Well, well, well. Welcome the Part II of the Season Finale of Til Midnight. I hope you are all having a Merry Padoru Day, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Hannukah, Merry Kwanza, and so on. Anyway, I managed to sneak some time away from my family to post this soooooo... let's get ready with this story huh?
I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.
[Ddraig talking]
[Ddraig thinking]
{Albion talking}
{Albion thinking}
|Tiamat talking|
|Tiamat thinking|
Mental Communication
"Regular Dialogue"
Attacks/Spells
Kuoh Town Bomb Shelters, February 24, 2020, 2:35 PM, Current Time: 1 Minute and 8 Seconds Til Midnight
"Aniki, calm down!" Mitsuki said as Issei tried over and over again to form a teleportation circle. Every attempt he made was met with failure with the circle fizzling out of existence. Risa and Mitsuki were subject to watching Issei fight against all hope to try and escape. They couldn't blame him. They too had felt that oppressive wave of power as did everyone in the town, supernatural or not.
"Issei, none of us can teleport in or out. We spatial locked the town to prevent demons from teleporting in and did so to ourselves to prevent them from hijacking our circles," Risa said.
"DAMNIT!" Issei bashed his fist on the ground, shaking the entire room and sending spiderweb cracks all over the ground.
"Big Brother…"
Issei turned and saw Lily hiding behind Mitsuki, clutching Magala close to her. His face softened as he sat down on the floor.
"I'm sorry I scared you Lils," Issei said, hanging his head in shame.
"Issei, you need to stay calm. There's hope. Mikaboshi-sama said that the JSDF is coming to the shelter to bring everyone out of Kuoh," Risa said.
"That's good," Issei said.
"Yes, but we need to wait for them. They have to fight through demons and are currently being escorted by Serafall-sama alongside the others who came here to fight," Risa said.
"Let's just get out of here once they do," Issei said. He looked at his watch.
4:30 PM
"I still have seven and a half hours," Issei said.
"That's a lot of time," Risa said.
"It isn't for them," Issei said.
Kuoh
Lilith stood silently across from Sirzechs, Bael, Metatron, and Grayfia, locking the four of them in place with her steely gaze. Her eyes hardened as she began to speak once more.
"I'll ask one more time. Where. Is. Issei-chan?" she said.
"We're not telling you," Sirzechs said.
"Oh, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way then," Lilith said as she took a step forward.
"Save Lucifer-sama!"
Lilith turned around at the sound of battle cries. A large number of devils had surrounded the house, each one of them preparing their spells to fire on Lilith. The Demon Princess quirked an eyebrow in amusement as they fired the spells. She stood there and allowed the spells to hit her.
As she did, her grip on the four loosened, allowing them to flee the blast zone. A thunderous explosion blasted apart the roof of the Hyoudou Manor and shook the entire block.
The smoke cleared and their eyes widened in shock and fear when Lilith merely floated in mid-air, completely unscathed from the combined force of the spells.
"Are you done?" Lilith asked.
The devils all backed away in fear, not wanting to answer this monster that stood before them.
"My turn."
Sirzechs and Grayfia watched in horror as Lilith flickered out of existence and reappeared several feet behind the group of devils. Blood exploded from them, raining onto the street and causing them to flow red as the devils dropped dead.
Lilith turned to face Sirzechs, Grayfia, Bael, and Metatron.
"The same thing will happen to you but much slower if you don't tell me where my little brother is right now," Lilith said as her eyes began to glow.
"Go."
"Bael-sama?" Grayfia said, looking at him incredulously.
"Bael," Metatron said.
"I'll hold her off. Go find Mikaboshi and go!" Bael said as he began to power up.
"Well?" Lilith said. Her eyes widened when Bael appeared in front of her and delivered a devastating roundhouse to her jaw, sending her crashing through several buildings.
"Go find Issei and run. NOW!" Bael roared at them.
"I'm staying with you," Metatron said.
"But-!"
"No ifs, buts, or coconuts," Metatron said as she summoned a clay tablet.
"Hmph. I guess that works," Bael said as he saw his wife power up.
"The Angel Tablet."
Lilith burst from the rubble, several thousand feet away and rose into the air.
"Unfortunately, in your weakened state, it won't be of much help as it was when you were at full power, Metatron," Lilith said.
"We'll see about that," Metatron said as she began to gather light into her palms.
A swirl of Miasma surrounded Bael before dispersing.
"Qliphoth Mode: Bael Harab Serapel!" Bael said as he stared down his older sister. "I can't allow you to do this Onee-sama."
"I see," Lilith said as she entered her true form. "I'm sorry in advance. Little Brother."
Bael summoned his sword and raised it to block Lilith's blade as it descended towards him.
Metatron fired a light blast, sending Lilith flying. The demoness caught herself in midair and fired a blast of darkness at Metatron. Bael appeared in front of the blast and reflected the attack right back at Lilith.
"I see that your teamwork hasn't dulled in the last million years," Lilith said as she casually deflected the attack.
"No, it hasn't," Bael said as he summoned black fire. He stretched his palm out and unleashed a massive spiral of black flames at Lilith. Metatron threw her hand forward and let loose a torrent of white fire. The two flames merged and spiraled together towards the Demon Princess.
"This'll be fun," Lilith said as she raised her palm in front of her. A massive jet of violet flames was expelled from her hand and collided with Metatron and Bael's. The collision sent tremors reverberating throughout all of Kuoh and to the rest of Japan.
Everyone in the town stopped fighting to see two jets of flames fighting for dominance.
"So that's Lilith?" Rias asked as she stared up at the battle.
"Yeah," Vigne said as she landed next to her.
Samael blocked Vali's sword and kicked him away. The ground shook and a sudden wave of heat caused him to look up. He smirked.
"So you finally decide to do something," Samael muttered.
Vali noticed Samael looking at the sky. He looked up and his eyes widened. Lilith was there, fighting both Bael and Metatron at the same time.
"Tch, damnit!" Vali said as he formed a magic circle.
Mikaboshi flew as fast as she could towards the flames. She needed to get there fast. If this kept up, Lilith was going to slaughter Bael and Metatron. A presence made itself known as she turned to look.
"Asmodeus," Amatsu-Mikaboshi said, acknowledging her presence.
"Mikaboshi. You're headed there too right?" Asmodeus said.
"Yeah. Get your brother and Metatron. I'll fight Lilith," Mikaboshi said.
Asmodeus nodded and the two sped off towards the battle.
Hideki and his soldiers made their way to the mountains. He growled in anger as he fired his gun at a demon. Their bullets weren't working on these things. Even a headshot didn't kill it. Hell, they even tried explosives but the damn things just regenerated. He had lost 50 men on the way to the shelters as well as most of his air support in an attempt to save his transport helicopters. As the demon was about to bring its weapon down on him, a large spike of ice impaled the demon and all the demons that had surrounded them.
A girl, younger than he was, landed in front of him. She was short in stature and had raven black hair styled in twin tails. Her eyes were violet and she wore an outfit that he could honestly say made her look like a cosplayer. But she was beautiful. More beautiful than any woman he had ever met except for the Void Goddess. Her most striking feature, however, was her wings. A pair of black bat-like wings were on her back.
The woman turned to them, causing him and his remaining soldiers to stiffen. She bowed before them.
"I am Serafall Leviathan. One of the Four Maou or Devil Kings bearing the title Leviathan. I and my group shall be escorting you to the shelter," Serafall said. Several people landed behind her. One of which was a man wearing silver and blue armor with blonde hair and a girl who looked like a younger, less busty version of Serafall.
"I am Thor, the Norse God of Thunder," Thor said. Some of the soldiers' eyes widened as they immediately ran up to Thor, asking for an autograph.
"Umm," Serafall said, a little peeved that no one was asking her for autographs.
"Right, this is my younger sister and her peerage, Sona Sitri," Serafall said, gesturing to her slender look-alike.
"I am Major General Hideki Kobayashi. This is my now Lieutenant Kosaki Yukishiro," he said, introducing himself and the wide-eyed female soldier next to him.
"You're here for the evacuees yes?" Sona asked.
"That is correct," he said.
Serafall walked over to him and handed him a case. The general opened it and looked inside and saw… guns?
"What use will these be? Our bullets don't even work on them," the general said.
"These guns were specifically created with the Supernatural in mind. You can thank the Christian Church later. These guns have bullets that are imbued with light. Several exorcists on the field have confirmed that these can affect demons but as a precaution, one of our magical specialists imbued these bullets with an exorcism that will banish them back to Hell," Serafall explained.
"There's enough in here for all of us?" Kosaki asked.
"No, just for some of you. We didn't have time to gather these as we expected you to arrive later than sooner," Serafall said. "Poor foresight on our part."
"No, it's okay. At least, these will help my troops survive," Hideki said, grabbing the pistol and cocking it.
"We'll try to keep them all off you. You focus on getting the evacuees out of here and to Tokyo. Also, we have a special interest person that is part of that group. If the demons were to get their hands on him, it would spell doom on all of us," Serafall said.
The general nodded.
"Go," Serafall said as she took off.
"Kosaki, distribute the guns to as many of our surviving troops as you can," Hideki said.
"Yes sir," Kosaki said.
The two turned when they heard screaming. A man with black eyes appeared in front of them and tackled Kosaki. He began to strangle her when a banging sound was heard. The demon screamed before exploding into a cloud of smoke.
"So they do work," Hideki said, looking at the gun.
"General?" Kosaki said as she stood up.
"Let's go get those evacuees," Hideki said.
Lilith held a beaten Bael by the throat. She stared into the bruised face of her younger brother as he struggled to get out of her grip. On the ground next to them was a bloody and unconscious Metatron. Her body was riddled with slash marks of varying sizes. Her cheek was bruised and one of her wings was broken, the ulna could be seen sticking out.
"Tell me where Issei is," Lilith demanded.
"Never! I'm not letting you start Armageddon!" Bael choked out.
Lilith narrowed her eyes as she began pouring Miasma into Bael. Bael let out a gasp as a red light began to pour out of his eyes and mouth. Before Lilith could do any more damage, a massive force slammed into her and sent her crashing into a building. The building collapsed on top of her, burying her under tons of steel and concrete. Bael fell to the ground, coughing.
He looked up and saw a familiar raven-haired woman landing in front of them.
"Took you a while," Bael said, rubbing his throat.
"Sorry, some demons came up," Mikaboshi said.
"Onii-chan," Asmodeus said as she landed. Her eyes widened when she saw Metatron's state and ran over, beginning to heal her.
"Asmodeus, get Bael and Metatron out of here," Mikaboshi said as a pair of black fans slid out from her sleeves.
Asmodeus nodded and grabbed her older brother and sister-in-law and flew off.
"What is with you people and getting in my way?" the rubble glowed violet before being reduced to nothingness. Lilith stood in the middle, looking up at Mikaboshi.
"It's been a while, Lily," Mikaboshi said.
"Ami," Lilith said as she hovered over to the Void Goddess's position.
"Why Lilith?"
"Why what?" Lilith asked, cocking her head.
"Why Issei? Why do you want to start Armageddon?" Amatsu-Mikaboshi asked.
"Heh heh heh… hahaha, AHAHAHA!" Lilith threw her head back in laughter. Mikaboshi's gaze soon became that of fear and worry. Fear at how her friend was acting. Worry at how hollow she sounded.
"You should understand me. The lives we lived all those years ago. Before these New Gods came, before humanity came, before devils came, and before everything else came. The conflict. The war. The rape, murder, famine, loss, destruction. I'm trying to build a world in which we don't have to experience that," Lilith said.
"And what does starting the end of the world have to do with this?" Mikaboshi asked.
"The End? No, not the end but a new beginning," Lilith said. "Issei will be the beginning of something new. Something beautiful. He will be the one to start a series of events to usher in a new era. An era of peace. An era in which there will be a paradise with no end. For that to happen, there must be change. The old must be done away with for the new to come in. So I guess it is an Apocalypse… to those who cannot accept change," she finished.
"You're really willing to make Issei the sacrificial Lamb just to get a Paradise that might not even be true?" Mikaboshi asked.
"Issei will be rewarded at the end of all this," Lilith said.
"And what could a man that will be broken with the most horrific tortures that no being can ever visualize want?" Mikaboshi asked.
Lilith went silent.
"Issei… will not be tortured that way," Lilith said. Her voice sounded unsure as if she didn't even believe her own words.
"Unfortunately for you, I do not believe that and it seems that neither do you. However, you've deluded yourself with the promise of Paradise and are willing to kill even your own family and for that, I must stop you," Mikaboshi said.
"You can try," Lilith said as her power skyrocketed.
"Hmph. I will but don't think for a second that I slacked since the War. Remember. Among the Elder Gods, the only ones who can challenge people of our level are the Trimurti, Anu, Aten, Bathala, and several others," Mikaboshi said.
"Hmph, I can see that you haven't changed a bit," Lilith said, pointing the Jeweled Sword at her.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi didn't speak, instead opting to charge at Lilith. Lilith was barely able to deflect Mikaboshi's strike, sending a massive cutting wave, carving a massive trench into the distance.
Lilith brought her leg up, sending Mikaboshi into the air. Lilith appeared above her and thrust her blade forward. Mikaboshi deflected it with her fans and sent Lilith off-course. She slammed her leg into Lilith's head, sending her crashing into the ground.
Mikaboshi hovered over the area where Lilith crashed. Her eyes widened as she immediately formed a barrier, blocking a massive beam of violet energy. She was pushed back higher into the sky but her barrier held strong. The beam dispersed, sending a wave of energy outward, splitting apart the clouds.
A shroud of golden energy formed around Mikaboshi as she swung her fans, sending arcs of golden energy towards Lilith. Lilith flipped out of the way as she deftly evaded Mikaboshi's energy arcs. The ground below her was sliced to bits as miniature pits with seemingly no bottom was carved into the ground.
Lilith landed a ways away from the nearest crater. An arc of energy sped towards Lilith. She drew her sword and slashed the arcs in half, destroying the buildings behind her. Lilith's eyes narrowed as she saw a halo of golden energy appear behind Amatsu-Mikaboshi.
"So you're resolved to killing me to prevent everything that I will ever do?" Lilith asked as violet lightning crackled around her.
"If I have to, but I don't want to kill you, Lilith. You're my best friend," Mikaboshi said as she floated there, a shroud of golden energy surrounding her.
"...," Lilith remained silent as the energy around her grew and became more volatile. She raised her arms as the miasma around her condensed and into several spheres of black and blue energy.
"I guess… I'll have to force you to fight for real," Lilith said.
"Lilith…," Mikaboshi said. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her eyes opened revealing two glowing red orbs. "I won't hold back."
"I'd be disappointed if you did," Lilith said, smirking.
Mikaboshi unleashed a massive wave of violet arcs that rocketed at speeds imperceivable to lesser beings. To the other gods on the field as well as the youkai, angels, and devils, Mikaboshi may as well not have attacked at all.
Lilith similarly unleashed her attack, swirling the energy into a vortex and sending it at Mikaboshi.
Where the two attacks met, the world folded as space warped and collapsed in on itself. The planet shook as the sky turned dark, the sun's light being overridden by the massive point of light that just appeared before them.
Kali reacted immediately upon seeing the point of light and raised a massive barrier around herself and the other gods. Asmodeus noticing the massive energy spike also raised a massive barrier around herself and everyone else. Every supernatural being followed their lead and reinforced the barrier that was put up around them.
The world was bathed in light as the entire planet shook. A shockwave traveled from Kuoh across the entirety of Japan, sending massive waves that battered the coasts of other countries. Lightning crashed across the globe as massive hurricane-force winds battered every country in the vicinity of Japan.
The light died down and almost not a single trace of Kuoh could be seen.
"Is this the power of the Elder Ones?" Tsukuyomi asked, falling to her knees as she stared out over the ruined, scorched land that went on for miles in every direction around them. The little patch of land they were on that was unscathed was being surrounded by Mikaboshi and Kali's barrier.
Up in the mountains, Serafall lowered her barrier as the soldiers stood and looked over the ruined land. The once large town of Kuoh was now nothing but a scorched ruined patch of land.
Hideki grabbed his phone when he heard buzzing.
"Yes?" he said. His eyes widened at what he heard and he dropped his phone.
"What is it?" Serafall asked as she tended to the wounded.
"Every city within a hundred-kilometer radius of Kuoh has been destroyed. Tokyo and Kyoto have suffered massive damage and cities on the islands of Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu were also affected," Hideki said.
"Is this what the Gods are capable of?" Kosaki asked Serafall as she healed her.
"Yes, but ever since the Great War, every war that the Gods have had has taken place in our realms. The last time the human world was involved in a supernatural war was when the Beast of the Sea, Trihexa, was released. We managed to seal it away again as well as minimize damage to your world," Serafall said.
"... Unfortunately, now seems to be the opposite," Hideki said bitterly as he looked out over the ruined land.
"Yes," Serafall said.
A large boom shook the area as Serafall struggled to see the combatants.
"Amatsu-Mikaboshi is fighting the Demon Princess Lilith," Serafall said as she watched them blur in and out of existence, clashing in mid-air.
A flash of light lit up the sky as another explosion occurred, this one splitting the sky open. Massive winds buffeted them as they raised their arms to shield their faces.
"Let's get a move on," Serafall said. Hideki nodded and continued to the shelter.
Lilith and Mikaboshi locked weapons in mid-air as they glared at each other, trapped inside a deadlock.
"Just give up, Ami!" Lilith said, pushing on the blade.
"I won't let you use your brother to start Armageddon!" Mikaboshi replied, pushing back.
"I'm too far in! I can't turn back anymore!" Lilith said as she pushed back, sending Mikaboshi flying backward.
"Why!? We always have a choice!" Mikaboshi yelled back at her. "You were the one who said that to every demon who joined our side during the Holy War! Why is it now that you feel as if you have none!?"
"Because I have taken on Mother's role as Guardian of Creation just as she did to Grandfather when He died!" Lilith screamed. "Your Progenitor… the progenitor of every pantheon in existence on this world and on others, Death himself, and Grandmother all but abandoned Creation after Grandfather's death. His own Wife and Siblings no longer want anything to do with the very Creation of their older brother so His role as Caretaker passed onto Mother, and now that Mother is missing, that role is now mine. And as the current Caretaker, I have seen that this world is no longer the world my Grandfather created so… I will remake it back into the paradise he envisioned. Issei is the first out of seven keys to achieving that," she said.
"You've gone insane," Mikaboshi said.
"I've merely seen the world for what it is. Imperfect. Impure. Full of evil. And it must be corrected. You and Hephaestus of all people should have understood me," Lilith said.
"Lilith…," Mikaboshi said as she looked at her sadly.
"I'm sorry," Lilith said as she began to condense a massive amount of Miasma around herself.
Shit! If she enters Qliphoth Mode, she'll destroy everything! Mikaboshi said.
Lilith suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed as a circle appeared next to her ear.
"You have them?" Lilith said.
"..." her eyes narrowed as a look of fury etched itself on her face.
"You will get your reward. Now take them to the specified location," Lilith hissed.
"..."
"Good," Lilith said. She powered down and looked at her old friend. "It appears that something has come up. We shall continue this later," Lilith said.
"Where are you going?" Amatsu-Mikaboshi asked.
"Something requires my attention, Ami. Let's talk again sometime," Lilith said as she turned around.
"Hey, wait!" Mikaboshi moved to grab Lilith, only to be blasted back by a telekinetic force.
Lilith smiled before disappearing.
"Did Lilith just leave?" Sirzechs asked as they stood in front of a tied up Astaroth, who was now conscious.
"My Princess would never flee from battle, Zechs-kun," Astaroth said.
"Can you please stop calling me that?" Sirzechs said as he looked at her. Grayfia was sending the blue-haired cambion death glares only for Astaroth to smirk in return. Asmodeus sighed.
"I won't. Will you punish me for being a naughty girl, Sir~ Zechs~ kun~?" Astaroth said, seductively.
Sirzechs blushed as red as his hair color as Grayfia struggled to contain herself.
"Really, Astaro-!" Asmodeus's eyes widened as Miasma condensed around her. The aura dispelled as her hair turned white, her skin became paler than it already was. She gained two curved horns that had blue flames flickering around them and her eyes became a pale, icy blue.
"Qliphoth Mode: Asmodeus Golachab!" she announced as she summoned a whip that was comprised of black and blue flames.
"Hello, Little Sister," Lilith appeared in front of them.
Sirzechs entered his true form as Grayfia readied herself to fight Lilith.
"Ane-ue," Asmodeus said as she tensed herself.
"As fun as it would be to watch the three of you try and hit me, I have more pressing matters to attend to," Lilith said. She waved her hand, sending all three of them flying in different directions.
Astaroth paled as Lilith approached her. She began to quake in fear as Lilith drew closer.
"My Princess, I am deeply sorry for my failure to find Issei Hyoudou. I shall accept whatever punishment you deem fit to inflict upon my being," Astaroth said, fear present in her voice. Her eyes widened when Lilith broke the bonds holding her.
"Let's go, Ast," Lilith said.
"My Princess?" Astaroth tilted her head in confusion.
"We have him in our grasp," Lilith said as she smiled. Astaroth nodded and the two disappeared in a plume of black smoke.
Samael landed in front of a beaten and tired Vali. Around him, the unconscious forms of his friends were strewn all over the battlefield alongside hundreds of corpses belonging to demons.
As Samael was about to kill Vali, a voice echoed across all of Kuoh.
"All demons. Retreat now. This is an order!"
Samael scoffed before sighing. "Looks like you live… for now." Samael disappeared in a puff of black smoke, causing Vali's eyes to widen.
"Teleportation? The barrier is spatial-locked!" he said. Vali stood and limped over to the others. He pulled out a vial of Phenex Tears and poured it into Le Fay's mouth. Le Fay glowed light red for a second, healing her injuries. Le Fay gasped as she shot up, gasping for air.
"What? What happened?" Le Fay asked.
"Samael left."
She turned and saw Vali sitting next to her.
"I need you to heal everyone," Vali said.
Le Fay looked around and saw her friends' injured forms. She nodded and got to work.
"It's over?" Rias asked as she watched Abaddon disappear.
"...," Vigne and Tyrael remained silent as they lowered their weapons.
"She teleported," Rossweisse said, landing next to the Cadre and the Knight.
"She did," Tyrael said.
"How? We spatial locked the town for everyone!" Rossweisse said. "I outfitted the barrier myself alongside the Maou and Angels."
"I don't know but we'll figure it out," Vigne said.
"For now, let's go meet up with the others," Ambriel said as she helped the other hunters.
"Do you and Sitri-san have this handled?" Hideki asked his Lieutenant.
"Yes, sir. Now, go with Leviathan-sama. Go figure out what is going on," Kosaki said. Hideki nodded as he motioned for two of his troops to follow him.
"Is there anyone left from any news media that followed us?" Hideki asked one of his soldiers.
"Yeah, we have a few that survived that blast," the soldier said. The three approached Serafall who was waiting for them.
"We are ready but if I may, can we grab the news reporters?" Hideki asked.
"Just one of them. The media isn't exactly known for being… fair," Serafall said.
"So you all suffer the same issues with the media taking things too far too?" Hideki asked.
"You have no idea," Serafall said as she formed a magic circle underneath them. In flash of violet light.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi landed on the ground. Her hair shadowed her eyes before she looked up at the sky and let out a roar of grief and rage. Her power pulsed as the world turned dark. Her aura disrupting the very fabric of reality around her as the earth quaked in response. Her aura died down as she stood there, unmoving.
"Obaa-sama."
She turned and saw Tsukuyomi, Yasaka, and Kali. Amatsu-Mikaboshi smiled.
"Let's go meet up with everyone else," she said.
Asia and the other healers worked fervently to heal the grievous injuries that their forces had sustained during their battle against the demons. The area that was protected by Asmodeus and Kali's barrier contained some buildings for them to house the wounded.
Irina sat against the wall, tending to her wounds as she waited for the healers to make their rounds. She looked out towards the mountains where she knew that the JSDF forces were. Helicopters made trips there every now and then, carrying the people of Kuoh out and bringing in supplies and reinforcements.
"Hey."
Irina looked up and saw Rias walking up to her. The devil heiress sat down next to the Ace as the two looked at the helicopters that were currently carrying people away.
"Well, we won," Rias said.
"We did," Irina said, smiling. "Issei is going to live and it's… it's finally over."
"No, it's not," Rias said. Irina looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"There's still the whole Seven Seals of Armageddon thing," Rias said., her eyes growing hard.
"...," Irina looked down. She was right. There was still that whole debacle to deal with. But that was something for the future, all they had to do was focus on the now. Now, they had to rebuild their towns. Repair the land. And most of all, deal with the fact that their world once again included humanity into their fold.
"We also have humans to deal with now," Irina said.
"Yeah," Rias said.
"Rias!"
The two looked up and saw Sirzechs running over to the girl. Rias smiled as her brother swept her up in a tight hug, pouring all his relief at the fact that she was safe into it. Normally, Rias would protest such a public display of affection but she merely smiled and returned it with equal force. Grayfia smiled as the two siblings hugged and saw the gods landing in front of them with Yasaka in tow.
"We need to talk," Amatsu-Mikaboshi said.
"Yes, we do," Serafall said as she and Thor appeared in a magic circle with Hideki, three soldiers, and a reporter and cameraman. The humans puked their lunch while Hideki held it in due to his years of discipline.
"I take it that these are the humans?" Sirzechs said.
"Yes," Serafall answered. She turned to Hideki. "This is Major General Hideki Kobayashi of the Japanese Self Defense Force."
"Greetings Major General Kobayashi. I am Sirzechs Lucifer. One of the Four Devil Kings bearing the title, Lucifer," Sirzechs said, bowing.
"Greetings Lucifer-sama," Hideki bowed.
"The other gods are here as well," Serafall said. She introduced them one by one.
"The one with violet hair and red eyes is Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Shinto Moon Goddess. The one with blonde hair and fox ears is Yasaka, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The one with dark blue hair and blue eyes is Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Time and Destruction," Sirzechs said.
"Oh and this is my wife, Grayfia Lucifuge," he said, introducing Grayfia.
"Gods…," one of the soldiers said.
"U- Um," the reporter held out a microphone to Kali as he tried to speak. "K- Kali-sama, right? Since you're a goddess from one of the major religions, what do you have to say about all this?" he asked, trying to ask a question.
"Get that microphone out of my face before I give you a colonoscopy with it," Kali said, staring into the man's eyes.
The reporter gulped before returning to Hideki's side.
"Kali, don't threaten the man. It won't do good for your pantheon," Tsukuyomi said.
"There is such a thing as being rude. He was being rude," Kali said, huffing.
"Right, so you promised to explain all this," Hideki said.
"I will explain all this," Mikaboshi said.
Sirzechs and Serafall looked at the Elder Goddess with surprise and nodded, allowing her to take the reins of the conversation.
"There's more to the world you live in as you have figured out," Mikaboshi said. The cameraman zoomed in on her as she explained.
"I figured that much," Hideki said.
"Gods exist. Angels exist. Devils, monsters, youkai, spirits, everything supernatural is real. It's just… you humans cut yourselves off from the Supernatural after the Great War," Mikaboshi said. "Why did they do that? No one really knows. But one thing's for certain. Now, you can no longer turn back. Humanity and the Supernatural have been apart for too long and that needs to be corrected. You were all part of our world just as we are all part of yours. To deny each other is to go against the natural state of things."
Hideki and the humans remained silent as they pondered Mikaboshi's words.
"What you're saying will cause mass panic. Everyone from people who are religious to atheists will have their worlds flipped upside down. As you might have observed, humans aren't exactly the type to accept things that are different," Hideki said.
"We are very well aware of your tendency to ostracize and demonize things that are… different from you," Kali said, remembering World War I and II.
"But… we will work with you to make things right," Hideki said. "I will try to convince my superiors to gather the world leaders to speak with you gods."
"That is all we ask. A chance to talk," Mikaboshi said.
"However, I cannot guarantee…," Hideki trailed off.
"We know."
"Right, so why are the gods and angels working with devils?" the reporter asked.
"Yes, about that. Before this entire… situation with the demons, we had another conflict. A group of supernatural terrorists took the entire supernatural world by storm and took the fight to the human world. In the end, we were able to stop them but not before they released a horrendously powerful being capable of bringing ruin to everything around us," Serafall said, looking down.
"W- Who?" the reporter said, unnerved at the fact that these powerful beings before him were now holding traces of fear in their eyes.
"I mentioned the beast of the sea to the general here. We called it 666 or Trihexa. The Emperor Beast of the Apocalypse. A devil alongside an army of dragons released him into the world in an attempt to bridge the gap to other worlds and conquer them," Serafall said.
"What happened to this devil?" Hideki asked.
"I killed him."
They all turned and saw Vali and his team approaching them.
"Oh, this is Vali Lucifer. Grandson of the Devil we mentioned. He slew his grandfather in battle," Sirzechs said.
"I'm also the current White Dragon Emperor," Vali said.
"I see," Hideki said, looking at Vali. "And they are?"
"These two are Arthur and Le Fay Pendragon. Descendants of Arthur Pendragon. They're human. That one over there with the cat ears is Kuroka. She's a Nekomata. And the one wearing chinese garb is Bikou. He's a Monkey Youkai," Vali said.
Hideki nodded.
"We're here to report that we eliminated all demons that weren't able to escape. However, we have a concern that we need to push forward," Vali said.
"What is it?" Sirzechs asked.
"The demons retreated using teleportation, Onii-sama," Rias said.
"What?" Grayfia asked, shocked.
"That's impossible! We spatial-locked the town! Our best mages locked down the barrier to prevent teleportation on all sides," Sirzechs said.
"Lucifer-sama!" Rossweisse landed, her face full of panic. Akeno and Lisa was right next to her, her face grave.
"Oh, Major General. These are some of our magic experts. This is Rossweisse. She is a former Valkyrie. The black-haired one is Akeno, a Fallen Angel-Devil Hybrid. And the last one is…," Sirzechs was interrupted.
"I am Lisa Emrys-D'Arc. I am Human and a member of Blacklight. That's all you need to know," Lisa said. She turned to Sirzechs.
"The barrier is compromised. A key rune has been instilled into the barrier's coding allowing for the demons to teleport in," Lisa said.
"What?" Asmodeus gasped in shock.
"Who did this?" Metatron asked.
"We don't know at the moment but we took down the barrier and have people working on inspecting its coding," Lisa said. "Rest assured we will find our little saboteur."
"Good. Now, where were we?" Mikaboshi said, turning the conversation back on the topic of human-supernatural relations.
"We were talking of the Emperor Beast as well as setting a date for a conference," Hideki said.
"Alright! Everyone. One group at a time!" one of the soldiers said. Sona and her group patrolled the air, scanning for demons while the soldiers helped in the evacuation.
"Finally," Mitsuki said as she stepped forward. Their group was the group after the next one. The group containing Murayama, Katase, and the others had gone before them and were currently evacuated to Osaka. One of the cities that was still intact and was close. They had heard that the explosion leveled the entire country, decimating every town and city in Kuoh's vicinity. Furthermore, the explosion had world-wide effects with storms and tsunamis battering other countries.
"Don't jinx us," Risa said as she stood next to Mitsuki. Issei nodded and looked around. He hadn't seen his parents since the shelter was rocked by the explosion and Lily was gone for a while now. She had seen a few of her friends and went to talk to them but now… Lily's friends had boarded the helicopter several minutes ago.
"Um, guys? Where's Lily?" Issei asked. "And where's Tou-san and Kaa-san?"
"Your father went to the restroom," Issei's uncle said.
"But it's been an hour," Mitsuki said, getting worried.
"Go on ahead of us. We'll go look for them," Issei said. His aunt and uncle nodded as Issei, Risa, and Mitsuki began their search.
"Lily!" Issei said as he looked around some trees. "Come on. This isn't funny!"
Issei froze when he heard a muffled shriek. An all-too-familiar shriek.
Magala!
Issei ran over and found Magala in her bird form, bound by a mess of seals written in various Kanji characters. Her mouth was bound as she tried to speak to Issei.
"Magala! What happened!?" Issei said, panicked. He tried to break the seals to know avail.
"Ddraig! Tiamat! Either of you know Omnyoudou!" Issei asked, recognizing the Japanese Exorcist Arts from his visit to Kyoto.
[I'm sorry Partner. I do not] Ddraig said.
|Same here Tiamat said apologetically.
"Risa!" Issei called. The angel appeared right next to him and her eyes widened when she saw the bound Magala. She immediately formed a hand sign and dispelled the seals.
"Aniki, what happened!?" Mitsuki asked as she ran over. She saw Issei hugging Magala as she nuzzled him with her beak-snout.
"Magala, what happened?" Issei asked.
"Two people. They sucker punched me and took Lily!" she said.
Issei and Mitsuki's hearts dropped upon hearing her words.
"We have to tell the others. Whoever took Lily must have taken Tou-san and Kaa-san as well," Mitsuki said.
Issei numbly nodded.
"Let's go," Risa said. "They just took down the barrier so we can teleport now."
Issei felt Risa place her hand on his shoulder and the three disappeared in the sound of wings flapping.
Irina watched alongside Artemis, Eden Squad, Gremory Peerage, and Vali Team as Mikaboshi and Hideki talked alongside the other Gods, Angels, Demons, and Maou. The introduction of Bael and Asmodeus had caused some uproar but it was quelled when Metatron stated that the two were on their side as well as Vigne, Cain, and the other Princes.
Her eyes widened when she felt a familiar energy enter the area.
"Issei?" she muttered as she turned around. There with Mitsuki and Risa was Issei, who had a panicked look on his face.
"Irina!" Issei yelled as he ran over to her. Now that she was close, she noticed his face was as pale as snow. Artemis, Rossweisse, Kuroka, and Ingvild all looked at Issei with worried expressions, being able to feel his panic and grief over the bond.
"Issei, what's wrong?" Artemis asked.
"Issei," he turned to see Bael and Metatron walking over to him. "What are you still doing here? The day doesn't end for four more hours! Lilith could come back!"
"You don't understand! Li-!" he froze when an ominous presence enveloped the town. The sky grew dark as everyone froze out of sheer instinct much like a deer freezes when a predator is near. The clouds above swirled as the wind picked up, sending chills down everyone's spine. The hairs on the back of Issei's neck stood on end as an all-too-familiar voice reverberated across the entire town.
"Issei-chan. I know you can hear me," Lilith said as her voice echoed across the town.
"Nee-chan," Issei said.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky as a wispy image of Lilith appeared above them.
"Issei."
Issei remained silent as he stared up at the wispy image of his adoptive older sister.
"Onee-sama," Bael said.
"Issei. I have something or rather some people that you hold… dear to your heart," Lilith said as she waved her hand. His eyes widened in horror as he saw his parents and Lily bound to several posts.
"Let them go!" Issei yelled.
"And I will. All you have to do is to meet me at a small town a few kilometers rest of Kuoh," Lilith said.
Issei gritted his teeth as she smirked at his reaction.
"Don't be late."
Her projection dispersed as Issei fell to his knees, unsure of what to do next.
"Issei?" Kuroka asked tentatively.
"I'm going…," Issei said, his bangs shadowing his face.
"W- What?" Irina asked incredulously.
"Don't try and stop me. She wants me and me only," Issei said.
"Issei, wai-!" her eyes widened as she and everyone else was blasted away from Issei. She looked at him, hurt as he held his hand out. He had a sad smile on his face before he manifested his wings and took off into the sky, disappearing in a burst of speed.
"Issei!" Irina yelled as she manifested her wings and took off after him. As she reached neared the edge of Kuoh, she slammed into something. Her eyes as a violet barrier appeared around Kuoh.
"Wh- What?"
Issei landed on the very outskirts amongst the ruined buildings in a small town. There in front of him were his parents and sister, bound to posts. His mother had tears running down her face while his father glared at the figure before them. Lily looked at Issei fearfully, begging for him to save her.
"Hello, Issei-chan," Lilith said.
"Nee-chan," Issei said, glaring angrily at her.
"Shall we get started, Lamb of Judah?" The Princess of Demons said, brandishing her blade.
Review Replies:
Rhongomyniad: Don't worry! More of this will be explored in the last chapter of the Arc. I will try and highlight how I think humans would react as well as the reactions of the different religions as to the coexistence of their Gods alongside other Gods. I think the best reaction to write will be the atheists and the Abrahamic Faiths.
AnimeFan0216: Yes, there will be more of that. Hehehehe.
18Andrew: Not yet... Hehe
leader. dbz: Welp, I was going to kill Issei this chapter but decided to do it next chapter soooo...
Hey, hey, I hope you all liked the current chapter! Remember, this is Part II of the four-part finale of the Arc. Next chapter is Issei vs Lilith for the fate of his own life. Also, who do you think took Lily as well as Issei and Mitsuki's parents? Their names are Gorou and Miki like in canon. Anyway, tell me who you think did it. And remember review. Follow. Favorite. And have a great day/night, the choice is yours.