Kokabiel
Kokabiel watched the city from up high, high enough that no one would be able to see him. Everyone looked so small from the sky, everyone looked the same. He mused that even Cato would look tiny and insignificant from such a distance but flying away from his problems was a luxury ill afforded. He had thought of running, much as it shamed him, but running was entirely without merit. Running meant betraying his purpose, betraying his dead Father and spitting on everything that he had lived and fought and killed for over the millennia.
There was too much at stake for the small creations of God down below. They all walked through the streets they used to without any care for the timeless conflicts of the spiritual world, as it should be. Humans were meant for more than just spite and hatred and bloodshed, even if they had shown to be remarkably good at those things. Kuoh Academy looked almost pretty from up high, but the disgusting creatures that masqueraded as humans were a blight that needed snuffing.
The factions were a scourge on the world of the living, and they all needed to be destroyed. God never meant for them to become the primary powers, and the blasphemy that was the evil piece system, not to mention the holy saint system that he knew Michael was working on, was beyond any fury that Kokabiel could muster. Father would be ashamed of them all. But even so, they weren't the only threat anymore. He had planned a war to thin them out, even though it would mean human deaths, innocent deaths. It was a price worth paying to end the desecration of mortal life. But it was no longer enough.
Cato had to be stopped at any cost.
The madman was something different entirely. Kokabiel had come to realize that during his captivity. The basement was full of secrets that Cato displayed as a clear sign of superiority, taunting in their conspicuousness, but the reason why was clear. Cato knew that Kokabiel wouldn't understand them. From the huge scrolls in the corner of the room to the weapons that hung on the walls to the runes and markings painted onto the floor, Kokabiel recognized none of it.
Throughout his millennia, Kokabiel had seen all the types of magic that the world had to offer, so to see something unrecognizable had left him thinking. He had stalled for time since he was released, or unleashed, he supposed. Working over the matters in his mind, a greater picture gathered together from its fragments of his thoughts. Whether it was divine inspiration or not, Kokabiel knew that there was something greater at work, and in his mind's eye he saw the destruction that was bound to unfold. There was no way to stop it, but perhaps his actions would mitigate the damage.
Small shapes were rushing away from Kuoh Academy or grouping out in the courtyard. School was done, and time kept ticking away. How long could he afford to wait? It was an odd and unfamiliar feeling being the mouse, but Kokabiel was fine with it this once. His path had never been so clear since his fall. He clenched the gemstone dagger tightly in his hand. There was no way to tell what would happen if he struck the Boosted Gear as Cato had commanded him, and he meant to never find out.
"To think I have to put my faith in devils," he said softly. "And in Azazel."
Azazel would never understand. The leader of the Fallen was truly and unrepentantly fallen. Even if Father extended his hand in forgiveness, Azazel would scoff at it and take the hand of a human woman, or a breast, and spite their creator. A betrayer to the very last, that was the nature of Azazel.
The devils had done little of interest in the week since Cato released him. One of them had split off, scouring the night and edging closer to madness by the day, but the rest of them were passively lounging about. Attacking them would be easy enough, but that was no longer his goal. Cato was so sure that Kokabiel would do as he bid, but as always, Kokabiel was misunderstood. You're made for war, he had said, there is nothing else for you. His arrogance, his hubris was his weakness. As long as Kokabiel pretended to play his part, his deception would go unnoticed. So, Kokabiel needed to make a show out of it, make anyone not in the middle of the battle to come think that an unrestrained fight was going on.
Turning people against the madman wasn't easy. Cato had seamlessly weaved himself into the life of Kuoh, interacting almost daily with devils and Fallen and human alike, and all of them were amiable to him, all of them on his side. And yet I am alone.
He had felt alone since the day Azazel dismissed the war like he was God. No, it was before that. Since the day of his fall he had felt alone. Even as other Fallen followed his banners and his lead, all of them still acting in accordance with their design, all of them still in reverence of their creator, he had felt alone. He knew even then that the other Fallen would eventually turn to their own devices, turn to sin, and he alone would remain loyal even in his fall.
And he had remained loyal.
Murdering the two devil girls and their entourage, little more than school children, would have been an unworthy and cowardly act. God would've shown mercy and understanding to the devils, and he himself should have shown boldness. I didn't do it. I was given another chance. The decision to spark a war wasn't wrong, but the way he had originally planned to go about it was. But the war would come regardless.
Now, for this to work, there needed to be a spectacle, one that would make Cato assume that his plan was going without a hitch. There needed to be a spectacle worthy of the bloodthirsty Kokabiel. He smiled and looked up into the sky. The sun was soon to set, and the time to begin was fast approaching. The clouds below were growing thicker, would there be a storm to match the grand display?
Despite himself, he felt nervousness building in his stomach. After all the wars, all the fighting and the dying, of all things, an encounter with high-school children was to be what shook him in his boots. Would they even listen to him? Before, it never felt like so much was at stake. Before, it was only battle, only a clash of spears and shields and wills – the worst that could happen was that he lost his life. Now though, now he would lose his life no matter what. It was forfeit, and it might well be for nothing at all.
Night fell, and in Kuoh, nightfall meant monsters terrorizing the streets.
Tonight, he was the monster.
It was a mantle he was used to having. One he wore with a sense of chagrin. His blackened wings were a sign of his failure, and those were the optics through which his actions were weighed by the ignorant masses. Were his wings white and splendid, his bloodthirst would be seen as righteous anger. Were they untainted, his desire for war would be seen as zealousness for his lord creator. No matter his motivations now, he would die a monster; there was no salvation for Kokabiel.
Contrary to what many seemed to think of him, Kokabiel was a strategist before he was a brawler. Before he fell and his image was tarnished, he was the most celebrated general of the heavens, and he understood better than anyone the rules of engagement and the conditions for victory. A spear of light formed in his hand as he pondered what Azazel might think of him after it all. The bastard would probably cry and drink his eyes out, Kokabiel knew. Though they were sworn enemies since Azazel's betrayal at the end of the great war, Azazel had always been sentimental, never willing to let go of anything. It was that greed which made him fall in the first place. The greed and the lust. Perhaps in time he would realize Kokabiel's sacrifice, that everything was done for a reason too important to ignore. In the end, emotions mattered little.
It was a new moon. The clouds were so thick now that it was hard to make out the exact buildings. A dark night. It wouldn't matter to him, the Fallen all had perfect eyesight regardless of lighting. The same was true for devils, but Kokabiel hoped that maybe, just maybe, it would play out in his favor. At any rate, the lightshow he was about to pull would look spectacular with no other light to dim it out. Indeed, light shone brightest in the dark.
A spear of light appeared in his hand. The only gift from Father that I have left. It slowly grew within his hand, still giving off little light, but that would change in time. The hatred that he harbored for Kuoh Academy was lessened now. At first, he cursed the academy for what the devils there did – turning humans, creations of god, into vile abominations was inexcusable, and Kuoh Academy was the symbol of that desecration of sacred life. His objective changed, but it all came down to those same buildings in the end.
The spear was glowing brightly by the time Kokabiel began his descend down through the clouds. Kuoh Academy came into view directly below him.
"Let there be light…"
The spear lit up the night like a new sun. Everyone's eyes would turn to him now. The new sun looked serene in the sky for only a moment before it launched like a bullet, casting eerie shadows for a split second as it dropped below the height of the taller buildings. A massive explosion rippled throughout Kuoh as it connected. Bricks and dirt and concrete that wasn't disintegrated in the blast was flung outwards, causing indiscriminate devastation.
"Do I have your attention," Kokabiel said into the night as he descended into the crater that was once Kuoh Academy. Spreading like a ripple-effect throughout the city, lights turned on in all the houses as people woke up.
He stopped a distance from the ground, content to stay there until the devils showed up. It took them less than a minute before a massive barrier was erected around the academy grounds, presumably to keep the civilians safe. A little late for that, Kokabiel mused. Many of the closer residents would've died or lost their homes to the flying debris, but death of a few humans was irrelevant to the big picture. Death comes to all.
He could hear the devils shouting to each other, trying to muster a battle plan or something to that effect. They discussed how to contain the area, whether they should contact one of their siblings, and a number of other things, but not once did they suggest simply talking to him. And here I came to do just that. They took inordinately long, and Kokabiel was just about to speak out when one of them approached him.
"Oi, you shitty angel, you destroyed all the good places to peep!"
"Peep…?"
"The gym, the showers, all the good places!"
The first person to emerge was the famed wielder of the Red Dragon Emperor's sacred gear, the boosted gear, and his concern was peeping of all things. He hadn't even summoned his gear yet, clearly thinking that this was some game rather than outright war.
"Get back, Issei!"
A group of girls came from behind him. Wise, Kokabiel thought. The boosted gear was their trump card for sure, and if Kokabiel simply killed Issei as he ran forward like a fool, the fight would be over in an instant. Not that it matters. At their full strength they're still inexperienced weaklings at best, pampered by their noble upbringing and an aeon of peace. It was their fortune that would lead to their survival tonight, not their prowess.
"Devils, thank you for heeding my invitation."
"Shut it, bastard! You destroyed the peep-" Issei was forcibly pulled back by one of the girls, Baraqiel's daughter if Kokabiel wasn't mistaken.
"You call this an invitation? A letter might've suited us better. Or how about a post-card?"
Rias Gremory stepped into view. She was a beautiful girl. Her proportions were unreal, her hair was long and lustrous, and her eyes, clear and unhesitant even in the face of the mighty Fallen general, shone brighter than the stars in the sky. Many angels had fallen for lesser beauties, but all Kokabiel saw was the hateful radiance of devilkind and her resemblance to the reigning Lucifer. He had meant to kill her, and seeing her in front of him now, a part of him lamented that he wouldn't.
"I'm afraid an invitation like this was a necessity."
"Bastard! You destroyed the academy," Issei stepped forward again, this time with less peeping-spots, and his friends seemed to have given up on him. "You killed a ton of people, and you even hurt Kiba. What did you do to Kiba, you ugly crow?"
The name didn't ring a bell with, but surely it was another crime that would mistakenly be laid at his feet.
Rias stepped further forward, holding one arm out to stop Issei from continuing his senseless rant. "Where is Kiba Yuuto?"
Kokabiel frowned. "I don't recognize the name, and, save for my invitation, I haven't hurt anyone in the city. That's not why I'm here, I'm here to-"
"Haven't hurt anyone?! Your people killed Asia, didn't they? Freed murdered lots of people, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"That's not the point, just listen to me-"
"Why should we? Why listen to a complete psycho like you?"
"Silence!"
Power rippled out at his outburst. It shut Issei up, though he looked about ready to go again.
"I am not here to fight you. I'm here to warn you and to give you a chance, hopefully."
Issei looked too confused at that to do anything. Instead of the blundering fool, Baraqiel's daughter stepped up next to Rias.
"Rias is right then. Why destroy the school and damage the city if you're only here to talk?"
It was a fair question, and conversation was to be expected before the battle, so there was no harm in indulging. "I'm afraid it was the only way," Kokabiel tried to sound sincere as he spoke, as though he regretted his actions. "There's a great threat looming outside of the three factions. It's true that I don't care about you or your group or your school, but you'd be wise to listen to me all the same."
Rias looked in thought for a moment before she spoke, her voice carrying clearly. "Speak, we will listen."
"But Rias-"
"We will listen."
The young devil conducted herself with an air of regality and wisdom, and were he a lesser Fallen, he would be charmed for sure. "A pleasant surprise, I must say. This is a matter that you must bring to Azazel for me – I can't do it myself. There is a threat of-"
"Wait, why do you think we can bring it to Azazel? It would be troublesome to just approach a leader of an opposing faction with talk of doom."
Kokabiel ground his teeth. So much for her talk of listening; she was a devil after all. "Don't be ridiculous, girl. Your idiot underling," he pointed to Issei. "Has been chummy with Azazel for a while."
"Issei…?"
Issei paled at that. "Buchou, I never…"
They didn't even know. Kokabiel resisted the urge to scream. He was placing his faith in a group of people who knew neither their friends nor enemies. "Your mystery client is Azazel. How in heaven's name have you not realized that?"
The devils only gaped at him like the fools they were. It made no matter; the die was already cast. "Bring the matter to Azazel and work with him. Alone, I don't think any of you stand a chance, not against him."
"What matter?"
Azazel descended to the ground. Things were going smoothly after all, and once the dagger was in Azazel's hands, the betrayer would be able to piece things together. For all his faults, Azazel was a genius. In the time he had, that was the best Kokabiel had come up with, the only way to unite the people against Cato without alerting the latter to his deception. Simply coming out and saying your friend is actually the enemy, believe me, I'm totally on your side would never work.
Azazel was a craven who valued peace and his research above all. The nature of his research was yet another unforgivable sin, but his skill and curiosity could be what saved them all in the end.
He held the dagger in his hand still, and as he approached their group, the way the dark purple tendrils swam around inside it could be seen easily even in the dark of night. As he neared the group, he could feel it tug at him, and any fear he had that it was nothing but a decoy vanished. "This matter," he said, holding the weapon out toward Rias, hilt first. "Take this hateful weapon to Azazel, tell him to find out its secret and its maker."
Rias was hesitant as she reached out to take the dagger from his hand. A sudden motion from the side made him retract the dagger.
"Get away from her!"
A demonic sword whirled past his face as he dodged backwards. He jumped further back and conjured a spear of light in his left hand, the dagger still clutched in his right. The demonic energy radiating from the sword was weaker in its malevolence than the pure demonic energy of the old devils. Their power is gone with them, much as Father's light is diluted since his death. The man, or child as it turned out, was filled with a naked madness that Kokabiel knew well. His eyes were crazed. My eyes were like that before my anger was tempered. There will be no talking to him.
"Kiba!"
"I'm sorry for leaving, Buchou. Will you let me fight beside you again?"
Rias was about to speak, but the time for words was past. Kokabiel hurled his spear at Kiba. The light from the spear was blindingly bright to the devils, it would be an easy hit, but that wasn't its purpose. They'll be more likely to cooperate if I avoid killing anyone. The spear was not meant to kill, and sure enough, Kiba was able to deflect it with his sword. Kokabiel came in right behind it while Kiba was still reeling from the parry. He buried a fist in the devil's stomach, the impact taking Kiba off his feet and making him retch. He fell to the ground in a crouch, desperately gasping for air, but Kokabiel wouldn't have any of it. A kick sent the boy flying back, rolling on the ground a few times before coming to a complete standstill.
"You bastard!" it seemed the action had reawakened the host of the Dragon Emperor. Kokabiel dodged, making a beeline for Rias. I must give her the dagger. Lightning crackled and rippled through his body as Barakiel's daughter tried to intercept him, and as he approached the devil heiress herself, she charged up the power of destruction that her lineage was so renowned for. A cursed power. Cursed, but much too weak to stop him. He conjured four spears of light to fend off Rias's attack, and the two dissipated when they connected. A fifth spear appeared in his hand, and he made to strike out toward Rias.
"No!"
"Buchou!"
Of course, his goal wasn't to kill her, no, all he needed was a moment before Azazel arrived. Time was of the essence. He plunged the spear into the ground next to Rias, his body overpowering her as she fell to the ground beneath him.
"Take the dagger and remember what I said. Give it only to- oof!"
Issei pummeled into his side with power that he should not possess. The power of the boosted gear.
"Leave Buchou alone!"
It didn't matter. The dagger that he had held in his hand since Cato sent him off was no longer there. Rias was lying shell-shocked on the ground, her eyes dazed as she looked not quite at him. She probably understood that she and her peerage would be dead if that was what he willed. Baraqiel's daughter rushed to her side, completely disregarding Kokabiel as he once again took to the sky. The two devils were an easy target. Baraqiel's daughter had her back to him, and Rias was still lying motionless on the ground. Their only protector, Issei Hyoudou, inelegantly tried to fly up to meet him.
For a moment, Kokabiel pondered whether to kill the boy or not. Cato clearly wanted something with his sacred gear, but what it was remained a mystery. Taking out Issei might throw a wrench in Cato's plans, but it might well be one that the bastard had accounted for, and killing the boy was certain to ruin any goodwill that the rest of the devils held for him in which case the dagger would never reach Azazel.
Instead, he opted to give the boy a similar treatment to Kiba, but he needed to drag it out until Azazel got there for the sake of appearances. If Azazel showed up and all the devils were incapacitated but alive, that wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.
"Not bad, boy, you managed to get a hit in."
"You hurt Buchou, I'll kick our ass!"
Kokabiel smiled. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that. I am Kokabiel, greatest of the Fallen!"
"Boost!"
Issei charged with a burst of speed, but he was clumsy in the air, and his fist connected with nothing once, twice. Every strike was dodged with casual ease by the Fallen. Kokabiel threw a spear of light here and again, and though the spears were thrown like breadcrumbs to a bird, a few almost hit the pathetic devil anyway. I'll have to be careful if I don't want to kill him.
"Damn it, why can't I hit you?!"
"Not for lack of trying, kid. Your sacred gear, the Red Dragon Emperor, it might give you enough power to harm me if you charge it long enough, but your technique is pathetic, laughable. You're like a newborn babe thrown onto the battlefield with a superpower. Go home to your parents."
"Damn you, I won't let you hurt-"
A massive surge of power sent them both hurtling sideways. Kokabiel landed on the ground in a crouch, but the devil boy crashed into the ground and remained there.
"We're not too late, it seems. Vali, get Kokabiel, I'll tend to the devils," the voice was Azazel's, and Kokabiel allowed himself a smile.
"At least come and get me yourself, betrayer," Kokabiel conjured a hundred swords and spears of light and shot them at Azazel.
"Divide!" Vali stepped in. The projectiles diminished in strength to the point that Azazel barely needed to defend himself.
"And what's this, another sacred gear?" it was the divine dividing sacred gear, Kokabiel knew. Cato had mentioned this man, Vali Lucifer, with his sacred gear containing the soul of the second celestial dragon, Albion. His eyes turned to Issei, still incapacitated on the ground, but stirring as he was regaining consciousness. Would the two dragons clash here now? It wouldn't matter, it would be over in a heartbeat if they did. Issei was a weakling with his sacred gear even if compared to a newly turned devil without any gear. Still, to think Azazel would ally himself with a descendant of the original devils. It won't end well, it never does. "Vali was your name, was it?"
"Vali Lucifer," the young man smiled smugly.
"Lucifer. You're in good company, Azazel," Kokabiel shouted to his Fallen brother. "Allying with devils like him will only cause you grief. He will stab you in the back and ruin your dreams of peace as surely as I would have."
"Would have, are you giving up already, brother?"
Against both Azazel and the wielder of Divine Dividing, host to the celestial dragon Albion, Kokabiel had already lost, but that no longer mattered. "Not a chance," Kokabiel conjured up all the magical energy he could, launching spears and spells in an unending onslaught at the devil. Killing a descendant of Lucifer would make his defeat sweet. He poured all of his anger into his spears of light as he launched them at the devil, but the draconic gear was too strong.
"Divide, divide, divide."
Kokabiel was panting as his onslaught finally stopped, having accomplished absolutely nothing. Vali dashed in and punched him in the stomach. One hit, then two, a torrent of blows. Kokabiel tried to fend them off, to land a hit of his own, but he was losing ground as the sacred gear sapped him of his strength. Instead, he just conjured spears of light and hurled them at the devil. The devil screamed as he continued his attack, never letting up even as spears of light pierced his arms and torso, all of them drained in power by Divine Dividing before they connected.
Kokabiel launched a ball of energy at the ground throwing up dust and debris, separating the two from their skirmish. He would never win in a battle of strength against such an overpowered sacred gear, that much was clear. Flying back to create even more space, he surveyed the terrain. The devils from the academy were still there, but they looked shocked out of their wits. Perhaps they were considering his words from before – if he came having intended their deaths, not even their dust would remain. His concern was only the descendant of Lucifer. If Azazel interfered, it was over, so he would act as though the Fallen wasn't there at all.
In the intermission, his power had stabilized to its full strength, no longer affected by the curse of the sacred gear. If I had an army, I could beat him. Kokabiel almost laughed at the thought. God had created the sacred gears to give humanity a way to fight back against beings like him, and truly, they were working. The only way he would stand a chance to even hurt the damned devil was if he could get up close without being drained and punch pure holy energy into him. A battle of attrition was absurd against someone who stole your energy the longer you fought. He readied all of his holy energy to be brought out in a blaze of glory when they clashed again.
And just like that, the lull in the battle was over.
Vali and Kokabiel burst forward before colliding head on, splitting the clouds around them. Kokabiel roared as he poured all his holy energy into the devil, ignoring every blow that Vali afforded him. The devil screamed in pain as the dangerous element flooded his body, and for just a moment, Kokabiel sensed victory. He grabbed the devil in a headlock and headed straight for the ground, feeling his power drain as a choked divide came from the devil's lips.
Kokabiel smashed Vali into the ground and began ingloriously pummeling his face in like a brute. A boot settled itself in his chest and he stumbled back. Azazel. As he struggled to regain his equilibrium, Vali landed an uppercut that took Kokabiel in the chin. He was launched through the air and found himself unable to stabilize. As he crashed to the ground, Vali was on top of him, restraining his arms and legs.
"I told you to stay out of it, Azazel," Vali's eyes shone with a hatred that Kokabiel found wasn't directed at him.
The ground was cold on his back, cold and dusty. The stars above showed nothing of the devastation that he had caused, they merely stretched on forever, untouched by all the strife and the hatred. His eyes moistened as he took in their beauty. The bickering between the devil and Azazel barely even registered.
"Kokabiel…" Azazel stepped into his field of vision. "You caused a lot of trouble, you know."
Kokabiel said nothing. His work was finished.
"I understand your feelings of betrayal when we ended the war. We could've won, I know, but it would've been a hollow victory. We would have won the war, yes, but it would be at a cost that no one could accept. I like to think that even you would find the cost too great. Peace is best for all, Kokabiel. It's what Father would've wanted."
A flare of anger overtook him, and his voice came out more a hiss than anything. "You dare talk of Father? You dare?!"
Azazel flinched.
"Father would've wanted the factions gone at any cost, brother," he spat the last word. "He would have destroyed them all. It's not peace as long as they rape and maim and ruin his creations. You will see, Azazel. I am not the bringer of war, no more than you are the bringer of peace, but the warmongers will come. They are already here by your side," despite his words, he could tell that Azazel was weary, unwilling to take him seriously, but now he needed to break through. He could feel the need for vindication resonate in his very soul; Kokabiel's emotions overwhelmed him here at the end. "I did not fall for my love of war, brother," Azazel froze at that. Good, listen to what I have to say, betrayer. "God commanded me to slay you, and I disobeyed him. He condemned you, and it was only my love for a brother that stayed my spears – my only act of disobedience, my only sin. Your judgment means nothing. Your vision for the world means nothing."
Yes, war would come. Kokabiel would never live to see it, but the war would surely come. He could only hope that the Cato would be swallowed up and spat out in it, an insignificant fly batted around by the might of the accursed factions.
"The factions must burn," he said at last, and Azazel gave him a pained look before magic washed over him, and he could see no more.
Since this more or less concludes the first part of the story, I would love to hear your thoughts about the writing so far – anything you liked? Too fast paced? Too much rambling?
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the story so far. We're still far from the end. "Just skip to the part with dragons!"
I hope my take on Kokabiel doesn't make anyone upset, but I doubt anyone liked the canon Kokabiel anyway.
The pace is intended to slow down a little now. My idea was that the best way to characterize the main characters was through their actions and dialogue, but I'm not sure how well that worked.
At any rate, thank you for reading.
Until next time.
