Chapter 18: The Falling Dream and the Holy Steel
The dream was a void of cold wind and shadows. I stood on a precipice, my legs trembling, my lungs burning as if I had been running for a century. Across from me stood Crom Cruach, his golden slits watching me with a silent, heavy judgment. But behind him, another presence loomed—a massive, indistinct silhouette of another dragon, its aura clashing with the darkness.
Motohama: (Thinking) I'm falling... my legs... I can't stand anymore.
Just as my knees hit the dirt, the world shattered.
Morning at the Residence
I woke up to a weight on my left arm and the familiar scent of roses. Rias was curled against me, her breathing shallow and peaceful. I didn't hesitate; I pulled her closer, burying my face in the crook of her neck.
Motohama: "If you're sleeping, I'm sleeping too. The world can wait."
Rias: [Mumbling, her eyes fluttering open] "You sleepyhead... we have a group meeting this morning. Get up, Motohamaru."
Motohama: "Please. Five more minutes, Rias. Just five minutes of peace before the chaos starts."
Rias: [Sighing, her arms tightening around my waist as she gave in] "Five minutes. Only because you look so pathetic when you beg."
It was then that I noticed the lack of fabric between us. The morning light caught the curve of her shoulder and the pale skin of her back. She caught my gaze, a knowing, playful smirk tugging at her lips.
Rias: "What's that look for? Are you about to get a nosebleed?"
Motohama: [Deadpan, pulling her flush against my chest] "Absolutely not. I'm a refined professional, remember?"
Rias: [Blushing deeply, her face hiding against my chest] "You idiot... you're far too bold for a Pawn."
The Walk to the ORC
The walk to school was quiet. Rias and I stayed close, the shared secret of the morning lingering between us. In parallel, Issei and Asia were taking the alternate route, their voices rising in the distance as Issei ranted about something trivial. We were two different worlds—the engine and the anchor.
When we entered the clubroom, the atmosphere was already heavy. Two girls in white Vatican traveling cloaks stood in the center of the room. One was Irina Shidou, clutching a cross, and the other was Xenovia Quarta, her hand resting on the hilt of a cloth-wrapped blade.
Irina: [Eyes wide with shock, pointing at Issei] "Issei?! You... you're a Devil? A real, soul-selling Devil?!"
Issei: "Irina?! What the hell are you doing in a place like this?!"
Xenovia: [Her voice cold and hostile] "Silence, Irina. We aren't here for a reunion. We are here on behalf of the Vatican to retrieve the stolen fragments of Excalibur."
The Clenching of the Sword
I remained seated on the sofa next to Kiba, my eyes scanning the newcomers. Beside me, the air temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. I glanced at Kiba; his jaw was clamped so tight I thought his teeth might shatter.
Xenovia: "The thief has fled to this territory. If the Gremory House interferes with the recovery of the Holy Swords, we will consider it an act of war."
Kiba: [His voice a low, jagged rasp] "Excalibur..."
I watched his hand. He was gripping the fabric of his trousers so hard his knuckles had turned ghostly white. A dark, unstable aura flickered around his feet for a fraction of a second.
Motohama: [Placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder, sensing the danger] "Kiba. Breathe."
Kiba: [Not looking at me, his eyes locked on Xenovia's blade] "Fragments... they brought those cursed things here..."
The "Refined Strategist" in me knew the peace was officially over. The Holy Sword arc had begun, and Kiba was already on the verge of breaking.
Crom Cruach: [Inside Motohama's head] "Do you smell that, boy? That's the scent of old blood and holy salt. Your friend is drowning in it. Are you going to watch, or are you going to use that 'Refined' brain of yours to stop him from being erased?"
This scene transitions from the sudden tension of the Vatican's arrival into the inevitable clash of ideologies. It balances Issei's comedic perversion with the heavy emotional fallout of Kiba's past.
The tension in the clubroom didn't just snap; it exploded. Before Rias could even negotiate, Issei was already in his "combat stance," though his eyes were locked on Irina's chest rather than her cross.
Issei: "Irina! You might be a childhood friend, but as a man of culture, I can't let those Church robes hide the truth! DRESS—!"
Irina: [Swinging her activated Excalibur Mimic like a whip] "Still a perverted beast, Issei?! I'll purify your soul right out of your body!"
The two of them began a frantic, comedic chase around the room. Issei was desperately trying to line up a shot for his signature move, while Irina was expertly defending, her face red with a mix of embarrassment and holy fury.
Irina: "You think I'm the same girl who played in the mud?! I'm a servant of God now! I'll kill my childhood friend right here in his hometown if I have to!"
Motohama: [Sighing as he watched the chaos] "Issei, you're making the entire Devil race look like a joke. Focus on the sword, not the zipper."
The Knight's Agony
While the "comedy" played out on one side, the other side of the room was chillingly silent. Kiba had already manifested a blade, his eyes glazed with a cold, murderous light as he faced Xenovia.
Xenovia: "A Sword Birth user? So, you're a survivor of that project. Pathetic. A Holy Sword is wasted on a Devil."
Kiba didn't speak. He lunged. The sound of steel clashing against Xenovia's wrapped Excalibur Destruction echoed through the hall. Kiba was faster than I'd ever seen him, but he was sloppy—driven by pure, unadulterated trauma.
Kiba: "Excalibur... I'll break every single one of them!"
Xenovia countered with a brutal overhead strike. Kiba parried, but the force sent him skidding back. In the same breath, Irina landed a glancing blow on Issei's shoulder, tearing his blazer and drawing blood.
Issei: "Ow! Hey, watch the merchandise!"
Rias: "ENOUGH!"
Rias's aura flared, a wave of crimson Power of Destruction washing over the room, forcing everyone to a standstill. She stood tall, the image of a High-Class Devil Noble.
Rias: "This fighting is pointless. You want the fragments, and we want the thief out of our territory. Our goals are the same. I propose a temporary ceasefire."
The Breaking Point
The Vatican duo lowered their weapons, but the damage was done. Kiba's breathing was ragged. Without a word to the "messengers," he turned and headed for the door.
Rias: "Kiba! You are a Knight of the Gremory House! Where do you think you're going?"
Kiba: [Pausing at the threshold, his voice hollow] "I'm sorry, President. I... I can't do this. Not with those swords in the room."
He vanished into the hallway, his presence flickering away. Rias made a move to follow him, her face twisting with a mix of betrayal and worry. I stepped in her path, catching her by the shoulders before she could teleport.
Motohama: "Calm down, Rias. Let him go."
Rias: [Struggling against my grip] "Let him go? He's acting like a child! He has duties, he has—"
Motohama: "He has a hole in his soul that we can't see. He's unstable right now. If you go after him with the 'King' card, you'll only push him further away."
Rias: [Slumping slightly, her anger turning into a frustrated sigh] "He's being pointless. Why can't he just trust us?"
Motohama: "Because some ghosts can't be talked away. Look, Issei and I will have a chat with him. We'll bring him back."
Rias: "Don't go. If he wants to be alone, let him. He should come back on his own."
Motohama: [Gently tilting her chin up to look at me] "Don't be impulsive, Rias. I know you're sad and angry, but he's our friend. We aren't leaving him to drown."
Rias: [Turning her head away, blushing but relenting] "Fine. Do as you wish. But if you get hurt because you were being a 'hero' for a Knight, I'm beating you myself after I heal you."
Motohama: [Grinning] "Oh ho? Is that a promise of a 'private' punishment? Now I have an incentive to be careful."
Rias: "You... you perverted strategist! Just go!"