Chapter 12: ...I reserve My Right to feel Uncomfortable, reserve My Right to feel Afraid...
"Parlay?" The Archangel repeated from on high, his voice even more terrifyingly powerful than the Old Testament could ever describe.
The Holy Scripture always implied that Angels were not something a God fearing man would want to see, as they always had to predicate their arrival with 'Do not be Afraid.' This Kokabiel wasn't a foreign form that tore at the mind of the beholder, neither was he an abomination given such a cruel visage that all who gazed upon him were suddenly overtaken with fear, but the power surrounding his form was the sheer might of the Powers, and something that no one in attendance could take lightly.
The humans Valper and Freed, as sinful as they were, fell on their knees as their thoughts were filled with hollow repentance. How could terror not take then when the Damnation that they scorned suddenly made real in their eyes? They wouldn't admit their fears, not when they knew they had been spitting in the face of the Truth for the longest time. They knew what awaited them, they knew of the eternal fate that they would suffer when they chose to turn away from the Light and revel in Sin. They knew, and in the face of Judgement, they could only cower.
The Peerages of Sitri and Gremory seemed to shrink on themselves as Power - the Angelic definition of Power and all it entailed - was made clear to them. They mustered with the hope that they could make a difference should the power's clash, but they only saw the sheer gap that just couldn't be filled no matter what they did this night. The reactions of the group of Sitri were more or less uniform, each and every one of them clinging to one another for support; several of the Pawns seeking refuge at the backs of the greater pieces as they tried to stand strong in the face of heavenly might. The Rooks buckled under the weight of such a powerful presence, falling to their knees in despair as the Knights stood as still as statues as their glazed eyes devoid of consciousness gazed at the Archangel of the Stars. The Queen was the only one who managed to stand against the sheer terror that was the visage of the Archangel, and though she kept herself on her feet and conscious throughout the ordeal, the despair on her face was as clear as his Light against the darkness of night.
They were afraid, one and all possessed by the fear the grips the hearts of damned.
The Gremory peerage was a bit more varied in making their terror known. The smallest of them, the Bishop and Rook having both collapsed in the arms of the lone Pawn, who himself looked up at the Star with unabashed, unadulterated terror. At that moment, all he had done meant nothing and though Dragon in his arm was whispering to him, he was helpless before the divine being. The fear he felt when the Fallen faced him, the despair he felt when he fell before Riser; these didn't compare when he struggled to gaze up at the one who Kokabiel; the Angel was as undeniable as Michael was to Lucifer, and he, even with the Dragon Emperor, could hardly claim such lofty heights.
The Priestess Queen fell on her rear at the display of power, a fear so primal that it couldn't have been anything but the Fallen in her taking over as she feared for her very existence as the Archangel looked down restraining the judgement he had prepared. As the daughter of a Shrine Maiden she knew what Holiness was, and as Queen of her Peerage, she knew just how dangerous it was to be faced with such Light. She was doubly evil in his eyes as she held the blood of the Fallen and that of Devil kind, so it was no surprise that the blood within her screamed in terror and rendered her unable to breathe.
Her Knight was filled with fury as he finally found the objects of his revenge. But his rage, as vast and all consuming as it was, fell back in favor of terror in the face of that which could simply erase his existence. He had been a believer once -it was why he was chosen for The Experiment in the first place- and now he faced down the Wrath of God. Once he had wished that upon those who took everything from him, but now he realized that he was among those who would be damned in his gaze. He had sold his own soul to the Devil and in the eyes of a Servant of Empyrean he was no different from the monsters that massacred his family.
Both Scions of Gremory and Sitri fell into the arms of their siblings.
The Leviathan was quick to catch her sister and whisper reassurance in her ear as she held the younger one close, both to protect her from the holy power that threatened to consume them and the icy frost that began to creep around the area as The Leviathan invoked her own power. The temperature around her steadily dropped; the only sign that she was bringing her own significant power -power equaling that of the Four Satans of Old- to bear. Rage was visible in her eyes as she looked up to the Son of Heaven while memories from the past war clouded her vision. The war in which the lives of those under her command were lost, under the same holy light which Kokabiel was now threatening to use on her only sister. Her resolve hardened like the heart of a glacier, and the cold around them simply hung around them, both the frigid bulwark that would protect them and the icy blade that would leap for the heart.
If Heaven wanted her sister dead, then they would have to go through the Queen of the Rime first.
Lucifer held his own sibling close as he made his way to the head of the group, serving as the wall between the Archangel and the congregation of Devils despite his sister still being in his arms. He was the only one unmarred by doubt and untouched by fear, but there was a certain wariness in his steps, a certain hesitation in his movements as he strode forwards. The power that was so undeniably his rose in concert with that of Leviathan's, a perfectly clear barrier of utter coldness being formed around them as the very air seemed to freeze; the loose molecules of water that hung on the breeze gathered together, as if huddling for warmth in the face of such temperatures. He was the strongest Devil on their side, bar none, but this night he seemed to act the way he did when he first met the forces of Heaven on the battlefield.
By rights, he should be able to extinguish the Angel's light within the blink of an eye, and yet he did not.
"Explain yourself, Kokabiel." before I destroy you. The latter part was left unsaid, though those still lucid enough to perceive Lucifer's blatant threat could not mistake the black void that slowly began to pulse from his form. The eldritch energy beginning to expand and contract like a weak heartbeat, but no one was fooled; they all saw the Power of Destruction as what it was: a pit that would consume them all should he wish it. He spoke in a tone that brooked no argument, and an expression that promised death if he was met by any form of deceit, as he asked the question on everyone's mind. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Twice I have spoken, child, and it seems that twice you did not hear me." The Angel tilted his head downwards, his eyes glowing with heavenly light locked with those barely visible amidst eternal darkness, and he smiled. His expression was that of a parent humoring a child, and though the power he exerted upon them was great, only mercy adorned his features; patience glowed within his eyes. "Those who hear these words should know what they meaning they hold, what purpose they carry, and what news they bring: I am Kokabiel, once commander of more than three hundred thousand but now a mere servant, once exalted among my kin but now brought low, once a harbinger of death but now a bringer of peace, and once damned by my transgressions but now justified by the Grace of the Holy One. I am Kokabiel and I have come to parlay."
"What the fuck does that even mean!"
Surprise, fear, confusion: those three emotions could be found on the faces of the Devil congregation and the two exorcists as they turned as one to the source of the voice. One would think that no one would dare scream their anger towards the heavens, save for the two Satans present, but all eyes were met with the sight of a confused boy staring up in challenge at the angel who spoke of things he could not comprehend. His own power, a droplet of water compared to the oceans that were being brought to bear, raged for all it was worth as a dull red glow enveloped his form and a pair of wings, rarely used, sprouted proudly from his back. His anger, his outrage, was being fed into his sacred gear, grief, confusion, and sheer desire bathing it in its own glow of power that emanated from the arm that held it.
"Is this all a game to you?" It was expected that the Red Dragon Emperor would be the one to spit in the face of Holiness and demand an explanation, but the school was silent as the Knight roared against the Heavens. "Do you get off on watching as innocents suffer under those who were supposed to protect them? Do you enjoy watching as families are brought to ruin, corruption running unhindered, and hope choking to death? You're gambling away the lives of children, and for what? Because it suits you feathered bastards? You're all-"
"The same?" The Angel chuckled, a melodious sound that could only be pleasing to the ear and inspire the music that would be symphonies throughout the ages, though all were afflicted by a fear that seemed to transcend understanding. His smile was almost loving as he reached for the knight and gently cupping the boy's cheek with an immaculate, impossibly smooth palm. "Oh yes child, we are all the same at the end."
And how could they not be afraid, when the Angel did the unthinkable?
From right under their noses, he took the boy. With impunity, the Angel took the knight from within a barrier created by two of their strongest warriors even before any of them could react. He braved the Power of Destruction without a trace of damage on his form, and he phased through temperatures so low that the water in the air had frozen in place, yet it was as if the chill never even reached him. He utterly ignored the best efforts of Lucifer and Leviathan, and with all the ease of a father lifting up his child, he bypassed the barrier entirely and carried the boy off, all of which done at such speeds that they did not realize his theft until the Knight himself was silenced above them.
For a moment in time, Lucifer's eyes met those of Leviathan, and they knew that their thoughts were the same: They had failed.
The did not know how, but above them was an angel that wielded beyond their kin. Subtly, they tried exert their tremendous power, to bring to kneel the messenger of the God they knew was long dead, but the strength of the Angel that Fell and now stood Redeemed was not something they could equal without consequences. The Leviathan would have to plunge the country into the icy abyss to even stand a chance of forcing the being of light to defend himself, while Lucifer would have had to annihilate everything within a mile to battle their foe on even grounds.
If the plan of Heaven was to reignite the flames of war, then they had succeeded. To defend their siblings, they would have to resign the land they stood on to oblivion, and everything within would simply be caught in the crossfire. To do any less would welcome the chance of reprisal, and from the amount of Holy energy the angel excluded, even a simple spear would ensure that their siblings, as well as their peerages, would be thrown through Death's Door. They were not Beelzebub, and though Lucifer's control had only improved over the decades, he was still nowhere near precise enough to eliminate something like an empowered Archangel without collateral damage. Leviathan, as her name implied, was a rampaging monster in the midst of battle, bringing the cold touch of death to her foes and anyone unfortunate enough to be caught between the glaciers she hurled at them.
They were more than enough to defeat the Archangel in combat, the only reason they stayed their hands was the fact that only the two Satans would survive their all out attack. At worst, Japan itself would fall into ruin, and that only only bring the ire of the Yokai and the Imperial Pantheon.
They could only wait, hear the words of the Angel, and hope he did not mean to start a war they clearly weren't prepared for.
For if a single Archangel could cripple two Satans, how much stronger were Heaven's Legions when compared to Hell's Hordes?
"We are all the same child," The Angel repeated with a certain gravity in his voice, a commanding, enthralling, terrible sound that cemented the fact that all who heard his words now hung on them. "And because we are all the same, I wish to show you, you and all those touched by the Light, the Glory of what I have seen; the Hope that I hold on to."
A Sword glided through the air to rest in between the Angle and the Devil as it's hilt seemed to lean towards the latter in invitation. It was not among the six that the Angle brought with him: the six that the Church guarded, but a sword forged from the Light of the risen angel himself; a blade of light freely offered to a child who spent his entire life in darkness.
"This blade is the proof I offer you, as well as a choice you will have to make this night." Right before their eyes, the light around the bladed faded to reveal a weapon wrought from true steel rather than a manifestation of Holy Power. With the fading of the light, the angle removed his hand from the boy and increased the distance between them, before a robed arm gestured towards the sinners groveling apart from the congregation of Devils. "I am to test you against your demons one last time. You, and you alone, will determine who lives and who dies this night. You will finally have the power you sought for so long, and if your will is strong enough, you will have the closure you so dearly deserve. If I can promise you anything, it is that I have come here, not to harm any of you, but to see Judgement carried out for Sin long suffered, and message proclaimed."
The Knight's eyes zeroed onto the forms of the sinners offered to him as he was gently lowered down with the sword. It was easy to see the rage, the sheer hate in his eyes as he was brought to the one who caused his life so much pain and one who revived the anger he thought long dead.
He did not spare a glance towards the two exorcists, as the pair stood aside and watched the Knight approach the pair sent away by the Church. They were content to let the Angel do what he was sent to do, the fact that he was once among the Fallen finding no meaning in the eyes of the two Holy Swordsmen. He silently passed the peerage who had welcomed him with open arms, heedless of the pleading gaze the woman who he could call his Sister, as Lucifer brought a heavy had to rest on her shoulder and ensure her silence. Blatantly ignored those he had known as his friends, his family, as the Red Dragon Emperor seemed to impotently stew in his rage, his burning gaze not at all affecting the Knight. The other peerage watched with wary curiosity, none of them believing the words of the Angel, but he ignored the broken gaze of the Queen whose heart he held.
When he finally stood above their prostrated forms, he closed his eyes.
And then, the Knight thought back to a time when he was called a different name.
Alone with his thoughts, the Knight felt something resonating with his very soul as he lived out the last moments of his life; the last time he ever saw his family.
He remembered how they fought for him, how they called on powers children should have no right to wield as they tried to escape. He remembered how they would take turns breathing into him, and telling him that he shouldn't inhale the tainted air they would bring into their lungs after. He remembered the hope in their eyes as they managed to find a way out of the hell they were trapped in, and the joy they wore on their faces when he, being the smallest of them, managed to escape the walls of the prison. He remembered the last thing Kyrie, their eldest sister said after she gave him everything she had to live on and threw him into the wilderness.
"Live and be Happy, little one. If not for yourself, then for us who love you."
He was dead now. The boy he was had died despite the sacrifices his family made for him. The boy named Kiba Yuuto was made to be a weapon, the perfect knight for his master, and if the Phenex was telling the truth then everything from his supposed rescue to his life until now was orchestrated by the man they called Lucifer. They indulged him, allowed him to keep his memories, and they gave him all the love and affection a pet would receive from a tender and caring master, but no matter how much the child Rias, their King, wanted it so, he saw the relationship he had with her as a means to an end, or an alternative to death.
He was dead, and if he couldn't live the way his family wanted him to, at the very least he would avenge all their deaths and the hands of the man before him.
"My roaring, will be that of a lion. Yes, I roar like a young lion."
The knight began with a whisper, as his soul began to sing with power. The words flowed, pushed on my some unknown force but when they did, his very being was filled with something... different.
The power of Devils was the Power of Creation; it was the power of imagination and willing things into existence. It was something that came from inside of every devil, something inherent in them that allowed them to enforce their will on the world. Though he was somewhat limited in terms of casting it, he had a Magician as a contractor, and before that came the knowledge about the inner workings of magic in general. He knew what his magic was, and he knew it intimately; it was one of the reasons he could manage to create such variety in his Demonic Swords and use them to such devastating effect. All this in mind, he knew when something different was working on his body, especially when the foreign presence seemed to strengthen him so much that...
"I will growl when I seize my prey..."
The power that came was like the rising tide: an undeniable wave of energy that came out of nowhere and filled him to the brim with sweet satisfaction. Suddenly, everything was clearer and with each word he spoke, the power filled him with all the more fervor that before he knew it he was screaming with all of his strength.
"And I will carry it away to where my enemies can never find rescue!"
He didn't know when he grasped the sword he was given, but it was an extension of his limbs in a way none of his swords were. It was a massive long sword, one that required two hands to be used effectively; a weapon that should have weighed him down and went against everything he was as a Knight. Yet, the weapon was comfortable in his grip, and balanced as he cut at the air, performing a few testing strokes and finding the blade perfect as he roared with, dare he called it, Righteous Fury.
"ON THE DAY OF THEIR JUDGEMENT I WILL ROAR OVER MY ENEMIES LIKE THE ROARING SEA. I WILL BE DARKNESS THAT WOULD COVER THE LAND AND EVEN THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN WILL DEPART FROM THEIR EYES!"
The blade fell with purpose, but it was as if the blood itself refused to stain the blade even as two heads rolled.
It was a grotesque sight, but when the Devils watched in horror as one of their own stand in the middle of a pool of blood, the Messenger of Heaven smiled.
"The fifth Chapter from the book of Isaiah, Verses twenty nine to thirty: Woe to the Wicked in Israel, for the Lord shall deliver them unto their Enemies. Woe to those among his chosen who have fallen away, for the Lord will stand before them and His Divine Wrath would be poured out on those who sin in His Name. Woe to those who claim to be His people and yet keep not His Commands, for the Lord is just and His hand will strike down the proud." The Angel proudly proclaimed as he spread his arms out with all the passion of the Old Prophets. His voice was a hammer that battered the air, and his words held the weight of undeniable truth as the impossible continued to become possible. "The Lord is Love, and the Lord is Mercy, but the Lord is the Lion even as He is the Lamb."
"My thanks, Isaiah." For a Devil had spoken the Words of God and had not been struck down, and that same Devil took what was Holy and did not burn in it's presence.
With all her strength, Leviathan would not be able to carry the weight of what was Righteous Might in the sight of Heaven. For all his power, Lucifer could not speak the Words of the Lord with such passion without being overcome by power that was completely opposite his own. Though they didn't feel the pain they would feel when prayer was brought against them, all the Devils felt the very as the very air changed. Suddenly, they weren't at the seat of their power and they weren't standing in the middle of their veritable fortress. The fact that they had lain circles in the foundation of the school counted for nothing, and the energy of three ley lines augmenting their considerable power brought them no comfort.
Lucifer could attest that the Sanctuary of Saint Peter's Basilica, where the remains of the Gate of Heaven and Earth resided, was more comfortable to them than the presence of an Empowered Archangel.
They could not speak, all except the Angel from on High, being stunned into silence as they took in the impossibility of what had happened.
The Scions of Gremory and Sitri were crippled by fear, of both the Redeemed Angel and the Devil Knight that he somehow empowered. If the situation was any different, Gremory would call out to her Eldest Son, the second piece of her very heart, and welcome him back into her family's embrace. If any other power tried to take him from her, she would have rushed to his side, taken him into her arms, and kissed the pain away if she had to but every devil feared the annihilation that Heaven promised them. She loved him, if not as a son then at least as a little brother, and her heart broke when her body wouldn't even let her take her place at his side and comfort him while rage took control of her gentle knight. The fact that he held on to his hatred was already a failure on her part, heaven claiming him despite his new heritage was just another slap to her face; and now she could never win him back and that killed any words that hung on her tongue.
Primal fear overtook the scion of Sitri and forced her into silence as she knew the power of the knight firsthand. She couldn't even summon the strength to call upon what meager power she had left, not when she knew, in her heart of hearts, that the moment she or any of them acted, Heaven's Judgement would be upon them. She was crippled by the very real fear that not even her sister could protect them, protect her, from the threat that hung so high above them. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the her fears realized; a Devil being claimed by Heaven, and fearing her death, she could only fall deeper into her sister's embrace and feel like the scared child she was.
The guest in their midst, the White Dragon Emperor, could only watch as everything was torn apart at the seams. He was there as a contingency, a safety net prepared just in case the Red Dragon Emperor proved to be too weak to handle Kokabiel as he held back against them. In truth, he already reached such heights of strength that he could have easily taken down the Angel of the Stars but that was before the Juggernaut of the Fallen rose to heights of power that were not seen since the First and Last Siege of Heaven.
The Kokabiel he could defeat was much, much weaker than the Angel that seemed to be able to give Gabriel herself a run for her money as the Mightiest of Heaven. He couldn't charge in, not when the Angel could strike him down with all the Fire that burned down whole Cities of Sin. He couldn't Divide, not when the infusion of Holy Might would destroy as easily as any Holy Sword. He couldn't even return to his father for help, not when something in Kokabiel's presence drowned their very souls in terror.
Oddly enough, both Ddraig and Albion were silent as the scene played out.
The Satans took the revelation in stride, though in preparation, their powers rose drastically, the cold eating at the Light of Heaven while pure darkness blotted out the very skies above them.
"This is my message: For the Lord said, 'Those who are not against us are for us' I offer those who would hear Heaven's words the Lord's Peace. To those who are willing to lend their ears, we will speak about the Truth of the World and the End of Times. To those who would reach out to us in desperation, we offer the refuge of our Lord and the hope that all find in His Name. To those who wish to join us in the fight against our Enemy, we will welcome you into our ranks no matter what haunts the road behind you." The Angel snapped his fingers, and the stars dimmed as his presence receded into him. The bodies of the dead glowed before disappearing in motes of light, and the oppressive aura emanating from the angel was crushed by Rime and Destruction. "I await your reply, Fallen Sons of the Bearer of Light."
"You're message has been received." Lucifer spoke, rising to the occasion and wearing authority equal to the Original Bearer of Light. "Now Leave."
Kokabiel bowed one last time before his form faded into the darkness, and once more Devils ruled the night.
"I never thought you could be so... maternal." A woman in red spoke from the darkness as a single ray of moonlight flowed from the window and bathed her in its ephemeral glow.
She was beautiful, that much was true as the luxurious silk of her dress was as blood against snow as it hugged her form, leaving nothing to the imagination and allowing an alluring view of her bosom. Her figure could put those imagined and painstakingly idealized by the great artists of old to shame; such exquisite perfection that even among those who wore Glamour and Majesty, she stood apart. Even in the moonlight her hair was radiant; long cascading locks of the amber embers of the hearth touched with the finest gold of any monarch flowed down her back, to be contrasted against supple skin that shone like alabaster.
Her crowning glory parted just above her forehead and framed soft, almost enthralling features, as they told of tenderness and amusement. Her smile, had it shone with true light, would have been blinding even as she regarded her companion with surprise, mirth, and underlying respect. Her eyes were emeralds glowing with the warmth of a mother as she rested them on what her companion was fussing over; a simple bed, in both size and quality, with a single occupant.
On it was a boy, dressed in what looked to be a slightly tousled dress shirt and simple slacks, sleeping peacefully.
"Is putting a gathering of children to bed the cause of such worry nowadays?" The little girl withdrew her hands and smiled softly at her handiwork: a boy who could easily pass as her older brother had his hair been black instead of matte brown was neatly tucked under the covers like a child. "I'm feeling... surprisingly generous tonight, and if I was a few centuries younger, I would think that you're a little bit jealous, child."
It was strange to see what amounted to a little girl chiding what looked to be a grown woman, but she who received the chastisement simply remained silent. The woman's features twisted into something akin to confusion and hesitation, but the smaller child simply shook her head and turned away, in favor of staring down the slumbering young man. Without a word, she seemed to relax into the empty space behind her, her form falling backwards in time for a chair to materialize behind her. "It might be strange for you younger ones, but the children of your generation rarely have anything to offer me. This is one of the only times a child, young even by your standards, enchanted me so."
The woman was troubled, and anyone would be if they heard those words from she who looked like a child. Her identity was unmistakable among those in power, and though the woman was weakened considerably, she was not so blind as to miss when such an overwhelming power acted. Her form mattered not; the child was an existence who threatened comprehension itself, and the fact that there were things in this world who could earn her respect was frightening. Earning the attention of one of their kind was something very rare for being outside their ranks, and that usually meant that whatever it was equaled them in strength at the very least.
As far as the woman remembered, only two other beings managed to rouse such strange emotions from the Goddess without being counted among their number. The First was an existence she couldn't defeat without her counterpart, for only when the Illusion of Nothingness met with the Reality of the Infinite could the World Beast be slain. The Second was a Being who claimed the Power of Omniscience; whether it was true or not was debatable, but they knew that he knew enough to singlehandedly seal the Beast away.
The First inspired a sense of natural enmity in the Goddess, as the destruction the Beast would bring served as the polar opposite the the existence brought about by the Infinity. The Second was granted a measure of respect as he went out alone against the Beast and won when she wouldn't dare face him without the help of the Illusion.
The Woman in Scarlet could only wonder what the child did to earn her gratitude.
Well, there was one way she could get that information.
"And what could this child offer you, that we cannot?" She tilted her head lightly, cradling her chin with her right hand while her left was brought under her chest to support her arm. With equal grace, she lowered herself down and worked her magic to materialize a seat that wasn't there, in the same manner the child had done. Some of their kind were devious, plotting like the younger ones did and navigating a web of lies like spiders within their silk labyrinths. At times she was among those who treasured cunning rather than claw, but she was never one to try and play with her enemies. When she wanted something done, her first and last recourse was the most direct approach; that didn't change after years of incarceration.
Especially now that freedom was tantalizingly close.
On a more serious note, this was essential information. The fact that he got the attention of her companion meant that he was already at a level where she had to take him seriously. That coupled with his age meant that he could easily grow into a terror of an enemy if he decides to wage war against them later down the line. The boy had power now, and it could not be denied that he had potential, therefore it was prudent that they identify his strengths and weaknesses as soon as possible, just in case he turns against them.
Her companion wouldn't need to worry about him unless he lives up to several centuries, but the woman was more cautious after her incarceration. She knew that they were allies now, but the sooner she knew how to take him down, or what made him strong, the better she would feel about working with him.
"The boy's mind is as sharp as any of your fangs. I admit that he is more cunning than even I would have estimated." The little girl giggled into her hand as she turned her eyes towards the window, and the starry sky beyond. "His resolve isn't lacking either; the bliss of the young and naive, how I wish to experience such rapture again."
The woman didn't want to comment on how one of the most powerful beings in existence was acting like a schoolgirl, so she simply remained silent. She shifted, her hands resting on the ends of soft armrests as she gracefully leaned back, less to relax herself and more to gain a little bit of distance from who she recognized as one of the strongest existences. Still, she had a very strange expression on her face; brows furrowed in frustration and lips pursed with something akin to healthy skepticism. For a moment, she looked like a patronizing cynic, something that the child was quick to point out.
"Don't look at me like that. I remember how I watched you and your brother coddle humanity." She was quick to admonish the woman, somehow catching a glimpse of her expression in spite of the fact she hadn't looked away from the heavens above them. "It was quite a ruckus you caused for one of your favorite ones; and here I thought you only saw them as tools for your escape then. Didn't the two of you manage to get far during that particular cycle?"
She did come very close to escaping back then, and for a moment she thought she saw the face of her be-
She shook her head, very slightly, allowing auburn and gold to glitter in the moonlight as she blinked away the moisture that threatened to fall from her eyes.
Now wasn't the time to reminisce. They were both dead, her son and he who would succeed him, and though she missed them terribly, they would not return to her. One was lost to the ages past and the other was a soul she freely released once their contract ended. Her thoughts calmed, she took a breath and aimed her emerald gaze at the smiling child. "We did, though as always, Fate has a way of leading astray what is set on a path. Thankfully the one responsible for such machinations is dead at best and missing at worst, so my brother and I have decided to keep that particular cycle buried among memories best left forgotten. We were younger then, more foolish, and but it was inexperience clouding our eyes. I doubt that you would make the same mistake."
"You are either being very brave or very foolish child." Emerald met pits of blackness, a shadow even darker than the void the stretched between the stars, and the smile only an innocent child would wear tugged on the little girl's lips. "Why should my relationship with this child be of any concern to you? You and your brother never cared for the affairs of the world until you were both imprisoned. Until now, you were both content to gather strength and crash your cages against each other, hoping that one day it would be enough to grant freedom. What brought about the sudden interest?"
"The world changes according to the whims of the strong, a war looms over the horizon spurned on by your will, and those who listen can hear the whispers of those long dead." She sighed, repeating things she was sure the little girl already knew. A stray thought wandered into her mind, a treacherous musing that maybe she was being goaded into thinking this way, but she crushed it since it didn't really matter in front of the Goddess. "The world has changed before, and when others insist that it should return to what once was, conflict is bound to erupt. We are both far above the rabble who reach for power never meant for them, but when someone you acknowledge enters the fray, the game changes entirely.
"Only you and several of the stronger gods know how the world was when the First ran rampant, but we knew that with his defeat, life could finally begin in earnest. With the Second taking the lead, the Factions were formed and thus a sense of order was introduced into what once was pure Chaos. When he made his dominion known, several of us were sealed away, others killed, and so began the War among his creations. That War was put on hold when the First was sealed and the Second perished in the battles that followed." She took a breath, her tone absolutely empty of the arrogance their race was infamous for. "I've made my mistakes and learned my lessons from the First and Second; if a Third exists under your protection, I would like to know what I must come to fear."
The child tore her gaze away from the stars and examined the woman who seemed much wiser that she did a lifetime ago. When before, the child could only see a muscle-brained warrior despite her beauty and what cunning she possessed, she could now see a woman who finally learned from her many, many blunders. It was true that the woman was as much of a child as she always was, but still she was beginning to think, and for them, as powerful as those two siblings were, that was a tremendous improvement from their original mentality.
Even she would admit that before her defeat, all she thought about was sleeping and dreaming the world away. Only when she was brought low did she find that she had more strength then she realized, and that there were infinitely, pardon the pun, more effective ways to use what power she had.
"I don't know either." The child admitted with an amused smile as she watched her companion's expression shift from confusion, to outrage.
"You... don't know?" The woman, once hailed as one of the strongest of their kind, forced out and barely held on to the power she was so close to unleashing. She was known to have a temper, but she wasn't stupid enough to take her anger out on one who could so easily trample her underfoot. "How could you not know?"
"I simply do not, child, and that is what makes this so interesting." The child smiled, before shaking her head. She knew that the little heavenly dragon was being difficult, and at first, she had trouble coming to terms with the boy's confidence as well. Still, she could not deny that he didn't seem to be threatened by her, no matter how powerful she was. "The boy has a confidence that is simply... ours. He does not bow to powers far above him, and he has the audacity to weave beings beyond his comprehension into his machinations. He respects us, but not as his betters, but as useful tools he wants to preserve for as long as possible. He is the first to ever look at me with those eyes, and deny me a reason to end him."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." The woman's expression from outrage slowly turned to incredulity as the child finished her explanation. "To my eyes, this is pigheaded foolishness. Either of us could easily crush him on a whim-"
"But neither of us will, and there lies his brilliance." The child interrupted, a familiar hint of pride, again almost maternal in nature, ringing in her voice as she graced her with an amused smile. "He had promised to deliver you freedom, and the fact that you are here to speak with me means that you are closer to reaching that goal than ever before. As far as I can see it, it's within your best interest to keep him alive for as long as possible, because as of this moment, he is your best hope. His failure would not matter to you, as his death would provide little satisfaction leaving you, still trapped in your cage."
The woman could no longer argue her own case after those words were said, as they were absolute truth. The boy had promised her something, and as long as he didn't harm her or hers, he was free to do whatever he wanted as long as his promise was fulfilled. If he did fail, she would kill him, but such brutal catharsis would not free her from her prison.
"And what has he done for you to win so much of your favor?" The woman asked with unabashed curiosity, after she weighed the words of the child.
"He showed me the face of the Beast, taught me inner workings of Heaven, and rendered the Dimensional Gap worthless to me."
There was silence for a few moments.
"What?" The woman had no words.
"I know where the Lord of Heaven Sealed the Beast away, as well as everything that has anything to do with Heaven itself." The child smiled, a disgustingly smug expression on her face, before shaking her head. "That isn't quite right; I would be able to gain all of Heaven's Knowledge but not without gaining the attention of the stewards He left behind. I'm not particularly interested in his Masterpiece aside from the Seal of the Beast. The same goes the Dimensional Gap; the only reason why I coveted it stems from the fact that I knew it was the only place He could have Sealed the Beast. Now that I know his exact location, at any given time, there is no need to idle my time searching that Infinite Abyss. Illusion could drown in it for all I care."
"And when did this happen?"
"It happened when the child ask me to perform two rites of magic." The child smiled, her eyes back on the sleeping form of the boy as she floated from her seat and towards him. With a gentle hand, she brushed a stray lock away before continuing. "At first I didn't know how to cleanse a Fallen Angel, but with the Artifact, Heaven's System simply unfolded before my eyes and bent to my will. After that, redeeming the Fallen was child's play."
"And the second rite?"
The child's brows furrowed in thought. "That was when he aroused my interest. The inner workings of the Second rite eludes even me, all I gleaned was that it siphoned an insignificant portion of my own power and now the child is bedridden, but alive."
"But you used the artifact." The woman argued, almost weakly as she was still shocked by such a revelation. "Surely-"
"With all the knowledge I gained from its use, I should have at least an inkling as to what he did, but I do not, which means that he did something outside the realm of life and death, at yet still required that I reach his soul." She withdrew her hand and faced the woman. "Now you see what interests me; he has given me everything I wished for and in exchange, all I have to do is watch his plan unfold. More than that, his reach spans, in some ways, beyond mine. I no longer hold any interest in the world, but seeing that his little drama reaches its the end is a small price to pay for having my enemy delivered to me and bound at my mercy. At this point, even if he did ask me to personally destroy my Khaos Brigade, I would do so simply because those children are mine and doing so wouldn't hinder me in any manner. Let the rest of existence be fooled, but know that I will follow him, if only to repay my debt and alleviate my boredom."
"So the Dragon God is content to follow the whims of a child?" The woman knew the answer. She did not fear it, but she was resigned to the fact that her freedom was won at such a price. If she ever planned to betray the boy then, she would now have to think twice before crossing the Strongest Being in Existence.
"As long as it is within reason, yes." The Goddess smiled, a beautiful sight to behold if one ignored the malice it excluded. "Rejoice, little one, for War will once again ravage the world and I shall relish every moment of it."
I've read somewhere that there was a limit to how much pain a person could feel before it totally overwhelmed their senses and they would enter shock. At that point pain is shut off just so you're able to think; it's when the body decides that the sensation itself is no longer relevant and that you should be doing everything you can to stay alive anyway. The brain just stops bothering you at that point, to help you think more clearly and increase your chances of getting you out of the situation.
Of course no one told me that such information only applied to human bodies because when I came to, all I could think about was how much PAIN I was in.
It was my fault, I was sure of that. No normal human could actually compartmentalize as well as I did, and now I was paying for it by experiencing pain enough to make any normal person faint three hundred eighty million times over. You know, this is probably the first time my getting magic hax fucked me over... well other than being in the DXD universe in the first place.
Still, I'm pretty sure that Ren never had to deal with something like this...
On second thought, he did have something like two forms of support, the first being a separate entity processing his power and the second being a head start of sorts. Esoteric extradimensional soul magic wasn't exactly safe either, so I didn't really have the right to complain. I wanted this after all; no one forced me to undergo an operation thought up by a bored god and only performed by desperate people and Nazi occultists so I brought this upon myself.
Though knowing that intellectually and dealing it were two different things.
I tried to take myself back to figure out what went wrong.
Really, anything to get away from the pain.
I tried really really really hard.
But when everything was said and done, I couldn't even flashback properly.
After everything was said and done, all I got was that I gave Kokabiel a certain set of instructions, I had Ophis reactivate Valerie's Grail, I oversaw the Archangel's Ascension, and I submitted myself to the tender mercies of the Infinite Dragon God.
Or maybe it was Goddess now...
Anyway, the moment she started with the procedure, the Grail straight up took the soul out of my body and ate it. I could vaguely recall the surreal feeling of having my soul ripped out of my body, seeing myself on a bed and all but permanently dead, and then having one of the God Slaying Artifacts consuming me. After all I could see was darkness, the PAIN started and apparently that was enough to overload my mind and knock me out.
Let's ignore the fact that I didn't have a brain at that moment -you know, being a soul without a body and all- magic was, is still, bullshit and it made my soul faint.
Again, this was probably my fault, since I sort of pre-programmed the whole spell ahead of time and simply had Ophis run the program and fuel the spell. It was something like using a Greater Ritual or Thaumaturgical Theory, that way Ophis couldn't recreate the ritual without me, but doing that, while increasing the efficiency and efficacy of the spell, sacrificed a hell of a lot of comfort that came with having a God regulate the magic as it was cast. The power Ophis so casually funneled into the spell itself was easily more than enough to kill any being, and since the Devils themselves have a track overdosing on magical steroids, I was very lucky to be alive.
Again, knowing that and accepting it when I was convulsing due to the echoes of that pain were two different things.
"Huh, you really are cute when you're crying."
Now pain was a very funny sensation. It was kind of like an angry girlfriend; you know when its there, it's almost impossible to ignore if it's aggravated enough, and most of the time all you focus on is how to get rid of it. If something hurts enough, you tend to lose all sense of... well everything else. You might even manage to ignore people who are literally inches from your face if something hurts enough. Some examples of this include, but are most certainly not limited to, ulcers, gastritis, migraines, broken and or severed extremities, ruptured organs, and if applicable having your soul pulled out of your body.
And that meant that someone managed to enter my room, and maybe even my bed, while I wallowed in my suffering.
My eyelids could have weighed anywhere from a couple grams to a few tons but with a herculean effort, I opened them to catch a view of startling amethyst and a healthy shade of rosy pink. My vision was blurred, as indeed I have been crying, but I could make out enough to not care about the rivulets running down my cheeks and let out an exasperated and all too tired groan.
"Shouldn't you be bothering my brother?" I could barely grate out the words as the pain continued to override my higher functions. Talking took a lot out of me but even if I was in such a horrible state, I knew that it would be even worse if I allowed this woman to wring information out of me, information I didn't definitely want to give anyone else. "Did you at least take a shower before entering my room?"
"How rude, you know it's not right to ask about what a lady does in her bedroom." She had the gall to giggle, and I could practically feel her wink at me as the smooth texture of my bed covers left my skin and the sensation of something warm and dangerously soft crept over my back. It was like liquid fire, a certain electricity that was so characteristic of her family that it was unmistakable; the only reason I knew it was her was because, despite the pain I was drowning in, this obvious trap was a welcomed reprieve. "Of course, if you were there with me then maybe you wouldn't need to ask."
Against my better judgement, I took a deep breath, not just fill my burning lungs with air or arch my back to get a little bit of distance, but to take in the magic that was her scent. It was very difficult to describe, though if anyone was able to capture the intricacies of what passion, lust, desire, and carnal sex was and then turn it into something that could be smelled, that was probably it. This didn't really help since it could have either been her Family Magic according to the Ars Goetia, or this was the afterglow of what must have happened last night, when I was sleeping like the dead.
An interesting fact was that the pain was actually lessening the more I was exposed to... well whatever this was and that allowed me to think a little bit better. Good enough to quip at least.
"Why does every relationship in Devil Nobility start with make-up sex?" It was a shot in the dark, just a random thought that went through my mind while I was recovering from delirium but it must have had some truth in it as a pair of supple arms snaked themselves around me and squeezed with much more strength than normally possible. "Should I give my congratulations, or should I begin preparing my apology given that I might have ruined Revive's chances?"
There was tension that hung over the room; no one spoke, but the sound of her serenity over my labored breaths, and the feeling of all of her on my back, from the softness of her skin to the solid strength in her arms, and the magic she was probably working on me made for a strangely comfortable experience.
Fuck it, if I didn't know what this really was about and I wasn't recovering from soul magic backlash, I would have totally tapped that.
"You planned it, didn't you?" Her voice was sweet music, something gentle but firm, almost disappointed but uplifting, and her breath on my ear wasn't that unpleasant either. "He wouldn't have tried anything like that; the last time I checked he didn't know the difference between the Card Captor and the Pastor's Daughter."
"I don't know whether to feel disappointed or impressed that my plan actually worked." I owed my brother a favor for his silence, but it never occurred to me that he would ask for help in wooing the woman with the most political capital in the Underworld. "If I had known that 'SakuTomo over MadoHomu' were the magic words to get you to open your... heart then even I would have tried my luck." I was lucid enough to insert that quick correction before the Leviathan decided to show me exactly why she took the title of the most physically capable Satan.
"I'm hurt, Rye-rye, I'm not that loose of a woman." Her laugh was dismissive as it was delightful, but I did not hear a denial, and that meant she really did sleep with my brother -doubtful- or, and more likely, they were both trying for a relationship.
Still, it was surprising that she was just that lonely; Revive just had to humor her a bit and now they're basically together. Well, I don't think it was that smooth a ride; I'm sure that there was some sort of a heated debate that came before the sweet, sweet reconciliation, and now Revive was most definitely taken in by the genre that was Mahou Shoujo, but now my brother was going out with the Underworld's Sweetheart. I'm sure that there was more to it than that; people, especially beings as old as Serafall and Revive were, didn't fall in love at the drop of a hat, or if they did the chances of that happening were very, very, very slim.
"I'll bite then; What's this about?" Of course that was heavy handed, but I needed to know what this was all about. It was obvious that she didn't enter my room, creep into my bed, and watch me writhe in pain just to lord her relationship with my brother over. The Government needed information on something, and since the ordeal with my parents crippled our equivalent of a Minister of Internal Affairs, they sent the Diplomat to extract the info.
"My, so straight forward, you two definitely are your father's sons." I mustered enough strength to turn to the other side and stare her straight in the eyes and what I found in those deep amethysts was a mixture of pride and hesitation. She sighed, making me flinch as she breathed on my face but her free hand reached up and ruffled my long hair. "You almost died from the initial attack and now you're so eager to get back to the grind. I would have been proud to have you under me a hundred years ago."
"You're talking as if we aren't preparing for a war." Her eyes held a certain sadness in them, but for me she smiled and shook her head.
"Oh we are, it's just that the wounded should stay in bed while they're bleeding instead of rushing to the battlefield." Her hand, as close to my eyes as it was, glowed a gentle white as more of the pain seemed to fade with her touch. "There are still traces of Holy Light in you, and no matter how much you're brother and I tried last night we couldn't, and still can't, fully heal you. If that wasn't worrying enough, Kokabiel was kind enough to leave you with this."
Her hand left my cheek and with a spell, a circle produced a scroll with the strangest message I had ever seen.
Dear reader,
I see that you have come across this missive, and for that I congratulate you. I hope that you have the patience to peruse this parchment, as I am sure that most are wont to do, but take heed that to the uninitiated in the ways of madness, this message is nonsense. To those who are privy to the ways of the world then the message that I've penned should fill you with hope. Though maybe a bit that anyone who can read, just to arouse the curiosity of those who are destined to search:
EVERYTHING IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN =))
Now for the meat of the message: First and foremost, look to the weasel for the truth of the world, and pierce the veil with its inquisitive gaze. Drink ambrosia with the Chariot, the Sword, and the Bow, for through the loss of Perfect Seven you children have gained much; but take care to watch as humans turn to gods for a double edged sword can still slip the other way. What is lost has been found, and though the gate, Truth has been unveiled; this message is the receipt so to speak, proof of purchase as well as the scar left behind after the soul was stripped bare. It will get worse, for that is the way of the world, and there are no Guardian Angels for your kind, but do not despair, for the Dragon is a Chicken, and Reality is but a bitter old man obeying the whims of a child. Narratives are deceptive, and rubies may simply be but shattered dreams, but there is hope yet; endure while time is kind, and when it bids you away, then have a drink before you go. Four have risen for Love, but even as the Playwright exits, Wrathful Light fades, Love turns to Madness, and the Lotus withers, One Last Thought will be allowed before the end of all things.
From,
First of the Boat
"This is supposed to mean what, exactly?" Really, if there was any meaning in those words, they flew right over my head. I really didn't want to think too much of that considering I had the Devil equivalent of cyanide in me and I could just expire at any moment. That took precedence now; I wasn't as tough as I needed to me, and since I was a Devil, that meant I had weaknesses. All the power I would end up having meant nothing if I bit the dust in a few hours. "Is this supposed to be a taunt, a warning, or just some random words on paper, since it's all just nonsense."
"We have no idea either; we Satans, including Beezebub and Asmodeus, are stumped and Heaven is silent as always when it comes to these prophesies. We had hoped that since the words were left with you, you could could give them some meaning. It was a long shot, and the only one we had." She seemed regretful, but not in the disappointed kind of way. Her smile held, and her eyes were still bright, but there was a lingering melancholy there, almost as if... "It's a shame you couldn't give us some information before you died. The fact that you've survived so long was unheard of during the Two Wars."
My blood ran cold at that remark.
I fucked up.
I was going to die.
I didn't know that the power I decided to give myself was Holy, and now I was going to die because it could easily overwhelm any normal Angel.
"Oh relax. You're fiancee's knight has an even greater amount of Holy in him thanks to Kokabiel, and he's no worse for wear. You're perfectly fine."
I could only stared at her with my mouth agape as she pulled the rug from under me, twice in quick succession.
Intellectually speaking, it was a good play. She thought I had information, and suspected it was information I would rather hide. Since she thought it was related to Kokabiel, and therefore treasonous, she made me think that I was already condemned bafter asking me if I was willing to share what information I supposedly had and thus giving me a chance to share what I knew. I would have no reason to deny her since at that point, I was dead anyway, and she would easily be able to tell if I was hiding anything because I was under the combined stress of this pain, and having my death rubbed so blatantly in my face. I wasn't experienced enough to fool her, and if I even tried, she would convince enough people that I was committing treason and they could easily break my mind for everything I had.
And that wasn't impossible since Ajuka's little brother was an expert at it.
"Is there anything else you want, Leviathan-sama, or may I go back to sleep?" At this point I was done. I just wanted her out of the room. I knew that she was good at these things, maneuvering people into a trap and laughing as she springs it, but I never thought she was going to be this good. From the way she arranged everything, to how she would ruthlessly press her advantage, it was almost like dealing with Revive, except this one could leverage her attractiveness against me.
"Aww, you're no fun, little bird." Again with the nicknames; she must have really enjoyed mocking me since her smile was nothing less than brilliant and she resumed playing with my hair. I couldn't even slap her hand away, I didn't have the strength and I was sure she would just see that as a challenge. "Don't you want to know what happened to you after Kokabiel took you down? Or maybe you want to know why you have Holy Light inside you? Or do you want to know how you're little plan went?"
"I could get that information from Lucifer-sama when I'm feeling better." I grumbled back, accepting my fate as I gave her questions a bit more thought. I must have not been thinking properly since before I knew it, more words were falling out of my mouth. "Why Revive though? What did he do to make you even consider something like this?"
"We talked about Love."
A beat.
Really?
I couldn't believe it. My brother, the master manipulator, the actor, managed to win the Ambassador of the Devils by talking about Love? Could he actually do such a thing? Could that giant asshole stop getting off to the idea of himself and actually appear vulnerable to a woman? I always thought that is was his greatest conquest, the best liar would sweep the best lie detector off of her feet, but to think that he was actually serious about this.
It was mind blowing.
"Oh don't give me that look. It wasn't that straight forward; it still started with a very heated debate." She was laughing at me, on the inside I could see her stifling down giggles, but there was a sort of fondness in her eyes as she watched the scene though the lenses of memory. "It started out as you might have expected it to: Was Sakura and Tomoyo truly a better pairing than Madoka and Homura."
I was honestly shocked at this point; only Serafall Leviathan could make something so useless sound like the weight of the world rested on the outcome of such an argument.
"It took hours, and it was honestly a whole lot of nonsense, but we both seemed to enjoy bouncing points off of each other and I would admit that I was elated I could have anyone to argue with in the first place. Most of it was trash, a bunch of imagined histories, imagined relationships between a group of imagined characters held no more weight than we gave them. We were at a deadlock at that point, but only because we were using the context limited to they story and what ended up being more popular to the audience. I couldn't have expected that we would delve deep enough into it to reach the concept of the love between each pair of characters."
The Idea?
"Homura took what she wanted, and though her love was genuine -it truly was more passionate than hope and deeper than despair- at the end of the day it was selfish obsession. It was successful, and for an ephemeral moment in time, they could both be happy but it wouldn't last. It was reflective of reality, of the true madness that comes with loving someone to such an extent. She resolved herself to the consequences and took what she wanted anyway. It was an illusion that would only bring pain if humored and yet showed why people pursue such madness the first place, and having reality depicted so accurately, even if a fantasy was beautiful to me in its own way. I would even say it became the reason I didn't try and take a husband after Sona grew old enough to be separated from me."
"On the other hand, the one Tomoyo was content with letting go of Sakura, resigning herself to the role of bystander while the object of her affection chased fleeting happiness. If the first was a tragedy doomed to fail, this was one that was never given the chance to fail in the first place. This was giving up before the fight even started, and at the end of it all, no one would find satisfaction. Humanity might have fantasies of this, but to us, this is even more maddening than the first, since to sacrifice one's own happiness is absurd. If the first is a sad reality, this is an even more twisted ideal, as there is no one able to give up on their truest affections, give up their deepest desires, so easily that there is no sign of heartbreak. To do so is not a sign of true love, but the characteristic of apathy. Who in their right mind would not despair if their heart was given to another only to crushed before their eyes?"
Though this meant absolutely nothing, I agreed wholeheartedly. I would very much prefer to pull a Homura and take what I wanted than emulate Tomoyo and love enough to let go. It was simply the selfish nature of humanity, now amplified since I turned into a devil.
"But he told me something I never thought to hear from him. He said 'Even if it's impossible, my little brother chose to walk that path. Everyone can see that the one year he proposed is a farce and he's simply protecting Rias from the vultures. It's stupid, but as his brother, shouldn't I support him? Shouldn't I at least try to believe that he could come out of this arrangement, happy?' For that I held no argument; how could I when I looked at my Little Treasure the same way?"
Revive, you little shit. Of course he would use that route to snake his way into her heart. Her love for Magical Girls, and then her love for her little sister, used against her in quick succession? How could she resist? He played her like a fiddle all the way...
Wait...
Was this heading to Sona now?
"For all our faults, we have some similarities, she and I. We both look for equals rather than betters or followers. It's why she demanded that those who would pursue her first defeat her in a chess match before even thinking about wooing her. I was charmed by your brother's willingness to humor me, his skill in the political arena, and how he treats you as his siblings, and to respect the last, I will put this conversation on hold until you can properly defend yourself." The pleasant atmosphere shared between us was instantly blown away by a frigid gale, and even as I watched the naked form of Serafall Leviathan rise from my bed, I felt no desire,.
Only fear.
"You will return to Kuoh, and convene with Twilight Healing and Sword Birth to help with your condition, and after that we will have a more thorough discussion on your intentions." She looked over her shoulder with two hard glints of ice before she exited the room. "For your sake, Riser, do not disappoint me. While Lucifer's arms can be easily twisted, you'd find me more than capable of fighting back."
AN
I am back... ish.
My beta is gone... well we're both busy so Vhos stopped when I stopped writing but can't come back at the moment. That position is open now to whoever is willing (please come; notice the drop in quality... well grammatically)
I'm not sure if I ended the arc or just started an original one, but then again that is what fanfic is for. Koka is now an angel... This is a good place to end it in preparation for the meeting. As for where and what happened to our favorite fried chicken... that comes later.(edit, this no longer applies)
Tell me what you all thought, well if you guys want to, and suggest stuff if you're bored or something.
To those who can decipher the cipher, I tip my hat to you, since I would have forgotten it's original meaning if I didn't write it down somewhere.
Before I forget, I sincerely thank everyone for their continued support over months that I've been away. It still blows my mind that the view count exceeds the word count. Either I'm doing something right, or you all need something better to do.
To those who want Issei fics... well look for every other DXD fanfic/crossover out there. It's usually him playing the staring role, or Naruto because we can't have too much bad Naruto fics amirite?
Oh, and apparently the review section is something of a forum (for like 3 posts thank goodness) please don't argue like that there guests, but since it was entertaining I will leave it up. Next one goes down though.
Quick question, what do you guys feel about me trying my hand at lemons, you know, expanding horizons a little? (be very careful since if ever this pushes through, it would ROYALLY SUCK, and not in a good way)
Thank geasszero for always asking for this update, it would have come out later if he wasn't so pushy (It really helped a lot so thanks)
See you all next time, maybe.
(I really need sleep, IRL can be really rough)
EDITS: People have been saying that I've nerfed the Devils too much so I went and asked someone who has no idea about DXD. She agrees, so I made some minor changes, just a few words but it should change just how Sera and Sirzechs perceive Koka in this chapter. The nerf ray was turned on too high, so I went and corrected that. The genre shift is a bit much, but I assure you that it will become clearer later (YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT EVERY CHAPTER... yeah, I'm working on it) It won't happen again, and if it does then that should be a sign that the story is about to end. Sorry for the melodramatics, but it was the easiest way to show that something was different, and kind of over the top with this new Koka.
I also realize that the last scene was completely useless in terms of narrative, since everything it did, I could reveal much better in later chapters, so have a new scene =)).
For the last scene, yes, all that bullshit was bullshit and ended up with that bomb being dropped.