Rest in Peace, Chester Bennington. You were my childhood hero.
Malthael's a playable character on Heroes of the Storm! YEEEAAAHHH! Too bad I don't play that game. Still awesome though. I wish his voice was like in the Diablo III trailer. Personally it's too slow, like he's an old grandpa or something.
Oh well, doesn't matter (he's old anyway)
Thank you for the reviews and for following/favoriting this story! Hope you all enjoy your read now and in the future.
For the doods and doodettes reading my other story "The Seekers" and wonder if it's discontinued, it's still going. I'm working on it, just in a snail pace. One chapter for this story alone took me weeks to write and edit for one, and I'm at the last of semesters for my college too. I have to set priorities here :B
Without further complaining,
ENJOY!
Death's Journey: Smokes and Shadows
Chapter Twenty-Nine
||Storm||
The calm has passed.
The loss of her of her Excalibur was a major drawback. They were meant to warn the Devils in the first place, not fight them to the point they nearly wasted their life before even doing their purpose. However, it was fortunate it was her Excalibur, as she had a backup plan.
Plan - something she had struggled to devise even if time was with her, let alone when she had little of time and so few resources. Like now.
She had put everything she could think about into her calculation. Everything she could think of to escape the large, hexagonal room she was trapped in. But even that was difficult considering her head nearly split for remembering how she had gotten here. Earlier she was somewhere deep in the abandoned church – the place she and her partner believed to house the Fallen Angel they were searching, based from that crimson-haired Devil's info, and they were right. She was wrong however: to think she could handle him by herself.
'This isn't supposed to happen.' was the only thought that rang. Along the sound of a two people trading blows. Wait, not trading, giving. It was a beatdown from what she could hear. One of them were laughing in a maniacal way, while the person fighting against was grunting and gasping every now and then as she was beaten near to death's door.
She knew: she was in that position before. That was why she's sprawled on the floor.
"What? Is that all you've got?! Had I known, I would have never hired you in the first place! KHAAAHAHA!" Kokabiel guffawed as he gutted Leone square in her stomach, sending her down for the umpteenth time.
Leone wheezed, barely managing to lift herself up with a broken leg and arm. At this point, only her determination to land a punch – anything to hurt him – that was keeping her from fainting. But resolve alone was hardly enough to keep her eyes from shutting.
"I will... kill... you..."
"HAH! Your willpower is commendable." Kokabiel sneered, breaking Leone's ribs as he struck her chest. "I'll grant you your freedom if you can land a hit on me!"
The Lionelle staggered, swaying side to side before another blow to her solar plexus brought her down again.
Suddenly, Xenovia gagged. Her injury was too severe. She coughed, retching more blood to pool at the flooring beside her head. Then she saw the blonde girl dropped down like a ragdoll severed from its strings.
That was the fourth time that girl fell unconscious, which meant now it was her turn.
After muttering a derogatory insult, his footsteps drew closer to her. Xenovia feebly raised her head. Past her unfocused vision of her remaining working eye, and her pounding headache, through her dyed-green fringe, she saw him towering her. Him, who once referred as the Angel of the Stars, now spited as the malevolent war seeker – the Warmonger.
"No..."
"You..." Kokabiel's bloody fist grasped her hair, and Xenovia grunted as he lifted her forcefully to face him. Beside from his red vile eyes and his disgusting grin, she noticed the blood splatters covering his face. Some of them might belong to her for all she knows.
"The Excalibur—" He began in a low tone, only for it to raise as Kokabiel was not one to be patient. "—hand it over. Do that and maybe I will be generous and spare some of your bones."
Threats had no longer had any effect to her. She was prepared to die for her cause, and she had given up the idea of escaping in one piece long ago. The only thing that upset her was that she only cut down thirty of them and not more.
So what did Xenovia say in reply? Nothing. She spat at him instead.
Like the blood dripping down her lips, the warm crimson fluid ran down his cheek as his face contorted an expression of anger. Enraged, Kokabiel delivered a vicious slug to her stomach, taking out the air out of her as Xenovia doubled over, eyes-wide, gasping for air.
He seized her throat and lifted her to the air. Weakened, hurt, practically broken, Xenovia had no longer the strength to do anything but wheeze helplessly. She couldn't even feel any of her limbs anymore, and considering the ugly purple bruises, she didn't think she would like to.
Kokabiel strengthened his grip, and she struggled harder for a breath air.
"This will be the last time before I break your throat. Give. ME. THE. SWORD!"
"I... tol...d... you... it's... broken..."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Kokabiel shouted as he threw her to the ground, ripping out her scream as her back collided first. He lifted her once again. "THE SWORD! HAND IT TO ME. NOW!"
Her body couldn't take it any longer. As her vision darkened again, Xenovia hazily heard someone else opening the door, and whatever he said, managed to lure Kokabiel to drop her down. Then she fainted.
"I see you've been having fun with the detainees, Kokabiel. But why don't you try a different approach rather than yelling the same sentence over and over?"
Having dropped the girl, Kokabiel turned around, and faced the small, overweight old man by the large door accompanied by a Fallen Angel. As he approached him, the difference between their height was like a mouse to a bear. "What is so important that you have to ruin my interrogation, Valper?"
"Now, now, let's not be hotheaded here." Despite Kokabiel was towering against him, Valper Galilei showed no fear as he sauntered around him, walking to have a closer look at Xenovia — who was, by the way, completely nude. At her side, he nudged the sole of his shoe at her head to check if she's responsive. "She's not dead yet. I'm impressed."
"Stop wasting my time old man." Kokabiel warned. "If you have nothing to say, then leave."
"Hah! Me? Wasting the time? Kokabiel, the only one who is wasting time is you."
At first, that invoked his anger, but as Kokabiel gave the meaning another thought, he eased himself enough not to send a lightspear on his face. "Is it done?"
Only a few could match Kokabiel's wicked grin, and Valper Galilei was one of those few. "We have the needed requirements. We have four pieces of the sword, we no longer need hers."
"Khukuku... AHAHAHAHA! Excellent... Then we begin at once. YOU!" he pointed towards a Fallen Angel acting as Valper's guard, who stiffened instantly. Then Kokabiel calmly said: "Assemble the men."
"Y-YES SIR!" Wasting no time, the guard scampered up the stairs. It would please Kokabiel, but he returned instead. "I uh... W-what about the other girl, sir? What should we do?"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO. ASSEMBLE THE MEN. NOW."
"Y-YES! SIR! RIGHTAWAY!" the guard ran with his tail between his legs.
"Ugh... am I surrounded by fools here?"
"Possibly." Valper laughed a throaty laughter as he stepped towards the huge doors. "Nevertheless, you might want to consume those snakes of yours. Give Freed one too if you w—" the priest gagged, and glanced down. There was a gaping in his chest.
Miraculously, Valper managed to turn his head around. "Wh—why...?"
A lightspear sliced his body vertically, and Valper fell to both sides. The expression of shock still portrayed at each halves of his face.
"You've outlived your usefulness." Kokabiel smirked as he stepped over the sliced internal organs, keeping his boots clean. "Not anymore, at least."
.
.
.
This was three hours prior to the Massacre at Kuoh Academy.
-Break-
A battle was, for Akeno, a playing ground. Unlike spars, battles are where she could let loose with minor repercussion. Playing a part in a kill or die scenarios, no matter the scale, was the sliver of joy in her life. She found the thrill at the first time she slew a Stray Devil. When Rias adopted Koneko to the peerage, she had to hold herself back, but only for a while, thankfully. It didn't take long for Koneko to adapt and understand the way she does her things; violent, merciless, sadistic, and perhaps disturbing to some.
But then Mio joined, and again she had to hold herself back. Her recent kills were uninteresting, thanks to that. However, tonight was her time, and her friends knew it.
Another Fallen Angel dropped limp to the ground with a gaping red hole in his chest, limbless and certainly lifeless. He smashed headfirst to the ground that would've shattered his head like glass if not for the soft grass.
Laughter radically altered into bloodcurdling screams of agony and terror as the Priestess of Thunder reduced their comrades they knew for years into a lifeless lump of meat, tearing them one by one without remorse.
Her succulent lips formed a tiny smile, and her violet eyes sparked a glimmer of a mad satisfaction as she killed another and another, dropping them like house flies.
The last Fallen Angel — or what remained of her — fell, body parts strewn through the small valley around the old school building, soiling the green grass with dark red. Out of nineteen, Akeno took out ten herself.
But the night was young. There were still several roaming vultures circling the school building. Several more to kill.
Having known Rias well, Akeno had no doubt she will order them to head for Sona's aid straightaway. Not that Akeno didn't want to, in fact, she loved to. Sona was her close friend as well. The fact that she could shoot down a couple more of Fallen Angels was a bonus.
"Ufufu, that's the last of them, Buchou." Akeno said to Rias as she hovered down, landing at the patch of grass untouched by the gores.
"Great work." Rias said with an acknowledging nod as her Queen's rampage was not a sight she hadn't seen plenty of times. After all they had put her through, it's only normal for her to feel this amount of hatred towards them. "How are the rest of you? Anyone hurt?"
"I'm fine." Satellizer and Kiba stepped to her side. The female Knight casted a simple water magic to clean her unique blade. Kiba didn't have much action as he was the vanguard, but he seemed to be preoccupied with something more than that.
'Not the time.', Rias assured herself. He woke up not minutes ago and already he had to act. Anyone would have the same face he had.
"What's the next move, Buchou?" Akeno asked. Eagerness lined in her soft voice.
"You're still raring to go, aren't you?"
"Ufufu~ you know me~"
Rias sighed as if she was retold of an overused joke. She scanned over the school buildings. The whole structure stood tall without any sign of destruction, and would be a normal sight if not for the Fallen Angels flying in circle above the school. To her, the night won't be as long as she thought.
"We'll check on Sona to make sure she's alright." Her voice carried no worry, considerable, as she knew her best friend's capability and her intellect. A group of vultures won't do much. So what caused the uneasy feeling in her gut?
Her three trusted servants nodded altogether, and they flew towards the school building, ignoring the unpleasant sight for the time being.
As they moved closer, her uneasiness lumped, and Rias increased her flying pace as her peerage followed suit.
When they passed a certain distance, the four Fallen Angels circling the roof flew away as if they were scared of their presence. If only Rias didn't catch the wicked smile flashed by one of them, she would assume like so.
Yet fear and shock struck her at once as she finally realized their purpose. But it came far too late, as the illusion of a perfectly untouched school waned. And what replaced it was a sight she saw only in her nightmare; Kuoh Academy, had crumbled into their foundations.
Rias stomached the disastrous sight; the reconstruction would take only a few days, but seeing the place she had been in just a couple of hours ago almost leveled to the ground was unnerving still. She picked up the smell of earth and stone, and slowly, she peered through the school, or what was left of it.
"Sona..." her name came out quieter than her pounding heartbeat, almost like she's trying to remind herself the reason she came here. The next one was an anguished outcry out of fear. "SONA!"
Break
A draft of humid breeze bit through her light clothing. The summer air was thickening to the point she felt she could bite into it. These pesky summer signs displeased her more than it should because of the worry she felt right now.
How could she not? Watching the man she never knew could be infuriated to the point where he made an expression she could only decipher as anger –though mild- was not something she saw often. Hell, this was her first time. And being inexperienced on this matter, Kuroka didn't know what she should do. Not even that Dragon Lady had any idea, and she was here while he was on the phone before them.
"—the hell do you mean you lost them." Seifer seethed, his free hand scuffing his stubbles hair in apparent frustration.
"Th-they're stolen by someone else during the confusion..." At the other side of the phone, Kuroka could hear a familiar voice of a man, but it was too inaudible for her to make something out of it. "A-anyway, the attacker was a small force: two thousands less, well trained and coordinated. Babel wouldn't have fallen under an hour otherwise."
"Any idea who they are?"
"Most of them are Devils, though there are some sorcerers and monsters. I'm thinking of the Old Satan's descendants. Anyway, this doesn't concern you yet. Don't think about this."
"Okay. That's good. So—" Seemed to them he was cut off, and he didn't appear to appreciate whoever was on the call.
"During the attack, Underworld will be shut close and any forms of transportation won't be viable. My sisters won't be able to come here for a while, so until then, watch over them. Get them to your house. I beg of you, keep them safe. Them and their peerages. You know what I'd do if I lose one of my own. I won't live it down."
"Treating me like a slave, eh?" Seifer took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and placed a hand on his hip. A quiet sigh ensued along with his reply. "I'm just kidding. I'll do it. You watch Kaori in return."
"You know I will."
"I know you'll do some dumb thing too."
A short burst of chuckle rattled the phone. "Glad to know you trust me that much."
A wave of relieve flown over them as they saw his trademark sneer. "Then what about him? Any news yet?" He didn't look as if he wanted to ask the question. It was as if he knew the answer won't be something of his liking, and judging by another sigh he let loose, it certainly wasn't. "Too bad then."
The girls looked at him in uneasy anticipation as Seifer pocketed his phone.
Kuroka felt anxious of whatever the news was. She glanced at Grayfia for some sort of assurance, hoping that the maid would say something, anything to ease the tension, yet Grayfia said nothing. Looking at her tense expression didn't provide much help either.
Few minutes ago, she wanted to understand his expressions better. Now that his face was clear even to her, and Kuroka hated it. It wasn't long until he returned to his customary relaxed look. Perhaps he's doing so to comfort the girls.
"So the Underworld's under attack." Keeping his tone light despite the heaviness of the news, Seifer then lighted a cigarette as he studied their reactions. Grayfia appeared to be hit the most. The tiniest frown that tugged her lips was visible to his eyes. "Sirzechs said something about the Old Satan's children being salty or something. The Underworld will be off limit for safety reasons. Any questions?"
The girls took the assertion well than he thought them would that it slightly worried him. But he knew he'll worry for nothing anyway, so he quickly brushed off that thought.
"So... what do we have to do...?"
"We're getting the Devils here. We'll be one, big, happy family." Seifer said with much exasperation.
"Is Miss Sona as well?" Asked Grayfia.
Gray smokes spouted from his nostrils, causing Tiamat to make a face of light surprise. "The guy didn't say anything about her. We'll see."
"...Wait a minute, who's this "Miss Sona"?" Kuroka said condescendingly, "Did I miss something nyan?"
"She's a Devil, I presume."
"I will hit you."
"Try me." dared Tiamat with a glare that matched Kuroka's.
"Miss Sona Sitri is the second daughter of the Sitri clan, as well as Satan Leviathan's little sister." explained Grayfia in her professional maid manner, inadvertently breaking the two fierce ladies off. "...Shinji-sama, how bad was the attack?"
"He said it wasn't bad, but Babel has been taken over." Grayfia's clasped her hand tighter; something only he could notice. Just by that, added with her averting her eyes down slightly and taking in a slightly more air than her normal air intake, Seifer knew what exactly was in her mind. "Try not to think about it."
Unbeknownst to her, she was being scrutinized by more than one person. "Wow, so you can look confused too, huh nyan?"
That drove her thought train off track. "...I..."
"It'll be fine." Seifer said to save the time. "Before we go, Tiamat, did you see anything unusual?"
Tiamat blinked. "Why yes I did. In fact, before the tremor, a column of light sprouted to the clouds. I believe it was located at that "school" area the missus visit daily."
At this piece of information, Seifer traded glances with Kuroka and Grayfia, and that wasn't a flirtatious look.
"Isn't that just super. Nyan."
"Hey, at least we don't have to split up." Seifer said with a smirk as if he just told a horrible joke and still expect a round of laughter. Needless to say there was no laughter. "Anyw—"
"KUROKA-NEE! WE HAVE TO GO!" and of course, they had to be intruded by the kids. Rushing out from the elevator room, were Asuka and the rest of the household minus the pets and Narina – that tiny girl might having some trouble downstairs, considering the barks of the hounds and Aleta's chirps.
They all gathered at the spacious garden just by Seifer and the girls.
"Kuroka-nee! Nii-san! It's—it's Buchou! She said the Fallen Angels are attacking the school!" Asuka yammered with Narina's tiny but very hearable voice seconding her. Both were so panicked they didn't realize Seifer was alone with three women on the rooftop just few seconds ago.
The young man gestured his arms down to ease them both. "Okay, okay, easy down." He looked at Grayfia, whose poker face had returned. "Grayfia, prepare the transport please." The maid did so straightaway, and a bright red circle blitzed below their feet. "I need you and Venezia to stay here, by the way. Watch the house and the pets – and Narina. Make sure my house doesn't run away."
That subtle wink he gave her told her his intention. He was leaving her behind for her sake. Battles might not be the best medicine for a troubled heart, and Grayfia replied with a discreet smile at the edge of her lips.
Unfortunately, Tiamat was yet to grasp the hidden meaning of that single wink. She's new to civilization and all the secret codes or gestures. For one raring to proof herself to her avowed master, the order was not one she hoped to hear.
"Wh-What?! But I will do more in battle than as a house-watcher! S-Shinji-sama, surely you can reconsider your decision?!"
"I know, I know, but I have my reason." And the reason was so Rias wouldn't poke her nose on him for at least some days. Seifer knew it will happen in time, but he didn't want it to be right now or anytime soon. Dealing with a girl's curiosity is less important than anticipating what battles he might have to go through in the not-so-distant future.
"But I—!"
"Please." This was said in less of a plea and more of an order. An absolute order that won't take 'no' for an answer. Tiamat realized that, at least.
"I-I... As you will, Shinji-sama..."
"Atta girl."
Leanne took a step forward from the group. "Then I will stay as well."
Seifer studied her assured pose and face, and then at her contrasting yellow pajamas and matching shorts. He then silently compared her to the rest who had dressed in their school uniforms — oddly enough.
"I'll leave my bedroom in your care." He concluded. She looked pleased with his cynicism-coated answer. "Right then, time's not stopping." Seifer declared, and the Devils moved to the large pentagram. All who're supposed to leave but one troublemaker, Kuroka.
"Kuroneko, whatever you're thinking right now, save it for later."
Another dumb nickname. "K-Kuroneko?!"
Seifer shushed her. "I'm happy that you're worried, in case you couldn't tell." Without giving her the chance to resist, Seifer dragged her inside the circle. Then with a bright crimson light, they were transported to the clubroom of the Occult Research Club.
With them gone, the nightly silence returned. Kuoh was eerily silent during the night, and people might only think of that previous pillar of light as some sort of lightning or natural phenomena. Nonetheless, still troubled by her thought, Grayfia excused herself to take time for her own, and to prepare the guests' rooms as well. She had raised Rias and Mio long enough to know they hated unclean rooms.
Feeling left behind, Tiamat could only sulk as she plopped down on the bench. To be honest, she hadn't got a clue of what 'reason' her sworn master had. Leanne then took a seat beside her, curious of her trouble but also wanting a bit more of something.
"...Are you upset?" Leanne took a guessing shot. "If it helps, I feel the best course of action was for you to come with them."
Tiamat nodded, but the scowl and frown still remained. "As much as I wanted to go, he's the one I serve... I suppose he knows best."
Leanne propped the side of her head on Tiamat's shoulder. "...If you say so."
The Crocell waited for a couple of seconds before she launched another question, this one she had placed on the top of her to-ask list since she learned a little bit of the man of the house.
"What makes you believe in him?" Tiamat's scrunched eyebrows faltered her curiosity, but Leanne pressed on. "I dare not to offense you... nor Sir Kawamura himself. I was only wondering how you can put your trust in him in such a short time..."
Tiamat looked at her, huffed, and stared back at the horizon. For some moments, she closed her eyes. Her vibrant light blue eyelashes fluttered as another wind blew past.
"Leanne, do you remember the first time we met?"
That question was the start of her trip down memory lane.
Leanne recalled her fear, the feeling of utter helplessness. She was parentless, homeless, lost, all in the same day. Overall a complete mess after constant tragedies beating her down to the point she didn't know what to do or what she could've done.
"...Yes... I remember everything..." She whispered softly, a bit pained for having to recall such memories. "I'm eternally grateful that you found me... otherwise, I doubt I would be still breathing."
Tiamat offered a gentle smile, the kind that had always put her to ease.
"Then it should be easy for you to understand why I trust him."
Leanne thought hard, but got nothing of it. "I... don't quite understand?"
Delighted chuckles rose from her. "Nfufu~ had we didn't cross our path, I'd have destroyed the entire forest. And I'm certain I will be hunted down, and I might've hurt you even more... Don't you know?"
Unconsciously, Leanne had pressed the wounds she was inflicted that day. "...Oh..."
For some reason, her throat felt dry after saying that. "I'm... sorry, Leanne. I... I never meant to hurt you." Tiamat said regretfully. "I never intended too. It's just that... I wasn't myself."
Leanne smiled, and gave her a reassuring hug. "It's alright ma, I believe you. I knew it wasn't you."
Her lips curled to a pleasant smile as Tiamat drew her closer. "Thank you, child."
Break
Black smoke whirled the empty room of the Occult Research Club. As usual, the room crept by shadows, a bit creepy, and not the place he'd like to spend a night without being paid. Looking around, the group noticed the shattered window, and went ahead to have a closer look, thus revealing the rather gruesome sight.
Her stomach twisted and lurched. Gasping as she held her hands over her mouth, Asia winced back, bumping onto Kojiro, who then asked if she's alright. Well, she had just seen a bunch of people lying like dolls, obviously dead and missing their limbs. What do you think she's feeling, Kojiro?
"Ew..."
"Oy vey..."
Both Kuroka and Seifer muttered their disgust at the scene. Charred corpses littered the area, limbs at awkward angles if not separated from the body: these weren't the scenery he was expecting for a school. The only good thing from this was that there were no Devils lying around dead.
Then the group raised their gaze, and at lo and behold, the current condition of Kuoh Academy. Or what used to be Kuoh Academy.
He had seen sorts of collapsed buildings: schools, hospitals, homes, but there's always a sorrowful feeling that ticked him every time he saw any. He supposed it is a good thing. It'd be worrying if he felt nothing after all.
To distract himself, he humored himself by taking pity to whoever has to clean up all those mess.
"Oh no..." Asuka gasped, "The school..." the somberness set in as she and Asia saw the ruin of their school. "No school for tomorrow I guess~!"
The adults snickered. Seifer in particular, as his taste of humor was as broad as his knowledge of beers and battles. But what Asuka said might be true. The Devils were excellent construction workers, but with the ongoing attack in their homeland, Seifer doubted Sirzechs could spare whatever services he's using.
"N-Nee-chan! Th-that's horrible! U-urk..."
Asuka cried. "A-Asia-chan!"
"B-brother, is she ill? Will she be alright?"
Seifer barely maintained his flat expression at seeing his brother's terrified look. It's like the first time Kojiro encountered what he claimed as 'the evilest, vilest, despicable beast deserving only an eternal hellfire' that was a common house spider.
"Figuratively, yes. She'll be fine, just stop being a wuss. Bring her back there and give her a backrub."
Kojiro gave her a gentle backrub as he accompanied her to the sofas, overlooking the fact that laying a hand on her took a lot of courage. Fortunately, these two lovebirds' acts were able to raise the mood among them.
Moving on - displeased by the stench of blood, Kuroka urged the group to move their asses. "Can we move now nyan? Unlike you, Shirone and I have a pretty sensitive nose, and it smells like dead bodies here."
"Oh isn't that weird." Seifer shrugged, "Kojiro, stay here with Asia for a while. Get her to one of the dorms until she feels better." Receiving a slightly panicked nod from his brother, he led the group to the ruins.
As they flew — floated for his case — closer, they heard the distant shouting of the same name, over and over again, growing only louder and desperate each time it was said.
"SONA?! SONA! SONA WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Seifer replayed the name in his mind. Recalling it was the name of Serafall's sister, he muttered a silent curse.
"That's Buchou!" Asuka shouted, and hastened towards her voice. Koneko followed right after, who was then followed by her sister. Seifer didn't want to stay here a second longer than he needed to be. Dusts were bad for his lungs, and they tasted horrid. At least his cigarette tasted better.
The Devils spotted their fellow Devils and seniors, all scattered by the fallen structures in search for survivors. Judging by the look on their faces, they hadn't had much luck.
'They're unharmed, at least.' He couldn't imagine what Sirzechs would do if something did happen to the sisters he spoil so much.
Asuka headed to Satellizer's spot, and Koneko tailed along with her. "S-Senpai, what happened?! Are the Fallen Angels gone? Did they do this?"
"..." A soundly sigh escaped the Knight's lips, along with a disheartened shook of her head, before she turned away to continue looking around the debris. So did the others. Rias didn't even spare a glance as she kept on levitating rocks over rocks, hurling them away in attempt to locate the student council's room. Her shoulders shuddered with each heave as she cried the name of her best friend over and over again.
With creeping fear, Asuka stared at Koneko and vice versa, before they too searched around for members of the student council.
Seifer exhaled. It's hard to not be drowned by the desperate mood, but it is exactly at times such as this he had to be composed. While keeping quiet as to sense the faint essences of life about to depart, he studied the faces of the Devils, scrutinizing which one would be the most likely to hold a conversation with.
"Buchou..." Kiba's slow voice resounded. "I think... we should leave..."
"NO!"
Apparently, no one.
He had to do something to get their attention first. As much as he liked the idea to get the hell out, he knew Rias will ignore whatever he said. He supposed they still have the time, and — well, they needed time for pity's sake, if the worse did happen.
So he did the first thing first: lighting his cigarette.
"Seriously nya, you're going to smoke now nyan?"
He shrugged.
Calmly, Seifer trod through the wreckage, pretending he was some sort of a dowsing rod but for souls instead of treasures or water. He felt nothing other than his group and the Devils, which could only lead to two conclusions: whoever they were searching for was dead, or they were never here.
Not so interested in rescuing anyone nor horrified by the condition of the school like he sister, Kuroka decided to go with him and pester him off. The two floated above the wreckage, as neither wanted their shoes dirtied.
"So, what're you doing now nyan?"
"Looking around. Maybe there's someone here." Seifer replied as he took another drag.
"Hee~? Have you even met this "Sona" person anyway?"
"I know her sister, if that means something."
Well, Kuroka supposed he's just being a nice guy since this Sona was his friend's relative. For roughly a half a minute, they flew and flew, with Rias' despairing cries echoing in the background. For half a minute, Kuroka's mind failed to connect the pieces of him knowing Sona's sister, until it clicked for her.
"WHAT."
Her sudden outburst caught everyone's attention, but they turned away as they thought it was only another quarrel between the two.
"What."
"What do you mean you "know" her sister?!" Kuroka hissed in whispered voice as her certain pair of black tails twitched irately. "Didn't she say that girl is a Maou's sister?!"
"What do you mean what do I mean? I know her means I know her, what else can that mean?"
"Stop confusing me! And why do you know so many people?!"
Seifer sneered. "I got around often."
"Who else do you know?! An Archangel?!" Kuroka's ears flicked as she received a divine shot of headache. "Ugh..."
The young man emitted a dry laughter. "...Naaah."
His brown brows suddenly scrunched as he sensed a nearby soul other than the Devils. Yet oddly enough, it was stronger than he expected. Much, much stronger, that it disturbed him that he only sensed it just now. Same for Kuroka, who sensed it even later.
But what's stranger, was that it located up above them.
"Fine night for the start of a war, is it not?" Sat on a fancy throne, donning attire Seifer would never wear, Kokabiel smiled as he looked down upon them and the Devils, who wasted no time to fire their projectiles at him. Of course, he shrugged them off with a hand to display how pathetic they were. "Khahaha! I have been watching you for quite a while, and I must say I am disappointed, little sister of Lucifer."
"YOU!" Rias glared through her tears, her rage emerging in the form of dark, crimson lights coating her as she fired her Power of Destruction. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"What have I done?" The Fallen Angel laughed mockingly, morbidly as he caught Rias' attack, crushing it with one hand. "I've done many things, Rias Gremory. For example, I've defeated these pathetic heaps."
Xenovia appeared out of the magic circle he formed, showing no sign of life, held only by Kokabiel's grip on her wrist. Without regards he threw her off to the wreckage, caught by Seifer's smokes that formed a fluffy cushion.
And then Irina appeared, and thrown the same way one would to a garbage. Then Akame. Then Leone. All were spared from the pain and possible death of falling to jagged concrete and broken steel bars. Had they had died, Seifer wouldn't bother. However, they could use some of Asia's super healing powers.
Seifer made sure the Devils know. "Guys, I think we should get these people to Asia if we want to help them."
"GIVE EVERYTHING WE HAVE. KILL HIM. JUST — KILL HIM." Rias' Power of Destruction tore through the air as it seemingly let out a beastly roar. Thunders and flames thrown by the Queen served as a follow-through of the King's attack, yet both were ultimately decimated by a swipe of hand. The Knights had maneuvered for a pincer attack on his blind side, joined by Koneko whose expression had turned emotionless.
Seeing her sister in the fight, Kuroka ditched him without second thoughts and flown over to provide cover.
Of course nobody heeded him as they all had adopted their battle stance and trying to blast this Fallen Angel leader's head off.
"Fantastic." He said to himself as he moved the fainted girls as well as himself to a much safer, less violent place.
While it's true the Devils, as well as Asuka, were fighting against a being that can kill them with a lightsaber or whatever weapon he had, Kokabiel definitely wasn't interested in doing so. If he was, Seifer would not be taking this lightly.
Still, he supposed he should take some action as well. So he dragged out his phone and messed around with it. No, he's not calling an ambulance for the injured.
In the middle of destroying the Devils' attack and blocking the Knights' blades while sitting on his throne with one hand under his chin, Kokabiel spoke at Seifer.
"Hey, you."
He locked his phone, panning up. "Wot."
Kokabiel grinned, seemingly amused by the young man's lack of fear or excitement. "Where is your brother? I'd like to test his mettle, and crush him with my bare hands. KHAAAHAHAHA!" His maniacal laughter continued as one of his wings gusted Koneko away, then taking Kuroka's violet orbs directly without damage right after.
"My brother? You'll meet him soon." At that moment, a fully armored Kojiro had taken off the old school building, and had his fist inches away at Kokabiel's face in less than half a second. Regardless it hit or not, Kojiro brought him in his flight quite far. "G'bye."
"S-Shinji-san!" Mio's voice reached him as she flew to him, touching down with her boyfriend and Asia just beside him and the unconscious girls. He heard a faint gasp from the two before she asked him. "Wh-what happened here?!"
Shock finally got her as Mio realized the devastation was her own school. Issei, on the other hand, having four naked women laid upon him, and being the boy high on hormones he was, that was what shocked him the most.
"GAH—!"
"Do that when they're conscious, Issei." Seifer scolded in disgust as he chopped his head. "Or at least when your girlfriend's not here."
"...You shouldn't do that at any time at all, Ise-kun..."
"...S-Sorry, Mio-chan..."
A soft lime glow radiated from Asia's hands as she commenced her role as a healer, starting from the heavily wounded of them all: Leone. Cuts, bruises, all sorts of wounds latched on her body. And just like the rest of the girls, she was naked. Maker knows what they had done to them and Seifer rather not try imagining it.
"I only know as much as you do." As he spoke, he quietly wondered why everyone's wearing their school uniform to battle. "But, I'm guessing that guy has got something to do with it."
Just like almost every other Devil, Issei seethed. "...Kokabiel...!"
"Calm down. Kojiro's dealing with him as you can see. And Mio, I think you should try to calm your sister."
"My sister...?" Mio repeated to herself. Her cerise pink eyes broadened as she snapped at the ongoing fight between Kokabiel against Kojiro, then at her sister whose tears ran through her hateful glare, barely containing herself to not blast away her little sister's servants along with Kokabiel. "O-Onee-chan!"
She faced him and nodded, before she left for her sister, with Issei scrambling after her after Seifer kicked his ass for wanting to stay.
As the couple left, Seifer glanced at Asia, who was busied by these four girls. He thought of starting a conversation with her, but didn't want to mess with her focus. He then peered at the ongoing battle, watching his brother dealing blows against the Fallen Angel, so violent that it caused mini-shockwaves. But Kokabiel seemed to be enjoying it.
One thing for certain, Kokabiel was significantly stronger than before, and if he was to be honest, that worried him.
At least he didn't have to take any action that soon. Kokabiel might taunt to rip his brother's head off, but he'd like to see him try, moreover with Issei backing him up. But then, Seifer realized, as he spotted hundreds of black-winged creatures looming towards them, that he too, will soon be needed to take action.
The first one would be start storing his powers, move these girls including their healers to safety, and then regroup the Devils since the colors of their faces just drained away. They couldn't be blamed, though. They were trained to handle a Stray Devils or two, or an entire peerage of a High-Classed Devil, not a throng of crows.
No, taking her someplace else would waste time. The Fallen Angels were closing in quickly, and judging by their mad laughter and cheers, they're not here to make amends. Unless Azazel was among them, but sadly, the leech wasn't there. What they should do? Get the fuck away from here.
"Stay inside Asia." his order paused Asia from her healing, and the girl looked at him confusedly. She flinched at the black haze flying towards them, and flinched once more as Seifer created a blackish barrier around her and her patients. The color black blotched here and there, and Asia felt she would be transferred to a separate dimension or world if she stepped in there. "Don't worry. You'll be safe here. Just don't step out, alright?"
Before she could say anything, Seifer had gone to Rias. Even from where he was before he could hear her screaming at her sister and her servants. She looked so torn apart it's depressing, really.
"NO!" Rias' shout was still as strong despite her running tears. "I am not moving an inch from this place as long as that VERMIN is alive!"
"Rias, if we stay here longer then they'll get us as well." Akeno began, and her tone of voice was nowhere near her usual voice. This was her speaking as a concerned best friend. "Please, don't risk our friends' life for something we've lost."
She snapped. "THEN LEAVE! He destroyed our school in OUR territory! He took away my best friend! I swear he will die even if I have to do it on my own!"
The news took Mio by storm. "Sona-senpai...? Do you mean she's...?"
"She's dead."
Mio was taken aback by her sister's spiteful tone.
"Rias, this is for your sake too. We can't leave you here. None of us are leaving you. I'm sure we will willingly fight to the death for you, but not like this! We'll get our revenge, just... not today, Rias."
It seemed that struck a chord in her. Rias' anger softened, and the girl crumbled apart in Akeno's hands. The grief of losing a best friend exuded from her by her wracking sobs. The girl she grew up and learned together with, taken away just moments after she talked indirectly to her. It was just too cruel for her to endure.
"Okay, okay, good job nyan. Now can we please leave? Or do something nyan?" As heartfelt as it is, Kuroka didn't want to die stupid, and she certainly didn't want her sister to die either. Hell, she doubted anyone wanted that.
"What are we going to do now?" Koneko raised a question to anyone, mindful to not stress any part of her question or anybody else in particular.
Issei laughed dryly, nervously while he tried to placate his soundly sobbing girlfriend. It appeared he had gotten used to close contact with her. "Hahah... we're not going to fight all of them... aren't we? I mean, that's gotta be at least a hundred..."
"Are you scared?" Kuroka taunted.
"Scared? Hah! I'm terrified!"
"As much as I like to put holes in them, I don't think we can fight all of them on our own. We need you to be composed, Rias." Akeno glared at the Fallen Angels as hatred slowly decayed her happy-go-lucky farce. "Buchou, what shall we do?"
"...I...I don't know..." Unfortunately, Rias was too exhausted from her emotional turmoil to think of anything other than her possibly deceased friend.
This was where Seifer stepped in.
"Get to my house." all eyes turned on him, some more confused than the others, but all agreed to listen. "It's at least a lot safer than here. Grayfia's there too – and it's pretty big I tell you. All of you get inside where Asia is, and then leave. Pronto."
The Devils peeked behind him, a bit surprised at the weird smoky-bubble thing framing Asia and the unconscious girls.
"What about you Nii-san? And what about Kou-san?"
"Yeah!" Issei seconded, "We can't just leave you here!"
"I'll be fiiine." the 'i' was dragged on for comical emphasis. "I'm not suicidal anyway. I'll get Kojiro too in no time." Seifer lied, ruffling Asuka's ponytail which she quite disliked. "For now, just leave, and don't—"
An invisible blade cut his sentence and would've beheaded Rias if Seifer didn't catch it. As he pushed the sword away with a bloodied hand, the Devils scrambled behind him, unaware of what had happened, but high on alert as they all took a defensive stance around their Kings.
'Shit- I am dulling.' He thought bitterly as his handgun materialized. He fired several rounds at the invisible attacker, stirring more confusion from the Devils. Seifer looked past his shoulder, and irritation raised his tone, "Fly you fools!"
"W-What the hell just happened?!" Issei yelled as he noticed his neighbor's hand bled without reason, but he was dragged along with his fellow compatriots before he could receive an answer. "What the hell is going on?!"
Invisibility won't help much in a fight against an opponent who can see souls. Such as him. As his smoke wrapped around his hand to act as a temporary bandages, Seifer cautiously eyed his surrounding – intentionally looking at an empty spot to deceive his opponent. Hopefully, his opponent would think that his earlier block was a stroke of luck.
Fortunately, it worked. Not three seconds after, his invisible opponent closed the distance to strike, missing widely as Seifer stepped to his side. Using the momentum of his missed slash, he caught and pulled the attacker's sword-wielding arm down, conveniently aligning the head within the range of his Glock-wielding hand.
"FFUUUU—"
Seifer pressed the trigger, and the 9 millimeter bullet travelled through the temple and blasted the crown of his head. Effectively ending the fight and the attacker's foul mouth.
An ornate sword hit the rubbles with a metallic clang, bouncing several times before laying still. It was shortly followed by its wielder whose grey hair had been drenched in red. Seifer winced as he heard aa nasty crack sound as the guy's back collided against a jagged edge.
Regardless, Seifer didn't know who he was or if he was meant to be some sort of elite or anything, and he didn't really care. Ditching his first opponent of the night, Seifer left to get his brother.
The Devils, excepting Rias who was too mentally and physically exhausted from spamming her destructive spells, dreaded him more from what they had just seen. In their eyes, excepting the Nekoshou who possessed Senjutsu, he was battling against air when all of the sudden a guy had his head exploded and dropped dead.
"Seriously you guys, what the hell just happened?" Issei muttered out in disbelief as he tried not to look at the corpse, but failed when he noticed Kiba was moving towards it. "O-Oi, Kiba!"
"Go ahead, I'll catch up." Ignoring the incoming horde, Kiba flew by the body. There was no remorse, but there was slight surprise as he recognized the face.
"Freed..." A name flew under his breath, before he then searched for the fallen sword for inspection.
The holiness it emitted repulsed him, and when his fingers reached for the handle, it stung him like a sizzling hot frying pan.
That surprised the Devil coming to him more than it did to him. "K-Kiba-kun! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, Asuka-san." Kiba looked at his fingers. It appeared unharmed, but Kiba could feel the burn. It was similar to the one those church girls inflicted on him by using their swords.
Asuka made a sound of discomfort at the ugly sight. "Blegh— let's go already Kiba-kun!"
"I said I'm fine, Asuka-san."
Cold. That was it.
"Mou, you don't have to sound so mean..." Asuka mumbled , but she pressed on anyway. "Still, let's get the heck out of here!
"I said I'm FINE!" branding his sword of darkness upwards, Kiba brought it down upon the Excalibur, only for it to dissipate. "Tch."
Stunned, Asuka at first gasped, hurt by his words.
"I don't know what problem you have with the sword, but I'm not letting you die because of it."
"Wha—"
But then she pouted, and made sure Kiba returned with her with or without his agreement by dragging him. Kiba trashed frantically, but at his current condition, Asuka was stronger, and much meaner. Unfortunately only Issei and Kuroka who enjoyed the sight.
As they rejoined the group, Kiba irately shook his hand off Asuka's grip. Now, she had never seen Kiba this angry before, and it's really concerning. But as her "Onii-san" said to her, she gave the angry a time.
Meanwhile, as the prominent magic users (Akeno and Kuroka) began conjuring the transportation circle, the Fallen Angels loomed closer. They were only a hundred meters away, and their mad laughter had loudened as a thunder-like crackle echoed as they formed their lightspears.
The group held their breath when a lightspear was thrown at their direction. But his barrier absorbed all projectiles, sending the light-element projectile to another dimension as it went through soundlessly.
A sigh of relief, and then they continued to watch Seifer in wordless worry.
-Break-
In all his life as a human, never had he faced a formidable foe as the one he's currently fighting. Blows after blows seemed to do little against this black winged cretin. Rather, Kojiro thought he would've been defeated if not for Tyrant's strength. One thing he learned from his defeat against Riser Phenex was that close combat meant his scythe had little to no use. And he had forsaken the thought of slicing this man as he's unexpectedly much faster than he thought.
Grinning madly, Kokabiel slashed his yellow light-induced sword slantwise. Kojiro raised a hand, using his forearm to parry the strike. The two unearthly materials clashed violently, yet the attack only left a scratch on his armguard.
Roaring loud, Kojiro delivered a fist across Kokabiel's jaw in a brutal uppercut. Yet again, not even a flinch. Kokabiel's grin never waned as he struck Kojiro's protected side.
Grunting, Kojiro flew away, gaining distance as he held onto his ribs. 'Something's wrong with him,' he deduced. He doubted his brother could take such a hit.
"IS THAT IT?! KHAHAHA! I've waited all this long just for this pathetic lump of metal?! HAH." The man taunted, red eyes driven by adrenaline and ecstasy from the fight. His face knotted to an ugly scowl. "Disappointing."
He was about to charge, but Seifer's arrival stopped him as he flew to his brother's side. Kokabiel grinned once again. "Ah, excellent... Perhaps now with your brother's help you can do more than just a tickle."
"Chatty aren't you?" Seifer mused, then whispered to his brother's helmet. "Hey, what's taking you so long? Beat him already. There's still a few hundred more."
That criticism insulted both Kojiro and Tyrant. He could hear him growling within him. "Didn't you see my attempt? He's... oddly strong, brother."
Seifer panned at Kokabiel, then back at Kojiro. "He's odd, that I can agree with. Are you alright?"
"My ribs might be broken."
"That's no good. You know I don't like uninvited guests at my house. If you don't beat him: he'll visit us for sure."
Kojiro clenched his fists. "Did you not see my attempt?!"
"Enough talking!" Maybe Kokabiel grew impatient. Maybe Seifer's uninterested tone made him impatient. Maybe both. But who cares as Kokabiel lunged at the two in a dash.
The two brothers scattered in a perfectly timed moment, separating left and right to evade the slash before they floated side by side again.
"My," Seifer cooed, "he is strong." And he was. In fact, his power had duplicated, but luckily not his speed. "Hey, you, how did you get so buffed? You were like a newt back then. And did you regrow your wings?"
"A NEWT?!" Growled Kokabiel. "I have always been as powerful! IT IS YOU WHO ARE WEAKLINGS!"
The two ignored Kokabiel's rant of how he had always been powerful and that it was them who were too weak compared to him.
"You're cunning, brother, what should we do now?"
"Like before, we're bringing that bunch back to my house." Moving back a little bit, Seifer remained nonchalant as Kokabiel's thrown lightspear whizzed inches away from his face. He kept his voice loud enough for only Kojiro to hear. "I'll take care of this guy. You make sure they get back – Kuroka too. Don't let anyone come here. Well, except maybe Tiamat. Let her do what she wants."
There was no need to doubt his brother's abilities, anyway. Unlike him, he still was a God. "I'll do just that. Maker watches over you, brother."
"Mhmm. You too."
As Kojiro flew down to guard the Devils, Seifer brought Kokabiel back to his line of sight. Quite clearly, Kojiro's retreat infuriated the Warmonger, and he mocked him for it. But Kojiro ignored everything he said, and had arrived unharmed as he seemed to be talking with the Devils. As he expected, Kuroka started to argue. She yelled his name, even going so far to threaten him if he didn't get down. But as he agreed, Kojiro held her down, as the Devils watched in confusion.
Rias' preparation won't take much longer now, and in fact, the group of Devils had left the battle just as Kojiro arrived there, and just as the Fallen Angels did.
"All of you stay back and watch. He's mine."
Good. With them out of the way, there's no need to hold back. Though surrounded by the jeering crows, their morale will plummet if he beat their leader – supposedly, Kokabiel. Which led him to a question.
"Before we start," Seifer said casually, increasing his voice so Kokabiel won't have trouble hearing him while his smoke arose. Surprisingly, it interested Kokabiel. "Isn't Azazel your leader? Where's he?"
Hearing that, not just Kokabiel, but all the Fallen Angels erupted into laughter.
"HAH! That spineless idiot?! HIM?! A LEADER?! HAHAHAHA!" when anger suddenly lined his voice. "Don't make me laugh. Although I do not know why you know him, I do not care."
"But you laughed."
"Quiet, you feeble vermin." Barked Kokabiel, grinning wide and unnervingly. "He never was a leader and he never will. There's no place for him within my kingdom!"
Seifer cocked his head to one side, still wearing that same unbothered expression. "You still didn't answer my question."
The Warmonger grimaced, taken aback by the man's indifference. But afterwards, his sickening grin settled in as Kokabiel declared loud and proud. "I killed him."
"Oh." His smoke that earlier swam around him so gracefully, rhythmically, went to a complete still. "That's... unfortunate." Softly, he whispered as a tightlipped frown smeared his face. His smoke softened and darkened, becoming shadow-like. It was so thick that it seemed touchable.
It satisfied him to finally see a change in that lethargic expression, and Kokabiel sniggered. "Khukhukhu... But it doesn't matter. That man has never mattered and brought nothing for our cause. Is it too much for you to handle? Does he matter to you that much? A friend, perhaps?!"
"Kind of." His voice was frosty. Silent. He was lucky none of his girls was here: he never wanted them to see him at this state.
He was furious, yet anger never crept to his face. In fact, a smile stole its place. An expression so calm amidst the turbulent darkness gradually encasing him — it's sinister.
And then, his colors faded as if they were drained away.
The warmth of his skin was replaced by a cold void. Darkness swallowed his no longer existent face as a hood loomed over his whitening hair, before his hair, too, was consumed in the darkness. He was becoming less of a human and more of a solidified shadow that no light can pierce. Only his dark, roguish outfit that gave him a visible form.
A pair of wings veered out of thin air behind his back, spreading twice the length of Kokabiel's wings. Yet unlike the Devil's bat-like wings or the feathered wings of a Fallen Angels, his lacked flesh. His was white and wispy, skeletal in their appearance, flowing in an ethereal way.
It was a quick process, however. In the eyes of his opponents, he became a completely different person in a span of a second. As the battle-scorn mask finally covered that nightmarish void, none of them were aware they had seen Death himself.
Overlooking this new opponent's apparent transformation, Kokabiel prolonged his monologue. "Hmph. You will join him soon, but I won't kill you. Instead I will let you keep your breath. You will watch as I first rip your brother, and then those Devils you oddly cared for... You can hide them, but I will find them, and I will kill them."
His mind was clear. Nothing crossed his mind, in fact. The more emotions, the less he felt. It's like his brain or heart was designed to choose what he feels, because he felt nothing other than the purest form of rage. And it did not overwhelm him, no. Seifer was in complete control.
Many would drag them on and on, wearing that spiteful rage on their sleeves for the entire world to see. But him? He was different. His breathing calm and even, his grip on his weapon was firm and proper. A black flanged mace. It was like an ordinary mace used in the medieval times, simple designed, hit as hard, but ten times sturdier from its unique material.
Bones will shatter, but he had decided there will be no need of a swift, clean kill.
Last time, he was going to injure him so that the Devils won't be pursued. But that was before it evolved to a personal cause.
"Good... Let your anger drive you. I hope you'll provide me more challenge than your brother did, whoever you are." Kokabiel goaded. "Though I must say your mask seems familiar... I must have seen it from somewhere... Bah, that doesn't matter – just like what you will be in a few moments."
"Well then... SHALL WE BEGIN?!" With a wicked smile, Kokabiel stormed straight for Death.
Chapter Ends
Hellaw. Sorry for the cliffhanger-ish ending, but nice to see you here.
First, I'm sorry for all of Xenovia and Leone's fans for that beginning entry. ;-;
So, this is the point where it all starts to go downhill. And by that, the start of another arc. Character death is still a thing, by the way. That should be pretty clear with the (possible) deaths mentioned here. I think I put a warning somewhere in the earlier chapter?
Anyway, the fates of Azazel and Sona and her co. will be concluded at the next chapter. As for Kokabiel... well, I think we all know what he'll get. Brutality incoming.
Also, after doing tons of research, I'm redoing my past action scenes. I'll notify you guys if I changed them to save your time. Actions are more "exciting" in movies, and even if I try my hardest, the choreography I had in mind will be different with the one in yours. So, I won't be bothering to detail all the moves during the fighting scenes, just like in this chapter.
Lastly, thank you for reading my story. This one is doing much, much better compared to its original, and I'm so very happy for that. Thank you guys!
Don't forget to leave your thoughts. I'll appreciate it and I'll take care of them like Seifer taking care of Yuki, I promise.
Ciao!
I'm curious, who's the woman you're rooting for? Kuroka? Or Grayfia? Or maybe some other potential haremettes not yet shipped/mentioned?
