Arthur pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the chapel, the soft creak echoing through the quiet interior.
From inside, he saw a woman clasping her hands tightly in prayer, a Fallen Angel kneeling with her wings folded neatly behind her, and even a Youkai stood near the back, head bowed respectfully.
Arthur didn't interrupt anyone as he simply walked past them, nodding faintly to the few people who noticed him.
(Still feels strange seeing a Fallen Angel praying…)
He reached a narrow door near the back of the chapel and slipped through it, leaving the main hall behind.
Arthur descended the stone staircase, and at the bottom, the space opened into a vast chamber.
In the center stood a large circular metal platform, a red magic circle on its surface, glowing faintly even before activation.
Arthur stepped into the circle without hesitation.
The moment his foot touched the center, the circle flared brightly.
A low hum filled the chamber, growing louder as the light enveloped Arthur's body.
Then...
*Fwoosh*
DxD
Arthur reappeared on another platform, his hoodie fluttering slightly as he lifted his gaze and paused.
In front of him, a massive airborne citadel hovered serenely in the sky, its structure a blend of ancient architecture and advanced engineering, with towering spires rising upward, connected by floating bridges and glowing pathways.
Magic cannons and barrier lined the outer ring, and banners bearing the Counter Corps insignia fluttered proudly in the wind.
This was the Counter Corps' hidden headquarters, New Camelot.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
(Yeah… never gets old.)
As he stepped off the platform and onto the main walkway, activity around him slowed to a halt.
Members of the Counter Corps, engineers, knights, mages, and officers, stopped what they were doing.
One by one, they turned, stood straight, and saluted.
"Commander Arthur!"
"Good afternoon, sir!"
"Welcome back, Commander!"
Arthur raised a hand in response, nodding casually as he walked.
"At ease, guys. You don't have to freeze every time you see me."
A few chuckled nervously, but they bowed respectfully as they returned to their tasks, clearly energized just by his presence.
Footsteps approached from his side.
A brunette woman with neatly tied hair and striking red eyes walked up beside him, wearing a classic black-and-white maid uniform.
She bowed gracefully.
"Welcome back to New Camelot, master."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Good to see you, Victoria. You look nice. New haircut?"
Victoria straightened, lips curving into a small smile.
"Thank you for the compliment, master. And yes, it is. Shall we begin today's agenda?"
"Go ahead."
Arthur said as they started walking together along the wide corridor overlooking the city below.
"So, what's the situation?"
Victoria adjusted the tablet in her hands.
"With the continued cooperation of the Church and Grauzauberer, our funding has increased significantly this year. Mephisto's investments alone covered the expansion of three new training zones and two medical wings."
Arthur hummed.
"That explains the additional paperwork. Georg looked like he was about to fight to the death when I showed them."
Victoria nodded.
"Additionally, Counter Corps operations have increased this month. Most missions involved search-and-destroy operations against rogue Strays and rescue missions for civilians caught in supernatural disputes. All missions concluded successfully with minimal injuries and zero civilian casualties."
Arthur's eyes softened slightly.
"Good. Anything else I need to know?"
Victoria glanced at him before continuing.
"As for recruitment, we've accepted sixty-four new members this quarter. Twelve of them possess Sacred Gears, three are reincarnators, and the rest have shown exceptional compatibility with magic."
Arthur whistled quietly.
"That many already, huh…"
As Victoria spoke, Arthur's mind drifted back a year ago.
He remembered Heracles and Siegfried bringing a group of rescued dhampirs to Avalon, and among them was Victoria, who briefly helped the duo during their invasion against the Tepes Faction.
He remembered the way her hands shook when she bowed to him, tears streaming down her face as she thanked him over and over for saving them, for giving them a chance to hope for a better future.
When she offered her body as repayment and to ensure her fellow Dhampirs have a place to live in Avalon, he refused a couple of times.
And then after the umpteenth time, when she looked him dead in the eyes and said.
"Then let me be your servant."
Arthur had sighed and given up, deciding to keep her as the mansion's headmaid and his personal secretary.
His thoughts snapped back as Victoria stopped walking.
They had arrived at the training grounds.
Dozens of Corps members trained across the massive open area, some practicing martial arts, while others practiced spells, their teachers standing by in standby.
At the center, Heracles stood with his arms crossed, grinning widely as he shouted at his trainees, who were "fighting" against him.
"COME ON! THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT? MY DRUNK UNCLE HITS HARDER THAN THAT!"
Nearby, Vasco stood calmly with his hands behind his back, smiling gently at his own students.
"Now, now. If you don't finish those laps in thirty seconds, I suppose I'll have to spar with you personally."
The trainees visibly paled.
"Y-YES, SIR!"
They immediately doubled their pace.
Arthur laughed under his breath.
"Those two are absolutely evil."
Victoria allowed herself a small chuckle.
From the center ring, the sound of blades clashing rang out sharply.
Arthur turned his head and spotted three familiar figures.
A blond knight, wielding a holy sword, stands on the sidelines, Jeanne.
An albino swordsman who looks incredibly bored, Siegfried.
And a smaller blond boy, panting heavily but still gripping his blade stubbornly, Isaiah.
Arthur and Victoria approached just as Isaiah was knocked off balance.
Siegfried stepped forward, his sword stopping inches from the boy's throat.
"You were too wide open. In a real fight, that'll get you killed."
Siegfried said casually.
Isaiah gritted his teeth, about to snap back, then froze when he noticed Arthur.
Siegfried smirked and lowered his blade.
"Yo, boss. Didn't expect to see you here."
Arthur shrugged, hands in his pockets.
"Got bored. Georg took away most of my paperwork while I only had to sign a few important ones."
Jeanne turned and smiled warmly.
"Good afternoon, Arthur."
Isaiah pushed himself to sit up, his eyes flicking towards Arthur.
"... Hey."
He muttered.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like you guys are busy."
Arthur stepped forward and caught Isaiah by the forearm and pulled him back onto his feet with ease.
He looked down at him and asked.
"You holding up alright, Isaiah? Any progress since last week?"
Isaiah straightened a bit but then went quiet, his eyes shifting to the side as he clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated.
Siegfried only shrugged with a lazy roll of his shoulders and said.
"Strength-wise, the kid's improving, I'll give him that, for someone his age, he hits harder than most adults, but technique-wise, he's still rough around the edges, so me, Jeanne, and Blondie figured we'd drill our sword styles into him."
Siegfried tilted his head toward Isaiah with a sharp grin and added.
"As you can see, he got his ass handed to him."
Isaiah shot him a sharp glare and huffed.
"You didn't have to say it like that, jerk."
Jeanne laughed softly and stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on Isaiah's head and ruffling his hair as she said warmly.
"Don't be upset, Isaiah. Everyone struggles at first. You'll get the hang of it soon enough if you keep trying."
Siegfried clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
"Oi, don't coddle him too much, Jeanne. He wants to get stronger, so he needs to toughen up."
Jeanne immediately shot back with a frown.
"He is still a child, Siegfried. He also needs emotional support."
Siegfried scoffed.
"And if you overprotect him, he'll never survive the real world."
Jeanne narrowed her eyes.
"That's not what I said, and you know it."
The two continued bickering back and forth, their voices rising slightly as Arthur watched from the side with his arms loosely crossed, a faint smirk forming on his face as he thought that they genuinely looked like a married couple arguing over how to raise their child.
Victoria leaned slightly toward Arthur and asked in her usual formal tone.
"Master, may I ask why Sir Siegfried appears particularly rough toward the young boy?"
Arthur glanced at Isaiah and then at Siegfried before answering quietly.
"A year ago, Isaiah was obsessed with hunting down Holy Swords. When he saw Jeanne using Blade Blacksmith, he went berserk and nearly killed her. Siegfried stopped him before it got worse, but he's never fully let it go."
Just then, a calm male voice cut through the tension as a young man with blond hair, glasses, and an ornate Holy Sword at his side approached and said.
"Arthur, it's been a week. How have you been?"
Siegfried paused mid-argument and scoffed.
"Tch, you're back already, Blondie? I thought you said you'll be busy."
The young man adjusted his glasses calmly and replied.
"It was a minor issue. I was assisting Morgan with locating a rare potion ingredient."
Arthur smiled and turned fully toward him.
"Hey, Kay, good to see you back as well."
He then glanced past Kay and softened his expression.
"Hey, little Asia. How are you doing?"
Asia stepped out from behind Kay, smiling brightly as she waved and said.
"Hello, big brother! I'm doing great! I even helped out with the nice doctors in the medical wing."
Arthur smiled as he patted her head.
"That's very nice of you, Asia. Keep it up."
She nodded happily and immediately noticed Isaiah and hurried over to him, concern written all over her face as she asked.
"Are you okay, Isaiah? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Isaiah froze slightly under her attention and muttered.
"I'm fine... It's just a few scratches..."
Asia shook her head gently and placed her hands over his arm as soft green light enveloped him.
"Even small injuries matter, dummy."
She said kindly as she activated Twilight Healing. Isaiah watched silently as his wounds faded, his ears turned red, and he mumbled.
"Th-thanks..."
Asia smiled warmly.
"I'll always be happy to help you, Isaiah. So don't be shy to ask, okay?"
Watching her cute smile, Isaiah's face heated up as he looked away.
Everyone, including Siegfried, watched the scene with softened expressions.
Arthur chuckled and commented casually.
"You know, this is probably what Sieg and Jeanne would look like if they were childhood sweethearts."
Siegfried and Jeanne both stiffened before shouting at the same time, faces red.
"Shut up, Arthur!" x2
Victoria let out a soft chuckle as she watched the tension rise, while Kay stepped forward and adjusted his glasses before looking straight at Siegfried and saying.
"That should be enough for today, Siegfried. It's my turn to train young Isaiah."
Siegfried didn't even look back at him as he rolled his shoulders and replied.
"Hold it right there, Blondie, I'm not done with the kid yet."
Kay's brow twitched slightly as he answered with mild annoyance.
"If I recall correctly, it's my schedule this week to teach him my swordsmanship."
Siegfried finally turned around with a crooked grin and scoffed.
"You mean that fancy dancing thing you've been teaching him? Yeah, right, don't make me laugh."
Kay crossed his arms and shot back calmly, though his tone sharpened.
"It is far more refined and effective than your barbaric excuse of a sword technique."
That did it.
Siegfried's grin vanished as a vein popped on his temple, and he snapped.
"You wanna say that again, you four-eyed fucker."
Kay met his glare without flinching and replied.
"Gladly. You are nothing more than a brute without elegance."
Siegfried clenched his fist and turned toward Arthur, jabbing a thumb at his own chest as he said.
"Oi, Arthur, back me up here, you know damn well my style is better."
Kay scoffed, and he interjected.
"Obviously, Arthur is aware that mine is superior. After all, Arthur and I trained and sparred together back at the estate during our youth."
Siegfried let out a sharp laugh.
"And I'm Arthur's sword rival, so he knows firsthand my technique is better."
Kay immediately corrected him.
"Please, we all know that you are only a self-proclaimed rival, Siegfried. If anyone is suited to be Arthur's sword rival, it is I."
The two locked eyes, sparks practically flying as their argument shifted entirely into who truly deserved the title of Arthur's sword rival.
Arthur stood there in silence, watching the absurd escalation as their voices overlapped, his shoulders rising slightly before he let out a tired sigh and leaned toward Victoria.
"I think we should go."
Victoria inclined her head respectfully and replied.
"As you wish, master."
Jeanne waved at them with an amused smile and said.
"Bye, Arthur, Victoria. See you later at lunch."
Even as Kay and Siegfried reached for their respective swords, neither was willing to back down.
Meanwhile, Asia and Isaiah were completely in their own little world, Asia speaking softly about her activities while Isaiah nodded along, curious about the impending clash behind them.
Arthur slowed his steps and glanced back just in time to see Kay fully draw his blade.
It was the legendary Holy King Sword, Caliburn.
Arthur's eyes lingered on the sword as memories surfaced.
One month after Avalon was established, when the Counter Corps was still gathering recruits, his uncle Uther had sent his support, Kay and Morgan arriving soon after.
Kay had been eager back then, challenging Arthur to a sword clash almost immediately, proudly revealing Caliburn, the Sword in the Stone, hailed as one of the strongest Holy Swords in existence, yet even with its overwhelming power, Kay had still been defeated by Arthur's Balance Breaker, Welsh Inferno Dominator.
Arthur remembered Caliburn's abilities from Kay's words and from the wiki fandom, a blade said to rival even the True Excalibur in raw might, with its true specialty being the ability to cut through anything, and even warp space itself, a trait eerily similar to Vergil's Yamato.
He briefly wondered if Caliburn could also possess the Yamato's power to separate man from devil, but before that thought could fully form, Victoria's voice gently pulled him back.
"Master, we should proceed to the next destination."
She said, Arthur nodded once, turning away as he replied.
"Yeah, let's go."
They left the training grounds behind, the sounds of clashing egos and steel fading into the distance.
DxD
Hello readers!
I'm back!
I was planning to upload this chapter before Christmas, but I got a "little" wasted.
(NOTICE: Drink Responsibly)
So this is my late gift to you all, which may or may not include a few extra chapters!
Merry Christmas, you...
Readers? Audience? Fans?
I don't know what to call you all...
... Anyway.
Thank you, everyone, and see you later!