Disclaimer: I do not own Fate Stay Night, Highschool DxD or anything else.
Fate: Devil Night
Chapter13: Excalibur II
Human World
Japan: Kuoh
Kuoh Church
The group of four descended down the stairs leading to the basement beneath the church, their footsteps echoing in the darkness. Ravel led the way followed by Shirou, Mitu and Issei, each one of them on guard as they finally reached the bottom. The sounds of fighting continued to roar behind them however they paid it no mind, instead focusing on the room they had found themselves in. It was dark and empty save for the lone chair at the back of the room.
The chair in which a lone figure sat upon…
"So you've finally come," Kokabiel spoke up from his chair. "I've been waiting to see who they would send after me."
"Fallen Angel Kokabiel, by order of God and the Holy Church, hand over the Excalibur fragments you have stolen now. If you don't then I will stop you here," Issei responded firmly.
"Such an outrageous demand," Kokabiel commented with amusement lacing his voice. "And who are you to demand such a thing?"
"Kotomine Issei," the young man answered with a glare. "The Red Dragon Emperor."
That got a reaction from the ten-winged Fallen Angel before him…
"Oh? I had heard that the Heavenly Dragons had awakened but I hadn't know that one of them was here," Kokabiel smiled widely at the news. "Interesting."
"Why are you doing this?" Ravel demanded causing him to look over at her.
"Phenex?" Kokabiel mused. "Heh, to start a war of course."
"But why would you do it?" Ravel questioned further.
"Do you know how many of my brethren your kind killed in the last war? Do you know how many of my comrades and friends died because of you devils? Many of us fell because we cared too deeply for those around us," Kokabiel asked back. "Tell me have you ever felt what it's like to lose the person you care about the most?"
"Kokabiel…" Issei trailed off at his words.
Kokabiel had been one of the first Angels to Fall and become Fallen Angels along with Azazel. He'd fought in the Great War and had suffered immensely for it, watching as his comrades fought and died. He'd cared for his friends and comrades that Fell alongside him however most of them were killed in the Great War. All because of the Devils and Angels. He understood that it was war and people die in war, but it wasn't just them.
It was his human lover too…
She'd been targeted because she was with him and had been killed by devils before he could save her. In retaliation Kokabiel had massacred over a thousand devils—three of which were members of the seventy-two Pillars at the time—and ended the Battle of Devil's Pass on the border of the Devil-Fallen territories. He'd been planning on marching into Devil-territory and continuing his vengeance against their entire race when news of the deaths of both the Maou and God reached him.
It was horrifying…
He'd loved God even after his Fall and news of his death had sent him into despair. Though they were technically enemies after his Fall, Kokabiel still cared deeply for his Father and wanted to see him one last time. Sadly that didn't happen and Michael took over Heaven in God's stead. The ceasefire that followed was something that Kokabiel never agreed with though Azazel had made the decision and he was forced to fall in line.
Kokabiel couldn't stand it, the thought of the Devils still living and preying on humans. The thought of Michael pretending to be God and lying to everyone about Father's death. Azazel cared more about studying Sacred Gears these days instead of protecting their race and avenging the people they had lost. That's why when Valper Galilei had come to him with a plan to fuse the Excalibur fragments together, Kokabiel planned on using the—mostly completed—sword to kill the sisters of Lucifer and Serafall. Killing them with the prized Holy Swords of the Church would be sufficient to trigger another war between the Three Factions.
And maybe then he could find peace…
"I have," Kokabiel continued harshly. "Azazel was a fool to stop the war when those that slaughtered our people still roamed the Underworld."
"…And what about Heaven?" Issei inquired further.
"They're the same, only instead of the devils, they try to pretend to be benevolent in their actions. I've lost track of the number of friends that have died at their hands too," Kokabiel sneered in disgust at the mention of those liars.
"So that's it then," Ravel gritted out in anger. "All you want is revenge."
"And that's enough for you to try and start a war? I won't let you," Issei declared equally angry.
"This hatred that burns in my heart will not be gone until every last Devil and Angel lays dead at my feet. Any who get in my way will perish," Kokabiel proclaimed as he stood up and extended his wings outwards.
From the shadows came four Fallen Angels, a male, two women and a little girl, each one of them holding a Spear of Light in their hands. They were Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, Raynare and Mittelt, the four Fallen Angels that had sided with Kokabiel's quest for revenge. They were fast—much faster than a human certainly—and quickly assaulted the group. Miyu was the first to react, her Calico M950 submachine gun taking aim and firing off a barrage of bullets right at Kalawarner.
Kalawarner dodged the volley of mundane bullets sent at her and Miyu turned to fire at Mittelt. The youngest of the Fallen Angels quickly evaded and backed off though not before hurling her Spear of Light at Miyu whom moved to the side letting it sail passed her. Issei was next to react, his experience showing through as he deflected the Spear of Light aimed at his chest with a set of three Black Key which were now clutched in his fingers.
Shirou was the third to react, his hands already outstretched and ready. Dohnaseek quickly closed the distance between them and thrust his Spear of Light out to impale the redhead only for a traced Kanshou to deflect it, surprising the Fallen Angel since he was certain the boy wasn't armed a second ago. A traced Bakuya was already in Shirou's other hand and it quickly came up to swipe at Dohnaseek's head forcing him to pull back. Finally Ravel herself wasn't so much reacting as she was acting by launching herself not at the attacking Fallen Angels but at Kokabiel himself.
Ravel Phenex was the heiress of the Phenex clan, a noble family of devils that was considered one of the seventy-two Pillars of the Underworld. She took pride in that fact but unlike her brother Raiser, she wanted to become more than merely another noble devil living off of her family's inheritance and had chosen to go out on her own. To that end she had settled in Fuyuki city and trained alongside her friend Emiya Shirou.
As a pureblood devil she was arguably a very powerful being however that was before she came into contact with Emiya Shirou and trained to fully master her abilities. The discovery of her Magic Circuits as Shirou called them being the conduits of her demonic power had allowed her to better control her otherwise volatile flames, something she had demonstrated quite spectacularly during her battle with Beatrice back in Fuyuki city.
She'd reduced an entire city block to a crater…
She had only improved since then…
"Phoenix Fire!" Ravel called out as she flooded her Magic Circuits with her demonic energy.
Flames encased her form and spiralled around her arm like a lance as she flew straight at the Fallen Angel leader. Kokabiel's eyes widened momentarily at the sudden display of power and she quickly used his surprise to close the distance between them. Her fist lashed out and struck something solid with a deafening explosion of fire and heat, shaking the entire room. If it wasn't for the barrier that Kokabiel had personally erected earlier the entire church would have been levelled by that attack.
Still…
It wasn't enough…
"Is that it?" Kokabiel asked with distain as he grasped her fist in his hand mere inched from his face. "Is that the best you can do?"
"You…" Ravel trailed off.
"Disappear," Kokabiel sneered as he held out his hand to the side.
A Spear of Light materialized in his outstretched hand as he pulled with his other one, yanking Ravel towards him. He stabbed the Spear of Light straight through her gut and obliterated her where she stood. Ravel gritted her teeth in pain as her regeneration kicked in and she jumped back, her body still rebuilding itself. Kokabiel made no move to follow, merely standing where he was with his face glaring down at her with his wings still outstretched.
'That killed me,' Ravel thought warily. 'If I couldn't regenerate then I would be dead right now.'
She'd heard stories about this man, about the battles he had fought during the Great War and how he had almost singlehandedly ended the Battle of Devil's Pass. He'd led the Fallen armies into battle again and again, each time defeating twice as many Devils and Angels that they encountered. He wasn't the strongest being in existence nor was he the most cunning, however he was without a doubt one of the most dangerous people in the realm.
But to shrug off her Phoenix Fire like it was nothing and 'kill' her with one move?
He was in a whole other league…
"The Phenex clan is renowned for their ability to regenerate from injuries," Kokabiel spoke clearly. "But it isn't perfect, the regeneration does nothing for the mental fatigue and pain you experience."
While this was happening Shirou was in the middle of a rather intense fight with the only other male Fallen Angel present, someone that was rapidly proving to be rather difficult to deal with. Kanshou and Bakuya were a blur as he was pushed back further and further. Though Shirou was the more skilled of the two, Dohnaseek was clearly the more experienced one whom continued to rain down attacks from his Spear of Light.
'This isn't working,' Shirou thought as he blocked another blow aimed at his head. 'At this rate we're all going to die down here.'
"You shouldn't have come here," Dohnaseek told him as he knocked Kanshou aside and planted a solid kick to the redhead's chest.
Shirou was flung back by the force of the kick and was barely able to stop himself before he slammed into the stone wall. He quickly regained his footing as Kanshou and Bakuya fell to the ground beside him. He didn't bother picking them up or retracing them, instead opting to keep his eyes on the male Fallen Angel before him. Dohnaseek just stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and flapping his wings. He took to the air and hover a few feet off of the ground with his Spear of Light still clutched tightly in his hand.
"I can't let you start another war," Shirou spoke firmly.
"War is coming whether you like or not," Dohnaseek shot back simply.
"Trace on," Shirou incanted as he held out his hands. Prana flooded his Magic Circuits as he Projected a black western-style straight bow into existence in his left hand. This was EMIYA's Bow, one that was simple in design yet resistant and durable enough to fire Noble Phantasms at targets that were miles away. Shirou had been experimenting with it for only a little while and was still getting used to it even with EMIYA's knowledge helping him greatly. At the same time the bow came into existence, so too did a single sword in his right hand, one which he quickly reshaped into an arrow. "Alteration."
"Die here and now devil," Dohnaseek sneered at the redhead.
The male Fallen Angel hurled his Spear of Light at Shirou who had had already cocked the arrow-sword into his bow and was aiming back at him. He took a deep breath as he saw the Spear of Light being thrown towards him at roughly thirty miles per hour and quickly pulled back the string on the bow. He hoped this worked because if it didn't then he would be dead in two seconds and he rather liked living even with his distortion.
"Hrunting!" Shirou called out as he let go of the string.
Hrunting: Hound of the Red Plains was a Noble Phantasm once wielded by Beowulf in his battle with the mother of Grendel and was a weapon which EMIYA had once laid eyes on. Though it was a sword, EMIYA generally used it as a Broken Phantasm by overloading it with prana and firing it from his bow. Once fired it could reach Mach 10 and continue to pursue a target even if it was parried, repulsed or avoided as long as he kept aiming at them.
And that was the weapon Shirou had just fired at Dohnaseek…
He had two targets in mind, the Spear of Light and Dohnaseek himself. The first was difficult but not impossible for the arrow-sword to intercept given it could adjust its course after being fired and the second was much easier thanks to the limited space to manoeuvre. Hrunting flew through the air at incredible speed becoming a red blur as it did so and quickly smashed through the Spear of Light before slamming into Dohnaseek, tearing right through him.
One down…
Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Miyu was laying down suppression fire on the Fallen Angels Kalawarner and Mittelt. After realising that they couldn't get close without being shot, both of them had decided to hover near the ceiling and throw Spears of Light down at where Miyu was standing. As the only one there without any form flight, Miyu was forced to rely on her own reflexes and specifically timed uses of her family's Magecraft.
"Using human weapons like that won't be enough you foolish little girl," Kalawarner sneered down at her from above.
"Just die already!" Mittelt snarled as another Spear of Light appeared in her hands.
"Time Alter: Double Accel," Miyu incanted simply.
As Kalawarner and Mittelt threw their Spears of Light down at the homunculus girl, Miyu narrowed her eyes as her Magic Circuits were flooded with prana once more. The Emiya Magic Crest on her back lit up as prana rushed through it and her family's—her father's—prized Magecraft took effect. A localized Bounded Field formed over her body, altering her perception of time so that it appeared to her as if everything was moving half as fast as it usually did. She moved at twice her original speed and narrowly evaded the Spears of Light as they came at her.She cut the prana to the Bounded Field around her a moment later and brought her Calico M950 submachine gun up to fire at them once more.
"She dodged it again?!" Mittelt shouted as they continued to evade the barrage of bullets. "How?!"
"Never mind that!" Kalawarner yelled back over the gunfire. "Just kill her already!"
'…I have to use it,' Miyu thought as she kept firing.
Kalawarner and Mittelt quickly grew tired of the constant fire and waited for the bullets to run out before making their move. They closed the distance in a heartbeat, flying low and readying their Spears of Light while Miyu was forced to reload. However Miyu didn't reload her Calico M950 and instead slipped her hand into the holster on her side. She quickly pulled out the handgun—a Mystic Code—and took aim right at the older of the two Fallen Angels attacking her.
"Time Alter: Extended Accel," Miyu muttered as she fired.
Her Magic Circuits lit up once more as prana rushed through them and into her Magic Crest. From there she quickly used it to craft a localized Bounded Field not around herself but around the bullet in the gun itself, accelerating it to twice its original speed. This was her father's Mystic Code—the Thomson Contender—and was capable of firing his Origin Bullets however she didn't use one. Instead she used something of her own creation crafted from her Heaven's Feel Sorcery.
The Sorcery Bullet…
Once fired the Sorcery Bullet struck Kalawarner dead center in the chest and tore right through her leaving a ten inch hole where her heart used to be. Her soul shattered under the effects of the Heaven's Feel magic used in the bullet and caused her to drop to the ground in pain a moment later. Of course she would never have been able to do this if she wasn't a Lesser Grail and already had a connection with the other side.
"Gah!" Kalawarner screamed as her died without a soul to keep it going.
"Kalawarner!" Mittelt shouted in shock.
Miyu didn't waste any time in reloading her Thompson Contender with another Sorcery Bullet and taking aim at the younger Fallen Angel. Another bang rang out as the bullet was fired and struck Mittelt in the side, blowing out her torso. Mittelt too died within seconds of hitting the floor, her soul having been destroyed by Miyu's Sorcery Bullet. For a second Miyu could do nothing but stare at the two corpses now laying in front of her and suddenly felt the urge to vomit, which she did a moment later.
'Is this what you felt when you were forced to kill people, father?'
Finally in the center of the room stood Hyoudou Issei, his face set in stone as he stared over at the female Fallen Angel standing before him. Raynare couldn't stand the look of utter boredom on the boy's face as he looked at her, as if she wasn't even worth his time. Issei himself simply didn't care about her at all, merely considering her a minor irritant that he needed to deal with before going after Kokabiel directly like Ravel had done just a moment ago.
"You disgusting human filth," Raynare glared hatefully at him. "You made the wrong choice in coming here."
"Save the speeches for someone who cares," Issei grunted in annoyance.
Stupid flies always buzzing around…
Raynare didn't take too kindly to his words and formed a Spear of Lightin her hand, soon followed by another in her other hand. She threw them both at him one after the other yet he didn't move, instead simply Reinforcing his body and waiting for them to approach. At the last second he raised his Black Keys and deflected the two Spears of Light away from him. Not giving her a chance to continue her attack, Issei quickly closed the distance between them using her Reinforced speed.
Six grand opening – Elbow up thrust was one of the Bajiquan techniques that he had learned from his father over the years and was one of the few moves that he opted to use when facing weaker opponents. As Raynare formed another Spear of Light to defend herself, Issei grabbed the arm holding the weapon and pulled her towards him. At the same time his other elbow came up and struck her in the chest, a cascade of power pulsing outward from the blow that quickly knocked the wind out of her. He stepped into her and turned, throwing her to the floor before she could recover from his attack.
"Gah—you bastard!" Raynare snarled in anger and pain.
"You know what they say," Issei said as his fist came down on her. "Let God sort them out."
Issei's hammer fist struck her in the face and slammed her into the ground even as she tried to rise. The floor cratered and cracked under her as she struck the cold concrete. Raynare lay there still, her head having been caved in by the blow and her blood now flowing across the cracked floor. Issei paid it no mind having already dealt with killing before as an Executor and turned his attention towards the last of the Fallen Angels present.
Kokabiel…
"Impressive," the Grigori-Leader commented as he gazed at the four warriors before him. "I will admit that your potential is marvellous, however it is not enough."
Faster than any of them could react, Kokabiel formed a Spear of Light in his hand and hurled it at the ceiling ten times the speed that the other Fallen Angels had been able to. The Spear of Light exploded upon contact and blew out a hole in the ceiling leading to the main hall of the church above them. The room shakes but thankfully the room didn't collapse thought everyone knew that was because Kokabiel had been holding back quite a bit…
After all if Kokabiel went all out he could destroy a city…
"He's escaping!" Ravel shouted but it was already too late.
Kokabiel flew up through the hole in the ceiling he'd just created and emerged in the main hall where a surprised Irina, Xenovia, Yuuto, Koneko, Freed and Valper were waiting. Not wasting any time Kokabiel quickly flew over to where Irina and Xenovia were standing and grabbed them by the necks faster than they could react. He hurled them across the room where they struck the far wall and crumbled to the ground before he quickly picked up their Excalibur fragments.
"Lord Kokabiel," a clearly shocked Valper Galilei spoke up as Kokabiel attached the fragments to his back. "The boy was able to merge both Holy and Demonic elements together. Such a thing can only happen if-".
A Spear of Light obliterated him where he stood before he could finish…
"If God is dead," Kokabiel concluded with hand still outstretched. "That's correct."
…What?
"W-what did you just say?" Xenovia stammered out in shock as she struggled to push herself back to her feet.
"You heard me," Kokabiel answered with a sneer as Ravel, Shirou, Miyu and Issei emerged from the hole in the floor. "In the last Great War it wasn't just the Maou that died but God as well."
"That's not possible," Irina shook her head in denial at his words. "It can't be true."
'He's not lying,' Issei thought as his fists clenched at his side.
Hyoudou Issei was an Executor of the Holy Church's Burial Agency and was tasked with hunting the creatures that threatened the human race. He believed in God much like his sister and he couldn't help but feel saddened at hearing that the Almighty himself had perished in battle. What was worse, apparently the news of God's death had been concealed ever since the Great War, no doubt by the higher-ups in the Church and Heaven.
But that didn't matter right now…
He still had a war to prevent…
"I have six of the Excalibur fragments now," Kokabiel said clearly as he turned away. "If you wish to stop me then I welcome you to try."
"Where are you going?" Ravel asked the questioned.
"Kouh Academy of course," Kokabiel answered honestly. "Where else will I find the Maou's little sisters?"
"I won't let you!" Yuuto as he rushed at the Fallen Angel leader.
Despite having the Holy-Demonic Sword in hand, it proved to be no use as Kokabiel simply formed a Spear of Light and parried the blow. A swift kick to the chest sent Yuuto spiralling across the room where he struck the far wall and went right through it. Kokabiel was no longer playing around, he had what he needed and all that was left was to hunt down the Maou's sisters. Turning his head a bit, he saw Freed had quickly walked over to his side and smiled widely.
"Priest, you are coming with me," Kokabiel ordered simply.
"Hehe, sure thing boss," Freed nodded in understanding.
Kokabiel grabbed a hold of his shoulder and flew upwards, bursting through the roof of the church. After stopping above the church for a second, he quickly turned towards the center of the city where Kouh Academy was located. He smiled as his wings flapped once and he shot towards the school leaving his dead minions and wounded enemies behind in the destroyed church. With the Excalibur fragments now in his possession all that remained was for him to complete his goal and start the next Great War.
"We have to go after him," Ravel said as she headed towards the door.
"Caren, bring Asia here," Issei spoke into his radio. "We've got wounded."
"We're on our way," Caren replied. "We heard everything."
"…We'll talk later," Issei whispered quietly.
After all if what Kokabiel said was true then God was dead…
"I'm going too," a wounded Yuuto gritted out as shakily walked back into the church.
"Me too," a clearly hurt Koneko added.
She must have been injured when Kokabiel blew a hole in the floor…
"You're in no shape to be going anywhere," Issei told them. "Heal up and catch up when you can."
"Come on!" Ravel shouted from the doorway. "We have to hurry!"
They didn't have a lot of time…
Author's Notes:
Here is chapter 13 and I hope you enjoyed it.
Please Read and Review.
See Ya Later…