Resurgence of Man


"Gods, angels? Tell me then, where were they when the Ethereals invaded, where were they when our brothers and sisters were dissected with horrifying efficiency in troves, where were they when the invaders set fires to our homes, and gave our planet a menacing scar? Aren't they supposed to be the all-mighty defenders of humanity, champions of all that are good? Then how come when we cried for help, when we desperately prayed for salvation, we found none except from the sweat of our backs and the will of our hearts?! Let me tell you something, there are no such things as 'gods' or 'angels', there are only different species, and every species only looks out for itself. Humanity is alone, always have been."- Quote attributed to XCOM Special Forces operative Jonathan, leader of team Sigma.


Chapter 1: Prologue

August 14th, 2022, 17 59hrs

Xcom HQ, Africa, Egypt

Jonathan POV

"So Commander, mind telling me why we're back?" I asked. With the reconstruction over, field operatives were given some well-deserved R&R. While Commander Bradford was a man of duty, he was fair as well, there would be no way to call them back from unwinding unless it was an emergency. It's probably something Earth shattering and we'll have to get back to work again, I thought with a resigned sigh. Afterall, what would be so grand as to draw the attention of the two geniuses of XCOM? Dr. Vahlen and Shen would not just come back from the Alien Mothership for a trivial matter. Bradford snapped his head up in attention as his arm instinctively went to the holster of his pistol. As he saw the familiar faces, Bradford loosened considerably. Coming out of a genocidal war where the enemy could just teleport into your base guaranteed that one would have some sort of insurance.

"Yes, I have recalled you all due to an information package we received from one of our destroyed intel bases during the war, The Mothership blocked all communications in that region, and only recently have we received the package. Although that is not the main concern of this meeting, Dr. Vahlen and Shen have thoroughly examined the contents and find it genuine, despite all odds. Take a seat, I'm going to be playing the video. Something doesn't add up, why were the Ethereals particularly blocking that area? Though electronic and communication blackout zones were present in the war, they did not tend to stay there very long, due to XCOM engineers possibly breaking through their suppression fields or worse reverse-engineering it, improving it and turning it against the alien invaders. After giving a quick nod to Vahlen and Shen, I sat down and braced myself, lectures were never my thing. The wall-mounted screen of the Situation Room flickered for a moment before the footage of an XCOM operative's helmet recording replaced the static.

The operative's squad just cleared out a landed Abductor UFO. However, as they did a double check on the ship, they discovered a hidden prisoner room shielded by energy fields. The prisoners inside were almost human, almost. Some of them had golden bird wings while some had black ones. Others had bat like wings. A few had animal like appendages sticking out of them. All present save for The Commander and the two doctors winced. Was this some sort of twisted experiment? Or perhaps a last parting shot? Was The Scar not enough? The squad leader however, ordered a psi-scan on the prisoners and found out they weren't human. Following protocol, the squad stunned all and brought them back to base for interrogation and dissection. The rest of the video then covered several scientific notes about the subjects recovered and intel gained from the interrogations.

After the video, I did not know what to believe anymore. Devils, angels, fallen angels and youkai? It was a stretch to believe they existed, however, Bradford would not show us this if he did not believe the authencity of the video. "I know it is hard to believe bu" before he could finish however, I interrupted him.

"Commander, I believe I am speaking for the crowd when I say we do not doubt you for a moment." My sentence was followed by a series of nods. "But that begs the question, why did they not interfere, those 'gods' and 'angels' as they call themselves? It seems they're just more concerned about their own survival and ripping off humans when they feel like it. It's like they're weeds in the garden, leeching off of us. It'd be better to just cut them off lest they cause more trouble for us in the future."

Bradford replied calmly, "I know how you feel Captain, trust me when I say I feel the same way. Still, we are recovering from a war and I'm sure no human wants to follow war with more hostilities." I clenched my jaw as I grinded my teeth, he was right. Even though the supernaturals are pitifully weak, having active hostile relations with another power would have serious repercussions on human society. Morale would drop and protests with riots would wreak havoc within the human race. Havoc that could not be afforded to happen.

"Alright sir, so you want us to keep an eye on them?" I begrudgingly said. Bradford nodded, "We have identified a sizable hub of supernatural activity in a place called Kuoh Town located in Japan. The Earth Republic has assigned the remaining reawakened to this mission. You are to arrive at Kuoh Town with your fake personalities, change into teenage forms, and attend Kuoh High School while gathering more info. Do not engage any supernatural beings you encounter. Mask your powers and abilities, with luck, you'll be just another human in their eyes." We nodded as we went to get our gear. Just before I left, Bradford turned to me, a concerned glint in his eyes, "Don't do anything stupid this time," he said, exasperated. I replied with a cheeky grin, "You know I won't." As I left, I heard a loud groan of frustration emanating from The Commander as a smile crept up my face. The joys of torturing higher-ups. I mused with content.


August 14th, 2022, 20 46hrs

Outskirts of Kuoh Town, Japan

Jonathan POV

I took check of my surroundings, seems like I was in the right place. As I looked towards the small town ahead, my eyes burned with determination. I'll make sure nothing ever threatens humanity again! With those thoughts, I vanished, the only sign of something anomalous were the weird radiation readings permeating the area.


A/N: Hi guys, so this is the prologue of the story, hope you liked it. Anyways, from the next chapter onwards then I'll include the DxD characters. I'll open up a vote on which arc should XCOM be revealed, the Riser arc, Excalibur arc, or so on and so forth. I'll also need votes to determine possible romances for my character from the DxD side. However, it is only a possibility. So if you won the vote, but your character does not become romantically interested, I have already warned you. Well for the personality of Jonathan, my protagonist, he won't be good in a sense. If you've read the quote at the beginning of the story, you could've inferred that he is highly pragmatic and will not hesitate to get his hands dirty for the sake of survival, and let me tell you, he won't. In a way, his character is sort of like Kiritsugu Emiya from F/SN, a ruthless pragmatist, often doing things for "the greater good". I have created this character with the embodiment of all that is good and evil into one person in mind. This is due to me believing humans can be kinder than an angel and more malevolent than any devil. So by blending in both ends of a spectrum, I've created a persona of humanity of sorts, he will embody the human unflinching drive for survival by any means necessary. And please, let me know how I can improve my story through feedback and constructive criticism. Thank You!