::Author's Note::
We're getting close to the final chapter here guys. This one was quite the ride, let me tell you. I didn't intend for this Arc to be literally the same length as both Arcs One and Two COMBINED, but there you have it. Overall, I'm quite happy with how it's turned out. Despite going through a pretty lengthy dry spell in its development, I feel good about where it ended up.
One thing I wanted to comment on from posts I saw for the last chapter. For those of you who asked, YES, the inspiration from that scene did come from SAO Abridged. I felt the inner monologue going on in Abridged Kirito's head meshed well with the Saya is potentially a mind reader subplot I'm developing.
The end of the tunnel is approaching for Arc Three, ladies and gentleman. I give to you, Chapter 38.
::End Note::
Father Kyle's funeral was a solemn, respectful, yet no less gloomy affair. Like with all things that came with a Catholic Service, his ceremony and last rites were performed during normal Sunday mass.
Something about that always pissed Jon off. God was already the center of their attention twenty four seven. Why couldn't he take a back seat just ONCE so someone could say something nice about his Mentor without tying it to religious allegory?
When it became clear that the service was done talking about Father Kyle's life and had moved on to the Sermon, he decided it was time to dip out for a smoke. He'd heard all he needed to hear anyway.
Jon left the cemetery and returned to the parking lot with his guitar and a fresh pack of Newports. After popping the smoke in his mouth and lighting up, he took a moment to let the carcinogens sink in before blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.
"Well that was depressing, wasn't it."
Jon turned to see Irina, now free of her Sunday's best and in her jeans and red spring jacket, a compassionate smile on her face.
He smiled at her. "You too?"
She nodded. "I was hoping his eulogy would last a little longer."
He sighed bitterly before tossing his smoke on the ground and stubbing it out. "Yeah well...you already know how I feel about all that."
"I do." Irina brushed a strand of hair out of her face while staring away from him nervously. "But...we're still okay, right?"
"Of course we are." He assured, his eyes back on the horizon.
"I know we...said some things before you left to go fight Carlia." Irina frowned guiltily. "Some of us more than others."
"You were worried." Jon spoke sincerely, assuring her there was no ill will between them. "And you had every right to be."
"Still…" She gazed up at him insistently. "...I'm sorry."
After a moment, he peered back at her and smiled. "Yeah...me too."
A tense silence hung in the air.
"You know, I'm starting to get why the Church feels the need to lie to its followers. They want them to believe that the worst thing you can find outside these walls are Democrats and Abortion Clinics." Jon spoke frankly. "They want to protect them from the REAL evil."
Irina elected not to comment. Now wasn't the time for her to get preachy, she understood that much at least.
"The Church wants its followers to go to bed at night feeling safe. If that means lying to them, then so be it." His eyes fell to the ground and a melancholy sigh escaped his lips. "The more I think about it, the more I wish they had lied to us too."
"Even knowing what you do now?" She asked in concern.
"Oh come on." He gave her a stubborn look. "You mean to tell me you don't occasionally wish you could be something else? We hunt monsters for God's sake. Normal people? They see the sort of things we kill on a regular basis and they run." He shook his head. "But not us, no no. We actively seek out things that want to kill us or eat us or both. You know who does that? Crazy people, that's who."
She shrugged. "I just don't see the point thinking about it."
"Ah hell." He turned away, still lost in his thoughts. "I guess I've just been thinking...I've been a Hunter practically my entire life, it would have been nice to know what else I could have been."
Irina frowned softly. "Honestly, I'm a little relieved. You seemed so ready to die before you went on that Hunt."
He stood in silence for a moment, the wind quietly rustling his jacket. "Maybe I was...back when revenge was all I had to live for. But now? Now I'm not so sure."
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.
"I mean...back before I ever went on that Hunt, I pretty much just figured that's all there was to me. The Hunt. Six silver bullets and a flask of Holy Water." He shrugged. "I guess I just thought that sooner or later I'd go out the same way that I lived. I'd die a Hunter and that would be it. But now...I don't know. There's things, people, feelings that I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time."
With a heavy breath, he finished his thought.
"I'm just starting to think that maybe there's more to it all than I thought."
They stood in silence again. At last Irina smiled and turned her head back to the cemetery.
"When I die, I want to be buried here."
Jon gave her the weirdest look imaginable. "Do what now?"
Irina chuckled sweetly. "I was just thinking, originally I wanted to be buried with my parents but...this is where our Hunters are buried. It's where Father Kyle is buried. It's likely where you'll be buried when…" She stopped herself. "...well anyway, when it's finally my turn, I want to be buried here too."
He turned his head away in embarrassment. "Oh…"
"There's no telling what our future holds, Jon." She spoke sincerely. "To me...life is about enjoying the few things you have control over. Time together with the people you love. Small moments to laugh. And knowing that, when it's all over, you'll still be right next to the people you care about most."
Jon couldn't help but smile at her. "What are you saying, Irina?"
She blushed deeply. "I'm saying...I'm really proud to be a Hunter. I'm really proud of the work I do. But more than that…"
She turned around and beamed at him.
"...I'm really really proud that you're my Mentor."
He didn't really have anything for that. His heart was beating noticeably quicker, but beyond that, he had no clue how to respond.
Irina giggled at him. "Never mind." She pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and jangled them. "Come on, I'll drive."
"Okay?" He followed her to the car, a confused look on his face. "Where we goin?"
She shrugged impishly before climbing in the driver's seat and shutting the door. "You've got the next three days off. I figured we might head to that diner we ate at back in Missouri."
He quirked a brow at her. "You do know that's almost fourteen hours away, right?"
She shrugged. "You saying you can't handle a little road trip?"
"Don't put words in my mouth, Missy." He insisted before buckling up.
Irina laughed before revving the engine and putting the car in drive. As they set off down the road, Jon shouldered his guitar and began to tune it.
"By the way…" He smiled back at Irina while strumming a few notes. "...I'm really proud to be your Mentor too."
Her heart fluttered. Maybe one day...she'd muster up the courage to tell him how she REALLY felt. Until then though, she was happy with being what she was.
His family.
Jon strummed his guitar a few times before beginning to play.
"Yeah, I'm chilling on dirt road."
"Laid back, swerving like I'm George Jones."
"Smoke rollin out the window."
"An ice cold beer sitting in the console."
"Memory Lane up in the headlights."
"Has got me reminiscing on the good times."
"I'm turning off the real life, driving, that's right."
"I'm hittin easy street with mud tires."
As he hit the spoken verse of the song he grinned at Irina. "Now I know you know this part."
"Oh I just might." She grinned back at him.
He began to play and she spoke along.
"Back in the day pop's farm was the place to go. Load the truck up hit the dirt road.
Jump the barbwire spread the word.
Light the bonfire then call the girls.
The king in the can and the Marlboro man.
Jack and Jim were a few good men.
When we learned how to kiss and cuss and fight too.
Better watch out for the boys in blue
And all this small town he said she said
Ain't it funny how rumors spread
Like I know something ya'll don't know
Man that talk is getting old
Man mind your business watch your mouth
Before I have to knock your loud mouth out
I'm tired of talking man ya'll ain't listenin'
Them old dirt roads is what ya'll missin'"
Jon broke into the chorus again and they both began to sing.
"Yeah, I'm chilling on dirt road."
"Laid back, swerving like I'm George Jones."
"Smoke rollin out the window."
"An ice cold beer sitting in the console."
"Memory Lane up in the headlights."
"Has got me reminiscing on the good times."
"I'm turning off the real life, driving, that's right."
"I'm hittin easy street with mud tires."
They sang through the entirety of the song together. Both without a care in the world. For awhile at least, it would be like their troubles were miles away. Back at the Monastery where they had left them.
Small moments like this were what life was all about as far as Irina was concerned. Just her and Jon, her Mentor, her best friend, and the man she loved.
"What's got you so smiley?" Jon asked her.
"Oh...it's nothing. Our lives can be like nightmares but...occasionally they can feel like a dream too."
He set his guitar down and rolled the seat back before shutting his eyes.
"Come on, Irina….you and I both know this IS just a dream."
A nervous pit formed in her stomach and she looked at him. Jon wasn't there. Her mentor was gone.
Irina cast her gaze back on the road and gasped in fear before slamming on the breaks to avoid hitting the young girl standing in the middle of the road. She quickly undid her belt and hopped out.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?!"
She froze. When Irina stepped out of the car she was no longer on a peaceful American back road. She was in the ruined streets of Kuoh Japan.
And the little girl she nearly hit was no stranger either.
"Alice?!" She asked as if not quite believing what she was seeing. "Why are you here? You were supposed to go with the other survivors!"
"Irina…" Alice spoke in a calm but no less severe tone. "...you need to wake up."
She blinked several times in confusion. "Wh...what?"
"You fell asleep shortly after leaving the Church." Alice explained. "You're still in the city."
"But…" Irina was trying to remember everything. "...hold on, where's Jon?"
"He's about to confront the Angel of Stars." She warned. "You have to help him. Lucifer drastically overestimated their chances of winning. He doesn't know the full extent of Kokabiel's forces and there's every possibility Jon could die without all the help he can get."
A severe dread formed over her like a dark cloud. "But what can I do? His Peerage doesn't want me there."
"Like that's ever stopped you before." Alice retorted.
She frowned in uncertainty. "Will he even want my help? After everything that's happened?"
At that, Alice smiled.
"He still loves you, Irina. In all this time, never once has that changed."
Irina scoffed. "Yeah, me and about four other women."
She coughed awkwardly. "Well...technically five now, but that's neither here nor there. My point is, he's your family. And even if he's fallen in with a bad crowd, that shouldn't change how you feel about him."
She didn't respond, prompting Alice to speak for her.
"Hate the sin, love the sinner as they say."
"Who are you? Really?" Irina asked suspiciously.
Alice smiled up at her warmly. "A friend."
With that, she vanished. Irina woke up from her dream not long after that and checked to make sure her Revolver was still loaded.
Jon's chopper roared down the streets of Kuoh, cutting through the ruined city on a direct course for the front lines. It was hard to believe this was the same city he met his Peerage in. The streets were completely abandoned and aside from the roar of his bike and the sounds of warfare way off in the distance, the city was silent as the grave.
Asia clutched tightly to his waist, her pink helmet on her head and her blonde hair flowing through the breeze. Above him, Rias flew ahead of the chopper with the other members of her Peerage in a V-Formation.
"Look at all this…" Asia spoke grimly through her communication enchantment. "...I barely recognize our own city anymore."
"It's a ghost town." Koneko commented glumly.
"Kokabiel will pay dearly for this, mark my words." Rias assured, a deadly edge in her voice.
"And we're certain that crystal of yours will lead us to Kokabiel?" Xenovia asked Kiba.
He placed a hand on the Phylactery he now wore around his neck. "It was my friends who lead me to Valper once, now they will lead us to Valper AND Kokabiel. You have my word."
"Which means we can most likely expect Freed to make an appearance as well." Rias warned.
"Fucking lovely." Koneko groaned.
Jon gunned the throttle and fire burst from his bike's tailpipes. The ORC moved as a single unit through the broken and abandoned streets of Kuoh, ever wary of a potential ambush.
But no ambush ever came. The group made it all the way to Lindou and yet there was no sign of the enemy anywhere. While most would consider this a blessing, the ORC knew better. As they reached one of the suburban subsections of Lindou, Jon brought his bike to a halt and they all came to a stop. The lack of any substantial enemy presence, or indeed any enemy presence at all could mean only one thing.
"He's waiting for us." Rias declared. "Kokabiel knows we're coming."
"I don't like this, President." Kiba commented warily, his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword. "If the enemy knows we're coming then why haven't they made a move?"
"It could be our forces have them preoccupied." Asia offered hopefully.
"As much as I adore that bright ray of sunshine personality of yours Sweety, I sincerely doubt we're that lucky." Akeno commented in a motherly tone.
"It's likely we're walking straight into a trap." Xenovia spoke up, finally being the one to say what they were all thinking. "Ms. President, I know I've likely not earned your trust yet but…"
"Xenovia, you're a member of my Peerage now." She responded frankly. "As such you are entitled to speak your mind, same as the rest of my Servants. Now please, voice your opinion."
She was genuinely surprised by her response. "O...oh. Well, in that case, I recommend we hold off on the attack until we can acquire more information. We simply don't know enough about what he may have in store for us to go barging straight into a fight."
"Normally I would agree with you." Rias assured. "But time is not our ally here. If that missile launches and Sammy's team fails their mission, we are the only ones who have a chance of stopping the virus."
"Besides, if we don't keep Kokabiel occupied, there's no telling what kind of havoc he could wreak on our other forces." Akeno insisted.
"So we must blindly stumble into trap then?" Xenovia challenged. "I'm not saying we shouldn't act in haste, but would it not be prudent of us to-"
"It ain't a trap." Jon spoke up, cutting them all off.
All eyes turned to the Red Dragon Emperor, who at that moment was gazing off towards the sounds of war determinedly.
"I've hunted creatures like Kokabiel before. I know what they're like." He calmly explained. "They consider something like this to be a game. All this death, all this bloodshed, it's only happening for his amusement. This isn't a trap, it's a challenge. He wants to see which side is stronger."
"That's an awfully bold assumption Jon. Even for you." Rias spoke warily. "How can you be certain this isn't a trap?"
He turned around and addressed them.
"Because this whole set up is EXACTLY like when I hunted Carlia."
Asia gasped in surprise and concern.
"Jon…" Xenovia made her voice and her concern known. "...you do remember how that hunt ended, right? Irina told me about it. Your Mentor and all of his men were killed and you barely survived the encounter."
He lowered his head in solemn remembrance. "I will never forget." Jon then turned his head back towards the sound of warfare. "But this time will be different. This time, none of us will die. I'll make sure of that." He then added with a slick grin. "Besides, Rias and I didn't spend the better part of two days nearly killing each other for nothing."
She smirked at him with devious approval. "I couldn't agree more, my Servant."
"It's like our President said. We don't have time to come up with another plan." He continued. "If we're gonna take down Kokabiel, then we have to trust in the strength we've acquired to see this through."
Kiba walked up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm with you every step of the way, Brother."
Jon placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder in response. "Ready to kick Valper's ass?"
The Knight's free hand clutched at the phylactery once more. "We all are."
Rias made her way to the front of the group.
"Today is the day of a glorious new future. For ourselves, and for our city."
With their President's words, the Occult Research Club made their way to the Angel of Stars. Their final battle was about to begin.
There was a reason that Sona rarely, if ever, used her Spacetime Magic. Something that was becoming harder and harder to ignore as she did battle with Tamiel and Ramiel. As confident as she was in her Arcane Arts, she still had yet to fully gain control of her cousin Clan's powers. Because of her lack of experience, the gap between Tamiel and Ramiel's abilities versus hers were starting to show as they did battle in the neutral space she had created. As both sides wrestled for control over space time, Sona new if she didn't change something fast, she'd burn through all her magic reserves before ever getting a hit on either of them.
Not to mention, Rias wasn't kidding about Ramiel being lethal with those Swords of Light. Combined with his sister's Scythe of Light, the duo made an imposing pair indeed, even with the constant warping of reality going on around them. As both sides continued to wrestle for control over the created dimension, Sona blasted them with Arcane Spells. Though in retrospect, this was mostly just stalling them as opposed to doing any lasting damage.
"I'll give you credit for this much, at least." Tamiel taunted before soaring past a flying piece of building and taking another swing at her. "You've got some real lady balls trying to beat us at our own game."
"But you must be either stupid or suicidal if you think this little stunt of yours would actually pan out in your favor. You're clearly running on empty."
Sona dodged another wild shot from one of Ramiel's Cannons before deflecting another blow from his sister's scythe.
"You know? In hindsight, I'm GLAD you're not Rias." Tamiel snarled before channeling light magic into her scythe, increasing the blades size. "Killing a descendant of the Agares clan is SO much more satisfying than settling some schoolyard grudge."
"It's just a shame we can't put you through the same torture we've endured for all these centuries." A psychotic grin formed on Ramiel's features. "But rest assured, once we wrestle control of this dimension back from you, we will certainly try."
Sona just needed a bit more time. She dodged another attack and countered with a Water Dragon spell. Tamiel proceeded to blast it into drops with a single swing of her scythe.
"Once you're out of energy we will have plenty of fun torturing your Devil body with our light magic." Tamiel spoke sadistically. "With my time dilation magic, we can stretch a few minutes of agony into days or even weeks!"
"We will slowly cut you into tiny pieces." Ramiel added just as twistedly. "Until your mind is as broken as your body."
"Prepare yourself, Devil Scum!" Tamiel snarled viciously before going on the offensive once more. "Your nightmare is only just beginning!"
The duo charged her, intent on delivering the blow that would cripple her for good. At that moment, Sona clapped her hands together and a blue portal that lead straight into a great black void opened up behind her.
"What the-"
The Sitri King grinned as Tamiel and Ramiel were unceremoniously sucked into the portal. They fell through the great darkness together before landing awkwardly on a massive floating quartz stone. The crystal embedded in the rock was blue in color and upon closer inspection, they realized the things were everywhere.
But that wasn't all that was in this new plane of existence. Rivets of Ley Energy flowed from the bottomless depths below up towards the endless sky like streams of water defying the laws of physics.
"Well this trippy AF." Tamiel commented blithely. "Have you been smoking toad skins again, Bro?"
"Tamiel, not now!" Her brother growled.
Sona Sitri descended upon them, before gracefully landing on a stone several yards away. Seemingly no worse for ware.
"I must admit, you were right. Time and Space magic is definitely an area out of my expertise." She spoke impeccably while adjusting her glasses. "Much as I hate to admit it, it seems I have some catching up to do if I hope to keep pace with Rias. We have a little bet going, you see. I must surpass my Sister in power before she can surpass her Brother."
"Hate to break it you, but you can forget about that bet." Tamiel snarled. "You knocked us out of the neutral zone which means we're back in normal Spacetime. This fight is over."
She raised her hand to stop time but found she couldn't.
"Wh...what?!" For once, Tamiel looked genuinely rattled. "Why isn't it working?! I know I'm not out of magic."
Ramiel glared daggers at Sona. "Where did you take us?! What is this place?!"
"This…" Sona boasted pridefully. "...is the Leyline that runs beneath Kuoh. Here, time and space are irrelevant. Only pure Arcane Magic rules this zone."
"Horseshit!" He challenged angrily. "No one can warp INTO a Leyline, it's beyond the bounds of space and time!"
Sona nodded. "Exactly. Under NORMAL circumstances it would be quite impossible. But when you combine Space and Time Magic with raw Arcane Power, the rules of reality cease to be an issue. I brought in just enough space and time to create this neutral zone we now stand in. But beyond that, there's nothing here but pure energy."
Tamiel grinned at her wickedly. "So...this whole place is magical energy then? Thanks for the tip."
She tried to draw upon the power of the Leyline only to be zapped by blue electricity.
"Wh...what?!" She slammed her fist into the rock in frustration. "Dammit! What the hell was that?!"
Sona chuckled at her in amusement. "Sorry, but it's clear you know nothing about how raw magical power actually works. You see, neither Fallen Angels nor Devils can draw from a source of pure energy like this. It has to be mixed with something. Either Light Energy or Demonic Energy or any of the hundreds of different types of metaphysical immaterium that composes the Mana Spectrum. In fact, no Supernatural Creature in any of the three realms can siphon raw magical power...except for one particular subset of Devils. MY Clan."
Power enveloped Sona's being as she proceeded to show the overzealous Hybrids how it was done. Her body floated into the air and she raised both hands out to either side of her. Two magical circles appeared in each palm as she began to siphon raw magical energy into her being, boosting her power back to maximum and then beyond.
"This is a technique that was created by my Older Sister." She explained, her aura darkening and her eyes burning a deep neon blue. "With Mastery over both the Physical and Metaphysical realms she has attained a level of power that has allowed her to transcend the bounds of a normal Sorceress, into the realm of a Satan Class Devil and beyond."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Tamiel growled in disbelief. "You too?!"
Sona nodded, that dark look still in her eyes as she continued to draw power.
"I am the younger sister of Serafall Leviathan. One of the Four Great Satans, and Hell's single most powerful Sorceress. The same power that courses through her veins courses through ME as well!"
Her clothes vanished, replaced with the garments of a Sitri Sorceress. Blue cloth wrappings with white magical sigils covered her body and wrapped around her arms and legs, forming the robes of a resplendent Enchantress. A near translucent white cape of dazzling beauty fell upon her back. A tiara of silver metal with sapphire gemstones appeared on her head, and magic sigils swirled around her porcelain skin.
Finally, as she raised her right hand high into the air, a turquoise staff carved into the shape of the Leviathan appeared in her grip.
"I'm done playing your game." Sona's voice dropped with Arcane Power as she aimed her staff at them. "Now we play MINE."
The battle with the Fallen Angels above the city of Kuoh was going well so far. Between the sheer number of Sentinels at his command and the power of his Peerage, Riser Phenex had managed to reduce the number of Kokabiel's forces by almost half. As the new head of the Phenex Clan, Riser had to ensure his Peerage could competently wield the new power they possessed. And so he trained them day in and day out until he was certain the might of his Peerage had surpassed his Father's. His Harem of girls, ever loyal to their Lord, more than exceeded his expectations. Gaining unprecedented new skill as well as almost total Mastery over Wind, Fire, and Life based magic.
They were magnificent. Simply magnificent. But as powerful as his Peerage had become, they still paled in comparison to the raw unbridled power he now possessed. In a short span of time, Riser had easily surpassed his Father as the Immortal Bird. With the blessings of the Phoenix on his side, the head of the Clan turned wave after wave of Fallen Angels to dust. Every Light Spear that pierced his flesh proved only to demoralize his already flaggering enemies.
The gift of Immortality, it seemed, was a frightening power to behold.
Three Four Winged Angels summoned Tridents of Light and hurled them at Riser. The tridents passed through his body harmlessly upon which he immediately regenerated. With one hand in his pocket he raised the other into the air and snapped his fingers. Like a magic trick, three Fallen Angel's vanished into ash after spontaneously combusting.
"Is this it?" Riser mumbled hautily. "Is this really the best you can produce, Kokabiel?"
"Lord Riser! Look!" Karlamine pointed with her sword up towards the sky away from the chaos of battle.
All fighting ceased as each warrior turned to see another rift opening up in space time. Riser cursed under his breath. If he were a betting man…
Sure enough, a Legion of Eight Winged Angels decked in resplendent black armor descended upon them. It was the Two Hundred Watchers. Kokabiel's Elite. Now here in full force.
"They certainly know how to make an entrance at least." Yubelluna joked glumly to her Lord.
This was bad. With the arrival of the Watchers the battle had effectively shifted in the Fallen Angel's favor. If it was just the Watchers…maybe they stood a chance. But there were still well over a thousand Fallen Angels backing them as well. His sentinels alone could not deal with their power.
He didn't want to admit it, but they needed more hands for this one.
"Lord Riser! Reinforcements coming from the front! It's the Sitris!"
As if having heard his thoughts, the Phenex Peerage all turned to see Tsubaki, along with the entirety of Sona's remaining Peerage come flying towards them before taking up positions next to his girls. The Sitri Queen bowed her head respectfully upon approaching Riser before greeting him.
"Lord Phenex, my Master sends her regards." She spoke in a respectful tone. "We are at your disposal in whatever capacity you need us."
Ravel beamed excitedly. "You guys couldn't have come at a better time!"
Tsubaki peered at the Watchers. "So I see…they could prove to be an issue."
"Can you and your Peerage handle the others?" Riser asked cautiously. "If so, I can focus all of my forces on the Watchers."
She nodded. "We'll keep them distracted."
The Sitri Peerage entered the fray under Tsubaki's command. Freeing up the Phenex Peerage to focus entirely on the monumental task in front of them.
"Didn't we have trouble dealing with just three of these guys?" Mira pointed out nervously.
Riser nodded, smiling despite the lump in his throat. "I was on relatively even footing with the one I fought. It was Ddraig who killed them all."
"Which leaves us with the remaining one hundred and ninety seven." Ravel gulped. "Remind me again what it is we're doing here aside from trying not to completely lose it, Dear Brother?"
He chuckled. "You honestly think I'm going to let the Red Dragon Emperor show me up like that? If he can take out three of Kokabiel's Watchers, then taking care of the rest should be no problem for Riser."
Ravel frowned at him in concern. As tough as he was acting it was clear her brother was putting on a brave face. The task before them was monumental even by their standards.
Still, it wasn't COMPLETELY hopeless. After all, Lord Phenex still had one trick left up his sleeve.
"Remember, the way we win is by fighting as a unit." Riser addressed his Peerage. "This is far from over girls. These Fallen Bastards shall bare witness to the true might of the Phenex Clan."
His trenchcoat burned away as a series of orange neon lines began to form intricate patterns on his skin. Fire spewed from his waist, forming a red feathered skirt that fell all the way down to his toes. Two golden armored gauntlets whose fingers were shaped like talons formed on his hands and traveled up his forearms to his shoulders, ending with two massive pauldrons shaped like beaks. The flames on his back ignited and from the ashes two massive sprawling red feathered wings took their place. Finally, in his right hand, a golden polearm with red encrusted gemstones appeared.
Riser faced his opponents, now drawing upon his full power. The ultimate form of the Immortal Phoenix, Perfect Rebirth.
It seemed like no matter where Sammy fired his Desert Eagle or how many times, he managed to hit everything but Wesker. The genetically and cybernetically enhanced superhuman moved at speeds that his brain didn't seem to be able to process, making him appear to teleport instantly from one place to another. The Sitri Pawn had seen movement like this from Irina and Xenovia before, but nowhere near this level.
Not only that, the Sonofabitch could PUNCH. One hit to his chest was enough to send Sammy flying into a wall. Anything Aika tried to throw at him proved to be more of a temporary distraction than outright threat, as his Psionic Mastery proved far more efficient than her Arcane Magic.
"Your strikes are impressive." Wesker complimented upon engaging Sammy in close quarters combat yet again. "You've been trained in Boxing, but I'm also getting notes of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. You must have military training."
Sammy took a few wild swings at him that completely whiffed before Wesker responded with a straight punch that knocked him for a loop. He then grabbed the Dragon by the neck and hoisted him in the air.
"You could be so much stronger." He commented while Sammy squirmed in his iron grip. "The Angel of Stars possess the ability to bring out the very peak of a race's evolutionary potential. Even Dragons."
"No thanks, Pal. I've heard enough of your eugenic psycho bullshit to last a lifetime."
He reloaded his Desert Eagle before firing straight into Wesker's mouth. The Chief of Security dropped him and staggered backwards but otherwise didn't fall. After swirling his tongue around in his mouth for a moment he casually spat the bullet out and wiped his lips clean.
"It's exactly this kind of ignorance that leads to a species's downfall. My race may be beyond hope but yours may yet still hold promise."
Aika tried to blindside him with a barrage of Arcane Missiles which he nimbly avoided, quickly closing the gap between them before slamming his palm into her chest and sending her flying into a monitor. The Rookie Sorceress groaned in pain, dazed and unsure where she was anymore. Sammy opened fire on Wesker, who dodged and dashed to within striking distance again. The Dragon tried to counter with his fists, which Wesker easily knocked out of the way. Before delivering a harsh elbow to the ribs and grabbing him by the neck again. He then proceeded to choke slam Sammy down onto a row of monitors before sliding him across them and launching him into the wall head first. He barely had enough time to dive behind the monitors for cover as Wesker pulled out a Samurai Edge Automatic Pistol and opened fire.
"Only a handful of species truly matter. The rest are just so much chaff." Wesker explained while calmly reloading his weapon. "As the new Masters of this world, it will be our sovereign duty to separate this chaff from the wheat."
"Would ya listen yourself?" Sammy took deep labored breaths while gripping his Desert Eagle, still hiding behind the monitors. "You're talking about the genocide of an entire species."
Aika took cover behind a set of monitors as well while Wesker continued to monologue.
"Every day, humans come one step closer to this planet's annihilation. The Angel of Stars is not destroying the Earth, he is saving it."
She summoned her crossbow and fired an arrow straight at the back of his head. Without even looking, he caught the bolt inches from his face.
"Clever." Wesker commented before turning to face Aika. "Using a silent weapon to attempt a surprise attack. Ultimately fruitless however. I could feel the disturbance in the air as the arrow took flight. My senses are beyond your comprehension."
Sammy took the opportunity to leap out from cover and grab Wesker from behind before trying to place him in a choke hold. After some struggling, Wesker slung him over his shoulder and slammed Sammy straight onto his back before delivering a straight shot to his sternum.
That time, he DEFINITELY felt something crack.
"Valper was not just trying to unlock the potential of the Holy Swords when he set about experimenting on us. He intended to create a new superior breed of humans. Given birth by the Necro-Virus." He aimed his gun at Sammy's head. "We were entrusted with the endless potential of our species. But of the dozens of children put to the knife...only two survived. Myself, and Fynn."
Sammy summoned his Sacred Gear and threw up a barrier moments before Wesker fired. He kicked with all his might, sending Wesker flying backwards before landing gracefully on his feet. The Chief of Security reloaded and then fired again as Sammy righted himself. Giving him just enough time to erect another barrier and avoid getting shot.
"Valper wished to become a God." Wesker explained. "Creating a new world with an advanced race of human beings." He chuckled at the idea. "Arrogant even then. Only those born with the genes to truly BE Gods deserve that right. The Angel of Stars understands this."
The Dragon pulled out his Plasma Rifle and fired. Wesker raised his hand in the air and formed a Psionic Barrier, harmlessly repelling each plasma round that hit his shield while continuing to slowly approach.
"My Lord will bring about a new world order. One free of the plague of humanity. Our super weapon is on the eve of its appearance. With it, we will cleanse this world of its greatest parasite."
"Not on my watch you sick son of a bitch!" Sammy tossed his rifle aside and charged before attempting a haymaker with his gauntlet. Wesker caught the armored fist and slowly brought the Dragon to his knees as he painfully twisted his wrist upwards.
"Over seven billions cries of agony will birth a new balance. Once you see the world my Lord has constructed with your own eyes, you will understand."
Aika summoned a shotgun from the pocket dimension she'd been keeping it in before tossing it to Sammy. He took the gun, cocked it, and fired straight into Wesker's chest. The Chief of Security went flying before landing on his back and growling in agitation. He quickly righted himself as Sammy proceeded to fire on him with the shotgun. Wesker easily dashed out of the way of each shot before disarming him of his weapon and bashing the Dragon in the face with the butt of his own gun.
"Such stubbornness." He snarled before dismantling the weapon with his super strength. "I fear you shall not live to see the birth of the new world."
Sammy drew his Desert Eagle and fired. Wesker dodged out of the way before kicking the gun out of his grasp and following it up with a series of punches to his chest that were too fast for the Dragon to fully track. With one final kick to the face, Sammy went flying into the far wall, coughing up blood upon impact.
"Don't you tire of this?" Wesker insisted as he slowly walked towards his wounded prey. "Your feeble attempts at resistance only delay the inevitable. Once the missle fires, our virus will be released into the atmosphere, ensuring complete, global, saturation."
He tried to stand back up, only for Wesker to dash to him at super human speeds and aim his gun point blank at Sammy's head.
"A new genesis is at hand. And we will be its creator."
Without warning, Wesker was blasted with blue lightning produced by Aika. She quickly cast the spell again, hitting him with even more. Though it didn't knock him down, it did stagger Wesker with each successful shot she managed to pull off.
Knocking him right into the trap spell she had placed at his feet.
"I've had enough of your BULLSHIT!" Aika shrieked in rage before snapping her fingers. Magical chains impaled his legs and wrapped around him, anchoring Wesker to the ground. She then summoned an RPG and cast an enchantment on the missle to boost its effects before tossing the weapon to Sammy.
The Dragon took the weapon and aimed, firing the magically enhanced missile at Wesker, who caught it mid flight. As he struggled with the rocket propelled grenade, Sammy willed his legs to move and ran to his Desert Eagle. He rolled into the weapon, grabbing it and righting himself all in a single movement before aiming and firing at the missle.
The RPG detonated, blasting Wesker into the far concrete wall and then through it. With their opponent temporarily out of the picture, Sammy braced himself on the ground with one hand while clutching at his broken ribs with the other. Aika quickly rushed to his side and began forcing energy into his body. She was no healer, but she was hoping the extra juice would at least keep him in the game.
"Think you'll make it?" She asked worriedly.
"I'm gonna kill this fucker one way or another." Sammy growled before flaring black smoke out of his nostrils. "No way I came this far to lose to a Matrix Extra."
He willed his body to stand before slowly making his way to the hole in the wall, Aika ever present at his back.
Wesker was clearly dazed but nowhere near dead. He slowly stood up, ripping the ruined trench coat and shirt from his back as well as the broken shades from his face. His glowing red eyes bore hatred straight into his two opponents as he sneered at both of them.
"This...is FAR from over." He growled at them angrily as his body began to mutate. "I'm just getting started."
Black tentacles sprouted from his skin that covered his body right hand. A massive boney scythe formed on the end of the mass of tentacles and the skin around his eyes turned black and degraded.
"It's time for you both to die!"
Sammy pulled off his cracked body armor and summoned two gauntlets to his fists as well as two black metal boots to his feet. The Dragon's Mark on his chest covered his body and horns sprouted from his forehead. Finally, two black wings sprouted from his back.
"Take ya best shot, tough guy. Better men have tried!"
With a primal roar, Sammy charged and the two forces raged in an all out war.
The ORC was in a deserted part of the suburbs, about two miles away from the missle silo. This was where Kiba's crystal was taking them. A nice, quiet spot away from the chaos of the main forces.
"I've got to say, as far as battle sights go Kokabiel could have done a heck of a lot worse." Jon admitted.
"You're...complimenting him now?" Xenovia asked in confusion.
He shrugged. "I believe in giving credit where credit is due."
"Well...isn't that nice of you." A male voice cackled in delight.
Jon summoned his revolvers and immediately began looking around. He'd recognize that megalomaniacal laugh anywhere.
Freed Sellzen stepped out from behind the abandoned home he was hiding behind and addressed them. "Well well well, would you lookie what we have here? If it isn't the we all took the bait club." He bowed before them. "Welcome all of you...SO MANY DAMN DEVILS!" His tongue fell from his mouth in psychotic glee.
"Should have figured you'd be first to the party, Freed." Jon retorted with a slick grin while aiming both revolvers at him.
"I see we have the usual crowd with us." He snickered in a disturbing voice. "The Redneck Dragon Emperor and his little entourage of Devil sluts." Upon seeing Xenovia, Freed's psychotic smile widened even more. "Oh no…don't tell me..."
Xenovia scowled before turning her head away.
"YOU became a Devil?!" He burst into a fit of hysterics. "Oh that is just too PERFECT! I bet Dragon Boy here already has you firmly wrapped around his meat stick too!" Upon seeing Rias's Bishop again he calmed back down. "And Asia Argento…"
She peeped in fright and took a step backwards.
"The traitor Nun who gave her soul to the Devils. It's been far too long my dear." His body swayed unsettlingly. "How much do you love your new life as a Dragon's Whore?"
Jon flared at him, a threatening growl rising from the back of his throat as he cocked back the hammers of his revolvers. "Give me a fucking excuse, Freed. I'm just dying to wipe that psychotic grin off your face once and for all."
"Woah woah woah." Freed raised his hands up in the air defensively. "No need to go off prematurely their Johnny Boy. It wouldn't be much of a family reunion without the whole group, now would it?"
"Must you insist on barking so loud, Freed?" Valper groaned as he slowly made his way out into the open, taking up position behind him. "They obviously have no intention of playing along with your insipid ramblings."
"Valper…" Kiba drew his sword and stood next to Jon, a look of pure malice in his eyes.
Valper proceeded to take a step back nervously, causing Freed to cackle in maniacal glee yet again.
"Oh don't tell me the fucking KNIGHT still has you rattled, Old Man! How much more of a pussy could you possibly be?!"
"Be silent!" Valper shouted at him angrily. "I helped give you those powers you hold so dearly and I can take them away just as easily."
"Oh no no no no." Freed waggled a finger at him. "I fear you are quite mistaken Sir." He raised his hands up into the air. "It was my BOSS that gave me these powers."
It was only four in the afternoon, but the sky had already darkened. An aura of pure, unending, darkness loomed over all of them like a shroud of death. The ORC slowly turned their heads up to see, in the sky above, a figure sitting upon a massive floating black throne decorated with skulls. The figure sitting upon the throne was dressed in an expensive tailored suit, his hair was raven black and fell past his shoulders. The most prominent feature about him, however, was the two glowing red eyes that bore a look of pure cruelty and absolute bloodlust.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." The raven haired man sitting upon the throne spoke, his voice booming with power. "I...am Kokabiel."
Rias stared up at him determinedly for a moment, steadying herself before breaking out into a hateful grin of her own and walking to the front. "The pleasure is all ours. So you're the one behind all this destruction in my city? It's nice to finally put a face with a name."
"Rias Gremory…" Kokabiel declared. "...daughter of Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory..." His voice dripped with contempt at his next wods. "...and younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer. Your crimson hair is quite breathtaking, my dear. You take after the Scarlet Devil King quite well. Even your mannerisms are similar. It's absolutely NAUSEATING."
"Thank you." She replied dismissively. "Were there any other comments you wanted to make on my appearance or can we skip to the part where I kill you now?"
He bellowed in angry laughter. "My...even that overinflated confidence of yours is reminiscent of him. It's like looking at a younger, more attractive clone.
Her smile faded as a hideous scowl formed on her features. "By attacking my city you have made an enemy of the Gremorys, the Sitris, and indeed all the remaining Pillars of Hell. You're a walking corpse, Kokabiel. My Brother will not stop until you have paid for this destruction with your life."
"At least this is a better turnout than when I murdered those Holy Sword Users." He admitted, seemingly not even the least bit bothered by her words. "I thought for sure Michael would come after me but all I got were some third rate Exorcists and a couple of nubile young Hunters. It gave me the distinct impression that the Church and Heaven's army are not on the best of terms at the moment." His menacing grin widened upon seeing Xenovia. "I see one of you has fallen from grace and joined with Hell's forces. Perhaps that has something to do with it."
Xenovia clenched her fists and bit her tongue, her body quivering in rage.
"Why is it you've violated the terms of the ceasefire?" Rias demanded, getting more and more impatient the longer this dragged on. "The contract made was binding. The Four Great Satans, Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodius. Heaven's Paragon Triad, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They all signed and sealed the document with their blood. But it wasn't just them. The members of the Grigori Council, Azazel, Shemhazai, Baraqiel, and YOU, you all agreed that Earth would no longer be host to open bloodshed. We ALL agreed to this."
At that, Kokabiel's grin fell and he scowled at her furiously. "Baraqiel and Shemhazai were weak, and Azazel is a fool! Our leader wastes time collecting Sacred Gears and socializing with Dragons. We had the whole planet within our grasp and he let it slip away. Only to be swallowed up by YOU! You and your wretched Brother!"
She cast him a defiant grin. "It's not our fault you chose poorly when conducting business on Earth. We simply played the game better than you. Outsmarted you."
"And what of the achievements of your fragile Socioeconomic Empire, hmm?" Kokabiel challenged. "It is a corpse rotting slowly from within while maggots writhe in its belly. It was built from the toils of slave labor and is now inhabited by frightened weaklings to whom the glories and legends of war have long forgotten. I have forgotten nothing, and my wisdom has expanded beyond mere mortal frailties."
Rias gave him a sour, angry, look once more.
"Fallen Angels, Devils, Heavens Army, another war between us is inevitable." Kokabiel declared. "I am merely the spark which will ignite this great powder keg."
Freed laughed like a mad man. "Don't you just love it?! Soon, the whole planet will be one big blood orgy!" He pulled open his robe to reveal the Holy Swords they had reacquired now strapped to his person. "Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Nightmare, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Blessing. Thanks to Valper, these four blades are now ready to be used. The key to our great war has been acquired!"
Valper chuckled in amusement before summoning an enchanted alchemists circle to his feet. "At last my life's work shall be unleashed upon the world. All hail the dawn of war! A new era of Chaos shall rise!"
The Holy Swords flew from Freed's robes before landing at designated points, forming a square within the magic circle.
"At last, my dreams for the future are about to be made flesh!"
"Wh...what is he doing?" Asia asked nervously.
Kiba gripped his sword in both hands and braced himself. "I knew it...so that was his plan all along."
Xenovia summoned her Excalibur Destruction and took a combat stance next to him. "This was exactly what I was hoping to avoid, Valper has discovered a way to fuse the Holy Sword Fragments back together. He's trying to reforge the original Excalibur."
Above them, the four swords merged into one. Creating a massive golden two handed blade of ungodly Light Magic.
"Four fragments may not be enough to bring out its full potential." Valper explained as he proceeded to raise his hands up into the sky, sending tendrils of light from the four glowing swords into the air to merge into one. "But their power should be more than enough to break through Lucifer's Barrier!"
A massive beam of light formed in the sky before rocketing into the atmosphere like a missle. It hit the barrier and punctured through it, completely shattering the protective dome as if Valper had just shattered the sky. Slowly, it began to fall completely, crumbling until the city was open to the outside world once more.
Valper laughed maniacally. "At last! My disease shall spread! The end of humanity has come!"
"You insane Son of a Bitch!" Jon roared before firing at Valper. The Genocidal Priest used the power of the combined Holy Swords to deflect Jon's bullets as if they were made of wadded up tissue paper.
"At last the sword is complete." He boasted proudly as the Fused Excalibur descended into his hands. "Freed, you know what to do!"
"Oooo, gimme gimme!" He snickered like a child being granted a new toy. The sword floated into his eagerly awaiting hands…
...upon which power the likes of which he had never known before erupted from his being.
"Well this is just great." Jon grimaced angrily before twirling his revolvers and reloading them. "Looks like that Psychopath just got an upgrade."
"Jon…"
He turned to see Kiba staring intently at the sword.
"...leave this one to me. I'll take care of Freed."
Jon groaned at him in frustration. "Jesus Christ, not this shit again. Kiba now is not the time for-"
"Don't worry." Kiba smiled at him assuringly. "This won't be anything like last time. Trust me."
"I'll back you up." Xenovia took her place next to Kiba. "Together we should have enough power to at least match him."
"Well lookie here, we already have our first volunteers to test out my new blade!" Freed readied his Fused Excalibur, absolute bloodlust in his eyes. "So which one am I gonna carve up first? The Blondie with a stick up his ass, or the traitor Swordswoman?! Oh who am I kidding, I can do both of you at the same time!"
As Freed brought the full brunt of his terrible power to bare, Kiba channeled power into his sword as well, summoning his Holy Eraser. Jon could sense he'd gotten much stronger since their last encounter with Freed, but it wouldn't be enough. Not against that blade. Not on his own.
Fortunately, Kiba wasn't the only one who was stronger now. As Xenovia brought her newfound Power to bare, her Devil Blood coalesced with the energy in her Excalibur Destruction, skyrocketing her Psionic Abilities and amplifying her blades power well beyond anything she was once capable of.
Together, perhaps they stood a chance.
The two opposing forces vanished, moving at speeds beyond mortal comprehension. To Jon and the others, they appeared to be little more than blurs of speed and raw power clashing against one another.
"Do you really think Kiba and Xenovia can hold their own against a power that terrifying?" Asia asked worriedly.
"They can do it." Rias assured, her eyes ever present on Kokabiel. "While they deal with Freed, we will see to him."
Kokabiel bellowed in thunderous laughter. "Just as well, I need a diversion. All this sitting around watching lesser beings enjoy a good war can be so boring." He sat up in his throne and conjured a small spark of light into his palm. "Since you were nice enough to come and see me, I may as well introduce you to a few of my friends."
Lightning burst from his hand before hitting the ground below. Three black coffins then rose up from the ground before unlatching and opening to reveal three figures shrouded from head to toe in crimson red robes. In their skeletal hands they each wielded a black scythe that gave off an aura of absolute death.
Rias's blood ran cold. "Reapers…"
"Say what now?" Jon was taken aback. "Could you maybe say that again Rias? Not sure I quite heard ya there. As in like the GRIM Reaper?"
Akeno nodded her head morbidly. "I'm afraid so, Master. These are Spectres summoned from the Land of the Dead. The Domain of Hades."
"Hold on, that's a thing?!" Jon asked incredulously. "Why is this the first time I've ever heard of this?!"
"The Land of the Dead has gone by many names." Rias explained. "To some it is known as the River Styx, while the Norse referred to it as Helheim, the Ancient Egyptians it was known as Duat, but to us it is simply the Land of the Dead. It is where the souls of those who did not form a pact with us or accept God's blessing are taken to."
"So…" He readied his revolvers and summoned his power. "...how strong are these things?"
"Let me put it to you this way, my Dear Servant." Rias spoke to him flirtingly despite the severity of the situation. "If you were to put a Low Class Reaper up against a Medium Class Devil, the Low Class Reaper would wipe the floor with their oponnent nine times out of ten."
"Their robes indicate their status in the Land of the Dead." Akeno explained. "The darker the color, the more powerful they are."
"Okay... " He nodded, following along. "...so these guys have red robes. What does that mean?"
Rias grinned at the Reapers. "They're not red. They're Sanguine. The color of blood. These are Higher-Class Reapers."
So basically damn near Ultimate Class by Devil standards. Just wonderful.
"Reapers aren't normally capable of appearing in the mortal world like this." Akeno added. "This is what Master Level Necromancy Magic is capable of."
"Asia, I want you to stay back and provide healing for the group as needed." Rias commanded.
She nodded in understanding. "Okay. Please be careful you guys."
"Oh we're not done quite yet." Kokabiel insisted with a sadistic look in his eyes.
Jon felt a pit form in his stomach.
"You Devils seem to enjoy taking on familiars to be your personal servants, so I thought I'd try my hand at acquiring one of my own. I'd like to introduce you."
With another blast of destructive power a pit to the Underworld opened up in front of them. A pillar of flame erupted from the ground and an inhuman beast roared with deadly vigor as it slowly came crawling out of the pit of hellfire. A massive three headed hellhound with glowing red eyes and magma dripping from its razor sharp canines snarled at them.
"Th...that's…" Akeno was taken aback.
They didn't need to say it. Jon could guess this one just by looking at it.
"Cerberus." He commented glumly. "The Three Headed Guardian of the Underworld."
Kokabiel cackled with maniacal glee. "Very good, Red Dragon Emperor! This beast has stood at the gates of the Land of the Dead for countless Eons!"
"Bringing a spirit of this magnitude into the Mortal Realm is a grievous violation of the ceasefire." Rias growled. "You truly are an insane fool, Kokabiel!"
Koneko approached the great beast and knocked her gloved fists together. "I've got this one, guys. You focus on the Reapers."
"Koneko, no!" Asia reached out to her in concern. "You can't take that thing on all by yourself."
"Nor will she." Jon assured with a slick grin. "After all, this crazy nut ain't the only one with a canine companion."
He pressed two fingers up to his lips and let loose a sharp whistle. From the Ethereal Plane, his loyal Familiar Hati appeared before taking his place next to Koneko and growling at the much larger Cerberus.
"Ahhh." Kokabiel quirked a brow of intrigue. "The Great Moon Wolf Hati, is it? An impressive summon to be sure, but I fear he will do you little good against the Guardian of the Land of the Dead."
He smirked up at the arrogant Kokabiel before aiming Devil's Colt at his own Familiar. "Maybe not on his own...but with my power added to the mix…"
Jon combined his Transfer ability with his revolver, loading a round of power into one of the empty chambers. He then used his boost ability before firing the gun. The round hit Hati square in the side, startling the beast at first before green neon power began surging through his being. The Moon Wolf's eyes began to glow neon green as it suddenly grew in size. Hati's body expanded until he was now the same size as Cerberus.
Koneko smiled approvingly. "Nice!" She then leapt into the air before landing on Hati's massive head. The two stared down the angry snarling Cerberus, ready to do battle together.
With the great beast distracted, Rias, Akeno, and Jon could focus on the Reapers. The President summoned her ungodly power as red and black energy burst from her body. Akeno, meanwhile, brought her hands together and formed a hand sign before raising them up in the air. Lightning hit her body and her uniform vanished, replaced with her battle attire. Finally, two wings sprouted from her back, one Devil, and one Fallen Angel.
Rias gawked in surprise at her Queen. "Akeno…"
The Vice President smiled at her and nodded. "I'm learning to be proud of what I am, just like Master taught me."
She smiled at her lovingly and then cast a thankful look to Jon, who nodded his head as a silent response.
"So it's true then." Kokabiel spoke in vicious amusement. "I had heard that the Daughter of Baraqiel found her way into the Gremory Den. It shall be interesting to see how your powers compare to your Father, my Dear."
Akeno scowled at him hatefully. "I am nothing like my Father. Nor will I allow you to speak his name in my presence and live!"
Electricity danced off her body as she brought her own terrible power to bare.
"Such zealous young warriors I see before me." Kokabiel's smile widened and the energy in his voice turned to one of excitement. "How I've longed for a good fight."
Jon took a moment to pop the last cigarette in his pack into his mouth and light it. He drew deeply from the smoke before flaring the carcinogens out his nostrils, his eyes turning into two glowing yellow reptilian slits.
"Careful what you wish for there, Buddy Boy."
He twirled his revolvers on both fingers and fired.
Sona Sitri had Tamiel and Ramiel fighting for their lives. Summoning powerful spirits of the Arcane to fight alongside her, massive typhoons of swirling water and air, and arcane blasts that lit up the black void with dazzling displays of its deadly power. Yet despite all this the Hybrid Siblings refused to go down. They took every bit of punishment Sona threw at them and then some.
Still they knew this was a losing battle. Their opponent firmly had the upper hand.
"Had enough yet?" Sona taunted before summoning a massive Chinese Water Dragon, she had barely moved from the same spot she started since the fight began. "I've still got plenty of power left to throw at you. A whole Planet's worth, as it were."
Tamiel sliced her way through the Water Dragon with her scythe, getting splashed in the process. Only then did she realize that the water the Dragon was composed of superheated water. The liquid burned her skin and wings painfully, causing her to lose altitude and fall.
"Tamiel!" Ramiel swooped down and caught his sister before taking her to a nearby floating stone. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...I'm fine." She winced in pain, clearly having reached her limit.
Ramiel flared with rage before drawing his two Swords of Light again. "DIE BITCH!"
He charged Sona, who calmly raised a hand out in front of her, summoning the head of a massive Water Dragon. A geyser of boiling water as hot as hellfire erupted from the Dragon's mouth, blasting Ramiel back and burning him painfully.
"Brother!" His sister shouted in concern before catching his boiled body and taking him back to the rock.
"You may as well give it up." Sona insisted. "Your portal magic is useless here, there's no escape for either of you."
Tamiel glared at Sona hatefully, though was otherwise unable to do anything. They were both reaching their limit and she knew it perfectly well.
"To think after all that bluster this is really all you can manage when your back is against the wall." The Sitri King stated in a blunt, arrogant tone. "Take away those powers of yours and you're just a couple of brats with no real talent beyond the blood they inherited from their insane mother." She then added with a bit of a sneer. "And honestly, how anyone can take those clothes you wear seriously is beyond me. You look like the Eighties threw up on a Chanel Department Store."
Her anger flared to new heights. Tamiel summoned her power again and took flight, only to be immediately shot back down by a bolt of Arcane Power.
"You know what irks me the most about the two of you?" Sona continued her narration in impeccable pristine english. "You're not even really trying to beat me right now. You trample over everything in your path, not because you relish in it like your Father, or lost your minds like your Mother, but because you're trying to tell the world you take yourselves too seriously to be involved with it. You're too 'cool' to care, as it were. Yet once you strip away that arrogant narcissistic pride and expose the creatures behind that persona of indifference, what you're left with is a couple of infants shrieking at the first hint of displeasure. It's embarrassing really. Despite your power, the two of you are a joke."
Ramiel began to chuckle painfully before slowly rising back to his feet with his Sister's help. "The real joke here is your stubborn, bone deep conviction that somehow, somewhere, all of this makes sense! That's what really cracks me up!"
"Bro…" Tamiel frowned at him thoughtfully.
"It's that hypocritical sense of superiority all you Devils possess that makes me sick!" Ramiel spat at her venomously. "When the truth is, you're just in denial that both of us are exactly the same!" He pointed to himself and to Tamiel. "Us...a couple of outcast Half Breeds loathed even by the ones we command. And you, a prissy little rich girl with a massive inferiority complex towards your Big Sister."
Sona narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.
"We're all just looking for meaning in a meaningless world." He began to monologue. "An answer to the great injustice of a horribly imbalanced and imperfect society. Humans blindly believe that all lives are created equally but you and I know that is the furthest thing from the truth. And I don't just mean how some are born stronger than others, or richer, or smarter, or better looking…"
She remained silent, allowing him to continue his rant.
"In the grand scheme of things, they're all just chasing your shadow. The Devil. The ultimate embodiment of power and decadence." He cast his gaze up towards the sky. "But Chaos? Chaos is unbiased, it is unprejudiced, it is FAIR. There is only one thing in this world that is equal for all races, regardless of class, power, or species."
Ramiel glared back at her.
"We all die eventually."
Sona adjusted her glasses and took a deep breath. "Is that all you have to say?"
He narrowed his eyes sharply at her.
"You know what? I pity you." She spoke candidly. "I pity you and any other wretched soul who might fall victim to your immature and ineffectual philosophy. Because it is not one based off of strength, but rather fear. Your entire modus operandi is that of a coward too weak willed to truly live."
His body began to quiver in rage, impotent as it might have been.
"Apathy in the face of adversity is not difficult. It is not strength. It is not a source of power. Apathy is DEATH. Nothing but a poison that eats away at the mentally feeble and weak willed. You deny your heart the capacity to feel anything because you fear pain and grief more than you desire pleasure and joy. That doesn't make you the Warrior Poet you seem to consider yourself to be, it just makes you pitiful. Another soul lost the to the great black void of 'not giving a shit'."
"Stop it…" Ramiel growled.
"A life without the joy of wealth and the primal fear of loss is a life of utter stagnation." She continued undeterred, knowing full well they could do nothing to stop her. "To just go on surviving for the sake of survival is pointless. I do not live to survive, I live to WIN. I strive not because I am guaranteed success, but because the act of taking what I have earned is in itself all the reason one needs to be alive."
"Bastard!" He shouted.
She adjusted her glasses before reciting from a book she read. "Be I a louse like all the rest, or a creature ineffectual? Nay, I have a right. A privilege to take, to conquer, to thrive. Through bitter acts of callus evil or through virtuous moments of inspiring heroism, it makes no difference. I do not fear chaos, nor change, nor things that maybe could happen, that might happen. Because fear, that's the worst of it, that's the thing that kills Gods and Men alike."
Power erupted from her being.
"I am a Devil! A seeker of power! No matter what happens, I am free! I am free despite the rules that surround me! If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them! If I find them intolerable, I break them! I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything that I do!"
Three Water Dragons appeared from summoning circles behind her.
"So long as I draw breath, I will continue to build my Empire on the bones of the unworthy and fearful like you!"
And just like that, she had broken him. With the threat of their imminent demise moments away, Ramiel hung his head and began to laugh. Laugh harder than he ever had in his entire life. Tamiel looked up at him curiously before finally realizing what was going on.
"Ramiel...is it time?"
With a joyous nod he knelt down on his knees and faced her. "Yes, Little Sister. It's time...we're finally free."
She smiled at him, though it was a sad placated smile. One devoid of any true joy or happiness.
"Okay." Tamiel nodded back. "Okay, I'll do it."
Ramiel lifted up his shirt, revealing a swirling sigil that looked like a tattoo of a portal. Tamiel raised her right hand and five purple flames appeared on each of her fingers.
"What are you doing?" Sona asked warily.
"Setting ourselves free." Tamiel answered happily. "It's the only way...I'll be right behind you Brother. I promise."
He nodded. "At least we will finally be able to sleep, right?"
Tears formed in her eyes. "Right…"
She slammed her fingers into the sigil on his chest. The air left Ramiel's lungs as the sigil began to glow. A portal formed in his stomach that Tamiel's hand passed through. The rest of her body soon followed, space bending around her to allow her body to shrink as she was sucked into the black hole in his stomach.
"Wh...are you insane?!" Sona was taken aback. "Do you realize what you've done?"
He looked so serene as he spoke, as if nothing could bother him now.
"I'll finally be able to sleep...we both will."
His body twisted and contorted into a swirling vortex before being swallowed up by the great black nothing he formed in his abdomen. The vortex swallowed itself before fizzling into nothing.
Ramiel was gone, his very essence erased entirely from existence.
Reapers were no joke. That's what Jon was learning fairly quickly. Their scythes were infused with Death Magic that passed right through the skin and attacked the soul, sapping your strength and lifeforce away. That wasn't taking into consideration if they were also shedding years off his lifespan in the process, something he tried not to think too terribly hard about while fighting them. In addition, they could summon phantoms of the dead and make fully lumbering corpses appear from seemingly nothing but a handful of dirt, only further adding to their ranks.
Jon blasted three shambling corpses in the head with his revolvers before twirling them and firing four shots at a group of phantoms, causing their ectoplasmic bodies to dissolve. The Reaper he was fighting then floated up into the air and cast a ball of death magic from the tip of his bony finger. Jon dodged out of the way and watched as the attack splashed on the ground, killing all life it hit and turning it brown. He retaliated by spinning his revolvers on his fingers and spraying the Reaper with Hellfire and Holy Rounds. His opponent extended his palm upwards, forming a dark barrier that deflected every shot.
"Christ these things are tough." He growled moments before the Reaper swooped down and swung his scythe, nearly decapitating him in the process.
Rias and Akeno weren't having much luck with their opponents either. The President's Power of Destruction seemed to be having little effect on their Death Barrier's and Akeno's lightning produced a similar result. Jon was beginning to wonder if there was anything that could kill these creatures. Considering they were the spectral manifestations of Death itself, he wouldn't have been terribly surprised if that answer was no.
But damned if he wasn't going to try. He'd find some way to take these bastards down.
Meanwhile, Koneko and Hati were wrestling with the fearsome three headed dog of the underworld, Cerberus. Hati clawed, bit, and kicked his hind legs at the creature, who took everything the noble Moon Warg threw at him and returned it with molten lava. Koneko leapt from Hati's head and performed a spinning wheel kick on the creature's middle head, sending it to the ground. Cerberus quickly recovered and went back on the attack, raising up on its hind legs to swipe at her with its front paw. Hati retaliated by jumping on his hind legs and latching on before sinking his fangs into one of the three cerberus heads.
Kiba and Xenovia's fight with Freed was unrelentless. Both sides refused to concede a single inch to the other and their speed meant that only the aftermath of their attacks could be seen by mortal eye. Fresh craters were formed, houses were knocked down, the ground itself was overturned. It was impossible to tell who was winning from an outsider's perspective as they were simply moving too fast.
"Well this is going to hell in a handbasket real quick." Jon continued to boost his power before dodging yet another attack from the reaper he was facing off against.
A terrified shriek caught his ears. He turned to see Asia slowly backing away from a group of shambling corpses as they lunged for her. Thinking fast, Jon summoned his Dragon Boots and ignited the thrusters, leaping up into the air over the horde of Undead before grabbing Asia by the waist and pulling her to safety. With his Devil's Colt, he then fired upon the mass of flesh, popping each undead's head off whereupon they immediately dissolved into dust.
"Rias! Any ideas on how to kill these things?!" Jon asked while still clutching a frightened Asia tightly to him.
"Reapers are strong against almost everything, even Holy Magic! There's only one form of energy that's been proven to be effective at repelling them!" She dodged another powerful swing.
"What kind?!" He asked desperately.
"Their opposite!"
So in other words, their only weakness was Life Energy. Fat lot of good that information did. The Phenex Clan was miles above their heads and he somehow doubted...
"Umm, Jon?"
He turned around to see Asia offering two trembling hands out to him. In her palms was a small orb of Green Energy. Of course! Asia's Twilight Healing was based off of Life Energy! In fact, hers was probably the strongest Life Magic they had at their disposal.
"Do you think this will be enough?" She asked curiously. "I've never used my magic to attack before, so I don't know how much will do."
Honestly, that wasn't the biggest problem they had. The REAL issue was how the hell she was going to attack them with it. As strong willed as their Bishop had become, Asia was still no fighter by any stretch of the imagination. Forget combat, this was a girl who would rather spend ten minutes guiding a fly out of the ORC Chapter Room window rather than outright swat it.
So if she couldn't go on the offensive, then he would have to do it for her. Jon took Asia's hands in his.
"Don't ever let anyone tell you you've lost your way. Even as a Devil, your heart is still as pure as it was the day I met you."
Tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you…"
He kissed her lovingly before summoning his twin gauntlets and taking the orb of light from her.
"Rias! Akeno! Can you keep the three boneheads off me for a second?!"
"Do we have too?!" His President shouted back, now struggling to keep two deadly Reapers at bay.
"What are you gonna do, Master?!" Akeno asked him before conjuring a freeze spell to slow down her opponent's advance.
"Asia and I are perfecting a new technique!" He explained while using his boost ability to amplify the power of the life energy in between his palms.
"A new technique?" Asia blinked at him. "When did we decide that?"
"Oh you know…" He chuckled nervously while continuing to boost the spell's power. "...right about...now-ish."
She gulped before nodding in understanding at his words. They were essentially winging this one. While he continued to boost the spell's power, she used her magic to mold it into a more potent form.
"How will we know when it's strong enough?" She asked worriedly.
"I can tell." He assured, all his focus on amplifying the spell's power.
Back over on the fight with Cerberus, Hati and Koneko were in trouble. Despite their combined strength and resilience the much older and much more tenacious Guardian of the Dead had their number. In a single move he forced the Moon Warg off him before firing magma at Koneko with one of his three heads. While she managed to avoid the attack, the heat burned her clothes and left her vulnerable. Seeing an opportunity, Cerberus opened his middle mouth and chomped it shut down upon the tiny Rook.
"Koneko, no!" Asia wailed in terror.
Cerberus's jaw was pushed open to reveal the Gremory Rook fighting for her life. Covered in slobber and half naked, she gritted her teeth while pushing out with her heel into the beast's pallet to pry his maw open. Then, with a swift back handspring she kicked one of its razor sharp incisors out of its jaw and escaped. The beast howled in pain at the loss of its tooth before Koneko jumped off its other head and delivered a swift side kick to the middle face with all the strength she could muster, successfully knocking Cerberus over and giving Hati an opening to pounce. She landed gracefully on her feet before falling to a knee and clutching at her wounded arm.
"Asia, I can take it from here!" Jon insisted vehemently. "Go help Koneko!"
"On it!" She broke away from the spell and ran over to Koneko. "Are you okay?!"
"For the most part." Koneko assured, wincing in pain.
Asia immediately began using her Twilight Healing on Koneko's injuries while Hati wrestled with Cerberus on the ground.
"Dammit, it's not strong enough yet!" Jon cursed as he poured everything he could into the spell.
This was bad. Rias couldn't take on two High Level Reapers alone for much longer. And Akeno was struggling just to keep up with one. Meanwhile, Kiba and Xenovia were in a complete deadlock with Freed, and there was no telling how long it would take before Asia could get Koneko healed up enough to help out his Familiar.
During which time, Kokabiel continued to simply sit on his throne and stare down at them in amusement. The moment he decided to join the fray with everything else that was going on, it would all be over.
"Jon! Help!"
He turned and gazed in horror as Cerberus kicked Hati off of him and stood. Looming over the injured girls with snarling, fire spewing teeth. The girls both quivered nervously, waiting for their Dragon to come to their aid.
It wasn't ready yet, the spell needed a little more time!
"Jon, we need help!" Rias called. She and Akeno were in dire straights. If he dropped the spell now they could get wiped out.
What was the answer here? What would get him out of this nightmare? If he could just boost a little faster…
"JON!" Asia screamed in fright as Cerberus brought his head down upon her and Koneko both, intent on swallowing them whole.
Six revolver shots rang through the air, two of which landed in the middle head's right eye. Cerberus reared back and roared in pain, leaving both girls unharmed.
Koneko sighed in relief before turning to her savior. "For fuck's sake, wait till the last minute a little more why...don't…you."
It wasn't Jon. The woman looming over her twirled the still smoking silver revolver on her finger before holstering it and summoning her Katana.
"You guys need a little help here?" Irina asked with a slick grin on her face.
