As the ball tournament drew closer, Alex convinced the members of Rias's peerage to assist him in training. Now he was actually getting real training with swords from Kiba, who was terrified of Alex's growth. Alex still didn't have his own sword to use for combat though, and wondered if he would actually get the smithing capabilities he originally wanted.
As for the members of the peerage, when they saw how much stronger Alex was than them it seemed as if a fire was lit under them, and are more proactive in order to catch up with him. Alex was pleased with this, cause it meant that they might be able to handle certain events better in the future. The fun started after the tournament passed though.
"Everyone please be ready, we have guests." Rias said with a small amount of distaste. 'Must be Irina and Xenovia' Alex thought silently, and saw them walk in a few moments later. The peerage members were standing behind Rias as her servants, while Alex sat beside her on the couch. Akeno was serving the tea and snacks of course. As they sat down though, Alex noticed Kiba's expression turn from confusion to shock, then a killing intent spread through the room.
He only rolled his eyes at him, and kept silent for the moment. After the greetings were observed Irina suddenly spoke.
"I'll just get straight to the point, the holy swords from Excalibur have been stolen. We were sent to bring them back, and to pass on a message to the Devils in the area to stay out of it." Alex thought they were quite blunt about it, and he could see Rias's brow twitching in annoyance at her words. In order to attempt to defuse the situation he asked,
"Who stole them? If the situation is bigger than a simple theft then you very well need our help. Which do you think would be the better situation, going solo and possibly letting them get what they want, or teaming up and achieving your goals while swallowing a bitter pill? If the situation escalates then how would the church explain to the Devils if something happens to Rias?" Alex's words obviously had assumptions in them, but it had the desired effect due to the fact that they knew Kokabiel stole the swords.
Their faith was powerful, but when he called into question the possibility of escalating tensions between the factions, they started wavering in being left alone. The church had to maintain its pride, but the Angels also wanted to avoid another war. The two walked away for a moment and talked to each other about Alex's words, while Rias gave him a look. He winked at her and she understood this situation was bigger than she thought. After a few moments of talking, the two walked back over. Xenovia looked as if she had eaten a bug and Irina looked uncomfortable.
"The swords were stolen by one of the leaders of the fallen angels Kokabiel, as there is the chance of what you said happening, we will work with you if you insist." Rias was surprise at the change in attitude they had and looked at Alex again. But what truly caught her attention was the fact that the one they were fighting was Kokabiel.
"We will help this situation, and in order to prevent conflicts we can simply act separately and move when one group finds a lead." The temporary alliance was established, but the only one not pleased was of course Kiba. But before he did something stupid, Alex stopped him.
"Stop Kiba, either you can act on impulses now and possibly screw everything up, or wait and get what it is you want." Alex's words were calm, but he included a pressure to emphasize them. The two church girls looked at him wide eyes at his power, and Rias looked concerned. With Alex's pressure he reluctantly stepped down, but the hate in his eyes don't go away. Xenovia and Irina sent a glare at Asia, and left without further incident.
That night instead of training, Kiba went out for patrol with Akeno, Rias with Koneko, and Alex with Asia. It didn't take long to get the call from Xenovia saying Irina was beaten, and that she was chasing Freed who stole her sword. Alex and Asia then ran to the location where they said they were headed, the school of course.
As he arrived the Sitri peerage was already arriving, meaning Alex met most of them like Saji for the first time. Sona looked at Alex weirdly, as this was the first time they were face to face since the engagement party, when he revealed himself. Alex just winked at her, causing a small blush and outcry from Saji in the background. The other members just glared at him for ignoring the situation.
After the argument about calling Sirzechs, they marched forward into battle. Kiba of course looked agitated still, so Alex said to him,
"I understand you have problems with Excalibur, so I'll stay out of the fight for the time being. However if you look as if you need help, then I won't hesitate to step in." He told him this in order to justify himself not acting immediately. He also wanted Kiba to acquire the holy demonic sword, and knew that resolving the situation was the best way to do so. Kiba gave Alex a weird look, as he didn't tell him about his past, but continued walking with rage in his eyes.
{A.N. So I realized that I goofed the info regarding the evil pieces. After some research Rias is now a bishop, and a shoutout to mickpass for keeping me accurate!}