AN: This is super long overdue, isn't it? Well, here it is now. During the huge break in between I got the chance to kind of refresh my thinking. Sometimes, you just gotta let ideas sit and incubate. Anyways, enjoy the return of the DRE with the conclusion to the Holy Sword Arc.
"Asia! We're back!" I called out as Rias and I stepped into the house. My rear was seriously hurting from her punishment… I mean, who in the world would think that one thousand demonically enhanced spanks would be a good idea for a punishment?! I'm surprised I didn't die!
"Um… W-welcome back, Saya, Buchou…"
When I glanced up at Asia after taking off my shoes, I froze. Time seemed to grind to a halt as I tried to process what was in front of me. This can't be real. Right? Right? The pure and demure Asia dressed in such a revealing way. But… her innocence definitely adds to the charm. The embarrassed, but determined smile, the subtle curves of her naked back, combined with the single apron covering her front. That's right. It was the fabled naked apron.
No! Wait! What am I thinking!
"Asia," I said while grabbing her shoulders. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why is it so hard to keep eye contact?! It was like my eyes had minds of their own and they were trying to get as much of the candy that was in front of them before it disappeared.
"I-I asked a friend of mine in class and she told me that this also a big part of Japanese culture," Asia explained shyly.
That… That can't be a female friend, right? It has to be some guy who told her that.
"Friend? Which friend?"
"Um… Kiryuu."
Oh.
Well, that made sense too I suppose. She had given me dangerous vibes from the very beginning so I avoided her, but to think that she was this kind of person.
Rias, meanwhile, was humming and nodding.
"I see," she mumbled to herself. "This is also a valid strategy…"
There. There was that glint in her eyes. The same glint that means she's planning something. Rias continued talking to herself as she made her way towards the kitchen, leaving Asia and I alone in the entryway.
This is bad… I can't think of anything to say. I wonder if becoming a Devil somehow made me more lustful. Normally, this shouldn't have fazed me, but now it took all my self-control to not just devour Asia right now.
Without warning, Asia threw herself onto me and hugged me.
"Saya…"
No! Asia! Don't do that right now!
"You smell so nice, Saya…"
Must… not… give in..!
"You know… I don't regret this life I chose."
Hm? My previous desires completely disappeared and were instead replaced by worry as I felt the front of my blouse getting wet
"Everyone has been so nice to me. You, Buchou, Akeno, Koneko, Yumi. All of you are precious to me now. That's why… that's why…"
Asia raised her head, and stared at me with a tear stained face.
"I'm so glad I met you, Saya. It's the best thing that has ever happened in my life. So please, don't leave me."
Wiping away her tears with one of my hands, I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, Asia. I promise that I'll always be with you. You're precious to me as well, so there's no way I'd ever leave you alone."
After hearing that, she smiled that pure, smile of hers that I love. One so full of joy, and kindness that it could melt the iciest of hearts. I embraced her, wrapping my arms around her back, and placing my chin on top of her head.
"Always, and forever," I continued. "Because I love you."
It wasn't a lie. I honestly do love her. Every single fiber of my being wants to protect her from any kind of harm.
I felt Asia cling tighter to me, her smaller body pressing against me. Not good, it's starting up again. Must… resist…
Stupid hands! No! My hands were unconsciously reaching to grope Asia, and I had to constantly try to force them away.
"Saya! Over here~!"
Huh? That's Rias' voice isn't it?
I was definitely not ready for the sight that greeted me when I turned to look at her. In fact, I don't think anybody would have been ready. She had gotten her own apron and had stripped off all of her clothes. It's already hard enough to hold back with Asia, but now with Rias here I could feel my sanity slowly slipping away.
Her devilish smirk combined with sinful, erotic look of the naked apron was unbearable.
What's going on with me lately? I normally don't pay attention to these kinds of things!
Luckily, before I could lose control and pounce on the two of them, Rias took Asia's hand and began leading her into the kitchen.
"Come on, Asia! Let's get cooking," she declared as she marched away.
I heaved a sigh of relief as they disappeared around the corner. Jeez. My heart was beating a million times a minute. I'll just go take a quick, cold shower to try to calm myself down for now.
After a hearty, and healthy meal lovingly prepared by both Rias and Asia, we were all ready for a good nights sleep. Or rather, those two were. Thankfully, both of them had taken to wearing pajamas at my request. I don't know what would happen if they weren't.
[Partner! Outside!] Ddraig shouted all of a sudden.
What?
Before I could react, Rias had dashed past me and threw the curtains open.
That's… Freed?! Why is that Stray Exorcist outside my window?
[No… Something worse.]
"Worse? What do you mean worse?!"
Ddraig became uncharacteristically silent at my question.
With a taunting grin, he beckoned for us to come outside before disappearing into the shadows.
"Why… why is he here..?" I whispered.
No way. He couldn't be thinking of attacking us inside of our house, could he?
"Saya, get a hold of yourself! We're going!"
Rias' clear voice cut through my worries and snapped me out of my daze. Glancing at her, I saw that she and Asia had already begun changing.
"R-Right."
Stripping off my pajamas, I hastily threw on my uniform before quietly rushing outside.
When we stepped out of the house, Freed greeted us with a cheery laugh and a smile.
"Hey, hey! Good evening, good night! You seem to be doing well, Devil bitch," he sang.
I didn't pay attention to the insane man, and instead looked up into the sky at the flying figure. A Fallen Angel that seems to be holding something in his arms.
"What do you want with us, Fallen Angel Overseer Kokabiel?" Rias demanded.
Kokabiel? That's what Ddraig meant, then. To think such a powerful Fallen Angel would come here of all places. Every atom of my body was screaming for me to run away. To run away and hide somewhere, and that I was no match for that monster.
Haha… Yes. This is it! This is the feeling I've been waiting for! Adrenaline rushed through my body as I felt myself heating up.
That's when I noticed the full moon hanging behind the legendary Fallen Angel. Ah… I see. Why didn't I realize that sooner?
"Why, you look like the spitting image of your brother, Rias Gremory," Kokabiel drawled. "So much in fact that it makes me sick to my stomach."
Taking the thing he had in his arms, he lazily dropped it towards us. "Here. A souvenir from me. I hope you enjoy it."
Wait… Those brown twintails and that skin-tight battle suit… Isn't that Irina?! I quickly moved under her falling body and caught her in my arms. She had cuts and bruises all over her, and she was breathing raggedly. Did Kokabiel do this to her? That bastard…
"Irina! Can you hear me? Irina!" I tried talking to her, but she didn't respond. She must be unconscious. Wait, what about Yumi and Xenovia? Are they okay? No. I have to take care of Irina first.
"Asia!" I called out. "Irina needs healing!"
"R-Right!"
I left Irina in Asia's capable hands and stood beside Rias to face the Fallen Angel.
"Those worms came all the way to our base, so I decided to greet them with the appropriate hospitality," Kokabiel sneered as he looked down on us.
"Answer my question! What are you after?" Rias retaliated.
"My, my. How impolite. Maybe if I violate and murder his precious little sister, Sirzechs will decided to reignite the war."
Seriously? This guy is trying to restart the war that almost destroyed all three of the races involved?
"You're insane! Why would you do such a thing?!"
The Fallen Angel cackled maniacally. "Because I'm bored! Ever since that fool Azazel agreed to the ceasefire I've been hopelessly bored of life. I had hoped Michael would respond with hostility one I had stolen all the Excaliburs, but he only sent a couple of worthless exorcists, so I decided to change my plan to rile up Sirzechs instead."
Rias grit her teeth and clenched her fists. She was understandably angry. No doubt she feels like she needs to take care of Kokabiel herself, as well.
"I shall be waiting at your precious school. If you don't show up, I might just go on a rampage and destroy this entire town."
With that the man flew away with Freed closely following behind.
I was shaking. To think that I'd get a chance to fight such a high level boss enemy so early on. Riser was nothing compared to this guy. In fact, I'd wager a guess that he's almost close to the Black Dragon's level of power.
"That damned, insane warmonger…" Rias ground out as she pulled out her cell phone.
She must be trying to contact everyone else. Meanwhile I went over to Asia who was still healing up Irina. She was mostly patched up by now, but she was still unconscious.
"Irina…" I knew she probably couldn't hear me, but it couldn't hurt. "I'll pay that guy back tenfold of what he did to you."
"You two!" Rias called out to us. "Come on we're going after them! I won't let him destroy this town."
After meeting up with the rest of the ORC on school grounds, we waited for Kaichou's group to arrive. Asia and I had dropped Irina off in the infirmary on behalf of Rias' orders. I had a few objections to that, considering that she'd be all alone in there, but then again it'd be a lot safer than just bringing her with us to fight.
In the meantime as we waited, I began prepping for what was about to happen. If needed, then I would have to use that. Undoubtedly, it would draw a lot of unwanted attention, and I would lose one of my most powerful weapons.
The sound of Kaichou's voice drew my attention away from my preparations.
"The student council will be in charge of maintaining barriers around the school in order to try to contain the damage. Although, even with all of us working on us I still believe that if Kokabiel goes all out the entire city may be leveled," she stated. "We are going up against the Overseer of the Fallen Angels. One wrong move, and we're all dead.
"Don't worry, Sona. We'll manage," Rias declared.
Flipping through the thick tome I had in my hand, I counted the number of pages left inside of it. Crap… I've already used half of the pages. I've really been loose with weapons I've been using. I've already lost two legendary spears, and almost lost two legendary short swords. I can't exactly afford to lose a nuke as well.
I sighed. Should I use Caledfwlch? It could be a good counter, but at the same time using it could destroy me. I do still have the Longinus, but I'm sure that just touching that would kill me. Unless…
[Partner, no. I won't let you do that. You'll just kill yourself.]
"But Ddraig. What if I need to? The most powerful weapons I have are all holy weapons. What if we need to count on that power to win?"
[No. The risks are too high. That idea will assuredly kill you.]
"Right… I'll leave that as a final trump, then."
[Partner…] Ddraig sighed. [Fine! Do what you will! You've already shown me that your conviction can blast through almost anything. So show me the same legendary warrior I saw in your memories, and pound that asshat into the ground!]
"Well said, Partner. I'll try not to disappoint."
Strapping the last piece of armor onto my legs, I stood up and began stretching. The purpose of the armor wasn't exactly for protection, but it was more for movement. They had special magical enchantments on them that boosted the abilities of the body part they were made for. The gauntlets boosted my arm strength, the chest piece increased my stamina, and the boots increased my speed.
I checked that all my weapons were securely strapped to my body one more time before I went to join the others in their planning. Not wanting to interrupt, I just stood to the side and waited for Rias and Kaichou to finish talking.
"One hour, then." Kaichou frowned. "Alright. The student council shall hold the barrier until Lucifer arrives."
Rias nodded. "Right, and we'll be in charge of keeping Kokabiel busy."
So we're actually getting backup then? But it'll take an hour for them to get here… I'm not even sure if we can hold out that long against such a powerful enemy. But hey. I've been known to surpass insurmountable odds in the past.
"Everyone!" Rias called out as she turned to us. "This battle will be nothing like the Rating Game with Riser. So… As club president, I order you all to give this fight your all and protect this town with everything you have! I also won't allow a single one of you to die here!"
""Right!""
Nice. I'm getting pumped up. Buchou sure knows how to boost our morale. After all, she has the natural charisma a leader should have.
"Shishou!" Saji called out as he made his way up to me. "Good luck on the fight. Don't worry about going too wild. We'll handle all the damage containment."
"Right, Saji. We'll all be counting you guys too. Make sure you don't slack off, okay?"
"Heheh. Don't worry about it. Just come back alive, you hear?"
"Of course. I don't plan on letting anyone die tonight."
Alright…
As the student council separated from us, we began making our way towards the center of the school where that former archbishop was standing inside a magic circle with four Excalibur fragments floating in front of him.
What's he doing?
"Valper, how much longer until it's done?"
Looking up, at the sound of the voice, I noticed Kokabiel lounging on a floating throne. Really now? Really? How much of an evil villain do you want to be? First, you just want to rile up things because you're bored, and now you're sitting in a throne waiting for us to show up like Dracula?
"It shouldn't take any longer than five minutes," the old man replied.
Could it be that he's trying to fuse the pieces together? And where's Freed? He should be around here somewhere, right?
"So," Kokabiel drawled. "When will Sirzechs be here? Or will it be Serafall?"
Rias stepped forward, unwavered and shouted. "We will be the ones facing you!"
"Hm..?"
Oh boy. That didn't make him too happy. We watched as he lifted a hand before bringing it down. In the next instant, a massive light spear crashed into gymnasium, completely obliterating it.
Jeez… I guess it makes sense that he's this strong considering he's one of the top dogs of the Fallen Angels.
"How dull. If you are all shaken by such a simple display, then I doubt you will provide me with much entertainment. Maybe I should have you play with my pet instead."
Snapping his fingers, a large shadow appeared behind him along with a low, growling sound. For each thundering step it took, more and more of its body was revealed until it was fully presented under the moonlight.
"Cerberus?! To think that he summoned such a dangerous beast into the human world!"
Rias looked furious. Was this thing really that dangerous? I've killed plenty of feral wolves before so I kind of doubt this thing will be any more dangerous. After all, it's just a dog with three heads. Right?
"Alright, Ddraig. Let's go!"
[BOOST!]
Just as I was about to draw my swords and charge at the beast, I felt a hand grab my shoulder and pull me back.
"Saya, you're going to be running support this time," Rias said as she stepped in front of me.
"Huh? Support?"
"That's right. I want you to keep up your boosts and transfer it over to us. That way, it'll increase our overall fighting power."
Right. I'm not fighting alone anymore. Thinking back, I really haven't been much of a team player, huh?
"Okay Got it," I answered with a firm nod.
"How many boosts do you think you can handle?"
"Hm… I'd say about ten."
"Ten should be more than enough," she said before turning to Akeno. "Akeno, let's go!"
The pair of Devils spread their wings flew forward to meet with the giant beast as I began charging my boosts. It was a bit frustrating that I couldn't physically help out in the fight, but what Rias said was right. Increasing our overall power as a team is much better than just focusing it all in me.
I watched as one of the Cerberus heads opened its mouth and shot out a jet of flames. Wait… It can breathe fire?! Shoot! I didn't bring my notebook! Ugh… I guess I'll just have to draw everything from memory…
As the fire approached Rias, and Akeno, the latter charged forward and extended her hands. The flames hit a magic shield that she had produced and harmlessly bounced off. Once the fire breath died off, Akeno was left flying there looking no less for wear.
"Ara, is that all you can muster, little puppy?"
Out of the corner of my eye I caught one of the other heads opening its mouth, ready to shoot more fire at the two, but before it could do so, Koneko rushed in and uppercutted it's jaws shut as Rias and Akeno charged up their magic.
They bombarded the Cerberus with a combined assault, sending the thing crashing to the ground, but immediately began to get back up on its feet. Not even Rias' magic could kill this thing? I guess it really is on a whole different level.
A growling sound from behind me drew my attention away from the fight in front of me. Turning around, I saw three pairs of eye glaring at Asia from the shadows.
"Another one?! Asia!"
Quickly drawing Clarent, I stood protectively in front of Asia as the Cerberus opened all three of its mouths and lunged at us. Just as I was about to decapitate it, one of its heads flew off as its body was sent flying away with blood spraying from multiple steaming gashes on its body.
"Apologies for making you wait." A figure carrying a massive sword with short blue hair landed on top of the severed head, and looked down at us.
Xenovia…
"Xenovia, you're alright!"
It relieved me to see that she was okay. That probably means Yumi's also unhurt.
The black clad exorcist jumped down from the head as the entire being began disintegrating. That's the power of a holy sword alright. It killed the Cerberus with no problem at all.
"Saya, Asia. I'm sorry for taking so long to get here. There were some complications," the exorcist said as she walked towards us.
"It's fine. We were just getting started. But anyways, where's Yumi? Is she not with you?"
Xenovia shook her head. "No. We split up earlier, but she should arrive soon."
Thank goodness. My heart can rest a little earlier now knowing that she hadn't gotten herself killed.
[Partner, if you haven't noticed by now, it's done.]
Ah, right!
"Rias! Akeno! I'm full up!"
The two of them stopped fighting as Koneko kept the massive beast busy before flying towards me.
"Saya, do you think you can transfer your power to both Akeno and I at the same time?" Rias asked.
"I'm…" I was about to answer her that I wasn't sure, but Ddraig interrupted my sentence.
[You can.]
Well that's nice to know.
"Yes." I nodded. "Yes, I can."
"Alright, we'll leave it up to you then."
I grabbed both of their hands with the Boosted Gear before feeling all of the built up power rush out of the gauntlet.
[TRANSFER]
"So this is how it feels to use the Boosted Gear," Rias commented as she flexed her hands. "Let's go, Akeno!"
"Right!"
Once again, they took off towards the Cerberus, except this time… It was running away? Looking at Akeno I noticed she had that… smile on her face while giggling creepily. Right… I would probably do the same. Although… Oh goodness. That look is making my body kind of hot…
Wait, no! Now's not the time for that! I slapped my face for a good measure and forcefully shook my head. Stupid full moon.
Ah.
Oh… That's why I've been feeling so strange recently. With all the excitement lately I've completely forgotten to keep watch of the lunar cycle.
As the once fearsome looking beast kept running in circles away from Akeno's thunderbolts, a blur of gold rushed in front of its past and planted their hands on the ground.
"Sword Birth!"
Yumi! The whole gang's here now, huh? With this, I feel like we can take on anything.
The Cerberus tried to struggle free from the sea of swords rising from the ground to no avail, and in the next second, it was engulfed by a massive lightning bolt courtesy of Akeno.
Next, Rias aimed for Kokabiel whom was watching with relative disinterest.
"Take this!" She shouted as she released massive ball of dark energy towards the Fallen Angel. Did my boost really give her that much power?! That thing's like the size of a cargo truck!
"Haha!" Kokabiel gave a short, dry chuckle as he held one of his hands out and caught the ball before redirecting it away and into the air where it exploded harmlessly.
"N-no way…"
Rias' power that can completely obliterate things was deflected with just one hand? What is this guy?! That's just cheating!
"It's done!" The old priest cried. "The holy swords have been fused, and within twenty minutes the city shall be destroyed!"
"What?!"
Our backup will take way longer than twenty minutes! Damn it. Looks like we have no choice but to do this ourselves.
Kokabiel smirked and raised one of his hands. "Freed, why don't you show these fools the power of the fused Excalibur?"
From the shadows, the insane exorcist stepped out and grabbed the hilt of the holy sword.
"Kihihihi! I've been waiting for this moment, my beloved Excalibur! Time to play!"
Freed twirled the sword around his hand before taking a few practice swings. Almost as if he was a batter stepping up to home plate. I glanced at Yumi. She was glaring at the sword, but at least she isn't just charging in recklessly.
The Knight lowered her swords before directing her attention to the former archbishop.
"Valper Gallilei, I am one of the test subjects you murdered for your Holy Sword Project," she stated. "Let me ask you, why? Why did you do such a thing?!"
"Hoh..? A survivor? Very well. I don't see why not."
From there, the old man began explaining to us all about how he was obsessed with holy swords from an early age, but he couldn't wield them because he didn't have the affinity. After he found out he couldn't use them, he began researching on ways to create holy sword users. Apparently, there was a certain gene that allowed people to use holy swords properly, but the test subjects he had didn't have the necessary amount so he killed all of them and extracted them, then crystallized them. In the end, the crystals were used to "bless" people to become new holy sword wielders.
"So… You killed everyone…" Yumi's grip on her swords tightened. "Just so you could use our genes..?"
This guy is a total monster, but he's also no different from many of the scientists in the past. Driven by their passion for their field, their research caused them to perform morally questionable action in order to find their answers.
"That's right. I have given Freed three of them, and now only one of them remains." Valper held out a small crystal about the size of a walnut. "Here, you can have it. Think of it as a token of my thanks for your contributions."
He tossed the crystal, and it landed and rolled to Yumi's feet. Tears were freely flowing down her face she bent down to pick it up. She carefully cradled it to her chest as her body was racked with sobs.
"Everyone… I… I…"
A light began shining from the crystal and streams of magic began flowing into Yumi. This is… I closed my eyes and allowed my consciousness to drift from my body. Although it was faint, I could hear voices. A collection of voices belonging to people I didn't recognize. Are these the test subjects that were killed?
I opened my eyes again. The light was shining brightly now and I could feel raw power flowing out of Yumi's body.
"Ddraig. Is this…?"
[Yes. Balance Breaker. That girl has reached the peak of her Sacred Gear.]
Then I guess leaving Freed to Yumi now wouldn't be a problem. Her conviction that she reached along with the help of her former comrades will definitely carry her through.
"Valper Gallilei…" Yumi said as she began walking towards the former church duo. "I will be the one to cut you down for your transgressions."
Alright, let's give her a little more. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted as loud as I could. "Yumi! We all believe in you so don't you dare lose to that Excalibur!"
"That's right, Yumi!" Rias followed up. "You're my Knight! Do not disappoint me!"
Akeno giggled. "That's right! Don't that silly scrap of metal beat you, Yumi!"
"Yumi, fight..!"
"Yumi! We believe in you!"
Koneko and Asia joined in as well. Go, Yumi! With all our hearts as one, we can never lose!"
"Everybody…" The Knight took a deep breath before holding her hands in front of her. "Thank you. I won't let you down!"
Slowly, a new sword I've never seen before began forming in Yumi's hands. This feeling is just like Clarent, albeit slightly weaker.
In a flash, Yumi was gone from her spot and appeared right in front of Freed while bringing her new sword down against the exorcist. Their blades clashed and sparks flew. Surprise appeared in Freed's eyes as the aura surrounding his sword began fading.
"Tch!" He clicked his tongue and jumped backwards. "The hell?! How could that shitty sword be stronger than the Excalibur?!"
The holy sword elongated and began flying towards Yumi before splitting into multiple strands. As the individual blades continuously assaulted her, she parried each and every strike as she closed the distance between her and her opponent.
Freed was beginning to panic now. It showed all over his face. "How about this, shitty Devil?!"
The blades all disappeared at once, but Yumi kept swinging her own sword at the same speed. Is that another one of its power?
Sparks flew the Knight managed to parry the invisible strikes directed at her.
"Shit! Just die already!"
Yumi's arm became a blur. Faster, faster, the attacks kept speeding up but she managed to keep up with it. It didn't even look like she was struggling at all! To think that three of us struggled against Freed with just his single fragment, and now Yumi was taking him on with a bunch of fragments fused together.
"Yumi! Keep him busy like that!" Xenovia held out her arms and began chanting. "Saint Peter, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Denis, Holy Mother Mary, please her me. In the name of the saints whom reside in this blade, come forth, Durandal!"
Suddenly, a rift opened in front of her and she reached into it before taking out a sword pretty much the same size as the Excalibur Destruction.
"The Durandal?!" Valper looked shocked. "Aren't you an Excalibur wielder?!"
Xenovia ignored him and took the same stance she used with the Exalibur.
Meanwhile, Freed directed his attention to Xenovia. "Shitty bitch! Don't interfere with this battle!"
A near invisible blade snaked through the air to the exorcist who just gave a lazy swing to the side. The sound of metal shattering echoed throughout the area as the legendary sword was destroyed.
Freed just gawked at the single, remaining hilt that he held in his hand.
"Wh-what..? The legendary Excalibur is-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Yumi ran him through with her own sword. Slowly, the life began fading from the insane priest's eyes. Yumi pulled out the sword and let the man drop to the ground as a small puddle of blood began forming under his body. Is it done? Is that guy finally dead? I'm half expecting him to just jump up and start dancing around again.
No. He's dead. He's finally dead. Now all that was left was Valper and Kokabiel.
Almost as if reading my mind, Yumi turned around and faced the former archbishop and began slowly stalking towards the paling man.
"That's… that sword… It can't be..! Holy and Demonic energies combined?! If these two elements are coexisting, then… then… Not only Maou, but God is- Hrk?!"
The old man slowly glanced down at his stomach at the light spear the protruded from it. His eyes rolled back into his head and collapsed.
What was he about to say about God? The Maou?
All of a sudden, Kokabiel began laughing. "Very well done, Valper Gallilei! You figured the secret out in your last moments!"
He finally kicked off of his throne and floated down to the ground. Gesturing to me with a finger, he sneered and taunted, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and transfer more of your power to someone else."
This guy… He's that confident?
Alright then…
[BOOST!]
Time counted down as none of us moved a single step. Eventually, after what felt like forever, the gauntlet glowed brighter, signaling that is was ready.
"It's done," I called out.
"Good, now who shall you give it to?"
Should I transfer it? I… I don't want anyone getting hurt.
Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turned to see Rias smiling at me and holding out her hand. I hesitated for a second.
"Rias, are you sure?"
She nodded. "Yes. Please, transfer the power to me."
Okay… I grabbed her outstretched hand with the Boosted Gear and began the transfer process. The red aura around her body began to grow. In her other hand, she began conjuring up another ball of her magic, this time, however, it grew far past its previous size.
"Kuhahahahaha! Good, good!" Kokabiel cackled. "Show me more of that legendary power! With this, you could even rival your brother's strength! Kahahahaha!"
This guy is just as insane as the other two were. The ball in Rias' hand kept on growing and growing until it could not grow anymore.
"Kokabiel…!" She shouted as she hefted the gigantic ball at the Fallen Angel. "Blow awaaaaay!"
"Yes, yes! That's it!"
Kokabiel held both of his hands out and caught the massive ball of energy. No way. Not even that..? Slowly, slowly, he began to push the attack away. His robe began ripping and the flesh on his hand began ripping. Maybe? If we can just give it one more push!
Looking at Buchou, though, I noticed that she was sweating and breathing raggedly. No. She can't do another one of those. Then all we can do now is pray for the best. If he still isn't down after this, then I'll be forced to take him on.
"Lightning!"
A bolt of lightning flew towards the occupied Fallen Angel, but it was just waved aside by a simple brush of his wings.
"Weak! You power is nothing compared to your father, daughter of Baraqiel!"
For the first time in my life, I saw Akeno get genuinely angry. Her eyes darkened at the mention of her father. The two must have some bad blood with each other. Or rather, in most cases it's the child that doesn't like the parent. From what I've seen it's almost always the case of a parent screwing up somewhere and the child hating them for the rest of their life even if the parent tries to do everything they can to make it up to them. Who know, though. Akeno's father could just be a dead beat screw up. Maybe I should ask her about it later. It's not good to keep that kind of hate bottled up inside of you. Just like Yumi, it makes you do stupid things when the bottle shatters.
Before long, the once massive ball of demonic energy was completely dissipated. It wasn't enough in the end. In fact, Kokabiel isn't even breathing hard.
The Fallen Angel gave a short chuckle. "Is that all? You and your servants are all weak, Crimson Ruin Princess!"
Weak, huh? I guess in a way, we're all weak. But… as long as we work together as a team then we can overcome anything.
Reaching into my Vault I pulled out a large, ornate sword and a small disc which I strapped to the Boosted Gear. Considering how not even I have enough fire power to kill this guy in one shot, we'll need to whittle him down slowly.
"Hey, Kokabiel! I challenge you to a duel!" I called out while stepping forward past the others.
"What?! Saya, are you-?!"
I shot Rias a look that made her cut off her sentence. If this plan was going to work, then I'll have to work quick.
"Hmph. You wish to face me by yourself?" Kokabiel scoffed. "Don't make me laugh!"
"Oh? Are you afraid? The great Kokabiel is scared of a mere Devil?"
The Fallen Angel's eye twitched and a light spear appeared in his hand. Heh. That didn't take much work. I raised the disc up in front of me as Kokabiel lazily threw the spear at me.
Brace for impact…
The light spear crashed into the shield with the force of what felt like a thousand canons. I grit my teeth as the tremors of the resulting explosion pushed me backwards. Dust was our kicked up all around me, obscuring my vision. Phase one complete.
From outside the smokescreen I heard Kokabiel laugh. "Fool! Why would I be afraid of you?"
Because I'm about to beat you, and your stupid crow wings down into the ground. I popped an unassuming white pill into my mouth and swallowed it. At first, nothing happened, but soon enough the familiar pulling sensation filled my body and I found myself standing on the rooftop behind Kokabiel.
Perfect. It looks like that guy was still gloating about how powerful he is. I gave a quick signal to the others that I was okay, before miming that I wanted everyone to attack him once I gave the go. Seeing the look in their eyes, I knew that I had gotten the message across.
I focused half of my boosts into a single ball inside of my body before expelling it outwards. Beside me, an identical clone of myself formed. Handing the clone Clarent, I crouched beside it and prepared to launch phase 3.
The clone jumped off the roof and plunged towards Kokabiel with Clarent aimed straight for his neck. In a flash, Kokabiel's wings lashed out and pierced the clone. The fake disappeared into a puff of smoke.
"What?!"
He whirled around and tried to search for me. Meanwhile, Yumi and Xenovia rushed towards him with their swords out. Turning around again, Kokabiel managed to create a pair of light swords and clashed them against the pair.
"Is that it? What a foolish plan, thinking you can beat me with just this!"
The Fallen Angel pushed, and a shockwave emitted from his body, sending the pair flying away. They both recovered almost instantly, and rushed back in and began slashing at Kokabiel again. At the same time, Koneko circled around behind him with her fist raised.
"Fly…"
Right before Koneko's fist could reach Kokabiel, his wings extended and the feathers shot out towards the Rook, shredding her clothes and causing numerous cuts to her body. As her small body fell to the ground, Yumi's attention was drawn away for a slight moment. That was all Kokabiel needed. He quickly delivered a kick to Yumi's stomach, sending her flying while sending out another shockwave that pushed Xenovia away. Things weren't going good.
No. I have to trust them. I just need to wait for the right moment to strike.
"Holy-Demonic swords!"
A multitude of Yumi's new swords surrounded Kokabiel as she struggled back onto her feet. Both her and Xenovia were breathing hard now. Off to the side, I notice that Koneko had managed to crawl to safety and that Asia was now healing her.
"Hah! Is that it?" Once again, Kokabiel's black wings stretched out again, and feathers shot out destroying all of the swords surrounding him. "Kahaha! Such an interesting combination, is it not? Well that is the result of both Maou and God dead!"
Everyone froze when he said that. It was almost as if time had stopped. Rias was the first one to move.
"God is… dead…?" She asked, as if she didn't believe what she was hearing.
I had thought something felt off but… for God to be dead is a bit… That does explain why I didn't feel the presence of any immensely powerful beings when I entered this world. Most other times the presence of a god is always there.
"Kukukuku… Kahahahahaha! Yes! That's right! The beloved God that humans so blindly place their faith in no longer exists!"
Xenovia who had recovered from the earlier attack now looked like she had lost the will to live. Her eyes were wide and hollow while her mouth was moving but no sounds were coming out.
"That God died during the war along with the original Maou! Without the leaders of those two factions who ignited the war, all three factions began declining in power. Eventually, that fool Azazel agreed to a truce with that damned Michael and Lucifer! We, the Fallen Angels, had the most power at that point and yet he did not press the advantage! WHAT A FOOL!"
Asia collapsed to her knees and clamped her hands around her ears, almost as if that would erase the memory of what she already heard.
"Yes. That holy-demonic sword is not a result of your power, but because of the imbalance between the two powers in the world. If at least God or Maou were still alive, that would not be possible." The Fallen Angel spread his arms out and roared. "That is why I shall wage a new war! We Fallen Angels will reign superior over the Angels and Devils. And… Your heads shall be the flame that ignites the fuse."
Alright, enough is enough. Our morale won't be getting any better by just standing here and waiting around. This is it.
I leapt off of the rooftop, aiming to split the bastard in two from head to toe. Wind rushed around my body as I sped up until I was almost upon him. His wings extended, and I raised my shield.
Heh. Too bad. That won't work on me.
As the feathers shot towards me, they were all blown off course by the invisible wind barrier in front of me, and any feathers that did touch me, just bounced off of my skin as if they were nothing but rubber balls. With the combination of the Gale shield deflecting attacks, the Queen promotion and the Iron Wall skill, I became practically invincible from all attacks, the cost of it was that I couldn't move, but I didn't have to. Gravity did all the movement for me.
"How-?!"
Just before the blade of Burtgang reached him, I switched it away to a different sword, a sword that is incapable of missing a swing and is able to cut through anything.
The Fallen Angel twisted his body away, but it was too late the cursed sword Tyrfing cut easily through five of his wings and his arm, completely severing them. Reaching out with my other hand, I drew out Dainsleif and slashed horizontally. The tip of the blade just barely grazed against Kokabiel's chest, creating a small scratch.
"Kh! Insolent-!" Kokabiel dashed backwards clutching at his bleeding arm. "How dare you?!"
It was a simple tactic. We just had to make him overconfident in his abilities and then hit him with something he never expected. All the attacks the others used against him was to work towards that end goal. Yumi and Xenovia's swords, Buchou's and Akeno's magic, and Koneko and mine's sneak attacks. We all contributed into getting Kokabiel to underestimate us. In the end, if we can't beat him with power alone, we'll have to resort to cheating.
Pressing the advantage, I ran towards him pressured him with slash after slash with the two swords.
Then all of a sudden a shiver ran down my spine. All of my senses were screaming for me to run. That something was coming, and that it was far more powerful than this Fallen Angel.
From up above, a white light came soaring down towards us at high speed before stopping right before touching the ground. The new appearance was a figure covered in white armor with jewels decorating it. Behind it was a pair of wing-like boosters that gave off a constant glow.
Even though I've never met that person before, something about them felt oddly familiar.
[Albion…]
"Ddraig, you know that person?"
[Not the person, but the dragon inside. As you know, I am known as the Welsh Dragon, but my rival… He is-]
"The Vanishing Dragon…" Kokabiel clicked his tongue and "You… Do not interfere!"
The person in the armor scoffed and spoke in a distinctively female voice. "Oh? You look like you're having a bit of trouble there, though. Maybe I should alleviate you from some more of that burden on your back."
In a flash, the Vanishing Dragon disappeared and reappeared behind Kokabiel with one of his wings in her hand.
"Kh! You! You dare oppose me?!"
A swathe of light spears were created in the air around Kokabiel. The white armored figure waved her hand, and a masculine voice called out from the armor.
[DIVIDE]
Almost instantly all the light spears vanished.
"Every ten seconds," she stated. "Your strength will be halved and will be added to mine."
No way…Hey! Isn't that kind of overpowered?! Wouldn't that make her essentially invincible?!
[No. Just like my boosts, Albion's user can exceed the limit of power their body can hold, and as a result it can harm them. Also, just like you, anything with a Dragon-slaying property can kill her with ease.]
"Right… but that power still beats you out, Ddraig."
[Yep, you got it. You may be able to continuously double your power, but for each half that girl takes, she gains that power you lost.]
"And this person is supposed to be my rival?"
[Yep.]
Great! I'm am I supposed to beat an opponent that can take away power and add it to themselves? That's so completely broken! Not to mention she's leagues ahead of me in terms of training right now.
[DIVIDE]
Every single time Kokabiel tried to conjure up some kind of attack, the girl erased it. After about half a minute, the Fallen Angel had collapsed to one knee panting, and gasping for breath.
It was surreal. Seeing the enemy all of us had so much trouble against reduced to such a weak state so quickly is insane.
"Hmph. How disappointing. I expected more from you when Azazel ordered me to come here, but you couldn't even last a minute."
The Vanishing Dragon boosted towards the fallen Kokabiel and delivered a swift punch that punctured straight through his stomach.
And just like that, the great ten-winged Fallen Angel, now reduced to four wings, was defeated. It wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
The girl in white armor hefted the unconscious and bleeding Fallen Angel's body onto her shoulder before turning and walking past me towards where Freed's body was lying.
[White one. Do you plan to just ignore me?]
This time, instead of hearing Ddraig's voice in my head like I usually do, the voice came out from the gauntlet. It seems everyone else heard it as well since they all stared at me in confusion with the exception of my rival.
[I did not know you were awake, Red one.]
[Hah! Don't play dumb! You think my holder would've made it this far without my help?]
[That may be the case. However, this situation is quite odd.]
[You don't say? You normally used to attack me first, and ask questions later.]
[The same could be said for you, Ddraig.]
[Well I guess becoming an uncle for a hopeless little girl can really change your worldview.]
[Quite. I find myself to share the same sentiments.]
[Then, let us meet again later once this one's gotten a bit stronger? For old times sake.]
[Yes. I think that would be quite enjoyable. We will be going now. Farewell, Ddraig.]
[Alright. See you later, Albion.]
What. What is with this conversation? From what I've gathered, these two were supposed to be insane rivals but here they're… they're talking like they're old drinking buddies or something…
As the girl was beginning to take off again, I called out to her. "Hey, Vanishing Dragon girl! What's your name?"
The helmeted head swiveled around and faced me.
"It's Valerie. I must say, that gambit you pulled wasn't half bad. However, tricks like that won't work on me. Get stronger so you can properly face me in battle, Welsh Dragon."
With that said, she jetted into the sky, leaving a thin trail of white light behind her. Valerie, huh? Still… to think I'd be facing such a terrifying opponent as my rival. I have a lot to live up to.
Finally getting the chance to relax, I let out a long, drawn out sigh and put my weapons away. I don't know how much of this stress I can take. But, well, the adrenaline helped me release all the pent up energy I had.
Walking up to Yumi who was still catching her breath, I lightly tapped her on her shoulder.
"Congratulations on getting your Balance Breaker, miss Knight," I commented as I stood with my hands on my hips.
"Saya… Um… I-"
"Well, alls well that ends well, right? I'm just glad you didn't get yourself hurt."
"Yes," Yumi gave me a dazzling smile and nodded. "Thank you."
Rias made her way over towards us with a proud expression on her face.
"Yumi, I can't put into words about how happy I am to see you safe. Not to mention you also attained your Balance Breaker," she said.
"Buchou… No, everyone," Yumi bowed her head. "I apologize for my actions. Not only did I disobey direct orders, but I also put everyone in danger for my selfish wants. For that, I am truly sorry."
Chivalrous even at a time like this. Yep. She's definitely back to normal now.
Shaking her head, Rias gently patted Yumi's face. "What's done is done. All that matters is that you are safe."
"Buchou…"
"Now, Saya, would you mind holding Yumi down for me?"
Ah… I know where this is going. Sorry, Yumi, but orders are orders. I'll make sure to treat you to something nice later.
I circled around to the Knight's back, pinned her arms against herself, and bent her over.
"Huh? S-Saya, what are you doing?" She asked nervously.
I gave her a sympathetic smile as Rias slowly approached with a hand surrounded by demonic aura.
And so, our night out ended with Yumi bravely facing Rias' punishment. About half an hour later, our reinforcements arrived.
Omake: The Nightmare(?)
Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother with going to class. It really isn't like I'm learning anything new anymore. Well, I guess a certain red-head ingrained into me that skipping class was punishable by "execution". I shuddered at the thought. I had never been "executed" myself, but seeing what happened to the boys during the Kyoto trip.
Reaching the club room, I opened the door and stepped inside.
"Hey, everyone, I'm here," I announced as I shut the door behind me.
"Oh, Saya, good afternoon."
Er… wait. I don't recognize that voice. Why is there a guy here? I stared at the unfamiliar, yet slightly familiar male lounging on the couch.
"Um… Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked while slowly backing away towards the door. There was something about him that seemed dangerous.
"My," the red-haired guy stood up and began walking towards me. "You don't recognize me? Are you feeling well, Saya?"
I continued stepping backwards until my back hit the hard wood of the doors.
"No… I don't think so."
The guy kept on approaching me. Closer, closer, until he was standing directly in front of me, our bodies almost touching.
"Ah… I see," he breathed as he took my chin in his hand. "This is a new type of play, isn't it? How about I do something to make you remember?"
Before I could react, he had pushed his lips against mine. His other hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me into his chest. This… This feeling. No, it can't be…
I forcefully broke off from the kiss and stared at the smirking male. Wild crimson hair, clear green eyes, a natural charisma…
"Rias?!"
"Hm?" The guy tilted his head. "Who's Rias? My name's Reas. Could it be that you're actually not feeling well?"
Huh? Wait, what? Rias is… a guy? No, his name's Reas. Do I know somebody with that name? I don't think so. I'd remember. Right?
"Ara, ara. Buchou, maybe we should have Saya lie down."
Another voice I don't know, but that "ara, ara" bit could only mean…
On the couch was a gentle looking guy with long black hair tied into a tight, thin ponytail. Akeno turned into a guy too?! What the hell is going on here?!
"Ara, it seems you don't recognize me either, Saya. Come here, lay your head down on my lap." The guy, Akeno(?), pat his lap with a smile.
My body began moving by itself, and before I realized it I found myself lying on the guy's legs with his hand, slowly stroking my head.
"Well, do you remember my name?" He asked with a teasing smile.
"Um… Akeno..?"
The guy chuckled into his hand. "It's flattering that you find me attractive enough to pass off as a girl, but no. My name is Akito."
I… what's going on. Both Rias and Akeno turned into guys? But wait, no. They're talking like they've been guys the whole time.
Or, wait. Were they even girls to begin with? I don't remember. I think they were, but… that could've just been a dream.
"Well, it seems the princess is enjoying herself quite a bit."
Across the couch from me sat Yumi who was smiling and sipping a cup of tea. Beside her was a short white-haired guy eating donut.
"Yumi! I-I'm not enjoying myself!"
What in the world am I saying? It's like I can't even control what my body does anymore.
"Yumi? What are you saying? My name is Yuuto."
Now that she – he mentions it, his voice is a bit deeper than usual, or, I think it is.
"Kuro…" The white-haired boy next to Yumi – Yuuto said. "My name is Kuro."
"Saya, don't tell me you forgot about me, too!"
Beside me sat a cute, blond-haired boy.
"Asia?"
"No, no, no! It's Eura! Remember, Saya?"s
Ugh… what's happening? Everyone's turned into guys. This isn't some prank, right? A pair of arms wrapped around my stomach and pulled me up so that I was sitting.
"Huh? Akito? What are you doing?"
He just smiled at me and replied, "Why, the usual, of course."
Huh? Usual?
Reas walked up to me and leaned down so he was level with my eyes. "If your mind doesn't remember, then I'm sure your body does."
The red-head's hands travelled to the buttons of my corset and began slowly unbuttoning them.
"W-Wait! What the hell are you doing?!" I tried to move my hands to stop him but they were still being restrained by Akito.
"So…" Yuuto sat down next to me and began playing with my hair. "Let us lose ourselves in our passion once again, princess."
"Hold on! If this is a prank or something-!"
Kuro cut me off with a quick and chaste kiss.
"Not a prank…" He said before kissing me again.
I tried struggling out of the hold, but I couldn't move. I tried saying something, but I couldn't move my mouth. Meanwhile, Eura had crawled up to my side and began nibbling on my ear. The corset had been removed, and now Reas had begun working on my blouse.
No, no more..! I can't…
My eyes shut and I let myself drift off.
Wait, no! This isn't the time for that!
Quickly sitting up, I shouted, "Stop!"
"Eek!"
A mess of gold that was beside me tumbled to the ground along with some kind of long cloth.
"Awawawa…"
Wait, that voice.
"Asia?" I called out.
The figure under the sheet squirmed for a bit before the adorable blonde head that belongs to Asia popped out of it with a gasp.
"You scared me, Saya. I didn't expect you to scream like that," she said sheepishly, before holding out the bundle of cloth in her hands. "You were sleeping so peacefully so I brought you a blanket."
So… that was all just a…
"Did you have a bad dream, Saya?" Rias asked as she stood beside Asia with her hands on her hips.
"Ah…haha… I guess you could say that…" To be honest, it wasn't that bad… but still it really rattled me.
"Aw… you poor thing, how about I let you sleep on my lap?" Akeno asked as she sat down beside me and pat her lap.
"I could sing you a song to help you sleep," Yumi suggested.
"Would you like some snacks, too?" Koneko asked as she held out a handful of cookies.
I don't know why, but I began giggling. Yeah. This is definitely the best. This garden of flowers known as the Occult Research Club.
-Stat Sheet-
Master: Rias Gremory
Evil Piece: Pawn (x8)
Name: Saya 'Hyoudou'
Titles: The Dimensional Ruler, Blue Messiah, Conqueror, Hound of the Vatican, Holy Blue Knight
Sex: Female
Race: Half-Beast Reincarnated Devil (Wolfman-type)
Height: 5'5" (167 cm)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Parameters:
Strength: D
Endurance: D+ (D)
Agility: B
Magic: E
Luck: A++
Note: The states in brackets indicate current training status.
Weapons: Varied
Known Unique Weapons: Holy Lance Longinus [Unusable], Crimson Sun Blade, Holy Moon Sword, Holy Sword Caledfwlch [Unusable], Clarent, Neith's Holy Bow [Unusable], Sessho-Seki fragments (Killing Stone), Claiomh Solais [Unusable], Joyeuse, Vorpal Sword, Deux Xiphos [Unusable], Qing Long Yan Yue Dao, Laevateinn [Unusable], Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, Nebula, Tyrfing, Hrunting, Dainsleif, Balmung [Unusable], Valmanway [Unusable], Burtgang, Kunitsuna, Muramasa, Parchment of Omniscience
Skills:
Magic Resistance: E - Somewhat reduced magic damage.
Battle Continuation: A - Makes it possible to fight even with deadly wounds and stay alive unless a decisive fatal blow is received.
Charisma: C- - Slightly boosts the morale and abilities of nearby allies.
Collector: EX - Hoarded an uncountable number of rare goods.
Disengage: B (C) - The ability to safely break away from combat.
Eye of the Mind (True): C+ - Heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.
Pioneer of the Stars: EX - An unique skill given to heroes who became turning points in history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered 'impossible' are turned into 'events that can be realized'.
Abilities:
Boosted Gear: EX - A Sacred Gear that holds the ancient dragon Ddraig. It has the ability to double the user's strength every ten seconds as long as the user's body can handle the strain.
Dimensional Vault: EX - A collection of all the items (weapons, artifacts, armor, accessories, medicine, etc.) Saya has collected during her journeys. Can hold an unlimited number of items. Since there are so many items in there, the time it takes for her to find the thing she needs may take a long time. The general rule is that if its general (i.e. a sword, a hat, etc.) it takes a second. The more specific it is (i.e. a long sword with pretty engravings made out of gold, tanned leather armor with at least four holsters, etc.) the longer it takes. Unique items (i.e. Galatine, Tyrfing etc.), however, don't take as long, but Saya needs to reach a certain level with her Stats in order to wield it to its maximum potential.
Reincarnate: EX - When Saya dies in a world, her soul is forcibly ejected from her body into the Dimensional Rift where she may then reincarnate herself in the same world or a different one.
Mold Reality: EX (N/A) - The ability to bend everything in reality to her will. The changes made will always have a side effect of the world trying to balance the change. However, if reality is altered too much, the world Saya used it on will collapse and implode. Currently sealed.
Dash: EX - A 1.25x speed boost to Saya's movement speed. Will last indefinitely until she cancels it or attacks something.
Jump: EX - A super jump of sorts that will let her clear even a mountain. She is completely vulnerable during and after the jump for several seconds.
Adventure's Insight: EX - The ability to sense areas of civilization, dungeons, and treasure. It has a max range of 25 kilometres (15.5 miles)
Berserk: EX - Increases physical power by 2x but halves defense
Bash: EX - A strong physical attack with any weapon but it also inflicts damage to the user because of the force used
Seismic Slash: EX - A strong physical attack aimed towards the ground with a bladed weapon that creates a shock wave that has a range of 5 meters. Depending on the durability of the weapon, it may break.
Iron Wall: EX - A purely defensive technique that gives near impenetrable defense with a shield, but the user becomes unable to move until it is cancelled.
Heroes Ballad: EX (N/A) - A song that can only be played with by an instrument. It boosts the morale and abilities of all nearby allies.
Z***ra Weave: EX (N/A) - Sheds all clothes/armor but gains incredible speed and power. The user takes 3x the amount of damage if they are attacked from the side, and 5x damage from the back. The ability is permanent.
Shadow Clone: EX - Creates an physical clone that takes up half of the user's strength
Flash: EX - Briefly blinds surrounding enemies with a bright flash from a camera
Release: EX - Unlocks the seal keeping Saya's wolfman blood in check. Once used, it can't be undone for the rest of her current life.
Power to Dominate a Dimension: EX – Saya becomes nearly invincible to all forms of damage and gains a massive strength boost. The trade off is that her movements become extremely sluggish.