ISOLATED STREET – KUOH
"AAAAAH!"
Kiba charged first without any hesitation, practically exploding toward Xenovia as the sword created by his Sacred Gear sliced through the air at brutal speed. Excalibur rose instantly to intercept the strike.
CLANG.
The impact scattered sparks across the empty street as the two blades collided with force.
Kiba didn't stop.
The second strike came immediately from below.
CLANG.
The third followed right after, trying to overwhelm Xenovia through continuous pressure.
CLANG.
But Xenovia remained completely serious.
No panic.
No rush.
She moved Excalibur with absurd precision, deflecting and blocking every one of Kiba's attacks as if she were merely keeping pace with him.
On the other side of the street, Irina clasped her hands together as she watched her friend fight.
"Come on, Xenovia..." she whispered without even realizing it. "Show them the strength of the Church."
Saji couldn't stay still watching Kiba charge in like that either.
"Come on, Kiba!" He took a tense step forward. "Finish this, man!"
The fourth clash was finally exchanged.
CLAAANG.
This time, Kiba ended up being pushed several meters back as his feet scraped across the asphalt. His expression immediately changed when he felt the weight of the impact running through both of his arms.
'Everything's going wrong...'
His breathing grew heavier as he gripped the sword even tighter.
She was good.
Too good.
And that irritated him even more.
'I should be better than this.'
The memories of the laboratory came back violently at that moment. The faces of the children, the screams, the bodies destroyed by the Church's experiments, and the holy swords cutting through everything as instruments of execution.
'My friends...'
His gaze hardened completely.
'My revenge is for all of you.'
Gasper watched everything in silence several meters behind while keeping his hands in his pockets. The movements of the two fighters were fast, but the problem wasn't Kiba's speed.
It was his emotions.
'Kiba is going to lose... just like in the anime.'
He could clearly see the pattern of the fight. Xenovia remained stable while Kiba allowed his anger to control every movement more and more.
Saji noticed part of it too.
Even without fully understanding Kiba's past, it was obvious that this wasn't just a simple fight between devils and exorcists.
Kiba was carrying something much bigger.
'Come on, Kiba...' Saji clenched one of his fists tightly as he watched his friend take his stance once again. 'I believe in you, man.'
In the middle of the street, Xenovia slowly raised Excalibur once more while keeping her eyes fixed on him.
"Your hatred is controlling your movements." Her tone remained cold. "You'll never defeat me like that."
Kiba didn't answer.
He simply charged again.
Without a doubt, Xenovia was right. Hatred was completely controlling Kiba's movements, and little by little it was turning the fight into his defeat.
CLANG.
The swords collided again in the middle of the street as sparks flew through the veil hiding the battle from ordinary humans.
Kiba attacked faster and faster.
Heavier.
More aggressively.
But Xenovia continued blocking everything without losing her composure.
At that point, Irina was already starting to believe completely in her friend's victory. The only thing still making her nervous was Gasper standing behind Kiba, watching everything in absolute silence.
She still remembered the monstrous pressure he had displayed in the Occult Research Club.
'As long as he doesn't interfere...'
Saji could also see the situation getting worse and worse for Kiba.
The problem was that there was no longer any room to stop the duel.
Kiba charged once more, trying to break Xenovia's defense through brute force.
CLAAANG.
The impact exploded across the street.
But this time, something went wrong.
Kiba's eyes widened the instant his sword slipped from his hand after the direct clash with Excalibur.
The weapon spun through the air.
CLANG.
And landed on the ground several meters behind him.
Kiba froze.
Xenovia was already standing in front of him the next instant.
The tip of Excalibur stopped directly at his throat.
The duel was over.
Irina immediately raised her arms, unable to hide her excitement.
"Yes! Nice one, Xenovia!"
Beside Gasper, Saji let out a heavy sigh while running a hand over his face, clearly frustrated with the outcome.
Kiba remained motionless.
His eyes fixed on the sword pointed at his throat as he tried to accept what had just happened.
'I... lost?'
Xenovia watched him for a few seconds before shifting her gaze to Gasper standing behind him.
Then she slowly lowered Excalibur.
"I'm leaving." Her tone remained firm. "The duel is over."
"You can't leave." Kiba immediately clenched his teeth upon hearing that. "I still haven't destroyed Excalibur."
"She can leave, Kiba." Gasper finally began walking forward while keeping his hands in his pockets. "You lost the duel... and along with it, you lost the right to decide."
Kiba immediately clenched his teeth.
"You don't understand, Gasper." Frustration weighed heavily in his voice. "I need to destroy the Excaliburs."
Gasper stopped beside him before answering.
"You're right." His tone remained calm. "But you still lost."
Saji slowly let out a breath while looking at Kiba.
"Gasper's right, man."
Irina watched the three of them for a few seconds before finally relaxing her shoulders a little.
"Then we're leaving, Gasper."
"You can go." He replied easily. "I already said that."
Irina quickly nodded before turning to Xenovia.
"Let's go."
The two of them began walking away shortly afterward, slowly disappearing down the street while the veil still concealed the area from ordinary humans.
Kiba remained standing there, staring in the direction they had gone.
His hand tightly gripped the hilt of the sword lying on the ground.
"What happened...?" His voice came out low. "How could I lose?"
Saji quickly shifted his gaze toward him.
"She caught you off guard."
"Wrong." Gasper immediately replied. "He lost because he fought with hatred."
Silence fell between the three of them for a few seconds as Kiba slowly turned his gaze toward him.
Gasper continued in the same calm tone.
"Kiba... you have your own way of fighting." He kept his eyes on him. "And today you completely abandoned it."
Kiba frowned slightly.
"Your style has always been calm." Gasper continued. "Precise. Fast."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"You fight to protect."
The words made Kiba freeze for a moment.
"You protect Asia." Gasper began walking slowly as he spoke. "You protect Koneko. You protect Saji."
Saji looked visibly embarrassed hearing that.
"And above all..." Gasper stopped once more before concluding. "You fight like a true Knight of Rias."
Kiba remained silent.
Because that struck exactly at the point he had been trying to ignore since the beginning of the duel.
His breathing grew heavier as his thoughts began to mix together.
"But that's wrong..." He gripped the sword tighter. "I need revenge."
"Maybe." Gasper replied without directly denying it. "For some people, revenge has its place."
His gaze became more serious.
"But for others... justice serves much better."
Kiba slowly raised his eyes toward him.
"Your friends died." Gasper continued. "So decide for yourself what you want to honor."
His voice remained firm.
"Their hatred."
"Or their memory."
The wind slowly passed through the silent street as Kiba absorbed those words without being able to answer immediately.
Saji was the first to break the silence.
"...I agree with Gasper." He lightly scratched the back of his neck before continuing. "You didn't look like yourself during that fight."
Kiba lowered his gaze once again.
And this time, he truly began to think.
"Very well." Gasper raised a hand as demonic energy began gathering around them. "Let's go back to the mansion."
The red magic circle immediately appeared beneath the three of them.
"Rias is probably already worried about her peerage."
SHUUUN.
The demonic light covered the entire street for an instant before the three of them completely disappeared from the location.
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