Reincarnation Game (Book 1 - Highschool DxD)

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD.

Chapter 26:

Clashing of the Arcs

'Thinking'

"Talking"

"Talking"

- Kyoto, Japan -

Waking up between a naked Juuichi and a panty-clad Ichi is a nice way to start the day. The difference between their two bodies as they press against me is like night and day as my vision is blurred by Juuichi's massive mounds that were acting as my pillows while I slept.

After pulling myself out of their rather tight grips and getting my morning routine out of the way, I'm surprised to see a text message waiting for me from Aika, considering how early it is.

Aika: "Are you up?"

Sora: "Just got up, actually. Is everything okay?"

It's technically a school day for her, so she should already be in her first class right now.

The fact that she's contacting me so soon after I left town is worrying.

Aika is both a clingy, and non-clingy, girlfriend. Whenever we're physically together, she tries to spend as much time as she possibly can with me. But when we're not together, she is more than willing to give me space to do my own thing without prying. And that typically includes whenever I need to go out of town for one reason or another.

Which is why I'm now slowly pacing around my hotel room as I wait for her to text me back. Because she wouldn't be contacting me less than 12 hours after I left unless she felt it was necessary.

Aika: "Some strange people showed up to school today wearing white robes and carrying these weird bundles on their backs."

Ah, shit. Either it's a group of Magicians from one of the dozen or so magical organizations, or it's a group of Exorcists that have come to town to meet with Sona and Rias… and I can take a guess as to which one it is.

Sora: "Did they do anything? Are you okay?"

Aika: "I'm fine, but they talked with Gremory-sempai and the ORC students for a while before suddenly leaving. Now they're walking around town bothering people, and my grandmother is asking questions."

If what I think is happening is actually happening, then Aika's grandmother has picked the worst time to visit.

Aika: "She's worried about me being in a town with wierdos like these two girls."

Girls, huh? Definitely Xenovia and Irina, then.

So, not only is the Hero Faction Arc happening, but the Excalibur Arc as well? Fuck.

I'll need to get in contact with Ni and make sure he and the other Summons are prepared for any Fallen or Stray Exorcist presences within Kuoh. 'So much for a relaxing trip, eh, Gaia?'

Really seems like the Gamer System really wants you to do the plot, doesn't it?

:(

That's the problem with these hard-coded thingies,

They always make you do them at the worst times!

Too true. The Gamer System seems in many ways to be like those popups you get in video games whenever you're in the middle of a quest and it suddenly tries to divert you into starting another quest altogether.

Horribly inconvenient at times, and annoying persistent no matter what you do.

Aika: "What do you think I should tell her?"

Sora: "Every town has their wierdos? Or that they're cosplayers from a nearby college just having a bit of fun? It's not like Kuoh is the only place where people dress up for fun."

I'm pretty sure that Japan is like the cosplay capital of the world, so saying they're just a couple of manga or anime fans dressing in their favorite characters shouldn't be too much of a stretch. Even more so since the town has seen my Summons walking around and no one's really raised a fuss about them.

Aika: "Yeah… that might work. I'll let you know how it goes."

Even over text I can tell she's not too optimistic. From what I've learned over my time with her, Aika's grandmother is one of those people who gets a certain opinion about something and then stubbornly sticks with it no matter how much anyone tries to change their mind.

Aika: "How's Kyoto?"

Hello change of subject.

Pausing in my pacing to look back at Juuichi and Ichi as the girls start to get out of bed - they don't actually sleep, so they've just been watching me pace around the room before they get up to put their suits on - I shrug my shoulders with a grin as I type.

Sora: "Can't complain. Had a little trouble with the train, but that was easily taken care of."

Poor Connla, the information he gave was somewhat useful. But it didn't save him from being thrown into the Dungeon where he was quickly eaten by some of the monsters prowling around the entrance.

He didn't even know much to begin with, having been mostly a stop gap to slow us down and test our strengths before the real opponents arrive; but what I did get out of him gave me some idea as to what our time here in Kyoto is going to look like.

And it all starts with waiting for the Hero Faction to make their move while ensuring that our guide is with us, so that no one attempts to point the finger and lay the blame on us like they tried doing to Issei in the anime.

Sparing a quick glance at the time, I realize that we're actually going to be late to meet up with Akari if we don't start getting a move on.

Sora: "We have our first day of tours here in a little bit, so I'll need to get going soon. I'll send you pictures afterwards, okay?"

Aika: "Looking forward to it :) Love you!"

Sora: "Love you too :)"

Putting my phone away, I join my summons in getting ready by quickly throwing on some jeans and a black t-shirt before we make our way out of the hotel room and down the elevator to our meeting point outside the front doors.

Waiting for us patiently is a familiar blonde kitsune that is wearing her customary miko attire, her eyes briefly catching mine as she gives a bland smile. "Good Morning! I hope you all are well rested; we've got a lot to do today and plenty of exciting things to see, so make sure to keep up!"

Barely waiting for us to nod, Akari turns around and begins walking in the direction of the first site we're to see while we diligently follow behind. As we follow, more and more people begin to fill the streets as the early morning crowds make their way towards whatever destination as I and Ichi follow the muscular frame of Juuichi who easily clears a path for us in order to keep up with our ridiculously quick-footed guide.

Luckily, the illusion over Akari's real ears is thin enough that even when she gets somewhat too far ahead thanks to her ability to move in and out of crowds with ease, we can still find her using Juuichi's height.

As we approach our first location - a rather ancient Buddhist temple that is packed with tourists of all races, including supernatural ones - I keep an eye out for any noticeable presences using [Observe] as I wait for the inevitable arrival of the Hero Faction.


- Hours Later -

Okay… seriously? Are the Heroes just sitting on their asses somewhere completely ignoring their own plans?

According to what the mind-controlled Connla told us, they should have already been here by now to attack us. But based off of the few Spirits that I have patrolling in a half-mile perimeter around us, there's no one I can make out that fits the descriptions of what Connla said, and what I remember from the anime.

'Gaia?'

M-Maybe they're running late?

Somehow, I doubt that.

"Ichi, Juuichi… anything?" I ask as we walk past a small stand filled with dozens of knickknacks and touristy gimmicks for sale.

As an afterthought, I stop off at a particular stand that has different stuffed animals shaped like mythological creatures and purchase one that's modeled after a golden serpentine dragon.

Aika had made a comment a little while back about loving the look of my Touki tattoo, and I've been meaning to find her a souvenir for when I get back.

"Nothing, Master." Ichi shakes her head, causing her shiny straight black locks to swish from side to side as she frowns. "Are we sure that the information is accurate, and not a false flag set by our enemies in order to distract us?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I let out a sigh as Juuichi grumbles in annoyance at the thought.

It could very well be that the Hero Faction knew we'd defeat Connla, and had made sure to keep the sunglasses-wearing idiot oblivious to their real plans so that we would be too focused on what we'd force out of him to realize that we are being played… but the thought just doesn't sit right with me.

How would they have known that Connla would give up the information, if I've never revealed to anyone that I have Excalibur Ruler in my possession?

It's been sitting in my Inventory for who knows how long, and I've all but put it out of my mind except for that single instance because Kiba's presence earlier that day had sparked a reminder that I still had it.

Unless… they've got someone in their group who has the ability to read minds or see the future… and with how many Sacred Gears and Sub-species variants there are out there, I wouldn't be surprised.

But if that's the case, they would have never sent Connla after us to begin with, since it would have been a waste of resources.

Even losing a single Sacred Gear wielder - no matter how annoying or weak they are - would be unnecessary in the long run when it wouldn't have gotten them anything in return besides making us waste our time searching for them.

So where the fuck are they?!

"Uh, Master… I think they're here." Juuichi warns, pointing a large finger towards a slowly growing purple mist that quickly spills out over the area.

"What is going on here?" Akari's voice calls out, blinking in confusion as she notices the sudden lack of anyone else besides us as we're pulled out of our old dimension and into a copy. "Where are we?"

"It seems like someone's transported us into a pocket dimension," I reply to our confused guide as my body is quickly covered in a golden sheen of Touki. "By my guess, I'd say this is someone's Sacred Gear at work."

It's not a guess. I distinctly remember the purple mist being the signature look of the Sacred Gear Dimension Lost being used by its wielder.

It's perhaps the only other dimension-creating Sacred Gear besides my Innovate Clear that's a Longinus-tier, and it's typically the Hero Faction's calling card whenever they make their appearance.

'That's fine, two can play at this game.'

"[Sacred Gear: Innovate Clear]!" Holding out my hand, a wave of hexagonal pixels spreads out from my feet and reaches barely a couple meters in diameter before it's stopped by the purple mist.

'This is new…' I think as my hand begins to shake, struggling against the other Sacred Gear futilely as it begins pushing back against my own attempt to layer a dimension of my own on top of this one. 'What?!'

Attempt Failed!

Character Level - Required: 209 | Have: 200

Sacred Gear Level - Required: 100 | Have: 51

I… failed? I haven't failed one of these checks in ages.

"HAH! Did you see that? The punk tried to beat you at your own game, Georg!" An arrogant male's voice calls out as soon as the purple mist overpowers my pixels, shattering them like glass as it quickly sweeps past us, trapping us within the pocket dimension as several new presences suddenly appear well within the perimeter of my Spirits.

The first one to make an appearance is the male who just spoke.

A rather large male near Juuichi's size with a well-built body, shoulder-length gray hair, and Greek-themed armor. With his arms crossed over his chest, making his biceps seem even larger, and the look on his face as he stares down at me from his position on top of the shrine's roof, his entire posture screams overconfidence that a small part of me wants to crush.

…which is oddly competitive for me.

I think I've been hanging around Juuichi too long. '[Observe].'

Heracles

Level 184 - Inheritor of Heracles's Spirit

Human - Sacred Gear User (Variant Detonation)

Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0

At his side, a cute-looking blonde wearing orange-colored armor huffs as she copies her partner by crossing her arms as well, unintentionally drawing attention to her rather thin figure and small chest. "Did you expect anything else? It's not like they ever had a chance of beating him; Georg is the best there is at making pocket dimensions."

Jeanne

Level 97 - Inheritor of Joan of Arc's Spirit

Human - Sacred Gear User (Blade Blacksmith)

Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0

Throwing in his two cents, a grey-haired male dressed in a black priest's coat smiles almost mockingly down at us as he draws a sword handle from underneath of his coat. "It's only right that prey will try to fight back when they're cornered by a predator. Luckily for us, our particular prey seems to be ill-equipped to face us."

Siegfried

Level 111 - Clone of Sigurd

Artificial Human - Sacred Gear User (Twice Critical)

Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0

"Don't be so sure, our target was strong enough to take on a High-Class Devil from the Phenex Clan and an entire Peerage all on his own." The last member of the group replies, pushing a pair of glasses up his nose before running his fingers through a head of short black hair. His rather-ostentatious red mage's robe and feathered cape drape over his rather thin frame as he narrows his eyes. "The two with the masks must be his Sacred Gear's sub-species that our reports told us about…"

Staring at Juuichi and Ichi for a moment, he adds analytically. "Though how are they still functioning when my Dimension Lost has overridden his Innovate Clear?"

Georg

Level 209 - Descendant of Johann Faust

Human - Sacred Gear User (Dimension Lost)

Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0

Now I know why I haven't been able to sense them with my Spirits or my magical senses… they've been hiding out inside Dimension Lost and moving unseen within the pocket dimension until we reached a spot where they could pull us in. Waiting for us this whole time right under our noses as they got ready to strike.

I should have seen this coming. As someone with experience in jumping in and out of dimensions, I should have been keeping an eye out for something like this.

But my admittedly limited skillset doesn't have much in the way of detection outside of using my Spirits or Observe.

A glaring weakness that I hope won't be the death of me… as I realize that not only am I outnumbered, but I'm also not even the strongest person here.

Georg is.

'…fuck.'

… …

-Georg-

Despite the rather indifferent look on his face, Georg internally reels in shock at the fact that their target almost countered his Dimension Lost. The strength behind this "Sora's" Innovate Clear was almost strong enough to repel his own Sacred Gear, but it eventually lost against Georg's superior ability.

'Cao Cao was right to worry about him,' The descendant of Johann Faust thinks as he watches the white-haired boy's golden eyes glance at him before taking in his companions. 'If we'd left him alone much longer, I fear he might have grown too strong for us to contain.'

As luck would have it though, they don't have anything to worry about because his current strength is weak enough for them to handle on their own.

"Leave the Yōkai alone for now," He advises as the blonde kitsune backs away from the three individuals with a fearful look on her face. "She is a non-issue, and will serve as a warning to others about interfering with our Factions goals."

At his side, Jeanne's brow furrows in confusion as she asks. "But I thought we were supposed to keep our Faction a secret? Isn't that why we've been laying low this whole time?" Around her, the other members of their Faction echo her words or make similar sounds of confusion as well.

It's unsurprising to Georg that his companions don't understand. While the ones he's gathered around him are some of the strongest fighters in their Faction, they aren't that well informed as to what their leader Cao Cao's plans are.

In fact, very few people besides himself and Lady Ophis are aware of what their true goals are beyond trying to create a world of only humans.

Praying upon other Sacred Gear wielders and fellow descendants of legendary figures' fears of the supernatural world have been their bread and butter when it comes to convincing them into joining.

Most of their recruits don't even care to know what the actual plans are behind each of their assignments. So long as they're given the opportunity to kill something or test their strength against strong opponents, they could care less what the leaders of their group do.

Heracles himself is a perfect example of this, in Georg's opinion.

The muscle-brained braggart has been with their Faction since practically day one, and yet any time someone tries to fill him in on what the next mission is, the only thing he ever asks is if the target is strong or not before brushing off the rest of the information with an indifferent shrug.

As his current team leader, it's infuriating. But Georg has been part of the Hero Faction since its conception, and has dealt with all types of personalities - some even far worse than Heracles's own.

"The time for us to reveal ourselves to the world is upon us," Georg states. "When we are finished here today and have accomplished our goal, it will be all but impossible to keep our existence a secret any longer. The other Pantheons and supernatural organizations will know of our strength… and they will come to fear us for it."

While there are certain individuals within the supernatural community that even Georg knows they're not ready to tackle just yet, dealing with the rising star in front of them will hopefully make the others think twice about engaging them directly.

After all, Sakai's Rating Game against the Phenex has spread far and wide with the unveiling of his Longinus-tier Sacred Gear. And the power he showed has made many curious to see just how far his strength can grow.

So, if they can take him out here and now, it will send a message that the Hero Faction is both strong and capable enough to take on anyone and everyone with as unique a skillset as Sakai and emerge victorious.

"Be careful of his companions," Georg advises as the others prepare to fight. As the leader of their group and the only one with any sort of tactical knowledge, it's fallen to him to be the strategic thinker. "The one with the red mask uses some type of Touki, and fights mainly in hand-to-hand. While the white-masked one's powers are as-of-yet unknown, and could very well carry a similar skillset."

"I'll take the red one, then." Heracles chooses his opponent almost immediately, smashing a clenched fist into an open palm as he smirks down at the large muscular woman. "I'll show her what a real fight looks like, not that pansy shit that those Devils showed in the Rating Game."

"Then Jeanne and Siegfried will handle the other one, while I will deal with our target directly." He orders, getting two swift nods from the two sword users of their group who comply without protest. "Good… then let's begin."


-Sora Sakai-

My first instinct is to summon every single one of my Summons and swarm the Hero Faction with overwhelming numbers; after all, while they might be stronger than my Oni or Servants, even the best of fighters will fall against the sheer number of summons I have to call upon.

But with the Holy Sword Arc already starting in Kuoh, I'm worried about what might happen if I leave the town without any of my Summons to help protect it.

Sure, Rias and Sona have their peerages there to defend it. But Rias's peerage is a shadow of what it was in the anime, and without plot armor to keep them from being one-shot by Kokabiel, I can't take the risk.

Which means that I'll have to hold off on summoning my more well-known summons, and deal with these guys using what I have on hand.

"Here Ichi, I think you're going to need this." I say to my first ever Guardian Summon, handing her a sword that - just like with Excalibur Ruler - I haven't had a reason to use until now.

[Excalibur Blessing] (Legendary) - (Item)

"One of Seven fragments of the legendary blade: Excalibur."

Enables - Enhanced Strength

Increased damage to Devils and Undead.

As Ichi's hand grasps the sword's handle, her body glows with a golden Holy Light as the sword's unique property enhances her already not-insignificant strength.

"Juuichi," I call out as the Hero Faction jumps down off the temple roof and split up, noticing that Heracles is making a beeline for my Guardian Oni with his fists raised. "Be careful against him. Heracles has a Sacred Gear that allows him to make anything he touches explode."

Nodding to show she hears me, Juuichi's red Touki-covered body glows brighter as her tattoos shine in preparation. "Gotcha, Master. Don'tcha worry about me, I'll take care of this idiot no problem."

Heh, that's my girl.

Glancing over at Ichi's opponents, I watch as Jeanne activates her own Blade Blacksmith to wield a rapier-like sword while Siegfried activates the Light Sword handle in his grip, creating a beam of Holy Light that is obviously a blatant rip-off of a Lightsaber.

"And Ichi," I add as she prepares to meet the two head-on. "The girl has a similar Blade Blacksmith to my own… but with a Balance Breaker that allows her to create a dragon. While the guy has the ability to spawn multiple arms that allows him to wield several Demonic Swords that he keeps hidden."

Hearing what I said, Juuichi glances over her shoulder with a smirk. "Multiple arms, eh? You should think about getting a Sacred Gear like tha' Master… could come in… handy."

Wiggling her eyebrows, a bubble of laughter escapes me while Ichi just shakes her head in exasperation; though her shoulders do shake with silent laughter.

Seeing that my girls are ready, I take to the skies using [Flight] in order to bypass the oncoming opponents as I make my way towards the glasses-wearing leader. Who so far hasn't yet left the temple's roof, and has taken to staying back and watching the others fight from a distance.

Which is perfect for me, because I'd rather face him in a one-on-one with our levels so close together than have to worry about him interfering with the other fights.

"[Balance Breaker: Bladesmith Arsenal]!"

… …

-Juuichi-

Seeing her Master flying overhead as he sends a shower of swords raining down onto their enemy's leader, Juuichi turns her attention back onto her opponent just in time to barely dodge his fist as it flies inches away from her masked face.

"Che, that's how ya wanna play this huh? Alright then!" She roars, sending her own fist swinging towards his open chest, only to be met with resistance as he crosses his arms protectively.

But while he is able to block the blow, the strength behind her attack sends him sliding back on his heels for several feet before coming to a stop as he smirks, showing himself to be otherwise completely uninjured by her punch. "Is that all you got?" Heracles taunts smirkingly.

Glaring heatedly at him, Juuichi's massive leg muscles tense momentarily before she propels herself forward. Her mane of wild black hair flying everywhere as her body lights up with Touki.

In response, her opponent dashes forward to meet her head on, his hands glow with what she recognizes as his Sacred Gear. Forcing her to abort her charge and sidestep his punch, barely escaping the blast radius as a massive explosion goes off where his fist meets the ground.

'That's just fuckin cheatin.' Juuichi grumbles internally.

How is she supposed to fight an opponent who can make everything he touches explode, when her only method of attack is hand-to-hand fighting?

'Is it too late to switch with Ichi?'

… …

-Ichi-

'Is it too late to switch with Juuichi?' Ichi thinks as she dodges another swipe from the grey-haired male's weird third arm that's made entirely of metal. The oddly-shaped metal sword in that hand sends a tornado of wind rushing by her, briefly blowing dirt in her face that distracts her from the blonde girl's own attack. 'Dammit!'

Jumping back, she grimaces as a wave of blades bursts out of the ground where she just was. '…this is getting ridiculous. And I thought Master had a lot of swords.'

Clenching Excalibur Blessing in her hands, Juuichi is grateful for the sword's boost in strength as she blocks an attack from Siegfried's two regular hands. The Light Sword and his other sword, a weapon that bears the sharpest edge she's ever seen, clash loudly against the flat side of Excalibur as her hands shake from the contact.

'I need to break these two apart somehow.'

If she could just get the weaker girl by herself, Ichi knows she can defeat her even with the Sacred Gear's supposed Balance Breaker.

As Sora's first Guardian, Ichi has the most experience with facing off against the Blade Blacksmith Sacred Gear of any other Summon. And as part of her helping her Master improve on his skills, she's even discovered a few ways to counter said Sacred Gear's abilities.

But all of her ideas require the annoying swordsman with the multiple swords to be distracted long enough to get a clear shot at the girl.

Glancing over in Juuichi's direction as she jumps away from another wave of swords, Ichi notices that her "sister" is facing just as many issues against her opponent as she is.

Clashing once again against a sword, Ichi frowns as a tornado of wind picks of her up and tosses her backwards. Taking a moment to shake off the hit, she barely manages to flip herself around and land on her feet in a crouch as an idea finally comes to her.

'Perhaps… it's not about splitting them up at all.'

… …

-Georg-

Raising his hand, Georg unleashes a wave of purple mist that blocks the oncoming hail of razor-sharp swords flying towards his position. In retaliation, he creates a large magic circle that sends out a blast of lightning twice the size of him.

Despite his reliance on Dimension Lost as both a shield and sword, Georg is still a Magician at heart, and has made sure to keep his magical talents up to par whenever the situation calls for it.

It always surprises him how many Sacred Gear wielders over-specialize and forget to learn another skill for when their Sacred Gear isn't enough, but as the descendant of the original Johann Faust and bearer of his ancestor's spirit, Georg has made sure that such a thing will never become an issue for him.

Calling upon ancient Sumerian script, old Norse futhark runes, dead Latin chants, and many of types of spells that have long been forgotten by most modern-day Magicians, he uses his considerable talents with magic to try and overwhelm his foe.

'He certainly lives up to Cao Cao's opinion.' Georg thinks as the white-haired boy sends more swords at him, before switching things up by sending a blast of golden energy his way that's easily blocked with Dimension Lost's mists.

Adding in a few more spells to the mix, Georg creates multiple magic circles of different sizes, colors, and abilities as waves of ice, torrents of fire, and blasts of lightning try to hit the flying target wreathed in golden Touki.

'Tsk, slippery too.' His lips twitch downward as he feels another dip in his magical reserves with his next wave of magic spells. 'If I don't speed this up, this won't be going in my favor for much longer.'

Granted, his reserves are still more than large enough to keep things going at this same intensity for a while longer… but that is something he doesn't necessarily want to resort to just yet.

His opponent has already displayed abilities beyond what he showed in the Rating Game, and the fact that he has one of the fragments of Excalibur in his hand means that there's a lot more to their target then they'd originally planned against.

And if there's something Georg hates more than anything, it's going in blindly into situations with a plan.

Seeing his opponent's body suddenly become encased in a tornado of golden energy as he flies directly towards his location, Georg's eyes widen behind his glasses as he quickly tries to raise his hand and block the oncoming attack. 'Shit! He's realized that I'm not a close-range fighter, and is now taking advantage of it.'

It's why he's always made sure to partner up with as many close-range fighters as possible whenever he's been sent out on missions. With his enormous repertoire of magic, there's never been a need for him to learn close-range fighting… because he always had other do it for him while Georg took on the role of the sole magic user in the group.

'There's no other option…' He thinks as a golden fist hidden within the tornado comes barreling towards him. "BALANCE BREAKER - DIMENSION CREATE!"


- Kuoh, Japan -

-Kokabiel-

Leading the charge as his army of loyal Fallen fly across the dense forests towards the main town of Kuoh, the warmonger shivers in excitement as he feels a rush of adrenaline flow throughout his body.

It's a sensation he hasn't felt since the early days of the Great Biblical War, back when the three Biblical Factions were at the height of their numbers and the battles raged on for weeks as countless winged bodies fought across the open skies; flooding the landscape below in oceans of blood as bodies fell in droves.

Even now, as he spots the large towers of Kuoh coming into view, Kokabiel can still smell the stench of the last battle before the war came to an end.

Summoning a massive lance of Holy Light to hide the shaking in his hand as excitement bleeds off him - affecting his followers as they too begin to shake in anticipation of what's to come - the Cadre angles his path so that he flies directly over the main road that leads into the town.

Raising his Holy Light lance above his head, he cries out, "LET THERE BE WAR!"

Lobbing the lance downwards, a small boom shows just how much strength he puts into the throw moments before it hits one of the cars driving into the town.

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion shakes the very ground as a detonation like that of a bomb creates a massive blaze of destruction, tearing up the main road and leaving a massive crater in its wake as people below begin to scream.

"WAAAAAAR!" Echoing his rallying cry, over two hundred Fallen throw their own Light creations down towards the ground. Creating hundreds of smaller explosions that cause dozens of nearby buildings to collapse in on themselves, adding to the hundreds of terrified screams as the humans down below flee in fear.

'Yes!' He mentally cheers with pride, watching as his loyal followers begin to spread out as they unleash their attacks on the unsuspecting and helpless ants (humans) below. 'Let them try and stop the war now!'

There would be no going back for anyone now. Not anymore.

With this one act, Kokabiel knows that he has ensured his name will go down in the pages of history; never to be forgotten.

Everyone, whether Devil, Angel, or otherwise, will remember this day forever.

No more hiding in the shadows. No more having to keep their existence a secret. Even if the other Pantheons and Gods rage at the revelation that he's just torn down the veil of secrecy that has kept the supernatural world hidden for centuries, it wouldn't matter in the end.

Because everyone would know… and everyone would suffer for it.

'And we… the Fallen… will rise up from the ashes of the chaos, and take our place as the rightful rulers of this world!'


- Unknown Location -

Floating within an endless galaxy of stars and nebulae, a sound echoes out into the vast void that no one can hear.

No one, that is, except for a single figure floating still within the endless space. The sound ringing in its ears as its head begins to move, mimicking the motions of someone waking up from a deep sleep as it speaks. "Ah, shit… I fell asleep."

[ERROR!]

[Gamer Universe Has Destabilized!]

"… the fuck?"

Frowning, the figure shakes off its tiredness as it turns its head in order to stare at a seemingly random spot in the galaxy. Focusing in on it for a few moments before it sighs.

"Fucking rookies…"

Pausing, the figure notices something that causes its eyebrows to raise in surprise as it watches events unfold.

"…since when did we start giving out GAIA's?" It asks itself. "A Summoner, eh? Haven't seen too many of those before. How did one of those cause their universe to destabilize?"

Destabilization is a very rare occurrence, and typically only happens when a Gamer has made the stupid decision to reveal the existence of the Gamer System to the NPCs of a universe. Causing everything in it to need to be erased before things spiral out of control and start affecting the universes next to it.

Looking at a seemingly random spot, it blinks in surprise. "Outsider? That option isn't supposed to be available to Gamers yet, it's still in beta!"

Well, that would explain why that particular universe is destabilizing. The system hasn't been fully configured yet for someone to be an outsider, and it's causing multiple ripple effects that are branching farther and farther out. If things keep up, the Universe the rookie's in will be destroyed in a matter of days.

"Maybe I should step in before things spiral out of control…"

[Warning!]

[Gamer Death Imminent!]

Yep, time to step in.

- END -


Author Notes:

And that's Chapter 26!

Obviously the last chapter wasn't as fulfilling as they usually are, but I ran into some issues with trying to create a good enough flow between leaving Kuoh, the train trip, and then jumping right into the Hero Faction Arc and Excalibur Arc without overfilling each chapter.

Also…I've canceled my page, btw.

Honestly, I never expected anyone to be interested in it. And considering how bad my stories have seemed and how my writing has been struggling so much right now, I just don't feel comfortable with it. Especially with the way is set up less as a simple donation site, and more of a monthly subscription service; which just seems weird to me.

Not to mention the amount of hate messages and anonymous reviews I get is getting rather annoying to deal with. For every one good review, I get like 4 negative ones picking apart every single thing they don't like. Even stupidly simple things like a slight mistake in someone's eye color during a description.

Hope you all are still liking it so far! Thanks for checking out my story.