Interlude (Training Day 5, Yuuto Kiba)

Kiba found himself in the midst of a battle within a simulated environment, facing off against two women. The first woman resembled a knight, sporting brown hair and brandishing a sword. The other was an Asian lady with a ponytail, wielding a massive Zweihänder sword. Kiba, in his usual fashion, fought by dual-wielding blades, each being a demonic weapon.

It had been five days since he began this particular fighting style, and he had grown nearly as comfortable as fighting with a single blade. This came from the intense training he'd been undergoing, making him feel like he was back at the Holy Sword Project, relearning how to combat. Kiba exchanged blows with the women, attempting to keep his distance from the wielder of the great sword while aiming to swiftly defeat the knight.

After successfully countering an overhead swing from the knight, he moved in with the blade in his left hand, attempting to cut her down the middle. While not highly effective, he managed to slice through the knight's armor and into her flesh on her side. Following up with a strike from his right, he severed her hand. Seeing that she was nearly defeated, he shifted his attention to the great sword user, who had refrained from attacking to avoid harming her ally.

The great sword user, using her devil wings, swiftly took flight and dove toward him. Kiba employed a technique he had learned during his training, tossing a blade at her and then using his own wings to engage her in an aerial duel. Thanks to his superior speed, he had the upper hand in their mid-air showdown. After dodging an attack, he cleanly decapitated her with the blade in his right hand.

After that, Kiba heard the sounds of slow clapping. On the ground was a man around his age dressed casually. "Kiba, that was good, but I think it should have taken you less time to deal with Siris," Eden said with what Kiba could tell was a smug look on his face.

In response, Kiba hurled both of his blades at Eden while charging towards him. During his charge, he was pushed back by a powerful gust of wind. He attempted to stabilize his flight path before five energy beams came hurtling towards him. Three aimed for his body, and two targeted his head. The first one struck him squarely in the chest, creating a hole in his body. Despite the massive injury, the endurance of a devil was not to be underestimated, and he struggled to evade the second beam, although the wind still limited his movement. Two more beams then hit him, with one taking off his foot and the other tearing through his wing. The only reason the remaining beams didn't hit was because Kiba was quickly plummeting to the earth. When he collided with the ground, he felt every bone in his body break in various ways. As he lay there, unable to move, Eden approached him.

"That attack was alright; your tactic of throwing your blades at me was good. However, you need to start incorporating that bit of magic I had you learn into your technique. Fight magic with magic, as they say," Eden advised. After he spoke, Kiba felt his entire body mend back together, and the parts that had been torn off were seamlessly reattached.

"Okay, good as new. Now, back to training," Eden said before Teleporting. As Kiba lay there, now in good health, he reflected on all the people who had perished during the Holy Sword Project, an endeavor aimed at creating individuals like Eden, those who could wield holy swords. Then he pondered how, even without summoning the sword that had vanquished more of Heaven's enemies than any other Fatweaver, he, a human, had managed to defeat a devil like himself. Deep in his heart, Kiba knew that harboring anger toward Eden wouldn't accomplish anything, especially since Eden wasn't affiliated with the Church. In all honesty, Eden was assisting his master, even if he wasn't particularly amicable about it.

But Kiba's heart was consumed by one overpowering emotion: hate. He loathed the people who had taken the lives of his friends and despised the corrupting influence of the desire to wield a holy sword. At that very moment, that hatred fueled his determination to train relentlessly, with the ultimate goal of one day eradicating what the world of so called 'Holy Swords.'