NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 63: Observation
'This brings back memories...' thought Vahn, sitting in a comfortable, high-backed, maroon-brown leather office chair with Grayfia standing stoically to his right and Asia to his left, his fingers linked and hands resting on his abdomen as he scanned the nineteen displays hovering before him. Each was linked to a different person's or Familiar's perspective, so while Issei, Kiba, Koneko, Xenovia, and Irina acted as bait and Rias and Akeno visited various temples and shrines to petition the local Ujigami to reinforce the city's wards, he sat in the broadcast-room-turned-command-center with Sona's Peerage, monitoring the search and ready to provide backup at a moment's notice.
Fortunately, unlike the previous time he was in the broadcast room, Vahn wasn't expected to sit still and wait to see how things played out. Grayfia had been permitted to mobilize, and depending on the situation, Sirzechs and several members of his Peerage were prepared to aid them within an hour's notice. Sona had also contacted her sister but asked that she only mobilize with Sirzechs's forces, so if the situation devolved, they had two Satan-Class Devils, three Ultimate-Class, and conceivably even a Dragon Queen to fall back on...
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"All the local Gods have been informed of the situation. How goes the search?" asked Rias, appearing from a crimson Magic Circle with Akeno wearing her Shrine Maiden outfit.
"No luck so far," responded Sona, her expression and tone serious as she explained, "We've been checking abandoned buildings along the city's periphery, but the enemy has likely erected one or more barriers to avoid detection. We likely won't know where they're located until our connection with the search party is severed."
"I see..." muttered Rias, turning her attention to Vahn or, more accurately, his unoccupied lap. She knew it wasn't the time for such things, but after a moment of consideration, she adopted a smile and sat down, entrusting her back to his chest as he unhesitantly settled his hands on her stomach and said, "Well, hello there..." with a smile of his own.
Peering back over her shoulder with slightly narrowed eyes, Sona calmly chided the duo by remarking, "Stay focused..." before returning her gaze to the displays and contending, "Though, if my suspicions are correct, the enemy will likely wait until we're in class to move about. If inciting a large-scale conflict were their only goal, they could simply mobilize their forces and attack Heaven or the Underworld directly..."
Raising her brows, Rias garnered the attention of nearly everyone in the room by asking, "Do you think they're after Vahn...?"
Shaking her head, Sona reasoned, "They would have doubtlessly heard about him by now, but unless they have an informant within our ranks or Heaven, they shouldn't have enough information to justify such a brazen course of action. It's more likely they simply want to delay the impending summit and plant the seeds for future conflict."
"Sona-sama is very likely correct," stated Grayfa, her brows furrowing as she explained, "Kokabiel has always reveled in war. He never wanted the Great War to end and formerly led a group of extremists who believed the Fallen should have sole dominion over the earth and humanity. This belief got most of his supporters and subordinates killed in various conflicts, so we presume he is acting independently or with a small group of loyalists. If he were to mobilize Grigori's forces directly, he would not have escaped the notice of Governor General Azazel."
"That's both a comfort and troubling..." remarked Rias, crossing her right leg over her left and shifting more of her weight onto Vahn's chest as she stated, "Fewer enemies is good, but it almost sounds like he's planning to become a martyr. After all, there are only a handful of ten-winged Fallen. If one were to die, regardless of the circumstances, it would cause quite a stir..."
"That is certainly a possibility—" started Grayfia, but before she could finish and Sona could offer her opinion, Vahn interjected to say, "I don't think that's his goal.."
Shaking his head, Vahn contended, "If death and becoming a martyr were his objectives, it would be easier to pick a fight directly. I believe he stole the Excalibur to lure the other wielders here to Kuoh. And, rather than me, I believe his targets are Rias and Sona, the younger siblings of two of the Four Satans and the heiresses of two of the Underworld's most influential families..."
"That is more likely than not..." affirmed Sona, nodding approvingly and a faint smile developing across her face as she added, "But because of the restrictions placed on the human world and the protection of the Ujigami, there is only so much power a being on Kokabiel's level can exert without repercussions."
"Which is why he requires the Excalibur," appended Grayfia, stating, "Holy Swords and Reliquaries have the power to distort or completely ignore the world's restrictions. That's how miracles occur."
"Then their plan should be to gather as many of the Excalibur as possible to create a hole in the world's restrictions and negate the influence of the local Ujigami..." muttered Sona, crossing her arms and cupping her chin as she reasoned, "But they would require someone capable of drawing out the power of Holy Sword and a location where the world's restrictions and the Ujigami's influence is already relaxed...somewhere like here..."
"Well reasoned," hummed Grayfia, smiling and nodding approvingly as she affirmed, "That is the conclusion that Sirzechs-sama and Beelzebub-sama came to as well."
"If that's the case...the enemy will presumably try to draw us away from the Academy and hijack the barrier we have in place..." inferred Sona, her gaze sharpening behind her glasses as she scrutinized the displays in the air and reasoned, "To do that, they would need bait. And, just in case, we should prepare a second barrier to seal the Academy from the outside. If nothing else, that should buy us time until backup arrives..."
"It would also stop Kokabiel from teleporting away," stated Grayfia, her smile broadening as she was impressed by Sona's reasoning and pleased that Vahn had contributed. He might lack common sense and experience, but he could be remarkably insightful when he wanted or felt obligated to protect others. With a comprehensive education and careful guidance, he would mature into a very capable leader...
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With midnight approaching without any sign of the Valper or Kokabiel, Issei, Koneko, Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina were recalled to the Old School Building, where everyone was set to remain until the crisis was resolved. The two Executors originally planned to hunker down at the Abandoned Church, but after hearing Sona's speculation, they acquiesced to staying as a group, albeit with the condition they could consecrate one of the old classrooms and convert it into a makeshift temple.
"Alright. I'm permitting this match because you both requested it, but don't forget our situation. We can't afford to have either of you seriously injured..." remarked Rias, standing cross-armed and modeling an annoyed and concerned look as Kiba and Xenovia stood a few meters apart, ready to fight.
"Worry not, younger sister of Satan," said Xenovia, rolling her neck and loosening her shoulders in a form-fitting black bodysuit with short legs and sleeves, arm and leg warmers, multiple belts that appeared to draw people's gazes deliberately, and a conspicuously placed keyhole on her crotch. It was an outfit you wouldn't expect a devout believer of God to wear, but Xenovia wore it exceptionally well with her full and remarkably toned physique.
Turning her head to meet Rias's gaze, Xenovia adopted a provoking smile and stated, "I wasn't given orders to eliminate you or your Knight, so I will just beat him until he's satisfied and be done with it."
"You will try..." retorted Kiba, swinging his sleek and stylish longsword to the side in his Kuoh Academy uniform, pauldron, and armored vambraces. His usual smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a look of conviction and, deep within his blue eyes, a tinge of resentment.
Modeling the same form-fitting black bodysuit as Xenovia, albeit with her cloak providing her a semblance of decency, Irina, standing with her arms crossed and brows slightly furrowed, remarked, "Hey, be careful, Xenovia. There's something strange about his gauntlets."
"I am well aware," retorted Xenovia, removing her oversized greatsword with a double-sided axe-shaped guard from the ground and gripping it in a ready stance as if it weighed nothing to her. She had already deduced that Kiba's silvery-white vambraces, single-breasted breastplate, and the pauldron cladding his left shoulder were formed by Vahn's power, but that only made her more interested in seeing what they could do.
"Since both sides appear to be ready..." started Rias, raising her right hand to the sky and forming a finger pistol as she shouted, "Begin!" in a carrying tone, firing off a tiny burst of Demonic Energy for effect.
Wasting no time, Kiba used his superior speed to close the distance between him and Xenovia in the blink of an eye. The latter was much slower, but her stance was firm, and she could perceive his movements without issue, her eyes glistening with a golden hue as she received and promptly redirected his thrust away from her.
Feeling how easily Xenovia deflected his blow, Kiba immediately knew he couldn't compete with her power. She wasn't quite at the level of a Rook like Koneko, but she was exponentially stronger than the average human. He managed to evade her counter without issue, but as her sword swung toward him, he felt a sensation similar to haphazardly stepping into traffic crossing without checking the signal.
Confirming Kiba's suspicions regarding Xenovia's power, a powerful gust of wind permeated the area, nearly knocking him off balance in the wake of her swing. He recovered quickly and managed to get behind her, but it quickly became apparent she was gifted with more than just power and the ability to wield Holy Swords as she swiftly kicked behind her, striking him in the stomach with a lightning-fast heel strike.
Though he felt like Xenovia's kick rearranged his guts, Kiba surprised her in turn by abruptly changing the tip of his sword to resemble a miniature black hole. It was nowhere near the level of an actual singularity, but the suction it created was enough to prevent him from being kicked back tens of meters while simultaneously knocking Xenovia off balance.
"Not bad! As expected of the wielder of Sword Birth...!" bellowed Xenovia, adopting a grin characteristic of a battle maniac as she reached out with her left hand, causing Kiba's blue eyes to widen as she fearlessly closed it around the faux black hole and crushed it like a glass orb.
Taking advantage of her control over Kiba's sword, Xenovia moved it out of the way and tried to headbutt him. To her surprise, Kiba didn't hesitate to release it, evading her counter and materializing two additional swords, one formed of flame and the other of ice.
Hardening her expression, Xenovia swung her greatsword like a seasoned baseball player, adding, "But Magic Swords formed from Demonic Energy can't hope to compete against my Excalibur of Destruction...!"
Though they were separated by several meters, Kiba's instincts screamed at him to dodge as Xenovia swung her oversized sword. Fortunately, he listened to them, his body appearing to flicker out of existence as a tree-rending tempest of high-pressure wind swept through where he had been standing, tearing up the ground along its path...
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Observing Kiba's and Xenovia's match with crossed arms, Vahn's focus continued increasing until he was aware of but could no longer perceive his surroundings. It was like the entire world had disappeared, becoming a black void except for the duo in front of him, their forms and movements clear as day. He could even sense the energy flowing from Xenovia's body into her weapon, feeling how it changed from a form reminiscent of Touki to a form of Holy Energy that resonated with the surrounding space with catastrophic effect. Her personality left much to be desired, but her form and destructive power were otherworldly, especially considering she was, as far as he could tell, human...
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