The past 6 months had been a great experience for Hoffen and Jeanne. They had found a great friend in Suzaku and Akeno, with Shuri acting as a second mother of sorts. When they had met with Barakiel, he was first on guard at all times. But when he spoke to Suzaku and heard of her plan, he started interacting with them and spent time with them too.

Hoffen and Jeanne had continued their training here with Vivian popping up once in a while and helping them out. They were often accompanied by Suzaku and Akeno in their training. Suzaku was the host of Suzaku, The Vermillion Bird. While Akeno had inherited her father's Holy Lightning. They would train, play and eat together everyday. Jeanne had started getting protective over Hoffen when she heard Suzaku's plan to marry Hoffen in the future alongside of Akeno's vow. Hoffen being the innocent buffoon he was happily agreed much to Jeanne's chagrin and Shuri's amusement.

As days passed by, tensions between Shuri and Suou, the Himejima Clan Head, was increasing. Hoffen and Jeanne had already stopped more than a dozen assassination attempts on the small family. While taking care of the intruders was a hassle, it was no hard task for them both. But after every assassination attempt was thwarted, they sent stronger assassins and this alarmed the duo. They informed this to Barakiel who decided that he would take Shuri and Akeno with him to the Grigori. 

Today, Barakiel had been out on a long term mission, as such, Hoffen and Jeanne had been extra alert to threats. Suzaku did not visit today and that raised even more red flags. They had contacted Barakiel and it would still take some time for him to reach home. Hoffen had laid enough traps around the shrine they were living in to stall the intruders. 

Hoffen and Jeanne stood guard outside the shrine hiding their aura. A group of Oni were relaying messages and movements of the intruder they were expecting. Hoffen had already equipped his standard holy sword, but it was enhanced by Excalibur Confirmo's powers. 

*thwack*

"Aargh!" a pained yelp could be heard after trap was just activated. Hoffen and Jeanne prepared themselves for the attack, with Hoffen sending an alert to Barakiel.

"Jeanne! Head in and alert Shuri-nee! I'll hold them back!" Hoffen said as he started reinforcing his body by activating Avalon.

Jeanne nods as she dashed inside the shrine. Hoffen turns towards the assassin and found them to be even stronger than last time.

"Come out, filth! You cant hide your presence against me!" Hoffen shouts at them trying to reign his anger.

"Ho~ The little upstart thinks he can call us out eh?". One of the assassin's sneered as he made his presence known along with 3 other. 

"Heh! What can a brat like you even do huh?", The same man sneered sat him as his colleagues laughed and snickered. Hoffen just sighed as he disappeared and appeared in front of the assassin. Said man's eyes widened as he saw the brat right in front of him with his sword angled to pierce his chest.

Before he could block or parry, he felt immense pain and found himself being stabbed right in the chest. He coughed out blood as fell to the ground dead. Hoffen calmly pulled his sword out and flicked his sword to get off the blood. He then turned towards his comrades who stared at him in shock.

"You...You BASTARD!", one of them screamed as the 3 of them charged at Hoffen. Said kid just shook his head at parried an attack from his left while kicking a knife away. He then swiped his sword at the attacking man, breaking his dagger and then slashed his stomach making him yell out in pain. 

Hoffen then jumps out of the way as the area he stood on explodes. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the sole female of the group. She looked like a long range attacker, in front of her stood a large man who was the tank of the group. 

The large man charged at Hoffen with a mace in his hands. Hoffen's eyes widen as he saw the speed at which the tank charged. He barely dodged the strike before he was hit by an energy beam sent by the mage of the group. Avalon was quick in healing Hoffen's injuries.

'Hoffen? Can you hear me?', Jeanne's voice could be heard in his head.

'Yes. Are Shuri and Akeno safe?', Hoffen asked as he parried another strike before sending a slash at the tank's shoulder.

'Yes. They are, but I can sense movement here. Come quick!', Jeanne said.

Hoffen's eyes narrowed, 'Reinforcements? Shit, I have to finish this quick.' 

Hoffen then increased his pace and started slashing tank relentlessly not giving him a chance to fight back. He used Avalon's power to shield himself from the Mage's attacks. He then ducked under a sloppy strike and then stabbed him in the gut and then blasted him away with a magic reinforced kick. He then quickly made his way towards the mage who had started fleeing.

He then gathered holy energy inside his sword and swung his sword as he sent a golden slash that cleaved the mage into half. Hoffen then panted slowly as he rushed towards Jeanne's position. He sensed her signature and made his way through the foliage. He then saw her, Shuri and Akeno encased in a holy barrier.

"Jeanne!", Hoffen shouts as he made his way towards her. Shuri and Akeno huddled together with fearful eyes. 

"Please, calm yourself Shuri-nee. Everything's over. I have contacted Barakiel and he should be here soon." Hoffen said as he healed any injury they suffered. 

Barakiel had soon arrived panting and sweating. He then saw Shuri and Akeno and rushed towards them in worry and hugged them both. 

"Thank God! You both are fine! I'm so so sorry!", Barakiel cried out in happiness as he kissed their forehead.

Hoffen and Jeanne gazed at them with soft smiles. Barakiel then turned towards the duo and bowed.

"Hoffen and Jeanne, you both have done me a huge favor and I am indebted to you both. Let it be known that you have won my absolute co-operation and the Grigori will gladly help you both in the future." Barakiel said with a small smile on his face. 

Hoffen and Jeanne bowed their heads in appreciation.

"We did what was right, you don't need to thank us. But we shall take up a favor from the Grigori." Hoffen said happy at gaining a faction as a future ally.

"Anyway, what is your plan for now?" Jeanne asked as she gestured towards the small family.

"I am going to take them with me to the Grigori. I have spoken with Azazel and Penemue and have received the permission to do so." Barakiel said as he hugged his family closer.

"Wait! Then how can I ever meet Fen-kun and Jeanne-chan again!?" Akeno asked distraught. Hoffen's eyes twitched at the nickname is Jeanne giggled.

"Don't worry, Akeno. If you want to meet us, then you can contact us through Barakiel." Jeanne said as she hugged the distraught girl.

"And no matter what, your wings are beautiful and no one can say it otherwise." Hoffen said with a soft smile on his face. Akeno blushed at his words and nodded happily. They soon left through a magic circle leaving the duo alone.

"So...are you devils going to come out or not?", Hoffen said as he tensed along with Jeanne.

A few bushes rustled as a girl of their age walked out with crimson colored hair and cyan blue eyes. She had an irked expression on her face.

"Hmm...Crimson hair...you must be a Gremory, yes? Or Rias Gremory, little sister of Sirzechs Lucifer?", Hoffen asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I am surprised you know of me. Mind telling me why you both are trespassing in the Gremory Territory?", Rias asked.

"That is none of your business Gremory, I am sure you have seen everything when you arrived when the assassins attacked." Jeanne said as she moved closer to Hoffen.

"This is my territory and you have no right to question me!", Rias answered back as she let out her aura to intimidate them both.

"Oh? So that means you were going to reincarnate Akeno in a devil after she died or was desperate weren't you?", Hoffen said while he alongside Jeanne let out their aura. Rias' eyes widened feeling their powerful and holy aura.

'Such strength at this age? I need them both!'

Rias then calmed herself and kept gauging their power. Hoffen and Jeanne saw this and scoffed at her attempt.

"If you even think about adding us to your peerage, you can forget it. We prefer staying human thank you.", Hoffen said as Jeanne snickered at her shocked expression.

Before Rias could answer, they both were then teleported to their base, Glastonbury Tor. Vivian was there waiting anxiously for both of her protégés. Soon after they arrived, she pulled them both in a hug.

"Thank God you both are safe! I heard what happened from the fairies!", Vivian said as she fussed over the two. Hoffen and Jeanne smiled at her before hugging her back.

"We are fine Vivian! Our mission was a success and now Barakiel took Shuri and Akeno with him to the Grigori.", Hoffen said as Jeanne nodded happily. Vivian then sighed in relief and looked at them both with pride in her eyes.

'They both have grown so much since last time...Things are about to get hectic soon, hope you both will be ready for what's coming.'

~Time Skip~

7 years have passed since their encounter with the assassins and Devils. Hoffen and Jeanne had started training harder ever since. Along their journey, they found many different people who had joined their group. Many contacts and allies were found and equally hard missions too. 

Hoffen seeing the growing number of comrades decided to name their group the 'Knights Of The Round Table'. They had taken in people searching for purpose, people who needed help, people seeking out knowledge from all walks of life, be they Devil, Yokai or a Fallen Angel.

Their group had started gaining numbers fast. Many were humans with Sacred Gears and magicians. The more prominent members were the ones Hoffen found earlier, them being, Arthur Pendragon and his little sister, Le Fay Pendragon. They both were of the Pendragon Family. Arthur had left after acquiring the Holy King Sword, Caliburn and one of the Excalibur pieces, Excalibur Ruler, to protect his lover. His sister had accompanied him to escape the family.

Then there is Lint Sellzen. She is a Homunculus produced by the Sigurd Institute. She was to be an exorcist, but her brother, Freed Sellzen, went insane and killed his own comrades. She was then excommunicated out of fear of her following in her brother's footsteps. She possessed the Longinus Incinerate Anthem, which produced holy purple flames and the holy sword Ascalon. 

Along with her are Mordred and Artoria. Artoria was said to possess the spirit of King Arthur and was revered in the church and worshipped, but her sister possessed the spirit of Morgan Le Fay and was discriminated and branded as a traitor of the church. Seeing this, she left taking her sister along with herself. Mordred hated the church due to them using her sister in such a blatant way. Artoria possesses the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad and Mordred has Clarent, which was turned into a demonic sword due to Morgan's insanity. 

Finally, we have Shinmen Musashi, descendant and heiress to inherit the legendary samurai's abilities and swords. She was sent by the Yokai Faction as a sign of goodwill. She uses the legendary sword, Ame No Murakumo No Tsurugi, which was said to be crafted by the Shinto gods.

He had found many other such people, some of them being Siegfried, Cao Cao and Georg.

Siegfried had been found when he had escaped the church and wanted to fight against strong foes. He had dueled with Hoffen and was defeated soundly. He had then pledged his loyalty to Hoffen and joined their group. 

Cao Cao on the other hand, was a vengeful person. He is the descendant of Cao Cao, the warlord. He was sold off by his parents in China and was taken in by Son Wukong and trained by him. He possessed the True Longinus, the spear said to have pierced Jesus. His aim was to protect humans in his own twisted way from other supernatural creatures like Devils or Fallen Angels by killing them. Hoffen had to beat the extremism out of him when he said he would destroy every single supernatural creature. 

Georg is the descendant of Johann Georg Faust, who had made a pact with Mephisto Pheles. Georg was then trained by the mentioned devil and discovered his Sacred Gear, Dimension Lost, the ability to transport opponents into your own dimension. He is a magician by profession. 

Hoffen had also discovered the true identity of Avalon when he had activated his Balance Breaker.

~Flashback~

Hoffen could be seen activating Avalon and continuously sending energy to further its powers. He kept increasing his output every 10-15 minutes. He then felt his power rise tremendously, platinum armor then started materializing over his body. Soon, he felt himself being pulled in.

He finds himself in a field full of Lilies. He gazed around the field and noticed a lone rock. On the rock was a petite woman with blond hair tied with a black ribbon. She wore a white dress with black accents here and there. She sat on the rock making a crown of flowers. Kept beside her was a sheath with no sword.

"We finally meet, my king!", The lady said cheerfully as she placed the flower crown on Hoffen's head. Hoffen tilted his head confused at her action.

"Who are you?", Hoffen asked as he sat in front of the woman. She hummed happily and then scooted towards Hoffen.

"You can call me Avalon!", She said with a wide smile. Hoffen's eyes widened in shock. 

"So, you are a Avalon...then what about the sheath?", Hoffen asked. The woman just giggled and gestured towards the sheath.

"This here is the sheath. And I am its guardian. It has been a long time since we had a worthy wielder and now it's you! Any questions?", Avalon asked.

"What are the powers I am bestowed with?" Hoffen asked first.

"Hmm...Lets see. Aside from healing the user's wounds and halting their aging, it also turns into a perfect fortress that protects against all physical interference when activated. It can also heal other people!" Avalon said with a proud smile. 

"Wait wait! What do you mean by it stops aging!?", Hoffen asked with shock.

"It's exactly what it sounds like! Your lifespan is increased!", Avalon said giggling at his shocked expression. After Hoffen calmed down he then turns towards Avalon.

"Hey Avalon, with the sheath here, do you know what has happened to Excalibur?" Hoffen asked. Avalon's face turned somber. Hoffen seeing this panicked.

"You don't have to answer that! I was just curious!" 

"No, it's okay. It was sure to come up soon enough. During the war, the Excalibur had been shattered into 7 pieces. They were then taken by the church and each piece was built again using alchemy. Each piece had a characteristic of the Excalibur. There is Excalibur Destruction, which had the destructive power of the Excalibur. Excalibur Mimic, which allowed the Excalibur to take any form imagined. Excalibur Rapidly, which provided immense speed to the user. Excalibur Transparency, which hides the user. Excalibur Nightmare, which multiplied the number of users using clones. Excalibur Blessing, it helps in rituals and cleansing of evil spirits, Devils or Vampires. Finally, Excalibur Ruler, the strongest piece, it allows the user to manipulate anything. be it matter or energy, organic or inorganic, if he or she wishes. With time, the controlled opponent/object will gradually lose their will and eventually become fully subjugated.", Avalon explained as Hoffen stared at her in awe.

"When...the Excalibur shattered, Avalon wept...and it still does to this day...it is incomplete without Excalibur...and it has chosen you for this favor, Hoffen Lowenherz, to bring back Excalibur and reunite them as a whole...", Avalon said as tears flowed down her cheeks. Hoffen stood shocked. Too much information had been dumped on him along with a huge responsibility...a responsibility that he would take and do. He then hugged the petit woman who silently wept into his chest. 

"It shall be done, Avalon. You have offered me your protection so many times, and thus today I live. The uniting of Excalibur shall be my first priority. With so many comrades, I can definitely do it!", Hoffen said with a determined smile on his face. Avalon just smiled softly and rest her head on his chest.

~Flashback Over~

Hoffen had then told to his comrades his new objective, to which he received their full support. Arthur had given the Excalibur Ruler to Hoffen who had then absorbed it into Avalon, collecting 1 out of 7 pieces. The group's headquarters was in Glastonbury, Somerset, in the Glastonbury Tor (Tower). Using magic, they had restored the Tower and placed an illusion to keep out visitors.

Now, they had received Intel to the whereabouts of Excalibur Blessing, it was said to be in the hands of another excommunicated priest who went insane with power. They began tracking it down and singled out to Soho-Walk Up or London's Red Light District. They would soon began their search for the other Excalibur pieces.