Chapter 52 - The Official Human Faction (II)

It was Saturday in Kuoh. One of those warm autumn days when the breeze was so gentle it seemed to apologize for existing. The trees along the main street swayed softly, as if savoring the rare break between the divine and infernal clashes that secretly enveloped the city.

On the surface, everything seemed normal.

The cafés were filled with high school students, families strolling with grocery bags, and couples walking hand in hand.

A few minutes away stood Kuoh Academy. A private school with a traditional, elegant, well-maintained façade—and utterly deceptive.

Even on a Saturday, some students lingered on campus, lazily heading to the clubs still active over the weekend. Sunlight filtered through the second-floor classroom windows, while laughter echoed through the hallways, oblivious or indifferent to the invisible chaos lurking in their own shadows.

The kendo club was warming up in the gymnasium.

The journalism club was brainstorming ideas for their next gossip article (which, as usual, would flop in readership).

But there was one place that remained as silent as a tomb.

The old building. The oldest structure on campus, isolated from the rest by a garden of wild roses and a stone path no one used without permission. It was there that the Occult Research Club—the official front for Rias Gremory's group—carried out its activities...

At that moment, the building was steeped in silence.

A heavy silence...

Inside the main room, with its crimson tapestries, forbidden books stacked like cheap romance novels, and a sofa far too expensive for a school, Rias Gremory sat.

Not with the proud posture of a demonic heiress.

Not with her usual seductive gaze and smile.

But with slumped shoulders.

Her legs crossed tensely.

Her eyes fixed on the screen of a silver tablet, as the Devilnet connection played a video of Sirzechs Lucifer's crushing defeat—her brother.

The pride of the Gremory Family.

…Reduced to dust.

Perhaps literally.

She had tried contacting the Underworld to find out if her brother had returned there after watching the video for the first time, but no... He hadn't been seen since, and even the Devilnet, notorious for its informants tracking anything supernatural, listed his status as: whereabouts unknown...

Not that she didn't know where to look, but even if she did, it wouldn't matter with her feeble strength... And the other [Maous] decided to wait before acting, fearing that the Underworld's enemies might attack in her brother's absence...

Rias's hand trembled. Just slightly. Enough for the tea in the cup on the table to ripple, as if it feared being next.

All of this… was her fault.

"Kazuya…" she murmured, her voice hoarse, almost inaudible: "Why…?"

She knew the answer. Deep down, she knew.

Because she tried to possess him and make him her slave, in his own "words," and because she was spoiled and arrogant, expecting someone to save her from her arranged marriage... Someone who wasn't worthy of respect...

She could guess that her brother had gone to him to talk.

To negotiate.

And maybe, just maybe, to apologize for his sister's actions.

But that video…

That final image…

Her brother might already be dead.

And if he was…

It was all her fault! Her incompetence! Her arrogance! Her weakness! Thinking the world revolved around her...

Then something snapped her out of her thoughts.

A soft sound filled the room.

Almost imperceptible.

As if the air itself were tearing in silence.

A magical circle began to form in the center of the floor. Crimson lines wove into intricate spirals.

Her eyes widened, and she leapt to her feet, the tablet slipping from her hands and shattering on the floor, unnoticed.

"What…?"

The runes glowed with fierce intensity. Then, with a blinding flash, two bodies collapsed onto the floor like stringless puppets.

Sirzechs e Grayfia.

"Onii-sama!!" The scream tore from her throat before she even realized it.

She ran. Her heels echoed like thunder in the silent hall, and she knelt between the two, her heart crumbling in her chest.

They were in a deplorable state!

"No… no…!" Rias touched Sirzechs's face with both hands, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "You came back… you came back…"

But he didn't open his eyes.

His chest rose and fell slowly. A faint breath. So faint it was barely perceptible.

"Answer me… please… talk to me…" She pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Her voice broke with every word: "Why did you go to him? Because of me…?"

This is all my fault.

The silence in the room was suffocating. Only the faint sounds of Grayfia's irregular breathing and Rias's stifled sobs filled the space.

Then the door burst open with a bang.

"Rias!? I felt a huge magical surge, are you—" Akeno's voice died in her throat as her eyes took in the scene.

Her body froze.

"…What…" Her wide eyes slowly dropped to the floor: "Is that… Lord Lucifer!?"

The shock lasted half a second before instinct kicked in.

"Call Sona! Now!" Rias shouted, without even looking at her.

Akeno hesitated for only a moment, but it was enough to see the panic bubbling in her friend's eyes. She took a step back, then turned and bolted.

Rias remained there, kneeling in the center of the room, surrounded by blood, magic, and silence.

"I just wanted to be free…" she whispered, clutching her brother's blood-soaked hand. "But I ended up destroying everything…"

The magical circle faded slowly, as if it had fulfilled its purpose and had no place there anymore.

The red glow on the walls vanished.

But for Rias, this was just the beginning of hell.

She looked at Sirzechs's closed eyes, and a terrible feeling gripped her—not guilt this time.

But fear.

If Kazuya was capable of reducing her brother, the strongest in the Underworld, to this state…

Why had he spared Sirzechs?

... ...

As always, news spread quickly. It didn't take long for information to reach the ears of nearly every faction across the world.

The first report came from Romania: the Tepes Faction had been completely eradicated. No one knew exactly who was responsible, but suspicion quickly fell on Chaldea. After all, the vampires of that faction treated humans as mere blood bags, and with the organization's recent notoriety, it wasn't hard for the world to connect the dots—or at least believe that version of events.

But that news was soon overshadowed by another, concerning a woman with dark purple hair and red eyes who single-handedly defeated the entire Celtic faction and emerged victorious. According to reports, she was part of the so-called "Official Human Faction," Chaldea. Her name? Scáthach. It was Lugh himself, the Celtic god of light, who confirmed this after recovering from his defeat.

The revelation shocked many. For those who knew the stories, Scáthach was supposed to be dead…

Yet now, centuries later, she had reappeared alive. And more than that: she was living up to, and even surpassing, her legendary reputation as a God-Slayer.

And, to everyone's surprise, she was part of Chaldea.

Once again, the eyes of the world turned to the newly formed human organization—watching, wary… and worried.

The "Strongest of Humanity," the so-called "Human King of Light" or simply Ryougi Kazuya, had already defeated one of the ten most powerful beings in the world, a feat that alone had drawn the attention of every faction. Until then, everyone believed he acted alone, or at least they only had information about him.

But now, new information suggested otherwise: he had allies, which made everything even more concerning.

As these reports circulated among the factions, rumors began to surface about a possible alliance between the Fallen Angels and Chaldea.

Though nothing was officially confirmed, the mere possibility was enough to alarm many leaders worldwide. After all, if Chaldea was indeed aligning with one of the three great factions… the implications would be enormous.

.

.

.

.

.

The silence in the laboratory was almost comforting.

The walls, made of a metallic material that looked like frozen liquid glass, faintly reflected the glowing monitors, all filled with graphs, formulas, and data lines in languages that defied human comprehension. Cables snaked discreetly across the floor and ceiling, so perfectly arranged they seemed part of the architecture.

In the center of the room, amidst a tower of digital clipboards, translucent boards with floating projections, and handwritten notes (because he claimed to hate relying solely on the cloud), stood him.

Kazuya.

Hair disheveled as if he'd woken up and decided combs were a system conspiracy. A faded black Chaldea T-shirt thrown under a loosely fastened white lab coat. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms.

He was wearing glasses.

Not because he needed them—gods, he could see better than a hawk with magnifying lenses. But because, according to him, "the disgruntled scientist vibe only works with glasses."

Kazuya read another line on the holographic clipboard hovering before him. The bluish glow of the data illuminated his face with a serenity that didn't match the topics he'd been discussing hours earlier.

He let out a long, drawn-out, deeply bored sigh.

"What a drag…"

Slowly, he reached for the corner of the clipboard and erased the calculations with a two-finger swipe, as if discarding a piece of art made only to be ignored.

"I spent two hours on this crap trying to start the project to create my own [Chaldeas], but it's way harder than I thought… I don't have many ideas on where to begin, even with vivid memories of seeing it with my own eyes and all my Magecraft knowledge. This is something technological… Truly incredible technology…"

The entire room, despite its technological glow, seemed to revolve around his disinterest. As if the world was lagging behind, and he was just waiting for the chaos to catch up.

He ran a hand through his hair. It got messier.

"If I'd trusted my luck, would the odds of this sorting itself out have been higher? Nah, I don't think so…" he grumbled, turning and lightly kicking a toolbox that automatically levitated out of the way.

Another sigh.

This one deeper, as if he were trying to expel the entire universe from his lungs.

"What a drag."

Kazuya stretched, his shoulder joints popping as if even his bones were bored. The lab coat slipped slightly to one side with the movement, nearly sliding off his lean frame.

Then, as if recalling something waiting for his attention, he turned his head toward the side of the room. A slight gesture with his fingers was enough to activate the hidden interface floating there, invisible until summoned.

"Speaking of luck…"

His voice came out low, more mocking than hopeful.

Plim.

The floating screen flickered to life with a soft, almost sarcastic glow.

_______________

[Fate Gacha]

Saint Quartz: 9 / 100 (daily recharge)

[Would you like to perform a summon?]

[Yes] [No]

_______________

Kazuya tilted his head, eyeing the numbers like someone staring at an overpriced restaurant menu, knowing they'd regret any choice. The interface had changed slightly, but the functionality remained the same.

He moved his finger to the [Yes] button and pressed it with a light tap.

"Let's go, RNGesus… break my patience again."

The light exploded.

*Plim.*

The notification appeared with a golden glow and an overly dramatic soundtrack.

[You received the Noble Phantasm: Balmung Phantasmal Greatsword – Felling of the Sky Demon: EX]

"…Huh?"

Kazuya blinked. After so long summoning junk after junk, this caught him off guard. He scanned the description again, as if making sure the screen wasn't trolling him.

"Balmung… EX… The perfect weapon for slaying the strongest dragons in this world," he murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Not bad. Not bad at all…"

He tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes for a second.

"I humbly thank the gods of luck…" he said theatrically, raising his hands as if in a mock prayer. "You remain unpredictable, capricious, and utterly infuriating… but today, you delivered."

With another gesture, he swiped the interface aside, making room for the next roll.

Plim.

[You received: Nikola Tesla (Archer) Experience Card]

"Oh?"

Kazuya's eyes gleamed behind his glasses, his smirk widening into something almost wicked.

"Genius, inventor, lightning maniac… and an Archer?" He let out a short chuckle and raised a finger as if toasting the screen. "Welcome to the team, Nikola. Time to become one with me. That sounded kinda gay… oh well…"

Without hesitation, he tapped the option to absorb immediately.

The card dissolved into a shower of blue circuits and arcane symbols, sinking into his chest like an arrow of light. Kazuya's body shuddered for a moment. Electric lines raced across his arms, his veins glowed beneath his skin, and sparks danced at his fingertips.

A magnetic tension formed around him, so dense it made the room's lights flicker in response.

"Tch… this is…" He clenched his fists, feeling the surge of knowledge and technology clogging his throat.

A second later, he exhaled slowly, now with a calm, dangerously satisfied expression.

He brushed the hair from his forehead with one hand, still crackling with residual electricity, and muttered:

"Next roll."

Plim.

[You received a summon: Artoria Pendragon (Lancer)]

Kazuya's eyes widened.

But before he could say anything, the entire laboratory seemed to react.

The lights flickered as if a storm were brewing within the steel walls, and a subtle heat filled the air, as if the world were bowing in respect to what was coming.

In the center of the room, the floor glowed with a delicate yet terrifyingly powerful blue hue. Complex runes began to draw themselves with precision, as if an invisible brush were writing history itself onto the ground.

The summoning circle appeared slowly… and when it completed, a flash erupted upward like a column of celestial light, sending gusts of wind in every direction. Papers on the desk flew, and Kazuya's clipboard nearly toppled.

But he stood firm, staring at the center of the circle with the same gaze he'd give a masterpiece.

Tac.

The sound of armor echoed as the figure took shape.

From within the light emerged a woman. Her body, now taller and leaner, stood at 1.71 meters, twenty centimeters taller than her Saber counterpart. But it wasn't just her height that drew attention. Her proportions had changed strikingly, as if every curve had been sculpted to border on exaggeration without losing nobility. Her hips were wide and rounded, firm to the touch, contrasting with a slender waist that seemed to invite the gaze to slide shamelessly up to her enormous chest, almost an affront to the logic of anyone expecting modesty from a holy warrior. Her hair had grown, falling lightly to the tops of her breasts, swaying with each step with the fluidity of silk bathed in light. Her eyes, now brighter, shone with an almost supernatural intensity, as if they peered straight into the soul, piercing it with both beauty and condemnation.

The armor covering her body was a spectacle in itself: silver and polished, it reflected light with near-divine precision. Unlike the incomplete armor she wore as Saber, this one fully encased her arms, legs, and torso, though it couldn't hide the ample contours it molded or the subtle tension separating it from the warm body beneath the metal. She wore a blue chainmail beneath, clinging to her like a second skin, with golden embroidery tracing the line of her breasts and descending to suggest the valley between them. The wide yet small neckline was bold enough to hint at what lay beneath without giving anything away.

Two cloaks completed her figure: a blue one, tied at the waist, billowed behind her like the tail of a noble beast; the other, red, depending on the moment, rested on her shoulders as a symbol of royalty and martyrdom. On her head, a golden crown gleamed with several delicate points.

Artoria Pendragon, Lancer, had been summoned.

She opened her eyes calmly, without surprise or hesitation. As if she already knew where she was. As if she had been expecting to find *him*.

"…Are you my Master?" she asked, her voice serene and noble. Her gaze fixed on Kazuya, assessing him completely, with no trace of judgment hidden.

Kazuya sighed, adjusting his glasses with his index finger.

"Been a while, huh… Artoria…"

___________________________

(A/N: Author's Note

Hey, everyone!

This chapter dives deep into the drama — and no, I'm not talking about some soap opera. Rias is hitting rock bottom here, wrestling with guilt, ghosts from the past, and that classic "what if it's all my fault?" moment. I really wanted to explore her more vulnerable side. Meanwhile, Kazuya keeps being that guy who walks in, changes the whole vibe, and leaves without a word. Mysterious, badass, and carrying secrets no one's ready for.

On top of that, things are heating up behind the scenes of the supernatural world: Scáthach showing why she's a living legend, the Celts getting wrecked in a battle worthy of epic ballads, and Chaldea starting to take center stage.

Now hold on tight: the next chapter brings the grand entrance of Artoria Lancer. I'll be focusing on the chemistry between her and Kazuya, and here's your heads-up — a brand new mini-arc is kicking off, introducing an unseen faction that's going to shake things up even more. And of course, I'll finally deliver the reactions you've been waiting for from the demons about Sirzechs and Grayfia's situation.

Tell me what you thought of this chapter?

Thanks for being part of this chaos with me. See you in the next one! 🔥

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