began moving. He looked around him, and could only sigh a bit upon seeing how this search isn't proving much results.

'Tch. Maybe perhaps we're not looking further out? I think I need to focus on outside of Kuoh. Anything with negative emotions stands out more there.' Takuya thought to himself.

[Seems plausible. However, my host, you've forgotten one important detail...]

'And what would that be?'

[Sometimes, they're right under your nose. Because I just felt new types of darkness pop up in the area no too far from here.]

'...!' Takuya sharply turned his head to the right, and he felt new types of negative emotions popping up. He changed his direction, and rapidly hopped his way towards the source of the location.

As he managed to make his way to the location, he soon stopped on top of a building that is near the park. He soon focused his eyes, and soon saw multiple people in the middle of the park, all wearing dark robes. However, one didn't wear a dark robe and was in the center.

Seeing that he is a bit far, he decided to get a closer look. He hopped down from the building and carefully entered into the park. Seeing the shadows around him thanks to night time, he decided to sneak in with his helpful jutsu.

"Darkness Style: Shadow Sneak." Takuya soon melted into the shadows, and made his way towards the people. He soon approached near them, and noticed that they are in an area where its lit.

'Looks like I can't get in close without being detected. But they don't know I'm here. I better hear what they're up to, and possibly use the information that is given out.' Takuya thought to himself while hiding in the shadows. As he continued to do so, his ears picked up the voices.

"Are you sure that this is the right location? I highly doubt we will find such a person in this boring place." a person commented.

"We were given orders to. Stop complaining." another voice spoke up.

"I was just pointing out a flaw to the mission. Big difference."

Takuya carefully looked out to see a bunch of dark robed people standing around, while there was some blonde girl in the center. Seeing that he needed to get a bit closer, he decided to take on a certain approach.

The dark robed figure noticed a bit of rustling in some bushes and cautiously raised his staff. Walking off from the group, he had his staff pointed right at the bush. The rustlings grew bigger, before a small figure came out. When the robed figure saw it, he merely sighed.

It was just a mere bunny.

"Damn, I just got scared all because of a bunny..." the robed figure said, before he realized what is truly happening.

In an instant, Takuya appeared behind the robed figure, put his hand over the man's mouth to prevent any noise from coming out. And without giving the man the chance to struggle, he plunged a kunai straight into the man's throat, instantly silencing the man. Quickly dragging the fresh corpse into a bush, he then had dark charka form around him, and dark smoke exploded around him.

Soon, he made himself change into the robed figure that he killed and made his way back into the group.

As he did, one of the robed figures noticed him.

"Oi, what made you go off like that?" the robed figure questioned.

"I thought I found something suspicious. It was nothing but a rabbit." Takuya said as his voice impersonated the one he assassinated.

"A rabbit drew your attention for that long?" the robed figure questioned further.

"Nature calls." Takuya simply replied with a grunt, making the robed figure make a scoffing noise.

"Uh, never mind." the robed figure said as he turned to another direction.

"Alright everyone~! We have a mission to fulfill, and we better do it fast. The Devils are in control of this territory, so we better do it fast!" a feminine voice spoke up, drawing Takuya's attention towards her.

She appeared to be a girl around his age, and currently wore some sort battle-dress with armor woven onto it. She had long blond hair tied into a braid, and currently had some sword sheathed and was attached to her hip.

Seeing this, Takuya turned to a nearby robed figure and whispered to him.

"Hey, care to get me back up to speed again what we're doing here? I sort of forgot." Takuya quietly asked the figure.

"Are you serious? We just briefed about the mission before we got here." the robed figure whispered harshly to him.

"I wasn't exactly paying attention." Takuya responded.

"Friggin retard..." the robed figure muttered, before he sighed. "Don't you remember? We're here to find someone with some person with this power and bring him to our side. Through any means necessary."

"Who this this person?" Takuya asked curiously.

"It's-"

"Hey hey, what's with all the whispering~?" the young woman asked with a pout on her face, making the the conversation between the two cut off.

"I-It's nothing. This idiot here just forgot about the details..." the robed figure responded while jabbing his thumb to Takuya.

"My apologies. My head was somewhere else at the time..." Takuya faked apologized.

"Oh...Well, that's okay. I'm sure we have our off days, right, Magician-Chan?" the young woman chirped, making Takuya stumble a bit upon her nicknaming him.

"M-Magician-chan?" Takuya asked while caught a bit off guard upon being called an affectionate nickname already.

"Don't you know? She often likes to give people nicknames or affectionate terms. Even if you are a forgetful idiot, you shouldn't forget that fact, considering that she is our leader." the robed figure next to him pointed out.

"Sorry, that slipped my mind as well." Takuya said with a small apologetic tone. The young woman in turn simply hummed.

"You've been letting a lot of things slip your mind Magician-chan." the young woman said as she turned her back on him, before she twirled around and pointed her sword right at Takuya's throat.

"Or should I say imposter-chan!" the young woman declared confidently. On cue, the rest of the Magicians got alarmed as well and stepped back while raising their staffs at him. Seeing the predicament he is in, Takuya merely raised his arms in surrender.

"Well now, I suppose disguising myself as one of you and hoping to get info failed for me." Takuya responded calmly, returning back to his normal voice.

"Tee hee~! You should've known better if you were going to disguise yourself as my subordinate. By now, everyone should now I like to give affectionate nicknames, and your reaction gave it away~!" the young woman chirped.

"I guess going into this was a bit too careless of me. But do you mind if we just answer each others questions and be on our way?" Takuya asked.

"Sure~! Right after we take you with us for interrogation!" the young woman answered cheerfully.

"That's a shame. I would've like to have some alone time between you and me, and I certainly like this spot where I'm standing." Takuya responded, before he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh wait, I think I already took care of that." Takuya stated.

Before the young woman could process what he meant by that, the screams of pain soon rung through the air. Turning around, the young woman's eye widened in surprise when she saw the robed figures being impaled from behind. Looking behind them, she saw that there were shadow tendrils extending from the surroundings. The shadow tendrils soon dragged the bodies away, leaving only her and Takuya alone.

Looking back to Takuya, her eyes widened when she found a blade close to her throat.

"I believe we now have the time to answer questions. More specifically, mine." Takuya stated as he dropped the henge, revealing himself to the young woman. The young woman attempted to move, but she became surprised when her body couldn't move.

"Don't bother trying to escape. Once you're caught in my shadows, you won't be able to move for a while." Takuya told her, as he was using the Shadow Imitation Jutsu to keep her in place.

"Things certainly don't look good for me..." the young woman said while still smiling.

"That was my intention from the start." Takuya told her, before he narrowed his eyes. "I believe I can start the questions. So I'll go with the important one. Where is Kokabiel hiding?"

The young woman in turn blinked a bit upon his question and gave him a questioning look

"Kokabiel? The Fallen Angel?"

"Yes. I would like to know his whereabouts."

The young woman simply gave off a clueless look.

"I don't know where he is, nor am I involved with him." the young woman answered, making Takuya frown.

"Lying won't get you anywhere, you know?" Takuya told her. The young woman simply puffed her cheeks.

"Hey, I'm not lying here, unlike you who disguised himself to fool me!" the young woman childishly complained to him, making Takuya's eyebrow twitch a bit.

[She's not lying my host. She truly doesn't work for Kokabiel.]

'What? But...!' Takuya thought while surprised by this fact.

[That still doesn't mean she and the others are dangerous. My host, I suggest getting more answers from her. Things are certainly getting interesting.]

Listening to the spirit in his head, Takuya decided to ask other questions.

"...Alright then. Then tell me, what are you here for?" Takuya questioned. The young woman simply pouted.

"Well, we were originally sent here to find some huge power source." the young woman answered.

"Power source?" Takuya repeated.

"You see, my leader's leader, confusing as it is, I know, has apparently told us that there was a distortion that was felt in her realm. My leader's leader attempted to find it, but lost trace. That is when we we're given the task to find this power source. I just happened to end up here." the young woman answered. Takuya narrowed his eyes at her answer.

'A distortion across her realm. Lost trace. What could that possibly mean?' Takuya thought, before he decided to know who the person is behind this.

"And who exactly is your...leader's leader?" Takuya questioned, intent on finding out where this woman came from. The young woman in turn gave a cheerful smile.

"The Infinite Dragon, Ophis."

Takuya's expression froze upon hearing the name, and his grip on his sword tightened upon hearing that name. His expression made it very clear when his pupils dilated and his jaws clenched.

'...Did she just say...?'

[My my, this is an interesting turn of events. And before you ask me my host, she is not lying.]

Takuya stayed quiet, seeing how this person before him knows Ophis. And he couldn't believe that it just happened right before him as well.

"You know..." the young woman spoke up. "I get the feeling that Ophis is someone you're looking for if your reaction says anything. And we are looking to improve our forces..." the young woman said with a considering tone.

"What force?" Takuya questioned, snapping out of his shock.

"The Khaos Brigade. More specifically, the Hero faction, and I happen to be one of them~! My name is Jeanne, and I carry with me the spirit of the Maiden or Orleans." the young woman known as Jeanne introduced herself in a bright manner.

"...Tell me then Jeanne, is it possible that I can gain an audience with Ophis?" Takuya asked.

This is an opportunity for him to truly see if he can have Ophis grant him a way back home, to go back to where his friends are. To return Jimbei, Kagura, and especially Haruka back to their families and close friends.

"Well..." Jeanne hummer with a considering tone. "I mean, you can meet her. But you first have to join the Khaos Brigade first if you truly want to talk to Ophis." Jeanne stated.

"You keep saying the Khaos Brigade. What exactly-" Takuya said, before his senses picked up something else. Quickly gazing at another direction, he felt killing intent flow through the air, as well as hatred surging.

'I know this darkness anywhere! It's Kiba! Damn it, now we found them!?' Takuya thought with an annoyed tone, before looking back at Jeanne.

"...Sorry, but I'm a bit busy as of now. Would you mind if I say I can take a rain check on that?" Takuya told her.

"Hmm, let me think...nope!" Jeanne chirped cheerfully. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to waste, and my leader is expecting me to come back with something. And seeing your strength, you would definitely be a worthy asset to our cause! So I'll just drag you with me whether you like it or not!" Jeanne said optimistically.

"I don't think you're in the position to..." Takuya started, but soon stopped when he realized upon noticing something very wrong. Especially when she said that sentence. Going fully alert, Takuya immediately moved out of the way as a blade popped out of the ground and aimed to stab him, forcing him to separate the shadows between him and Jeanne.

Once separated, Jeanne took out her sword and closed in on Takuya with great agile speed, something of which Takuya noticed. Her speed appeared to be around Jonin level, something of which isn't to laugh at. But speed was merely a factor to a person's capabilities.

Taking out his sword out as well, he soon closed in on Jeanne and prepared to take her on in a sword fight. Both clashed with an intense strike, and Takuya soon noticed a chilly air around the sword, and was soon pushed back by an arctic wind. Skidding on the floor, Takuya looked at his arms and noticed that there was small ice marks. He narrowed his eyes at he looked at the blade. Jeanne, on the other hand, simply giggled as she pointed her sword at him.

"This onee-san's ability is Blade Blacksmith. It's a Sacred Gear to produce holy swords with the user's imagination. Holy swords with all kinds of attributes can be created!" Jeanne cheerfully explained to him, making him simply frown upon hearing the abilities.

'It's a lot like Kiba's Sword Birth, but with holy swords. Then I better be careful because of her versatility.' Takuya thought, before he nodded to himself.

"Darkness Style: Shadow Puppet!" Takuya's shadow soon rose up and took form of a large and slender figure. It had long and sharp claws that form into pikes from its three finger like protrusions. When Jeanne saw this, she simply gave an "oooh" face towards it.

"Oooh, shadow puppet! Oh oh, can you make a dragon with it?" Jeanne excitedly asked.

"Hn." Takuya merely grunted as he soon sped in on her.

Soon, Jeanne found herself fending off both claws and sword strikes from Takuya, forcing her back as she kept jumping back and swiftly move out of the way. However, this didn't deter Jeanne at all as she simple threw her blade towards Takuya. Takuya's shadow deflected the incoming blade, and then had to jump aside from another blade coming from the ground.

Another sword popped from the ground, this time in front of Jeanne. This time, the sword had pure white metal. She then proceeded to close in on Takuya once more.

'What is she up to...?' Takuya thought, before he grew suspicious of her new set of actions. Deciding to play it safe, he decided to let his Shadow Puppet do the first strike as he trusted its claw at Jeanne. Jeanne soon raised her sword to block the claw, and the blade of hers soon glowed brightly. It was then Takuya noticed what she was truly aiming for.

He soon saw the Shadow Puppet's arm being absorbed by the blade, making his Shadow Puppet lose its arm as a result. Jeanne simply smiled as she prepared her blade.

"This is Darkness Eraser, a counterpart to Holy Eraser. If you didn't know, it simply absorbs darkness based attacks~! It also helps that is is holy, so your darkness is ineffective!" Jeanne happily said, making Takuya inwardly alarmed by her ability.

'She has the means to counter my power over darkness, which is literally the main source of power that I have with me. However, I am sure that sword of hers has a limit. With enough power, I can break apart the sword and get myself a chance.' Takuya thought, before he looked around his surroundings.

'However, my stronger attacks cause a good amount of collateral damage. And seeing we're in a small park, I can't really bring it out, otherwise innocents may be alarmed and get dragged into this whole mess.' Takuya thought to himself calmly.

'Cases like these is where I am forced to not rely on my darkness.'

{Is it my turn to finally shine Partner?}

Takuya considered the option for a moment, before he inwardly shook his head.

'No, I don't believe that's a smart idea. While she claims that she is working for Ophis, I can't exactly let them know what I'm truly capable of or else they'll use that information against me. I also can't trust her due to the fact that she is bringing me with her against my own will. Whatever the case, I can't blindly accept or let this unknown group know I have you.'

{Then what will you do Partner?}

'I got other tricks up my sleeve.' Takuya responded, before he decided it was time to rely on his other skills.

He immedeatly dismissed his Shadow Puppet, making Jeanne blink upon his actions.

"Oh? Finally decided to call it quits?" Jeanne asked curiously.

"I'm just getting started." Takuya responded calmly, before he brought out his speed Kunai, which is named the Severed Shadow, and Leaf of the Moonlit Night to both his hands.

Jeanne's eyes widened when Takuya disappeared from his spot, and her reflexes told her it was coming from behind. However, she found no one there, and her eyes soon spotted another circle of dust burst from another spot. Soon, she found bursts of air all around her, unable to keep track of Takuya. However, her reflexes told her to strike to her right, to which she followed.

*SLASH*

Jeanne soon saw her blade cutting right into Takuya's sides, while Takuya looked surprised upon her cut. She felt a sense of victory, until she noticed something wrong. Takuya soon started to fade away, making Jeanne's eyes widened upon this. It was then she noticed a presence near her and made her look down.

Takuya was kneeling on the ground and raised his leg. Pivoting himself, he soon delivered a kick right to her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her while gasping out in pain. She was soon sent flying into a tree and harshly onto it. Jeanne winced as she slid down the tree and landed on the ground.

"Ow, that hurts..." Jeanne whined as she rubbed her abdomen, before she noticed Takuya inserting his hand into the hole of the large shuriken, coating his fist in black. He soon pointed the shuriken right Jeanne, and the large shuriken spun rapidly. The patterns on the shuriken glowed, and Takuya soon powered his weapon's functions.

A large amount of concussive force blast from the shuriken and towards Jeanne. Jeanne's eyes widened when she saw the concussive force coming her way and formed multiple large swords to shield her from the attack. However, Takuya's concussive force immedeatly broke through the holy swords and towards Jeanne.

She soon caught the end of the large concussive force, pushing her away through the tree and flew through the air. She landed on the ground hard and rolled around a bit, until she ended up landing on her back.

"Ow ow ow..." Jeanne moaned in pain as she struggled to get back up, but soon felt a foot step on her chest to stop her from getting up. Looking up, she saw Takuya looking at her with a neutral yet cold look, along with a sword pointed right at her throat.

"I would've killed you right here and now, but certain circumstances are holding me back." Takuya told her. "Like I said, I'm busy at the moment, and I'm actually looking for an audience with Ophis. When you return, tell your leader's leader that I'm willing to talk at a later time." Takuya told her.

Despite the conditions she is in, she had the energy to just pout at him.

"You're one hard man to negotiate with, you know?" Jeanne said, before she playfully looked upset. "You won't exactly get girls easily, you know?"

*SHINK*

Her only response from him was a shuriken that landed right near her ear.

"Get out of here before I change my mind and send you back in a body bag." Takuya threatened with a cold tone, before he took his foot off of her. Taking a few steps back, he turned around and started walking away. Jeanne shakily stood up as she supported her body with a nearby tree.

"M-Mou...Why do all the cute guys have to be so hard to get...?" Jeanne whined.

And that's a wrap to this chapter.

Honestly, the whole Excalibur Arc is quite rigid in my opinion. It's so hard deviate from the canon plot line, so I had to make do with the differences I'm making here.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully, finish this arc soon. I'm just dying to move onto further plot.

(Meeting the Khaos Brigade)

This is a particular subplot I've decided to create. After reading so many Naruto-crossovers and other DxD crossovers, I've always noticed that Ophis takes notice whenever there is some dimensional crossover or distortion, thus making her want to find the source and possibly recruit it to get rid of Great Red.

So I've decided to start things off with him meeting Jeanne, because I just felt like it. And before any of you complain about the fight, both Takuya and Jeanne were holding back, so the two fought with their basic forms. The only reason Takuya won is because he had the element of surprise and uncertainty while having experience against Sacred Gears like Sword Birth, which relates to Blade Blacksmith.

I assure you all, this particular subplot will kind of tie in with the main story.

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