New Devil of The Gremory House
Life 14: Confrontation
Naruto vs Sasuke. Finally!
Speaking of delays. I discovered a little thing called Witcher 3 The Complete Edition.
And Pokémon.
And Westworld...
There are just not enough hours.
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"Quite the predicament we're in." Sona commented, looking up at the dome of energy her peerage maintained around the school. Sona fixed her glasses, turning back to the redhead, "What happened to not engaging in the fight while the Church handled their mission?"
"I was sick of sitting around and waiting." Rias answered, "I was advised to take the initiative and see to this matter myself."
"And now we're here."
"To be fair, I'm certain this would have happened even if we didn't become involved." Rias turned back to see her peerage readying themselves for whatever they might face inside the barrier, "But now we're going to make sure this matter is settled."
"And what about contacting the Maous?" Sona inquired, "Why haven't you informed Sirzechs-sama about the situation?"
"Probably the same reason you haven't contacted Leviathan-sama. Because it would cause a panic." Sona's face flinched with an iota of annoyance before Rias sighed, "Onii-sama has already been contacted. 'Someone' felt the need to do it while we were making our way here." She turned to Akeno's sweet smile that hadn't faltered despite Rias' furrowed expression being directed at her, "Even though I protested against it."
"Sorry Buchou," Akeno hardly sounded genuinely remorseful about spilling the beans to the higher ups, "But even though I knew it would embarrass you, I thought it would be appropriate for Lucifer-sama to be aware of the fact that such a powerful leader of the Fallen Angel faction was enacting his plot at this moment."
"I know. And you're right, it was the smart move to contact Onii-sama about this." Rias pouted, "But I'm still mad."
"Aw Rias," Akeno cooed, "You're so cute when you get petulant."
"Buchou-San and Akeno-San have a really good relationship, don't they?" Asia whispered in surprise at the older girls' dynamic.
"They sure do." Issei watched with fascination as the two girls regarded as the Two Onee-samas started to have a little argument. It really betrayed the confident, regal atmosphere they gave off in school...but then again it was actually kinda cute to see Buchou look so childish. A rare sight.
"Focus."
"R-right! Sorry, Koneko-chan!" He stood at attention after being called out by the freshman for his lewd stare.
"Buchou." Rias stopped arguing with Akeno and looked over at Yuuto's stern expression. The blond [Knight] looked to the barrier, "We can't waste anymore time."
Rias composed herself, clearing her throat and facing an amused Sona, "Well, I guess now we should act like the vanguard and hold Kokabiel off before Onii-sama arrives." A little smile came to her face at the idea, "Maybe we'll be lucky and take care of him ourselves."
Sona did not look amused as Rias' idea, "Rias, we raised this barrier in order to contain any damages that may occur, but I can't promise how long it will hold." The Sitri heiress fixed her glasses, "We'll do everything we can to hold it in...but if Kokabiel really went all out, not only the barrier-"
"But the whole town could become one big crater. I know."
The Gremory peerage strode up to the glowing barrier that surrounded their school as Rias had a firm confidence in her voice, "But we won't let it come to that."
Sona sighed before her family sigil appeared under her feet and raised her up. She held out her hands to join her peerage's effort, "I'll leave you to it. Good luck."
The ORC stepped through the barrier and walked in to see the dark night sky replaced with a bright red tint. Issei hung back for a moment and tapped the barrier curiously, noticing that it was easier to get in than out.
"Ara ara, I'm surprised, Buchou." Akeno smiled while regarding her [King], "That was quite a confident declaration you made to Kaichou about defeating a Fallen Angel leader by ourselves."
"Well I suppose most of it was just bluster for Sona. And I'm not suggesting handling the destroyer of Sodom and Gomorrah is an easy task..." Rias narrowed her eyes, "But that doesn't mean we're just going to let him win."
"I'm fine with beating him up, Buchou." Koneko told the redhead.
"Thank you, Koneko." Rias smiled, "If we can knock him down then I'd like to see his face when you get your knuckles in it."
"With pleasure."
"B-Buchou-San!" They turned back to Asia as the short blonde nun lowered her head, "I-I know how important this fight is. A-and I don't want that Fallen Angel to destroy this town like you said. B-but I'm scared even thinking about being in this battle."
She lowered her head in shame but quickly found herself sinking into Rias' bosom. She looked up and saw the kind expression on her [King]'s face, "It's okay to be afraid, Asia. I'm scared too. But the alternative is much scarier, and I have confidence because of my faith in all of you." She separated from the younger girl and smiled, "Plus don't forget, you have your knight at your side that'll protect you from anything."
A bright green glow came from behind them and Issei stepped forward. He smiled and raised his gauntlet up with a smile, "I-Issei-san?"
"No worries, Asia." Issei nodded, "I promise I'll protect you from whatever that pale prick throws at us. No matter what."
"Big talk coming from someone I can still beat in arm wrestling."
"K-Koneko-chan, did you really have to say that?"
"Aww, Issei-kun," Akeno cooed the young man, "That's not all it takes to break your resolve, is it?"
"Of course not!" The pervert roared enthusiastically, "Even if I'm not the strongest, I'll do everything I can to protect her and all of you! It's my duty!" His eyes narrowed to the person at the head of their group, "A job I'm supposed to be sharing with someone else."
Their eyes turned to Yuuto's back as he stopped just inches away from the main campus. Rias turned to him, "Yuuto...care to wage in on that point?"
"No. I can't. Issei-kun isn't wrong." The [Knight] looked back at them with a empty expression, "I can't be considered your [Knight] anymore. I went against your orders, betrayed your expectations...and I still want you all to stay back so I may face this enemy alone."
"Are you fucking serious?!" The [Pawn] yelled furiously and nearly snarled as he faced the handsome swordsman, "Listen Kiba, I know it sucks! I heard all about what happened and I-I wouldn't want that to happen to anybody! But you can't keep pushing Buchou away-"
"Issei." His argument stopped immediately at his [King]'s behest before she turned to her [Knight], "Yuuto...I understand why you're doing this. I can't condone it. I won't approve it. But after everything that happened to you because of Excalibur...and having to hear it come back to life so close to you...what else could you do but to take up arms again?"
Yuuto looked at her sadly before nodding, "Then you'll-"
"But," Her voice became extremely stern as she narrowed her eyes, "If you think for even a moment that I'll allow you to go off anymore to get yourself killed - for any reason...then you'd be mistaken." Her voice was firm and unwavering as Yuuto was surprised by her sudden change, "Whatever your mission is and whatever promise you made...you're my [Knight] now. And if I decide that you don't die, then you better believe that you won't die."
Yuuto was silent, flabbergasted by her declaration. The tall blond was conflicted by her response before shaking his head, "Buchou-"
A loud explosion, roar, and shake of the earth stopped their argument. The ORC quickly ran out of the forest and emerged into the schoolyard...
To see the battle had begun.
The school grounds were littered with massive beasts. Vicious hounds, with three snarling heads each preoccupied with either growling, barking, or slobbering. In the middle of the schoolyard they saw the blue-haired Church warrior being surrounded by the Cerberuses, catching her breath with Excalibur Destruction drawn.
Up in the sky, Kokabiel lounged back in a floating throne while he watched everything from above. He took notice of the crimson hair in the crowd and his piercing red eyes met her seafoam for an instant. But it was enough as a smug smirk turned into a ridiculing grin, his sharp teeth showing for all...
"I'm glad you could make it for the End Game."
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"Kaichou," Saji shuffled on his platform, "What are the chances Gremory-sempai and the others actually handle this problem by themselves?"
"If we are forced to face a renowned leader of the Fallen Angel Faction, famous for waging battles during the war and for erasing Sodom and Gomorrah off the face of the Earth...I don't have much faith in our chances." Sona bluntly stated as several members of the StuCo paled.
"Kaichou isn't wrong." Tsubaki agreed, "Unlike the Gremory peerage, we aren't combat-oriented. Our greatest strengths lie in outsmarting and suppressing our enemies abilities, but we need prior preparation and planning for that, as well as an understanding of their strength and abilities. Something we do not have with a force as strong as Kokabiel."
"At best we would be able to hold him off. Keep him distracted while we await for Lucifer-sama's arrival. But we wouldn't be able to face him in battle. And there's no telling what kind of untold damage may be wrought upon the town." Sona felt their terrified gazes on her, "It's not our most favorable option, but it'll be the only one we have if Rias and the others fall." That was the worst case scenario. At least with Issei and his Balance Breaker they had a chance of holding their own against that monster, but that may only hold him back for so long.
"Even so...we gotta prepared to fight this bastard."
"Saji?"
"Even if this guy outclasses us, Hyoudou and the others still went in! Because they had to! To stop him and save this town! And we can't just fret!" Saji proudly declared, "I promise I'll protect the Student Council and this city from Kokabiel, no matter what!"
"Damn, I didn't know you were so noble. Sorry I underestimated you, Council guy."
Sona's eyes widened at the voice. She heard a pair of footsteps stop beneath her floating platform. The Sitri heiress didn't even have to look down as she smiled, "Well, I'm surprised to see you actually turn back up."
"You are? I was only gone for a few days. Did something happen?"
"You have no idea. Rias was about to start a crusade to find you." Sona oddly found a bit of mirth returning to her voice, "You may find yourself wishing to stay hidden when you experience her wrath."
"Hey, I just got back. Don't scare me now."
"Rias and the others are handling a great enemy inside. Kokabiel, a powerful Fallen Angel with plans to bring back an ancient weapon to destroy the town and start another war."
"A cruel idiot trying to stir the pot? Seems simple then. Kick his ass and fix everything."
"A bit of an oversimplification of the matter..." Sona smiled, "But if that's what it takes then so be it."
"So does this thing open up?"
"Walk into the fray."
"Alright then." The footsteps started again and she felt another presence phase through their barrier, "Wish me luck."
Wishing wasn't going to do anything.
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"Dragon Shot!"
A massive blast of green energy barreled into the Cerberus hard enough to topple it over, "Got one!" He felt a large shadow loom over him as Cerberus heads showed their teeth. He leapt away from their attempt to eat him and flew in the air, "Gonna have to do a lot better than that!"
The beast roared at him but was quickly silenced as a massive strike of Lightning struck it. The three-headed creature died and Akeno flew off to attack another Cerberus. Issei's wings flapped behind him before he soared over to find his next target.
Yuuto dodged a head lunging for his torso and slashed his sword against its fang. The beast jerked back and roared at him. Yuuto stepped but stopped when he felt someone's back meet his. With his peripheral vision he knew the beasts had surrounded them, and felt a shiver go up his back. He immediately recognized the effect of the Holy Sword near him, "Looks like even you're having a hard time keeping up with all these monsters."
"I've handled worse, trust me." Xenovia snapped back before her eyes surveyed their surroundings, "How's Irina?"
"Her injuries were extensive. Even with Asia-San's initial treatment, her condition was severe. But if it puts you at ease, we've taken her in to care for her."
"It doesn't." Xenovia answered before smirking, "But I suppose I owe you all for helping her."
"Enough to let me destroy that sword?"
"You just don't let up."
The beasts lunged for the swordsmen and they struck back before they could be overwhelmed. Yuuto sidestepped and slashed through one head's neck, a spray of blood coating his arms before he spun and broke through the teeth of another jaw snapping besides him. The [Knight] created another blade with Sword Birth to take in his other hand and started waving them around with expert precision, slashing through eyes and mouths.
Xenovia jumped up high over a snapping dog head and landed between its ears before running up its neck. The blue-haired warrior turned the massive sword in her hand and brought Excalibur Destruction down on its back, "WRAH!"
The massive sword dug into the beast's back and toppled it in a single strike. The Cerberus roared in pain, blood spewing and seeping out of every orifice before it fell over in a dead heap. Blood pooled under its mangled body as Xenovia charged at the next beast with a mighty roar.
"Take this!" Rias whipped her hand out with a line of Destruction extending out from it. It struck in front of the approaching Cerberus and forced it back as the beast roared with fury. Several other beasts started to approach them after hearing its roar and Rias felt Asia cower behind her. The Gremory heiress narrowed her eyes, "HA!"
Destruction shot from her hand and barreled towards the swarm of beasts. One shot completely enveloped a beast, obliterating it before another blast fired from her hand. This one merely took off one head but the beast quickly fell as well, the effect of losing one head clearly weighing on the beast.
"B-Buchou-San?"
"Stay behind me, Asia." Rias assured the terrified nun as she protected her from any approaching monsters. She kept the wave of monsters at bay from their healer while the others thinned the numbers. They were doing a splendid job, but the gallons of blood and dead Cerberus bodies littering the field was definitely not going to go over well with Sona. Her eyes turned up to the sky and saw Kokabiel resting on his throne and enjoying the sight of them killing his beasts, "I expected more of a great soldier like you, Kokabiel!"
The Fallen Angel smirked, "Whatever do you mean, Little Sister of Lucifer?"
"You want to reignite the war! You're ready to throw the worlds into chaos, force hundreds of thousands of us to kill each other again, but you can't even find it in yourself to join the fight?" Rias spoke derisively and gave the old soldier the most demeaning look she could muster, "And I grew expecting you to be someone great and terrifying."
If her efforts to get a rise out of him were having any affect, they didn't show as Kokabiel merely shrugged his bony shoulders, "I'm not fighting because they certainly is no need to." He waved his arm out, "Look around at your pathetic showing. I remember once when the Devils were so vicious and feared that facing a squadron of them in battle made me feel tension so strong I thought I would choke. But now your kind has gotten so soft that you're being overwhelmed by a pack of Cerberus." He chuckled, "Then again we've all gotten so complacent in this time of peace so the Fallen Angels are no better."
"You must be going blind as well as mad!" Rias responded, "My peerage is handling your little swarm of monsters like the playthings they are!"
"Well..." Kokabiel smirked, "I wonder for how long?"
She heard a faint gasp and looked over to see Koneko being pushed back by a particularly vicious Cerberus. The short [Rook]'s arms were covered in blood up to her elbow, and there were dead monsters all around her, but she looked winded. The three dog heads all snarled at her and slowly lumbered forward as Koneko kept up her guard.
"Koneko-chan!"
"Koneko-chan!"
"Koneko!"
Rias and the others all went to go help their youngest friend but were stopped when Spears fell in front of them and exploded. They were knocked back or forced to guard as Kokabiel laughed, "Well little girl, I guess it's time to see just how overwhelmed you are."
Koneko was tired and trying to catch her breath after holding off and killing so many of the three-headed beasts. But now she was facing a much larger, much meaner Cerberus and feeling pretty winded as well. This thing had taken a bite at her and ripped the clothes around her shoulder. Just when she realized this Cerberus was sharper than the others, the beast swung its heads around and knocked her back through a dozen trees.
It hurt. And now she was feeling sluggish.
Her shoulder was aching and the only reason it wasn't worse was because her [Rook] characteristics toughened her skin. But she wasn't sure she would be able to kill this monster without taking even worse damage. Maybe if she...
No!
She wasn't going to risk losing control when Buchou and the others still needed her! It didn't matter if she was slowing down! Something like this wouldn't stop Yuuto-senpai or Issei-senpai or Naruto-senpai! She raised her fists and the Cerberus lunged! She heard them call out to her-
"RAH!"
Someone came dropping down from above and crushed the center head before it could bite her. Koneko's eyes widened in shock as the man stood up on the broken skull of the middle head. The left and right heads turned in to rip the man apart but he kicked out to both sides and knocked the heads away violently.
He ran up the back and jumped off, grabbing the Cerberus' corpse by the tail before lifting it up and throwing it into the sky. It headed straight towards Kokabiel, "EAT THIS!"
The Fallen Angel clicked his teeth and held out his hand as a Spear incinerated the flying body.
"Well damn," The figure over her sighed, "Thought that could do something more." He turned and looked down at her with concern, "Koneko, you okay?"
Koneko finally came back from her disbelief and realized that the figure in front of her was real. He was still wearing the Kuoh uniform, but it was wrinkled and worn out. His right sleeve was all the way up to his shoulder with a bandage around his arm. His hair was disheveled, his pupils a horizontal bar and orange coloring around them. And she could feel natural energy wafting off of him.
And yet despite her fear of being around that power, she could not express the relief to see him again.
"Naruto...Senpai?"
"Yeah, who else would it be?" He knelt beside her, "But seriously, you okay? You aren't hurt too bad or anything, right?"
Koneko was too stunned to answer, but luckily she realized she wasn't hallucinating when the other members of the ORC came running over. Their entire club huddled together, each of them looking at Naruto in complete shock as if expecting him to disappear at any moment. Rias took a tentative step forward, "Naruto?"
"Hey." He answered softly as he tried to show them all a smile, "Sorry for taking so long."
"You...you're really here?"
"Well," He shrugged, "The hero always arrives - ow!" He felt a sharp pain in his side and saw Koneko had jabbed him under the ribs. She had the most stern pout he had ever seen scrunch up her face, summoning as much of her [Rook] strength as possible and started jabbing him in the side, "H-hey, hey stop! What are you - agh!" He cradled his head and saw Rias frowning with her hand covered in her magic circle as she started slapping him.
Soon enough the tall blond was being assaulted with jabs and slaps from the two girls to varying degrees. The other ORC members were watching with mixed reactions while Issei started stockpiling strength with his Boost ability. Once he had waited long enough for Koneko and Rias to get their licks in, he pulled his leg back and swung at Naruto's crotch. But the whiskered blond sensed it coming and avoided the hit, "Don't go for my balls! And stop hitting me! What the hell?!
"What the hell? What? The? Hell?!" Rias repeated with ire in her voice, accenting every word as she stomped up to the whiskered boy. She made sure her eyes met his, not even bothering to wonder why his eyes were slits again as she pointed up at him, "Where the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?! What we thought happened to you?!"
Naruto shied back and mumbled under her stern glare, "S-sorry. I didn't know you were so worried about me."
"How could we not be! Your apartment was wrecked! We had no way of finding you! I expected the worst!" Rias yelled, "Why did you leave?!"
"It wasn't by choice!" Naruto responded, "I just got grabbed one night in a fight! I tried getting out but...I was tied up."
"Wait, so you actually were kidnapped?" Issei looked shocked, "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
"Uh...not really. Or at least nothing too bad."
Akeno face turned into one of unamused resignation, "So...you weren't tortured either?"
"Not really." Naruto looked up in thought before shrugging, "Well I mean my bladder nearly burst but I don't think that counts."
"It doesn't."
"D-did they try to get any information out of you?"
"Yeah actually. Mostly just personal stuff though." His face twisted with a grimace, "He was really weird."
Rias' shoulders lowered after seeing her friend and [Pawn] was still okay. But it wasn't just in relief. It was in an amalgam of relief, disbelief, confusion, annoyance, disappointment, exasperation, and barely contained anger at finding out that her anguish and worry for him over the last few days was apparently unnecessary. She stopped herself from reaching up and pulling on his cheek hard enough to stretch his whole face before she looked up at him firmly, "Naruto, what happened to you?"
"I'll tell you. I promise I will. But right now I think we've got other things to worry about."
The heiress continued staring at him before relenting, "You're right. As interested as I am to hear your explanation - and you can bet I'll get it," The crimson-haired Devil and her peerage turned to look up at the man at the center of this havoc, "We have more bothersome things to deal with right now."
Kokabiel noticed the attention on him and gave a nasty smirk. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he felt a wave of immense power coming off the man almost unconsciously, "And is that prick Cocoa-whatever?"
"His name is Kokabiel. He's an elite Fallen Angel who has come here to gather together the parts of a powerful sword and use it to start another war. He plans to kill everyone in Kuoh to anger the Devils."
"So I was right in calling him a prick?"
"Perry good assumption." Issei nodded.
"Alright, then there's no point wasting time."
The wind started to pick up around them so fast that their hair started to whip around from the force. They looked up at the blue and white energy gathering over Naruto's hand as a screech pierced their ears. It got louder and louder as a big blue ball formed over his palm, its sides stretching out almost like blades.
The ORC stopped covering their ears to look at the Rasenshuriken, many of them experiencing it for the first time as Naruto focused his glare on the seated Fallen Angel. Kokabiel's smirk changed to one of intrigue as he watched the new technique form.
"TAKE THIS!"
The wind pressure from throwing the attack was enough to make all the ORC members shield their faces. As it passed some of them looked up to see the attack move at blistering speeds towards the Fallen Angel that casually laid back in his chair as the new attack approached. He looked like he was going to take it head-on before the Fallen Angel raised his hand and fired a gargantuan Spear at the oncoming attack.
They clashed in midair, Kokabiel's attack striking the Rasenshuriken in the center. The Rasenshuriken pushed against the massive Light attack but the spear burst and released the jutsu's energy prematurely, causing a massive explosion to overtake the red sky and release a gust of violent wind across the campus.
The ORC protected themselves, covering their eyes against the wind that nearly blew them off their feet. Issei was quick to cover Asia as Rias and Akeno raised a barrier to guard them from the force of the explosion. The blast finally started to subside after a moment. They looked up through the fading smoke and steam that covered the red sky.
"That was quite impressive." The smoke drifted away to reveal Kokabiel still seated in his chair as if nothing had happened. His throne was higher and further away in order to avoid the blast radius but he did not even look frazzled by what he'd just witnessed. He snickered, "I did not expect for you to have a power like this at your disposal, Lucifer's Little Sister. Not only a wildcard, but also the Sekiryuutei! To amass such talent and power like this at ages so young is nothing short of remarkable. If you all had been part of the war years ago I'm sure you would have made names for yourselves..." He grinned in his slimy way, "A pity you have to die now, nameless and unrecognized."
"Okay. That didn't work." Naruto clicked his teeth before digging his foot in the ground, "Let's try this!"
The blond jumped up and sailed through the air towards Kokabiel. Naruto held up his hands as two Rasengans formed in his palms. He yelled and kept gliding towards his target as Kokabiel threw out his hands to summon an array of Spears. He smirked and whipped his hand to send them flying out at Naruto. The blond yelled, the pointed weapons clashing against his jutsu and veering off course while he made his way towards Kokabiel.
The Fallen Angel chuckled at the sight of Naruto's residence. He made a Spear before spiking it into Naruto's Rasengan while he was blocking another attack. The Spear struck the side of the blue orb and exploded, blowing Naruto out of the sky.
"Heads up!"
Naruto righted himself and held out his hand as Issei swooped in and grabbed it. The pervert kept them afloat while Rias and Akeno came soaring in at the Fallen Angel instead. Rias yelled at the top of her lungs and released a massive wave of Destruction. Kokabiel leapt out of his chair and flew upwards as her wave disintegrated his throne.
His wings sprouted out as he heard the crack of thunder over him. He looked up and saw Akeno in her priestess outfit, bolts of Holy Lightning crackling off his fingertips. Her eyes bore down into the man as she yelled, "TAKE THIS!"
The concentration of her power came down in a mighty bolt. Kokabiel merely raised his hand to intercept it. He fended off the Lightning like it was nothing as Akeno continued to grit her teeth and summon more power to attack. The Fallen Angel sensed the malice behind her attack and the venom in her stare. But he laughed, "My, how you've grown! I can't believe a little half-spawn was able to come this far without proper training!" Akeno's eyes widened, "I can't imagine what you'd be like if you didn't turn your back on your father!"
"SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE MENTION THAT MAN!"
"Oh goodness, did I prod the nerve?" Kokabiel goaded the young woman before his other hand stretched out and blocked the wave of Destruction coming below him. He looked down and saw Rias trying to catch his flank as Lightning continued raining down above. He shook his head, "You both are trying so hard. It's almost endearing, like watching children chanting and waving their arms to dispel a storm."
"JUST DIE!"
"No." The Fallen Angel pushed out and sent back a blast of the respective energies the girl's were lobbing at him. The pair was blown back by the recoil, Rias careening into the ground as her [Queen] went sprawling into the sky. He laughed before looking aside and seeing the two boys coming back towards him.
Issei yelled at the top of his lungs and spun around as the blond in his hold became a yellow blur. The pervert yelled and threw Naruto at the Fallen Angel as Naruto held out his Rasengan. Kokabiel grabbed Naruto's wrist before his Rasengan could connect. The jutsu fizzled out and the black-haired man held the Devil up by his wrist with a vicious smile, "That's unfortunate."
"Heh!" Naruto grinned and pulled back his free hand before clenching his fist, "Set!"
Kokabiel lazily dodged the fist towards his chin before patronized the teen, "Boy, if you think - GAH!"
Kokabiel's head jerked back violently as an invisible force slammed into his chin and knocked him further into the air. Kokabiel's grip weakened and Naruto pulled himself out as Issei came flying back in to catch him and lower him back to the ground.
The two young men looked up at their opponent as Rias and Akeno lowered down beside them. The ladies looked a little worse for wear but they didn't even seem to notice as they just focused up on the Fallen Angel. Kokabiel rubbed his chin to see if it was broken before he smiled, "Well, that was a clever trick. So you can hit things without actually hitting them? I'll have to remember that. Tell me boy, any other surprises like that?"
"Just this." Naruto raised his right hand and held it out towards Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel waited for another blue orb or some new blast to come out but Naruto slowly narrowed his eyes. He closed his fist and something glowed beneath the wrappings around his arm-
"2x!"
Kokabiel raised an eyebrow amusingly before his head shot up again. He let out a pained gasp as he felt another powerful strike hit his chin and he faltered through the air.
Rias looked at the action in shock before turning to Naruto for answers. Akeno and Issei did the same thing as the tall blond grinned and lowered his arm. Rias caught sight of the bright glow beneath his bandages and looked them suspiciously, "What was that?"
"Something I got while I was away." Naruto tore at a bit of fabric and unfurled his wrappings. They fell into a heap by his feet and he showed his friends the new features over his forearm. It looked like a remote control with no buttons. The three of them looked at it in shock, "This is Remote Looper. My new Sacred Gear."
"Sacred Gear?" Akeno repeated in shock.
"What the hell?!" Issei exclaimed.
"That's right. This one's mine now. I can set a point, preform an action, and replay its effect whenever I want. In this case, land a nasty punch against this asshole, and play it again when he wasn't ready." Naruto grinned at the sight of Kokabiel spitting out blood and wiping his chin as the blond clenched his fist, "We got the advantage with this."
Naruto wanted to keep watching his enemy but felt a pair of hands firmly lock his head and force him to look aside. He met the annoyed, irritated face of Rias pouting up at him. She looked directly in his eyes, "Naruto...why do you have a Sacred Gear?"
"I got it."
"No." She shook her head and sighed like a parent trying to stay calm while explaining something to their stupid child, "You don't find Sacred Gears or get them. You either have one...or you don't."
"Well I didn't..." He raised him arm and showed her Remote Looper, "And now I do."
Rias closed her eyes and released her hold on his cheeks, "That story...it better be a long, descriptive, and precise one. No detail too minute."
"Ugh...what if I don't remember every detail?"
"You better."
"Ara ara," Akeno delicately placed a hand on her cheek and shook her head, "He runs off, gets lost, comes back when we're worried, and brings strange things back at a whim. Are you an untrained pet?"
"Maybe we should consider putting a leash on him?" Issei chuckled.
"Yeah, laugh it up, Fuck-Face," Naruto snarled and narrowed his bar-like eyes at the pervert, "I hit a helluva lot stronger in this form. You think your balls can take a kick for all your jokes?" Issei' smile faltered and he unconsciously shielded his crotch, "That's what I thought."
Rias still seemed wary and looked down at his new weapon, "And you're sure you can use that?"
"Up to ten times replay!" The whiskered man boasted, "I was supposed to give it some time to heal but it's nothing I can't handle." He lowered him arm and winced before looking back down at it, "Actually there's a sharp pain but it's nothing I can't handle."
Rias sighed.
"Another Sacred Gear? And from someone who didn't have one?" Kokabiel questioned before he closed his eyes and took a sharp breath, "That damn traitor. Is he really so set on this peace plan that he'd sabotage his comrades?" He let out a long sigh, "No matter. When I'm done here I can bring this to the rest of the Grigori. Let them know he's planning against us. I might just get top spot once he's kicked out."
Naruto winced and closed his fist a few times to get the sensation back. Azazel had warned him before going under that he needed time to rest after getting this Gear. And when he woke up he did feel tired and weary. But he refused to just lie back while the others dealt with this guy.
Sage Mode was helping him stay up at the moment.
Hopefully the arm wouldn't hurt whenever he had to use this Gear but right now he had to live with it. Repeating the effect of damage and stored up energy would prove useful in a fight.
Naruto stepped forward, "So hey, now that you're off your lounge chair, you wanna come down here?" The blond attempted the goad the Fallen Angel, "I mean if you're scared I won't blame you but I expected more from a scary-"
A bright flash of light from the gymnasium shut him up as the shine covered the entire campus. Naruto covered his eyes and heard the others yell as they did the same. The light died down but they were still blinded by the effect. He could still sense what was going on with Sage Mode-
And that was what warned him to move.
He leaned back as a huge blade swung for his neck. Naruto was quick to kip-up to his feet and dodge again as the blade came swinging in at unnatural speeds. It somehow got even faster as Naruto had to rely on his enhanced reflexes to help him keep from getting gutted. He finally got his sight back and didn't recognize the sword or the massive energy pooling off it.
But he did recognize the vicious, nasty grin attacking him.
"C'mon, don't dodge! I just got this baby and she could use a good coat of Devil blood to reaaaaaaally~ give her that new shine!" Freed cackled as he continued to press the blond with his new weapon. He half yelled and half laughed, swinging his new sword down as it grew twice in size. Naruto had to catch his footing and jumped back to avoid the sword as it tore through the ground like paper. The glowing blade returned to normal even as the psychotic priest whined and pursed his lips, "Awwww~, no fun. I didn't even get disemboweling anyone."
Issei's vision came back and he immediately felt sick to his stomach seeing his least favorite ecclesiastic, "Freed!"
"Hey there, Devil-kun! Long time, no maiming!" Freed held up his glowing weapon and let it sway in front of him, "When was the last time I saw you, eh? Must have been when that sexy Raynare-San was getting her rocks off torturing you and that pretty little nun. And don't think I didn't notice her way back there, cowering and fretting to see me again! AH!" He squeaked, "She gives the best reactions!"
"Bastard!" Issei raised his Boosted Gear.
[BOOST]
He made to engage the clergyman in combat but Rias' arm raised to stop him. The redhead cast her gaze down at the menacing, glowing blade that the crazed man held by his side. She looked back up and met Freed's eyes as the demented priest knew what she was thinking. The Gremory's eyes narrowed with disdain up at the Fallen Angel, "So you've already put the pieces together?"
"That's right." His chin bloodied but he paid it no heed as Kokabiel smiled condescendingly, "It's unfortunate that the blade is not complete yet, but as you can see it's still more than a match to chop you children apart."
"Good idea!" The aura around Freed flared and he raised his blade, "Let's get on that!"
Rias and the others made to protect themselves but Freed already dashed at them in a burst of speed. Naruto had felt his evil intent coming and made to grab Rias while Freed reappeared with his blade overhead.
But the glowing blade didn't come down fast enough before it was blocked by two other blades.
Yuuto and Xenovia yelled as they forced the blade back as much as possible. They couldn't get much ground against Freed and his mighty weapon but it was just enough for Naruto to get Rias to safety. Issei and Akeno were quick to follow before Freed could attack again. The two swordsmen jumped back as well to get some distance.
"He's already forged them together?" The blue-haired churchgoer mumbled before she running her hand down her face, "This is going to make bringing them back unnecessarily difficult."
Rias approached her, "Even so, thank you for your assistance."
"Considering we're up against several Excalibur swords forged together and a figurehead of the Fallen Angels, I could use as much assistance as possible." Xenovia admitted before looking to the Devil group again. She took notice of the whiskered blond that joined their ranks, "This must be the man you all were looking for. Hmm, he does look like a scowling cat."
"I look like a what?"
"Uh, let's focus." Issei nervously coughed and pointed back at Freed, "So...is that what I think it is?"
"Excalibur." Rias murmured, "All four pieces Kokabiel has apprehended combined back into one weapon. It's not nearly as powerful as the original Excalibur, but it still has enough to turn the tide of this battle. If that blade cuts us, we'll be affected by the aura and left vulnerable to be finished off by that man."
"So avoid getting cut by the sword?" Naruto smiled seeing the peeved expression she turned to him with as he shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page. So how do we handle it?"
"We don't." Yuuto muttered as he summoned a second blade to wield, "I do."
"Yuuto, wait-"
The [Knight] dashed fast enough to leave his friends in a cloud of dust as he charged the crazy priest. Yuuto blurred and brought both blades down against Freed's pseudo-Excalibur hard enough to create a shockwave. But didn't break the Holy Sword.
The two separated and Freed laughed, "Oh, this is great! I'm gonna carve a few pounds of flesh outta you first, Handsome Devil-San, then after that I'm gonna work on slicing up the rest of your friends! I think I'll keep a lock of the big-breasted redhead's hair. Or maybe I'll keep the dark-haired girl's head for myself?! Ooooooo~, this is so much fun!"
"Shut up!" Yuuto activated his speed to try to overwhelm Freed, but was met with an equal burst of speed as the white-haired psycho activated Excalibur Rapidly. The [Knight] brought both blades into the Holy Sword as they clashed in a shower of sparks. Yuuto spun around and struck the glowing blade over and over as Freed effortlessly parried the strikes. They separated before dashing back in, using their respective speed boosts to disappear from the naked eye.
Koneko and Asia finally made their way over to rejoin their group. The nun caught her breath before looking at the flashes of light clashing in the air. She could no longer see them anymore and marveled, "T-that's amazing. I can't believe Kiba-San can move fast enough to match Excalibur's speed."
"He's not."
"Huh?" The nun looked around confused at the worried expression on everyone's faces while staring out over the field, "What do you mean?"
"It means Kiba's not keeping up with him." Issei grimaced, "Not at all."
There was another massive shockwave and the two figures reappeared. Except Freed was unharmed and Yuuto was beleaguered by several bloody cuts across his body. The [Knight] was panting heavily and clutching a broken sword. He struggled not to fall to his knees as the glared at the giggling priest, "Hehehehe, looks like you just don't have the stamina to keep up with me, huh, pretty boy? Oohhh, you always expect the handsome ones to be the best but then you find out they're all talk. I wanted to go over and over but you just lose all feeling in your legs. Ugh, such a disappointment." Freed blushed, "But I did at least get a few good strokes in on you-"
"Stop it!" Yuuto tossed the broken hilt and gripped his last sword tightly. He made to charge before a cut and gush of blood sprayed from his shoulder. He looked down in horror and saw a shimmering light sticking out of his flesh slowly form into a long, thin blade. He looked down to see it sticking out from the pseudo-Excalibur Freed was wielding, "W-what?"
"Neat, huh?! Yeah, Excalibur Transperancy to keep it hidden and Excalibur Mimicry to change shape! Lucky we got to snatch it off that hot little slut with the twin-tails before we ran off!" Freed chuckled with almost child-like glee at the pain he was inflicting on the [Knight], "Wanna see something else cool?! This is Excalibur Nightmare!"
Yuuto's vision quickly turned black as if the world had faded around him. The agony plaguing his shoulder and other wounds similarly disappeared as he looked around in confusion.
"Isaiah."
No. No that can't be.
Yuuto felt a dainty hand grip his shoulder. He looked over it to see a young girl steadying herself. Her face was deathly pale and in pain. She sobbed, "What did you do?"
"No-"
"Isaiah, you were supposed to live."
"You were supposed to survive."
"To avenge us."
"To make sure we didn't die in vain."
"What was the point, Isaiah?"
"What was the point?!"
Yuuto was surrounded on all sides by his old friends. The friends he grew up with in Holy Sword Project.
The friends that died while he got away.
They swarmed him, grabbing and tackling him. He panted for air and tried to push them off of him but couldn't find the strength. They clung to him as Yuuto shrieked, "N-NO! NO STOP IT! STOP!"
Yuuto's landscape quickly changed back to normal. But when he looked up he saw Freed bearing over him with Excalibur raised high and his monstrous smile. The blade came down on him before stopping inches from his face.
"AAAHHHHHH! FUCK!"
Yuuto looked up and saw Naruto had caught the blade between his hands. His hands started smoking and he grit his teeth through the pain. Xenovia quickly charged in and swung at Freed. The priest jumped back, pulling his blade out of the blond's grip as the blue-haired warrior chased after him.
"Shit," Naruto looked down at his bloody and burnt palms. Even with the protection Sage Mode gave him, the sword's properties were reacting badly with his Devil body. He hissed and tried to close them, "Okay, starting to wish I took Rias' warning more seriously."
"N-no." Yuuto moaned, pulling himself up to his knees. His eyes were heavy and his vision was tunneling around Xenovia holding off Freed. He reached out with a shaky hand, "S-she can't fight him. She can't beat him. I...I have to be the one...to destroy Excalibur-"
"No." Yuuto was yanked back by his collar as Naruto looked down at him, "You aren't doing shit while you're like this. In case you didn't notice you're bleeding like crazy and can't even stand. Plus you couldn't even focus properly. You were slowing down and swinging like a crazy person. If you can't get a hold of yourself then you're sitting this fight out!"
"I can't!" Yuuto weakly threw his arm back as if to swat Naruto away but it fell to his side, "You can't tell me what to do! You don't know what's going on!"
"Yeah, I do." Naruto responded, "I know that you hate this sword and want to destroy it. But you're gonna get yourself killed fighting like this!"
"I can't stop now! You don't understand!"
"I understand watching someone lose themselves in revenge!" Naruto yelled as he pulled Yuuto up by his collar and glared into the younger man's eyes, "I've watched someone I know - someone I cared about - get lost following his revenge. Till the point where he was getting harder and harder to recognize! So if you think I'll let you do that too, Kiba, then you're a fucking idiot!"
The pained blond's resilience seemed to falter and his eyes watered. He wanted to fight...to argue more...but he couldn't. Naruto released his collar, "Stay here! I'm gonna get Asia so she can fix you up."
Yuuto clenched his fist. Naruto running off to rejoin the group coming to check on them. Xenovia was being pushed back by the pseudo-Excalibur and its multiple abilities. And here he was. The goal of his revenge mere meters away...
And he was in the dirt, blood seeping out and weak in the knees like a scared child.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
"Freed-kun, I know how much you like to cut things, but please make sure not to break Excalibur Destruction. We need it if we want to add to the blade."
Freed stopped attacking Xenovia for a moment and sighed as his shoulders sagged, "Uhhhhhhhhhhh, fine! But I can still cut her up, right?"
"By all means."
Yuuto's eyes widened in horror as he recognized the voice coming into the field with them. He looked up at the figure slowly approaching them, taking a casual stroll through uprooted ground and bloody monster corpses. He spoke softly and without any urgency in his voice. He still looked old and almost kindly, with a soft face and bespectacled gaze that most would expect of a holy man.
It was a lie.
The most depraved, sadistic, heartless monster Yuuto had ever met. The man that made so many promises and raised the hopes of the children he collected just to throw them away when he believed they had no more use. Like trash.
Valper Galilei.
"You!" Xenovia recognized him as well, "You're Valper Galilei, aren't you?! The Genocide Archbishop!"
"Ah, my reputation precedes me." Valper nodded, graciously accepting the Church warrior's recognition as if it were praise, "Yes, that's me."
"The Church reported you missing. We believed you were apprehended by another party but you were taken by Kokabiel? And willingly?"
"Of course." Valper nodded, "Kokabiel-San was offering me the chance to pursue my wishes with the Holy Swords, and Excalibur of all swords!" The old man smiled warmly, "I could not pass up that opportunity."
"B-Buchou, who is that?"
"Valper Galilei. He was a member of the Church not too long ago. But he was exiled because of his experiments." Rias explained to them, "He hid behind his collar, but that man is a butcher. He was the one that put Yuuto through...everything."
The [Knight] lowered his head as he heard Asia gasp and Issei curse on his behalf. She gave them a brief explanation of what Valpar did when he still had power. What he aimed for and how he gained it.
Hearing it again...still hurt so much.
"Valpar!" Yuuto yelled. The old man turned to him, "Do you recognized me? Do you know who I am?"
"No." The old man scratched his head, "I'm sorry lad but have we met?"
"I was there!" The blond swordsman sat up, the pain from his wounds aching worse but ignored, "I was part of the Holy Sword Project! I was there for every horrible experiment you forced on us!"
The old man still looked confused before realization dawned on him, "Oh! Yes, I remember one of the children from the project had escaped the facility the day we decided to terminate the batch. I'm honestly surprised to see you again. I was certain whomever breathed in the gas would die within moments, but it appears Lady Luck smiled down on you. Although maybe since you have now found yourself in the realm of Devils, it's more appropriate to say you've been affected by a cruel turn of Fate?"
"Enough!" Yuuto yelled furiously as he punched the dirt, "I want to know why! Why did you decide to kill us?! What decided us failures for you to just kill off like that?!"
"Oh no, my boy, you seem to be confused. You weren't failures. Not in the end at least."
Yuuto froze, "W...what?"
"It's true that while none of you proved successful in the effort to give regular people the natural ability to wield a Holy Sword, the experiment proved fruitful in other ways." Valpar reached into his sleeve and pulled out an ornamental vial, "They helped make this."
"That?!" Xenovia's surprise garnered their attention, "That's a blessing. It's a special property the Church uses to bestow people with the ability to use Holy Swords like Excalibur."
"That's right." Valpar frowned, "A bit hypocritical of the almighty Church to exile me for my process but reap the benefits of its success. Partially why I joined Kokabiel-San's cause, I suppose. I maybe more vindictive than I'd like to admit." He gave a simple shrug and smiled as he lobbed the vial over to roll in front of Yuuto, "There. It's true that you and those other children weren't able to use the swords because of your weak bodies, but you had the properties inside of you in order to wield them. So in the end we were able to isolate those properties, remove them from the corpses, and gather them together in the vials. With their influence, selected individuals can wield Holy Swords, even Freed-kun over there."
Asia gasped in horror, Issei grinding his teeth and Naruto gripping his fists until his knuckles went white. Yuuto just looked at the vial in horror before muttering, "You...this is what you made of them?"
"That's right. You can keep that if you want. We've discovered a way to mass produce them so your fellow subjects are no longer needed. A little reminder of your friends' sacrifice," Valpar graciously nodded his head with a smile, "And a thank you for helping me get this far."
The blond [Knight] shook as he grabbed the vial that trembled in his hands. He cradled it as he shoulder shook. He gasped for air before he felt a pair of arms circle around him. Rias comforted him, holding his shoulders and patting his head, "It's okay, Yuuto. I had no idea it was this awful. That you were out through it by a monster like him...I'm so sorry."
"I-I'm sorry." The traumatized boy mumbled as he held her arms in an effort to find relief in the madness, "I know how much you want me to move past it...a-and I know you wanted to help me, but I didn't want you to. I didn't want you to be a part of this. Because...this is hell." His eyes watered, "This is my hell. And I wanted to put a stop to it...because they didn't deserve this. They had hopes and dreams. They wanted to be more than this! I-I had to make sure they didn't die just for this! I-I," He hung his head, "I'm so sorry!"
Asia started sobbing into her hands and ducked into Akeno's side as the older girl comforted her. Koneko clenched her fists as tears filled her eyes. Kokabiel scoffed as Freed cackled cruelly, Issei and Naruto both feeling their anger rise at the ridicule of the [Knight]'s anguish.
"It's okay."
A bright light emanated from the vial that nearly blinded everyone in the dome. Rias tried to shield her eyes and had to back away from the intense light. Yuuto's whole world went white before he saw a black figure standing in front of him. The figure gently cupped his cheek.
"We love you."
"We never blamed you for living."
"That's all we wanted. You still had a chance, and you've made it so far because of it."
"We're happy to see you were able to move on."
His eyes widened to see the silhouettes of his fallen comrades come around him. But unlike the nightmare moments ago, their presence was warm and comforting, "But what about all of you?" Yuuto looked down at the vial, "This. This is what he made of you. After everything you've been through-"
"It's okay, Isaiah."
"We've moved on."
"And now you have to too."
"H-how?"
"That vial."
"It's our gift to you."
"B-but I'm a Devil now! I can't wield Holy Swords! This will-"
"Trust us."
"This is how you can move on, Isaiah. Accept our gift...and live."
Yuuto looked down at the vial in his hand and felt the shaking stop. His old friends and comrades supporting him.
His new family here for him to protect.
The fear and hopelessness that had gripped him moments ago was gone.
And with a steeled heart...he opened the vial
||||||||Devil||||||||
Done
This chapter became way too long and wordy. So I split it.
Hopefully I'll be able to clean up both parts and make them much better.
I make you guys wait so long, the least I can do is make sure these chapters are better quality.
The ORC are back together. Kiba is hearing voices. And Naruto's new Sacred Gear is shown.
I'll spend some time in an upcoming chapter showing it better, but for right now just know there's gonna be a lot more to it.
A lot more.
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