Sorry for the Delay, I have recently began a new story much to my own awareness of how badly it will fuck up my plan of continuing the stories I have already published.
Please Enjoy Chapter 33.
"Ho Ho!" Kokabeil said in slim interest, "Careful, that's the power of an Ultimate Class Devil there, you might blow up trying to contain it."
I heard a crystal clear voice suddenly whisper into my ear.
"Do you require me?"
Aella…she was waiting all this time.
I grinned, "Knock this guy to the ground."
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I felt her almost smile, pleased with this task. Behind me, the air darkened, and something grew from it. Behind me, wings of black fog poured out, growing larger and larger as I saw her wings wrap around me. I felt her power seep into mine, like a boost as a silver wind wrapped around my limbs, carrying my weight to make me feel lighter and blowing my hair out of my eyes. Her wings suddenly exploded outwards, and sending out a titanic gust of wind. Kokabeil withstood it, but his eyes widened as Aella's form was revealed. She was massive, she must have been almost 200 feet in size as her very presence caused clouds to gather. The storm obeyed her will, and her form was intangible from any attacks that Kokabeil might sling at her.
"A Ventus! Impossible! Your race was sealed by God long Ago!"
"I found them." I growled, "and I kept them a secret so they could live in peace…Consider this an Honor Kokabeil! I'm going all out!"
I uncapped the flow, and I just dragged out as much power I could handle. Wrath seemed to feel my determination, and knew he was with me all the way. Aella's wings and arms rose in tandem, and the sky suddenly swirled, and a blinding white light began to glow. I started running for Kokabeil, trusting Aella to follow my instructions.
Knock him to the ground.
The air suddenly intensified as heat bloomed, and light struck the skies in a single instant. I took a running leap, seeing Kokabeil's still smoking form slowly fell. He fell head first, and I appeared in striking distance well within my flying stride.
I cocked a fist back, and I felt it glow with a familiar rage as Wrath himself glowed to spectate and add to this blow. I lashed forward, and it was inches from contact, before Kokabeil twitched.
And moved.
He flipped in the air, regaining control and firing a lance at me. Swapping to defense, I swung at the spear with my enhanced fist, and I shattered on contact, dissolving behind me as sparks glanced off my skin.
"Interesting!" Kokabeil boomed from above, "That attack had some serious fire power."
"I still got it too!" I roared, and I landed on the ground, before springing back up and prepping for another swing.
Kokabeil sighed, and he flapped his wings, a gust of wind streaking forward to knock me off course. I readied my arms to block, before I felt the familiar presence of Aella wrap around me, and her wings guided me out of harm's way.
"I shall Become your Wings." She said confidently, escorting me back to the ground and out of harm's way. I growled, before I realized something.
This guy loved to fight right?
He can't be having fun just floating around up there.
I grinned maliciously, before I slammed my fists together, my barrier flaring as I cracked my neck to the side.
"You know, for a guy who wants to start a war, you sure are afraid of getting hit. Talk about boring."
Kokabeil laughed in response, "As if fighting you would prove better! Its best to let children tire themselves out before putting them to sleep."
"Say that all you want, you're still the one floating up there out of reach. Coward. I can see why the Fallen called off the last War. With people like you-"
My words stopped as I felt Aella suddenly picked me up and skirted me around the side as a large lance impaled the ground where I was standing.
But that told me one thing.
We were faster.
And I wasn't consuming stamina with Aella doing the flying. I could recuperate, and not be penalized for it!
"See?! Look at that! Taking pot shots at a distance, what a bitch!" I said scathingly, and Kokabeil growled, summoning three floating spears and hurling them at once. Aella dodged the flawlessly, and I just kept on taunting.
"Three at a time now! Are you impatient or growing scared!?"
"Cease your words! You know NOTHING!" Kokabeil roared, and summoned close to ten. I would have counted, but they were pretty fast.
And I only really noticed one.
It was headed for my friends.
"Aella!" I called in panic, and she answered. We busted off, and I appeared between the two with a raised arms. I grabbed the tip of the spear, feeling it burn my hand slightly, and I spun on my heel, flinging it like a discus right back at its owner. Kokabeil ducked it, a little ruffled from the taunts I could see, and I smiled condescendingly at him as I plucked the final straw.
"You even dodged your own attack? Could it be you're not just afraid of fighting…but you're afraid of pain too?"
Kokabeil's eyes clearly bulged out of their sockets at the insult, and he snarled bestially, before he grinned, and slowly descended.
I could read his body language.
He wanted a piece of me alright.
"Aella, protect my friends."
I felt her slip off my shoulders, her power still leaving traces within me as I shifted what little weight I felt, and I focused entirely on the opponent in front of me.
"Here I am, pest."
"Finally come down? Took a while, had to really think it over huh?"
Kokabeil didn't wait for a countdown, and lunged, a golden sword manifesting in his hand as he swung it with the intent of bisecting me straight across the waist. I leapt the strike, and swung clearly into his cheek, knocking him a few steps back.
I was honestly surprised he did that.
"You know, you're not all that. I was honestly thinking I might die tonight…what a letdown."
If anger can make him fall this low, let's push him even more!
Kokabeil howled in rage, and I saw it, his Wrath. I could see his intentions; it was like I was in his head.
He has given in to Madness…a Fool. Using Rage to fight Wrath…utter stupidity.
I smirked, and I didn't even bother striking back as I let his psyche fall lower and lower.
I ducked and sidestepped, before I spun on a heel after his sword sank into the ground, and I stepped inside his guard with an enhanced shoulder slam, knocking him back and causing his sword to dissolve as it left his grip. He skidded back, and I chased. I laid into him, striking his torso and head, bruising his body and pulverizing his breath as he failed to block even a third of my strikes.
I could read all his moves.
I could see his thoughts.
He was as good as gone.
I swung, clocking him straight across the jaw…and it was at that point my instincts screamed at me.
RUN.
I felt my gut sink as I saw his red eye glare at me in rage, and I saw the mother of all punches swing at me from all the way behind him. I was too far forward to jump back, couldn't dash as I only had one foot on the ground.
I was taking this one.
I floored it, my power blooming in response to my desperation as brought one arm forward, tucking my head behind it, and concentrating my barrier on my left side as he swung forward.
He struck me right in the side of my chest, under my raised arm. My barrier was there, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it. I flew backwards, but this time I was ready. I dug my heels in and raised both arms again to block a follow up blow from the Fallen General as he brought a double hammer fist down on my raised guard.
"I was wrong about you! Let's have some fun!"
I saw his leg blur, and I rolled under it as a kick whiffed over my head with obvious strength as a cloud of dust whipped up behind me. I rushed him from the low, slamming him off balance, before jumping and high and power stomping onto his chest. He barely shifted, tanking the blow with a grin and an obvious bruise.
It was like he was trying to prove a point.
I kinda regret those taunts now.
He lunged, and grabbed my leg before I could land back on the ground. He swung me like a sledge hammer, focusing his strength into his downwards swing as he broke the ground with my body. I felt my barrier flare to absorb the most of the damage, but it was just more than I had ever experienced. After three good impacts, he left me in the ground, and before I could get up, he flicked me up with a foot, and then kicked me in the stomach, sending me high into the air. I rolled, predicting his movement for a downwards strike, and I saw his maniacal grin as his 10 wings expanded to their fullest, and he screamed in my face.
"FALL!"
He struck me in the center of my guard, and I felt my bone crack as I soared straight down, landing harshly in the already broken ground. I rolled to the side after a small moment, and I sprung to my feet as I gained distance. Kokabeil landed softly, his grin in place as I regarded him with a bit of respect.
"Alright, fair enough, you're not afraid of pain."
He just smirked at me, and his bruises seemed to fade slightly with his attitude, "Your strikes hardly leave a lasting impression."
"Don't undermine my compliment you idiot." I said flatly, and he grunted, before examining everyone in front of him.
"You've got an interesting family, Rias Gremory." He said calmly…almost begrudgingly, "The Emperor of the Red Dragon of Domination, a Heavenly Dragon, a remnant of the Holy Sword Experiments, and Barkiels daughter!"
"What?!" I heard the group utter in shock, and I slid my eyes over curiously.
I have no idea who that is…
"Akeno is the daughter of a Fallen Angel?!" Issei muttered in shock, and I felt my own eye widen slightly, before they returned, and I turned back to Kokabeil.
"I see that you like to collect junk, just like your brother…though rest at ease! You've found this gem of a Human! Claim him! I wish to fight him at even greater strengths!"
I tilted my head to the side…I really should be offended, but I was strangely honored at the idea he saw me as a challenge.
Rias simmered, before she arose and glared at him with an anger even I didn't need Wrath to feel. "I won't allow anyone to ridicule my brother, Our Satan. And Above all, such words towards my Servants! My Family! They must be punished by death!"
Kokabeil laughed, before he summoned a sword in each hand, grinning dangerously, "Then Kill me, sister of Satan, Master of the Welsh Dragon, Crimson-Haired Princess of Ruin! Your facing your Sworn Enemy! Only a coward would let this chance slip by!"
"Hey, Fallen Angel!" Issei yelled out, stepping forward with an intense gaze, "You keep on insulting my president and Akeno-san, and I'll beat the hell outta ya some more!"
Some more? Dude, I've been fighting this whole time, what did you even do?...unless he was fighting him earlier…at which point, well played.
Kokabeil just chuckled, "Are you out of your mind?"
"I guess I am!" Issei rebuttled indignantly, "Stay right there! Boosted Gear!" he called as he held his arm forward.
And then Kokabeil grinned, and lunged.
I felt my body move as adrenaline shook my core, and I leapt forwards.
He was going to chop off his arm!
I careened forward, racing against the Fallen General as Issei's arm glowed green as his gauntlet materialized.
"Stop Issei!" Rias screamed, and I appeared in front of Kokabeil. I heard to rapid foot steps behind me, and I trusted it. I, instead of blocking, bodied Kokabeil's advance with my shoulder, halting his charge. His swords swung for my exposed back, and I heard the clang of metal as Xenovia's and Kiba's voice called to Issei.
"We'll buy you time, Issei Hyoudou!"
"Build up your Power!"
WASN'T HE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THAT THIS WHOLE TIME!
"G-got it" he said quickly, and I heard Koneko's light steps catch up as well.
"Attacks from both Holy and Holy Demonic Swords! Excellent!" he called with glee, before remembering there was a third, and a fourth.
And I for one didn't like being ignored.
Koneko slammed into my back with her Rook's strength, and it transmitted directly through me to Kokabeil, who was sent skidding back surprised as Xenovia and Kiba gave chase.
"Going in Koneko?"
"Hai."
"Allow me."
I reached back, growing a few feet to make my hand bigger, and she hopped onto it. I took a step, before whipping my arm forward, and throwing her high into the air to avoid her from being spotted. I rushed in myself, calling back to Issei. "Don't Rush it! Get as much as you can!"
Why rely on the Dragon? Crush him yourself!
Wrath wasn't happy apparently.
I had an answer, but I didn't say it, I just smiled.
'Nothing wrong with asking for help.'
He silenced himself again, and I returned to focus as I saw Koneko fall down, and strike him right in the back of his unprotected head. I reached him just as he was leaning back up, and I slammed a powerful uppercut right into his jaw as he lurched backwards. Kiba and Xenovia swung in tandem, but Kokabeil still managed to block them, kicking me away, and spinning in a wide slash, forcing the sword wielders to back pedal out of harm's way. Koneko landed far behind him. Backing off herself to look for another opening. She was slow, she really couldn't afford to be hit either.
They all lunged in at once, and I charged in myself…but he was ready.
His stance shifted, before his wings suddenly exploded outwards, and I was blinded in a flurry of feathers. Blows struck without substantial defense, and I was sent backwards, skidding. Koneko wasn't so lucky. Her clothes were practically shredded to pieces as she was sent tumbling backwards from a serious blow. Kiba looked fairly well considering his clothing was still in once piece, but he was on the ropes himself from the blow as well as the continued battle.
Xenovia and Kiba were the only ones on a knee, apparently blocking it with their supernatural swords…though it clearly took a toll.
"Is that is?" Kokabeil taunted, drunk on the apparently superiority, but Kiba stood up slowly, his eyes burning in defiance as he gave a cry. "Sword…BIRTH!"
He stabbed his sword into the ground, and all around Kokabeil, swords appeared in the air, stabbing inwards without further command. Kokabei's wings halted their stabs as if they were made of iron themselves, and he smirked at Kiba maliciously, "Is that the best you can do?" he hissed, before his wings burst into a flurry, and shattered the swords as if they were made of glass. Kiba rushed forward in through the metal rain, and stabbed forward. Kokabeil caught it between his fingers with little trouble, smiling all the way. Kiba swung his other arm back, summoning another, and bringing it forward.
For it to be caught too.
Kokabeil was taunting him, uttering a single word. "Fool."
"IM NOT DONE YET!" Kiba shouted and light flared from his mouth as another sword appeared, and he swung it forward with all he could muster, making a clean slice. Kokabeil reared back in pain as the sudden sting blasted his ego away in less than a moment.
He growled, and released a large ball of power intending on vaporizing the Devil Knight. I lurched forward, ready for the save. I rushed it from the side, slamming into it hoping it would explode, and I would tank it.
Except I passed right through it. I stumbled out the other side bewildered and confused, before I pivoted and rushed for Kiba to get him out of the way.
Xenovia was ready.
Her sword dragged through the ground as she ran forwards, before putting her body behind her swing as she cut the ball right in half, dispersing it as she stood in front of Kiba's downed form, leaning on her sword heavily as fatigue weared her down.
"Any time now Issei!" I yelled at him, and he shouted back indignantly, "You're the one who told me not to rush!"
"I obviously didn't mean it!"
"The fuck dude!"
Kokabeil laughed, "Still stockpiling power? How boorish! Perhaps this Human was the only one worthy of a battle indeed!"
I squared off, ready to receive his attack, but he settled for a spokesman stance as he spread his arms as if he was ready to lay truth to the world.
"Though you do deserve some merit, I'm surprised you're still fighting." He eyed Xenovia especially, "Even after losing your master."
"Ha?" Xenovia panted, and Rias herself stepped back in, her wounds healed from Asia's healing magic, "What are you talking about?"
"Kokabeil, why did you say I've lost my master?! Who have you SLAIN!?" Xenovia roared in anger at the implication. Kokabeil just chuckled, clearly not at all intimidated.
He mocked shock, clearly enjoying this, "Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell."
"Answer me, Kokabeil!" Xenovia snarled, her attempts at lifting her sword faltering.
Kokabeil giggled, before it grew more boisterous as he plainly laughed out loud. He practically bellowed out laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in all the worlds. He carried on and on till he practically ran out of breath. He hunched over finally, covering his face from amusement, "Of course, I almost forgot! I'm stirring up a war; there is no need to hide it anymore!"
The field suddenly fell silent, everyone hinged on his very words.
He suddenly leaned forward, like a little kid spilling the beans on a prank he played a part in, his eyes glowing with insanity, "In the Great War, God was actually killed along with the Four Great Satans!"
Oh, I knew that.
…but they didn't.
Xenovia was clearly rattled, Asia right behind her as she fell to both knees despite not fighting herself.
Rias Herself could barely utter a coherent sentence, "God…is dead?" Her lip bit, and her brows furrowed, "You're crazy! Such a thing has never happened before!"
Kokabeil continued, thoroughly enjoying their devastated expressions, "The war brought an end to all Satans and many High Class Devils, as well as most Angels and Fallen Angels. Pure Angels could no longer reproduce, and there are very few pure-blooded Devils."
"There's…no way." I heard Asia mutter in disbelief… I could see her heart had literally shattered. She was a nun after all…I felt sorry for her.
"All three factions needed to rely on humans to survive. The leaders of the three major factions, Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils, concealed God's death to make the humans, who believe in God, survive! This scheme was nothing more than an act of self-preservation!" Kokabeil laughed again, reveling in finally speaking out.
Xenovia was on her hands and knees, her eyes visibly detached from reality as she struggled with this, "liar…Liar!"
Kokabeil calmed himself, sighing happily at the damage he had just wrought, "That doesn't matter to me though…What I truly cannot bear is that after the deaths of God and the Satans, we decided that the war was no longer meaningful! What is that madness! We were winning! I cannot bear it! They told us to lower our raised fists! We would have won had we kept on fighting!"
Madness clearly had taken hold of this warmonger, and his eyes just seemed to betray his insanity with their red glow, "That wretch Azaezal even proclaimed there'd never be another war. Unbelievable! Insanity! Idiocy!"
Asia shivered, before she stood up, her hand to her chest as she held her own and asked the crazed Fallen, "If there Lord is gone…there where is His love coming from?!"
Her eyes were holding onto hope.
Kokabeil silenced his ravings on the question, and just closed his eyes with a smile…and I knew, Asia would change after his next words.
"Michael's doing a good job. He's taken God's role in leading both the Angels and the Humans."
"Archangel Michael is substituting for God?" Xenovia uttered in disbelief, and Kokabeil just tittered at the sentence. "Then…then we were…"
She stopped.
Kokabeil just smiled devilishly, "As long as the system is working, prayers, blessings, and exorcisms should work, at least to some extent…but they will never be the same."
Asia fainted.
I held my ground, eying Kokabeil warily. He brought more evidence to the table than I had knew previously…perhaps Michael is responsible for this Curse then…Wrath hasn't said otherwise, so I'm assuming all these souls are being held here by the system, classifying Wrath as a Curse, and an Enemy.
"There has, however, been a decrease in the number of people that believe in God. With the absence of an entity to maintain the balance between the Holy and Demonic, anomalies such as that Holy Demonic Sword are bound to happen. The balance is no longer present. The two elements should never come together. I'll end this war how it was supposed to end…and take your heads as souvenirs!"
"Again…" Rias muttered, and I heard AKeno's quiet, shaky voice. "Rias?"
"Again, I refused to let go of my dignity, and I…"
I tilted my head to the side, and spoke loudly, "Hey Birdy, tell me, what does any of this change?"
Kokabeil stopped staring at me evenly, and I continued, "If he's been dead since the last Great War…then everything has found a form of balance, otherwise this truce wouldn't exist. You claim Chaos, but I see no evidence, just an explanation for anomalies that have yet to severely threaten the nature of this reality."
I pointed at him, "So what if God is dead? So what if the Factions aren't as strong as they used to be? We are here, we are alive, and we sure as hell aren't dead yet."
I walked forward, power blooming off my form as I took the argument in my stride, and shattered the hopelessness my friends felt grip their hearts as I lit up the sky with white light and warmth. I pushed my aura outwards, the calm, the soothing…the kind that told you everything was going to be alright.
"Your little complaints are hardly valid justifications for the destruction of our homes and the deaths of friends! You want a War…fuck you."
I glared at him powerfully, giving him the middle finger. "Fuck you and the wings you flew in on, Birdy."
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Hope you enjoyed, take care of yourselves!
Peace.
