"I understand what you mean, but even so..."
After a few seconds of silence, Xenovia and Irina both showed troubled expressions. As members of the Church, they couldn't bring themselves to cooperate with a devil.
"Of course, by 'cooperation,' I don't mean we'll fight side by side. We'll simply share intelligence. When we face the enemy, you deal with the fallen angels, and we'll handle Galilei. That's all."
Noting their hesitation, Blake spoke calmly.
"Sharing intelligence... In that case, we agree. We've already seen your abilities. With your help, this Holy Sword destruction plan will go much more smoothly."
Xenovia squinted slightly, staring at Blake for a long moment before finally voicing her decision.
"Wait... Really? Xenovia! Are you seriously considering working with a devil?!"
Irina's faith was obviously stronger than Xenovia's, and she couldn't accept the idea of collaborating with a devil.
"The other side includes the fallen angel cadre, Kokabiel. Honestly, it's nearly impossible for us to recover the three holy swords alone."
"At the very least, we need to destroy the three Excaliburs and escape. If we want to prevent our own Excalibur from being taken, we may have to destroy it ourselves. And even then, our chances of survival are less than 30%."
"Even so, we believe we'll find the answers we're looking for here."
"That's right. The higher-ups acknowledged this and sent us here. This is essentially a suicide mission."
"Isn't that the ultimate devotion of believers?"
Irina's expression wavered slightly, but Xenovia simply shrugged as if she had already come to terms with it.
"I've changed my mind. My faith is flexible. I always choose the best option when acting."
"You! I've thought this for a while now, your faith is way too flexible!"
"I won't deny it. But I believe that completing the mission and returning safely is the true faith. To live, to fight, and to continue serving the Lord... Isn't that what we should strive for?"
"...That's true. But..."
"So, technically, we aren't really cooperating with him. We're just exchanging minimal information. When the time comes, we'll complete the mission on our own. Anyway, our main ally is this human, and the devil is just incidental. The Church will recognize that distinction."
Listening to Xenovia's words, Blake raised an eyebrow. She sure is honest.
"Well, whatever you say. Since we've reached an agreement, we'll act tonight. I should be able to pinpoint their location by then."
Blake spoke casually, not particularly concerned with their internal debate.
"Alright. We'll stay at the church for now. Thanks for the hospitality. I'll make sure to repay this favor someday."
With that, Xenovia stood up and walked toward the exit with her holy sword in hand.
"Hey! Wait, wasn't this just about sharing information? When did it turn into acting together?!"
Irina shouted in frustration, hurrying after her.
Blake shook his head, amused. What a peculiar personality.
"Kiba, go back to the club and meet Rias. Everyone is really worried about you."
Blake turned to Kiba, whose expression had softened considerably, and spoke in a calm tone.
"I understand... Thank you."
Hearing this, Kiba nodded before bowing slightly in gratitude.
"There's no need to thank me. That's what friends do, they help each other when the time comes."
Blake said seriously.
Kiba's expression wavered, but after a brief moment of silence, he returned to normal. With a final nod, he left, heading toward the school.
"Kanna, let's go for a walk."
Now that they were alone again, Blake lifted the repelling barrier and turned to Kanna, who had been quietly holding his hand.
"Sure! I want to eat crepes."
Kanna's blue eyes lit up with excitement as she made her request.
Blake smiled and gently patted her head before taking her along to continue their shopping trip.
Time passed quickly, and by the time they finally decided to head back, the sky had already darkened.
"Big Brother Blake, I just felt a strong energy fluctuation over there, but it disappeared almost instantly. Something unusual is happening."
Just as Blake was about to return home, Kanna pointed in a specific direction, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Isn't that the direction of the church? This isn't good!"
Blake's eyes widened as he quickly processed the situation. He had a bad feeling about this.
Without hesitation, he cast a protective barrier around himself, then swiftly picked Kanna up and leaped into the sky.
In response, Kanna's body flickered before transforming into a massive white dragon. Blake landed on her back, and they shot off into the sky.
A powerful gust of wind followed as Kanna broke past the sound barrier. With a deafening sonic boom, they flew toward the church, causing several passersby below to panic, mistaking the noise for thunder.
Before long, they arrived at the church.
Looking at the distorted space before them, Blake narrowed his eyes.
"A barrier... Kanna, break it."
The moment Blake gave the command, a glowing blue sphere of electricity formed in Kanna's mouth.
The next instant, she unleashed a thick bolt of lightning directly at the barrier!
A series of explosive collisions echoed through the air as the barrier, strong enough to withstand attacks from Ultimate-Class Devils, was shattered in an instant, revealing the scene inside.
Hovering just above, Blake quickly took in the situation.
A fallen angel with ten black wings loomed over the battlefield, wielding an enormous sword of light. His expression radiated arrogance.
Below him, two girls, Xenovia and Irina stood in a massive crater, gripping their holy swords tightly. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their breathing was ragged.
It was clear that a brutal battle had just taken place.
[You can find 20 Chapters ahead here
Support link: pat reon.com/RioRaRyu]