The fallen angel leader moved with terrifying speed, his spear of light already formed and thrusting toward Kazuki's heart. Only instinct saved him—his body twisted aside at the last possible moment, the spear scoring a burning line across his ribs instead of impaling him.
Pain exploded through Kazuki's side, but he'd learned to fight through pain. Koneko's training had ensured that.
He retaliated with a wave of chaos energy, forcing the fallen angel back. The two pinned angels were struggling to free themselves from his lances, their dark wings flapping uselessly.
"You're better than you look," the leader admitted, circling Kazuki like a predator. "But you're still just a newly reincarnated devil. You can't possibly—"
Kazuki didn't let him finish. He'd learned from Koneko that talking during combat was a liability. While his opponent was monologuing, Kazuki was moving, closing the distance and forming his chaos energy into a blade around his hand.
The fallen angel barely blocked the strike with his light spear, and his eyes widened when Kazuki's chaos blade didn't disperse on contact. Instead, it ate into the holy weapon, corrupting and unmaking it.
"What are you?" the fallen angel gasped, backing away rapidly. "That's not normal devil energy!"
"I told you," Kazuki said, pressing his advantage. "I'm special."
He unleashed a barrage of chaos projectiles—not the refined lances he'd used before, but rapid-fire bursts that prioritized speed over power. The fallen angel dodged most of them, but several struck home, burning holes in his wings.
But Kazuki was also burning through his energy reserves fast. This wasn't like fighting a mindless stray devil. This opponent was trained, experienced, and adapting to his tactics.
The two pinned fallen angels finally managed to tear free of his lances, ichor dripping from their wounded wings. Now it was three against one, and Kazuki's odds had just gotten a lot worse.
"Kill him!" the leader commanded. "Then we'll complete the ritual!"
The three fallen angels attacked in coordination, light spears flashing from multiple angles. Kazuki created a chaos barrier, but it shattered under the combined assault. A spear grazed his shoulder, another his leg. Holy energy burned through him like acid.
I'm not going to make it, Kazuki realized. He was outmatched, outmaneuvered, and running out of energy. In seconds, they'd overwhelm him completely.
But he'd bought time. Time for Asia to escape and get help. Time for the hostage to possibly break free. That would have to be enough.
Kazuki prepared for a last-ditch attack, planning to take at least one of them down with him, when the shrine's wall exploded inward.
A figure crashed through the debris with devastating force—Koneko, her small fists glowing with senjutsu energy as she slammed into one of the wounded fallen angels. The impact sent the enemy flying across the room to crumple against the far wall, unconscious or dead.
"Idiot," Koneko said flatly, not even looking at Kazuki as she moved to engage the second wounded fallen angel. "Fighting three-on-one. Typical."
"Koneko! How did you—"
"Asia came and got us," Akeno's voice called from the entrance. The Queen of the Gremory peerage stepped into the shrine, purple-black lightning crackling around her hands. Her usual gentle expression had been replaced by something far more dangerous. "Really, Kazuki-kun, you should learn to wait for backup."
The fallen angel leader realized his situation had drastically changed. He made a decision quickly, forming a massive light spear and hurling it—not at the devils, but at the altar where the hostage was bound.
"If I can't complete the ritual, no one gets her alive!" he snarled.
Time seemed to slow. The spear flew toward the defenseless girl, who could only watch her death approaching. Kazuki was too far away, too exhausted to intercept.
But his chaos energy responded to his desperation.
Without conscious thought, Kazuki's power erupted outward in a wave. It wasn't controlled, wasn't refined—just pure, primordial chaos answering his need to protect.
The chaos wave caught the light spear mid-flight and simply erased it. Unmade it so completely that it was as if the weapon had never existed. The wave continued, washing over the altar and dissolving the chains binding the hostage.
Then Kazuki collapsed, his reserves completely depleted.
He was dimly aware of Akeno's lightning obliterating the fallen angel leader, of Koneko checking on the hostage, of Asia rushing to his side with healing light already glowing around her hands.
"You idiot," Asia sobbed, her tears falling on his face as she worked frantically to heal him. "You wonderful, stupid, brave idiot. Don't you dare die on me!"
"Not... planning to," Kazuki managed weakly. The holy energy from the fallen angels' spears was fighting against Asia's healing, burning through him like poison. "How bad?"
"Bad," Asia said, her voice tight with concentration. "The holy damage is deep. I can heal it, but it's going to take time. Just stay with me, okay? Stay awake!"
Kazuki tried to focus on her voice, using it as an anchor against the pain. Around him, he could hear the others moving, securing the shrine and checking on the hostage.
"The girl is alive," Koneko reported. "Injured but stable. She needs healing too."
"I'll... help her... in a moment," Asia said through gritted teeth. "Kazuki-san first. He took the most damage."
"Smart girl, running to get help," Akeno said, kneeling beside them. She placed her hand on Kazuki's forehead, and he felt her energy flowing into him—not healing exactly, but stabilizing, keeping him from slipping into unconsciousness. "Though I'm disappointed you didn't wait for us, Kazuki-kun. We could have avoided all this unpleasantness."
"Couldn't wait," Kazuki whispered. "They were going to... sacrifice her. Had to... stop them."
"Always the hero," Akeno said, but her voice was fond. "I suppose that's just who you are."
Gradually, Asia's healing began to overcome the holy damage. The burning pain faded to a dull ache, then to just exhaustion. Kazuki's breathing steadied, and color returned to his face.
"There," Asia said finally, sagging with relief. "You're going to be fine. But you're forbidden from fighting for at least three days. Your energy reserves are dangerously depleted again."
"I'll... try to remember that," Kazuki said, managing a weak smile.
Asia smacked his shoulder lightly. "I'm serious! You can't keep doing this—fighting until you collapse! What would we do if you died?"
The raw emotion in her voice made Kazuki's chest tighten. He reached up and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll be more careful. Promise."
"You'd better be," Asia said, but she was smiling through her tears.
Once Kazuki was stable, Asia moved to treat the rescued hostage. The blue-haired girl was conscious now, staring at the devils with a mixture of fear and confusion.
"It's okay," Asia said gently, her healing light washing over the girl's wounds. "We're not going to hurt you. You're safe now."
"Devils," the girl whispered hoarsely. "You're devils. But you... saved me?"
"Long story," Kazuki said, having managed to sit up with Akeno's help. "What's your name?"
"Xenovia," the girl said, then winced as Asia's healing reached a particularly deep cut. "Xenovia Quarta. I'm an exorcist from the Church. I was investigating the stolen Excalibur fragments when the fallen angels ambushed me."
Kazuki and the others exchanged glances. This was the other exorcist—the partner of Irina who'd visited the school earlier.
"Wait," Kazuki said. "If you're Xenovia Quarta, then why didn't you come to the school with your partner this afternoon?"
"We split up to cover more ground," Xenovia explained. "Irina went to make contact with the local devil authorities while I continued investigating leads. I tracked the fallen angels to this shrine, but I underestimated their numbers. They overwhelmed me and planned to use my holy power to corrupt one of the Excalibur fragments."
"Did you see the fragments?" Koneko asked. "Are they here?"
Xenovia shook her head weakly. "No. The fallen angels kept talking about 'Lord Kokabiel' and how he had the swords at another location. This was just a... a preparation site. They were going to use my sacrifice to create a ritual that could be performed on the actual Excaliburs."
"Kokabiel," Akeno said grimly. "One of the leaders of the fallen angels. If he's involved, this is far more serious than a simple theft. He's been trying to restart the Great War for centuries."
Kazuki's communication device suddenly crackled to life. Rias's voice came through, tense and urgent.
"Kazuki! Respond! The jamming just cleared. What's your status?"
"We're secure," Kazuki replied. "Found fallen angels at the shrine. Neutralized three hostiles and rescued an exorcist. But we need extraction—I'm injured and low on energy."
"Extraction incoming," Rias said. "Stand by for teleportation."
Moments later, a magic circle appeared on the floor, and Rias stepped through. Her eyes immediately found Kazuki, taking in his injuries and exhausted state. Relief and anger warred on her face.
"You," she said, pointing at him. "Are going to give me a full report. And then you're going to explain why you engaged three fallen angels despite explicit orders to observe and report only."
"They had a hostage," Kazuki said simply. "Someone they were going to kill. I couldn't just walk away."
Rias's expression softened slightly. "No, I suppose you couldn't. That seems to be who you are—recklessly heroic despite the personal cost." She sighed. "We'll discuss this later. For now, let's get everyone back to safety."
The Occult Research Club room was crowded when they all reconvened. Rias and Sona's peerages, Kazuki and Asia, and now Xenovia, who sat wrapped in a blanket and looking thoroughly confused about her situation.
Irina rushed in moments after they arrived, her face lighting up with relief when she saw her partner alive.
"Xenovia! Thank God you're safe!" She pulled her partner into a fierce hug. "When you didn't check in, I thought—"
"I'm fine, Irina," Xenovia said, though she looked uncomfortable with the display of emotion. "Thanks to... them." She gestured at the devils.
Irina looked around at Rias's peerage, her expression complicated. "I don't understand. Why would devils save a Church exorcist?"
"Because it was the right thing to do," Kazuki said from where he sat on the couch, Asia fussing over him despite his protests that he was fine. "And because we're not enemies, despite what our respective organizations might say."
"But you're a devil," Xenovia said, directing her intense gaze at Kazuki. "Devils are enemies of God, servants of evil. That's what the Church teaches."
"The Church teaches a lot of things," Kazuki replied. "Doesn't make them all true. I was human once, Xenovia. A normal person who got caught up in supernatural politics and was reincarnated as a devil to save my life. Does that make me evil? Should I have just died instead?"
Xenovia opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, clearly struggling with cognitive dissonance. Her worldview—devils are evil, angels are good, the Church is infallible—was colliding with the reality that devils had just saved her life.
"The world isn't as simple as the Church would like you to believe," Sona said gently but firmly. "Good and evil exist in all beings, regardless of their nature. Devils can be kind. Angels can be cruel. Humans can be both saints and monsters. Judge individuals by their actions, not by what species they belong to."
"I..." Xenovia struggled with the words. "I need time to think about this."
"That's fair," Rias said. "You're welcome to stay here tonight while you recover. We can continue discussing the Excalibur situation tomorrow, when everyone is rested and thinking clearly."
Irina looked between her partner and the assembled devils, clearly torn. Finally, she bowed formally. "Thank you for saving Xenovia's life. Whatever our differences, I won't forget this debt."
"There's no debt," Kazuki said. "Just... try to remember that we're all people, dealing with complicated situations as best we can."
Later that evening, after Xenovia and Irina had been given guest rooms to rest, Kazuki found himself alone on the club room balcony. His body was healing thanks to Asia's care, but his mind was restless.
He'd nearly died today. Again. If Koneko and Akeno hadn't arrived when they did, those fallen angels would have killed him.
But he'd also saved a life. Xenovia was alive because he'd acted, had taken the risk. That had to count for something.
"Deep thoughts?"
Kazuki turned to find Rias stepping onto the balcony, two cups of tea in her hands. She offered him one, which he accepted gratefully.
"Just processing," Kazuki admitted. "Today was intense."
"You disobeyed orders," Rias said, but her tone was more thoughtful than angry. "Engaged enemies you were explicitly told to avoid. Depleted your energy reserves again. By all rights, I should be furious with you."
"But?" Kazuki prompted.
"But you also saved an innocent life and prevented the fallen angels from completing their ritual. Your instincts were sound, even if your execution was reckless." Rias sipped her tea, studying him. "You have a hero complex, Kazuki. A need to protect people, even at great personal cost. That's admirable, but also dangerous. Heroes tend to die young."
"I died once already," Kazuki said with dark humor. "Dying again doesn't scare me as much as living with the knowledge that I could have helped someone and chose not to."
Rias's expression softened. "That's what makes you special. Not your chaos energy, not your unique reincarnation. It's your heart—your genuine desire to do good despite the personal cost. That's rare, especially in our world."
She moved closer, and Kazuki was acutely aware of her presence—the power radiating from her, the scent of her perfume, the genuine care in her eyes.
"I want you to promise me something," Rias said seriously. "Promise that you'll value your own life as much as you value others'. That you'll take calculated risks instead of throwing yourself into danger recklessly. Because Kazuki..." She paused, something vulnerable flickering across her face. "We've only known each other a few weeks, but you've already become important to me. To all of us. The thought of losing you is... unacceptable."
Kazuki felt warmth spread through his chest. Important. He was important to them.
"I promise," he said. "I'll be smarter about how I help people. I'll remember that my life has value too."
"Good," Rias said, smiling. Then, impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for being who you are, Kazuki. Don't change—just learn to protect yourself as fiercely as you protect others."
She left him alone on the balcony, and Kazuki touched his cheek where her lips had been, a bemused smile on his face.
His life kept getting more complicated. But also, he had to admit, more fulfilling. He had people who cared about him, allies he could trust, purpose beyond just surviving day to day.
He was Kazuki Ryōta, chaos-wielding King, and despite nearly dying today, he'd never felt more alive.
The next morning, Kazuki woke to find someone sitting in his apartment.
He bolted upright, chaos energy flaring defensively, then froze when he recognized the visitor.
Xenovia sat at his table, fully dressed in her exorcist robes, her wrapped sword resting against the wall. She'd somehow gotten into his locked apartment without triggering any alarms.
"We need to talk," she said without preamble. "About what happened yesterday. About you. About everything."
Kazuki rubbed his eyes, trying to process this. "How did you get in here?"
"I'm an exorcist. Breaking and entering is part of the job description." Xenovia's expression was intense, focused. "Now sit. We have much to discuss."
Kazuki had a feeling this conversation was going to change things. Again.
His life was definitely never boring.