Chapter 82: 82. Holy Sword Project Part 2.
Omniscient POV
It's been a while since Kouske finished selling all the holy weapons. The earnings were quite good.
It seems the angels only got around 200 of the weapons, while the devils and some other mythologies snapped up the rest before them.
Well, none of that was his problem. Currently, Kouske is in the Vatican, the church's territory. He made his way to the Cathedral's administrative area.
"Who are you?" an exorcist asked.
"I am Akatsuki. I would like an audience with His Eminence, Vasco Strada," Kouske replied with a kind smile.
Hearing Kouske's name and recognizing his face, the exorcist was momentarily surprised.
"Wait a moment. I will relay this to him," said the exorcist.
The exorcist rushed to Strada's office, knocking on the door several times before asking for entry.
"Come in," came the heavy, thunderous voice of an elderly man.
"Your Eminence, there's a man who has come to meet you," the exorcist said.
Vasco lifted his face from the paperwork. "Who?"
"He says he is Akatsuki. He also looks like him from the videos," the exorcist replied.
"Are you sure?" Vasco asked.
As the exorcist confirmed, Vasco instructed him to lead Akatsuki in.
After a while, Akatsuki and Vasco were face to face alone, as Vasco had asked the previous exorcist to leave.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Eminence," Kouske said with a polite bow.
[This person's face is covered with wrinkles. If judged by just his appearance, he would be mistaken for a normal foreign old man over eighty years old,] Clarice said in his head.
'However, the body beneath his face contradicted this. An unimaginably thick neck, a broad chest, arms the size of tree trunks, and legs likely the size of my waist...
The most striking feature was his height, which seemed to be roughly two meters. This was an ideal young body that didn't match his elderly face, and the amount of holy aura radiating from his body was immense. So this is Vasco Strada, the Cardinal Priest, and the Violence of Heaven!' Kouske thought as he telepathically replied to Clarice.
"It's my pleasure to meet someone like you too. Please, have a seat," Vasco said with a gentle smile, like a friendly neighborhood grandfather, as they shook hands.
But just by shaking hands with him, Kouske could sense the immense power this man possessed. The firmness of his grip and the precision of his movements revealed the grace and skill of a seasoned swordsman.
"I'm afraid we don't have the leisure for such idle chat right now," Kouske said.
"What do you mean?" Vasco's smile stiffened, and he raised an eyebrow in question.
"I need you to come with me to one of your church bases right now," Kouske replied.
"And, why would I need to go there with you?" Vasco asked, as his aura turned serious.
"Unfortunately, there has been an unpleasant experiment going on at one of your church bases, conducted by Archbishop Valper Galilei. Right now, as we speak, he is killing the children used for his evil experiments to erase all evidence," Kouske said.
Hearing this, Vasco was shocked. He couldn't just believe everything a stranger told him, but if there was even a slight bit of truth behind his words and children were being sacrificed for someone's evilness, he needed to stop it. That too if it's someone from the church. But to do that, he needed more information.
"What experiment are you talking about?" Vasco asked.
"The Holy Sword Project," Kouske replied.
"How do you know about that?! It was kept a secret!" Vasco asked with wide eyes, surprised that someone outside the church knew about it.
"I have my own means. But Valper is killing the innocent children used in that project," Kouske responded.
"The Lord doesn't condone such evil. We never experiment on children," Vasco asserted.
"You don't? Then what about the Sigurd Institution? Can you deny that?" Kouske retorted.
Vasco was taken aback once more. Previously, the Sigurd Institution was another secret operation done by the church.
The things that happened there were not anything pleasant. When Vasco found out about it, he immediately took action to abolish the institute and punish everyone involved.
This was only known to some of the higher-ups in the church; even the angels didn't know the details.
Hearing about it from an outsider made Vasco realize the depth of corruption among the church's leadership.
Were they selling information about the church's secrets and even its taints?
"You! How do you know even about that? Who are you getting all this information from?" Vasco demanded as he released his aura and Durandal materialized from a small portal.
Durandal, one of the legendary Holy Swords forged through alchemy and magic, is said to be on par with the original Excalibur.
The sword is a large, uniquely shaped broadsword with a blue blade and a golden edge.
It has a semicircular guard on the left side of the handle that extends to the bottom just above the pommel, with a small extension on the right side.
Standing from the tip of the blade, Durandal is around 5'9" tall. This was the very sword Vasco used in World War II to corner and defeat Kokabiel.
Durandal is a unique sword, reacting to its wielder's temperament. Its "destruction" differs from the Power of Destruction, with only targets weak to holy power being erased by its power. Durandal seems to blast and shatter, with survivors of a direct hit often buried in rubble.
It is said to be sharp enough that Vasco can even 'cut through anything' if he wishes.
In the original story, Vasco had once cut through Rias's Power of Destruction with the Durandal Replica, which had only one-fifth of the original's power.
But this was the original right now in front of Kouske. Fascinated by the sword, Kouske quickly observed it with his Sabnock Clan ability.
Despite his fascination, Kouske knew he couldn't fight Vasco right now, even if he would have liked to have a spar with him. He had far more important things to do and less time.
"Please calm down. I am not here to fight. I have my own ways of knowing things. If we fight now, only your people would get caught up in our battle," Kouske calmly replied.
Hearing his words and looking around, Vasco was reminded that they were still in the Vatican's church base.
He was embarrassed by his sudden outburst. But he just couldn't shake the memories of the atrocities committed in the Sigurd Institution in the church's name.
"So you are saying similar things are happening in the Holy Sword Project?" Vasco asked, serious but much calmer than before.
"Yes. That's why I would like you to come with me right now. They are trying to kill the children to erase all the evidence. You can see for yourself whether I am lying or not," Kouske said.
"And how do I know if this is not just a trap? Nonetheless, I cannot just ignore what you are saying. So, I will go with you," Vasco replied.
"Great. I can teleport us to the place. If you want anyone else to come along, make it quick. We don't have much time," Kouske urged.
"No, it will just be me. Let's go," Vasco decided, not wanting anyone else to get caught up if it was a trap. He can handle this himself.
Kouske quickly teleported them inside the church basement, where children lay on the ground with varying degrees of wounds on their bodies.
A gaseous substance filled the air. Vasco shielded himself from the poisonous gas with his aura, while Kouske remained unaffected.
Kouske swiftly checked on the children, confirming that, though some had fatal wounds, they were all still alive but unconscious.
His prior actions hadn't been for naught. He had manipulated the fate of the children before meeting Vasco, ensuring none would die.
Kouske quickly used his healing fire to heal all of the children but they still remained unconscious.
James had provided the information at the last moment, but Valper had already escaped with the data before Kouske could reach him.
Kouske could have killed all the exorcists and taken the children, but without evidence, it would have only spelled trouble.
The children wouldn't have believed him, and the church would have accused him of terrorism. So he sought out someone he knew wouldn't remain idle upon learning about the children's situation.
Vasco Strada wasn't someone who would sacrifice children for his own safety. As long as there was even a slight chance of this being true, he would have come to the church's base to see for himself. He couldn't risk ignoring the possibility of children being harmed.
The exorcists inside the base were trying to break a barrier where a girl was in a stasis state. One of the exorcists exclaimed as he saw the two men suddenly teleport inside.
"Your Eminence!" the exorcist gasped, shocked by Vasco's sudden appearance.
Vasco's eyes scanned the room, taking in the dire situation. He could feel the rage building up inside him. He recognized some of these exorcists as subordinates of Valper Galilei, involved in the Holy Sword Project.
If this place was indeed one of the church bases, then he could no longer refute what Akatsuki had said. He could examine the location later.
Fortunately, Akatsuki seemed to have somehow healed the other children. Now, he could focus on the exorcists in front of him.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice resonating with authority.
"We were just following orders... We had no idea..." the exorcist stammered, fear evident in his eyes.
"Enough," Vasco interrupted, turning his attention to Kouske. "Is this all of them?"
"Yes, but even though I have healed them, their souls seem to be damaged. They won't live long unless their souls can be cured too. I will take them with me to heal their souls. You have no way of healing them, right?" Kouske asked.
Vasco nodded, his expression grave. "Get these children to safety and let me handle these guys. May the Lord forgive those who have strayed from His path," he said, unleashing his fury upon the trembling exorcists.
No amount of begging or crying could save them. Vasco got them to admit all their crimes and learn about Valper, showing why he was called the Violence of Heaven and sometimes even The True Devil.
Valper Galilei had already left with the data, and while Vasco wanted to kill him himself, the higher-ups would likely just expel him from the church.
The church had already obtained a copy of the data to make the light orbs, which were created by extracting light fragments from those with talents in using holy magic.
In the future, thanks to Heaven's interference and research, they made it a safe process that didn't kill the bearers from whom the light fragments were extracted.
Tosca, the girl inside the sealed barrier, was taken by Akatsuki since the church couldn't open the barrier without killing her even after trying for days.
Most of the exorcists involved in the project were either killed or brutally amputated by Vasco in his rage that day. Those who survived were expelled as strays.
Akatsuki kept his promise, healing all the children and opening the barrier of Tosca. All the children decided to stay with Kouske's organization, Akatsuki.
But the children had lifeless eyes, filled with the betrayal they had suffered. Kouske put them under the care of Cleria and her peerage, as well as Sakuya and Aunt Arene, who checked on them from time to time.
They were the perfect ones to help the children realize that not all devils are inherently bad and not all humans are inherently good; the same goes for the other species too.
This way, the children would not end up hating the world and destroying themselves, consumed by their own rage.
The church didn't object, as the children were of no use to them without their light fragments. They just wanted to keep all this a secret.
The children were distressed about their missing friend Isaiah, who was the only one they couldn't find.
Akatsuki informed them that he had become a devil and was staying with the Gremorys. He couldn't arrange meetings with him for now, and they would have to wait.
After the incident, Akatsuki met with Michael and Vasco to discuss the low-class holy weapons. While he wouldn't provide them en masse, they could commission some specific holy weapons from time to time.
Kouske also encountered Griselda, who seemed quite mad at him for some reason. It wasn't his fault she bore the brunt of his uninvited visit to the Vatican that one time.
[A/N: How is the chapter? Leave a comment behind.
Do any of you guys know if it's alright to add one Payoneer account to two different or even more Patreon accounts as a payment method? Or does it cause problems later on? Or it doesn't even accept the same account?
I have also posted the sixth chapter of The Incubus System on Patreon. It's free to read.
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Sol_Pendragon
Sol_Pendragon [Patreon Announcement!
Hey guys, I finished writing chapters for the month of August too, so we are all set for that month. I won't stop posting paid chapters in August.
Sorry for so many announcements. This will probably be the last announcement for this month and August.
I will probably write about the Slash Dog events in detail as I don't think most people know what happens in Slash Dog. And most fanfics do not cover that. So stay tuned. Bye! Stay safe!]
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