Hey everyone and get ready for this chapter. I honestly wanted to make this chapter long, but it soon felt like I was dragging it so I finished u sooner. Hope you're all ready though because this is one that you've been waiting for. In this chapter, an important question that has been left unanswered since the beginning of this story will finally be answered.
Truth is from the beginning, I planned on the truth being revealed here and I planned on what it would be since the start of the story. Why, because this is just the way I wanted it to be. And I always wanted to try this trope. This chapter will be mostly fighting, but that last part will be filled with dialogue, it might take a while to finish, but it's all-important so don't worry about it. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. Highschool DxD, Highschool DxD New, Highschool DxD Born, Highschool DxD EX, and Highschool DxD Hero are all owned by Funimation, Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Passione, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.
"Shirou" Regular speech.
"Shirou" Thoughts.
DRAGON SHOT Attack names.
(Shirou) Words said previously.
"SHIROU!" Shouting speech.
[Ddraig] Dragon talking.
Awakened Darkness And True Despair
I could feel it…
For as long as I could remember, I could feel something strange inside myself…
Every now and then, when I was alone with my thoughts…
I felt something dark…
Those dark thoughts always entered my mind, and I could almost feel myself slipping…
I thought that after I became free, I would be happy, but whenever I remember those I killed, those dark thoughts always follow…
It was almost as if, it was a part of me like a voice inside was telling me what I did wasn't wrong…
And for a while, I believed it…
The battle that would decide the fate of this town was now reaching its final stage. Freed and Valper were dead and Excalibur was destroyed. All that remained was Kokabiel. But that was the most dangerous part. The only one who stood a chance was Shirou and agreeing with that fact, Kokabiel demanded that Shirou power up to his maximum in order to give him a challenge. And adding to his bravado, he instructed the rest to fight him at the same time while Shirou was getting ready. Though it was insulting, everyone agreed to those terms.
As Shirou began to power up. Kokabiel placed himself in front of the others. "Now do try and make things interesting. I'd like to enjoy this last bit of fun before I start a war."
Play OST - Seraph Of The End - Dim Light
Rias gather magic power around her body and crossed her arms forming an X, creating two magic circles before separating into one in front of each arm, this was followed by a large amount of Power of Destruction appearing from the magic circles. The two large orbs of Crimson and Black Demonic-power grew until they were big enough to consume a person whole. "In that case… BEGONE!" Rias shouted, unleashing the Power of Destruction at Kokabiel. The power struck Kokabiel, but it didn't look like it was affecting him at all.
"Not bad, but nowhere near good enough!" Kokabiel taunted, easily brushing off Rias' attack.
Gritting her teeth, Rias summoned forth another wave of Destruction and blasted it toward Kokabiel, but he was just laughing madly. As if all of her power meant nothing, Kokabiel simply dismissed the wave of Demonic-power with little effort.
"Go, Akeno!" Rias shouted, looking up.
Following her lead, Akeno floated in the sky and gathered her magic.
"Now come forth! Thunder!" Sticking her fingers in the air, Lightning from the sky struck the Priestess' outstretched hand, and she launched it at Kokabiel. However, the Fallen Angel brought out his ten wings and wrapped them around his body like a shield, blocking the attack.
"Will you stand in my way!? The one who inherited her power from Barakiel!?" Kokabiel taunted through his defense.
"Don't speak his name! I am nothing like that creature!" Akeno declared angrily. Her magic flared up because of that.
"Yeesh, what's her deal, and who's Barakiel?" Ren asked, confused by the sudden anger.
"Barakiel is one of the Cadre-Class Fallen Angels." Mika explained. "We learned about him along with the rest of the leaders of the Trinity Factions during our mountain training. He's also a Thunder user who has the alias "Holy-Lightning". In terms of basic fighting ability, he is said to be on par with the Head of the Fallen Angels, Azazel. Though I don't know what that has to do with Akeno." Mika thought for a second, thinking of one possibility "….…Unless."
Kokabiel laughed loudly after nullifying Akeno's attack completely. "For you to become a Devil! Hahaha! You have pleasant servants, Rias Gremory! Sekiryuutei! The leftover of the Holy Sword project who reached Balance-Breaker! And the daughter of Barakiel! You have weird tastes, just like your Brother!"
"So she's his daughter?" Mika thought, almost surprised. "Looks like my guess was right. But still, this means she's half Fallen Angel."
"Considering most of Rias' Peerage isn't reacting much, that means they knew." Ren noticed. "I wonder what Shirou thinks about this."
Shirou just focused on powering up, believing this wasn't the time to worry about that.
Gritting her teeth in anger, Rias stood tall. "I won't forgive you for insulting my Brother… Our Maou! More than that, the insults you made to my servants will require your life!" Rias shouted as the winds around her picked up.
Kokabiel laughed at her anger. He then said provokingly. "Then try to destroy me! Devil King's Sister! The owner of "Welsh Dragon"! Crimson-haired Ruin Princess! The one whom you are up against is someone who has been an arch-enemy of the Devils since a long time ago! If you don't see this as a chance, then your reputation will be looked down on!"
Slamming straight into the ground, Kokabiel retracted his wings and threw away his cloak. Grinning to himself he summoned forth another Sword of Light. Deciding to enter the fray themselves, Kiba and Xenovia charged at Kokabiel preparing to strike. Koneko also charged behind them and jumped high in the air.
Xenovia jumped with her Holy Sword raised over her head, prepared to cut Kokabiel in half. With a battle cry, she brought her Durandal down, while Kiba came up to him from the side and prepared himself to slash off Kokabiel's head.
Smirking, the Fallen-Angel leader summoned a Sword of Light in his other hand and used them to block both attacks with ease. "Oh, what's more fun than Holy Sword and Holy-Demonic Sword attacks at the same time?" Kokabiel taunted.
"…This." Koneko said as she appeared above him and was preparing to drop-kick Kokabiel from behind. Unfortunately, Kokabiel saw her coming from a mile away.
"Naïve!" Kokabiel muttered as he brought out his ten wings to counter her.
His black wings turned into sharp blades and cut up Koneko. Her body fell down to the ground, she had cuts around her skin, her uniform was completely torn away leaving her in just a Bra with the left breast exposed, panties that were barely held together, and her shoes and socks, while blood came out of her injuries. Kiba turned his attention to his fallen comrade with concern.
"Koneko-chan!"
"Hey, looking away while fighting will easily get you killed!" Kokabiel amusingly warned him.
Kiba let his guard down because of the damage Koneko took, and Kokabiel's Sword of Light came at him.
GIIIIN!
"Wha…!" A crack appeared on the Holy-Demonic Sword. "Ku!" Kiba clicked his tongue.
The strength of the solidness depended on his state of mind. If he lost his concentration for a moment, then for that period of time, the strength and durability of his Sword will go down as well. Kokabiel made his move in that slight instant. Trying to take advantage of Kokabiel's diverted attention, Xenovia tried to slash him with all her strength. Kokabiel simply used his Sword of Light and blocked her using one hand with it.
"Hmph! Durandal huh! Unlike Excalibur which was already broken once, that light is the real thing! Buuuuut~!" Kokabiel had another evil-looking grin on his face.
BOOOOOOM!
The air shook, and there was a buzzing sound that hurt the ears of anyone close by. Kokabiel emitted an airwave from his aura and made Xenovia's body float. Then Kokabiel kicked Xenovia's stomach.
"Gaa!" Xenovia flew back with an anguished cry.
"It depends on the wielder." Kokabiel mocked her. "Girl! You still can't control Durandal! The previous wielder was someone who had unrivaled strength!"
Standing on their feet, Kiba and Xenovia readied themselves for another attack. But Kokabiel didn't take them seriously and crossed his two Swords of Light together. He then slashed out and sent a massive "X" shaped energy slash of Holy-aura towards them with so much power it was tearing apart the ground beneath it. Xenovia and Kiba used their Swords to take the brunt of the attack and attempted to deflect it.
In the end, they pushed it back but were panting heavily from the strain. Kiba's Holy-Demonic Sword. Xenovia's Durandal. He was taking on their attacks as if it was nothing. Even in terms of Swords, Kokabiel was above them. Kiba and Xenovia were helpless against the power that Kokabiel had at his fingertips. Even though they somehow fixed their stance… Both of them were breathing hard.
Still, Kiba wouldn't give up.
"Kokabiel! It's not over yet!"
He put strength into his Holy-Demonic Sword and stood up again. The crack on the Sword disappeared, and he went forward, slashing toward the Cadre Fallen Angel with no flaws.
"Hahaha! You still come at me? All right! Come!" Kokabiel smirked, releasing his Swords of Light.
Panting while running, Kiba gathered his strength for his next move. "Sword… Birth!"
Several magic-circle appeared around Kokabiel, and from each one of them, a Holy-Demonic Sword appeared and launched itself at Kokabiel. "You think you've captured me with this?" The ten wings of Kokabiel, who was smirking, started to become like hardened blades and began breaking the Holy-Demonic Swords around with ease. He then simply retracted his wings.
Rushing forward, Kiba aimed his Sword of Betrayer toward Kokabiel's head, but the enemy in question caught the Sword between his fingers. Using his other hand, Kiba summoned another Holy-Demonic Sword and tried again, only for that one to be blocked too.
"Give up yet?" The Fallen Angel laughed.
"Never!" Kiba shouted determinedly.
Still unwilling to give in, Kiba summoned another magic circle and brought out a third Holy-Demonic Sword which he carried with his teeth. The Knight then used it to slash outwards and cut Kokabiel across the face. Which, from the looks of it, finally caused him some pain.
"You cut me?" Touching his face, Kokabiel felt there was a single scratch on his cheek.
There was a bit of blood coming out of it. This angered him. Glaring at the blonde Swordsman, he sent out a massive orb of Light at the Devil. Kiba was saved, however, thanks to Xenovia, who appeared in front of him in time and slashed the orb of Light with Durandal. With her power, she was able to block the attack, and with a mighty yell, she brought out enough power to cut it, which made the orb vanish into Light particles.
Before Kokabiel could follow up, though, Ren appeared in front of him and cocked back his fist while wrapping Touki around it. Soon Ren's fist was covered in a glowing white sphere of his own life aura and bursting with pure power.
BIG BANG BLOW!
With a mighty yell, he punched his fist out at Kokabiel, who used his forearm to block Ren's attack. Soon Kokabiel felt himself been pushing back by the force of Ren's Big Bang Blow, and the strength behind it made him skid back a few feet.
"Ho, you can use Touki? How interesting." Kokabiel said, mildly impressed.
"You like that?" Ren then stretched out both his arms and aimed them at Kokabiel. "Then this'll really blow you away!"
CRIMSON HELL FLARE!
FLAAAAAME!
A tornado of fire burst out of Ren's arms, reducing the ground beneath it to nothing but ash, and was heading on a straight course for Kokabiel. The flames were so heated they were a pure color of Red, at a temperature so hot it was releasing a heatwave on the space behind Ren. Though this sacrificed some of the widths of the attack, it increased the intensity. It was even hotter than Raiser's Phenex flame.
And yet, to everyone's shock, Kokabiel just held out both his hand and took the attack head-on. He gathers some Light-energy in his hands and was able to stop the attack from moving any further while his expression changed to one of sadism and dread. "Interesting! Interesting indeed! Completely different than the rest!"
"Grr…" Ren grit his teeth, struggling to push the flames forward.
This was his mightiest attack, and he knew he needed to squeeze out every bit of strength he had to make it work. But despite his struggle, Kokabiel didn't seem to be worried at all. It was as if he was completely convinced that there was no way Ren could bring out enough power to push him back. Though judging from their expressions, it wasn't hard to see why.
The Holy-aura surrounding Kokabiel's hands grew stronger and formed to create a beam of Light that started to push through Ren's fire. Struggling with all of his might, Ren focused his magic and heated his flames so much that they became white in color at the base where his hands were, however, at the cost of width. Though this was the extra push, he needed to push back Kokabiel's Light.
Unfortunately, Kokabiel grew bored of this power struggle and powered up his Light beam to its maximum. When that happened, Kokabiel's Light cut through Ren's attack like butter and was heading straight for him. Ren understood that he couldn't afford to get hit by the incoming attack.
"I don't have the power to push it back." Ren bit his lip. "No choice then…."
In that instant, the pupils in Ren's eyes became silt.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Music Off
Once the beam of Light hit after cutting past all the flames. It created a massive explosion that consumed Ren and everything around him. The ground shook, a shockwave was released, knocking every one of their feet, and there was a large cloud of dust where the Light hit. It was the same result as when Kokabiel had first used that large Spear of Light at the start of the battle.
"REN!" Rias shouted in worry.
"REN-SAN!" Asia cried out, horrified, with tears in her eyes.
Everyone held their breath, not knowing what to think. Other than the thought that this battle had claimed its first casualty. When the dust started to clear, everyone looked in fear while Kokabiel looked with dark humor. They all thought they would see the corpse or remains of the one hit by the attack. Instead, once the dust cleared, they all saw something that surprised most of them and made Koneko's blood go cold.
Ren stood there breathing heavily and a bit shaken but barely injured. Surrounding his body was a barrier, similar to a magic barrier that Rias and most other Devils use to defend themselves from attacks. But Ren's barrier was made purely from Senjutsu. Not just that, what surprised everyone was Ren's appearance. Ren's eye pupils become slit like a wolf's, his teeth sharpen a bit, looking like fangs, and the biggest changes of all were two scruffy animal ears appeared on his head, and a scruffy tail popped out from behind him.
Ren was now in his Youkai form.
No one knew what to say. They didn't know whether to be surprised about Ren's appearance or the fact that he survived Kokabiel's attack. Those who already knew about Ren were surprised as they didn't think he would reveal himself now of all times. Those who didn't already know were shocked as they never expected Ren to be anything besides a human. Koneko had the third reaction, just looking at Ren's aura made it hard for her to stop trembling.
Shirou just watched, not planning on doing anything until he was finished powering up. However, he was curious to see what would happen next.
Oddly enough, it was Kokabiel who broke the silence.
"A Youkai, is it?" He questioned. "I'm surprised, I'll admit, I never expected to see one in a Devil's territory. But tell me, how you withstood my attack."
"Truth is, I almost didn't, but I was able to survive thanks to my Senjutsu. I used it to create a barrier." Ren explained. "Devils and other beings with magic use that magic to create protective barriers around themselves to act as shields. But Senjutsu is stronger than any ordinary magic and a lot more potent. So by using it to create and barrier instead, the defensive power was much tougher. It helped that I was also strong enough to pull it off. If I had been weaker, my barrier would have been pierced, and I would've died. Fortunately, that wasn't the case."
"A Senjutsu-barrier?" Rias was shocked at the very idea. "I never knew there was such a concept."
However, her attention was directed elsewhere after she heard the sound of Koneko falling to her knees. With a crestfallen look on her face. "…S-Senjutsu…" Koneko stuttered in a manner that suggested she was stricken with fear.
"What's wrong with her?" Asia asked, concerned.
Akeno looked down, upset, and averted her gaze. "It's Koneko-chan's trauma."
Rias went over to Koneko and wrapped her arms around her while kneeling beside her. "Koneko, calm down. It's all right."
"…B-But." Her tone and expression didn't change.
"I know how you must feel, but try to understand. That's Ren, our friend and someone who's fighting to save our town." Rias reasoned, trying to help her Rook. "Even if you can't stop yourself from feeling this way completely, at least try to hold together until this is over. You know he's not the same as "That person.""
Koneko looked up, surprised, and slowly stopped trembling. Then after a brief moment, she got back up to her feet and spoke in a quiet tone. "…I'll try."
Ren, who was watching that exchange, felt a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Wonder what that's all about?"
"Hahahaha! Kahahahahahahahaha!" Everyone's attention went back to Kokabiel, who laughed loudly. "The surprises never seem to stop with you people! The Holy-Demonic Sword, the daughter of Barakiel, and now a Youkai!" He stopped laughing and directed his gaze at Ren. "Tell me, whose side are you on? The Gremory family, Sirzechs, or Rias Gremory herself?"
"None of the above." Ren immediately replied. "I have no interest in the affairs of Devils or any of the Trinity Factions for that matter." He then glared at Kokabiel. "The only side I'm on is the side of the Red Dragon Emperor, Shirou Tsukiharu. And that means that any enemy of his is my enemy too."
Those who didn't know about Ren before were a little surprised to hear that statement, while those who did know simply smiled because they knew he truly meant those words. Regardless of Race or Species, those two were friends, and that was always enough reason in their eyes. Considering how they know, Shirou wouldn't consider just anyone a friend.
Kokabiel just laughed more. "Hahahaha! You've sided with the Sekiryuutei?! It's true that the Red Dragon and the White Dragon are known to have a strange knack for attracting others to them. But honestly, what difference does it make when you can't accomplish a thing?" He taunted. "All your power used up, and you couldn't even give me a mild burn."
Ren smirked. "I couldn't accomplish a thing? I wouldn't say that." He argued. "Notice anyone missing?"
Confused by his words, Kokabiel, along with the Gremory Peerage, looked and was shocked by a sudden occurrence. At that moment, a large black magic circle appeared beneath Kokabiel's feet that were glowing and ready to activate. Kokabiel's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"
Meanwhile, high in the sky was Mika, who was getting ready to cast the spell. Appearing in her hands was a large, pitch-black magic circle in front of her while her arms and her body were wrapped in a blackish-purple magical aura that was wrapping itself thickly around her body. Even her eyes were glowing purple.
Among all of them, Ren was the only one that knew what was going on. This was one of Mika's strategies. While everyone goes in for a group assault on Kokabiel, she would gain distance and prepare a Black Magic spell, but it would only work if her presence on the battlefield were forgotten during the period of time she was preparing the spell. Mika has an incredible presence from being both a powerful Magician and her overall personality.
However, she knew of a way to hide that presence, and that was Ren. The assault of the Gremory group, along with Xenovia, who continuously went on the offensive against Kokabiel, was already a distraction. That, followed by an assault by the already proven-to-be-strong Ren, who hit Kokabiel with his strongest attack that forced a power struggle, was enough to grab everyone's attention, so much so that Mika's existence on the battlefield was almost completely forgotten. That gave her all the time she needed to ready her Black Magic spell.
ABYSS MAELSTROM!
By those words, the spell was unleashed. It was a spell that shook everyone around it. The massive magic circle in Mika's hands fired off a Pitch Black beam of death, soaring toward the ground. It was a great and massive beam, three times the size of the magic circle, and the magic circle beneath Kokabiel was a target that the attack was aiming for and soon hit. like an abyss of darkness that would consume everything.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
Like an abyss of darkness that would consume everything, a devastating blast tore the earth asunder, completely consuming the foe of the one who had cast the spell. It only damaged the earth within the circle. Anything outside the circle was untouched. But the attack itself sent out a whirlwind so strong that everyone struggled not to be blown away. Mika just floated there with her arms outstretched and a cold look in her eyes.
She slowly hovered to the ground and joined the others, waiting to see the result of the Black Magic spell.
After a few seconds, the Maelstrom cleared, and standing at the center of where the spell hit, or in this case floating, was a Black feathery cocoon that was glowing in a Golden Light. When the cocoon unraveled, it was revealed to be Kokabiel, who protected himself by wrapping his wings around his body. However, there was a small streak of blood dripping from his mouth.
"That was close." He muttered with a smirk.
"Are you kidding me!?" Mika shouted, fed up at this point.
"Black Magic?" Kokabiel said, intrigued as he wiped the blood off. "Not once did I ever expect a Devil from this town to possess such High-Level magic. Given your lineage, though, I shouldn't be too surprised. But still, it wasn't enough to stop me."
"That spell can kill even an Ultimate-Class Devil if done perfectly. How did you get out so unscathed?" Mika demanded an answer, choosing to ignore the line about her lineage. "Answer me!"
"I just happen to be lucky on the fact that I actually fought a user of Black Magic once before." Kokabiel revealed, surprising everyone. "It may seem hard to believe to all of you, considering how rare it is for Devils or Magicians to master Black Magic, but I lived through the Great War and have faced all kinds of enemies. Thanks to that, I learned how to counter Black Magic. The method is actually quite simple. Black Magic can be nullified by Holy-aura. All you need is to wrap it around your body to kill the Black Magic's effect." He explained. "But the catch is you need to have more aura than the spell magic. The difference in our power is why your spell amounted to nothing."
Mika clicked her tongue in annoyance. "This is why I hate making a strategy with missing information. It always leads to an oversight."
"Still, even I have to admit that was dangerous." Kokabiel said seriously. "If you were to have your power multiplied by the Welsh Dragon and fire another spell like that, I might actually be in trouble. Maybe I should end this already."
"Too bad, but it's too late for that."
Everyone turned, and to most of their relief, Shirou approached, signifying he was finally done powering up. As he walked up to the Occult Research Club members, he noticed the injured and rough state they were in and smirked.
"Hey, what happened? I thought you were going to finish this before I was done." Shirou taunted.
Rias looked down, disappointed in herself. "Forgive me, Shirou; I had hoped we could have at least worn him out and delivered Kokabiel to you in a condition that would have been more ideal. But in the end, we couldn't accomplish anything, and now all we can do is rely on you to do everything."
"What's wrong with that?" Shirou asked, looking unconcerned. "All other enemies are gone, and now, I've just gotta beat the boss. That's just business as usual. So I'll say it again. Leave this one to me."
Shirou then started walking towards the Fallen Angel leader. Everyone watched, content to leave the fate of this battle to him. Rias simply watched him go. Even though she was worried, she didn't think he would lose. Rias believed she could trust him, that Shirou could, like he had many times before, turn this despair into hope.
Shirou stood in front of Kokabiel, staring the intimidating Cadre down with unwavering eyes.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Shirou said, not feeling pressured.
"You certainly took your time. Let's hope it was worth it." Kokabiel taunted. "After facing the rest, I at least hope you can provide me with some real entertainment."
Shirou had a smile that wasn't like his usual smirk. It was more like the smile of a lurking predator who was a second away from devouring its prey without the prey even knowing the danger it was in. Shirou could never get enough of this feeling.
"I don't mind entertaining you. If you can afford to take it that easy." Shirou held up the Boosted Gear. "At this point, I don't even think I could think of a way to stop me!"
[EXPLOSION!]
Play OST - Dragon Ball Z - Vegeta Super Saiyan Theme
FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
The jewel on the Boosted Gear glowed brighter than before, and then an emerald-green pillar of light shot up toward the sky. Everyone on the field could feel the enormous, outrageous power that was bursting from Shirou like an erupting volcano. The ground beneath him started to crack, and there was seemingly a magnitude that vibrated the battlefield. The power radiating from Shirou surrounded his body like a violent flame, and even though his appearance was the same, he felt completely different.
His Demonic-power was on a completely different level than before. It was like the air itself was ripe with power. That the person standing in front of Kokabiel was a Devil of the highest caliber that commanded power so great, with just a wave of his hand, everyone would be reduced to dust. Shirou roared at the top of his lungs, and the aura shot outwards, creating an impact that was like the aftershock of a powerful explosion that blew everything away. Once that was done, the aura vanished, trapping it all inside of him, and now he was ready to fight.
The Fallen-Angel leader laughed when he felt that power, as if he was truly enjoying it. His expression was colored in ecstasy. He was feeling… Pleasure for battle.
"Fuhahaha! Good! That flow of Demonic-power! The Demonic-power I can feel right now is that of an Ultimate-Class Devil. No, it's actually stepped over the limit of Ultimate Class and reached the level of Satan, Red Dragon Emperor! Looks like you truly are the only one who's good enough to fight me! It's almost as exciting as fighting Sirzechs!"
Rias watched with so much shock she almost forgot to breathe.
"Can it be true? Has Shirou truly reached the level of a Satan, like my Brother?"
Through Kokabiel's madness, Shirou just looked at him as if he was in deep thought.
Music Off
Which made him ask.
"Hey, did you really fight Sirzechs?"
Kokabiel's expression didn't change. "Of course I did! That battle was one of my most exciting and enjoyable memories from the Great War!"
"Hmm, that's weird." Shirou whispered.
Despite what others might believe, Shirou didn't consider his current power to rival that of Sirzechs. He believed in his strength without a doubt, but that didn't mean he was blind too hard facts. He knew firsthand how powerful Sirzechs was from his display of power back at the after-party in the Underworld. His power was like an insurmountable mountain that he dreamed of overcoming, and he doubted that was even his 100%. Reaching that level was something he would strive to reach every day.
That's why he knew this current power wasn't at that level.
That's also why Shirou found this to be strange. If Kokabiel truly did fight Sirzechs as he claimed, why does he not realize that fact? Not to mention if he also fought God and The Devil Kings of old, then why is Shirou's current power so amazing to him? Shirou was arrogant, but not to the extent where he would believe the current him was that strong. So it just seemed weird to him.
But he would worry about those details later. For now, he had a fight to win.
Shirou planted his feet firmly on the ground and readied himself to dash forward. Kokabiel prepared himself, ready to take whatever attack Shirou would try.
Or so he thought.
Play OST - Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 - Twist Of Fate
BOOOOOOOOM!
The spot where Shirou was standing exploded in a burst of dirt and dust, and the Devil in question suddenly vanished. Suddenly a strange noise was heard while a strong blast of wind blew past Kokabiel.
"What was that?" Kokabiel asked, confused.
Without knowing, Shirou was now right behind Kokabiel with his fist cocked back and his face having his usual smirk.
"That was me, breaking the sound barrier." Shirou answered.
The second he heard that voice Kokabiel turned around. Just in time to have Shirou's fist smash right into his check was a textbook perfect Straight-Right. The punch knocked Kokabiel back while Shirou went to follow up by drawing Dyrnwyn and going to slice Kokabiel. Kokabiel regained his footing and summoned a Sword of Light that he used to clash with Shirou's Holy-Sword. The two put pressure on their respective weapons, trying to overpower the other.
Kokabiel smirked before bringing out a pair of his wings towards Shirou, only for Shirou to dodge them easily. As soon as Shirou moved out of the way, six magic circles appeared around Kokabiel as they shot out six blasts of Crimson lasers. Though he wasn't as skilled as a Magician as Mika, the teaching he got from Akeno these past few weeks made him confident in his ability to use it in battle.
This attack surprised Kokabiel as he used his wings to push himself out of the range of the attack narrowly. Still, the fact that he had to dodge at all showed everyone that he considered Shirou's attacking power a threat. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Shirou quickly followed with another attack, and he stretched his left hand at Kokabiel and summoned another magic circle.
DRAGON THUNDER STREAM!
Shirou generates Lightning in his arm and releases it in a concentrated, destructive blast capable of destroying everything in a wide area in front of him. It was several times larger than to one he used at the Underworld. But Kokabiel summoned a large Spear of Light and hurled it at the Lightning attack, causing both to mutually explode without reaching either of their users.
"Hahahaha! Come on, Welsh Dragon! You can do better than that!" Kokabiel taunted as he spread his wings out once again. He brought his right hand forward as he summoned another Sword of Light and flapped his wings to push himself forward. Shirou changed his stance to a more rigid one as Kokabiel tried to land a vertical strike, only for it to be easily blocked by Shirou as he gripped his blade harder. The two clashed while Kokabiel had a look of glee and Shirou had a stern expression.
Suddenly, Shirou powered himself up by unleashing his own Touki and using it to increase his strength. This extra power allowed Shirou's Dyrnwyn that shatter Kokabiel's Swords of Light and come down on his abdominal. Kokabiel reacted seconds too late as the blade pierced his left abdomen. Kokabiel staggered backward as he grunted in pain. He glanced at the wound before he looked back up with an angry expression.
DRAGON FORCE STRIKER!
Unfortunately, Shirou didn't plan on letting him rest and immediately went back on the offensive. Using his right fist, he punched Kokabiel in his Solar Plexus with his full body weight behind the blow. Kokabiel coughed out saliva and blood, and the force of the attack sent him flying backward, eventually making him crash into the school building. The building shook as a big hole formed in the wall with parts of rubble falling onto him.
Xenovia and the Occult Research Club members all watched in shock as Shirou was fighting on par with an enemy they could barely scratch altogether. Kokabiel was an opponent that they believed could only be stopped by someone like Sirzechs or Michael. And yet, Shirou wasn't just holding his own. He seemed to have the upper hand. Suddenly a Spear of Light flew out from the hole straight toward Shirou.
Shirou brought up his Sword and easily whacked the Spear away. He then waited to see what his adversary would try next. This came in the form of Kokabiel, who burst out of the building like a speeding bullet and attempted a sharp kick at Shirou's stomach. Shirou counterattacked by stepping forward and waiving past the kick, followed by hitting Kokabiel in the face with a Right-Cross Counter.
Though Kokabiel had great power, it was becoming apparent that Shirou vastly outclassed him Technique-wise. Both Kokabiel and Shirou then spread their wings and flew upwards, planning to continue fighting in the sky. Kokabiel created a large orb of Holy energy and hurled it at Shirou. Shirou himself gathered his Demonic-power and let loose a blast to counter Kokabiel. The two powers collided upon impact and created an explosion.
After that explosion, Shirou shot forward and thrust Dyrnwyn forward. Kokabiel used a Spear of Light to block his strike. Shirou kept cutting and slashing at Kokabiel, who kept blocking his blade. Until finally, Dyrnwyn shattered Kokabiel's Spear. Then surprisingly enough, though, Shirou brought his weapon back and threw it up high in the air. Kokabiel was confused but didn't have time to consider it as Shirou now coated his arms in Touki and lashed out at him with a barrage of punches. Kokabiel wrapped his wings around his body to shield himself, but Shirou's punches packed enough force to knock him back.
Kokabiel then hardened his wings and slashed them out like blades. Though Shirou was able to maneuver past them and get behind Kokabiel, once there, he held up his, and at that moment, Dyrnwyn landed in his grip. With that, he spun around and smashed the blunt end of his Sword into the back of Kokabiel's neck. He then finished by gathering his Demonic power and firing it at his temporary stun enemy.
DRAGON BLAST!
The blast completely consumed the Red-eyed madman's body and came crashing down toward the ground, and it hit with a strong crushing force and impact that would have killed any lesser Fallen Angel. Kokabiel, however, lived and got back up, looking more pissed off than hurt. Though still hurt nonetheless. Shirou himself landed back on the ground and retracted his wings.
Music Off
Kokabiel sent him a glare. "What kind of game are you playing? Why did you hit me with the blunt end of your blade?" He asked angrily. "That was a golden opportunity to cut the back of my neck and kill me. Are you so big of a fool that you didn't take it?"
Shirou's expression was like that of someone who was asked a question that had an obvious answer.
"You really want me to explain it?" Shirou droned before he shrugged. "Fine, it's because I know your type. You're the type of person that doesn't fight with honed Technique or skill. Instead, you fight more like a wild animal. By that, I mean you have extremely strong wild instincts and a beast's sense. Those types are always a pain to deal with because with them, landing the killing blow is always a chore."
"And what does that mean?" Kokabiel narrowed his eyes.
"Because you're like a wild beast, and you've survived a war, you've probably fought to the death plenty of times, and because of that, you can feel someone's killing intent." Shirou continued. "So if I did go for the kill back then, your beast-like danger senses would have felt my killing intent, and you would react without thinking, probably resulting in you dodging the attack or counterattacking. Either one was an option."
"I'm actually quite impressed you can figure all that out in the short time you had." Kokabiel taunted him with mocking praise. "You're correct that I can feel killing intent, and because of that, you attacked without intending to kill to hit me by surprise and land some damage, at least. Fuhahaha! But more than that, the fact that a child like you would be experienced enough to be able to distinguish between warriors who use instinct over Technique. Have you faced one before?"
"Don't talk down to me, you geezer." Shirou responded, his eyes narrowed. "I've been in more fights to the death for longer than you might think possible." Shirou then stretched his neck a bit. "Besides, I'm the one who's impressed. How the hell did someone like you survive fighting Sirzechs?"
Gone was Kokabiel's amused expression, replacing was one of murderous intent. "You had best watch what you say." He warned him. "You're nothing but a sideshow to me. If I so wanted, I could reduce you and this town to nothing."
"So you say." Shirou wasn't intimidated in the least. "And yet, I'm obviously the one in control of this fight. Even you can see I can't lose if we keep going at this rate."
Kokabiel then raised his arm and pointed it at Shirou. "Then why don't I prove it? Let's make this interesting."
Shirou raised a brow. "Meaning?"
"A simple power struggle, we both blast out as much power as we can at each other and let them clash." Kokabiel elaborated. "Whoever is stronger will naturally be the winner, and obviously, the loser will die."
"A beam struggle. What Era do you think this is?" Shirou asked sarcastically. "Fine, let's get it over with."
Rias, who heard what Kokabiel suggested, became worried, and that only increased when Shirou agreed to it.
"Shirou, don't!" Rias protested. "You can't take that kind of risk!"
"Wait, Rias." Mika stopped her. "This might actually be a good idea."
"But he already has the upper hand. He doesn't need to go along with this." Rias reasoned. "Wouldn't it be better just to beat Kokabiel with Technique and avoid being reckless?"
"The fact that he's doing it is because he has to!" Mika argued. "You seem to be forgetting we have a time limit, both on his power-up and this battle. If Big Bro can't beat Kokabiel before his power resets, then we're all doomed, and if no one beats Kokabiel before that magic circle Valper made goes off, this whole town is doomed." She begrudgingly reminded her. "If this works, he can beat Kokabiel faster. All we can do is watch and have faith."
Rias wanted to protest but knew that what Mika was saying was right. All she could do was be frustrated with herself for not being able to do anything else. Not surprisingly, Mika felt the same way.
Back in the fight, the two combatants extended their arms and started to gather their magic power. For Kokabiel, there was a large Yellow, almost Golden orb of Light growing in the palm of his hand. Shirou was doing the same, holding his own orb of power, though he was completely Red. Matching the color of his gauntlet. Both of them kept gathering more and more power until the orbs in their hands were wide enough to cover the top half of their bodies.
And with that, they fired at the same time.
When that critical moment came when the tide of battle would shift, both of them let out a strong battle cry, and their attacks were discharged in the form of beams. Shirou's was Red, with a Green outline that was vast and intense, accompanied by greater strength from all of Shirou's Boosts. Due to its tremendous strength and force, it destroyed the ground beneath it. Kokabiel released a similar blast, only it was Golden, with purple sparks around its surface. In the blink of an eye, both beams collided.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
Shirou's Demonic-power and Kokabiel's Holy-energy now fought strongly against each other in a struggle for dominance. Their powers burst and were wildly clashing, generating more gusts of wind, an invisible energy field, and vibrating shockwaves into the atmosphere, which crushed the battlefield even more. Shirou knew Kokabiel's attack had to be stopped if he were to be hit by that much Holy energy. He would be reduced to nothing.
But suddenly, in the middle of this struggle, Shirou smirked. Because he was only using one hand to hold onto his attack, Shirou pointed his other hand towards the ground, channeling his mana through his Sacred Gear and into the soil. It traveled across the field beneath the beam struggle. making its way to its target. Soon a magic circle appeared where his mana stopped, a red line of energy tracing from it into the earth.
It stopped right behind Kokabiel without him even noticing. From there, it activated, and a red magic blast shot out, hitting Kokabiel in the back, along with getting his attention and making him turn his head.
"Augh! What?"
Kokabiel muttered in surprise and confusion at the sudden burst of pain that came from behind. Unfortunately for him, this was just what Shirou was hoping for.
"AAARGH!"
After Shirou let out a piercing roar and his Demonic-power instantly grew to an even greater size, more powerful and superior to Kokabiel's overwhelming blast of Holy energy. Shirou's beam suddenly pushed Kokabiel's attack back by giant steps. It was now being warded off and deflected greatly. This shocked the Cadre Fallen Angel and even more so was the fact that he couldn't stop it. He couldn't do anything but watch his power be blown away by the power of a Low-Class Devil.
"DAMN YOU!" Kokabiel screeched in disbelief and rage.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Once the beam hit, it detonated upon impact, causing a bright light to form into an explosion. The blinding light and force of the shockwave created a great wind that blew in every direction. The spot where the attack hit was the center of it all, and Kokabiel, who was standing there, took the full force of this destruction without any kind of protection. Standing still and watching the explosion was Shirou with a pleased and satisfied look on his face.
Rias looked on with amazement. She almost couldn't believe that Shirou actually bested Kokabiel in a power struggle. "Amazing."
"It's more than that." Mika said, getting her attention. "It was a brilliant plan."
"Plan?" Rias asked, not getting it.
"I'm sure to some, it looked like he just overpowered Kokabiel, but there was more to it than that." Mika explained. "Rather than using all his power, Kokabiel just used what he believed was enough to kill Big Bro, and he, in turn, matched that power. But Big Bro never planned on playing Kokabiel's game. While they were struggling, he used his free arm to channel magic through the ground and create a spell to hit Kokabiel in the back."
"What?" Rias was now surprised. "Are you saying Shirou intended on doing that from the beginning?"
"That's right. Because it was the perfect time to do it. While the plan is actually simple, the hard part is actually pulling it off." Mika elaborated. "He had to make sure that he used just enough power to match Kokabiel and make sure that he got the timing just right. Once the shot in the back hit, he would push out more Demonic-power and push back the Holy energy. Plus, since Kokabiel lost his concentration for a moment, his power became unstable, and he couldn't fix it in time. It was the best-laid battle plan." She then smiled. "But then, that's what he's best at."
"Both a Power-Type and a Technique-Type. One who is extremely skilled in both. Just like Yuuto said." Rias thought back before feeling assured. "He can do it. Shirou can definitely win this battle."
The smoke cloud that formed after the explosion began to clear and out from it. Kokabiel stood after being overwhelmed. He was left breathing heavily. Some of his outfit was tattered, especially the sleeve around the arm that held the beam he fired. And most of all, that same arm was now burnt and damaged, so much so that Kokabiel was gripping it tightly.
"He's still standing?" Akeno said, shocked and worried.
"No, look at his arm." Kiba pointed out. "It's definitely severely injured."
"Then this fights over." Ren said confidently. "Not even he stands a chance against Shirou with only one arm."
While gripping his arm, Kokabiel grit his teeth in both frustration and pure anger.
"You bastard." Kokabiel sneered. "That was a dirty trick."
"You really think that means anything here? This is war." Shirou brushed it off, not feeling as though he had done anything wrong. "If anything, it's your own fault for falling for it, Mr. Veteran. Besides, when I fight, there is no fair or unfair. There's only victory or defeat."
Those words only fuelled Kokabiel's anger. The fact that he was who was a being that survived the Great War between God and the previous Satans was being lectured by a boy still in Highschool. "I should have known someone from "that bloodline" would be a nuisance."
"Okay, fess up." Shirou said, now irritated. "Why do you keep saying things like lineage or that bloodline whenever Mika or I am involved?" He questioned. "Did you know our parents or something?"
In those words, Kokabiel's expression changed from hatred to amusement. It was like he was just told a funny joke and couldn't contain his laughter. "Fuhaha, fuhahahahahahahahahaha! That's right! I totally forgot! You wouldn't know, would you?!"
Shirou was not amused. "Apparently not, so why not enlighten me."
"Hahaha, very well then. This might actually be fun." Kokabiel stopped laughing and pointed toward Mika. "Tell me, what do the two of you know about your parents."
Play OST - Shiki - Memento Mori
"Hmm? They were two of the most powerful warriors of the Vatican, The Slash Empress and Heavenly Sorcerer. Both were prodigies in Swordplay and Magic, respectively, and could rival a Cadre-Class Angel." Mika answered, confused about where this was going. "After getting together, they left the Church while being branded as heretics and returned to their homeland of Japan to start a family. Thus giving birth to us."
"Fuhaha, yes, that's as far as most people know. But there's more to it than that." Kokabiel informed them. "Specifically, didn't any of you find it odd?"
"Find what odd?" Rias questioned, not liking this.
"Obviously, their growth rate." Kokabiel answered. "Their parents were as strong as Cadre Angels, yes, but that was while they were adults. And yet their children, who haven't been Devils for even half a year, are now able to use the Boosted Gear well enough to reach Maou-level strength and use Black Magic which takes years to master. Even for the offspring of two prodigies, didn't that even seem strange to you?"
Those in the Gremory Peerage suddenly felt as though they had to agree with that statement. Ever since they first joined the Peerage, everyone felt doubt that those two siblings could have just been ordinary humans, not just Shirou but Mika as well. They both grew so strong and so fast that it shouldn't have made sense. They assumed that after learning who their parents were, the mystery was answered. But Kokabiel seems to be saying otherwise. The ones who were most interested in knowing what he had to say were Shirou and Mika themselves.
"While it is true that the Heavenly Sorcerer was born with a great talent for Magic. The main reason you two grow at such a fast rate is because of the bloodline from your mother's side." Kokabiel continued his revelation. "The fact is, Mikoto Tsukiharu is a special case. Tsukiharu is the name she got after marrying the Heavenly Sorcerer, not one she was born with. In truth, she is actually a direct descendant of a powerful warrior whose name was feared by many. In fact, you could say he was a prodigy among prodigies. Want to know his name?"
Shirou glared. "What was it?"
Kokabiel smirked before he answered. "He was someone who was a very large figure among the Catholics. A rebel who once shook this entire Island nation to its core. He commanded many followers of God, ones who all flocked to him and heralded to be both their savior and messiah because of his great talent and charisma, even at a young age. And his name was, Shirōu Amakusa Tokisada!"
Those words created a shockwave of a revelation that was set through everyone, as Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Asia, Koneko, Xenovia, and Ren were all put in a state of complete and total shock and disbelief. None were more shocked than the Tsukiharu siblings, who were so still, it was like they were frozen. It was like believing you knew the answer to a question you spent so much time searching for, only for someone else to tell you that the answer was incomplete.
"…Wh-What?" Rias couldn't find the words.
"Shirōu Amakusa?" Asia asked, shock clearly in her eyes. "I've heard that name. He was considered to be a Japanese folk Saint by Catholics a very long time ago."
"It's more than just that." Rias spoke up. "Shirōu Amakusa was born 400 years ago as the son of Catholic parents in late 16th century Japan. By the age of 15, he was a charismatic youth that was known to his Japanese Catholic followers as "Heaven's messenger" and had a gathering of over 40,000 believers. Miraculous powers were attributed to him at a young age which is why many thought he was chosen by God." She then glared at Kokabiel hatefully. "But what you're saying is absurd. There's no way he could have a descendant. He died at the age of 17!"
"Hahahahaha! Of course, you don't know anything. It's a fact only known by those with real power. You grunts at the bottom only know what they tell you." Kokabiel mocked her while laughing. "The truth is there are many such cases like this, most of the human Heroes you read about in legends have descendants themselves, and many of them are from the same generation as you!"
Rias couldn't believe what she was hearing. If that were true, then what Kokabiel was saying wouldn't be impossible. But that was also something she couldn't believe to be true. It was all too much to believe.
"Then, Shirou-kun is one of those Heroes' descendants?" Kiba asked, shocked himself.
"And it's the same for Mika?" Akeno added.
"That's right. Before his demise, Shirōu Amakusa bared a child that just so happened to survive even after his death." Kokabiel continued, finding humor in their shock. "And through many centuries, his lineage continued, unbeknownst to many. And as fortune would have it, everyone who inherited his blood also inherited his Miraculous powers, in other words, talent."
"Then you're saying that's where Shirou and Mika's talent comes from?" Rias questioned.
"That's correct. All those from his lineage have been born as great prodigies in any field they specialize in. There has never been an exception. His child was a gifted Swordsman. His grandchild was a gifted Martial Artist. Every one of them was born with greatness." Kokabiel continued. "But, there was also a dark side to this inheritance. One that could be called a curse."
"A curse? What do you mean?" Akeno asked.
"Shirōu Amakusa died carrying many regrets and hatred, and so after death, his Soul remained. It then traveled to a new vessel. His new vessel was his own child." Kokabiel answered. "And from then on, every following generation, he moves from one descendant to the next and makes them his vessel while waiting for the chance to possess their body as his own, all so he could live once again."
Now everyone was not only shocked but horrified as well. All of this sounded worse the more they heard.
"No, are you saying that… His current vessel is Shirou?" Rias asked, afraid.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. The Red Dragon Emperor is Shirōu Amakusa's current vessel. The proof is his Silver-hair." Kokabiel pointed out. "In every generation, if more than one child is born, while they all inherit great talent, the one who is born to be the next vessel is born with Silver-hair. Just like how his previous vessel, the Slash Empress, had Silver-hair."
"That still doesn't answer the most important part." This time Xenovia spoke out. "Why was his descendant a part of the Vatican? If the fact that his bloodline was unknown, then how did the Church have it?!"
"That's the best part." Kokabiel answered. "After a short while, Heaven discovered the existence of Shirōu Amakusa's surviving bloodline and sent them to the Vatican as a way to protect the current generation from those who would try to destroy them. But the Church had other plans. They would use Shirōu Amakusa's descendants and the power they had to strengthen their own forces. Generation after generation, they raised them to be groomed into powerful weapons to be used by the Church in secret. Never letting them leave the Church and never teaching them anything besides what they could do for the Church. And when the time came, they had them bear a child with another follower of God and continued this cycle. Hahahaha, it was like they were breeding stock."
Xenovia's eyes widened at this revelation. "The Church did that? No, then how—?"
"How was the Slash Empress known, you ask?" Kokabiel interrupted her, knowing what she was thinking. "At that point in time the Church had gained someone else to work in the shadows, plus they wanted to flaunt their power a bit more after becoming desperate. So they used her more openly as a way to make the world more aware of the strength of the Church. But that ended up backfiring when she chose to leave the Church, along with the Heavenly Sorcerer."
"Desperate?" Now Rias became confused. "Why would the Church become desperate?"
"Well. Seeing that they lost the master they served just like you Devils, the followers of God could barely function even to this day." Kokabiel answered, only confusing them further.
"…What do you mean?"
Xenovia asked with doubt. Now somewhat scared.
Kokabiel started laughing aloud as if he found it truly amusing. "Fuhaha, fuhahahahahahahahahaha! That's right! This truth wasn't revealed to you lower guys either! Well, considering I've already started, I will tell you all the rest. In the war between the Three Factions, not only the Four Great Devil Kings but also God died!"
…
…
…
…
…
Everyone, there was shocked and couldn't believe what he had just said. But unlike the last bombshell, this once shocked them into silence. You could practically hear a pin drop from how silent it was.
"…God doesn't exist anymore?" Xenovia spoke in disbelief, as if she was in a trance. "No… That can't be… It is impossible…."
"It's normal for you guys not to know about it. Who can say that God has died? Humans are an incomplete bunch. Without God, they cannot control their hearts and obey the laws, you know? Even us, the Fallen Angels and Devils, couldn't tell this to those below us." Kokabiel explained. "You won't know where the information about God will be leaked from. Even among the Three-powers, only the people at the top and certain people know about it. Though it seems Balba noticed it earlier."
"G-God's dead?" Rias asked with the same amount of disbelief, though she seemed to have more doubt. "No, you're lying! I never heard anything about it! Unlike what you told us before, this involves all Three Great powers. There's no way I couldn't have heard!"
"Yes, there is." Mika spoke, getting everyone's attention. "Even if you're the Devil King's sister, you weren't born in the same Era. More than 100 years separate you two. Because he was on the battlefield himself, he would obviously know, and they would also know how dangerous that kind of information would be." She spoke with a quiet tone, still coming to terms with all this new information. "Naturally, everyone at the time had to make sure it stayed a secret, and that meant not telling anyone, not even their families and especially not the young."
"…Mika." Rias spoke, worried about her state of mind.
"She's absolutely correct." Kokabiel continued. "After the War, what was left were the Angels who had lost their God, the Devils that lost their Maou and the majority of High-Class Devils, and the Fallen Angels who lost most of the Fallen Angels apart from the leaders. So it wasn't a mere exhausted state. All of the Factions fell so low that they had to rely on humans to continue their generations. Especially the Angels and Fallen Angels that could only continue their generation by mating with humans. Fallen Angels can increase if the Angels fall. But pure Angels can't increase their numbers after losing God. Even pure Devils are rare, right?"
"…Lies…It's a lie…."
Xenovia seemed like she started losing strength. She had a panicked expression that was too unbearable to look at. The active believer. God's servant. A person who lived by serving God as her mission. If the existence of God was rejected and she lost the means to live, it would be natural to become like that.
"The truth is that another War wouldn't happen unless you do it on purpose. It means that all Three Factions went through hell in the past War. Everyone decided that it was meaningless to continue having a war if the start of it all, God and the Maou, were dead. Even that bastard Azazel declared that "there is no second war" after losing the majority of his men in the war! It's hard to bear! IT TRULY IS HARD TO BEAR! TO LOWER YOUR GUN ONCE YOU ALREADY SHOT IT!? DON'T FUCK AROUND! DON'T FUCK AROUND! IF WE CONTINUED ON FROM THERE! WE COULD HAVE WON!" Kokabiel declared strongly, his expression distorted into that of a mindless beast that was thirsty for blood. "EVEN SO, HE...! IS THERE ANY VALUE IN FALLEN ANGELS WHO CAN ONLY LIVE BY INVITING HUMANS WHO POSSESS SACRED GEARS!?"
Throughout all his madness and ranting, everyone was paying more attention to the first thing he said and trying to let the information completely sink in. Especially Asia, who covered her mouth with her hands, widened her eyes, and her whole body shook.
"…God doesn't exist? God…Is dead? Then the love we were given by him is…."
Kokabiel answered Asia's doubt with a laugh.
"That's right. It's normal that there is no love from God and no divine protection from him. God is gone already. Michael is certainly doing well. He's taking the place of God and is taking care of the Angels and humans. Well, if the "system" used by God is operating, then the prayer to God, the blessing of God, and exorcism would function. But if you compare it to the time God was present, the number of believers decreased. That Holy-Demonic Sword brat over there was able to create the Holy-Demonic Sword because the balance between God and the Devil King was broken. In reality, Holy and Demonic powers cannot merge. If the ones who rule the power of Holy and Demonic powers, God and the Maou, disappear, then lots of unique phenomenons occur."
The reason why the Holy-Demonic Sword was created was no coincidence. It turned out like that because God didn't exist anymore. Hearing Kokabiel's words, Asia dropped onto the floor. It wasn't weird for her to get shocked. The majority of her life involved serving God. She sacrificed her life because she thought God existed. A lot of things must be happening inside her.
Ignoring them, Kokabiel put his fist up in the air.
"From here on out, I will start a war! I will take your heads as a gift! Even if it's only me, I will continue from where we left off! I'm going to show Sirzechs and Michael that we, the Fallen Angels, are the ultimate beings!"
Music Off
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!
Play OST - Assassination Classroom - Haritsume Ta Kuuki
All of a sudden, the second Kokabiel finished his words, a sudden burst of darkness erupted from Shirou. Shirou, who was just standing in that same spot from the moment Kokabiel began talking, didn't utter a single word but just stayed silent while his eyes were overshadowed by his bangs, while a shadowy Black aura started to emanate from his body.
Now that aura grew into pure darkness that looked as if it would swallow anything it touched, and a large amount of it surrounded Shirou's body until a pillar of Oppressive-Ominous darkness towered towards the sky. The darkness released from his body started creating a shockwave, which pushed Kokabiel back. And within the pillar of darkness, two Golden-eyes were peering at him with a cold gaze.
"Shirou!" Rias shouted in horror at what she was seeing. "Answer me right now! What's going on?! Shirou!"
No answer was given as the darkness continued to erupt. Among everyone there, though, it appeared that Kokabiel was the only one who knew what this was. And for some reason, it made him have an expression filled with glee and excitement. "The seal is broken."
"The seal?" Rias repeated, confused.
"Hahahahahahahah! It seems that learning all those truths in quick succession weighed so heavily on his psyche!" Kokabiel chuckled, excited. "So much so that it reduced his mind to such a pitiful state that the other Soul living inside of him finally had the opportunely to take control!"
"The other Soul." Rias' eyes widened in fear, knowing what that meant. "No, this can't be."
Before long, the darkness started to fluctuate until it finally dispersed, almost as if it shattered like glass. Standing in the same stop at the center of where the pillar form was Shirou. Only something was different. For starters, the Boosted Gear was no longer on his arm. And he stood there unmoving while his eyes were closed. Most of all, his body was cloaked in an aura of darkness. It was wrapped around him like a visible outline.
No one dared to utter a word for a brief moment.
Mika started trembling like a frightened child. "…B-Big Bro?" She asked in a scared tone.
"No." Ren stood in front of her looking distraught. "That's not Shirou anymore."
With Senjutsu, Ren could sense his aura. And the darkness surrounding him was nothing that he had ever felt before. It didn't resemble Shirou in the least. It didn't even feel like a Devil. It felt cold and oppressive like a deep and empty abyss that never seemed to end. At the same time, it felt like a terrifying force that would reduce anything that stood in its way to nothing. Ren almost felt like he would pass out if he were right in front of it.
Kokabiel now had a toothy, evil-looking smirk on his face. "It's been 400 years since you walked this earth. How does it feel to be resurrected finally, Shirōu Amakusa Tokisada?"
He looked towards Kokabiel and opened his eyes. They shined a brilliant, almost blinding Golden glow that resembled treasure. They looked like the same eyes that would appear whenever this Black aura surrounded Shirou in the past. But now it felt like they weren't Shirou's eyes anymore. Those eyes carried a cold stare, one that felt like they were staring right through you and could send a chill down your spine.
"400 years?" He spoke in a voice that resembled Shirou's but echoed along with a different one. "That took much longer than expected."
Music Off
And that's the chapter. Let's get the big one out of the way first. Yes, Shirou is a Heroes descendant. There are two reasons why I went with that idea. The first is because Shirou Fujimura did the same in his story, Devil Reborn. I just changed Nobunaga Oda with Shirōu Amakusa Tokisada, why? Because I wanted someone else since the Nobunaga thing didn't really do it for me. Still, I chose someone from the same Era, and I felt that being the descendant of someone famed to be blessed with great talent at such a young age. So much that it was considered to be Miraculous. I thought that was a great fit for the Tsukiharu siblings. Shirou inherited being a powerful warrior from their Mother, and Mika inherited being a great Magician from their Father. They both inherited great natural talent from Shirōu Amakusa.
The second reason was that, in the canon, the characters who were descendants of Heroes from the legends and mythologies were among some of my favorite characters. The fact that old Heroes had living descendants and that those descendants had the same name as them, along with their great power. I really liked that trope, and I wanted to have my OCs be one of those characters.
Now, as for the part where Shirou was beating down Kokabiel. The way I see it, Kokabiel isn't nearly the incredible foe that the canon made him out to be. Sure everyone says he has an enormous amount of power. But that's basically it. His fighting has no skill or finesse or anything. He just summons a mass amount of power and fires it, that's all. That's a fighting style that is too simplistic to work on Shirou if they're on the same level. That's why he was outclassed, thanks to Shirou's skill and Technique.
That's also why Shirou thinks it's weird that Kokabiel would compare his Boosted, powered-up self with Sirzechs when Shirou clearly knows that he isn't that strong. Here's the thing, as far as I can tell, Sirzechs never showed an ounce of his real strength when he fought Kokabiel in the past. If he did, then Kokabiel couldn't possibly still be alive, right? So I suspect he just used enough power to fight him off, which was the bare minimum of Satan-Level strength. That's also probably why Kokabiel said Rias was almost as strong as Sirzechs when Issei Boosted her power in the canon when she obviously wasn't.
Now on to the rest of the chapter. I had Ren finally reveal himself as a Youkai because I figured it was finally time to just let the Cat out of the bag. Speaking of Cats, I'm pretty sure anyone who has even the least amount of knowledge on Highschool DxD knows why Koneko reacted like that when she saw his Senjutsu. It was slightly pushed to the side for right now, but the issue will be addressed later. And by later, I mean shortly after the battle.
As for Shirōu Amakusa himself. Think of him as Hollow Ichigo from Bleach. He lives inside the Protagonist's mind, and they are like one body with two Souls while he's trying to take control. After Shirou's mind became unstable, he took control. But as for why he could only do that now, I'll explain that a little later.
Now the next chapter will be the conclusion of the battle against Kokabiel and the Holy-Sword Arc. And for those of you expecting it to be just Shirōu Amakusa finishing off Kokabiel and that being the end of it, I promise that won't be the case. I have something big planned to conclude this fight, and I'm pretty sure a lot of you will be pleased with it.
Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite. If you want an earlier release feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.