The normally jovial air of the Occult Research Club was decidedly tense that afternoon, as the members of Rias Gremory's Peerage assembled for the meeting between their King and two envoys from the Church. That representatives of the Church would seek audience with a Devil was strange enough, that said envoys were in possession of Holy Swords had Rias on guard.
It was instinctual; the mere presence of a Holy Sword was repugnant to Devils, a stark reminder of the bitter enmity between them and Heaven, an enmity which had never truly vanished even during the centuries of cease fire since the last Great War.
It was rather disconcerting for Issei, the Pawn torn between his desire to protect Rias and his fellow Peerage members and his discomfort that one of the Holy Sword wielders was none other than Shidou Irina, his childhood friend who, as it turned out, had actually been a girl all this time.
'Since when did my life become a harem anime?' he wondered, not that he was complaining mind you, hell, if it weren't for the fact doing so would result in Divine Punishment, he'd be thanking God every day for putting him in this situation. It was simply rather disconcerting to find out the guy you'd basically run around naked with was a cute girl who ran around killing Devils on a mission from God.
Though then again, considering the stink eye her partner, Xenovia, was sending their way, it probably wasn't that far-fetched at all. From the moment he'd encountered her during his reunion with Irina last night, the blue-haired girl had given off this oppressive aura, as if she were just barely restraining herself from drawing the massive blade she was carrying and lobbing off Issei's head. As such, Issei felt that Rias' concerns were more than justified, and shared her belief that the sooner they found out what the pair wanted, the sooner they could see the back of them.
"As you know," Irina spoke up after introductions were made "The Church has claimed possession of six of the seven Excalibur Swords, entrusting two to each of the three Main Branches of Christianity."
"Two at the Catholic Church Headquarters in the Vatican; two with the Protestants; and two with the Eastern Orthodox Church, correct?" Rias inquired, earning a nod of confirmation from Irina even as Issei wondered were the Seventh Excalibur could be, the idea of something like that running around unchecked troubling him on an instinctual level.
"Right." Irina continued, her expression as bright as ever, though her words carried an undertone of seriousness as she pressed on "However, not too long ago, Fallen Angels assaulted the branches and made off with an Excalibur from each."
It went without saying that Issei wasn't the only one alarmed by that revelation, though it probably hit a lot closer to home with him, given how he'd become a Devil in the first place. He could still recall the smile on Raynare's face as the Fallen asked him to die, stabbing him in the heart with a spear of light and leaving him to rot like so much roadkill. Even after he'd gotten revenge, even after Rias had used her Power of Destruction to wipe the Fallen from the face of the earth, the pain she'd inflicted on him, and Asia, had left scars that had never truly healed properly, and probably never would.
After all, you never truly forgot your first love, and while it had turned out to have all been an act on Raynare's part, Issei had honestly loved her despite the brief time they were together.
As a result, he'd come to regard the Fallen Angels with more trepidation than their brethren, who to date hadn't really done anything other than administer Divine Retribution whenever he, or any Devil really, made the mistake of praising God or offering prayers in his name. As such, learning the Fallen were in possession of three Excalibur-class Holy Swords came as something of a shock.
"These are from the ones we have left." Xenovia revealed, holding up her wrapped, cross-like weapon for emphasis, Issei shivering at the presence of the Holy Aura he could sense beneath the bandages "I have been entrusted with Excalibur Destruction by the Vatican."
"And mine's Excalibur Mimicry." Irina chirped, smiling cheerfully as she shrugged her cloak aside, giving Issei a brief glimpse of her left breast before gesturing to what appeared to be a lace ribbon wrapped around her exposed held up her arm to reveal a simple ribbon wrapped around her bicep "Thankfully it can assume any shape the user needs, so unlike Xenovia's the Protestant Church HQ didn't have to bribe anyone so I could get it past customs."
"Irina…" Xenovia muttered, the Catholic representative glaring at Issei's childhood friend pointedly, her eye twitching for some unfathomable reason "There was no reason to tell them that."
"Oh come on Xenovia." Irina reprimanded with a pout "Even if they are Devils, given the situation, isn't it better that we extend some trust towards one another?" she winked at the Gremory Peerage, though Issei somehow knew it was meant for him in particular "Besides, I'm not so weak that knowing my Sword's ability will give them an advantage."
"I see…" Rias mused, a deceptively calm smile adorning her features as she regarded the pair before her calculatingly "Well then, having heard all that, I can only assume from your desire to speak with me that there's something your superiors need." She smiled at Xenovia's frown "So tell me how we can be of service to you?"
"Our request…" Xenovia began, only to frown and shake her head briefly "No. Our order is that you do not involve yourselves at all." She matched Rias' glare with one of her own "I'll keep things simple: The coming battle is between the Fallen and the Church. As such, we would appreciate it if you Devils didn't get interfere."