Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! …
Inside the wide gymnasium, two figures—one in white, one in black—clashed at incredible speed. The crisp, ringing sound of steel striking steel echoed nonstop, weaving into a dazzling symphony.
Two devils with the Knight piece traded blows under the watchful eyes of over a dozen spectators. Their bodies crossed and blurred, countless streaks of sword-light blooming through the air, brilliant and blinding.
Asuna and Kiba—one the wielder of Blade Blacksmith, the other of Sword Birth. Their Sacred Gears excelled in forging Holy Swords or Demon Swords with different attributes depending on the battle. Yet at this moment, both seemed to have forgotten that entirely. They created only pure holy and pure demonic blades, crossing swords in the most fundamental exchange of technique.
Flashes of steel crisscrossed the entire court. Divine energy and demonic power clashed again and again, making the fight grow even fiercer.
"What amazing swordsmanship…"
Among the Sitri servants maintaining the barrier, Tomoe—also a Knight—stared wide-eyed.
She too was a swordswoman, trained in a Japanese Exorcist family. Her swordsmanship was far from weak. But compared to the two in front of her, she felt completely outclassed.
Especially Kiba. His technique could only be described as masterful—effortlessly blending multiple schools, unrestricted by fixed forms. His sword moved unpredictably, hard to read, and paired with Knight-level speed, a single mistake could get someone cut.
As for Asuna, her technique clearly wasn't as refined as Kiba's, but her Niten Ichi-ryū was already extremely well-polished. She had touched the core of the style. Like a small boat tossed in a storm, she seemed moments away from being swallowed by Kiba's strikes—yet each time she escaped unscathed. Completely calm, she moved within his offense without panic or hesitation, enduring the overwhelming pressure.
They fought on and on, so fast that many spectators could no longer follow their movements. Only streaking sword-light remained—proof of how fierce the battle had become.
In the end, the ones who failed to endure were not the fighters, but their swords.
Crack!
Crack!
Two sharp breaking sounds rang out. Asuna and Kiba instantly separated—both swords shattering in their hands until only the hilts remained.
"The swords broke!"
Someone shouted, but neither fighter reacted.
"Blade Blacksmith!"
"Sword Birth!"
The two invoked their Sacred Gears simultaneously, summoning new Holy Swords and Demon Swords into their hands.
But this time, they no longer created simple single-attribute weapons.
"Holy Flame Sword!"
Asuna's blade ignited with both holy energy and fire. She swung, releasing a wave of sacred flame toward Kiba.
"Ice Sky Sword!"
Kiba responded by creating a Demon Sword with demonic and ice attributes, summoning a surge of freezing cold that clashed with the flames.
Asuna struck again, releasing wave after wave of blazing holy fire. The heat crushed the icy air, and the firestorm surged toward Kiba.
His ice-element Demon Sword broke under the pressure. He immediately created another, drove it into the ground, and summoned a rising wall of water that extinguished the incoming flames.
Asuna instantly discarded her flame sword and forged several small dagger-sized Holy Swords. With a flick of her arm, she threw them at Kiba—each blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
Kiba clearly hadn't expected her to use Holy Swords as throwing weapons. And these small blades carried wind attributes—their speed skyrocketed. He dodged most of them, but the very first blade slashed across his arm.
"Urgh…!"
Blood spilled as a deep cut opened. Kiba let out a pained groan.
"Kiba!"
Rias and Akeno paled at once.
The wound wasn't deep. For a devil—or even a human—it wasn't life-threatening. But Kiba felt his entire arm burning, like flesh had been carved away. Power drained from him through the wound.
A pale white vapor curled from the cut. The holy energy embedded in the wound was purifying his demonic body, trying to erase it entirely.
This was the terror of a Holy Sword—any strike on a demonic being would burn the flesh from the wound inward, potentially even harming the soul. More frightening than poison.
"Don't let it hit your vitals, Kiba!" Rias warned sharply. "If that hits the wrong spot, you'll disappear instantly!"
Of course Kiba knew.
No one understood Holy Swords better than him—and no one hated them more.
The burning pain in his arm dragged old memories to the surface. His expression darkened as he charged forward.
Asuna no longer engaged him in pure swordsmanship. She rapidly forged Holy Swords of different attributes—throwing some, tossing others upward before guiding them down like falling rain.
Kiba ran at full speed, his Demon Sword flashing as he deflected blade after blade, closing the distance.
Asuna wanted to retreat, to keep the gap between them, but Kiba suddenly shouted—
"Sword Birth!"
He poured out demonic power, slammed his hand to the ground, and a wave of malevolent energy rushed across the floor toward Asuna.
A moment later, it burst into reality. Several Demon Swords erupted from the ground, thrusting toward her from every angle.
"…!"
Asuna's heart jolted. Just before she was skewered, she kicked off the ground and leapt upward, soaring into the air.
"Not good!"
From Leo's side, Yukino and the others reacted immediately.
They had seen it—Kiba had already jumped first.
Asuna's leap had practically delivered herself into his path. Kiba met her midair and kicked her downward.
"Ah…!"
Pain shot through her back, but she twisted her body, landing safely.
She barely touched down when a Demon Sword pressed coldly against her throat.
"It's over, Yuuki-san."
Kiba held the blade steady, his other arm hanging but firm.
"…Yeah. I lost."
Asuna blinked, then bit her lip and released her Holy Sword, letting it dissolve into particles of light.
"Gremory servants, victory."
Sona announced immediately.
"Nice one, Kiba!"
Rias beamed, and Akeno finally relaxed.
"Get treated right away. A Holy Sword wound is no joke."
Akeno guided Kiba toward the sidelines.
"Sorry for worrying you."
Kiba apologized as he obediently received healing.
"My bad. I lost."
Asuna returned to Leo's group, speaking apologetically.
"You still did really well."
"Yeah. You've only been training for like… what, two months?"
"It was impressive, senpai."
Yukino, Utaha, Mahiru, and the others offered encouragement.
"Your performance exceeded what I expected."
Leo wasn't disappointed at all—he looked pleased.
And he had every reason to be.
Like Utaha said—how long had Asuna been practicing swordsmanship?
Barely two months.
Not even two months, and she had already entered Niten Ichi-ryū properly, and in terms of technique, speed, and Sacred Gear usage, she had fought a Knight equal in rank to a standstill for so long. It far surpassed Leo's expectations.
The exchange just now had honestly impressed him.
As for losing to Kiba—that was inevitable.
Kiba's natural sword talent was simply above Asuna's. Their Sacred Gears were equal in grade. Both were Knights. Both had swordmasters who served a Maou.
The conditions were simply too similar.
And with those conditions equal, Asuna had only been a devil for two months. Kiba had been one for years—time spent developing Sword Birth, mastering his Knight trait, and refining his swordsmanship. There was no reasonable world where Asuna defeated him.
So in a Knight vs Knight battle, Holy Sword vs Demon Sword, Asuna's chance of winning had never been high.
But the next fight would be different.
"Next up is your turn, Utaha."
For the first time, Leo called Utaha by her actual name—not teasing her with "senpai" or "Kasumigaoka-san."
Utaha raised an eyebrow, let her folded arms relax, and stepped forward.
…before the light faded.
====
Extra chapter!