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Badr had heard of Project: Holy Sword, from Rias own lips. It was a truly insane experiment, a horrifying tale of twisted science.
He exhaled slowly. Less than twenty minutes remained.
The situation was dire...
This city held many people he cared for deeply. There was no way he could let them destroy it.
He gripped [King Sword], knowing that if he didn't eliminate the girl designated "Number One" first, they wouldn't even be able to break the magic circle, let alone face Kokabiel.
Meanwhile, Valper Galilei issued a command with a chilling smile.
"Number One, use that sword and kill them."
The girl, Number One, obeyed like a puppet, taking up the newly forged Holy Sword without a word.
Whoosh!
She vanished in a blur, her target: Badr!
Badr met her attack with [King Sword]. Number One's speed was astonishing!
It was the power of the [Excalibur Rapidly] fragment, granting its wielder terrifying speed.
Fortunately, Badr also possessed the enhanced speed of a [Knight] piece. He wasn't outmatched and immediately parried Number One's attack with [King Sword].
But in the next instant, the Holy Sword in Number One's hand transformed, morphing into a whip that lashed out at Badr as if it had a mind of its own!
This was the power of the [Excalibur Mimic] fragment!
As he had suspected, this newly fused Holy Sword possessed all the abilities of the previous four fragments!
...
The enemy was formidable, but time was the real enemy.
The Satan had ordered them to hold out for an hour, but the reality was that in just twenty minutes, the city would be leveled by the magic circle's power.
While Rias and the others could survive the attack, the city would be utterly annihilated.
Badr couldn't bear to see that happen. His loved ones and friends were here.
Wielding [King Sword] against the fused Holy Sword, Badr and Number One clashed in a flurry of blows. His clones darted around, seeking an opening. Though he managed to hold a slight advantage, finishing her quickly proved difficult.
The combined power of Holy Sword fragments granted Number One immense strength. Even with his Promotion, Badr couldn't easily defeat her.
Suddenly, two muffled groans echoed from the sky. Rias and Akeno Himejima.
They had attempted to intercept Kokabiel, but his power far surpassed theirs. His relentless assault had left them injured, while he remained unscathed.
Seeing the two girls sent hurtling back, Asia Argento quickly activated her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, to heal them.
Badr's brow furrowed at the sight.
Should he unleash the Endless Dusk City?...
It would undoubtedly allow him to defeat Number One quickly, but he would be left with no means to counter Kokabiel afterward...
No, he couldn't use the Endless Dusk City.
He needed to defeat her relying solely on the power of [King Sword].
With that decision made, Badr sent a clone carrying [King Shield] to support Rias and Akeno.
Kokabiel chuckled as Badr stepped in front of the girls.
"Your current state is quite intriguing. And it seems you can use that Sacred Gear separately? Azazel might be very interested in your abilities."
He flicked his finger, unleashing a seemingly casual gesture that erupted into a terrifying beam of Sacred light, hurtling towards Badr's clone in the blink of an eye.
Though a clone, its combat strength was undiminished. Badr controlled [King Shield], swiftly blocking the attack.
The ferocious force of the impact reverberated through the shield, pushing Badr's clone back. Rias and Akeno rushed to his aid, flying up to support him, finally halting his retreat.
Badr sighed inwardly. The difference in power was immense.
"I can only defend. You two will have to handle the offense," he said, manipulating [King Shield]. "Once I've dealt with Number One, I'll come to assist you."
"Alright, be careful!"
With a nod of understanding, [King Shield] continued to protect Rias and Akeno, leaving Badr's main body to face Number One alone.
Empowered by [King Sword], his combat strength had increased significantly, but defeating Number One still required time. Her fused Holy Sword was no joke.
She was undoubtedly on par with a high-class devil!
"I'll help you!"
Xenovia arrived just then, plunging her [Excalibur Destruction] into the ground. With a wave of her hand, a dimensional rift opened beside her.
A large, blue-and-gold greatsword slowly emerged from the rift, its blade bound by tightly wound chains, as if it were alive.
"Saint Peter, Saint Basil, Saint Denis, and Holy Mother Mary, hear my voice!
In the name of the saints residing within this blade, I, Xenovia Quarta, release you, Durandal!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of metallic snaps echoed as the chains binding the holy sword shattered, freeing it completely.
"Durandal? The legendary holy sword on par with Excalibur? Why do you possess it?!"
Valper was stunned. Even Kokabiel in the air couldn't hide his surprise!
Number One's fused Holy Sword held four of the seven fragments, but Xenovia's sword was on the same level!
Its rank far surpassed the fused Holy Sword!
Badr raised an eyebrow. He finally understood the faint sense of danger he had felt around Xenovia before.
He had suspected she had some hidden strength but hadn't expected her trump card to be so significant, a complete, legendary holy sword...
Where did all these holy swords come from?
He wondered inwardly, but he wasn't envious.
King Sword, you say? I have one too...
Valper was on the verge of losing it.
"Impossible! My research hasn't even reached the level of utilizing Durandal..."
"Indeed, not even the Vatican can artificially Create a wielder for Durandal."
"Then how...?" Valper was dumbfounded.
Badr was also speechless.
If it couldn't be artificially Created, then wasn't Xenovia a natural-born Holy Sword wielder?
As if confirming his thoughts, Xenovia spoke nonchalantly.
"That's why I'm different from Irina and the others. I'm a rare, natural-born Holy Sword user."
"..."
Valper was rendered speechless, frustration evident on his face.
After all his efforts in researching suitable candidates for wielding Holy Swords and painstakingly creating the fused Holy Sword, a natural-born Holy Sword user like Xenovia with the legendary Durandal appeared out of nowhere...
It was a slap.
Badr was pleased by this unexpected reinforcement. He smiled faintly.
"You attack, I'll cover you?"
He had no desire to hog the glory. After all, Xenovia's Durandal was undeniably powerful.
"Alright."
Without hesitation, Xenovia charged towards Number One, Durandal blazing in her hand.
Number One, her long hair flowing, clad in a tight white lab coat, clashed fiercely with Xenovia.
Badr finally had his chance. He flipped his hand, summoning the [Sealing Devil] he hadn't had a chance to use before.
"Seal her!"
The anti-magic field expanded, and the [Sealing Devil] shot towards Number One, slapping a seal onto her chest with a resounding thwack.
Rip!
The seal successfully caused...a wardrobe malfunction.
"Eh?" Xenovia blinked in surprise.
Number One, however, remained expressionless, completely unaffected. She raised her sword and attacked Xenovia.
The sealing magic didn't work?
Badr was slightly surprised but quickly realized that the power of the Holy Sword was sustaining Number One.
Number One, the wielder, was merely a puppet of the sword.
"How pitiful," Xenovia muttered, her swordsmanship leaving numerous wounds on Number One.
The latter showed no reaction, silently resisting the combined assault of the Holy Sword user and Badr.
Valper suddenly shouted, "Use your ultimate move! Utilize all those factors!"
Number One obeyed, and a familiar power surged forth once more.
...
It seemed that to become a suitable wielder for a Holy Sword, one's soul needed to possess a unique factor, and Valper had discovered its existence.
He had devised a method to extract and refine this factor, along with human souls!
During their previous encounter in the Fallen Angel's dimension, Number Two had likely been Number One's predecessor, a previous test subject. The current Number One was an upgraded version.
Even the incomplete attack from Number Two had forced Badr to use the absolute defense of [King Shield], which was currently supporting Rias and the others.
Through his clone's shared senses, Badr knew that Rias, Akeno, and Koneko were struggling to hold their own. If he rashly recalled his clone and [King Shield], they would likely suffer severe injuries.
After all, even Koneko, with her [Rook] piece enhancements, couldn't withstand a direct hit from Kokabiel!
If [King Shield] couldn't be recalled, the situation here was dire...
Badr's heart sank as he rapidly searched for a solution.
Xenovia swung Durandal, clashing fiercely with Number One for several rounds. Even against Number One, whose power had been amplified by Soul Combustion, she managed to hold her ground for a short time.
As Number One's power continued to climb, nearing her final attack, Badr relentlessly assaulted her, disrupting her concentration while he pondered.
Something was amiss. How could she still be so strong after being hit by the [Sealing Devil]?
Badr's gaze fixed on the fused Holy Sword. He couldn't fathom what methods Valper had used to make it so powerful.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.
If that was the case, could he defeat Number One by destroying the fused Holy Sword?
"Xenovia, how was Excalibur shattered in the past? Can it be done again?"
The valiant Holy Sword user instantly grasped his meaning.
"It can be done with sufficient force. And luckily, my Durandal is a tyrant, specializing in destruction."
"Good."
Badr tightened his grip on [King Sword]. "I'll take the lead and suppress her. You find an opportunity to shatter that sword with Durandal."
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