Chapter Twenty-One - The Stage is Set
"So, I think it's best that we review what we know as of now," Sona sat down on the green upholstered couch within the Hyoudou household, silently thanking Akeno when she put a cup of tea in front of her.
Since the mission had finished, everyone had decided to regroup. To everyone there, it was obvious that the situation had become too big to not involve them, so in order to gain their bearings, it was determined to be the smartest move to meet up. Issei just didn't know why it had to be his house.
Then again, his bottom ached too much to really protest. As a matter of fact, that was why both him and Saji had refused to sit down, instead opting to stand up, as the others sat around in various chairs or couches.
Rias nodded, "I agree. To start off, let's begin with what our precious pieces were up to behind our backs. Go on, Issei."
"Huh?" Issei blinked, before clearing his throat, "Oh, yeah, yeah… So basically, we decided that in order for us to get Kiba back, we could make a deal with the Exorcists. The whole idea was that we would help them get the Excalibur's back, and in exchange, they would let Kiba destroy them."
"I see…" Rias sipped her tea, before fixing Issei, Saji, and Koneko with a glare, "Still, that was incredibly foolish. Exorcists are our natural enemies, not to mention that they could easily destroy all of you."
"She's right, you know Saji," Sona chimed in, "I'm… disappointed in you."
"Uh, if I may, Buchou, Student Council Pres.," Issei stepped forward, "Given our previous interactions with them, they seemed to be nice enough to at least hear us out. It was… a calculated risk."
"...And you believe it paid off?" Sona challenged, "Not only did you get a historical building destroyed, but you have nothing to show for it. The enemy is still out there, and possibly have more of the Excalibur's than they did before; and that's to say nothing of your knight, who's still yet to return to you."
Sona's eyes narrowed, "So you tell me, Hyoudou. Did your gambit truly pay off?"
Issei fumbled, "W-Well, I, uh…"
"Sona, that's enough for now," Rias cut in, "Some of the blame here falls to me, for not keeping watch over my pieces well enough. I have my familiar out right now, patrolling the streets as we speak, trying to find Kiba. Bickering amongst ourselves isn't going to get us anywhere at the moment. So please, continue."
"Buchou…" Issei smiled, dopey tears welling up in his eyes. Remembering the situation, Issei quickly wiped them away, his expression returning to its previously mature state.
"We devised a plan. Vin, the exorcist dude, had got an anonymous tip-off about the location of their secret hideout, the old manor. We had all agreed to a plan where Koneko, Saji, Kiba and I would approach the hideout from the front, drawing the attention of Freed, while the exorcists snuck into the base from the back, and steal the swords. After one of them brought the swords to safety, they would come support us, and then sometimes after, we would let Kiba break them."
"A semi-sound plan, if a little short-sighted," Sona commented, setting down her cup of tea on the coffee table, "What I'm the most curious about is that supposed 'anonymous tip-off'. Considering neither Rias nor I had any knowledge that a famous rogue exorcist and some others were setting up a base in our territory, having reliable information like that draws suspicion."
"A mole perhaps?" Akeno chimed in.
Sona hummed, her hand coming up to fidget with her glasses, "It seems to me that might be the only feasible option… Yet, what Rias found seems to paint… a different picture."
"Right," Rias reached into a pocket on her skirt, pulling out a single large, black feather, "After the collapse, and during my efforts to investigate for survivors, I could clearly hear the sounds of people from within the core of the wreckage. Upon finally clearing everything away, I found a large crystal dome at the center, something that matches our known capabilities for this 'Vin' character. Yet, upon opening an entrance into the dome, I found nothing but this one feather."
Sona furrowed her brow as she gazed at the feather as it glistened in the light, "It's full grown. Not to mention, the sheer quality of it's bristles seem to indicate that it belongs to an exceptionally strong Fallen Angel…"
"Exactly," Rias' expression darkened, "I believe that this hypothetical Fallen Angel warped them away. Which, if you add everything up, a high-quality, full-grown feather, the instantaneous nature of the trapped exorcist's disappearance…"
Tsubaki paled visibly, "Do you mean to imply…?"
"Yes," Rias nodded tensely, "I think there's a high likelihood that Kokabiel isn't the only powerful Fallen Angel in this town right now…"
When Vin finally came to, his senses were immediately hit with overwhelming nausea. The sensation of being teleported wasn't necessarily new to him; he could recount a few moments here or there. Still, they were few and far between enough that Vin wouldn't consider himself someone quite 'adjusted' to the feeling of his body being forcefully ripped across space far distances.
As such, Vin immediately fled to the first sign of open water, leaning over the banister, and shamefully emptied his stomach into the sloshing waves below. The sting of bile scraping against his trachea an incessant bother that only spurred him on to puke more and more, until his body was purged of its fluids.
After a moment of retching, Vin heard a deep, gravelly voice sound out from right behind him.
"Yikes, kiddo. I didn't take you as someone who would get this sick, just from teleportation."
Tilting his gaze, Vin found none other than Azazel standing behind him, one hand gently holding onto Vin's ponytail to prevent it from falling into the trail of his vomit.
The gesture, while appreciated greatly by Vin, certainly didn't help assuage the worries of Xenovia, who without hesitation, summoned Durandal in a flash, levelling the tip of the mythical blade directly at the Governor General's neck, much to the man's amusement.
"This was the girl that you got the present for, kid?" Azazel eyed up Xenovia with a smirk, "Hmm, you have good taste, kid."
Xenovia's stoicism didn't budge, "Backhanded flattery won't get you anywhere, start explaining yourself. How, or more accurately, why have you been getting into contact with Vin?"
Letting go of Vin's ponytail, the Fallen continued to smirk, "Right, right… How about we sit down for a moment? I have some fishing I want to get back to anyway, and after all…"
Without warning, Azazel appeared behind Xenovia, his movements not even a blur. He turned his back to the two exorcists, and walked down the pier's dock, towards a small setup at the end, complete with a stool, fishing rod, a can of beer, and a small radio quietly humming as background noise.
"...Fishing is better with company."
Unnerved by the sudden display, Xenovia silently lowered her weapon, till it's edge hit the ground with a harmless *tink*. She stared balefully at Azazel as the Fallen sat down, and began to prepare to cast his line, but she paused when a hand fell to her shoulder.
Looking up, her eyes met Vin's, who simply shook his head, and began to walk over to Azazel's position. Shortly after putting Durandal back in it's dimensional prison, Xenovia walked over to join them, finding a spot standing behind Azazel, while Vin instead opted to sit down on the edge of the dock, his legs dangling off the edge.
Whether that was a sign of the teen's comfort around the Fallen Angel, or simply an oversight, Xenovia didn't quite know. Preparing herself, stuffing down the small part of her mind that shivered in fear, being in the presence of the head of the Grigori, Xenovia opened her mouth to begin her line of questioning.
"You wanted to know why I got in contact with the kid, right?" Azazel continued to stare out at the waves surrounding them on that dark pier, casting his line out, and sitting back casually.
"Correct."
"Alright then… It was around the start of this year…" Azazel explained, "Rumors had leaked out of the Vatican that there was an individual who carried a peculiar Sacred Gear, a sub-species of Midas' Rings. Obviously, being the Sacred Gear expert I am, I wanted to see if those rumors were true."
"...So you disguised yourself as a shop owner, and waited," Vin pieced together, "But, isn't that really stupid? You could have waited forever, and I could have just never gone into that shop."
"That's true, but you have to understand. Throughout my countless years as a Sacred Gear researcher, I've come to identify one sole trait amongst wielders."
As the dual-haired man gazed out across the calmly lapping ocean waves, he gained a wistful twinkle in his ruby eyes, "Sacred Gear wielders, more specifically powerful ones, have this… invisible force, like the thread of fate draws them to each other naturally. It's not anything concrete, or uncontrollable. It's practically just happenstance, yet, it happens all the same."
"But enough about me waxing poetics for you brats," Azazel smiled, reeling in his hook, only to sigh when it had snagged only seaweed, "To answer your question, I was curious to see if you really did exist, I'm curious, I can't help myself."
"That still doesn't answer why you reached out to him, here and now of all places," Xenovia countered.
"Relax, Missy. I was trying to help him, help all of you little church munchkins," After scraping the seaweed off his hook with a grimace, Azazel cast it out once more, "After all, I've found the wielder of this elusive, sub-species of Sacred Gear: why would I want them killed in the line of duty? That would only make more work for me, since I'd have to wait years for whatever human baby gets it next to grow up enough to use it, and that's to say nothing of the effort to actually find said hypothetical brat."
"And where does Kokabiel slot into this plan of yours?"
Azazel snorted, "Nowhere, that's why he's such a pain in the ass. I think it's smartest that we all just calm down, step away from trying to kill each other, and learn to live life as a collective. Kokabiel… Doesn't agree with that sentiment."
"So he's a rogue party, is what you're saying."
"Yeah," Azazel's face grew somber, "We all lost a lot of things in the Great War; important things… But when we stepped off the battlefield, Kokabiel lost his purpose."
"His purpose?" Vin echoed, the idea sounding familiar on his tongue.
"I can't attest for sure, but I believe that Kokabiel's goal here is to regain that lost part of himself. But that means…"
"He's set on starting another great war," Vin finished.
"Exactly; and I can't interfere, otherwise I drag the Grigori through the mud. You can write off two powerful Fallen Angels as rogue parties, but when it's the leader?" Azazel shook his head, "That's when it becomes a lot harder to explain."
"Which is why you need us. You need us to defeat Kokabiel," Xenovia pieced together.
"You all? Defeat Kokabiel? Yeah… No, that's not gonna happen," Azazel bitterly chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, I would love it if you could, but I mean, it's physically impossible for you guys to do it."
Vin's expression turned dark, while Xenovia stomped her foot, cracking the thick stone underneath.
"What?! So, you're telling us just to die fighting him!?" Xenovia snapped, "So you really are like the others… For all your help in identifying their base of operations, you'll leave the task to mere teenagers."
"Hold it right there," At long last, Azazel set his fishing rod aside, and stood up, turning to face Xenovia and Vin dead on, "I never said that. You may not be able to stop Kokabiel, however, you can sure as hell stall him until I can bring some people in who can lock him up."
"Do you realize how unsafe that is? He could kill us easily," Xenovia shouted back, "He DID kill one of us easily! How am I supposed to trust you, a Fallen Angel, to not just leave us out to dry when it comes down to it?!"
Azazel met her glare unflinchingly, before doing something that left both Vin and Xenovia speechless.
He got down on one knee, and lowered his head towards the two. Stunned silence filled the pier for a moment, before Azazel's voice creeped out, slow, deliberate, vulnerable.
"... I swear to you, on my father's name, I won't allow any of you to die. I will deliver you the support that you need to defeat Kokabiel… All I need you to do is trust me."
Xenovia looked down upon the kneeling Governor General, carefully mulling over her next choice of words. The quiet was palpable, until finally, she came to her decision.
"I'll trust you for now. Not because I feel like it's the smartest choice, but because I believe that the Lord God in Heaven would choose to trust one of his children; and how could I call myself a believer if I went against his judgement?"
Azazel softly chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like something dad would've done…"
"I thank you Azazel, for rescuing us," Xenovia knelt down and extended her hand, "Now, I believe that we have a deal."
"That we do," Azazel smiled, reciprocating the handshake, while glancing over at Vin, watching from the sidelines, "You got one hell of a girlfriend, Kiddo."
Vin blushed bright pink, "...Yeah… Yeah I do…"
Standing up, along with Azazel, her face slightly tinged with a bit of pink herself, Xenovia dusted off her clothes, and turned to the boy.
"Vin, we should begin looking to regroup with Irina. The sooner we ensure those swords are out of Kokabiel's hands, the better."
"Right," Vin cracked his knuckles, "We take out the swords, then we deal with Kokabiel."
"Then don't let me keep you," Azazel waved a hand, "I'll work on getting in contact with people. It'll take a little while, but I'll get them here."
"Very well. C'mon Vin, let's go." Xenovia turned around, and began to walk away from the pier, Vin trailing behind her.
Spinning on his heels, Vin turned back to the Fallen at the dock, "Thanks Azazel!"
"Heh, think nothing of it, Kid! And remember, I owe you one!"
The first one to break the tentative silence was Rias, who perked up suddenly, slamming her hands on the arms of her chair.
"Buchou-"
"My familiar just found something. It's aura is familiar to a Gremory's…" Rias announced.
"Wait, really? It found Kiba?" Almost instantly, Issei was on his feet, ready to go.
"Possibly," Rias answered, "Sona, it's by the forest trail about a block or two away from Kuoh Academy, you know the one?"
The Student Council President had already stood up and cast a transportation circle, "Of course, Tsubaki, Saji, come here."
"Everyone, over here please," Rias motioned for her peerage to group up in her own magic circle, and in a flash, the Hyoudou's family room was ripped from view in a flash of crimson aurora, revealing the nighttime skies of Kuoh.
Gazing around, Issei took in the sights of the forest trail, it's beautiful overlook of the neighborhoods of Kuoh, the time of night almost giving it a picturesque quality to it.
However, what immediately drew Issei's attention away from the enrapturing sight was a smell. Something thick, an noxious, unpleasant smell of… smoke?
His eyes following the direction of the scent, Issei found a sight that made his heart plummet into the depths of his stomach. A sight that shook him straight down to his fragile, scared, walled-off core. The sight of his childhood best friend, bloodied, crumpled, utterly brutalized, laying on bloodstained grass.
Never in his life did Issei think he could ever run so fast.
"IRINA!"
As Issei bolted forward, the rest of the party soon locked their gazes on the same sight, shocked and horrified gasps echoing out from behind him. But he didn't care, his entire being, mind and soul, was so focused on the dying girl in front of him.
Issei didn't hesitate to crash to his knees in front of Irina, nor did he when he gently scooped her up into his arms. In the throes of his emotions, he couldn't even tell if the stinging in his eyes was from the damn beacon that kept huffing red-colored smoke, or if it was his tears threatening to spill over.
"Not you too. Not you too. You're my only childhood friend…" Issei murmured in his panic, desperately searching for signs of life within the twin-tailed girl. The fact that he could be potentially touching something had fled from his mind completely the moment they stepped foot onto this trail. Now, all that Issei could feel was a churning, boiling anger in the pit of his stomach.
"A-Ah, I-I-Issei…" Issei turned around to find Asia standing nervously behind him. The intensity in his eyes must have been great, because the sweet blonde had quite literally flinched backward as his eyes landed on her, "...I-I need to heal her…"
Issei's thoughts halted for a moment, as realization, mixed with relief, spread through his system. As it did, Issei felt a sensation on his left hand, almost like… his Sacred Gear had just de-summoned. As Asia worked Twilight Healing over the girl that laid in Issei's arms, a hot shame at scaring the former sister welled up in his gut.
"I'm sorry, Asia," Issei blurted out, "I… I don't know what I was-"
"Shhh…" Asia stopped him, "It's alright, Issei, I understand. She's… She's very important to you, isn't she? So getting upset about this is understandable. But, that's why I'm here, aren't I? So that you don't have to worry about things like this happening…"
Issei's heart fluttered, truly, Asia was too sweet for words. If the big man upstairs had taken all the sunshine in the world and forged it into one being… Well, Issei wouldn't hesitate to say that it was Asia Argento.
Slowly, the glow of Twilight Healing subsided, as Irina's violet eyes fluttered open weakly. Her mouth opened, the dry smacking of her lips paired with her incredibly strained and hoarse voice.
"...My… guardian… angel?" Irina rasped, her delirium still taking hold.
"Irina," Issei ever-so-gently shook Irina, "It's me, Issei. Can you hear me?"
Slowly, Irina turned her head to gaze at Issei, her tears slowly spilling out of her eyes, "Issei… I-I'm sorry… They.. have… The swords…"
Just as quickly as she had awoken, Irina once again passed out in Issei's arms, which caused the devil to panic.
"Irina? IRINA!"
"It's alright, she's just weak, but she's stable for now," Sona stepped up behind Issei alongside her queen.
Tsubaki leaned down and gently took Irina out of Issei's hands, "Don't worry, Hyoudou. The Sitri estate here in town has all the equipment she would need to make a full recovery. We'll deliver her right now."
"Well that's a relief!" A new voice called out from the tree line, "Because I was really pissed off for a minute there, I thought she would've died without even screaming for me!"
To everyone's shock and anger, none other than Freed Sellzen stepped out onto the trail, a few scant meters from where Issei, Tsubaki, Sona, and Asia stood.
"I mean, really! A death without any howls of pain?! There's no catharsis there, it's almost… humane. Eugh, I fuckin' hate that word."
"Freed," Issei hissed, his features cracking in rage, "Did you do this to Irina?"
"Ohhh~ Gut-wrenching rage is a good look on you, Shit-kiryuutei!" Freed taunted, "But yeah, that was my handiwork, and I would've gotten away with killing her too, if it wasn't for that meddling masked shithead…"
"Masked..?" Sona echoed in confusion.
"But hey, at least that real cuddly bastard let me take these!" Freed gripped both sides of his coat, and yanking it open, revealed a horrifying sight.
Rapidly, Nightmare, Transparency, and Mimic. Freed was decked to the nines in all of them. The faces of the devil's present quickly paled at the sight of the four poisonous holy blades held in the grip of the enemy.
Issei grit his teeth, summoning the Boosted Gear as he positioned himself in front of the other devils protectively. Eyes narrowed in focus, left arm extended and prepared to defend against any onslaught.
"Ah, I'd love to rip you to pieces, but I'm not here to fight!" Freed quickly amended, releasing the sides of his jacket to raise his hands in a placating manner, "I'm actually here because someone very special wanted to have a chat with you all!"
"And who would that be?" Rias asked, stepping up beside Issei, her arms folded over her chest, yet they seemed ready to attack at any moment.
Freed smiled wickedly, "Why, my boss of course!"
It was then that Issei felt a horrific presence enter his cognition, looking up, Issei froze, his breath caught in his throat. Illuminated by the whole moon at his back, the apparition of pure, unbridled power carried by ten wings.
"...Kokabiel…" Rias murmured.
Issei shook. So this, this was what they were up against? This was what the church sent three teenagers to fight? What were they thinking?! If Raynare was a firework, and Riser Phenex was a pipe bomb… Then Kokabiel was a nuclear warhead. Pure, unfiltered, unadulterated power given form.
This was the true strength of a being recorded in the bible.
"Gremory…" Kokabiel uttered, his voice reverberating powerfully through the air, "Ugh, that crimson hair is just as your brother. Even today, the sight of it still sickens me as much as it did back in the great war."
"Kokabiel," Despite her obvious fear, Rias kept her tone even, "It's not often when one gets to see a cadre-class Fallen Angel up close. I must say, it's an honor to have your visit."
"May I ask you a question, Gremory?" Kokabiel gave a shark-toothed grin, "Are you… satisfied with the way life is now?"
"I grew up within this period of tentative peace," Rias replied, "I believed that I like the way my life is now."
"How amusing. Yes, I suppose it was a waste to ask someone who would never have known about what it truly was like to live in those days," Kokabiel nodded, "You see, Gremory, all of us in the factions are beings that live for a long time, yet after a while, we all find one thing that we lack, purpose."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The factions nowadays are just spinning their wheels; nothing is truly being accomplished. It's all about maintaining the status quo…" Kokabiel spat, "But they've all grown blind! The Great War… It brought us purpose, a common goal! We had something that we wanted to accomplish each and every day!"
"Kill each other, is that it?" Rias countered.
"Better to die with purpose than to live without one, Gremory!" Kokabiel snarled, "Do you have any idea what it feels like? I was born with purpose, I fell with purpose, and I fought tooth and nail with purpose… I truly felt alive… But what am I now? Just a warrior without any meaning. I'm not needed, I'm not necessary to any war-winning plan or operation. I'm just… a solitary, ever-lasting existence… But no longer!"
"What if I were to reignite that pile of tinder? I could finally escape all of this mind-numbing drabble, I could kick-start all of the factions! I could bring about revolution!" Kokabiel laughed, "So, I'll be frank, Gremory. I intend to restart the Great War, and you should be proud, because your territory is the perfect setting to act as the catalyst!"
"You're insane," Rias scowled, "Do you really think Azazel would follow through with any of that? You're a rogue sect of the Grigori, at best."
"Azazel be damned! You think he could stop it when not just the Vatican, but the devils, and the Yokai are angered as well! At that point, Azazel wouldn't be able to quell a damn thing!"
"So that's why you did this…"
"Indeed. Now, I shall extend an invitation for you all," Kokabiel smiled, "A game, as it were, for the fate of this world order!"
With a wave of his hand, Kokabiel summoned a transportation circle under Freed's feet, instantly warping the insane man away from the devils in a flash.
"I have just sent Freed back to Valper, who shall begin fusing the Excalibur Fragments together as we speak. According to his calculations, it will take around twenty minutes to fuse together completely, and after fifty, the energy resulting from the sword's fusion will be uncontainable, blasting this city to smithereens." Kokabiel explained.
"Your task is simple, heroes. Meet us at your precious school institution, and fight us cruel, evil villains. Fight with every drop of your power, every lick of your will, because the fate of your precious peace hangs in the balance," Kokabiel laughed uncontrollably, as he flapped his wings, taking into the air.
As Kokabiel left, the party stood stunned, floored by the casual admission of Kokabiel's master plot.
"Rias…" Akeno hesitantly asked, "What do we do?"
Everyone was cut off again, as a harrowing sound filled the air. Like a wail of pain, something wrenched straight from nightmares. As it sounded out, a massive spire of light burst forth into the air. It's sheer holy power sending pin-pricks all along the skin of the devils who simply watched it from afar.
The sight firmly cemented the fact that Kokabiel… he was intending to follow through on his plans.
"...Sona," Rias spoke softly as she watched the horrific sight, "Call your peerage, we need to stop this."
The sounds of the automatic sliding doors opened with a hydraulic hiss as Vin and Xenovia stepped out of the bright, fluorescent paradise in the darkness. The two walked over, to a small section of railing by the front of the convenience store, which Vin didn't hesitate to hop right on top of, as he began to tend to the items he had just purchased.
"Thank god there was a convenience store open this late," Vin unscrewed the bottle of water in his hands, taking a deep swig before popping a piece of mint gum in his mouth, "I was beginning to think I'd just have to deal with puke-mouth all night."
"Hm," Xenovia hummed noncommittally.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong Xenovia?" Vin got off of the railing, and approached the bluenette, "... It's Irina, isn't it?"
Xenovia nodded, "I know it's silly, but I just can't help but worry about her. We can't reach her at all; we've looked everywhere and there's no sign of her…"
"Xenovia," Vin stared into her eyes, "It's alright to be worried, but don't forget to hold onto faith, okay? Irina is super capable, she can handle herself. We will find her, right?"
"We will," Xenovia repeated, her resolve steeled, "Yes. We will find her."
Their sudden pep talk was cut off when a scorching bright light shot up into the sky. A blazing pillar of pure golden aurora blitzing it's way into the stars above, lighting up the town as if it was still midday.
Both Vin and Xenovia stood in shock as they witnessed the beam, feeling it's faint, but still undeniable holy energy.
"... We'll find Irina, and I bet that's where we should start looking."
"No shit, Sherlock," Xenovia rolled her eyes, before the two exorcists broke into a sprint towards the direction of the light.
Yuuto Kiba wandered the streets of Kuoh, bitter about his recent failure. He was speedy and skilled, but when it came to someplace like a forest, that speed meant nothing when the only place it would get you is plastered painfully against a tree.
So, perhaps it was inevitable that Kiba would lose Freed and Irina in the massive, winding woods. It still didn't help him feel any better about himself, but it was a concession he could make. Regardless, he had let his opportunity to destroy, or at least guarantee the future destruction of the Excalibur's. How long would it be before he ever got an opportunity at this revenge again?
Turns out, not very long at all; because just as Kiba turned a corner, he was assaulted by the sudden wave of holy energy that exuded from a massive pillar of pure, unfiltered, holy light. It reeked of the same stench as the blasted weapons, which only brought a wicked smile to Kiba's lips as the blonde ran towards the light.
Finally…
Across town, from the open window of a long-forgotten apartment building, a lone figure gazed out, scanning the skyline for any signs of irregularity. As the blistering light finally lit up the night, it's warm glow gently graced his features. As the figure snapped his onyx dragon mask over his eyes, it's eyes lit up an aggressive red hue.
"And so it begins…" The figure secured Excalibur Destruction onto it's back as they crawled out the window onto the building's fire escape.
The figure gave a slight smirk, as his wing unfurled from his back.
"Time to get to work…"
It's nearly time for a new year! 2021 has been a difficult time for all of us, including myself. But, at the same time, I will always remember this year fondly, because it was the year that this fic began, and it was the year where I was able to share my love and passion with so many of you.
For twenty-one magical chapters… You all have been so supportive… It means the world and more. This series has become my escape in these dark times, and I hope that this wondrous, fucked-up, crazy little world of DxD Alternate has been an escape, or even simply a little beacon of light in the shadows of this year.
For the sake of getting this out in time for the new year, I'll be keeping this message brief. Proper author's notes and review responses will continue like normal next chapter, so please do leave a follow, favorite, and especially a review if you enjoyed what you read.
The next chapters will be the climax of this arc, and it's going to get wild…
So, thank you to every single person who's clicked on this story… And here's to another year of High School DxD: Alternate!
ROCK ON!
- Another_Jojo
