Survivor of the Holy Sword Project

"..."

"Why are you in such a hurry? It's not like we're short on a few days."

Looking at Ai-chan before her, Miss Moonlit looked utterly unconcerned.

She wasn't even in a hurry herself, so why was Ai-chan so anxious?

She could definitely reach SS rank.

Ai-chan was doing this for the boss's sake! Didn't the boss want SSS rank? Didn't she want to graduate?

And if she cleared three worlds sooner, she could also gain the powers of Star Rail characters.

Any extra Crystals could be exchanged for Stardust.

Earning more Crystals definitely wouldn't put the boss at a loss!

Looking at the lazy vampire girl before her, Ai-chan earnestly tried to persuade her. As for whether she truly had the girl's best interests at heart or had some other motive, only she herself knew.

"Stardust..."

Miss Moonlit sat up from the snow. After Ai-chan put it that way, she suddenly found herself a little motivated.

Compared to the Valkyries of Honkai Impact 3rd, the powers in Star Rail attracted her more. If she could become a Pathstrider or an Emanator, what kind of experience would that be?

That's right, saving up Crystals could be directly exchanged for Stardust. The boss was motivated now, right?

There happened to be a bounty that suited the boss very well. She might be interested in it. Did she want to take a look?

"?"

Hearing this, Miss Moonlit became somewhat interested.

Following Ai-chan's instructions, the girl found a bounty on the bounty board. Within it... she saw a rather familiar name and Sacred Gear.

"It's actually him..."

After thinking for a moment, perhaps she should make a trip there. She might even get to meet that female lead in advance.

Speaking of which, Miss Moonlit was quite interested in that demon girl. She had no other purpose; she simply wanted to see what she looked like in person.

However, before she had enough strength to protect herself, she was unwilling to venture into that place for the time being.

After all, it would put her directly before all the major factions.

As long as it wasn't there, it didn't matter if she met her elsewhere.

What's more, if nothing went wrong, she could earn quite a few Crystals.

"Then let's go take a look!"

Rising from the snow, Miss Moonlit took out her phone and left Valerie a message. Then a swarm of bats appeared out of thin air, and the girl vanished from where she stood.

The moonlight was hazy.

"Pant... pant... pant..."

At that moment, within a forest blanketed by snow, a blond-haired boy was desperately fleeing.

He staggered forward, falling again and again before climbing back up each time.

His body had long since reached its limit, but his eyes held a soul-stirring determination and persistence.

Live. He had to live!

"Even if it's only you, hurry and run."

His companions' voices seemed to ring endlessly in his ears. From the moment they pushed back those demons and let him escape alone, his life no longer belonged solely to him.

So... he had to survive!

Thud!

Poisoned and already at his limit, the boy collapsed into the snow once more.

Every cell in his body seemed to be wracked by excruciating pain. Unable to muster even the slightest bit of strength, he lay quietly in the snow, gasping for breath.

Feeling his vitality continuously slipping away, the boy knew this was as far as he could go.

His friends had fought to the death to give him this chance, yet he...

His consciousness was beginning to blur, but scenes of his time with his companions kept replaying in his mind.

They had all been helpless children with special powers. Those people had gathered them together.

Day after day, they trained them without pause and instilled in them the belief that "one day, you will become special beings chosen by God."

Though it had been incredibly difficult and painful, the companions supported and encouraged one another. They all believed that as long as they worked hard, one day they would become special beings chosen by God.

But they had been betrayed. They had been deceived!

Those people called themselves apostles of God, yet they did things only demons would do.

No, they were even more disgusting than demons.

All along, those people had been lying to them. What chosen by God? They had merely treated them as materials for the so-called Holy Sword Project.

After discovering that they were no longer useful, those people had become utterly inhuman.

Like devils, they chose to poison every one of them to death.

Endless mockery and self-ridicule filled him, and astonishing hatred erupted from the boy's eyes.

Even if he became a vengeful ghost, he would curse those people!

But...

The boy only felt his consciousness growing increasingly blurry and his body increasingly weak. Perhaps he was going to let everyone down.

He was so unwilling to accept this!!

As he felt his life ebb away, he vaguely... seemed to hear a voice.

A very pleasant voice.

"Strange. He's already in this state, yet that demon girl still hasn't appeared? Why?"

Hearing the voice, the boy used the last of his strength to painfully raise his head. Through his blurred vision, he saw a beautiful figure appear before him.

Under the gentle moonlight, a beautiful white-haired, red-eyed girl stood in the night like an elf.

Her white hair was like snow, smooth and lustrous, like winter snow beneath the moonlight, sparkling brilliantly. Her eyes were crimson, like autumn leaves or the rising sun, filled with passion and vitality.

Her face was as exquisite as a painting, her features graceful, and her skin as smooth as porcelain, carrying a cool, detached beauty. Her nose bridge was high, her chin slightly raised, bearing an indescribable pride and elegance. Her lips were like a rose about to bloom, delicate and soft.

Her figure was graceful yet upright, her arms slender and fair, like a beautiful melody that stirred the imagination. Most eye-catching of all were the girl's long, powerful legs, like works of art.

Her white hair glittered beneath the moonlight, while her eyes resembled two dazzling gemstones, deeply drawing the boy's gaze.

There was no doubt that the girl's beauty was breathtaking, making it impossible to look away. Even in that silent night, her presence was like brilliant fireworks, illuminating everything around her.

Standing alone beneath the moonlight, she seemed to maintain a subtle distance from the world.

Her beauty was an indescribable charm, making one feel both close to her and far away from her.

He had initially thought the people pursuing him had arrived, but upon seeing the girl before him, the boy instinctively dismissed that idea.

She was not one of those people.

A trace of doubt arose in his heart. He did not understand who this girl was, why she had appeared here, or whether she was connected to those people.

The girl had no idea what he was thinking. She merely looked around in confusion, still unable to sense anyone else's presence, then noticed that the boy's life force was about to disappear.

She had no choice but to walk over to him.

"This is serious. The poison has reached your heart and penetrated your internal organs, human."

Squatting beside the boy, Miss Moonlit examined his body and found his condition to be incredibly dire.

He was practically beyond saving.

After thinking for a moment, the girl raised a hand into the air and used the power of Sephiroths Cup to heal him. At the very least, she had to preserve his life first.

Otherwise, if he died... her trip would have been for nothing.

Fortunately, Sephiroths Cup did not disappoint her as a Sacred Gear. Although the boy had been poisoned rather than merely injured, it still managed to preserve his life.

"Human, what is your name?"

Seeing that the boy's breathing had stabilized somewhat, Miss Moonlit finally asked. Though she had already guessed his identity, it was still necessary to confirm it.

"I... Isaiah."

The boy's aura was still weak, but he answered seriously nonetheless.

"Isaiah?"

Miss Moonlit froze slightly at his answer. Shouldn't his name have been Kiba Yuto?

Had she made a mistake?

But that shouldn't have been possible. Whether it was the clues from the bounty or the boy's appearance, he was clearly Kiba Yuto.

That was right. Miss Moonlit's target this time was Kiba Yuto, a relatively well-known supporting character from the DxD World. Though he did not possess a Sacred Gear, the Sacred Gear within his body was already quite powerful.

The Sacred Gear, Demon Sword Creation.

A Sacred Gear that could create all kinds of demon swords at will, each with different attributes to deal with different enemies.

Feeling the Sacred Gear inside him and recalling the bounty's clue, "Holy Sword Project Survivor," the boy before her was undoubtedly Kiba Yuto—the future knight of Demon Princess Rias Gremory's peerage.

"I remember now. Kiba Yuto was the name he took after becoming a demon."

"Before that, his name was Isaiah."

Suddenly, the girl remembered. Kiba Yuto's former name had indeed been Isaiah. Too much time had passed, and the anime had mostly referred to him as Kiba Yuto, so she had not recalled it immediately.

However, the girl still had some doubts. Logically, Demon Princess Rias should have appeared here by now. If she herself had not shown up, Kiba Yuto should already have died.

Rias had appeared in time and, after Isaiah died, used a demon chess piece to reincarnate him as a demon and bring him back to life.

Miss Moonlit had originally come here hoping to meet that Demon Princess, but there was not even a shadow of her. Instead, she had been forced to step in and save him.

The plot must have changed...

But if that was the case, Demon Princess Rias would no longer have her knight.

And the same went for Gasper. He had originally belonged to Rias's peerage as well, but under these circumstances, he might not end up connected to her either.

What a sin.

It was not as though she had deliberately picked up Rias's leftovers. This situation had arisen entirely by chance.

Of course, even though she felt a little sorry for Rias, Miss Moonlit still had no intention of letting go of something that had fallen into her hands.

The Sacred Gear right before her was something she would not give up, no matter how much she liked Rias.

At most, she could do something for her in the future if it was within her ability...

Since Rias had not appeared, she would not stand on ceremony with the Sacred Gear inside Kiba Yuto.

Whether she used it herself for the time being or exchanged it for Crystals, it would be a very profitable deal. Though it was not a Sacred Gear, it could still be exchanged for quite a few Crystals.

"Can you walk, human?"

Miss Moonlit did not rush to take Kiba Yuto's Sacred Gear. When dealing with someone who was not an enemy, she preferred transactions both sides agreed to.

There was no need to seize it by force. Wouldn't that make her a robber?

Unless the other party refused.

"I can."

The boy gritted his teeth and struggled to rise from the ground.

After Miss Moonlit had treated him with Sephiroths Cup, he temporarily regained the ability to move.

Though he did not understand the purpose of the girl before him, Isaiah was still quite grateful. She had saved his life, and he could not die...

Because he was not living for himself. He had to live on for the companions who had died for him in the Holy Sword Project, then avenge them.

"Then let's go. We should leave this place first."

Miss Moonlit nodded and looked around a few more times. Still seeing no one approaching, she prepared to take him away first.

This was not a good place. The wind was piercingly cold, and there was not even anywhere to light a fire and shelter from it.

The cold would not affect the girl much, but Isaiah's body could not endure it. Even with Sephiroths Cup, he could not withstand such abuse.

"..."

Following the girl before him, Isaiah walked unsteadily. Though his body was extremely weak... he gritted his teeth and endured without making a sound.

Chapter 16 is over!

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Chapter 38: Holy Sword Project Survivor

The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.

Heavy snow covered the mountains and plains. Beneath a wind-sheltered rock, a bonfire burned brightly.

At that moment, the beautiful vampire girl was adding wood to the fire, while the boy beside her sat quietly with a calm expression, lost in thought. The firelight cast an orange glow across both their faces.

Noticing the boy's weakness, Miss Moonlit thought for a moment before taking out several portions of ingredients, skewering them, and roasting them over the fire.