As the residents gathered for dinner, the conversation turned into a meaningful exchange. The trio shared what they could, and the residents answered them with what they knew.
Just as the last of the dishes were being passed around, the front door slid open, and Sagiri stepped inside, her uniform slightly disheveled from a long day.
"Welcome back," Chitose called with a glance from the kitchen.
Sagiri nodded, offering a quiet greeting before sitting at the table. The moment she noticed the serious expressions and the feather laid out in the center, her eyes narrowed.
"You found one too," she said simply.
The trio glanced at one another before Hajime answered. "Forest outskirts. Ritual aftermath. Leftovers that someone wants others to see."
Sagiri exhaled through her nose. "That's why I came back late. My clan's scouts found similar remnants in two other towns nearby. And we've been tracking fluctuations in the ley lines for the last two nights."
Alice leaned forward slightly. "Your clan's investigating this too?"
Sagiri nodded once. "We have to. This isn't just anyone's turf—it's Kuoh. The little sisters of two current Maou live here. Anything strange in this town, especially involving warped energy and old markings, sets off more than local alarm bells."
The trio stiffened almost in sync. Even Hajime, normally composed, raised a brow in measured concern. Anisphia's hand froze mid-tap, and Alice's expression sharpened ever so slightly.
Seeing their reaction, Sagiri offered a faint, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. They're not enemies. Rias Gremory and Sona Shitori—sisters to Maou Lucifer and Leviathan. They live here as students. It's quiet on the surface, yes—but it's because heavy forces are watching closely beneath it."
"So, the Student Council President and the popular girl are the little sisters of a Maou?" Hajime blinked once, a rare slip in his composure. "That Lucifer and Leviathan? As in, actual Maou?"
Alice's fingers tensed around her teacup. "And their sisters are our Schoolmates?"
Anisphia leaned back, staring at the ceiling in exasperated wonder. "No wonder this school's so weird… we're living in a postcard, and no one told us we were on the back of it."
Sagiri chuckled softly. "Yes, those names aren't just myth here. In this world, they're very real and very powerful. But Rias-senpai and Sona-kaichou? They're grounded and even humble. You're safer with them than most."
Anisphia exhaled slowly. "So we're really walking through the lion's den."
"More like a garden guarded by dragons," Sagiri replied softly. "And I mean it literally."
Dragons
That word made Hajime, Alice and Anisphia perk up and get curious. After all Dragons are symbols of strength and power. If there is indeed a dragon guarding them…. Whoever doing this must have a confidence in themselves.
-----
After dinner, at the Yuragi-sou's shared annex, the trio gathered inside what was now unmistakably their space, the same room Chitose showed them and rented has been rebuilt and refined under their hands.
Thanks to Hajime's HoR engineering and Anisphia's magical ingenuity, the once modest shared room had been expanded through a combination of spatial reinforcement and alchemical layering. One section was now a fully functioning laboratory, filled with magical scanners, half-assembled constructs, glowing crystals, and the unmistakable clink of tools. The other two sections served as their private quarters, modestly divided but seamlessly connected.
In the lab, the fallen feather rested beneath a crystal lattice scanner, glowing faintly under a prismatic light.
"There are still traces of whatever ritual they did.," Alice murmured, adjusting the alignment rune on one side.
"Residual energy," Hajime said, analyzing the waveform from the scanner. "But not entirely local."
Anisphia spun her wand once between her fingers, her expression sharp. "Yeah, the layering feels wrong. There's something foreign in the weave. It's almost… alien."
A beat passed. Hajime leaned in, his eyes narrowing. "It's minor… but this frequency pattern… it matches fragmemtum we've seen around the Stellaron phenomena."
Alice's gaze snapped to his. "You're sure?"
"As sure as I can be with something this faint. It's like someone tried to scrape off the scent but left a fingerprint in the wax."
Anisphia's tone dropped. "Then there is a chance that some faction or power in this world is experimenting with the Stellaron."
"Yes," Hajime affirmed with heavy tone. "They touch something that they shouldn't have. Stellaron is not something that can be controlled."
Just then, a soft hum pulsed through the lab's air. The projection crystal on the workbench flared to life, and the familiar interface of the Void Archives—Noah's Divine key—materialized in the air, flickering briefly before stabilizing with a calm glow.
<
Hajime folded his arms. "That confirms it."
Alice nodded. "Can you deploy a observation net? Something that can't be detected. We don't want to trigger any surveillance systems in this world yet."
<
Anis grinned. "You're still the best partner a genius could ask for."
<
The trio laughed, tension was lifted but their eyes didn't leave the feather.
This wasn't just a mystery now. It was a sign abiut the incoming trouble and the board they stood on… was no longer just about this world.
----
Far from Yuragi-sou, in a desolate, storm-lit chapel on the city's outskirts, the air cracked with tension and lingering darkness. A flickering seal glowed on the floor—burned into the stone with a mix of dark light and twisted scripture. Around it, the stench of scorched incense, blood, and something unholy lingered.
Kokabiel stood at the altar, his wings unfurled in full black majesty, eyes gleaming with manic anticipation.
"The pawns move again… and it seems new players have joined the board," he muttered, teeth bared in a half-smile. "Good. Let them squirm."
Behind him, a group of stray priests knelt in twisted devotion, their forms marked by chaotic blessings and unstable enchantments. Each bore scars—both magical and physical—gifts of forbidden power from Kokabiel's latest experiments.
A cloaked fallen angel stepped forward—one of Kokabiel's remaining high operatives, marked by crimson glyphs across her wings. "The distortion has been noticed. There are eyes everywhere now. Even the devils have begun to tighten their watch."
Kokabiel turned slightly. "Great! They have answered iur invitations, Chaos is most delightful when everyone is paying attention."
He extended one hand, drawing forth a warped Excalibur fragment embedded with jagged dark crystals. "Now we just need to wait for the other players."
At his side, Freed Sellzen chuckled, twirling a bloodstained dagger between his fingers. "So, boss, when do I get to cut loose? Been way too quiet around here."
Valper Galilei adjusted his spectacles as he stood near a ritual circle, several more corrupted Excalibur shards arrayed carefully before him. "Soon. Once we confirm the final alignment of the remnants, the experiment can proceed. The church will mourn their holy sword once it's fully reborn into our hands."
Kokabiel's grin widened. "Let them weep. We'll carve their legacy into ash."
More shadows shifted behind the cracked walls of the chapel—new, distorted beings awaiting release. Not all were fallen. Not all were sane. But all were his.
"The time is almost right. Let the cracks widen," Kokabiel whispered. "And let the balance break."
-----
Across distant lands and sacred strongholds, the theft of the Excalibur fragments had not gone unnoticed.
Within the Vatican, the Church's inner circle gathered, expressions drawn and voices hushed. Reports from the fallen outposts were dire—ritual sites desecrated, relics shattered, and several shards of the sacred sword stolen. Cardinals conferred in tense murmurs while exorcists knelt in prayer beside glowing sigils.
"We cannot let this desecration stand," one bishop declared. "Deploy more of forces. Reinforce the Japanese front. Kuoh must be watched."
Meanwhile, in the highest reaches of the celestial realm, a quiet but urgent audience convened beneath the light of Heaven's throne. Among the Seraphs and high-ranking angels, tension ran deep.
Archangel Michael stood before the gathered host, his wings folded, gaze stern.
"The Excalibur fragments not just symbol of power but also history, and balance. Their corruption endangers more than doctrine, it threatens the delicate situation between the Three Factions."
Soft murmurs echoed through the marble chamber.
"Send our best," Michael ordered. "If Kokabiel is truly moving again, we must ensure no war reignites. Not now. Have Irina Shidou and Xenovia Quarta to Kuoh. As active wielders of the Holy Swords, they are uniquely equipped to identify and respond to any tampering with the Excalibur fragments. Assign Griselda Quarta as their commander. Her presence will provide both guidance and authority should contact with the other Factions become necessary. The fragments must be recovered—and the balance preserved."
And so, across both Heaven and Earth, movements began. Church exorcists readied their blades. Heaven's messengers cloaked themselves in light. And somewhere in between, new destinies stirred quietly in Kuoh, where powers both ancient and unknown had begun to awaken.