Chapter 14 The Dark Truth
I don't own DxD I'm just using the characters.
What's up everybody time for Chapter 14. Get ready for some intense revelations that will change everything.
While Rias and the others fought the cerberus far away, Issei and Kokabiel relaxed. True the battle could begin at any time but both men were very focused on the task at hand. Out of respect nobody was ready for battle but it was clear that at a moment's notice everything changes.
"So here we are, you and the two heavenly dragons about to duke it out with the world at stake. There's something almost fitting about this." Issei said whimsically.
"Perhaps, but if things had gone as I originally planned you would've been eliminated long before we got to that point." Kokabiel replied snarkily.
"We've already had the conversation about why you want me dead. That was a clever plan trying to use Raynare to seduce me."
"Thank you very much. I confess I had my doubts she'd succeed but I figured that when she failed either the Order or the Devils would've killed her. You sparing her definitely caught me off guard."
"That's all fine and good, but I'm curious about one thing." Issei said whimsically
"Oh? What's that?" Kokabiel asked with intrigue.
"Where does the devil who wanted Asia dead come into play? I mean he's the big key to all of this." Issei said with a smile.
"You're smarter than I thought." Kokabiel chuckled realizing that Issei knew about his secret partner.
"Explain that one because you never told me about that little detail." Vali said in a mix of confusion and anger.
"Let's assume Raynare was supposed to kill me. That brings the question of what was Asia doing in Kuoh. My guess is that Raynare's "reward" for successfully killing me was Twilight Healing and I'm sure she had technology to steal her sacred gear. Afterwards a devil would've taken Asia's body and made her into his servant" Issei explained with a smile on his face.
"What makes you think that the devil in question is a he?" Kokabiel wondered.
"Because Asia told me about her past; about how she saved a male devil and it ultimately led her to being kicked out of the church. For a devil to show up near a church is so risky that he had to have had an ulterior motive in order to do so. Therefore the person who Asia saved is the devil who wanted her to come to Kuoh." Issei smiled. He knew more but he decided to hold back.
"HAHAHAHA! You are truly amazing. So tell me, if you beat me, what happens next?" Kokabiel laughed.
"Well now I'm forced to expose the Order so now you're hoping that the rest of the world learns the truth and chaos allows whatever group you're working with to take control."
"Hmph, well it seems like the battles are heating up. It's only a matter of time until we can fight without any interference." Kokabiel said calmly.
"Yes it does, but that'll take some time." Issei said calmly paying special attention over by where Kiba and Irina went.
(Kiba and Irina)
"Damn it Freed! Stop running!" Irina said angrily as she charged Freed with Mimic. Kiba and Xenovia were also there but both stayed out of the way of Irina as she rampaged against the former priest. Valper was nearby fusing the stolen Excalibur's together. Of course Irina didn't care about that.
"Damn it you bitch! Calm down! I don't even have a fucking blade!" Freed whined. He had already used up his bullets in his gun and Freed was now powerless. The man was escaping on blind luck at this point.
"I don't care about that!" Irina said angrily.
"Fuck! Now I remember why I didn't want to do this mission in the first place."
"Uhh….Xenovia, do Irina and Freed have a history together?" Kiba wondered.
"Yes, Freed was a student at the same exorcist school that she attended before he ultimately betrayed them."
"That's right!" Irina said finally pausing since she was getting nowhere. "Freed was going to be one of the most powerful exorcists in the entire church. But he betrayed us all." Irina stated with venom in her voice.
"Those bastards never cared about us. They've been hiding secrets from the very beginning. You're just too naïve to see it!" Freed yelled.
"Freed is right you know. I happen to know a dangerous little secret about the church that will change your mind." Valper said with a snarky smile.
"Hmph, what could you possibly tell me that could change my mind about the church?" Irina said confidently.
"How about the fact that you're able to use those fragments is due to MY research. The very research they kicked me out for." Valper said calmly.
"Impossible. The church gave us special stones that allowed us to wield the Excalibur." Irina said defiantly.
"You mean like this stone?" Valper taunted as he pulled out a blue stone.
"No way!" Xenovia shouted having recognized the stones
"Oh yes. The church expelled me and then had the gall to use my research against me, such incredible hypocrisy. That's probably why the Order never found out about the Holy Sword Project. The church let me finish my research so they could use it themselves. Then they didn't report it because they would have a huge problem on their hands." Valper said in spite.
"You lie. They would never do that." Irina said shaken. Valper's words definitely had an effect.
"Please, let's face it. The church has kept secrets from you for years." Freed said with a savage grin.
"Wait a minute, so my friends all died for nothing?" Kiba said in shock having been around the whole time.
"Ahh yes, I remember you now; you're the one who got away. Isn't it ironic that you became a devil?" Valper sneered. "By the way, you can have this. It's the stone that holds your former comrades. Now you can say goodbye properly." Valper taunted as he tossed the stone at a sorrowful Kiba. As the feelings of his friends surrounded him a new power erupted in Kiba.
"Impossible! What in the world is going on?" Valper said in shock as the spirits of the former students appeared in front of Kiba.
"It's okay."
"We understand."
"We're with God now."
The words of his former comrades brought Kiba to his knees and if anybody from Kuoh had seen him they'd think something was wrong with him.
"What are we watching?" Irina exclaimed in shock.
"What the fuck!?" Freed said in disbelief.
With his friends beside him Kiba stood up ready for more. "Get ready, Valper. We're about to show you what real pain is." Kiba said happily as he reached up to the sky. As everybody looked on as Holy and Demonic energy fused together around Kiba.
"This can't be" Irina said in shock realizing what was happening. Before their eyes, Kiba was getting a brand new weapon.
"Behold Valper, this is my sword of Betrayal." Kiba said proudly as he held his new sword in his hands.
"I don't care what you call that thing. You'll never defeat Excalibur!" Valper said with the fused sword now complete. "Show them, Freed!" Valper spat as he tossed the blade to the former priest.
"Alright, it's showtime!" Freed said happily as he swung the new blade.
"Sorry about your grudge, Irina, but I owe it to my old friends to destroy that blade." Kiba said with determination like never before.
"Fine, but I get to kill Freed." Irina said in acceptance. She knew that Freed's blade was toast and once it was gone she'd have her revenge.
(Main battlefield)
Arthur and Bikou easily dispatched their cerberus and were watching as Rias and the ORC took on their beast alone.
"Not bad, wouldn't you say, Arthur?" Bikou thought calmly as he watched over the battlefield.
"Yeah, although I'm more worried about Irina." Arthur said calmly.
"What? She can easily destroy Freed." Bikou said nonchalantly.
"Of course, however if Valper is fusing the Excalibur's he's using a dangerous spell. After all Merlin's spell to separate the fragments is a class A+ spell. To forge them together requires magic that's far more powerful." Arthur said calmly. His real concern was how reckless would Irina be in her quest to kill Freed but he couldn't say that. "Bikou watch over them while I deal with that spell." Arthur said sternly.
"Whatever", Bikou huffed as Arthur went towards Kiba and Irina. "I'm surprised Master is so calm talking with Kokabiel with everything as it is." Bikou chuckled to himself. He was brought from his amusement by the complaints coming from Rias and her team.
"This isn't good!" Akeno shouted as he beast shrugged off her latest attack. Rias and her peerage had failed to beat the cerberus and it was bordering on ridiculousness at this point.
"Tell me about it." Koneko said calmly as the beast jumped at her and she dodged it before kicking the beast in the sides.
"Well don't worry, we can wear this bad boy down if we keep at it." Rias growled. She was well aware that Arthur and Bikou had already won their battle and her stubbornness was the only thing stopping her from asking the pair for help. She had to prove herself and she knew it.
(Kiba)
Over with Kiba, Irina, and Xenovia, now that Kiba had his balance breaker, the battle was over. Even though the Excalibur was complete once again, Freed was more than ready to fight. "Huh, so this is your new toy. Not bad." Freed complimented in mock praise.
"Thank you. Now if the others don't mind I'm going to use it to defeat you." Kiba retorted.
"Kiba, hurry it up. I owe Freed for abandoning the church the way he did!" Irina growled still eager to fight. As the warriors clashed it was quickly clear that Freed was in trouble.
"DAMN IT!" Freed cackled angrily. He had been waiting all this time for the new sword. The young man was impatient and Valper knew it. This day couldn't get any worse for him and he knew it. The clashes were having an effect on the blade and the mix of holy and demonic power was certainly doing some damage.
"What's wrong, Freed? I bet you never guessed your almighty blade would fail so easily." Irina teased.
"SHUT UP, IRINA!" Freed responded in anger.
"I'd stay focused if I were you." Kiba said smiling as he slashed Freed once again. Unfortunately this time the new Excalibur was overwhelmed and shattered to Freed's disbelief.
"That's….not possible. That's not possible!" Valper screamed in disbelief. To see his creation beaten so easily must've been a shock.
"It's over Valper, surrender now and maybe you'll come back to the Church in one piece." Arthur said with authority.
"Uhh, looks like you guys got some shit to work out, so I'm gonna scram." Freed said before quickly pulling out a smoke bomb and firing it.
"DAMN IT! He's getting away!" Irina yelled.
"Don't even think about it, Irina." Arthur warned as he teleported in front of the group.
"Fine." Irina pouted knowing that she couldn't get away from Arthur. Now it was just Valper and he was at the mercy of the four swordsmen.
"Hmph, now it all makes sense." Valper groaned realizing that he was doomed. Thanks to the display earlier he figured out something that could spare him from a certain death.
"Uhh, what's he babbling about?" Kiba wondered in confusion. Valper's hand was on his head and it was clear he couldn't believe what had happened.
'Oh no, has he realized the truth!' Arthur thought to himself as he prepared to slice the man's neck
"A holy demonic sword shouldn't exist. That shouldn't be possible unless... Of course it's only possible if..." Valper started to say but he was pierced by a holy spear and exploded.
"Uhh, what just happened?" Irina said in disbelief.
"It appears Kokabiel has decided to do us a favor. Now let's return." Arthur said with a hint of relief. After all, if he had moved a second earlier he would be dead as well.
Over with Rias the battle was finally coming to an end. Rias had her clothes torn in various places. "AHHH!" Rias screamed as her last power of destruction blast combined with Akeno's lightning finally brought the beast to its knees.
"Hah! We finally got him." Akeno said happily. As Rias and Akeno began to relax they were stopped by a massive explosion that rocked the area. They looked over and saw the explosion had come from where Kiba was fighting.
"Akeno, let's go." Rias said calmly.
(Moments earlier)
While the others were fighting for their lives; Kokabiel, Vali, and Issei were sitting relaxing like there was nothing wrong. It was hard to believe that there was a desperate battle going on around them. "Hah! Are you sure you two can actually fight me? After all I know you two as well as anybody." Kokabiel sneered.
"Yeah yeah, I know. You were the one who trained us when we were younger. However you left us years ago." Issei groaned. That's right, another secret Issei had hidden was the fact that not only was Kokabiel part of the Order, but he trained Issei and Vali.
"Hmph. So tell us, Kokabiel, why did you betray the Order?" Vali said calmly.
"Ahh, hold on a second." Kokabiel said calmly. The cadre formed a spear which caused the Dragon Emperors to go on the defense but that quickly changed when Kokabiel tossed the spear at Valper Galiel. The three looked on as the man died a shocking death.
"What did you do that for? Valper was your ally." Vali wondered.
'Oh great, Freed escaped. That means Irina is gonna be pissed.' Issei thought not too concerned about Valper. Fortunately Arthur stopped her from doing something stupid.
"Hmph, I may have betrayed the Order, but he had served his purpose." Kokabiel sneered. His true reasoning was different but they didn't need to know that. As the two sat confused the rest of the gang returned to the main battlefield.
"Well Kokabiel, we took out your little puppies. What now?" Rias said confidently despite being completely worn out.
"Oh spare me, girlie. You and Baraqiel's daughter barely managed to win against yours, it seems you weren't very tough."
"How dare you. You know nothing about me!" Rias scowled.
"Oh, my dear. I know plenty about you. After all, I am a former Member of the Order of Draconis." Kokabiel revealed to Rias's shock.
"Wait, how's that possible? I thought the Order was a bunch of good guys." Rias said in disbelief.
"They were. The Order of Draconis is a secret society that has existed since the beginning of time. They're a group whose entire mission was to keep the peace. After the Devil Kings civil war they went to the fallen angels and angels and prepared this alliance. So the leaders of the fallen angels, angels, the four Devil Kings and the Red Dragon and White Dragon Emperors of the time met in secret."
"So wait a minute, if that's the case, why do we still have all of these conflicts? This Order should've stopped a lot of this from happening, right?" Rias wondered.
"Seriously Rias, that should be obvious." Irina groaned. "The Order was SECRET! The Devil Kings, Seraphs, and the Cadre all knew about it, but only them. Nobody else knew about the Order, otherwise it would be useless as a group. They kept the peace in secret and nobody really complained for the most part."
"So besides you guys, who else is a part of the Order?" Akeno wondered.
"Very well said, daughter of Baraqiel. You're certainly as smart as I would've hoped." Kokabiel responded happily. "The current Order is comprised of the Red and White Dragons and various members of the three factions who have committed 'forgivable crimes'. Of course I can't tell you specifics since I left a few years ago."
"What about my sister?" Koneko said nervously.
"Your sister's circumstances were interesting." Bikou said calmly chiming in. Bikou was about to continue before he was cut off by the person in question.
"The story that you were told was a lie, Shirone." Kuroka said herself appearing in front of the group.
"Kuroka, you were told to join the barrier team." Issei said angrily.
"I am, but I wanted to at least explain myself to my sister. This is an astral projection." Kuroka said calmly
"Nee-sama…."
"Yes, Shirone, it's me. The truth is our former master was experimenting on me. I didn't mind because it gave us a home but eventually he decided to target you." Kuroka paused as his sister looked on in shock. "I killed him because I didn't want my baby sister getting harmed." Kuroka said in a painful expression. She started to cry but everyone looked shocked when Koneko came up to hug her sister even though it was a projection.
"Well this is touching, but have you forgotten Valper's little fusion will destroy us all if you're not careful?" Kokabiel.
"Hardly true, Kokabiel." Arthur said smiling. "I was able to destroy the spell earlier. I may not be as good as my sister, but being the descendant of Morgan le Fay has its advantages." Arthur sneered.
Kokabiel shrugged. "Oh well, that's fine. I'd rather have the pleasure of ending you myself. Though Valper at least proved he wasn't a complete fool before he died."
"What do you mean?" Rias wondered.
'She had to ask.' Issei groaned. Having known Kokabiel's style he was about to do something irritating.
"HAHAHA! Well I suppose since I'm a bad guy I can reveal one little taboo. In the original Great War, the Devil King wasn't the only one who died. GOD DIED AS WELL!" Kokabiel yelled the last part in a cackling taunt.
"That's impossible. So you mean all along God has been dead?" Rias said stunned as she wondered how everybody else would react. Kiba and Akeno were stunned as well and Koneko was relatively indifferent. However to her shock the Order seemed calm.
"Good grief Kokabiel, why'd you have to do that?" Issei groaned.
"What's going on, Issei?" Rias asked still in shock over the latest news.
"Learning that God was dead was one of the first things I learned once the Order took me in. That news no longer mattered really." Issei said nonchalantly. However his expression changed when he turned to Kokabiel. "Really though, Kokabiel, you should know that revealing the truth is punishable by death." Issei said calmly as he finally got himself ready to battle.
"I am aware of that, Red Dragon. So will you handle my punishment personally?" Kokabiel said sarcastically.
"Unfortunately for me, yes. It's my duty as the Red Dragon to do so." Issei said calmly as his expression changed. Turning towards Rias he looked at her with cold eyes and said. "Rias, you might want to get away from the area. This is about to get ugly."
"Got it." Rias said backing off like the rest of them. The serious expression on Issei's face was something the group rarely saw. It was a sign that he was ready for battle.
"Get ready Kokabiel sensei. I'm about to remind you why the Red Dragon Emperor is feared by so many." Issei said as his aura began to rise. All that remained was that all but familiar chant "BALANCE BREAKER!" With that Issei's aura exploded and the Red armor that signified the Red Dragon's Balance breaker was shining.
"Let's do this." Kokabiel said happily as he powered up himself.
Well that's it for Chapter 14. Yea I dropped a lot of info so I hope you've been reading carefully. For those who remember the original story by now you've seen all the major differences and I hope you're ready. Next chapter Kokabiel and Issei engage in a fearsome battle.