From traveler of worlds10:
FINALLY! I was HOPING for your return to this amazing story I had to do a double-take when I saw this in my alert box I almost fell out of my chair. but I am glad you have returned. may your day/night be a good one thanks for your time
traveler of worlds 10!
Bakuganman: Lol. Thanks, this made my day. This story is far from over, I just had things to sort out IRL.
From calderoneric758:
So will Anthony go o all out yelling the heaven faction for what they did to him and asis and thirdly really no giorno moment where he has a dream wasted opportunity and thirdly when Asia gets fake killed it's going to be worse for who ever is in Anthony war path
Bakuganman: Firstly, the Heaven Faction didn't do anything to Anthony, it was a Church (I understand how confusing that must sound). Secondly, the dreams aren't gonna happen all the time. Finally, I mentioned this before, but when we DO get to Asia getting sent to the Dimensional Gap... drop the dictionary and run.
From Omnisaurus:
Holy shit, an Orthrus appearance outside of Percy Jackson and that one Monster Musume game that I never got to play (no, I'm not bitter… much). Color me impressed.
Also, caught that Sonic reference with Anthony & Kokabiel. No, I haven't seen the movie but I recognized that exchange from one of the trailers that played before one of my Youtube videos once. I noticed that Dinosaurs X Devils reference too but I liked the Sonic one better. Just seemed like it fit better.
Bakuganman: Yeah, the big dog doesn't make many appearances in mainstream as much as Cerberus. But seeing as the DxD-verse has several Cerberus', I figured it was fair to give the second Greek guard dog a small part. And yep, you caught me. The Anthony and Kokabiel exchange was also a reference to the Sonic Movie trailers.
From Skull Crusher:
Man, i love your story now especially its more au. Waiting for next update
The hp reference is hilarous
Man, this story is awesome man. Waiting for the next update
Bakuganman: You were the only one to get that reference, but am I wrong? Xenovia and the main character look almost exactly the same!
From YuanDxD:
Italian but named Anthony and not Antonio.
Bakuganman: Anthony and Antonio is the same name. Its a common name for Italian boys. Plus Anthony has called himself Antonio at least once.
From Jack perez:
Wow oye me gusto mucho la historia pero tengo que decir que me tiene confundido lo del universo alternativo.
Tambien me gustaria que entre anthony y akeno sucediera un beso o algo parecido. Siempre me gusto mucho akeno,su personalidad y su cuerpo 7u7
Bakuganman: Hang on, let me translate this for the English speaking audience...
From Jack perez (translated and edited):
Wow. I really liked the story, but I have to say that I am confused about the alternate universe.
I would also like a kiss or something similar to happen between Anthony and Akeno. I always liked Akeno a lot, his personality and his body 7u7.
Bakuganman: The alternate universe will be explained as the story continues. For your second sentence, you said "his" personality and body... you wanna spend a night with Anthony? I can make it happen. XD! But seeing as you said Akeno beforehand, it was obviously a typo. I can't say what exactly will happen between them, but they will go on a date a one point.
From Dragon Emperor:
Man , this story is so awesome. Waiting for the next update. Are you going to discontinue this?
Bakuganman: HELL NO! Unless I suddenly die, this story will continue! Besides, Anthony's adventure has only just begun.
So how long has it been... 3 months? Fuck me sideways and can me a baloney sandwich, I got no excuse. All I can say is I'm sorry for worrying some of you, its been a weird year of 2020, ya know? But hey, the light novels are finally getting an English translation, so that's one good thing. Though it would have been nice to have sooner, maybe they could have worked together with that baka-tsuki project instead of taking down all that work.
Regardless, I hope it sells well with this virus.
Quick summary about this chapter: its has an original scene in the beginning which I'm sure you'll get a chuckle out of, the fight between Xenovia and Irina, some more foreshadowing, and plot points that have to do with a connection between Anthony and Kiba. What is that connection, you ask? Read on, and find out!
Season NEW - Chapter 10: Sword Play
Picking up where the last chapter left off; while Xenovia, Anthony and Kiba were willing to fight; it was an unfair advantage for the 2 of them to tag-team her. Irina was brought into the mix and she was willing... until it was revealed she'd be fighting Anthony. Both her and Anthony openly refused then, with Anthony being more vocal about it, and Irina also saying they could get in as much trouble as Rias could with the Devils'. But Kiba was insistent that HE was gonna fight Xenovia. Coming to an agreement wasn't easy, and after several minutes of arguing back-and-forth...
"How about we settle this by a game of chance?" Suggested Rias. "Seriously? You wanna play Rock-Paper-S...?" Anthony was asking with a deadpan expression, but that's when Rias used her magic circle to summon a giant box full of cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Anthony's to be exact.
Anthony's eyes widened. "How the hell did you...?" Anthony tried asking, but Rias used her magic again to levitate a large pile of them onto the chess table, also removing the Chess pieces that were there. She wasn't serious, was she? "Do you even know how to play?" He asked her, as she was using her magic to make a deck for herself. "I'll learn as I go" Rias insisted, taking a seat and waiting for Anthony.
"How'd you'd find my box anyway?" Anthony asked. Asia was the one to answer.
"She walked into my room after I was looking at the card you gave me when we were little. She was curious, so..." she said, but she didn't finish cause she blushed at the memory. It was the first gift Anthony had ever given her.
-FLASHBACK-
The night after Anthony went on his 'spiritual walk' to the police station, a young Asia heard a knock on her dorm room door. "Anthony?! You shouldn't be here! If the nuns found..." Asia said, surprised Anthony was here of all places, but also worried if someone should find out.
"That's not important," Anthony began. "I... uh... wanted to say, thank you. So..." he suddenly felt bashful about this, which was a weird feeling to him. At least, to feel this way right now. Usually, he'd only get this way when his mom kissed him on the cheek in front of other people. Shaking it off, he reached into a pocket in his pants. "I... want you to have this..." he said, pulling out a card of some sort and handing it to Asia. Obviously, she was confused.
What she saw was a card with a white, green-eyed, blond-haired girl on it; like her! She wore a blue dress that, while VERY revealing in upper portions, had touches of pink with a gem in the middle of the outfit. Around her neck was a tight necklace that also had a gem, and she wore a blue pointy hat with pink stripes. In the background were hearts with a yellow circle, and in the corner was a random object poking out.
The cards name on the top read: "Dark Magician Girl", so the random object was probably a wand or something.
This character, especially what she wore, was something the nuns would definitively be against... but for the love of Asia, she just couldn't take her eyes off of it. It was something she had never seen before... it was beautiful. "... why are you giving me this?" Asked Asia, looking back at Anthony after staring at the card. She also felt really warm on her face for some reason. What was wrong with her? Was it something she ate?
"I was... shuffling them up, and she fell out. It reminded me of you" said Anthony... was was he sweating? Did the air conditioning break down again? This building had so many problems...
Asia looked back down at the card, studying it. It didn't make much sense what anything on the card meant aside from its name. 'Gains 300 ATK for every Dark Magician or Magician of Black Chaos in either players Graveyard?' What was that supposed to mean? What were those stars in the top right-hand corner for? ATK? DEF?... well, 2000 was a pretty high number; but then what was with the extra 1700 on a different side of the card?
Despite not understanding a single other thing about this card... Asia felt strange, like a butterfly was trying to break out of a cocoon in her chest. "... um. This is sweet of you, but I don't play this version of Go-Fish" Asia explained, handing the card back to him. "NO! You keep it, as a token of friendship... er, like a present" Anthony said. Besides, he had quite a few copies of this card anyway.
Present? For her?... No one's ever gotten her anything before. Asia looked down at the card one more time, the girl in the picture smiling back at her.
-END FLASHBACK-
Ever since then, Asia kept the card, promising Anthony she'd take good care of it. In fact, she always kept it with her holy cross that she kept in a box, and even played the game with Anthony while they were alone, though she never won. She was able to "Summon" Dark Magician Girl in "Duels", but that was enough to make her feel happy. Since moving into Anthony's place, she kept it in a drawer in her bedroom. A few days ago, she was opening that same drawer, and took out the card, smiling at it once she held it in her hands. It wasn't like the stuffed animal that aged, the Dark Magician Girl card still looked as fresh as the day she got it.
That's of course, when Rias was walking by her open bedroom door and noticed her hugging the card in question; which then lead to the redhead learning about the card, why Asia had one, and the game it came from.
"Your move, big boy" Rias said to Anthony in a sassy tone. What followed was a game of Yu-Gi-Oh and if Anthony won, he'd verse Xenovia instead of Irina. Should Rias win however, the final decision was up to her. Rias however, only knew the basic rules from Asia. She lost Monster's left and right, had most (but not all) of her Spells and Traps destroyed and/or negated, and was down to her last 100 Life Points while Anthony still had his full 8000.
"Alrighty. Now I'll attack your face-down Monster with Red-Eyes... ya should have kept Kuriboh in your hand, and Blue-Eyes will attack you directly" he said after drawing his card, then destroying her face-down Kuriboh. He had quite the powerhouses on the field: 1 Blue-Eyes White Dragon (though Ddraig kept making fun of it), 1 Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Slifer the Sky Dragon (though it only had 2000 ATK at this time, and was a dragon Ddraig appeared to respect. Rias also commented on how it sort of had some of Ddraig's attributes like the red armor and orb on its head), and also 1 Summoned Skull.
Rias would have lost this round, but had 2 Traps. One called Nutrient Z to raise her LP before she was struck with all that power, and the second was Flashbang to prevent further damage to her by ending Anthony's turn. Sure she was up to 1100 now, but one attack like that... and she's finished. This was her last chance!
Everyone watched the battle closely, this was like the chess games all over again! Irina cheered Anthony on the whole time, for she didn't want to fight him either. Asia supported both Rias and Anthony, not wanting to take only one side. Koneko, Akeno, Xenovia and Kiba were silent; for they didn't have much to say. Kiba himself didn't care who won or not, he just wanted to fight either holy sword wielder, and really wished Rias and Anthony would stop playing games... literally.
"It was a good game, Ri. Not bad for a Vir-Gin-Oh" Anthony said, sure he was gonna win. Unless Rias drew Swords of Revealing Light or something similar to buy some time, her options were limited. Plus, this wasn't like Chess were she could SEE her options laid out in front of her, she had to adapt accordingly to whatever card(s) she drew.
She drew her card, giving her a total of 5 in her hand... then with a sly smile, slapped them on the table so they were spread out like a fan...
It was Exodia.
The only way to describe the sound coming out of the mouth of the exaggerated wide-eyed Anthony while he pointed to the 5 pieces of the games most iconic instant-win, was someone strangling a turkey. Rias propped her head up on the table using her arms, holding her head on top of her intertwined fingers with a smile on her face. "Checkmate" she said.
"T-T-T-THAT DOESN'T COUNT! FALLO! CHIAMO FALLO!" Anthony said. "Guess your Heart of the Cards was on my side" said Rias, shoving her victory in Anthony's face. "Bullshit! You must've did some magic shit to my cards!" Anthony said, not willing to accept he was beaten at this own game... weird. He also felt a sense of déjà vu.
"A deals a deal" said Rias, enjoying the fact she beat Anthony at his game like he did to her and Sona, but also the sight of Anthony whining about it. "I DEMAND A RECOUNT! DO-OVER! DO-OVER!" He yelled, then he got his cheek pinched by Rias from across the table. "Good game. We'll see you outside" she said while pulling on the skin of his cheek before letting go, then getting up to head outside.
"... Good game, we'll see you outside" Anthony mimicked Rias' voice, then stuck his tongue out slightly and blew to make a farting noise. [My, my; how the table has turned...] Ddraig telepathically joked, giving a toothy grin. 'Go back to your mountain, Shooting Star' Anthony snapped back.
-TIME BREAK-
Everyone had stepped outside in the front yard of the clubhouse. Currently; she, Akeno, Asia and Koneko were standing in a small group together. Rias' arms were crossed, Akeno's were clasped together near her waist, Asia's were held as if praying, and Koneko's were just hanging by her sides.
Even though she fought bravely for this, Rias half-approved of the sparring match that was about to go down. On one hand, she could get in serious trouble should the higher-ups find out that an unofficial battle was taking place, especially with church members. While training was an acceptable excuse she could use, that was only if it was in the current family house. For example, a Phenex can't train with a Gremory because that would be a conflict of interest.
On the other hand... Rias wanted to see 'weed head' get smoked.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asked Akeno, for as said above, she was thinking this was a conflict of interest. She also didn't want to see Anthony or Kiba get hurt. While Anthony was still human and wouldn't be killed by a single slash of a Holy Sword, Kiba still could. Not that the Queen doubted either one of them, they both had incredible skill sets; but she was worried for their well-being all the same.
Also, Rias herself could face serious consequences should anyone in the high rankings find out, and being a Gremory wouldn't be enough to save her. "Its an informal bout, not an official battle" said Rias, her decision final. Yes, she realized she could technically get into trouble for this; but the temptation to see the blue-haired, smartass bimbo get schooled was too good of a show to miss. All she needed now was popcorn and a soda.
After all participants agreed to spar, with no killing a rule, the Church girls threw their long cloaks aside to reveal what outfits they were really wearing.
They were... interesting.
What they were wearing were suits made of leather, with long boots and gloves of the same material to match. These suits were also VERY tight-fighting, showing off every curve they had to offer. There was a gap to show some skin of the thighs, yet it covered above the knee and below. Belts also circled their groins, with a second belt under their breasts like a makeshift push-up bra. For good measure, they each had a cross around their necks, which hung low enough to go in-between their chests.
They definitely looked holy, if you wanted Anthony's "honest" opinion.
"Funny. They kicked me for impurity, but this" he commented, pointing out some more hypocrisy. "It's to help reduce drag, for better mobility while we fight" Xenovia explained. "... yeaaaaaah, that's what its for" Anthony said. He had to admit, both girls had nice bodies, with the suits amplifying that by 100.
Both Xenovia and Irina drew their weapons, holding them out while striking a pose. Creepily, Kiba began laughing, but it wasn't in a wholesome way... it radiated malice. "Your laughing?" Xenovia questioned.
"It's been years... the one thing I've wanted to destroy, is now right in front of me..." said Kiba with a dark tone, then out of nowhere, swords erupted around him in a 360 degree radius. This was no surprise to Anthony or the Devils, but Irina and Xenovia had noticeable reactions to it. "No way..." said Irina, realizing what this was. "Sword Birth, is it? Then you must be the escaped subject of the Holy Sword Project... My condolences" said Xenovia, having some respect for her opponent.
Truth be told, while the swords were church property, it always disgusted her and Irina that children were used to create them. They never said anything though, talking about the origins of these weapons was a sensitive topic for the church. "Anthony, I can't believe were actually doing this. My goal was to learn how to use a Holy Sword, and help everyone after you were wrongfully cast out... God must be testing my will" said Irina, still not sure if she could do this even though they agreed too.
Anthony sweatdropped. "... think of it as a game of Smash" he said, using their favorite childhood game to try and rid her of her worries. [Wait. YOU SMASHED?!] Blurted out Ddraig. "NO!" Anthony yelled at his Boosted Gear. After sighing from Ddraig's gutter-minded question, "Let's just, take it easy, alright?" He continued. As much as he didn't want to fight Irina right now, a deal was a deal (which Rias'll never let him live down, he was sure).
Irina smiled and nodded at Anthony, then went on the attack after dawning a determined face. She got within striking distance of Anthony in mere seconds, then jumped above him to try and attack him with a downward slash. While she did miss due to him backing off, she did slice off a portion of a bottom corner of Anthony's Kuoh Academy jacket. "EHI! What happened to take it easy?!" Asked Anthony, barely avoiding that strike.
Irina had a flush on her face for some reason. "To reunite with one of my oldest friends, only to do battle like in our favorite game... ahhhhh! Fate can be so cruel!" She said. "I'm SO GLAD your enjoying yourself!" Anthony yelled at her with a sarcastic tone. He had seen this look many times, she would get this way whenever they'd get really into a game. She was a gamer at heart back in the day... guess that carried over to swordsmanship as well.
[Maybe you should have used Mortal Kombat instead] said Ddraig, suggesting Anthony should have used that game as an example instead. "Are you kidding? That's fucking worse!" Anthony appalled, holding up his dragon arm to say that to Ddraig's gem. That was the worst idea he ever heard! The last thing he need was some random-ass, deep voice in the background saying: Finiscilo! (AN: Italian for: Finish Him!)
"You may wanna avoid those direct attacks, Holy Swords are no joke" said Rias. "Yeah, thanks Stella Vermillion" Anthony responded.
[BOOST!]
While Irina and Anthony were just starting their fight, Xenovia and Kiba hadn't even begun yet. Speaking of the Knight, he had his eyes locked on Xenovia's and her blade the entire time. "The Red Dragon's Boosted Gear, Asia's Twilight Healing and your Sword Birth... you Devils certainly aren't lacking firepower with those sacred treasures" Xenovia complimented, again showing a bit of respect.
"Believe me, this Gear isn't just for show..." Kiba began, then gabbed one of the swords he Birthed. "I wield this power thanks to the sacrifice of my fallen comrades, who were killed for NOTHING!" Kiba suddenly became even more angrier than before, and rushed at Xenovia, attempting to slice her while she blocked his attacks, though she was having a bit of trouble keeping up with his speed. One wrong move, and her head was probably going to get cut off.
"I will destroy ALL of the Excaliburs! INCLUDING their wielders! I will avenge them, and won't let their sacrifice be in vain!" Declared Kiba as he continued slashing at Xenovia. She manged to hit his sword pretty hard, forcing him to recoil, but he quickly recovered and the two kept sword fighting.
"Just being touched by a Holy Sword could put a Devil's life in jeopardy, let alone an Excalibur. Kiba's at a huge disadvantage" said Akeno, worriedly. Even if this was unofficial, the consequences were still as real. "What about Anthony? Didn't Ddraig say that an Excalibur could slay a dragon too?" Asia added, remembering Ddraig had mentioned some of Excalibur's history to her and Rias. And since Anthony was part dragon now, didn't that mean he was in just as much danger as Kiba was?
"I'm not worried. Kiba and Anthony can handle themselves" Rias said, assuring both she wasn't concerned... which wasn't entirely true. Kiba was clearly in a dark place right now, and while Anthony was as human as Irina and Xenovia; what Asia said was a good point. He was partially a dragon now due to giving up his arm. Did she doubt Kiba and Anthony's skills? No. Of course not. She DID have faith, but those swords were part of the one of the worlds most powerful weapons even by human standards. There's no telling what kind of damage they could cause.
[BOOST!]
When Anthony Boosted again, he mistimed his punch and Irina took it as an opening. Instinctively, Anthony covered his face with his left arm.
SLASH! CLACK!
Anthony cringed when his left arm was stuck. "OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY! ARE YOU...?" Irina frantically asked after finishing her attack, but...
"... Nothing happened" Anthony said, looking at his arm in confusion, half expecting to be in pain and the armor to break or something. But he was ok. Irina was also surprised, but for a few different reasons. The first was because her mind was going back to her training as she fought, so she couldn't stop herself from striking Anthony and slicing his arm off. And just as she regretted her decision, it appeared he was completely fine.
She was glad he wasn't hurt, but it damaged her pride to see that even after all her hard work, she couldn't get a scratch on an opponent.
"See? I told you, he's perfectly fine" Rias said proudly, her confidence also restored upon seeing nothing ill happen to Anthony. The sword didn't look to bother him at all, aside from his facial expression assuming it would. [Of course we are. Its only piece of Excalibur, not the entire blade] Ddraig said. "I thought you said it killed dragons" Anthony reminded Ddraig, looking at the green orb. [With the sword itself, not a fragment!] Ddraig said, trying not to sound annoyed.
Anthony blinked. "... Uh... English?"
With a heavy groan, Ddraig began to explain in greater detail. [Blessing... Ruler... Nightmare... Transparency... Rapidly... Mimicry... Destruction... These seven swords were once a single unit that gave Excalibur and its wielder seemingly infinite power, each one containing an attribute the original sword had,] as Ddraig spoke, we see 7 different swords with varying designs appear in a circle, one-by-one.
As Ddraig gave more facts about Excalibur, a small scene would also play along with it.
[Blessing... the Sword of Belief. Granting one the power to expel demons, and even strengthen themselves with willpower alone.] A blacked-out humanoid was shown surrounded by demons and then swarmed, but the radiating light of the sword repelled them once they dogpiled the swordsman.
[Ruler... the Sword of Control. With this, the swordsman can manipulate anyone or anything they wish. And if exposed long enough, the controlled will submit to the holders will without question.] A blacked-out humanoid raised the sword, and with a blinding light, a crowd of other individuals grabbed their heads as if in pain. After a while, they stood up straight, not moving at all unless commanded.
[Nightmare... the Sword of Illusion. As its name implies, it can create an infinite amount of images, mental and physical, to confuse enemies. It can even give life to ones very thoughts.] A blacked-out humanoid was fighting another swordsman, but a wall popped out of nowhere to stop to incoming attack. A second Nightmare (a clone of the original) wielder appeared from behind the other swordsman, driving the sword into its back and killing it instantly.
[Transparency... the Sword of Invisibility. It's power should be obvious.] A blacked-out humanoid was once again surrounded, this time by 5 other swordsmen. But just when the Transparency wielder was swarmed, it vanished. The others were confused... and couldn't stop random attacks coming out of nowhere. Be it an arm slicing off, or being pushed over and a blood wound appeared, like a stabbing. The final swordsman was grabbed in a chokehold, and his neck was sliced; the Transparency wielder reappearing at that point, and dropping the now-dead foe.
[Rapidly... the Sword of Heavenly Flare, though Speed would be a more literal title. Not only does it give this owner a speed increase, rivaling the speed of light itself, but also enhanced stamina to keep going non-stop.] A blacked-out humanoid had dummies around it, some in places it would be impossible to strike unless one can stand on or run along walls and ceilings. The sword glowed with power and in a flash, the Rapidly user was gone, and every single dummy was cut in half in less than 2 seconds. The swordsman reappeared, holding to sword up high in triumph.
[And finally, Mimicry and Destruction.] The scene changes back to the open field, showing Irina holding the sword and staring at, and Xenovia's and Kiba's swords clash. [Mimicry can change into any shape the controller wants, with Destruction being the swords raw power.] Ddraig finished.
"Seriously?! The sword can do all that?" Anthony asked, though mainly out of shock. It kinda made some sense to him. The Destruction sword was bulkier than the Mimic one, so all its power was focused into that thing. And speaking of Mimic, every interpretation of King Arthur's sword was drastically different for each artist and story it was involved in, so that explained why that occurred throughout the stories. Irina was also a bit surprised, not realizing these tiny pieces held so much power if they were ever brought together. They were dangerous!
Actually, it mirrored a certain guy with a monkey tail looking for balls with stars on them... what was that show again?
[Why else to do think other Kingdoms wanted it? It's wealth in gold?] Ddraig sarcastically remarked, still trying not to sound annoyed at Anthony's lack of knowledge on the subject. "So what your saying is, unless the entire sword is reforged, we're immune?" Asked Anthony, choosing to ignore Ddraig's last remark. [Oh, me and my arm? We're totally fine] Ddraig said.
Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was implying then.
Irina was now very concerned with attacking Anthony now, gamer-girl persona or not. His left arm was protected, if what that dragon arm was saying was true, but what about the other 85% of him? The only reason she was willing before was because this was supposed to be a friendly bout, but with that big reveal of the swords' power, Irina wasn't sure if she had the heart to continue. If she was paired with Kiba, maybe. But not Anthony. He was still human... even if 15% of him was dragon now.
Irina lowered her sword. "... I can't do this..." she said, then a tear started going down her face. "Even if you are an ally to the Devils... Dear God! Forgive me! I'm not strong enough!" She said with folded hands, dropping her Holy Sword, and looking up to the sky.
Anthony couldn't stand seeing one of his friends cry. Even if they were on opposite sides. "... Irina? Pick up your sword" said Anthony gently, making Irina look at him. "W... What?" She asked. "Come on! If this was a real battle, your opponent would have cut you down already" Anthony said.
While he was trying to convince Irina to pick up her weapon, Xenovia just managed to push back an enraged Kiba, catching the scene between her fellow holy swordswoman and Red Dragon. Don't get her wrong, it was honorable for him to try and get her to continue, plus he did have a point of this was a REAL fight; but at the same time, he seemed way too nice for his own good, even if the roles were reversed.
How the hell could someone like this go toe-to-toe with Riser Phenex, one of the most powerful Devils in the Underworld? She thought this before going back into battle with Kiba, who came charging at her again.
"But if I didn't strike your dragon arm, I might have..." Irina tried to explain her hesitation, but Anthony cut her off. "Fuggedaboutit! I'll be fine, I promise" he said, then added something extra: "This is your dream, right? To learn how to use a Holy Sword because of me? Then put those skills to the test! See what you can really do with that thing!" Of course, as said before, he didn't want to fight Irina. But as long as he didn't get killed and a friend ended up getting stronger, then it was a win-win in his book.
[BOOST!]
Irina was stunned, but shouldn't be surprised. This was always how Anthony was, always encouraging. It was the same way when they encountered Tabuu in Smash Bros. Brawl, and it took them a bunch of tries until they finally defeated him. Irina wanted to stop playing the game after the 7th attempt, for the demon keeping killing them with knockbacks even when a minimal damage (especially that wave attack when he went into the background). But Anthony kept saying they could do it if they didn't give up.
After getting closer and closer each time, and once they DID finally destroy him, Irina could swear she FELT a fresh flood of Dopamine spread throughout her body. That was also the moment of their first kiss. She grabbed his face and planted it right on him... they both blushed afterward, though they never brought it up again.
Smiling at Anthony, Irina picked up her sword, and readied herself to go after Anthony again. Once she was ready, she sped forward and slashed at him again, though he blocked it with his dragon arm. "Come on, Asuna. Gotta be quicker than that" Anthony joked with her, egging her on. Irina then changed her Mimic into a dagger, and began swiping at Anthony with it. He narrowly avoided each swipe. She then made it into a scimitar.
SLASH! CLACK!
Right as Anthony blocked that attack, Irina immediately changed her Mimic into a zweihänder, which required her to use two hands to hold it, and swung it like a baseball bat.
Anthony: CHRIST!
SWOOSH!
Anthony had to duck to avoid that one. Anthony had to keep on his toes for anything Irina could think of as a weapon, since that sword will become it. He kinda hoped it could only turn into swords and not a tank...
-FANTASY-
Irina changed her Mimic into a large tank just as Anthony feared. Its cannon lowered right in his face...
BOOOOOOOOM!
Nothing left but a smoking cater of dirt.
...
...
...
Oh. And a dragon arm in the center.
(Credits roll for 2.5 seconds.)
-END FANTASY-
Anthony had to do something. A Dragon Shot maybe?... Nah, 3 Boosts was six times his own strength, that might kill her. Maybe if he condensed it down to one Boost...
[Why not paralyze her?] Suggested Ddraig. That was actually a good idea. It'll give Anthony an opening and then he could... 'Wait, you said you don't know any para...' Anthony realized, remembering Ddraig didn't have that kind of magic.
THEN... he remembered the last time someone was "paralyzed".
-FLASHBACK-
Anthony: Peel back the skin, and beat some meat! *snaps fingers*
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIP!
Mira, Ile, Nel and Xeulean: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
-END FLASHBACK-
"... OOOOOOOOOOH NO! We are NOT! Doing that again!" Protested Anthony, bringing up his arm to yell at Ddraig's gem. [What? It'll give you an opening] said Ddraig. "She doesn't want that kind of opening!" Anthony said, refusing to use Dress Break on Irina, not matter how hot it might be to watch...
[How do you know?] Ddraig challenged him. Being alive then reborn for over thousands of years improved his intuition when it came to certain things, including emotions; especially human ones which he called 'predictable'. It was blatantly obvious that Irina (and Asia) liked Anthony a great deal. Hell, they never let go of the mementos they had of him. Be it a picture or a stuffed animal, they held onto the memories they had of Anthony like their lives depended on it.
In fact; Ddraig could also tell a few girls had, or were at least developing, feelings for his host...
"Oh gee, I don't know. Maybe cause she's CATHOLIC!" Anthony said, being sarcastic, then yelled. Seriously; does this dragons sex drive have an OFF button anywhere? Akeno and Rias... ok, fair play. But Asia and Irina? That's where he drew the line.
[Didn't stop you sleeping with Asia...] Ddraig roasted him, not needing to go into detail about the times Anthony had already broken this unspoken rule he all of a sudden had. "Ok, number one, we were only kids. And number two, I was knocked unconscious!" Anthony defended himself, holding up a dragon claw for each offense. [... So you admit you were thinking it?] Ddraig grinned a toothy grin.
OOH-HOOOOOOO! Shots fired!
For as rare as these occasions were, Ddraig had left Anthony speechless, unable to form a comeback right away. In fact, an image of a Dress Broken Irina filled Anthony's minds eye with her moaning all the while. The poor Catholic girls suit was also torn in a sorts of directions from the thighs up. The only thing covered was bits of her arms and nether regions... everything else was "out in the open".
It was unclear which mind this originated from, or if it was from a bit of both. "... that is NOT the point!" Anthony hesitated for a second, which thankfully Irina didn't catch upon, though she was staring in confusion why he was talking to himself.
[You had no problem 'opening' those Pawns.]
"Because you tricked me."
[Or the Bomb Queen.]
"THAT WAS A DIFFERENT CONTEXT!"
[You said Irina was your friend.]
"Yeah! NOT with benefits!"
[You mean to tell me your not the least bit curious?]
"WE ARE NOT USING PAUSA VESTITO, JAKE LONG!"
Irina just watched as Anthony continued to argue with himself, now downright confused. Was he talking to the Red Dragon?... His name was Ddraig or something, right? "Um... ok? It gave us insight before, now he's arguing with it?" She asked no one in particular. Did this happen often? And what did Pausa Vesitito mean? Anthony really needs to learn to talk in plain English or Japanese, cause those languages Irina understood.
"You should watch out for that thing..." Came Koneko's voice. "Seriously, that lizard arm can blow away your clothes just by touching you" she continued, warning Irina of the danger Ddraig and his signature move posed.
"WHAT?! MY CLOTHES?!" Irina said, shocked at what she just heard. Dragons were an honorable species, right? What kind of sick freak would create a power like that?!
"KONEKO!"/[KONEKO!] Whined both Ddraig and Anthony. Why did Hello Kitty have to bring that up NOW?! He was already dealing with Ddraig's antics, yet the kid still thought it was a good idea to let someone know something that Anthony wasn't proud of either, and something he preferred was never brought up again.
"Is that true? You willing to use a dragons power just to see some naked breasts?" Irina asked, not wanting to believe that statement.
... Crap. How was Anthony supposed to respond to that? He sees 1 set of naked breasts almost every night, and mentioning that wouldn't be good for this situation unless he was talking to Riser or the Perverted Duo. He could say no, but then Koneko might bring up what happened at the Rating Game, shoving him further down the rabbit hole.
It didn't help what Ddraig added to the conversation...
[Boobs aren't just naked fat ya know! They're filled with men's hopes and dreams!]
...
...
...
Rias sighed, Asia got an embarrassed smile, Akeno kept her smile, Koneko kept her emotionless expression, and Irina was a bit shocked. As for Anthony: "... there's gotta be a mute button on this thing" he said, twisting and rotating the Boosted Gear to find such a button. [Second of all, why would you give up such a flawless battle tactic to the enemy?] Ddraig then asked Koneko. "Because your both the enemy to all women" Koneko simply stated.
"ME?! IT'S NOT EVEN MY ARM!" Anthony defended himself. "Yet its still attached to you" Koneko stated again; hitting them with cold, hard facts. Anthony sighed with his arms going limp and his back slouching over, then Ddraig started softly sobbing. [Sometimes the things she says really hurt] he whined. "No, they're just true" Anthony said.
"I can hardly believe how you ended up, Anthony. Processed by an lecherous dragon... DEAR GOD! I BEG IN YOUR WISDOM, YOU'LL NEVER FORGIVE THIS SCALY PERVERT!" Cried Irina, then putting her sword under her arm so she could fold her arms and pray. "Preach it to him, sister" said Koneko. [IT'S NOT MY FAULLLLLLLLLT!] Ddraig cried.
As Anthony and Irina's battle was on hold, Xenovia and Kiba were talking it to the next level. After repelling each other again for perhaps the 100th time, Kiba tried using 2 swords at once. Picking up 2 from the ground, one was a fire sword, the other was an ice one. Slashing like a madman, Kiba closed in on Xenovia while letting out a battle cry, each sword he slashed with leaving a trail of its respective element.
The yelling is what got Anthony to look at the fighting swordsmen... this wasn't like Kiba at all. Usually he was calm and collected... but now...
SLASH! SHATTER!
With a single swipe, Xenovia cut both of Kiba's swords with her Excalibur. But she wasn't done with her attack yet...
STAB! BOOOOOOOOM!
The power behind that downwards swipe caused the wind the blow, and the ground to shake. So much so that Irina lost her balance and fell on her rump. Everyone else was fine, but all were astounded by the sheer power this Excalibur piece had. It looked like Ddraig wasn't exaggerating when he said even though split, this fragment of the great Holy Sword still contained its pure might. When the dust finally settled, Xenovia was shown in a medium-sized crater, and Kiba was maybe an inch away from it.
His speed narrowly helped him avoid such a strike, but any second slower...
Kiba however, was in shock for only a second before going back to his darkened expression. "Even after being split, its still this strong... heh, there'll just be lots of carnage when I destroy all of them" he said, in a tone completely out of his character.
"Irina, you ok?" Asked Anthony as he helped Irina up from her fall by offer her his dragon hand. At first, she hesitated after hearing what it could do to her, but grabbed hold of it regardless. "Yeah, I'm ok. Not the first time she destroyed the ground" she said as Anthony pulled her up.
[Huh... she still has the aura control problem...] Ddraig muttered to himself. Ignoring that statement as he helped Irina stand (for the Italian had no idea what Ddraig was blabbing about this time), Anthony put his attention back on Kiba. He of course, knew where this rage was coming from.
It was all that deep-seeded hatred harbored towards the Excaliburs' and the church that was responsible for using Kiba and his friends as lab rats. Anthony could understand it, seeing as he and Kiba had that much in common, only difference was Anthony was banished as opposed to being sacrificed. He disliked the church for that decision sure, but couldn't begin to imagine what it felt like holding on all the resentment Kiba had. The only thing close to that was Raynare killing his family, and he basically Thanos-ed her to oblivion once she admitted it.
Kiba then summoned forth a new sword, one that was as long as Xenovia's Destruction sword, and just as bulky. It had an intense amount of demonic power, more to be expected for a Knight. Kiba's anger must be so great, those emotions were fueling his power. With another yell, Kiba ran for... hang on. Was Kiba going slower? Usually he'd dash of towards an enemy like The Flash on meth.
Right as Kiba swung his great blade, Xenovia took advantage of Kiba's lower level of speed, and struck him on his abdomen with one of the axe-shaped blades on the hilt. It wasn't hard enough to pierce Kiba's clothes or skin, but it still had the same effect as the holy cross against Riser. Just by its touch alone, Kiba almost immediately coughed up blood. Xenovia pulled the sword away and with nothing to support Kiba's weight, the Knight fell the the ground, also dropping his sword.
"How naive... using a sword like that, while it was indeed powerful, cut back on the speed you Devil Knights are so proud of. Please tell me you understood that BEFORE creating such a blade" Xenovia reprimanded him, as it was obvious to her Kiba was fighting using his emotions, and not his brain. "Any Knight needs to fight rationally, not emotionally... but you already knew that as my superior, right?" She continued, then mocked what Kiba said earlier.
Not only was Kiba embarrassed, he was angry at both Xenovia's words... and himself. This also made Anthony a bit upset, how dare she kick a man when he was down, let alone clearly not right in the head?
Irina looked at what Xenovia had done. She always had that type of attitude, and it wasn't the first opponent she had beaten in a sword fight, but this was the first time she seen its effects firsthand on a Devil. She didn't even so much as scratch him, and Kiba doubled over in agony! "But... he was only touched" Asia said, frightened by the display before her. "A touch from a Holy Sword" said Akeno, her fears from earlier now being confirmed.
Thankfully, Kiba would be alright since it WASN'T an actual cut, the only thing really damaged was his pride as he laid on the ground like a lowly worm.
"We're done here. Irina, finish up. We've got swords to find" said Xenovia, wanting to get a move on. Don't get her wrong, this was an interesting fight and all, and that Demonic Sword very well COULD have matched her Excalibur, but the only reason she was able to pull that win off was because as already stated, Kiba's speed was greatly reduced by wielding that sword. It was pretty pointless for his battle style, using quickness and agility rather than power.
Irina looked at Xenovia, at Anthony, her Mimic, then Xenovia's Destruction. She repeated this again, debating on what she should do. Should she continue fighting Anthony? He said he was ok with it, but Xenovia did have a point about hurrying up since they still had a mission to complete. But seeing the power of these swords really bothered her, what if on the odd chance Anthony missed a block? Seeing Kiba on the ground the way he was triggered a small fantasy in Irina's head. She was fighting Anthony as Xenovia said, but he mistimed a deflect, and his arm came straight off! Blood was spraying everywhere like a hose on full blast, as Anthony cried out and grabbed his limb in pain, the severed part of it staining the grass red as it sat there.
She felt her heart drop into her stomach and the acid within it burn the organ as she thought those dark thoughts. She continued to moot with herself, before coming to a decision.
...
...
...
She sheathed her Mimic, turning it back into its armband-form, surprising everyone. "I forfeit" she said, no longer willing to continue this fight anymore. It was fun at first, but became too serious for her. She couldn't put Anthony's life in danger, even if this was just a sparring match spawned by a disagreement. Irina also didn't care if Xenovia would be mad at her later, she just couldn't do it anymore.
"Good. I was hoping for a tiebreaker" said Anthony, stepping away from Irina and went towards Xenovia while punching his dragonic palm with his human fist. With Kiba down and Irina giving up, the fight wasn't over. Now to reiterate, the Devil girls DID NOT doubt Anthony, but going up against the Excalibur piece that held the full Excalibur's strength? As they saw what it did to Kiba, maybe this was going a little too far... but Rias did not call him back. Was she concerned? Of course she was. But that didn't mean Anthony couldn't knock Xenovia down a few pegs. Plus he Boosted a few times already, so he should be fine.
That, and Rias really wanted to see her taken down by her favorite Pawn.
"We don't have time for this" Xenovia said, dismissing him at first. "Awwwww... is big-bad Xena afwaid the wittle Pawn's gonna snap your sword in two?" Anthony mocked her, which had the desired effect. She looked at Anthony and frowned at his statement, obviously he was challenging her. She took another battle stance and prepared for combat again, wanting to get this over with.
[BOOST!]
Anthony's first move was a single Boosted Dragon Shot. It traveled to Xenovia at incredible speed...
SLASH!
Using her Destruction, Xenovia was able to cancel out the attack quite easily. "Ok... one Boost: not enough" Anthony noted. [Of course one wasn't enough! That sword is LITERAL. DESTRUCTION] said Ddraig. "Chiudere!" Anthony snapped at him. Xenovia then jumped at Anthony, giving a battle cry and raising her sword to strike. "HOLY XENA TITS!" He yelped as he was in range of Xenovia's attack.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
"ANTHONY!" Both Asia and Irina cried out in worry, hoping he was alright. When the dust settled, another crater was once again made by Xenovia, but Anthony was nowhere in this crater. She happened to look towards the left to see Anthony glowing for a brief second. He must have used his Pawn powers to promote himself, but into what? Reports have stated he cannot become a Queen for some reason; so that only left a Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
"Fuck me sideways with an Alaskan Pipeline" said Anthony, then with wide-eyed; he had to jump away from Xenovia coming at him again, only he dashed off in a blur. He must've promoted himself to a Knight then. "What happened to all your tough talk, Red Dragon?" Xenovia asked him.
[BOOST!]
"Heh. Just needed a reheat" said Anthony.
[EXPLOSION!]
Now even Xenovia got a bit nervous. The Boosted Gears "Explosion" call releases all its stored power at once, and according to him and the dragon spirit, Anthony only used a single Boost for that energy beam. With 4 Boosts, his strength was now 8x more powerful than it normally was. This time, Anthony seemed to fade out of existence as he booked it toward Xenovia, who barely blocked the strike from the human's dragon arm with her sword.
As the blade hit Anthony's dragon arm, he felt a surge of pain flood into his system despite its protection. Upon meeting the blade, while it wasn't life-threatening, he backed off from the bluenette. "Ow" he said, shaking off the pain in his arm literally. [Do you not listen, or are you just deaf?] Ddraig had to ask his host.
Before Anthony could call Ddraig a name of another pop culture dragon, Xenovia went on the move and swiped at Anthony with her sword. He was able to dodge it with both his enhanced speed as a Knight, along with its Boosted speed from Explosion. Once he did that, he circled and tried attacking her from behind. Xenovia however, already predicted that somehow (or took a wild guess and got lucky), and did a backflip to dodge Anthony's sneak attack.
Credit where credit was due. Did Anthony think she was a bitch? Yes, definitely. And he might have power and speed, but Xenovia had instincts. Likewise, Xenovia was thinking perhaps she underestimated Anthony. Did she think he was an asshole? Of course. And while she had experience, he was a quick thinker... but lets see him think his way out of this!
The second she landed on her feet, she swung her sword straight up.
SLASH!
Either she swung too late (which was unlikely) or slightly too far, and/or Anthony was already moving away; but she missed her target. She DID however, manage to slice off his school jacket from the back. Anthony stopped to crane his neck to observe the damage. Xenovia cut clean through. "Seriously? That was 100% polyester!" Said Anthony, but he didn't have time to take the halves off since Xenovia was coming again.
"Um, mister Kiba? Do you need a hand?" Asked Irina, going to Kiba's side to help him while Xenovia and Anthony fought on. Kiba did get up, but brushed her hand away. "I don't need your help" was all he said as he went over to where the rest of the ORC were standing, where Koneko also offered him to balance on her, which is also denied politely. His tone was very neutral to both the holy swordswoman and the little white-haired Devil.
With Kiba out of the crossfire, Irina watched as her two friends continued to fight each other... and it wasn't like she could ask them too stop either. If Anthony and Xenovia had one thing in common, they both had a sense of honor, and quitting something before finishing it was out of the question for them.
Back to the duel, since he was avoiding attack after attack, the torn jacket had fallen off of Anthony's person. After avoiding the latest strike, Anthony punched Xenovia in the side of her body with his dragon arm. She was launched about 10 feet across the field, and rolled along the ground due to the force of Anthony's punch. She stood back up, but it was clear the side of her torso wasn't feeling 100% now because when she tried getting up, she stumbled a bit from the pain before fully standing.
"Not bad for a 'little Devil', eh?" Anthony mocked her. He charged at Xenovia again. This was it! He was gonna...!
The green glow of the Boosted Gear subsided, the Boosted power all used up. Anthony tripped on himself due to the slightly lower speed because he didn't expect it and while he did recover reasonably quickly, Xenovia took it as a chance to swing her sword again. Since he was still Promoted to a Knight, Anthony was able to back off. Knowing he needed extra power to stand a chance against Xenovia, Anthony raised the Gear call upon its power.
"Need some juice. Looks like its Boosting Time!" He said as the Gear glowed again,
[RESET!]
Then dimmed just as quickly. It took Anthony a couple of seconds to register that announcement in his brain, having gotten so used to hearing "Boost" or "Explosion". He tried calling upon its power again, but there was no response. "Aw, come on! I hit my limit already?!" Anthony questioned with a hint of aggravation. He felt fine, not like when his power was completely drained the last time he hit his limit, so what was the problem?
[That was Burst, this is a simple Reset. The Gear needs time to cool down after using Explosion] explained Ddraig. "... HUH?!" Asked Anthony, not understanding why this new announcement was happening now of all times. If he didn't hit his limit, then why couldn't he just start Boosting again? [It's like lifting weights! You can't keep going without a break, otherwise the weight itself will crush you!] Ddraig explained more in detail.
"... So you have limitless power, yet have to recharge?" Asked Anthony, deadpanned. [Yeah; I do... you don't] said Ddraig. This made sense. Ddraig DID in fact have nearly a limitless supply of energy, Anthony was merely borrowing it, but only as much as his body would allow. So when he uses it all up, the Gear itself needs to recharge its batteries. In basic terms, it was another defense mechanism like Burst was; only difference there was only a short waiting period before he could restart.
It still sucked, but it made sense. "My Life as a Teenage Dragon would be so much easier if you tell me these things sooner" Anthony sighed.
Xenovia, like everyone else here, heard what the dragon said. This was her chance to turn this around before he could start increasing his power again! She rushed at Anthony, swung at him, and keep doing that in an attempt to hit him. He ducked and evaded every swipe, though he did the top of his hair cut off. At least he didn't have to pend yen to get a haircut now...
Jumping back from Xenovia's assault, Anthony used his Meat-eor Ball Shower technique to launch tiny balls of meat covered in red sauce. However, without Sona's infused magic, they didn't home in on Xenovia. His aim was almost perfect, but the fact that they weren't Boosted at all did very little to Xenovia. She either dodged, or blocked the meatballs with her sword. The only thing they did was make a pretty decent mess.
[I told you it was worthless in combat] commented Ddraig. Anthony ignored him but saw out of the corner of his eye, he ended up near the circle of swords from Kiba's Sword Birth. As Xenovia came at him again, not caring which one he got ahold of and despite his VERY limited experience in swordsmanship, Anthony pulled out a random sword to block Xenovia's attack.
CUT!
That sword was rendered useless. She swung again, and he went for another one...
CUT!
Same result.
CUT! CUT! CUT, CUT! CUT!
Every sword Kiba had "Birthed" had now been used up, but one. The final sword was one Anthony recognized as the Holy Eraser. Kiba used that on Freeds light sword when they went to save Asia, it devoured light right? Maybe he could weaken Xenovia's Excalibur with it! Picking the sword quickly,
CUT!
So much for that idea. [Please tell me you didn't honestly think that would work?] Ddraig asked, once again annoyed. Anthony never answered, which was all the answer Ddraig needed. "Perhaps I misjudged you... that is until you began running away like a scared child" said Xenovia, giving Anthony some credit, but then went back to insulting him.
[BOOST!]
FINALLY! That seemed like it took forever. With him able to boost up again, Anthony held up his arm to show it off. "Your right. Why don't we change that?" He said with a smirk.
-TIME BREAK-
The battle continued for the next several minutes. Craters and singed patches of grass littered the field, a few trees were either cut down or looked like they've been blasted with a ray gun, and now both participants held themselves up with their choice of weapon, taking in deep breathes to fill their tired bodies with fresh oxygen. Both Italians clothes were tattered: Anthony's had cuts in the fabric, and Xenovia's had patches disintegrated, though these were from Dragon Shots and not Dress Break.
Neither wanted to give up. It wasn't that one was more powerful than the other, while they did have different skill sets. The simple truth of the matter was: they were both stubborn.
Anthony went to stand first, getting up slowly. His legs shook like Jello during an earthquake, and he unfortunately lost his balance and fell in the dirt. Seeing this, Xenovia went to get up herself and try to finish him off, but her legs shook the same way and was forced to use her sword to keep balance. Both didn't want to admit it, but they were both incredibly weak from that drawn-out battle. The high schoolers watching found this worrying, but also admirable. Both fighters refused to give up on their beliefs, but it was concerning on what injuries they may have sustained.
[Since you two aren't gonna say it, I think we should call it a draw] Ddraig spoke up, suggesting they end the fight here as it wasn't going anywhere.
"A draw?! But we're not finished!" Anthony protested, bring his Gear in front of him, not willing to give in despite being completely out of gas. He wanted to defend Asia's and Kiba's honor, he couldn't quit now! [Ok... if either of you can stand for more than 3 seconds without falling over yourselves, then fine] Ddraig sarcastically remarked. Getting a bit irritated at that, Anthony went to prove him wrong, only he couldn't lift himself all the way off the ground.
[Stop... stop. Your gonna hurt yourself. This battle is over] Ddraig told his master in a concerned tone. "What about fighting like a real dragon?" Said Anthony, turning one of Ddraig's quotes against him. [Unless you wanna trigger Burst again, I highly recommend standing down. Besides, look at her,] Ddraig said, warning what could happen if Anthony continued fighting. He would relive falling down a roof again.
Speaking of Ddraig's mention of Xenovia. She was doing about as well as Anthony was, not able to stand on her own two feet due to exhaustion. [Miss Quarta is in a Burst state of her own. Neither one of you can even so much as piss, let alone fight.] And Ddraig was right. She and Anthony have gone nonstop for a while now, and neither showed either sign of faltering, but they were too proud to admit defeat.
[Unofficial battle or not, you still both fought for what you believed in. That is a victory within itself. But before you both do irreversible damage to your bodies, I suggest you leave it here. Because at this rate, you'll keep fighting, and then you'll BOTH go down, completely nullifying the whole point] Ddraig concluded, giving some words of wisdom.
It was actually Xenovia who spoke up first. "... fine. I can accept that" she said. Like Anthony, she didn't want to stop until the matter was settled, but what was the point of you had no energy left to the point you can't even do the basic function of standing? "... eh, alcuno" said Anthony, not wanting to surrender, but understood the logic behind it.
Seeing that the duel had come to a close, Irina and Xenovia went to pick up their respective robes they tossed off earlier. Akeno and Asia kindly offered their healing magic and while Irina welcomed, it, Xenovia denied it. "Since we're done here, we'll be on our way" said Xenovia, putting her robes back on. As she turned to leave,
"Just out of curiosity... do you happen to have any leads on what Fallen Angels stole your precious swords?" Asked Rias, getting Xenovia's attention. "Leads? We already know who... Kokabiel of the Grigoris" said Xenovia.
While Anthony was getting healed by Akeno, the name Kokabiel got both his and Rias' attention, Anthony having heard of it during his time at the church. "Kokabiel? Isn't that the same Fallen Angel that has an army of over 300 thousand?" He asked, wanting to make sure his facts where correct. [Had. He lost them during the Great War, and the Fallen become the faction with the lowest ratio] said Ddraig. "Oh, so it was your fault" said Anthony, half-joking and half-serious.
[HEY! They walked into OUR battle! NOT my fault!] Ddraig insisted. "You mean to tell me your both after a Leader-Class Fallen Angel? Do you both WANT to die?" Asked Rias, concerned for the both of them. Kokabiel was on par with Azazel in terms of strength, despite the latter having a higher ranking than the former. What were Xenovia and Irina going do: charge into his headquarters and ask politely? There's no way they'd survive... even WITH those Excaliburs!
"Like I said, no need to intervene. We're fully prepared to give our lives for the greater good" said Xenovia. "There's already been one death reported. The church sent a Priest ahead of time, but we discovered him dead in an isolated part of town" said Irina as she getting healed by Asia.
"... it was an Excalibur... from Freed Sellzen..." Kiba said. "Freed?!" Asked Asia after gasping. "Seriously? Heath Ledger?!" Anthony said, surprised to hear that name again. He then had several flashbacks about him. The first night they met, the time he violated Asia, then when they tried saving Asia and he was guarding the secret entrance to where the ex-nun was being held.
"After we took down that Stray Devil, I happened to come across him later that night. He was wielding an Excalibur himself" said Kiba, flashing back to his short one-on-one battle with him. Kiba was walking away from the factory he and the ORC had just cleaned out, then a Priest came stumbling out of the corner calling for help; though he died due to blood loss a second later. That's when he and Freed duked it out, but Freed fled using one of his smoke bombs for some reason.
"A Stray Priest?... Interesting. At least we now know what we're up against" said Xenovia. "Thank you for that piece of information, but please don't involve yourselves further in our affairs... come on, Irina. We're leaving" she thanked, but reminded them to stay out their business as agreed, then told Irina they were heading out. Irina wanted to stay, but knew she wasn't gonna be to 'free' Anthony now. She had a job to do.
Plus Xenovia sounded upset with her monotone voice... then again, she always did.
"IRINA!" Called Anthony, which got Irina to turn around, and so did Xenovia. The bluenette was curious what her partner was gonna do no that her childhood best friend had called to her. "I could care less what Karen-ovia wants to do, but YOU? Your really willing to throw you life away? For the same people that treated me like minchia?" He asked. He knew from experience that a High-Class being was no joke, he almost died at ones hands before.
But if its what she REALLY wanted, then Anthony wasn't gonna stop her. Didn't mean he couldn't try and convince her otherwise.
Irina didn't know what minchia meant, but assumed it was a negative word. Anthony seriously needs to speak in plain English around her, but he also made a good point. The church treated him poorly, not even giving him a chance at redemption. She glanced at his left hand, which was now back to normal, seeing how far he'd come since then. She couldn't help but wonder, if he stayed at the church, would he still end up becoming part dragon? If so, would he have still allied with the Devils?
Seeing the interaction between Anthony and Irina, as well as the history the two shared, Xenovia spoke for her since the chestnut-haired girl had not yet responded to Anthony's question.
"I will admit, the way they treated you was unacceptable," she began, which got a genuinely surprised reaction from the Devils, Anthony and Irina. "But the church has changed since then. There are new leaders, though they still want the swords recovered. Personally, I'd much rather have them destroyed, considering their origins and the bias towards your father."
Ya know that shattering sound you hear when you hear a bombshell piece of evidence/statement?... Well everyone froze upon hearing that. Xenovia's statement too. They were shocked more than Akeno's skill level in lightning magic.
Rias: Anthony's... dad?
Asia: ... *has a hand over her mouth*
Akeno: His father?
Koneko: ... *her eyes widened a tiny bit*
Kiba: ... *still angry at the lost to an Excalibur, but also stunned at Xenoiva's declaration*
Irina: Mister Messuri?
"My... my father?... W-What are ya talking about?" Asked Anthony, questioning Xenovia and looking at her with utter confusion. What about his father? Some bias? But that didn't make any sense! Besides, he was dead anyway, so what did he have to do with any of this?
Xenovia just continued looking at Anthony, searching for any sign of deceit... he really didn't know, did he? Both Italians keep staring into each others eyes from a distance. "... let's go" was all Xenovia said as she turned to leave. It wasn't part of her job to share this information, and she actually wasn't SUPPOSED to know herself. It was a heavily guarded secret, just like the Holy Sword Project. And if Anthony didn't know, perhaps there was a reason for that.
"HEY! WAIT UP!" Called Irina, running to catch up to her partner. "YO! WHAT DID YOU MEAN ABOUT MY FATHER?... Come on! I know you can hear me, or you want to speak to my manger first? Cause she's right here!" Anthony yelled after them, mainly Xenovia. He also pointed to his 'manager', whom was the redhead next to him. Xenovia nor Irina responded however, and kept walking until they were out of sight...
Anthony's Italian Dictionary:
1) Fallo! Chiamo fallo: means "Foul! I call foul"
2) Ehi: means "hey"
3) Finiscilo: means "finish him"
4) Pausa Vestito: means "Dress Break"
5) Chiudere: can be used as a ruder and/or more assertive way of telling someone to "shut up"
6) Alcuno: means "whatever"
7) Minchia: another way of saying "shit"