Even though Xenovia's words were blatantly rude, Rias—ever the dignified High-Class Devil—restrained her irritation.
"You're being rather arrogant," she said coolly. "Are you trying to threaten me? Don't tell me you suspect we're colluding with the Fallen Angels to take your Holy Swords?"
"I won't deny the possibility," Xenovia answered bluntly.
Rias's crimson eyes sharpened, a glint of icy anger flashing through them.
The situation was absurd—but understandable, given centuries of tension.
The Holy Sword users served the Church, and behind them stood Heaven's armies. Even with a peace treaty in place, countless generations of hostility didn't vanish overnight. The truce was born from necessity, not trust. Each faction still saw the others as enemies, their coexistence based solely on restraint.
So for Xenovia to march into Rias's own base—the Gremory family's territory no less—and announce that Devils had better not interfere in the Church's affairs… it was nothing short of brazen.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, she warned Rias not to ally with the Fallen Angels—under threat of "divine retribution."
And she didn't even realize how insulting she sounded.
"Our High Command doesn't trust Devils or Fallen Angels," Xenovia continued, tone perfectly matter-of-fact. "If the Fallen manage to remove the threat of Holy Swords from Heaven's domain, it would benefit them—and perhaps you—so there's every reason to think you might work together.
"So here's our stance: if you ally with Kokabiel in any way, we are ordered to annihilate you. Even if you're the sister of a Maou—the command stands as is."
Ryuichi sighed softly, then spoke with ice-edged calm.
"Don't make me laugh. First of all, we'd never ally with the Fallen. Second—look at your current position. Do you honestly think the Church could afford another war right now? Stop talking big when you clearly can't back it up."
His words landed like sharp slaps. Both girls stiffened, their faces flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Are you insulting the Church?" Xenovia snapped.
"This concerns the dignity of God! We can't ignore such blasphemy!" Irina added, puffing her cheeks indignantly.
"Tch. I'm only stating facts," Ryuichi said flatly. His golden eyes locked onto theirs, unflinching.
"What now? You planning to defend your God's dignity with your lives? Go ahead. I don't mind teaching you both another lesson."
"..." Xenovia fell silent.
"..." Irina looked away awkwardly.
Neither knew what to say.
They were furious, sure—but deep down, they knew he was right.
And even if they wanted to prove him wrong, the unpleasant truth was that they couldn't win. Not against him.
If they fought here and died, how would they ever complete their mission to recover the stolen Holy Swords?
Ryuichi regarded the two exorcists with a faint, almost pitying expression.
I really don't get it, he thought. How does the Church manage to brainwash people this thoroughly? It's impressive in its own messed-up way.
Across the table, Akeno exchanged a sideways glance with Rias. Both women hid a smile behind polite expressions.
Ever since Ryuichi joined them, there hadn't been a single debate, verbal or otherwise, that they'd lost.
"Cough… all right, that's enough," Rias interjected smoothly, breaking the tension.
She folded her arms, her tone regaining composure. "Since you already know who I am, I assume your positions are fairly high within the Church. So let me make this clear—I will never ally with the Fallen Angels. Not now, not ever. I swear it on the name of Gremory."
Xenovia gave Ryuichi one brief glance before nodding curtly. "Then that's fine. In that case, we'll share what we know. Kokabiel has already entered this city—with three Holy Swords in his possession. Consider this a warning."
"Understood," Rias replied, frowning slightly. "Thank you for the information."
When the two Church envoys finally departed, quiet settled over the room.
After a moment, Ryuichi turned to Rias. "What kind of power does this Kokabiel have?"
"I've never met him personally," she admitted, worry creasing her brow. "But he's said to be one of the Fallen Angels' cadre-class leaders. It's highly likely his power surpasses that of a High-Class Devil."
Ryuichi leaned back, thoughtful. "That strong, huh…?"
His mind flashed to that incident in the dimensional rift—the final blast of blinding light that had nearly erased him. Could that have been Kokabiel's attack?
"If the only ones Heaven sent were those two Holy Sword users," he muttered, "that's practically sending them to die. Even if they've got hidden power, they won't be a match for someone like him."
"They know," Rias said quietly. "But they still came. Perhaps… that's what faith means to them." She sighed and sat down, resting her chin on her hand.
As Rias pondered aloud, Ryuichi fell deep into thought.
On the surface, this was simply a conflict between Heaven and the Fallen Angels—nothing to do with Devils at all.
Yet something about it nagged at him, heavy and wrong.
He replayed Xenovia's words in his head again and again.
Three Holy Swords. Kokabiel had brought three of them into this city.
Why here?
Of all places in the world, why Kuoh?
If the Fallen wanted to cause trouble, they could do so anywhere. What made this place worth bringing Holy Swords for?
Unless there was something—or someone—here that they wanted.
Ryuichi's brow furrowed as realization flickered in his eyes.
"Ryuichi?" Rias asked, noticing his serious look.
"I'm… worried about the Fallen Angels' intentions," he admitted slowly.
"They're always up to something," Rias replied, waving it off lightly. "But don't worry. If anything happens, I'll inform my brother immediately."
That drew a wry smile from him. Having a Maou for a brother did have its perks.
But then, a sudden thought froze him mid-smile. His eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
"Wait," he said quietly.
Everyone turned toward him.
He stared into space for several long seconds, then spoke in a low, thoughtful voice.
"What if… the real target is the Maou?"
Rias blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ryuichi looked around at the group, his tone calm but chillingly precise.
"Think about it. Why else would the Fallen bring three Holy Swords here? What could possibly be in Kuoh worth that kind of move? And if they wanted to start something big, why waste time stealing Holy Swords unless they planned to use them against a specific kind of enemy?"
Koneko tilted her head. "Just say it," she muttered. "You're overexplaining again."
Ryas and Akeno, however, had already gone still—the weight of his reasoning settling in.
Ryuichi exhaled and said the words quietly, but they struck like thunder.
"In this city… we have the sisters of two Maou. If they were suddenly killed by a Holy Sword…"
His gaze met Rias's crimson eyes.
"Then the enemies' real target might not be the Church or the Fallen—or even us. It might be you and Sona Sitri herself. If the Maou's sisters were slain, it could spark another Great War."
Silence filled the room.
The implication was terrifying.
And for the first time in a long while, everyone there felt a chill run down their spines.