Chapter 118 - 39

39- The King's Sword: Art Gallery Brawl

…..

Throughout all her life Luvia had many expectations placed on her back, both from other people but also by herself.

Born as the older of twin sisters just by a few minutes, it was always implied that it would be her duty to carry out her family traditions with the support of her younger sister sharing the burden of the future of the Edelfelt despite their differences.

But that wouldn't last forever as tradition dictated that only one could truly be the Head of the family. As sisters they always knew that one would remain in the Edelfelt while the other was destined to be married off into another family and they had many talks about it. Even the siblings agreed that Luvia was the best choice for the part and so more expectations were placed on her together with their hopes.

Her twin didn't even put up a fight when they were told she would marry outside of the family sooner or later to avoid succession issues. Until that happened both were the heiresses of the Edelfelt but as soon as she married she would be part of another family, a former Edelfelt.

Despite their Crest ensuring the life of their family if one of them perished, one of them being married off was an inevitable outcome to stop an internal conflict. Not that Luvia's twin cared as she was more introverted and accepted the situation with grace, dignity and without a care in the world.

She was almost opposite of her elder sibling, most of all when it came to their personalities, and instead of fighting she went with the flow, even falling in love with her suitor.

That also steared everyone's expectations more towards Luvia as the Head since the younger one showed no interest in advancing their magecraft and was fully interested in joining her love's family.

She had to be smarter than everyone else, stronger than everyone else, more cunning than anyone and cruel to all her enemies. That was the necessary criteria to any noble of the Clocktower and that meant that Luvia's duty demanded excellency in not only leading her family but also manipulating events to its favor ruthlessly.

With so much expectations on her ever since she was a child it wasn't odd that Luvia felt every single one of them from time to time. It didn't matter her talent or skill, there were times that she wanted to run away from everything and give up because of how heavy the burden was.

But there were those that wanted to help her, people that Luvia could truly appreciate in the worst of times. Auguste was one of them, a silent protector and that has been with the Edelfelt for a long time, Luvia's whole life.

For most of her life Luvia had dedicated herself to her studies and while she was an outgoing girl that didn't mean she had many friends. The danger of betrayal in the Clocktower meant that people were always kept at arm's length at best between the nobles unless they were already allies or family of some kind and that wasn't a guarantee.

But Auguste had always been there for Luvia. He was loyal, capable and an ear to hear her troubles when she needed to. When the blonde announced that she would be moving to Japan to either secure a husband or a pact the man immediately asked "When shall we depart?"

He was always there in the good and bad times, a reassuring presence that Luvia could openly admit that she needed more than once.

Seeing the car with her loyal caretaker being flung into a wall sent Luvia into a spiral of emotions; worry, apprehension, anger.

It was an anger that Luvia never felt before in her life.

Luvia thought that she knew what fury was, what the fire that burned every time she fought with Rin was. But she realized in that moment, the moment she thought her loyal caretaker was dead, that she had no idea what true fury was.

"You are dead." Her killing the knights that harmed Auguste wasn't enough, that fire didn't disappear with their demise or diminished with her declaration. Not while their leader and enabler was still alive.

When Xenovia declared she was going to go after the Excaliburs, Luvia gave her no thoughts and barely any attention. The swords didn't matter to her anymore. What the aristocrat magus wanted was Gawain's head.

When everyone began to move, Luvia didn't think twice before charging into the fray. It didn't matter who was on her way anymore, all she wanted was to make Gawain pain.

Considering how the golden energy acted around the members or the Order and its absence around their leader indicated that Gawain himself couldn't use it or was just the source of it. She also felt a familiar sensation of power around the man but nothing which indicated danger which led Luvia to believe that either Gawain couldn't use his power or was directing it to improve his men's chances.

As many soldiers of the Order moved to stop her, all surrounded by a golden aura while Gawain had none, Luvia was confident that the knight was responsible for their power. The logical side of her mind told her that once she got her hands on Gawain she would effectively end the fight.

She was still mostly after revenge, cutting out the power of her enemy was just a bonus.

When Luvia was close to the first obstacle she already prepared another spell on her hand, ready to repeat her previous feat and kill the man in one hit. This time the soldier of the Order was much faster and managed to react at her approach with his shield, blocking the attack.

When she saw the shield resist the blast of mana, the blue magus frowned but didn't panic. Her jewel was running out of mana and she allowed it to keep going, using the extra seconds to think.

But the shield resisted and around them the mana began to dissipate to reveal that it remained intact with some of the golden aura around it from the knight.

That was irritating for Luvia who expected the spell to pierce the shield with a single strike. But it was something easily fixed in her opinion as she grabbed the shield with her gloved hand and tried to push it to the side.

Finding it hard to move the shield showed Luvia that the soldiers' of the Order physical strength had increased considerably as previously she had already defined that they hadn't broken the human limits.

That apparently had changed because of the aura and she had to take a step back when the man in question tried to cut her head with his sword. She noticed how many were already moving around, getting into better positions against her and the others as Gawain remained back.

That just made Luvia more determined to reach the knight than before as her magic circuits became visible in her face and neck. She felt the familiar sensation of mana empowering her body with Reinforcement as she sidestepped a spear before delivering a hard kick to the attacker's chest.

While Luvia wasn't capable of lifting a car even with Reinforcement she was still incredibly strong, certainly stronger than most magus practitioners of the skill. Her Reinforcement was close to perfect, only one person she knew was her superior, and the strike was so strong that the man's feet left the floor and he flew away.

Luvia made an effort to watch that particular knight as she dodged the others, trying to understand the effects the aura had on them. Purposefully she aimed the kick precisely on the center of the man's chest and had him flying exactly from where he came from, members of the Order moving aside to not be hit for the body of their comrade.

Even then the other members of the Order had no intention of letting Luvia relax. They had the numbers and planned to use them to the fullest, first by surrounding her to then cut her down.

It was a simple plan that didn't involve that much coordination but they were coordinated enough that seamlessly transitioned between letting their comrade fly without hitting them to surround the magus completely.

While her fury was still in the forefront and her desire of vengeance didn't diminish, Luvia didn't allow it to blind her to the fact her opponents were all amplified humans. 'I can't lose track of that one.'

She just didn't know exactly how much stronger the soldiers became or how it affected their equipment. Considering she failed to break the shield in the first hit it was obvious all their defense was now much higher. Two people being able to push a car off easily after being run down and not suffering any wounds told her as much.

So Luvia knew that the situation may be many times worse than it looked and that she may now be at a disadvantage. "If you wish to live, step aside." That didn't stop her from speaking confidently as she held the sapphire empty of mana on her hand before dropping it down on her sleeve. "I am in no mood to play today."

Always the aristocrat, even when furious over the death of her caretaker, Luvia's posture remained calm and nonchalant. Her eyes showed the arrogance of someone that was above all and every single soldier of the Order of Pendragon could feel the confidence in Luvia's actions.

"Out of my way." By her tone It was a warning and a threat that the magus planned to carry out if anyone tried the contrary.

Actions spoke more than words as the members of the Order charged with fury of their own. The blonde magus insulted their pride, threatened their leader and they fully intended to make her pay.

From her ears Luvia felt mana from her earrings charge up with a small blue light, hidden by her hair. As the soldiers approached she took out them from her ears and held both jewels in her palm. "You will pay for challenging an Edelfelt." When a sword was about to stab her Luvia allowed the spell to activate. "Gemini!"

The two small jewels hit the first soldier hard and threw him back like he was punched by a gorilla. But they didn't stop there as the jewels kept flying around and attacking the knights like flies but infinitely more dangerous.

However, that maneuver can only deal with the closest life signs to the jewels themselves, temporarily distracting one side while the others move to finish Luvia off.

She didn't wait for them, instead Luvia charged and grabbed one of the soldiers by their face, a woman from what she could tell, and slammed her on the floor as hard as she could before going to the next.

Not having expected such a counter attack, especially one that seemed more like a wrestling move, the soldiers saw another two of theirs hit the floor before one of them reacted by raising his shield for Luvia to connect.

The Edelfelt Heiress expected the defense and jumped while taking hold of the soldier's shoulder. His eyes widened in a panic behind his helmet as he noticed Luvia smile as she descended and hit his back with her knee. Her Reinforced closed to perfection knee that hit him hard enough to break something even with the armor.

But as the man fell to his knees Luvia didn't stop, she pointed her fingers at those around her and unleashed a couple shots of mana only to realize the aura was fully negating them.

With a frown she had to dodge a sword coming for her shoulder from a soldier that discarded his shield and then quickly moved to deflect a spear going for her head.

Feeling a small cut from her cheek despite the blade falling to touch her skin had Luvia changing tactics as the aura appeared to have increased the weapon's reach slightly. She could see it going in a tiny veil around the tip of the weapon and moved to break it with her other hand.

Surrounded as she was Luvia had to keep moving while using Reinforcement constantly, a feat she would begrudgingly thank Rin for since she could only do that for long periods of time because of their 'spars'.

Doing a flip and landing close to two soldiers she punched one on the face and kicked the other away. More of them jumped from the second floor and landed close to her but Luvia grabbed the one she punched by her legs and began to spin.

"Are you kidding me?!" Someone complained before they were hit by the spinning knight in Luvia's hands as she laughed out loud.

"Ohohohoho! How do you feel facing the mighty Lancashire style of martial combat?!" She threw the man she was using straight to the soldiers that finally neutralized her earrings, smiling all the way. "You should know about it as servants of King Arthur. It came from England, afterall."

Having managed to make some space for herself Luvia glanced at the first soldier she had kicked away and frowned. Despite the man having been hit by her fully Reinforced kick he was getting up, it was slow and he looked hurt but he was getting up. That was extremely bad for her.

Using Reinforcement at full capacity took a lot of concentration so it didn't backfire on the user. Doing so while fighting numerous opponents increased the risks considerably; it meant that the odds of her making a mistake and dying were quite high.

"Looks like I will have to spend a considerable amount of my jewels to deal with all of you." Luvia commented as the soldiers, even some of those she had beaten up, prepared to attack her again. "Let's see if you can make even a dent on the Edelfelt's coffers."

That declaration just served to irritate her enemies more and some of the soldiers threw away their shields to hold their swords and spears with two hands.

Grabbing the sleeves of her dress, Luvia ripped them off while grabbing some of the jewels hidden inside them with practiced ease. The used sapphire moved to her picked as she showed the soldiers multiple gems between all her fingers.

"Do any of you know anything about Jewel Magecraft?" Already having seen some of what she could do the soldiers of Order were cautious. "No? Then you shall learn with your skin."

All her gems began to glow with mana as they synchronized with their owner's presence.

When the fight began the first thing that Xenovia did was make a beeline towards Freed and Gawain, much like Luvia. Her intentions were a little different as her main target was the Mad Exorcist but she also understood that taking down the knight would also greatly weaken the members of the Order of Pendragon.

Some tried to get in their way but against Excalibur Destruction neither their weapons, armor, or even the golden aura was enough to stop its edge from reaching their flesh. Xenovia had already cut down three more when they realized that advancing against her was too risky and tired to keep a reasonable distance.

Xenovia still charged without fear, noticing how Gawain remained firmly in place, his sword still in front of him as the man watched her move. The blue haired Exorcist was sure that would be a matter of time seconds before she reached him and faced the blond in combat.

Then she noticed Freed moving with killer intent straight towards Luvia who was distracted with her many opponents.

Unlike Xenovia whose sword could deal with the soldiers Luvia didn't have anything similar at the moment and that showed how she was falling to defeat them all. From the previous hideouts that they fought together the blue haired girl knew that under normal conditions the magus should have already finished her opposition.

Which left her exposed to Freed and clearly the mad man was going for a backstab that would kill Luvia in the worst case scenario.

Since they split up now the Exorcist needed to choose who to go after the Mad Exorcist or the Knight of the Order. 'Damn you.' Xenovia cursed as she pivoted and charged at Freed.

While her mission was recovering the Excalibur Fragments, she knew that facing Freed was inevitable, weakening the ranks of the Order would have been beneficial on many levels and make things safer to confront the Holy Swords under the Mad Exorcist's control.

But Luvia was an ally, however temporary or under suspicion, and Xenovia wasn't the kind of person who leaves her allies behind. She wouldn't be able to defeat Gawain and save Luvia at the same time so she made a decision and rushed as fast as she could towards the blue magus.

Some of the Order of Pendragon noticed her change of direction and tried to intercept her but the aura didn't give them enough speed and Xenovia was beyond human limits supported by Excalibur Destruction.

Freed was still faster, much faster than a human and faster than anyone else Xenovia had ever met. With Excalibur Rapidly in hand and a Holy Aura covering his body he was much faster than he should be.

After a second Xenovia realized that she couldn't reach Freed before he reached Luvia and so she stabbed Excalibur Destruction on the floor as superficially as she could. Stabbing too deeply would delay her next move as she pushed the sword with both hands and sent out as many stones as she was able in Freed's direction.

From the corner of his eye Freed saw the projectiles coming and quickly jumped back. Once more the man's speed was beyond anyone else Xenovia ever saw as he landed, recovered his balance and began to move between some of the debris casually.

He ducked under a piece of stone, moved his body left to avoid a huge part of the floor, turned on his side to escape another and let another few to fly by him before blocking Xenovia's swing with Rapidly. All under a few seconds.

"Hey! I like the clothes but wait your turn!" Freed complained before smiling. "But daaaaaamn you look nice."

"I don't care." Xenovia stated and tried to push Rapidly back before taking a swing to Freed's neck.

The white haired man moved his head back to avoid the sword and blocked again when Xenovia tried a follow up stab. "Are you an idiot? I'm pretty much the fastest man alive while I have this baby here." He pushed Rapidly against Destruction to make sure it was visible to Xenovia's eye. "But hey, I can let you live if you suck me."

"I would prefer dying while choking in my own vomit." She replied while pushing her sword back and Freed immediately retreated.

"Rude~" He commented as he moved fast and separated their swords before going for a stab on Xenovia's chest which she blocked. "Since you don't want to have some fun you don't need these, right?" Freed pushed his sword with every intention of piercing her chest but she pushed Rapidly completely with both swords held high.

The Mad Exorcist dodged an overhead swing from Destruction before by stepping back and letting the sword slam into the floor. With that Freed saw an opening and went for a stab to Xenovia's side, knowing that he was faster than her and she wouldn't see the attack coming in time.

"I win!" The declaration wasn't followed by the sound of tearing flesh but of steel clashing as the Excalibur Destruction guard stopped the Rapidly tip. Both swords shake with the effort of the owners as Freed tries to understand the events. "What?"

"'Fastest man alive', huh?" Xenovia mocked the Mad Exorcist who couldn't believe she managed to block his attack. He was distracted and the bluehead used the opportunity to push his sword to the side and go for a swipe at his legs.

However Freed's instincts snapped him out of his stupor, the danger suppressed his shock and made him realize the position he was in. His salvation came from Rapidly as his speed was still vastly superior to Xenovia's. Before Destruction could touch his legs the Mad Exorcist retreated as fast as he could with a little panic.

From the corners of the fast skirmish between the two Excalibur Holders, members of the Order of Pendragon watched with confusion. "How did she block that?"

"I- I don't know." Another admitted. "The Mad Exorcist was so fast."

"Hey, you two! Help us!" Another soldier of the Order called for the duo and they turned to help their friends against Luvia.

If he had their help Freed could beat Xenovia easily but none in the Order of Pendragon wanted to help the insane man. The best result for the Order would be if the two Holders took each other out and so all of them stayed clear of their fight.

Freed was aware of that and managed to chuckle at seeing the armored soldiers giving him and Xenovia space. 'So much for chivalry~' He then dodged to the left as the blue haired Exorcist had tried to cut him in half. "I didn't forget about you, beautiful~"

"Pity." Xenovia had tried to cut the man when his eyes weren't on her but Freed's attention was now fully on the fight. 'He isn't used to Rapidly yet. I can beat him.' She noticed when the white haired man had to use his free hand to stop himself, clearly having troubles controlling his speed.

Not that it bothered Freed that he was still growing used to the weapon, its advantages just helped him too much for that to be considered a disadvantage. Still he could use some old tricks to compensate. "You guys from the Church are still the same. A bunch of dogs with sticks up their asses." He gave her a feral smile, sword ready for her attack. "Or bitch in your case."

He expected Xenovia to throw herself at him with indignation and fury but all the blue haired maiden did was give him a glare and take a couple steps in his direction, guard up.

"Come on come on~ Let's get this moving already~" Freed challenged Xenovia with his sword pointing at her and a clear opening to his side.

There was no rush for Xenovia as she made long strides in his direction, sword close to her and ready to move when Freed moved. 'Don't let your temper get the better of you. Remember what Griselda taught you.' There was nothing more that she wanted to do other than attack Freed with her full strength but the memory of her guardian held her back. 'How furious she will be if you attack a faster opponent carelessly.'

Only the lessons she had growing up kept Xenovia's impulses at bay. She wanted to just keep attacking until he died.

However, before this particular mission, she was warned by her guardian to practice more restraint as one of her opponents could be using Excalibur Rapidly. Her Exorcist training could be the only thing to save her life in that situation and she should follow it.

Lo and behold it happened and Xenovia confirmed that Freed was too fast for her to just catch. She had to be careful. 'Don't overreach, don't overreach, don't overreach, don't overreach.' She hated being careful.

A frown appeared on Freed's face at that point. 'Did I read her wrong? I was sure she was going to jump at the chance to get me.' It was all over Xenovia's body language, a need to attack and cut the enemy down. 'Well, guess plan B it is.'

When Freed's hand moved to his coat Xenovia immediately stopped and prepared herself. She could see more swords hidden beneath the robes, all of the stolen Fragments, and knew that it would be a hard fight.

She was almost disappointed when instead of a sword Freed pulled out a gun and opened fire. The smile that escaped Xenovia's lips was almost involuntary as a Holy Aura left Destruction and covered her body in an instant.

When the bullets got to her Xenovia did nothing as they just collided with the aura and fell harmlessly. "What the fuck?"

"What is wrong? You don't know how to do something so basic?" Xenovia taunted with a mocking smile that had Freed's eyebrown's twitching. "I expected better of someone with 4 of the 7 Fragments of Excalibur. They are a waste on you."

"You little bitch." Excalibur Rapidly's aura covered Freed in a second as he accelerated in Xenovia's direction. Before he could reach her the aura was already falling but the speed was still there and he easily went around to reach her back. "Die!"

But Xenovia was prepared and turned just in time to block Rapidly. Her feet firmly on the ground helped her stop Freed and she couldn't help but smile. "You may be the fastest but not that fast compared to everyone I have fought before."

A scowl made its way to Freed's face but he had no time to reply as Xenovia pushed him back and moved to cut his side. Once again he leaned on Rapidly's speed and Xenovia cut an after image instead of the man himself who was moving to stab her side.

However the aura of Xenovia's sword was still going and Freed felt how it fought against his own weapon. It wasn't a long struggle, unlike the bullets that while baptized were just normal bullets, Rapidly was an Excalibur Fragment and it broke through the aura in an instant.

An instant was all Xenovia needed and soon Freed had to retreat again, jumping back with a single leg as Destruction almost cut off his head. However, jumping with one leg didn't give him the full benefits of Rapidly and the blue head pursued him to try for another swing.

Freed found himself in the defensive as he had lost his balance and had to use a hand to avoid falling while Xenovia was going for another strike on his chest. When Freed managed to block it despite his bad position, Xenovia pushed back his sword once again and aimed for his legs.

Once again the Mad Exorcist kicks the floor to get some distance, this time pulling out his gun and shooting every bullet still on it only for them to fall to the ground as the sword's aura keeps protecting Xenovia.

Freed had no time to be annoyed by the aura as Xenovia was clearly getting ready to finish him. He had Rapidly's speed and that meant the second the proper Exorcist would take to reach him was more than enough for him to stab his sword to the side and use it as a leaver.

Xenovia was already moving to cut the Mad Exorcist when Freed pulled himself to her left and then kicked her. A white aura covered the man for a fraction of a second but his speed allowed the kick to connect before it had returned to Rapidly

A clash of the energies didn't happen as the identical auras nullified each other and Xenovia felt pain as the impossibly fast legs hit her. She couldn't stop herself from hitting the floor but by doing a roll she stood up quickly, already ready to defend when Freed attacked again.

Sparks come close to Xenovia's face as Rapidly almost cuts her head through her eyes. She managed to hold just shy of reaching her much to Freed's surprise, he was sure that he had won. Still their position gave him the advantage so he kept pushing his sword with both hands while the bluehead pushed back in the same measure.

Unbelievably to the Mad Exorcist, Xenovia used him like a wall and threw her weight at their competition to get up. The white haired man could see the tame Holy Aura still protecting the blue haired girl and understood that was empowering her in ways that he lacked.

But he did have the means to use the same power and so Freed started to push harder with some Holy Aura leaving his body in waves.

Xenovia noticed that but wasn't deterred, the real advantage of Rapidly was speed, not power and while Freed remained locked against her that made the fight easier. Mostly because she counted that he would be too distracted when she attacked properly.

Now that she was standing once again and Freed began to try and use the sword's Holy Aura, Xenovia kept the blades in lock and paid attention to the aura around the man. Using a sword's Holy Aura could take a considerable toll in a person's mind and be extremely distracting to someone not used to it.

Someone like Freed who never had a proper Holy Sword in his hands until just recently and that meant he could only last a few seconds. Xenovia has been keeping her Excalibur Destruction's aura going for almost a minute now.

Unlike her opponent, Xenovia knew the signs when someone was failing to keep the aura going or when it was about to break. More than most from previous experiences with a stronger Holy Sword than the Fragments.

So when Freed began to give in and the aura around him grew weaker she made a final push, throwing her full strength against him with the goal of touching him with Destruction.

Not cut, just a touch, a small stab from the tip would be enough for Xenovia to turn the aura around her into fuel for her weapon's ability. Just a small touch and even if she doesn't kill him she can cripple the Mad Exorcist and finish the job later.

It wasn't to be as Freed quickly realized that his strength was failing as he lost his hold on the Holy Aura. But he still held Rapidly and even without the aura out the speed was something that Freed could still use.

Xenovia's eyes grew wide when Freed escaped her once again and she almost lost her balance when their competition suddenly ended. She remembered the pattern from the mad man's previous attacks and began to turn around to block when she noticed that there was a presence behind her.

'When did he-'

"Got you!" Once more Destruction's aura saved Xenovia's life as it gave her enough time to realize that Freed was behind her because of her turning to face him.

This time however she had no openings for a counter attack, not ones that she could take without dying first at least and none which were a guaranteed hit. Xenovia could feel the sword piercing her aura, time slowing down as Rapidly came closer to pierce a lung.

Her mind went into overdrive when Destruction's aura became affected and she only had milliseconds to react. Her luck was that she never forgot her training and the moment her protection was disturbed she was already moving, throwing herself forward to avoid the real hit.

Xenovia wasn't fast enough to compete with Freed directly, it wasn't even close and they both knew it. Yet her dodge saved her life as she managed to move enough to save her back and avoid death.

However, Excalibur Rapidly still connected with her shoulder as the blue haired Exorcist rolled forward and then turned to cut Freed from a low swing up. For his part the Mad Exorcist once again relied on his sword's speed and quickly stepped back. He was much more successful than Xenovia at avoiding the hit.

Getting up and positioning Destruction in front of her while lowering her center of gravity, Xenovia felt the aura that was protecting her during the whole fight diminish and let it go completely else she would hurt herself.

Experienced as she may be, Xenovia was already pushing herself during the fight and her body needed time to not fall due to the strain of holding the Holy Aura from Destruction. She frowned as she glared at the sword that was easier to control than her real one but was feeling more like a burden than help against Rapidly.

'If I summon it… no, that is too dangerous. I don't have enough space.' She needed a few seconds to recover and use the Holy Aura against Freed but she suspected he was going to give that to her.

But that was exactly what he did when instead of attacking he gave her a smile. "You don't fight like any Exorcist that I ever met before. More like an Executor."

Not one to waste an opportunity to recover, Xenovia decided to answer. "Ha. I don't know about others. I'm me and I fight like I want."

"Hear, hear! I agree with you! 100%!" The fact that Freed approved of her made Xenovia scown. "Ah, don't make a face like that. Well, you are still cute and my offer is still up. What do you say? Want to polish my 'sword'?"

"I'll die first!" Xenovia knew that she rested enough and could already go all out again but didn't advance.

Which gave Freed more opportunities to talk. "Don't be like that~ We have so much in common~ I bet you also have one person or two in your workplace you would rather see dead."

"No. While there are some people I don't like, all of us work together in the name of God." She held her sword close to her shoulder, pointing it at Freed and ready to attack. "I'm not scum like you who betrayed our Holy mission."

"Humph. Great. One of those." The humor on the man's face disappeared but he just planted Rapidly on the floor and leaned on it. "Why has every cute girl I met these few months been a devil, a bitch or stuck up follower of 'God'?" Freed mocked the name but Xenovia didn't flinch and that made him smile.

His eyes roamed Xenovia's form lecherously and he didn't even bother to hide his interest. He wasn't lying when he said that he missed looking at the uniform the blue haired Exorcist was using.

"Damn, that bastard always has the hottest followers too. Some of the nuns that I have met, hmmm. A waste that they try to stay virgins. A waste!"

'Is he treating this like a chat?' Xenovia relaxed her arms slightly by returning her sword to her center but didn't lower her guard. 'He really is a mad man.' She took the opportunity to take a glance to her shoulder, just a small glance before turning her eyes back at Freed.

There was no time for Xenovia to waste fully examining her wound while Freed had Excalibur Rapidly on hand. If she took her eyes from him for too long that would mean death but she didn't need much time to evaluate her wound and judge it non detrimental.

Thanks to her aura and combat uniform the wound was mostly superficial and wasn't going to impair her capabilities.

However the fact that her uniform was damaged and her shoulder was bleeding proved how sharp Excalibur Rapidly was as the protections from her uniform failed and if she hadn't moved it was clear she would have lost an arm.

"So who trained you?" Freed asked casually, almost like they weren't enemies. Xenovia's guard grew tighter as the man just smiled. "Come on~ tell me~ You don't fight like an Exorcist and aren't an Executor either. One of them must have taught you." His observation skills told him as much and he couldn't help but ask and the bluehead silence which just made him more curious. "So who?"

"None of your business." Xenovia immediately regretted speaking when Freed's smile grew wider. 'He may be insane but his fighting sense and instinct are sharp.'

Reports may have spoken about Freed's skills and his genius but facing its personality was giving Xenovia a new perspective of how dangerous the man actually was. Despite his madness Freed was already mastering Rapidly's speed and was getting better at using the sword's Holy Aura, two things that worried Xenovia more than she would like to admit.

"Aren't you really going to tell me?" The Mad Exorcist sounded disappointed. "I'm your veteran, you know? Your senpai here in Japan. Show some respect"

"No." The short answer just appeared to make Freed more upset.

"But I wanna know. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna." He acted like a child that was denied a toy.

But Xenovia wasn't going to be fooled. "Drop the act. Even if you care, you don't care that much."

Upon being called out, Freed immediately stopped whining and smiled again. "Ah, but I do wanna know." His cheerful smile turns malicious. "I need them to teach me how to use an Excalibur like you." He leaned forward on Rapidly but Xenovia could tell he was ready to pounce. "That aura business is too annoying to get right. Maybe that is what I need, a teacher."

The idea of this kind of man meeting her guardian unsettled Xenovia. "That isn't going to help you much. I learned it by myself with the help of another sword."

Impulse and wish to take that man's mind away from her guardian made her talk and Xenovia realized her mistake when a contemplative expression showed up in the white haired man's face.

"Hmm. 'Another sword'." Freed began to rub his chin and thought but Xenovia still saw no opening as his eyes were still on her and Rapidly still touching his other palm. "'Another 'sword', yes. Maybe that will help." He opened his robes to reveal two other Excalibur Fragments and glanced slightly at them. "Maybe one of those?"

His hand left his chin and he began to tap the blades that Xenovia recognized as Nightmare and Transparency delicately. When his eyes turned to the blades, the blue haired Exorcist began her advance only to stop after a couple of steps when he looked at her again.

"Someone is excited." He laughed maliciously as his hand held Rapidly firmly once again. "What is the rush? Don't you like me?"

Xenovia kept her face blank as Freed's pout didn't phase her. 'Closer. I have to get closer.' He was still caressing the Fragments in his possession, treating them like golf clubs instead of legendary swords. 'Even if he gets another sword that could be to my advantage.' She hid her smile and let the man take his pick.

When Freed changed Rapidly to his other hand to open the other side of his coat it revealed the final Fragment in his possession, Excalibur Blessing, Xenovia realized that the man was just playing around before. He had already made his choice when she spoke about 'another sword'.

"Yeeeeeeeeees, this is the one." Freed unveiled Blessing completely and held it high. A second later a gentle white aura began to leave his body in waves before disappearing. "Hmm~ That's the stuff~" Xenovia didn't doubt him, if anything she silently agreed that Blessing was the best choice to learn how to master the Holy Aura, which the Mad Exorcist couldn't do yet as it soon disappeared. "Still getting the hang of this."

His failure was something that Xenovia expected. While all the swords in their fight were Excalibur Fragments, they all were different in a way or another. From the instructions and reports from the Church, Xenovia knew the swords' statistics and couldn't help but smile at Freed's choice.

'True that Blessing is the best sword to practice Holy Aura with, but it's also the weakest in everything else.' She waited for Freed to try and use the aura again before charging, this time holding nothing back and fully planning to finish the fight.

Freed was surprised by the sudden advance from someone that was essentially on the defensive before but shrugged it off in an instant with a smile as he moved to intercept her.

It was then that Freed realized his reach wasn't as good as before and that he was also slower. Something was wrong but he didn't have time to think about it as he almost fell down from the sudden lack of the speed he had grown used to.

Exactly what Xenovia expected as Destruction bashed Rapidly away and she moved to stab Freed's heart. She believed the fight was won when Freed threw his whole weight to the side and avoided the blade, Holy Auras clashing against each other as he passed. Then Blessing came to slice Xenovia's leg and easily beat her aura and landed the hit.

The bluehead expected something like that, she knew Destruction's aura was weaker than its siblings', the weakest of the bunch, and had no way to stop Blessing's which was the strongest.

But the cut was shallow, also something that she expected, as Xenovia pulled back Destruction to cut Freed's chest. The blade managed to score the hit but the Mad Exorcist didn't die as Excalibur Blessing's aura kept Destruction's power at bay. The two end up changing sides and turning around to keep fighting as Rapidly clashed against Destruction.

Fast movements followed the collision as Xenovia threw herself completely into the offensive and Freed, despite having two swords, failed to land another hit. Even when he came close Xenovia's clothes deflected it before he had to pull Blessing back to defend.

It was the only sword that the proper Exorcist allowed to get close as she kept swinging hard either at Freed or Rapidly.

'Compared to the other Fragments, Blessing is by far the weakest.' Xenovia reminded herself as the blade came close to hitting her injured shoulder but she used her gloved hand to deflect it as she attacked with Destruction and forced Freed back for the fourth time. 'Its edge is almost dull and can't get past most protections.'

The only reason Xenovia was cut before was because she was hit on her exposed tight but that was just to try and finish the fight faster since she saw an opening to take Freed out. Now she was much more attentive and every hit from Blessing was directed to her uniform which was extremely resistant and blessed with many protections.

Another blow from Destruction connects with Freed's side and Xenovia almost got a definitive blow if the white haired man hadn't saved himself with the Holy Aura. He wasn't good with it as of yet but was learning how to use it at an incredibly fast pace due to Blessing and the man's own talent.

Holy Energy protected him for a few instants as he used both his swords to push Destruction back before Xenovia could sink the sword deeper into his ribs. Both struggle and try to hit each other while the area around them starts to get damaged by the impact of their auras and weapons.

A fast blow from Rapidly was deflected by Destruction which then went for a stab on his waist only for Blessing to intercept it. Xenovia counted on her head the seconds as she suspected that Freed's aura was about to give in at any moment. When she saw a small flicker that spoke of the lack of focus or mental capacity on Freed's part she went for an overhead strike with her full force and her aura backing her.

All three weapons were over their heads as Freed blocked and held Destruction with both of his blades else it would fall down like a hammer on him. His aura completely disappeared and quickly he shifted his focus to Rapidly and felt as his body grew lighter as its aura filled his being.

But it only lasted one instant and he couldn't use it to get rid of Xenovia whose own aura was still going strong. Freed had underestimated the blue haired woman's experience with Holy Swords but wasn't out of the fight yet as he could tell with some movement from his muscles that the speed of Rapidly was active once again.

What Freed realized and which Xenovia already knew was that while the power of most Holy Swords, including the Excalibur Fragments, while internal and not dependent on the owner, they still relied heavily on the body and mind of the user for consistency.

As both were humans who broke the human limits their constitution was similar with Freed being actually stronger for many reasons. However Xenovia surpassed the man in two aspects that were as fundamental to Holy Swords as the body; a sharp mind with a strong will and experience.

That was something that Valper tried to correct for Freed and while the Mad Exorcist paid some attention to the lessons, the Archbishop of Genocide failed to convey how important the strenght of the mind was when using the Excaliburs.

He explained as a scientist would, not considering that a warrior like Freed didn't like to deal with details and prefered to understand through more practical means. Practical means that the old man failed to deliver or think about.

But Xenovia was giving him the opportunity to test the swords by just trying to kill him, the exact kind of situation Freed thrived in. He now understood that using a Holy Sword involved a lot of mental effort and focus. Also that using multiple Holy Swords at the same time demanded a person to spread their mind too much for him to use them effectively.

At the moment Freed was starting to understand his limitations, how he couldn't use multiple abilities at the same time and how the Fragments themselves worked. Fighting against Xenovia was turning a dangerous man much more dangerous and the Exorcist had yet to realize that.

She was too focused on her duty and the fight to see that Freed was already thinking both on it and beyond. Such was the level of his potential.

Their competition of strength ended when Freed managed to move his food enough to kick Xenovia back a few steps. He moved for a double cut with his swords using his increased speed but the bluehead blocked both with Destruction.

Considering that Blessing's aura was out and he was using Rapidly's speed, Xenovia knew they returned to their previous position where Freed was faster but a mere touch from her sword was lethal.

So this time she used all her strength and aura to push the Mad Exorcist back and jump forward to cut him. Freed was also aware of the change of situation and when his swords were pushed up he immediately retreated as fast as he could, his back hitting a wall.

Both sides look at each other, Xenovia with a glare and Freed with a smile as they prepare themselves to continue the fight.

A few minutes earlier when Irina saw her partner advancing she worked on covering her up by knocking some soldiers of the Order while Xenovia would take care of their leader. Both had realized that Gawain's had some sacred gear that was empowering his men. It made sense to defeat him first.

While Mimic was far from being the most powerful of the Excalibur Fragments, Irina was already skilled enough with it that she could knock around some of the enemy soldiers.

However it was hard for her to go for definitive blows, there were too many and they were much stronger compared to the previous soldiers she faced since she returned to Fuyuki. In a way Mimic was the best and the worst Fragment to face them in Irina's opinion; she could transform it on anything but if she didn't think big she wouldn't defeat any of them.

That wouldn't be a problem since Irina could just turn Mimic into a giant sword and throw them all away from Xenovia with some effort. The soldiers could still fight back and with their numbers the chestnut haired Exorcist had to be careful to not be caught off guard but for a few seconds she managed to keep the majority of them away from her partner.

Things got complicated when Freed began to make his move. Irina didn't disagree with Xenovia's decision of chasing after him, she was the most experienced Holy Sword user and had the best odds between the two of them to take the Fragments back. If nothing else Shidou approved of the decision of saving Luvia and wasn't going to complain about it.

There was still a thing Irina would complain about. "Can't we talk about this?" She asked while dodging a spear and cut its tip off before cutting her attacker. "Or you guys could come one at a time? You know, just to be fair?" It was the fact that most of the members of the Order of Pendragon were focused on her or Luvia and unlike the magus lacked the spells to keep them at bay. "No? Figures."

The image on Irina's mind was strong enough and if the Order of Pendragon didn't have Gawain's sacred gear then it was possible that Irina wouldn't be facing any troubles against their army. The fact was that she didn't know what to turn Mimic into when facing great numbers and was defaulting to using it like a steel whip most of the time.

By just using Mimic as a sharp whip, Irina was able to both keep them at bay and still do some damage while staying out of danger.

Unfortunately for her the damage she was doing wasn't enough, not even close. It wasn't her fault either, nor the fault of Mimic, Irina realized that Gawain's sacred gear was more powerful than they thought.

She first noticed that the fight would be more difficult than expected when she managed to hit one soldier's neck. Irina didn't like killing but the situation demanded that she abandon any kindness for the sake of her mission and survival.

Then something odd happened right before her eyes, a great concentration of golden aura poured on the man's neck and closed the wound in a few seconds. It was clear that person was still shaken and other members of the Order moved to help him but other than that he was mostly restored.

'What kind of sacred gear does he have?' Irina asked herself as she dodged a sword by moving to the right and stabbing the man with Mimic right through the opening for his eyes. She cut the soldier of the Order down and moved in Gawain's direction only for another to get in her way with his sword and forcing her to turn Mimic into a shield to block it. 'That one isn't healing. Whatever this sacred gear is, it can't bring back the dead.'

While that realization meant that Irina could win by just killing everyone but she knew she wasn't capable of doing something like that. Irina knew that once everything was said and done she would feel sick for days by just taking one life and the thought of killing everyone in the building already was enough to make her dizzy.

'There must be another way.' She pushed back with her shield and used it to hit the attacking soldier in the face, stunning him. Another two tried to get to her but Irina was already moving in Gawain's direction. She just needed to pass by at least thirty people in her way. 'Lucky for me I have the perfect sword to do it.'

Between all the Excaliburs, Mimic was considered the most balanced of all weapons. Instead of having a high offensive power or defensive aptitudes, Mimic was unmatched in utility.

Someone like Irina, who was gentle at heart, subconsciously made Mimic weaker even when she was trying to be ruthless. It just wasn't in her nature to kill or harm and if she had a choice she wouldn't do it. Shidou Irina wasn't a person who relished in combat unlike her partner who loved it.

That was why they were made a team in the first place, to balance each other's. Irina held back Xenovia's aggressiveness while Xenovia pushed Irina into action.

As the two worked together they rubbed into each other but their natures didn't change much even if they adapted to one another. Irina was able to kill when needed and Mimic was letting out a considerable output of power to help her with it. However her mind wasn't attuned to fighting as much as Xenovia and she was the type to always fall back into her training.

For those reasons Irina couldn't see an easy way to annihilate all her enemies with Mimic. "Here I go!" But she could see the means to pass by them all and reach her target.

Jumping high in the air Irina aimed Mimic up and sent its tip to the roof. The members of the Order expected some kind of attack but still didn't hesitate and charged to attack the girl mid air. They surrounded her location fast and all were confident that when Irina landed she would have no escape.

Instead of obeying gravity and falling, some realized that the Exorcist was still going up in the arc of her jump. Many grew confused by what was happening but a soldier pointed up and shouted. "Her sword is connected to the roof!"

"That is one of the Excaliburs! It must be Mimic!"

"Spear throwers! We need spear throwers!"

"She is moving up faster!"

"Shit! We can't hit her!"

Confusion began to run around the members of the Order of Pendragon as Irina got higher with apparent no effort and a smile.

In her hands Mimic was a katana from the handle to the blade itself, except for the tip. The tip of Mimic had transformed into a grappling hook that grabbed the ceiling like a claw and held it firmly while the huge blade began to shrink to bring its owner up.

That versatility came from Irina's own heart, not one to destroy everything but to find a new path to solve the problems in her way.

When she was closer to the ceiling Irina did a small flip and landed on her feet to look down, up from her perspective, to all members of the Order below. It was practically a vast sea of people, armed and ready for her but with no means to reach the smiling Exorcist.

The lack of variety or training in the Order of Pendragon showed itself as none could do anything about Irina. All they had in the present were swords and spears when in the past they had magicians and archers that would be able to get to the chestnut haired woman. Only one of them would be able to do something in this situation and Irina's team had already defeated him.

"Here I goooooo!" Her loud announcement surprised the members of the Order but did so less than when she commanded Mimic to push herself in their direction.

It wasn't a jump, even if some confused Irina's advance as one, she was using Excalibur Mimic which was extending itself as fast as it could in the direction of its owner's target. Took only a second for Irina to find Sir Gawain behind the crown of his men and it was an easy task considering that unlike the others he wasn't using a helmet and the mop of blond hair was bright enough for her to see.

But just shooting herself towards him was a risk so first Irina commanded Mimic to aim her down back where she had escaped the mob to attract their attention. It worked flawlessly as shields and weapons raised to block or kill her before she even landed.

She paid close attention to all soldiers from her point of view, she noticed their necks and eyes moving from her to their weapons and companions. Irina couldn't guarantee that everyone would be distracted by her maneuver but any small distraction would give her time to take Gawain out. Even if just mere seconds.

Irina couldn't see the soldiers' faces but she smiled again when she noticed that most of them were posturing to attack once she landed close to where she was before, right in the middle of them.

Just as planned.

That was when Mimic changed again and the sword bent itself in an angle, accelerating at its full speed before letting go of the ceiling and fully returning to the shape of a katana as Irina prepared to cut Gawain's head off.

By the sudden way that Irina changed direction not many could react, in an ideal world even her target would fall to inaction because of the surprise. But Gawain never took his eyes off her, he was always ready as he knew that he was the most likely target.

When he saw her coming, Gawain pulled out his sword from the floor and raised it to defend himself. He wasn't worried about the attack or even surprised about it, despite his sacred gear helping his men Irina was still using an Excalibur Fragment. She reaching him was never a matter of 'if' only 'when'.

The loud sound of metal clashing against metal ran through the whole gallery as Gawain's unnamed sword matched against Excalibur Mimic. Irina was glad by her gloves and her uniform because if she didn't have it the collision would have broken all the bones of her hands.

And she watched stunned as Gawain not only survived her attack but fully stopped it, not even moving from his position. Irina could barely believe he managed to hold the attack back by just raising his sword.

The man wasn't unfazed however, Irina could see that by the expression on Gawain's face and the sweat pouring down. She had no choice but continue the attack, the Exorcist still had some momentum that was sending her against Gawain and if she wasn't careful he could use the opportunity to kill her.

Irina didn't fight against the physics but forced the swords to stay locked as she spun on the air by pushing herself with Mimic until she was above Gawain's head. In that position both sides threw attacks, she aiming for his neck and him for her eyes.

Both also dodged enough to let their blades hit their white and green capes, taking no damage as Irina landed and Gawain turned for a high swing from his left side. Their swords clash again but Irina doesn't stay still, instead she retreats back as far as she could before commanding Mimic to extend and pierce her adversary.

Irina expected Gawain to move, to dodge to one side or the other so she could turn Mimic to the side and cut him while the tip kept growing and dealing with any potential interlopers. She didn't expect him to stand his ground and bat the sword away with his own.

That left Irina open for a counter attack for the second that took for Mimic to return but Gawain didn't take the chance and instead he remained in his original position. When Mimic was back she raised her sword and watched for any sign of damage on her opponent.

But there was nothing that indicated that Gawain took any real damage, she failed to properly hit him so there was no blood, no tremors either so no broken bones. Irina knew that the speed she hit Gawain should be enough to have done something unless he had protection of some kind.

He has some type of sacred gear, Irina could feel that much however she couldn't remember any with the powers he was showing and was also defensive. Irina could freely admit to not knowing the names and powers of every existing sacred gear but Gawain's wasn't giving any of the usual signs when it came to protect him.

With the few seconds she had before her enemies got closer, Irina tried to make sense of the facts in her head. Every single other member of the Order of Pendragon was surrounded by an aura, an aura that started with Gawain and had spread to the others while the knight lost his.

That was something possible for some sacred gears even if she didn't know its name but that raised another question; 'If his sacred gear isn't protecting him, how did he stop me?' That question was the main problem she had with the situation but her time to think was up.

More members of the Order had reached her and Irina needed to move. A spear came aiming for her side but she pushed it back with Mimic and cut the attacker's hand off before kicking another soldier and letting her sword extend once again while kicking another.

This time Irina chose to let Mimic extend by pointing the tip to the floor and commanding both sides to grow. Her maneuver allowed her to dodge the soldiers and she used the sword as a pole to reach the second floor of the gallery.

Once she was safe, Irina looked back to the ground floor and watched as the members of the Order ran to the stairs while Gawain remained imobile. A curious thing she noted was that the soldier whose hand she had cut off had connected the limb to the stump and was soon moving it normally.

'That healing is powerful… the aura is still there for them. Maybe he just doesn't need to use the aura for himself…' Irina frowned as her mind couldn't understand how a sacred gear could have two versions of the same effect. That contradicted everything she knew about sacred gears. 'Balance Break? No, too weak. Maybe-'

Her thoughts got interrupted as the soldiers reached the second floor and some were already advancing towards her.

Mind still focused on understanding Gawain's sacred gear, Irina turned Mimic into a giant sword, the size of a bus that managed to stun most of her enemies, and took a swing with everything she had.

The Fragments ended up slamming on the wall of the stairs with many members of the Order being pushed through the wall or fell down the stairs in an attempt to dodge the giant sword.

Reducing Mimic to its normal size, Irina noticed at least fifteen fallen soldiers and how some were already getting up. A frown made its way to her face as she realized that in the last moment she turned the giant sword in a giant bat since no one got cut by the huge blade. A part of her was happy about it even if that made her job harder.

When Irina turned back she saw another group of soldiers. "Get her!"

"Don't let her use the Excalibur anymore!" She smiled at that sentence before pointing Mimic at them with a smile.

"Try to stop me!" A mental command later, Mimic extends and the soldiers scramble to try and dodge but they were closer to the balcony and had only one side to go. None tried to jump to the lower floor as they all dodged to the right but Irina tilted her sword to the side. "Here comes!" Again she swung Mimic with all her strength and once again its size wasn't an impediment to her.

She managed to knock down another five soldiers before returning Mimic to a katana and checking the area.

Those she defeated before in the stairs were already getting up, their wounds healing, while the five she just knocked down were slowly recovering. 'They all still have an aura.' She turned back to the floor and looked at Gawain.

The Knight of the Order remained still, surrounded by his subordinates who looked in her direction with their weapons ready. Gawain's eyes remained firmly on her as well, his sword hanging on his right hand and his left holding his cape gently.

Looking behind herself, Irina saw that some soldiers were already on their feet once again before turning back to Gawain. "I need to defeat him quickly." She looked in Luvia's direction and saw that she was surrounded. "Or else things are going to get worse."

With that in mind Irina jumped from the second floor, much to the members of the Order surprise. Gawain remained calm, he expected this. She rolled on the floor despite her boots neutralizing any consequences of her fall before immediately starting to run in the cluster of warriors' direction.

Immediately the soldiers moved with precision to surround their commander with a wall of shields from all sides. Because of the kind of shields they were using, the turtle formation had more openings than it should have even when they put spears out to stop her. It was clear that they had no intention of moving regardless of what Irina did.

"So you need to be stationary?" She asked out loud, not expecting a reply. "Then I just need to make you move!"

Irina began to spin mid charge with Excalibur Mimic on an arc with intention of breaking the defense. Distance and weight were irrelevant to Mimic if Irina was fast enough so she made the sword grow in size and length as much as she could, once again making it as big as a bus.

The soldiers saw the attack coming and braced themselves. "HOLD!" Gawain ordered as the whole shield was covered with a golden aura and the shields began to shine by how much energy was being poured into them.

When the sword collided with the formation Irina frowned as she felt the resistance born from the efforts of dozens of men. The impact failed to dislodge the formation and she could feel her arms struggling with her sword for the first time since she received it. Mimic may have been able to make itself weightless for her but the weight of her opponents and the push back they were doing was still there and she couldn't break their formation.

She wasn't the only one that could tell her attack had failed. "Attack!" Gawain commanded and his soldiers obeyed. As part of the shield wall wasn't being used some the men disengaged from the defense and began to charge at Irina.

Already realizing her mistake on thinking she could break the formation with brute force, Irina retrieved Mimic and advanced to meet her enemies. She knew after previous encounters that the soldiers were not invincible and even healing took some time for them and already had plans to use the information.

The main thing that she learned was that Gawain's sacred gear empowered both the person and the equipment in different measures; the fighter was fast, could heal and recover quickly when they lost conscience while the armor was tougher than it should be when compared to the others her team had faced and the normal metal was far harder to damage or break.

But those armors had weaknesses, as most man made things always did.

When a sword slash came for her side Irina hid Excalibur MImic inside her coat, making the man think she was going to block his attack. It was a feint as the sword passed harmlessly by the white coat as Mimic showed itself as a small dagger as Irina dodged the soldier to the side and took a swing behind the man's knee.

The aura was strengthening the armor but the joint had a small opening and when Irina was sure her blow was in the correct arc she willed Mimic to become a normal katana again and the person lost a leg.

That was only one down and three more were already charging at her without abandon with a spear and two swords, all using shields. Irina noted that they moved closer to each other in response to their companion's defeat but the seconds that it took for her to reach them was enough for Mimic to turn into a giant sword again that she used to hit them all at the same time.

With all their allies the soldiers would have a shield wall to protect them but three alone weren't enough and if it wasn't by the aura and armor they would have been dead.

During her swing Irina found herself open as two more attacked with their spears and while her footing was firm she usually would be open to the counter. Except that this time she had Mimic and in the second that it took for the sword to become a katana once again she was already focusing on letting out the Holy Aura of the blade.

As the gentle aura covered the Exorcist, none of the members of the Order had time to react. It happened too fast and suddenly the two attacking soldiers found themselves cut down, one in the shoulder from the right and the other from the waist up to his left, as Irina moved between them and faced another three ready to intercept her.

Already a headache was manifesting itself as Irina didn't have much control of her aura and stubbornly held it on to keep going faster than the soldiers could react. She arrived at the new trio and cut them with her Fragment. They tried to react, tried to keep up but they weren't fast enough and even the protection from Gawain's sacred gear failed against the Holy Sword.

From the back, still with fourteen men around him, Gawain watched as Irina defeated his men with a blank face. He always suspected that his sacred gear couldn't survive against Excalibur but having it proven just hardened his resolve.

'This is just proof we are correct.' The Commander of the Order of Pendragon thought while his grip in his sword grew stronger. 'King Arthur will return. All of this will be worth it.' He already knew that some of his men in the area were dead as the strain in his body grew weaker since his sacred gear had less people to empower. 'I am sorry.'

Even if all present had accepted the mission and were ready to sacrifice their lives, Gawain still regretted their deaths. That only just strengthened his determination as he glared at Irina, trying to see any signs of her failing to use Mimic's Holy Aura.

He also heard Valper's explanations but unlike Freed he actually understood them. Once he saw a flicker from the Holy Aura and Irina took a step back after defeating the three men closest to her Gawain knew she couldn't hold the power for long.

'8 seconds.' Gawain finished counting. "Her aura is about to disappear! Attack now!"

The remaining soldiers in the front line, four of them, heard their leader and charged without fear while Irina was stunned by Gawain's observation. He was correct and the Holy Aura disappeared as the chestnut haired Exorcist felt the strain in her mind and couldn't hold it for much longer.

Tightening the grip on her sword, Irina extended Mimic towards Gawain's left eye. The man didn't move or even react as another soldier threw himself in front of his commander and his shield stopped the sword as the knight raised a hand to hold his protector back.

Irina couldn't keep pushing for long as the soldiers were in range to cut her. She called Mimic back and crouched to avoid one of the swords before blocking another with her katana for an instant until she moved close with a spin while pushing that sword to avoid the third one.

It was the fourth who got her with a stab on her shoulder and Irina felt the blow despite her clothes protections.

Clenching her teeth, Irina focused on ignoring the pain and fighting back by using Mimic to hit the leg of the soldier which hit her. Unfortunately for the Exorcist she wasn't in position to cause any real damage as the iron boot took the blow but her strength was enough to bring the attacker down.

Moving to her left to avoid another sword, Irina turned back to fight against the still standing soldiers. She was aware that the one she defeated would stand up soon but she needed time and space as the other three pressured her more.

She ducked a blow coming for her neck before charging and hitting the man's torso with Mimic. The sword failed to break through the armor without its aura but Irina didn't need that for the moment as the Fragment changed its shape into a spike club that she pushed further until some of the spikes carved into the armor.

When another member of the Order tried to attack her from the left, Irina flipped herself to the right, pulling the sword turned club from the side while keeping it in the armor. The soldier with the club on his chest tried to swop her with his shield but Irina hopped just above the arm, taking part of the armor with her.

Landing a single foot the Exorcist kept moving as a strike came from another sword. She kept moving left but that soldier was still on her for a few seconds before Holy Aura began to surge once more.

'18 seconds,that is a little more than double of what she can use.' Gawain saw Irina frown when she cut the soldier's sword arm off but moved for a stab on his heart as the man tried to keep going with just his shield. 'That is another one.' Lamented the Commander of the Order of Pendragon.

With only three remaining it was easy for Irina to dispatch them, the soldier with a hole in his armor tried to stay back but Mimic just extended and pushed him farther away as Irina charged at the other two. They tried to fight the young woman but she just cut them down.

Gawain willed more of his sacred gear aura on the fallen soldier bodies as he noticed that Irina was pushing forward towards him and leaving them behind. 'She is hesitating. Not always but more than she should.' The knight observed as she stabbed the soldier in the opening she made even as others were still alive. 'Now she will retreat as her aura grows weaker.'

As predicted Irina didn't advance against Gawain's position but took several steps back to recover as she needed a few moments after using the Holy Aura. Both sides knew she couldn't pierce the Order's defenses without it anyway but the knight knew he had the advantage as the soldiers that pursued her to the second floor returned and others she spared before got back up.

'I don't want to kill her, the same way she doesn't want to kill us.' If Gawain had a choice he wouldn't be fighting against someone that was actively avoiding killing his men. Even as she killed some all could see that Irina was forcing herself. 'But we must do our duty.'

In the back of her mind Irina chastised herself as more soldiers got up after her attack. 'I can't win like this.' She gulped before preparing herself once again. "I will pray for you all later."

When Gawain heard Irina's soft voice he knew what was coming. "GET DOWN!"

Fully coated in Excalibur Mimic's aura, Irina spun in place as the sword extended and cut down any who didn't hear the warning around her. If she wished, Irina could have made it grow until she covered the whole building with such an attack but she considered her allies and focused only in her immediate area.

There was no contest against Mimic as many failed to evade the weapon and were cut down by the Holy Sword, the protection of the sacred gear falling against the Holy Aura. Irina tried to ignore the screams but she would take no prisoners even as she promised herself to ask for forgiveness later, thiers and God's.

The attack lasted until the Fragment was forced to stop as despite having warnerd his man to move Gawain stood as a mountain against a deadly wind, holding his sword up and stopping Mimic fully even as it broke through his shoulder armor.

Irina's eyes almost jumped from their sockets as Gawain held firm but soon her determination returned as the opportunity to deal with the biggest threat presented itself. With that in mind she returned Mimic to her in the shape of a katana, something that the knight tried to stop by holding the blade but failed, before pointing it at him and commanding Mimic to pierce his face.

A single second, that was how much time Gawain had to move his sword from where it stopped Mimic into a position to protect his face. While those who surpassed the human limits may be capable of such a feat, Gawain wasn't one of them and he knew it for a fact.

So it didn't surprise him, or anyone really, when Mimic's tip hit his forehead on the mark.

However Irina noticed a lot of things wrong the moment her sword connected to Gawain's head; she saw no blood meaning the owner was still alive and, most important of all, Excalibur Mimic had stopped.

The fact that her sword had stopped growing wasn't something in possible or even new to Irina but when she considered that it was a direct hit on a human skull and she was still willing it to grow only for the sword to not budge had the Exorcist quite shocked.

She was so stunned that the Holy Aura disappeared a few seconds before it should but there was no one in position to capitalize on that as most of the soldiers had hit the floor to avoid her attack.

Sir Gawain himself had his teeth clenched and felt the pain on his forehead resulted from the fast blow of Mimic. He still refused to move from his position even as he began to lift his sword slowly, surprising Irina once again who was still trying to process what happened, before bashing Mimic aside.

There for all to see was Sir Gawain, still standing mostly unharmed. His armor had the only visible damage with its shoulder, damaged enough to reveal a chain mail beneath it.

Yet when he fully raised his head to look back at Irina his face showed a grin resolve and not a single scratch. With his green cape behind him, Gawain looked like a true knight from legend.

Most of those watching the interaction noted how Gawain didn't look worse for wear and were confused by how that was possible since their commander had essentially survived one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet.

None other than the user of said weapon was the most shocked of them all. 'That is impossible.'

Recovering his bearing Gawain looked around and saw the stunned faces all around him with a frown. He could understand their shock but that only made him frustrated because that meant he failed to protect a secret that the leaders of his Order had preserved since its inception.

'But maybe this is the time to use it to the fullest.' Gawain pondered as his left hand went for his cape and held it tightly, practically hiding his left side. 'For where would it be better to use its power to the fullest other than here when we are close to accomplishing the main mission of our Order?'

Dismissing his own concerns, Gawain prepared to order his men to attack but someone else moved first.

The person who recovered first from the events was Irina herself. While she didn't expect anyone to just stop Mimic with their forehead she just fell back into her training again. As an Exorcist she was trained to deal with beings stronger and more resistant than the average human as well as those who misused sacred gears for any reason.

But the fact that someone, a human with basic training for all intents and purposes, took a sword on the forehead and not only survived but showed no signs of damage whatsoever was something she never encountered before in her life.

However there was little that Irina could do but keep attacking Gawain as he clearly was the one sustaining the other members of the Order. 'If this is his sacred gear then it must have a limit.'

Holding her sword with both hands, Irina focused on bringing the Holy Aura back as Mimic became a miniature of a katana and she positioned herself better with both feet firmly planted on the floor and her weapon close to her face which was brimming with determination.

Turning her hip slightly, Irina wasted no time in unleashing Mimic at full speed and with its full power, the Holy Aura covering it shining brighter than the lights in the gallery.

Once again Gawain was too slow to react and the tip of the Fragment hit his chest with the strength of a charging bull. He still didn't move and had no time to try and do anything before the sword retreated and attacked again, this time his sword arm. The armor was damaged but Gawain refused to let go of his weapon even as he felt great pain.

It got worse when the blade retracted and attacked again ten more times, each and every single one of the hits as strong as the first and Gawain knew he couldn't take many of those.

While his body had yet to be wounded, the knight felt the pain of every strike and the protection he had wasn't absolute. Little by little the Exorcist was managing to wear it down by hitting the same place repeatedly and only the fact that Irina didn't realize that was what kept the Commander of the Order in the fight.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, at the fifteenth hit, Gawain had managed to move his left hand to cover his body with his cape, an interaction of seconds that Irina noticed but didn't think much of.

She just kept pushing with Mimic, ordering the blade to retreat and extend as fast as she could while keeping the Holy Aura up. Every hit demanded Irina to act with the sword, to keep it going with just her force of will and mental image as she also needed to aim and fire.

Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, Mimic didn't stop and its owner kept pushing it. For as long as she could, Irina kept Mimic going. She wasn't paying attention to anything else other than keeping the offensive, only the target on her sights as the sword moved faster and faster.

Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty. The attacks were going so fast that mere seconds had passed since the offensive began and Irina had no way of noticing that the green cape that Gawain was using was intact despite the fast assault.

Even if her sword could move at incredible speeds, even if she had reached levels beyond the human limits with training, Irina's senses were not advanced enough to perceive every detail between the blows of her weapon.

She saw that Gawain had moved the cape to protect himself, covering his upper body fully and his lower body until his knees, but didn't understand why or the effect it was having on her attack.

There was no way Irina could understand what exactly was happening as her attacks broke the hundreds and she kept attacking. All that she knew was that her time was up and the Holy Aura was beginning to leave her body. She still tried to keep a hold on it, to keep pushing further as she never had before just because her opponent didn't fall.

'I can't hold it much longer…' Irina felt a huge thirst and headache as her mind had reached its limit. In total she had managed to hold Mimic's power for 14 seconds but not a single longer as the Holy Aura waned and began to disappear.

Gathering the last of the Holy Energy, Irina sent it ahead with all her strength, ordering Mimic to attack one last time with whatever was left of the aura.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" The last attack, the 127th blow, collides with the green cape with all the power Irina could muster. Green and white energies clash against each other for a second before disappearing, leaving a shocked Irina and a captivated audience behind. "How?" The Exorcist asked as she fell to her knee and used her sword to prop herself up. "That cape… that isn't your sacred gear. There is no Divinity on it."

"You are correct. This isn't my sacred gear." Gawain admitted as he opened the cape and revealed his damaged armor with cracks all around it for all to see but the man looked no worse for wear. "My sacred gear's real form has nothing to do with this cape. It is just a tool while my cape is a legacy from my predecessors."

"Legacy? An Artifact?" Irina wondered out loud as the members of the Order raised themselves with pride and determination at seeing their leader survive an onslaught of hundreds of blows. After a second Irina stood up as well but her eyes were still on the threat of Gawain as she tried to discover what his cape was. "Not many Artifacts have this much power. Certainly not enough to survive an Excalibur."

"I never said it was a mere Artifact. My mantle is something far beyond it!" Gawain replied with pride as his men celebrated their leader's confidence. "Can't you sense it, Exorcist of the Church? Can't you feel its power?"

Yes she could, it was subtle but it was there, it had been there even before their fight began and was unlike anything Irina had ever sensed. Her mind began to draw conclusions, concerning conclusions for there were few existences that could hold that kind of power and carry no Divinity.

And since it wasn't an Artifact, Irina eyes almost jumped from her sockets as she realized what the green cape was. "A Noble Phantasm?"

Gawain heard her whisper and couldn't help but smile. "Correct. This is a Noble Phantasm passed down from generation to generation for those who embraced the title of Sir Gawain, the Commanders of the Order of Pendragon!" He opened it with a flourish and green mana began to escape the cape as all watched it with admiration.

Irina just felt dread.

"Behold the Green Knight Mantle, Gift To The Honorable!" At the announcement of its name the mana around the cape returns to it and Gawain looked more imposing than before even as there was no change to his expression. "This mantle was given to the original Sir Gawain after a quest. It is the proof of his nobility, honor and compromise to his king. For King Arthur!"

"""""""For King Arthur!"""""""

The chorus was deafening but Irina ignored it as she had already recovered enough to keep fighting. She wasn't fully rested and knew that the fight wouldn't be easy or simple, a Noble Phantasm wasn't something she ever wanted to face in her life even with an Excalibur Fragment by her side.

Gawain watched as Irina prepared herself once again, her face telling him everything he needed to know. "You aren't going to agree to surrender your Fragment, will you?"

Irina couldn't help but smile at the question. "Are you going to surrender your Fragments if I ask nicely?" Then her face turned serious. "Because if you won't for your king, don't ask me to do the same for the Lord."

Now the knight was sure that he didn't want to harm Irina anymore, her determination and loyalty were things he admired. "Even against a Noble Phantasm?" The Exorcist only held her sword more tightly. "Have you ever faced one before?"

"Not really. I saw another once. A Holy Sword Noble Phantasm." Irina's smile returned. "It was stronger than your cape."

Some of the members of the Order felt offended by Irina's statement. Gawain just laughed. "Hahahaha, I don't doubt that. As far as Noble Phantasm goes, the Green Knight Mantle is quite weak." He held his cape with care despite being in the middle of a fight. "Just a piece of clothing with some special properties that deflect damage. Nothing more."

He could see Irina raising an eyebrow of skepticism and even some of his men were looking at him in disbelief. That just made the blond laugh again.

"But it suits me well, I suppose. Combined with my sacred gear it creates a strong defense and I can focus on giving my men the power to fight any enemy." Gawain declared firmly and the golden aura replaced the green one as it spread around and covered his soldiers. "Maybe this is the work of Fate, giving us the perfect Noble Phantasm to work with my sacred gear so we can bring our king back!"

Another round of cheers had Irina on the back foot as she now knew that she was dealing with far more than she expected. 'A sacred gear that can empower his allies while he has a Noble Phantasm that can protect him.' She couldn't help but find the situation unfair. 'The only way to win against that is by killing everyone else to then focus on him… Maybe another Noble Phantasm can make a difference but Xenovia is busy. Perhaps I can overwhelm him? He had to defend himself before for a reason, after all.'

It was simple logic for Irina, if Gawain needed protection or needed to defend himself then that meant his Noble Phantasm should have a limit. In that her knowledge failed her as the Exorcist felt unsure if she was correct.

Unlike sacred gears which were Artifacts of God and fell, somewhat, under the supervision of the Church, Noble Phantasms were completely different existences.

One could study a sacred gear for their whole life and once they found another of it then they could go back to their prior knowledge to understand the new one. While sacred gears can grow with their owners, the base was always the same to the model in question.

Noble Phantasms didn't develop with the user but with its legend; the more famous a Noble Phantasm was, the more power it gets. They could be considered powerful by just existing, something that only the Longinus could compete on the same level when it came to sacred gears.

By no means that meant a Noble Phantasm was invincible by just being a Noble Phantasm and Irina knew it that well. There were plenty of them that while powerful for what they were had no real ability to do anything. Most were harmless or even just useful for batteries in some cases as even the weakest one could be used to channel mana.

Previously Irina had only seen one other Noble Phantasm and even if the Green Knight Mantle wasn't as strong as the sword she saw before it still was powerful in its own right.

'Remember what you learned about Noble Phantasms. Remember all the warnings you receive and any tips that can help.' Irina's grip on Mimic grew tighter as she realized something awful for her, even letting out a sarcastic smile. 'Good news; I know the name of the Noble Phantasm. Bad news; I know nothing about any Green Knight.'

It was well established by any scholar that bothered to study the subject that Noble Phantasms' weaknesses could be found in their legend. If they even had any in the first place.

Since finding the weakness in its legend wasn't an option, Irina knew that the only way to win was by overpowering her opponent, something hard to do since his Noble Phantasm was defensive and her offensive wasn't strong enough. 'I need to trade places with Xenovia. She is the only one with a chance against this guy.'

Irina began to step back slowly as the situation went from bad to worse for her as the members of the Order looked more determined than ever. Their postures were all aggressive and it was clear that they were only waiting for their leader's command before they pounced.

Still watching Irina, Gawain remained silent as she showed signs of fear for the first time but didn't seem to be ready to quit. 'After dealing with her we still need to deal with her partner and Freed.' Once the Exorcists were eliminated, the knight had no doubt that Freed's services would no longer be necessary. 'We are close… Finally our king is about to return.'

There was no denying that Gawain was excited by the prospect that he would be the Commander of his Order to welcome his king back.

'After generations of struggle and sacrifices, our goal is finally within reach.' Gawain thought with pride, not even remembering the risks he took and the dangers he played with to reach this moment. 'I was right.' He affirmed with relief. 'I was right.' He shook his head to not let his mind drown in euphoria as he still had a job to do. "Atta-"

An explosion inside the gallery distracted the knight and startled his soldiers. He could still give the order, he should give the order.

Except that Gawain felt a sense of dread as more lives were cut off from the connection with his sacred gear. "What happened?!" He turned to the raised smoke that seemed to have caused the explosion before another one happened and two more lives were cut from him. "All in position! Shields raised!"

From triumph to fear, many of the members of the Order began to coalesce with their leader as another two explosions happened.

Irina took the opportunity to step back and retreat further away from Gawain's position, moving around to get away from the knight. "She is running away!" Unfortunately for her, one of the soldiers noticed her attempt and she raised Mimic in her defense.

Gawain briefly glanced at Irina before his eyes returned to the cloud of dust and smoke before it blew apart with a huge gust of wind, revealing Luvia in the epicenter with various gems in her hands.

"You all should really start to run away now." The blue magus raised a gem to her lips and kissed it softly. "You aren't even worth the money." Many of the wounded soldiers got up, their wounds open and healing as the men and women couldn't escape her blasts, and charged at her "Feel the might of the Edelfelt!"

Luvia threw two of her jewels at the charging men and they unleashed blasts of mana in the area. The soldiers can't stop themselves from being thrown around but the blonde magus wasn't done. With a snap of her fingers the jewels unleashed fire and electricity, cooking the men in their armor.