13 The fragments

Just like always, it was another day for the people around her. The nuns slowly walking around, the orphans, the guards, the exorcists.....

Everyone was doing what they had to do for today. It was crowded, after all today was a special day in the history of church. It was possible for a single person to now hold 4 fragments of Excalibur. It was as if the holy sword was slowly merging together.

2 Years ago when she came here, she was initially given Excalibur destruction as she was found to be compatible with it. Of course she also felt the same compatibility with Durandal, however the church wasn't exactly willing to give that sword to a descendant of Pendragons.

After 1 year of gathering information and copying instructors, another year of training with an actual instructor, and beating the previous old men. She had proven herself worthy. Perhaps too worthy. So it didn't exactly come as a surprise when she was brought to a room filled with sacred artifacts.

She had too much potential for the church to exploit, and a single fragment although strong is still merely a fragment. Unfit to even challenge the weakest holy sword, Ascalon. So she was originally brought to the underground treasury to be given a new sword. However she rejected that notion, remembering her mission in this God forsaken place, she instead asked them to give her another fragment of Excalibur.

While the church was more than willing to indulge in that, it wouldn't show a good image if they just forcefully took the other fragments away from their wielders. So a challenge was issued. A challenge in which a winner is granted a new Excalibur fragment. 2 people accepted that challenge, their swords are unknown. It could be any of the other 5 fragments. She is to fight them one after the other, should she lose her battles, she will also lose her sword.

At the same time the orthodox church has proposed to give her Excalibur blessing as well should she defeat both her opponents. After all that sword can only be used to increase and empower holy energy in a battle, or to be used in holy rituals. So what better person to wield it than the person who has 3 Excalibur fragments? Imagining how much that blessing could increase the power of all three fragments made them drool, so they decided to give that as well.

Furthermore although no one knows this, Excalibur ruler is kept within the Pendragon house, and she has already shown the capability to wield it as well. With that, she can hold 5 Excalibur fragments. The initial mission was to bring back 3 of the fragments.

This mission was given because, so long as 4 fragments have been gathered it is possible to merge them into a single blade. A long running wish of house Pendragon you could say. Of course the real success is if they could get all 7, but there is simply no way the church would give all of them up. And thievery would result in a battle between the house and church. Not something they would be able to win.

That is pretty much why everybody is running around so much. Preparing the training grounds for the fight. Its funny that they are preparing everything for this and yet it probably wouldn't even last that long at all.

Eating her share of breakfast, she found a white haired weirdo looking at her eating with a raised eyebrow. Perhaps because she was also eating his share? Probably not, he was the one who decided to give his share to her in the first place. And lord knows its working its magic. She would never admit it but hunger has been a challenge since she has gotten here. They never make enough food. Something about being thankful for what you are granted or whatever.

"I didn't know you were so ambitious, sister Artoria." He finally started talking.

So he is pretending he doesn't know? As if! He has a whole cult of sisters bringing him information. He knows practically everything that is happening in the church. Damn this boy's cuteness and the nun's shota fetish.

"Hmm, I will do my best to become the strongest i can be. To make my family and teachers proud." She responded, acting the part.

They have found their own way of communicating in this place. She can't just openly announce that she wants to destroy her family, and stealing the swords is just throwing salt on the wound. Not yet anyway. There will come a time for everyone.

"Well i hope you come out victorious then, i would be sad if dear older sister gets injured in the spars. So please be careful." He said while tightly hugging her, with tears threatening to come out of his eyes.

She could feel the glares of the big titty sisters. They were making extra holes in her body damnit.

Putting the spoon back in its place, making sure not to spill anything. She returned the hug while patting his head and smiling awkwardly.

"Its alright Antares, i promise i will be okay. After all sister is the strongest right? So just wait for me to beat them and then we will celebrate alright?"

She could feel his head shaking, before he brought his head up, looked at her with the brightest smile she has ever seen and told her:

"Yes, sister is the strongest. And the softest too. I love sister Artoria."

*SPURT*

The nun's glare got even more intense if that was possible. And she was certain she heard a gushing sound. Probably the sound of someone having a nosebleed. These things happened far too often for her to be surprised now.

"Make sure to beat them all to the ground, and promise that you will be really careful alright? Pinkie promise." He continued, oblivious to the dark auras around the nuns.

"Yes pinkie promise. I will be okay." She says as she clasps his finger, with hers.

After that, the breakfast was quite, if you ignore the children making a mess out of themselves that is.

Making her way to her room, she sat on her bed and began meditating. Something she had to do when Antares gave him the idea of Senjutsu. With the help of Archmage, it was easy enough to learn it, that said however the main goal was just the Touki.

Feeling the life and energy all around her, she manipulated them, and eventually some kind of protective, white aura covered her body. She felt relaxed, protected and free with this aura around.

Of course, this won't be used during today's spars. After all, it would raise too many eye brows if a 14 year old girl fights with Touki. But it does calm her nerves. It is.... difficult, going outside and challenging grown old man in battles, knowing that literally no one in the entire place has any hopes for her to win.

She will be mocked, she will be insulted and be called an ungrateful person. They will be judging her from all angles as well.

But it would also be really fun to rub their faces into the dirt and see their reaction.

The thought of it sent ripples through her white aura, as if it was excited for something.

Proving herself to them doesn't matter anymore. She has seen what a strong person looks like. She knows none of them match him in any way at all. She knows they only want to use her strength and all of their praises are fake.

But beating the crap out of them DOES matter. Its literally the only reason why she is doing this in the first place.

She gets to beat the crap out of church executives and then steal the swords, rubbing salt on Pendragon's injuries.

Its the perfect plan.

Battle for the holy swords? Antares can make swords that are stronger than her current weapon. And they are makeshift swords made from ice.

Getting 2 fragments wasn't really exciting anymore. The prospect of getting them all and then merging them to see the results is tempting though.

Thoughts for later Artoria, thoughts for later.

As she was getting prepared for her battles, Antares himself had something to do as well.

In particular remember those 2 fallen angels he took with himself 7 months ago? Yeah those guys became spies after being brain washed by Kaya.

They were sent back to the Grigori head quarters, and reported that the girl had lashed out and killed 5 of them, they had barely made it out alive. Is it a convincing lie? Yes actually considering the weakness of these fallens and the 'assumed' mental instability of Stella, it was easy enough to convince them of that. Stella's house was sacrificed as their evidence of her anger issues.

"So.....Kokabiel huh."

Well....honestly i should have expected that.

The Pope definitely believes that the Vatican city cannot be infiltrated and it is invincible.

But...i infiltrated it. And so did many others. Not to mention a person doesn't even need to come inside to see what's going on, they could just ask one of the many, many, many, many rogue exorcists.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that some fallen angels heard of this big event in the church, and decided to come over to party.

The leader of the Idiots is obviously Kokabiel but he won't show up so soon. Its not exactly the best opportunity for war considering its in enemy territory and it has nothing to do with devils at all. The chances of this escalating into a war is practically zero. But it will definitely provoke the church into retaliating. And their retaliation will definitely entertain the warmonger for a few decades or so.

Azazel most likely knows whats going to happen too. He just doesn't want to turn on Kokabiel now, and he doesn't really care either. As this is basically a suicide mission. Nothing important would come out of this.

Azazel never killed Kokabiel in the novel either. Instead, deciding to imprison him. Clearly showing that he cares enough about his colleagues not to kill them and to make sure he has bonus war power in case something went wrong.

This is the reason why i have come here now. Vatican city is also the place where Vasco Strada underwent his training initially. Now he is a young man about 20 years old if i had to say. The blue greatsword next to him easily giving away his identity.

Yep, this guy is going to be repelling Kokabiel's lackeys for me. Just as he did originally.

I got close to him and pulled his shirt to draw his attention.

"Ah what are you doing around here my child? Did you lose your way perhaps?" he looked at me and said.

Shaking my head in denial i answer him:

"No, actually a black haired lady gave this paper to me and told me to give it to one of the adults with swords." I give him the paper i had written myself.

Curiously, he takes the paper from me and looks at it. His expression grew more serious as he read before turning comical towards the end, and straightup deadpannining after reading the last sentence.

He gives the paper to someone next to him before returning to me and saying:

"Thank you for this, young man. But now i am afraid i will need you to go back to the sisters, as it seems this place may not be safe for you."

Heeding his warning, i hurriedly go back inside the church and wait for the spars to begin.

Its his problem from now on. Not my problem.

_________________________

"Artoria Pendragon, Your match will begin in about 30 minutes. Prepare yourself however you want." Said an exorcist with a mocking tone.

No surprise really, i imagine the people i will be fighting now, are also exorcists. They don't really want to believe that a little girl can beat one of them.

"Yes, thank you for informing me." I replied.

"Hmmm seems you at least have some discipline, Surprisingly enough." He says as he just proceeds to stand there.

I bite back my tongue and answer in a monotone voice:

"I would now like to get prepared for my match."

"Oh you were actually taking this seriously. I am sorry i will be leaving now." he says as he laughs away and finally leaves.

Oh my..... is everyone going to be like this today? This might get too agitating.

At the side of my bed, a unique bronze axe sword rests. This one is called Excalibur destruction. Over the last year i have learned to perfectly control this. According to Antares it's destructive capabilities are comparable to the high class level, which isn't much really, but what can you expect from a fragment anyway?

Don't get the wrong idea though, this is very powerful for a normal human.

'normal' being the key word here.

The main reason why this thing is so treasured is because its used to kill demons and vampires. One has to remember that a low level light spear can inflict immense damage to a devil.

Picking the sword, i enter a simple stance. Legs and shoulders spread, with the sword positioned close to my right shoulder, tip pointing to the sky. An incredibly defensive position that i have been getting used to in my nightly sessions.

I have 30 minutes to calm my nerves. Practicing swordsmanship has always worked for moments like this.

Swing after swing. I get such a satisfying feeling from it. The sound of sword cutting through the air, giving me such a calming sensation.

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And as always, i lost my perception of time in just a bit. The sound of door being slammed open, bringing me back to my senses.

"Miss.Pendragon, the match is about to begin, please come with me to the training grounds." Said an old man. This time, not bothering to mock me.

Following the old man through the church, i could feel the gazes of the children on myself. Hopeful gazes. These children were perhaps the only source of joy i had in the time i spent here. I won't disappoint them.

Reaching the training grounds, i immediately took note of the audience gathered around here. Many old men with clothing that is fit for a priest, nuns that look nothing like normal sisters and finally exorcists with light sabers and guns. Its strange however, there were a lot more of them in the morning. Where did they all go?

Shaking my head, i focus on the task ahead of me.

In the middle of the area, stands a proud man with black hair and blue eyes looking to be around 17 if i had to guess. Holding the air as if it was a handle. I am not joking he is literally holding nothing. Or so thats how it would look like if i didn't had Archmage. I can clearly feel and detect a whirlwind of holy energy around his hand, where the sword would have been.

Thats got to be Excalibur transparency. The sword that turns itself and its wielder invisible.

It seems the sword takes an invisible form as well. This will be difficult.

"The battle ends when one of the contenders surrenders or when one is knocked to the ground. anything is fair and allowed with the exception of lethal attacks." One of the priests announced from the side.

That is already a disadvantage for me, Excalibur destruction's trump card is literally a giant 'fuck you' beam As Antares calls it. It would definitely be lethal.

"Oi oi oi, you brought me all the way here just to beat a kid? This isn't a joke right?" The man asked the priest.

"I assure you we aren't joking, considering we were the ones who paid for your airplane." The priest reminded him.

"Hahahahaha, how funny. See little girl you have even managed to convince him too. But seriously lets____

"Shut up Edward. Your voice is annoying. You came here to do a job, remember to do it right. Or should i remind you the price of failure?" An old man with long white beard said from the audience.

Suddenly the now named 'Edward' stopped laughing. He turned and hatefully glared at me, before saying:

"You think you can just come out of nowhere, challenge me, take the sword, ruin my entire life and then just go? I will make you regret it kid."

I did not understand anything that just happened. But even if i am ruining someone else's life, i would still do it for the sake of my loved ones. A person has to be dedicated. Like Antares used to say:

"A man has to be so dedicated to the point that he would switch his body with a female, get railed by that female's husband every night, and mother a son. All for the sake of his plans. That is true dedication. Dedication is not gay Artoria."

Getting into an overly aggressive stance, i prepared for his first move.

"Start"

And behold, the guy immediately decided to go invisible. In response i simply charged to his position and in an instant i was right in front of him with a swing from the right side, intending to cut him in half. Like, did he just forget that i know his position?

I heard the sound of metal hitting metal as his invisibility broke, and i found him blocking my sword with something invisible, sweat running down his face.

Charging Excalibur destruction, i easily overpower his strength, sending him flying into the walls. Acting quickly, he plunged his sword into the ground to help regain his balance.

He once again went invisible, this time immediately moving away from his position. Or at least thats what i hope he would do. Surely he is smart enough right?

Getting into a defensive position, i simply waited for him, briefly noticing that i can't hear his the sound of his foot steps. He is probably a skilled assassin.

DUCK

Heeding my instincts i got down on my knees, just to then hear the sound of air getting cut, just above my head. And here i thought lethal attacks were banned.

JUMP LEFT

Once again following the instructions i jumped right in time to then see the ground being destroyed under an explosion of light, making a crater.

This is getting tedious. I can't hear a thing.

ROLL RIGHT

Following the same move, this time i don't hear any sound at all. A thrust attack.

I need to calm down. There has to be something i can do here. Have i learned anything that could deal with this situation?

Energy manipulation, swordsmanship, spear techniques, enhanced instincts, magic, Touki, hand to hand combat...

Wait... Touki....

Senjutsu!

Every creature has a life force that can be detected by a Senjutsu user. Even invisible creatures.

JUMP

I followed right in time to dodge what sounded like a sweeping kick.

Quickly jumping away and making distance, i close my eyes and try to focus on my surroundings. Feel the life force of nature.

DUCK

I sidestep without even looking, still trying to calm my mind.

LEFT

ABOVE

JUMP RIGHT

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I see it. The golden orb that is coming towards me, just about to slash my neck, i see it now.

DUCK

Ducking under the slash, i moved my legs to sweep him. He jumps back to dodge that. Surprised by my counter attack, but chalking it up to mere luck.

Good. He shouldn't have figured it out yet.

He once again charges at me and goes for a thrust. But this time i see him coming, i side step his thrust at the last second, dropping my own weapon on the ground, i grasped his stretched hand, twisting it, before getting into position and throwing him from my shoulders onto the ground.

Then disarming him, and wielding the invisible sword myself, i pointed it to his neck. This match has ended.

"Forfeit now. You have lost."

There was a deep trace of anger in his eyes, he open his mouth wanting to shout something, but didn't had the time as the priest came and announced the end of the match.

"This match is over, Miss.Pendragon has now claimed Excalibur transparency."

Oh yeah....

It was over when the other guy is knocked down. Kinda forgot that.

Turning around i could see the shocked faces of the old fools and the scowling exorcists. Oh is this what being an asshole feels like? Its amazing.

I was guided to a room next to the training grounds. The next match would start in an hour.

Excalibur transparency is....for the lack of better term, an amusing weapon. Its not the best of the fragments by any means, its not the strongest, not even close to it. But it has a very niche ability that could be extremely useless, as seen by how Senjutsu counters it, or extremely useful.

My line of thinking is that this ability on average is best used on the sword itself, as that is foolproof. Senjutsu can't show you the life force of a sword. And an invisible blade is just enough of an edge over any opponent to make it worth the cost of its holy power too.

Like, if i use Transparency to hide my Excalibur destruction. That would be good. I am not good enough at covering the sound of my footsteps anyway, so making myself invisible probably wouldn't work too well in the first place.

Or hiding a dagger and then showing it at a crucial moment.

It certainly has its uses.

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"Miss.Pendragon, the next match is beginning in a few minutes." Said the young man who had previously mocked me. A lot more respectfully.

"Umu, let us go then."

Reaching the training grounds, i was amazed at the speed of the exorcists. The whole area was fixed and cleaned as new in just an hour.

My opponent, standing in the middle of the area, this time was a blonde woman in nun's clothing, around 20s. In her hands was a....Jagged(?) and twisted sword. It looked more like a piece of a spear or lance, than a sword. I had heard that king arthur also possessed a spear of some kind, but it didn't had any remarkable abilities so it wasn't famous.

Although i could not guess the identity of the sword, the golden glow is unmistakable. This is indeed a fragment.

Coming in front of me with her sword pointing to my face, the woman refused to indulge in any conversation. Looking to take me more seriously.

"Start"

She immediately rushed at me with incredible speed. My eyes could barely keep up. A thrust to my wrist, aiming to disarm me, a punch to the left, both coming at about the same time.

In response i did what my actual teacher taught me to do with thrust attacks at awkward angles.

Just replicate the thrust.

The tip of my sword clashed against hers in a battle of strength, while my left palm was placed to block her punch.

Winning the battle of strength, i pushed her sword upwards, before simply releasing a beam of light from my own sword.

Quickly regaining her balance, she rolled out of the way with impressive speed.

Surprisingly enough, i didn't even feel a thing from her attack. It was as if she didn't put any strength into them at all.

Knowing that she is faster than me, going on offense is basically a fools errand. She will just dodge everything anyway. So i patiently wait for her to start, hoping for a good counter attack.

And she doesn't say no to that of course. Going for an overhead swing with both hands, aiming to cut me in half.

In response i bring my sword up to challenge, and once again, i effortlessly win the battle of strength, staggering her. Not wasting this, i continued with an overhead slam of myself, which she avoids by quickly jumping back.

This is weird.

It is unnatural for there to be such a massive difference in speed and strength. The movement speed of a human is related to the muscles in their limbs. The very same muscles that also dictate the strength of their attacks.

This lady is too fast but too weak. This is so unnatural.

She isn't using any magic, so it can't be a spell enhancing her move speed.

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Oh... the sword, yes. Excalibur rapidly if i am not mistaken. The sword increases the movement of the wielder. A fine ability.

Knowing what i am up against now made it a lot easier to plan for it.

She once again moves with all of her speed with a swing to the left, aiming for my shoulder. In response i ducked while charging Excalibur destruction and slamming it the ground where she stood. As expected, she jumped back again, but quickly realized that blast from my sword was way bigger than before.

The ground shook and cracked beneath her, destroying her landing and ruining her balance, as i charge towards her immediately.

She tried stopping me with a swing, but her strength is simply too pathetic. I just batted her sword aside with mine, then proceeded to punch her in the face with all my strength, sending her flying into the walls.

Once the dust cleared out, everyone could see the same beautiful woman, now sporting a very bad bruise on her face. Probably the result of her jaw breaking. She was completely knocked out.

The priests hurried up to heal her, while i simply walked and took Excalibur rapidly from her. Thats 3 and with blessing, it will be 4. I wonder if it would ever be possible to put all 7 fragments together though.

Nevertheless these swords will serve me when i return to the Pendragons. I can't rely on Antares for everything.

At this time however, Antares himself was checking his new belongings. Yes new. From all the bets he made with the children and the exorcists. It was the perfect opportunity, since everyone was betting against Artoria.

Not to mention as a prince of hell, it was pretty much an obligation to corrupt these kids by teaching them gambling at its most basic stage.

So despicable.