Azazel
This was the worst day of my life.
I was created before the Earth had finished forming. I had seen the worst parts of the Great War with my own eyes.
And yet, this was the worst day of my life.
As I locked the Sacred Gear extractor around Vali's neck, I started crying inside my helmet.
"I am so sorry, son. If there were any other way, I would have taken it." I said through the tears, forcing myself to do what needed to be done, to kill a boy I'd raised.
Now I knew how Dad felt.
BOOST!
Xarion's fist slammed into me out of nowhere, a large helping of his unnatural magic attached to it, but Fafnir easily absorbed it before it could harm me.
"I'm sorry to you, too, Xarion. I wish there was another way." I said without looking away from Vali's struggling form. When I'd found Xarion, he'd been lost; broken. I tried to help him, but I failed. Now I would be forced to do to him what I was doing to Vali. It didn't escape my notice that I wouldn't have finished the Downfall Dragon Spear this early if it weren't for the crafting insights Xarion's 'artifice' provided me. I'd be killing the kid with something he helped create. As if I didn't already want to rip my own heart out.
After an agonizing eternity, the pain was finally over for Vali. His muscles went slack into the dirt as Divine Dividing floated into my hand.
"NoooOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
I forced my eyes shut to help me ignore the guilt. As if everything else wasn't bad enough, I'd just caused Xarion so much anguish that he-
Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!
That he that.
Opening my eyes and readying my spear, I turned to face down the armored form of Xarion.
Even with his balance breaker, I would win. This was why I went for Vali first. He'd had the most training with his higher form and Xarion had none. I would be able to-
The next moment, Xarion inexplicably fell to his knees. He howled in sheer agony as his limbs started to move at odd angles.
What the hell?
Do what must be done, Azazel. This provides you a chance to end his pain. Do so.
Fafnir's voice echoed in my mind in a way I was still getting used to.
Resolved, I launched myself towards Xarion, only to be blown back by a power that most assuredly was not his.
"Back away, crow!" the same voice that had just announced the balance breaker said through Xarion's body. "Attempt to stop me and I wi-"
Xarion's body convulsed and the voice cut off.
"You…... Fucked….. Up….. Ddraig." Xarion, this time speaking in his own voice, ground out, each word sounding as if it was taking all he had. "Sil….. Du…. Is….. Still….. In….. You." The next moment, the sword Xarion spent almost a year creating shot out of Boosted Gear to Xarion's waiting hand. Turning to look up at me, he snarled, "You can have him!" Xarion stabbed the sword down into the green orb, spearing through his own hand as the blade penetrated his scale mail.
"No!" Ddraig's voice called as the armor around Xarion fragmented and crumbled away. "NO!"
The effect carried over Xarion's entire form. The red plating of the scale mail fell off his head to reveal a look of rage-fueled concentration. It peeled off of his chest, legs and arms to show every muscle taut in exertion. It finally flowed down to Xarion's left wrist, where Boosted Gear manifests on its wielder.
"Partner, stop! We can-"
"Fuck you!" Xarion screamed as he grabbed the hilt of the sword still impaled through his arm and rotated it around, severing his hand from his body.
There was an explosion of vibrant green energy that sundered Xarion's blade, sending a thousand shimmering fragments flying all over the area.
"NOOOoooooo" A large, green orb fell to the ground right next to Xarion's severed hand as he fell back screaming.
A mixture of black umbral and sickly green arcane energy gathered around his body, lighting him up and illuminating his bones like an x-ray.
"Xarion!" I called as I reached out towards him.
There was a blinding flash that emanated out from his body accompanied by one final scream, and then he was gone.
I fell to my knees, staring blankly at the spot where Xarion had just vaporized himself, having called up too much power separating from Ddraig.
This, all of it, was my fault. If I hadn't used the Sacred Gear Extractor without proper testing, Xarion wouldn't have left. It was clear now that Ddraig had been influencing his actions ever since I put that damn orb in his chest.
If I'd reached out to Sirzechs, maybe we could have worked something out to help Rias before he tried to have the Phenex boy killed.
If I'd been better to Vali, he wouldn't have left and joined the organization that later used him to destroy the Phenex estate.
This was all my fault.
Your actions were not directly responsible for these events, but they did play a role in them. Fafnir said in my head. There are two things you can do now, wallow in your own guilt and pity, or fix what you broke. What will it be, Azazel?
I took a deep breath, pushing all of my guilt to the side to be dealt with later. I had a war to stop.
Picking up Boosted Gear from where it fell next to Xarion's hand, I held it and Divine Dividing aloft, one in each hand.
Are you ready, Fafnir?
Yes. Let's do this, Azazel!
Screaming in exertion as I channeled more magic than I had since the war, I worked in tandem with Fafnir to fasten two inescapable cages inside my soul, a trick that I figured out after studying the ingenious design of Xarion's bracer, then slammed the two orbs into my chest. Albion's spirit was locked into one cage, and Ddraig's spirit into the other. They were unable to see, hear or even speak to me now, yet all of their power was at my disposal.
Two red gauntlets and boots materialized on my hands and feet, taking the place of the golden ones that were there only a moment before. From my back sprouted two translucent blue wings that sparked with a vibrant energy. My golden tail shifted as it morphed into an elegant white.
Let's go stop a war, partner.
For Vali. For Xarion.
I leapt into the sky at speeds I'd never dreamed of reaching, my power growing with every second that passed.
Once I was high enough into the sky that everyone else was below me, I released the combined powers of three dragons and an Arch Fallen.
"Everyone cease!"
Everyone was buffeted backwards by my proclamation, from the glorified footsoldiers, to the dueling pair of Sirzechs and Rizevim, all turned to look up at me in respect and fear as I let my power wash over them.
"Now we are going to put down our weapons and talk. This. Out. Or I will end the war before it starts!"
Uncertain glances were exchanged, and nods of grudging acceptance were passed around, until everyone slowly drifted to the ground.
It was working. I'd done it.
But could I live with the cost?
XXX
Kuroka
I was starting to get worried.
Typically our missions only lasted a few hours, and we would normally get a heads up for the longer ones.
There was no heads up this time, and they'd been gone for twelve hours.
Shirone had finally managed to go to sleep, so I'd left her to rest in my room and started pacing on the front porch, waiting for my team to come home.
I was about to teleport to Ophis and demand to know where everyone was when a teleportation circle finally appeared on the lawn.
Giggling in relief, I bounded off the porch, running to greet my friends.
When the flash of arcane energy faded, I was puzzled to only see two figures.
"Arthur? Le Fay? Where's everyone else? Did you have to split up?"
Le Fay fell to her knees, her tear-filled eyes staring blankly ahead of her.
A cold hand wrapped around my heart as I saw Arthur's expression. "No."
"Kuroka." the proper man said, his voice cracking in a rare display of emotion. "They're all gone. Bikou, Vali, Xarion…. They were all killed."
I stared straight through him as my emotions raged a viscous war in my chest.
They couldn't be dead. Vali was prepared for anything. It would've taken a Super Devil to defeat him.
And Bikou was too quick to be caught by anyone. So long as he could move, he should've slipped away!
And Xarion…. Xarion….
I fell to my knees next to Le Fay, the two of us supporting each other as we both began to sob.