"Boring!"
To someone who had long used hatred as the fuel driving his actions, this was perhaps the greatest insult.
After all, in your heart you see him as your greatest enemy, constantly thinking of killing him.
But your enemy sees your revenge as nothing more than a boring matter, perhaps even struggles to remember you.
"You actually forgot me… You actually..."
Kiba Yuuto's voice trembled uncontrollably, veins bulging on his forehead as the anger surging within him could no longer be restrained.
He raised his longsword high and dashed forward like a blur, swinging it down at Valper Galilei.
Kiba Yuuto's potential was never weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen by the sharp-eyed Rias as a servant.
Moreover, the piece Rias gave him — the Knight — perfectly suited his combat style, enhancing his speed.
But even with such a high-speed slash...
Clang—!
A crisp metallic clash rang out as a spray of sparks burst where the two blades met and scattered onto the ground.
"It's all because of you! Because of you! We suffered so much in that experiment, we were executed by the Church — all because of you! And now, now you actually... you actually...!"
Kiba Yuuto's long bangs concealed his blood-red eyes. Muscles bulged along his arms as he gripped the sword tightly, his clenched teeth grinding audibly.
"So it was you, brat!"
Kiba Yuuto's furious roar finally jogged the memory of the middle-aged man.
"You were that kid with the Sacred Gear — looks like you were the only one who escaped from the ones we disposed of. And you even became a devil. As expected, eliminating you all back then was the right choice."
Valper Galilei shook his head and spoke with a casual tone, without a trace of remorse for his past deeds, even sighing as if reaffirming the correctness of his actions.
"Right… The right choice..."
The string of reason in Kiba Yuuto's mind snapped completely.
The magic within his body erupted in violent chaos. Releasing one hand from the sword, he thrust his palm toward the ground.
Another magic sword materialized in his hand, which he then slammed furiously into the earth.
"『Sword Birth』!"
A brilliant white light burst out with Kiba Yuuto at its center.
Clang—!
A piercing metallic screech echoed all around.
Dozens of magic swords suddenly surged from the ground without warning, turning the entire area into a sea of blades.
"How boring. This kind of trick—I've seen it far too many times."
In the instant before, Valper Galilei had leapt onto a tree branch. He glanced down with disdain and casually issued an order to the three Fallen Exorcists behind him.
"Tch. As your former caretaker, it truly pains me to see you fall and become a devil. Let me grant you redemption."
"Fil-thy. Devil."
The three Fallen Exorcists, upon receiving the order, broke into ferocious, bloodthirsty grins. They leapt down from the trees, wielding Holy Swords that effortlessly cleaved through the magic swords Kiba Yuuto had painstakingly created.
But this was to be expected.
Purely in terms of power, Kiba Yuuto was certainly strong — but only just barely at the level of a mid-class devil.
With his Sacred Gear, he could stand toe-to-toe with other mid-class devils.
However, those three Fallen Exorcists had only possessed the strength of low-class devils originally. But after equipping themselves with three Holy Swords specifically designed to slay devils, their combined combat strength now easily surpassed the upper levels of mid-class devils.
One mid-class devil against three mid-class devils...
Three of them held weapons that were extremely lethal to devils, while the other—engulfed in rage—had already lost all rationality.
The outcome was, of course, painfully obvious.
In just over ten rounds of combat, before Kiba could even bring out his true strength, his knees had already been shattered. Powerless, he collapsed to the ground, caught in a trap that left him hovering on the edge of death.
"To think that the lone survivor of the Holy Sword Project now stands before me," Valper Galilei said with cold mockery.
"But you're still the same useless trash as before. Back then, you couldn't even bear the Holy Sword's factor. And now, you can't even draw out Rias Gremory."
Looking down from above, Valper Galilei pressed his foot onto Kiba Yuuto's back. Every word he spoke was like a dull blade sawing into Kiba's heart—slow, agonizing, merciless.
For Kiba, this was undoubtedly the cruelest development.
"Once again… I've failed again…"
His fingers dug deep into the earth as tears of regret rolled from his eyes.
"Tch, what a pathetic little brat. But since you can't even bring out Rias Gremory, you no longer have any value."
Valper Galilei twisted his foot on Kiba's back a few more times for good measure, then casually yanked out the shattered blade that had been embedded in the ground.
He aimed it at Kiba's exposed back—and stabbed down hard.
But just as death loomed inches away, a sphere of white, blazing light shot out and crashed into Valper Galilei.
From the light burst forth a small, dainty fist.
Though it seemed to lack any real power, when it landed, Galileo was blasted backward as if hit by a cannonball.
"Lord Galilei!"
The three exorcists who had been enjoying the spectacle immediately sprang into action.
One rushed in the direction Galileo was sent flying.
The other two chased after the glowing sphere that was now carrying Kiba away, each slashing down from either side with their Holy Swords.
Suddenly, two figures in white cloaks leapt from the forest, blocking both attacks in perfect synchrony.
A violent gust of force blasted through the area, tearing the cloaks off to reveal the curvy silhouettes of two girls clad in tight black combat suits.
"So, this was about the survivor of that experiment…" Xenovia's eyes darkened slightly as she gripped her broad greatsword tightly.
"It seems the Church really does have serious problems now," Irina said grimly, cracking her whip-like weapon with a sharp flick.
"Take care of the survivor. We'll deal with these bastards." Xenovia lowered her gaze and declared with conviction.
"Our enemies… we'll defeat them with our own hands."
A girlish voice—soft but brimming with resolve—echoed beside them. The nekomata Koneko, in her senjutsu mode, now stood alongside the Church duo.