Chapter 22

The girl’s name was Momo Hanaikai, a second-year student and a member of the student council. She was easily recognizable by her snow-white, flowing hair and the snow-white mink stole draped over her shoulders. In the original story, she had a crush on Kiba. But now, perhaps drawn by Shoyo’s dual charm, his academic brilliance and striking appearance, she had developed a strong fondness for him.

Her weapon was the artificial barrier-type Sacred Gear, Momentary Severance, created by Azazel. However, since the governor of the Fallen Angels had yet to appear, no artificial Sacred Gears currently existed.

“Sigh~~ Too bad. It would’ve been nice if Shoyo-kun were a little wilder,” remarked another girl, Yura Tsubasa, with a pout. Her tastes were... unique. She preferred wild boys. Unfortunately for her, Shoyo was careful not to reveal too much. Had he shown off the power of something like [Varaha the Wild Boar], she might have instantly become one of his most devoted fans.

“Then, shall we begin?” Shoyo calmly circulated spiritual energy through his body. If it was just a matter of spiritual power alone, he could easily rival an Upper-class Devil, thanks to the diverse spells infused within him, without even needing to use his Avatars.


---

“Ara ara~~ Is Shoyo-kun that eager? How adorable. Coincidentally, we’ve already discussed our strategy,” Himejima Akeno teased, placing a finger against her lips and giving it a playful lick.

“Alright, everyone be careful, and stop before anyone gets seriously hurt,” said Sona, addressing her peerage, though her words were clearly directed toward Shinra Tsubaki.

“The same goes for our side~~ Remember, this is just a friendly match,” added Rias with a smile.

“I’m ready.” A pentagram flickered in Shoyo’s eyes. Copying Eye, online! Any magic or technique used in this match would be laid bare before him. With everyone here being at most Upper-class Devils, the Copying Eye was more than enough, there was no need to rely on the divine gift of [Krishna].

“We’re ready too~~” Akeno grinned.

“No problem,” said Tsubaki with confident resolve.

“Alright. Both teams, retreat to your starting points,” Rias instructed.

“About 500 meters apart... Are they planning to start with a big move?” Shoyo mused. “Well, for me, distance doesn’t matter.”

He stood alone, facing a group of devils with their demonic wings spread wide across the battlefield, and exuded absolute confidence.


---

“Match start!”

As Sona’s hand came down to signal the start, Shoyo instantly activated:

Avatar: [Parashurama with the Axe]!
Avatar: [Narasimha the Man-Lion]!
Avatar: [Buddha]!

Only Shoyo could see the three Avatars manifesting behind him before merging into his body. The powers of [Vamana the Dwarf] and [Krishna] were reserved for stronger opponents. For now, Upper-class Devils didn’t warrant that kind of force.

“And this!”
A silver greatsword materialized in Shoyo’s hand, the Blade of Salvation, the sacred weapon born with Rama. Its spiritual rank far surpassed even Excalibur, Durandal, and Caliburn. He deliberately chose not to use Est, it was far too lethal for a friendly match and would’ve spoiled the atmosphere.

“Is that... an unknown Sacred Gear? Or perhaps an inherited weapon?” Rias and Sona both felt the oppressive spiritual pressure from the blade. One direct hit, and they knew they wouldn’t walk away unscathed.

But Shoyo wasn’t a violent fighter, he was a tactician at heart.


---

“The Knight is charging straight at me. The Bishop and Queen are preparing spells from the rear, while the Rook handles defense. A decent, if basic, formation,” Shoyo noted. “Probably adjusted due to Koneko informing them about my teleportation. They’re staying close to prevent me from picking them off one by one.”

“But... I won’t be relying on tactics this time. This is about showcasing my power.”


---

“Shoyo-kun, be careful!” came a cry.

Rias’s Knight, Kiba Yuuto, and Sona’s Knight, also Kiba Yuuto, rushed at Shoyo with blinding speed!

“Kiba, thanks for the warning... but I believe my swordsmanship is up to par.”
Shoyo walked forward slowly, calm even in the face of two charging opponents.

“I don’t recall Shoyo-kun joining any clubs, not even the kendo club,” Rias murmured. “Sona, have you ever seen him use sword techniques?”

“No, I haven’t,” Sona replied thoughtfully. “But his learning ability and memory are remarkable. He might’ve seen some secret sword techniques... or perhaps, since he awakened a Hero bloodline, he inherited swordsmanship skills.”

“In any case, let’s watch. Actual combat never lies.”


---

“Haaaaah!”

Sona’s Knight, Kiba Yuuto, struck first, but their approach was oddly straightforward. In a real battle, they wouldn’t have telegraphed their moves with a shout.

“Useless.”

Shoyo raised his Blade of Salvation effortlessly. At the perfect angle, his blade clashed with Kiba’s,

and shattered Kiba’s sword instantly.

Even Durandal and Caliburn would chip if they struck the Blade of Salvation head-on. Against a standard high-quality blade? Instant destruction.


---

Kiba Yuuto, a second-year student, came from a Japanese exorcist family. She liked younger people and was a fan of Gasper. Her weapon, too, was an artificial Sacred Gear, Dragon Slayer of Flash and Darkness, also created by Azazel. But again, Azazel hadn’t yet entered the scene.

“Kiba Yuuto-san! Use this!”

Noticing the broken blade, Kiba quickly created a new sword with strong durability and tossed it to her.

“Sacred Gear: Demon Sword Creation... A Sacred Gear with high potential,” Shoyo noted.

“Ultimate-class Devil might be reachable... but Maou-class? Nearly impossible, ”

“Unless it evolves into the Holy Demonic Sword via Balance Breaker.”

“You still carry my sign-in blessing, so you must work hard to evolve into that form.”

As he raised his hand, another loud crack rang through the air.

Their swords clashed again,

“Crack!”

And once more, Kiba Yuuto’s weapon shattered completely.


---

“It’s not over yet!”

Two more swords appeared in Kiba’s hands. With dual-wielding, he could defend with one and strike with the other while creating yet another in reserve.

“Kiba-kun... please excuse yourself first.”

Shoyo smiled and shattered one of the swords mid-combat.

Then, with astonishing footwork, he appeared beside Kiba Yuuto in an instant.

“Ha!”

In Kiba’s stunned gaze, Shoyo matched and even exceeded his speed, not through teleportation, but through sheer physical movement!


---