Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil

by TalonAlpha3

"And the Evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall he walk amongst the innocent. And Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth." Aidan Kain was just living a normal school life as a human with nightmares before being sucked into the Devil world as a pawn of Rias Gremory. What further adventures await for this Kuoh Academy student?

25. Chapter 25: The Conflict Reignited

I do not own Highschool DxD nor do I own Diablo. All rights respectively go to Ichiei Ishibumi, the series' creator, and Blizzard Entertainment, the company who made Diablo.

---

OP: GARNiDELiA – Ambiguous (Kill la Kill OP)

Unmei no ito wo tachikitta sono saki ni... (The universe is shown as the camera zooms in onto Sanctuary before it zooms even further to Kuoh Academy, then to Aidan, and then to the Red Soulstone from which two demonic eyes show from within the crystal)

(Title reveals itself as Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil)

Senobishiteitanda (Aidan is shown walking to the Academy in his school uniform with sakura petals blowing from the west)
Kutsuzure darake no semai sekai de (Aidan continues walking before he looks up and briefly, his form as the Dark Wanderer emerges)
RUNWAY wo aruku egao no uragawa (The ORC are shown one by one starting from Koneko who eats snacks, Asia who prays in a nearby church, Kiba who walks down the hallway with the ladies oogling over him, and Akeno on the rooftop overlooking the school)
Kakushita tsumori de (Rias is then shown by her desk in front, smiling as she looks at the camera)

Dakedo itsumo kimi ni wa (Aidan walks on one side of the road glaring at his rival Sinestra with his allies right behind him)
Minukareteshimatteite (Sinestra walks on the other side of the road glaring at Aidan with her allies right behind her)
Konna no wa hajimete de tomadou kedo (Three figures are shown on high, revealing to be Kokabiel, Freed Selzan, and Valper Galilei as the shadow of Mephisto looms behind and over them. Sinestra and Aidan come face to face, ready to battle as a tearful Rias is pulled back by Akeno and Kiba from the fight)

(The Angels of the High Heavens behind Sinestra and the Demons of the Burning Hells behind Aidan clash on Sanctuary in a fiery explosion)

Hoka no darenimo kikonasenai (The Eternal Conflict rages on as Angels and Demons clash across Sanctuary, with the Three Factions caught in the middle)
Nandaka wakaranai atsusa ga mune wo kogasu kara (Sinestra and Aidan spot each other on the battlefield as the former empowers herself with her wings whilst Aidan charges, hopping over floating stones before he clashes blades with Sinestra)
Unmei no ito taguriyoseta sono saki ni (The clash of blades delivers a massive shockwave onto the area, leaving Aidan and Sinestra alone as they activate their Balance Breaker and battle one another, each carving wounds onto each other's flesh)
Ima atarashii yoake ga kuru (Aidan and Sinestra back off briefly before they empower themselves up and fight again. As they do, the silhouetted figures of Diablo and Imperius respectfully linger above, fighting one another)

Yeah, yeah. Ay, yay (The camera zooms up on a painfully screaming Aidan chained up in black chains as the Seven Evils watch over him whilst a pained Sinestra is also held by gold chains with her arms bound upwards as the Angiris Council look down upon her)

Omoi wo kitto hitotsu (The ORC, the Student Council, the Four Great Satans alongside Michael, Azazel, Tyrael, and Deckard Kain; and Kokabiel with Mephisto right behind him are shown in flash images before it ends with Sinestra and Aidan glaring up close at one another before it turns black)

(The final scene ends with the King piece and the Red Soulstone)

---

At Kuoh Academy where the fated battle to decide the fate of the world was about to begin, a large imperfectly formed blue and purple transparent dome began to take shape and form, the school campus and buildings encased within. The light of the dome was the only thing shining tonight and if seen by normal human eyes, it would have attracted the attention of almost everyone in the town. Luckily, a spell of illusion was placed to keep this battle contained.

Rias and her Peerage met up with Sona and the rest of the Student Council. Kiba and the Church representatives though were not present, most likely inside the dome already. Everyone was standing outside the barrier at the front entrance of the school. Sona and her Peerage, minus Tsubaki, were standing on the Sitri Family's magic circle that acted like platforms, holding out their hands with magic circles in them towards the barrier to keep the dome active. Issei was also a part of it as he had his Boosted Gear on to provide extra strength to the barrier; despite the fact that he wanted in on this battle, Sona would not allow it out of concern for his lack of training despite his incredible power.

"We've covered the entire school with a large, protective barrier," Sona told Rias and her Peerage. "As long as nothing disastrous happens, we should be able to keep the damage contained. But this barrier will not last long, even with Issei's extra power providing strength to it."

"Thank you, Sona," Rias said gratefully. "This means so much."

Meanwhile, Aidan was on the phone, speaking to his other nephalem compatriots. And the news was grim.

"There's no way you can help us on this?" Aidan asked. "At least send in any backup?"

"We're scrambling now and are on our way to you," Li-Ming explained. "But at top speed, we're over an hour away. You'll just have to manage on your own for now until we arrive."

"What about the Town Portal?" asked Aidan.

"For some reason, someone or something is blocking our ability to use it," Johanna said. "And even if we did use it, we're too far away from your position as of now. We'll try to find a waypoint and reconvene with you there."

"Understood," Aidan swallowed bitterly. Without the other nephalem to help, this was going to be a battle that will drive everyone to the point of exhaustion. The nephalem had already been out on their own fending off demonic incursions, likely a strategy of Mephisto to scatter his opponents so as to not let them be a hindrance, otherwise this would be a one-sided battle for mortals.

Aidan ends the phone call as he rallies up to the others, just in time as Tsubaki emerges from a teleportation circle, catching the nephalem's attention.

"Tsubaki. How's Irina? And Uncle Deckard?" asked a worried Aidan in regard to his childhood friend and his adoptive uncle respectively.

"Conditions are not life-threatening for both of them," Tsubaki responded. "Professor Kain will be in a coma for quite some time though."

Aidan nods in understanding as Tsubaki joins up with the rest of the Student Council. Before she did, she asks Aidan one other question.

"Have you heard anything from Kiba?" She asked.

Aidan shook his head. "No, but I suspect he is with Xenovia and Inquisitor Tyrannus on the school grounds. They'll show up when Valper and Freed do, I think." Koneko nods in agreement.

"My servants and I will continue to hold the barrier to reduce the damage," Sona told Rias. "I want to minimize the damage as much as possible, but given that it is Kokabiel and the Demons, this is not going to be an easy task."

"It will get worse if Mephisto manifests and shows up," Rias said. "But we are not going to let our school be destroyed."

Sona turns her gaze over to Rias whilst trying to concentrate on holding the barrier. "Rias, it is still not too late. You can still contact your brother, tell him that another Prime Evil is on the loose."

Rias shook her head with a smile. "You say that to me, yet you would even call your big sister."

"With good reason," Sona smiled before dropping it. "It took the combined power of all Four Great Satans to bring down the Prime Evils one by one centuries ago. Without them, this is going to be a long struggle. There's no doubt he'd come as soon as you call him due to his love for you. So call him."

"No need for that," Akeno interjected, approaching the group from behind in her shrine maiden outfit. "I have already informed him about the situation."

"You informed by brother without my permission, Akeno?!" Rias criticized her best friend.

But Akeno stared back at her with anger. "Rias, I understand you don't want your brother involved unless we absolutely must. But this battle will be no different than…" Akeno then remembers the last time they faced a Prime Evil, lowering her head a bit. "…than when Diablo was unleashed while possessing Aidan."

Rias remembers the day the Terror was unleashed. "I have never forgotten, Akeno," She said lowly. "But we can't just get my brother involved again, or else…" Rias suddenly remembers how Sirzechs, in his brief duel with Diablo, was defeated easily, remembering how he was impaled by one of Diablo's arm blades after his spear shattered.

"Even if our enemy is a Leader Class Fallen Angel, he has the power of the Burning Hells backing him up," Akeno reasoned. "If possible, he may be trying to summon his master. Those two beings are not someone you can take on your own. You barely survived against Diablo alone, I doubt you can again with Mephisto."

Akeno's face returns to her usual smile as she lifts her head up. "I think that qualifies it as must."

Rias sighs in defeat, nodding and taking a deep breath. "Fine. But how long do we have until he shows up?"

"He will be here in one hour," Akeno informed.

"Good grief, Akeno," Rias said with a smile. "Even still I cannot win against you like this."

Rias then turns towards the school as a look of determination and confidence grows on her face. Aidan stands side by her left side. Even though Kokabiel wanted Sirzechs to come to the battlefield, everyone has one hour to stop him. But even if he does arrive, the nephalem that will also arrive within the hour can vouch for him, for they are more powerful than Sirzechs.

"I'll open the barrier for you now," Sona told them as she opens up a small hole for Rias and her Peerage to get through. "Now go!"

Rias and her Peerage nodded and went through. Once they were through, there was no turning back. Destiny awaited them within the dome, and they will meet it head on. For the first time, they will get a small taste of the Eternal Conflict. Instead of battling a few pocket groups of Demons, they will battle an army powered by Hatred, who bestows no mercy and grants no respite.

The barrier closes behind the group as they enter. They find almost everything within a different shade of red, yet they pressed forward nonetheless, intent to head over to the last known location of Valper.

Rias speaks to her nephalem Pawn in private talk even as they walk. "Aidan, I'll need you to be in support for this fight."

"What do you mean?" asked Aidan, raising an eyebrow.

"I want you to increase your powers so that you can use them to the rest of us to increase our strength as we battle the Demons."

"But that will leave all of the fighting to you," Aidan realized. "Do you even realize what you are asking, Rias?"

"I do," She answered immediately. "That's why we are going to stall them for that amount of time until you can transfer your power to us."

"I think we can handle that," Akeno said.

"Absolutely," Koneko replied.

But Aidan was still unsure. "Rias, are you absolutely certain? My nephalem power may give you a boost but there is a chance you may not be able to handle its energies."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. "I am. You will be helping us in more ways than one. We're all counting on you for that. Let's be considerate on being on the offensive in this battle. We have to get into the school and prevent Kokabiel from releasing his power, whatever that may be. Unlike our battle with Riser, this is a battle where we will battle the Demons head on. Our lives are on the line as is all of Sanctuary!"

She came to a halt.

"But believe me, I will not let us die here today! We will survive, my dear servants and friends. We will survive and continue to attend this school! This is for Uncle Deckard!"

"Yes!" They all replied to her with energetic voices.

Aidan closes his eyes and gives a Promotion call to Queen to better prepare himself.

At long last, the Eternal Conflict begins once again.

---

Since the main area of the battle will take place in the middle of the school field, a bizarre phenomenon loomed over the atmosphere. Four swords releasing auras of light float in the air as a magic circle emanating off a power similar to the Burning Hells spread out onto the field. Surrounding those swords were some sort of demonic totems like this was some form of summoning ritual, likely for Mephisto to emerge.

In the center of it all was Valper Galilei, who appeared to be controlling the circle with his arms raised and bearing a look of satisfaction.

The ORC were left speechless as they saw this twisted scene.

"Akarat's bane…" A somewhat spooked Aidan saw. "What is this perversion?"

"Ah, so the nephalem has arrived. Good," Valper said as if he found their arrival to be amusing an on time. "Now you can watch as I fuse the four Excaliburs into one, just as the master instructed me to do so."

"Valper…" called out a familiar voice of Kokabiel behind the group, coming upwards in the sky as they turn around to see him. The Fallen Angel sat on some kind of throne that was shaped to look like something of Heaven but had a dark twist of Demon magic and covered in blood and human bones. The moon was behind Kokabiel, glowing in blood red yet oddly enough a brief shadow of the Symbol of Odium covered over it, as if Mephisto was watching from the shadows.

The Fallen Angel crosses his legs and puts his hand on his left fist, leaning into it. "How much longer will it take for the Excaliburs to merge?" He asked Valper.

"It is almost ready," Valper informed. "Our master will soon have the weapon in his grasp."

"Kokabiel!" Rias called out in fury.

The servant of Mephisto moved his eyes from Valper onto the Gremory heiress. "So, is your big brother on the way yet?" He asked with an evil grin. "Or is it Serafall that is coming?"

"We're the ones you will have to fight with," Rias said defiantly. "Nothing else matters."

Kokabiel only looked in amusement before he snaps his fingers to conjure up a massive Spear of Light forming in his hand. Everyone stood ready to attack, but to their surprise, he hurls it off to the side.

All except Aidan, who warped over in front of the Spear of Light as it was aiming for the roof of the school gym.

"Aidan!" cried Rias, wondering why the hell he is taking a direct and suicidal hit.

*PANG*

While it looked like Aidan was hit as he got between the gym and the Spear of Light, on closer inspection, Aidan actually caught it in his left hand with his Sacred Gear deployed. Then, with pure strength, he crushes and shatters the spear as it disintegrates into light particles.

Everyone was amazed that Aidan had managed to warp in time to destroy that Spear despite his limited training. Or perhaps his time in Entsteig and in the Dreadlands allowed him to gain some fighting experience that only made him more powerful.

Kokabiel was surprised yet amused. "Most impressive, nephalem," Kokabiel exclaimed. "I didn't think that was possible for one of your own to crush a powerful Spear of Light. Perhaps this battle will not be so boring after all."

Aidan keeps his glare focused onto Kokabiel as he allows the corruption in his left arm to start to spread. The Red Soulstone chunk in his forehead also begins to glow as Aidan's body emits that glowing red to indicate his power over Terror thanks to Diablo.

"Since you came all this way to see me, I will have you be the first to fight the Demons. A taste of things to come." Kokabiel soon snaps his fingers in his left hand.

Suddenly, emerging from the ground, two colossal Demonic worm-like monsters with mouths that looked like some sort of kraken and two large claws appeared. Their large centipede bodies had multiple legs and though they looked blind, they were able to see. They roar as they stands tall into the sky, like a mere fifty feet or so before it sinks back into the ground to be ground level with everyone else.

Everyone stutters and shakes in fear at the immense size of these beasts as they roar before digging their claws into the ground to support themselves.

"By Lucifer, what the hell is that thing?" asked a fearful Rias.

Aidan lands with the group to meet up with them as they look at the gigantic monsters.

"A Demonic Hell Bearer," Aidan realized and told the group. "A Demon taller than a castle tower, who can retch up endless minions from the depths of the Burning Hells. If there was ever one way for Demons to pour through Sanctuary, these are it."

And vomiting from the mouths of those gigantic Demonic Hell Bearers that they spit out, Demon Troopers and Morlu emerge. All of them bearing weapons forged from hellish steel and raw metal and crafted by the fires of Hell itself.

All Demons surround the ORC completely, giving off roars of intimidation and brandishing their weapons and threatening them with it.

"Demons?" Rias was shocked. "But how did they get here so quickly?"

"Demons and Angels have access to the mortal realm, Rias," Aidan explained. "With the Worldstone gone, the realm was basically an open invitation for them to just pop right in without the need to summon them in their dark rituals." He notes of the Demonic Hell Bearers spewing out more Demons, armed with devastating weapons. "As long as those Demonic Hell Bearers are there, their numbers will be endless."

Soon, one by one whether it was a Demon Trooper or a Morlu, they get into a fighting stance and arm themselves to attack,

"If it is a fight that these Hellspawn are looking for, then we will respond back with oblivion!" Rias exclaimed. "NO MERCY TO THEM!" She charges her crimson demonic powers and releases a Power of Destruction blast.

*HYO BON*

A contingent of Demons were blasted head on by the power and instantly destroyed, leaving nothing but either charred bodies or ashes. Rias then jumps into the air as she opens her wings, flying over the Demons.

"Aidan, get ready to transfer your powers!" Rias called out.

"Rias, look out!" Aidan pointed to the sky, making her see some sort of green flying demon charge at her with talons.

She narrowly dodges out of the way and watches to see some sort of winged Demon with two under-grown horns from its head, bat-like wings with large talons and holes near the bottom of the wings charge at her.

"Demonic Hellflyers," Rias saw. "I've seen these before in the Horadric texts. From what I had read, Azmodan, the Lord of Sin and one of the Seven Evils, created these creatures after he nearly lost to the archangel Tyrael in battle thousands of years ago. The angels made glorious use of their great luminescent wings to outmaneuver the demon host and assail its commander. Frustrated by his near defeat, Azmodan began breeding winged demons capable of tearing the angels asunder."

Rias lands back to the group as they are surrounded by Demon Troopers, Morlu, and Demonic Hellflyers.

"W-What do we do now?" asked a fearful Asia.

"The only thing we can," Rias exclaimed. "We will kill them all!"

And with that, she unleashes a powerful blast of the Power of Destruction over to the Demonic Hellflyers that took to the air. Three of them were instantly vaporized into dust.

Both Rias and Akeno jump into the air and spread their wings, the latter's uniform disappears in a flash of light before it takes on her Japanese shrine maiden outfit.

"Akeno and I will deal with the flyers," Rias announced as Akeno set about with her lightning to destroy the Demonic Hellflyers who were already in flight and spewing fireballs from their mouths at her. "Aidan, get ready to transfer your power to us!"

"On it!" Aidan clenches his left fist as the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws appears and Silentium emerges in Aidan's right hand and Leviathan in his left. With his sword and axe at the ready against these demonic foes, he was ready to take part in the Eternal Conflict.

Soon the Demons charge in to the nephalem with weapons raised. Yet one by one, he hacks and slashes away with Leviathan and Silentium. With Koneko guarding Asia despite the latter empowered by An'Naresh, it seemed like there was no end to the endless hordes of Demons so long as those Demonic Hell Bearers were spewing out more from the depths of Hell.

Blood covers the ground and splatters all over as Aidan cuts down both Demon Trooper and Morlu one by one. A part of him wondered if this is what the Eternal Conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells was like: angels and demons fighting one another in Pandemonium as the blood of the latter covered the ground that the former died defending.

Aidan looks up briefly to see Akeno and Rias holding their ground against the flyers. But behind their backs, a Morlu Spellcaster appeared, ready to strike down on them. However…

*BAM*

Koneko had jumped from behind Asia as she delivers a heavy blow to the Morlu Spellcaster's head, destroying it instantly as it disintegrates. She then opens her wings to fly next to her master.

But more Morlu Spellcasters appeared, surrounding the trio.

"Have a taste of this!" Akeno points her fingers up to the sky as her hands cackle with electricity before multiple bolts of lightning rain down and hit each Morlu Spellcaster. Some of the Demonic Hellflyers were also caught in the blast and fell to the ground like flies.

As Aidan continues cutting down the Demons that charge into him, Asia, who was behind him, has her green eyes flare up into blue light ones as An'Naresh manifests, the blue runes glowing with power. Then, tendrils of light from behind her back emerge as she levitates and charges in to one of the Morlu.

"Asia, NO!" Aidan calls out to her, before he blocks an incoming strike with Leviathan.

Asia rushes in and soon elevates herself high as she utilizes An'Naresh. And with the Braid of Longing, she slams and whips her enemies away with righteous fire. Like a graceful dance, the Demons are disintegrated from An'Naresh as she whips them all away. The power of hope flows through her like a raging current. Some of the Demon Troopers try to flee but were nonetheless destroyed.

It seemed endless as Asia keeps whipping away until she gathers power to herself in front of her and wraps herself in some ball, that ball slowly turning into a crystal that envelops her form. Then, after about five seconds…

*SKREEEEEE*

The crystal aegis soon shatters and a loud angelic scream from Asia echoes across the landscape, knocking Demons off their feet and howl in terror as everyone else was caught off-guard. Even Sona's Peerage from outside the barrier they were maintaining heard and felt it.

At the same time of the scream, a huge shockwave of pure angelic energy from the High Heavens sweeps across the battlefield, destroying all Demons in sight. Luckily for the Devils and the nephalem, the wave of energy seemed to have no affected them in the slightest. The shattered crystal parts scatter and go through each Demon and Morlu, killing them all.

As soon as the light dies down, Asia levitates back down to the ground yet feels a bit exhausted. Her head felt lightheaded and she nearly collapsed had it not been for Aidan who caught her.

"That…was intense, Asia," Aidan complimented. The small blonde girl looks up and smiles, only for that smile to disappear as a unsuspecting Morlu crops up behind him with a raised weapon.

"Aidan, look out!" Asia cried.

Aidan turns to see the Morlu ready to cut him, him unable to block it in time. But…

*SLASH*

The Morlu's head was severed off by another sword as its body screams and disintegrates into ashes. Both Aidan and Asia were surprised to see who the attacker was.

"Xenovia!" Asia gasped in shock.

"Mind if this Exorcist joins you?" asked Xenovia to the girl.

Soon the sound of other Demons being cut were heard as Aidan looks to see Inquisitor Tyrannus arrive with El'druin in hand. He severs the head of one Demon Trooper before he throws his sword in a horizontal spin to cut in half another Trooper before retrieving it. Dodging an incoming spear, Tyrannus cuts down two more Demons before he grabs a thrown axe meant for him and throws it back towards its Demon holder. He then jumps high into the air and gives a downward stab onto the neck of a Morlu, killing it instantly.

Kiba also joined in as well but was more focused on the battle as he cuts through the Demons with two demonic swords in hand. he was eyeing on Valper, whom he had in his sights, with many Morlu standing between him and his killer.

Inquisitor Tyrannus then looks at Aidan with sincerity. "Thank you for bringing Irina to safety, my friend," He said in gratitude. "Tell us what you need, and it will be done."

"I need you and Xenovia to help fight off these Demons," He instructed them. "Once I am powered up, I will transfer it over to Rias and Akeno who will then use their magic to destroy the Demonic Hell Bearers."

The Inquisitor nods and turns around to face the Demons charging towards him, "Justice be done!"

Soon he and Xenovia charge in, cutting and slashing through any Demon that got in their way despite there being hundreds of them and more spewed out from the mouths of the Demonic Hell Bearers.

At the same time, Aidan's Sacred Gear on his left arm pulsated with power from the Red Soulstone. Contrary to what one would think, that was a good sign.

'Excellent. Now to just get to them. Hopefully they can handle my transfer.'

For some reason on Aidan's Sacred Gear for the past few months, his Sacred Gear, the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws had begun to show signs of similarity in power to the Boosted Gear, held by Issei, the current Red Dragon Emperor. Its appearance as well, despite demonic in nature, was also showing an appearance similar to Boosted Gear but darker in colors and looking more evil. Its power buildup was also similar to the Boosted Gear in that every ten seconds, the wielder's power doubles and can transfer increased power to other people. This power was mostly demonic however, originating straight from the Burning Hells, and Diablo had no need to speak the incantations unlike Ddraig. Then again, it could just be the seals holding the Lord of Terror at bay, explaining the reason of silence.

That is what made Aidan skeptical in that if Rias and Akeno can control such dark power. But they need to tip the balance of power back in their favor if they are to survive and win this fight.

Ignoring such doubt, he rallies over to Rias and Akeno and uses his magic to levitate up tot heir position. With no Devil wings, he had to rely on his own nephalem power in order to fly or at least levitate in the air.

"Rias! Akeno!" He shouted. "Get ready!"

Looking back to Aidan with smiles of confidence, they nodded and give him the signal. He moves forward and touches their backs, transferring his power to them.

An enormous amount of power transfers from Aidan's arms to Rias and Akeno throughout their bodies, making him fall to the ground before he lands on his feet gracefully.

"AAHH~" Both Great Ladies of Kuoh let out sexual cries as their bodies gain an enormous amount of power. Though a part of their minds were vile towards this power since it was Diablo's, they knew better than to let old hatreds take root in their souls.

Xenovia looked up at the two young and mature women with an impressed face. "Nice work. I didn't think you were strong enough to do that, Aidan," She said.

"Stay focused, Xenovia," Inquisitor Tyrannus urged as he cuts down a Morlu and stands back to back with his student. "This isn't over yet!"

"I can do this all day!" Xenovia grinned confidently, brandishing Excalibur Destruction as she impales it to the ground, causing a massive quake that destroys a large chunk of Demons.

After getting use to the level of power transferred into their bodies, both Rias and Akeno hover with determined looks in their eyes, their bodies radiating with such power.

"Okay, Akeno. Now's our chance!" Rias said with a daring smile.

"Time to bring down the thunder!" Akeno points her fingers to the sky as she starts summoning her lightning onto the Morlu Spellcasters.

Rias soon charges up, creating her own magic circle in front of her hands. At the same time, the Red Soulstone sliver in her chest glows with power.

"Right!" Rias turns her head towards Akeno. "Now Akeno!"

"With pleasure!" Akeno fires a supercharged lightning at the ground. Rias then sent the magic circle she was charging at the direction of the lightning. Once the two powers met, the lightning bolt was amplified.

*BOOM*

The first lightning hits one of the Demonic Hell Bearers, making it scream in pain from the attack. Demons within its body died instantly. Then it was transferred over to the second and to the third. For about ten seconds, the Demonic Hell Bearers writhed in pure agony and pain while at the same time, Demon Troopers and Morlu were caught in the blasts and vaporized.

Soon the three Demonic Hell Bearers fall as they sink back into the earth from where they came from.

The field was now covered in Demon corpses littered with blood.

"Most impressive," Kokabiel said, bringing everyone's attention to him. "To amplify your powers so great so as to be rid of the Demons. Now you all have had a first taste of the Eternal Conflict."

With Aidan's power still coursing through her, Rias points her hand towards Kokabiel and charges an attack. "Have a taste of this then!"

*HYU BON*

A gigantic mass of demonic power shoots out of Rias' hands, about ten times bigger than her normal shots that she usually fires. It gained high velocity and went towards the Fallen Angel still on his throne in the sky.

But in a sudden twist, Kokabiel simply blocks the attack with only one hand, swatting it away and sending it towards the ground which caused a massive explosion and leaving behind a smoking crater.

"Once again, I am impressed," Kokabiel said rising from his throne. "You've gotten much stronger with just a little bit of your nephalem's power inside of you. Now you understand why they are feared as such. Kukukuku." He laughs to himself, finding this amusing.

"At last, it is finished," Valper announced.

Aidan looks to see where the Genocide Archbishop was, only to see the four Excaliburs stabbed in the ground giving off large amounts of light.

That light soon spread throughout the battlefield, forcing everyone except Aidan and Inquisitor Tyrannus to cover their faces due to its brightness. The four Excalibur swords were then placed on top of one another. Then that light shot up into the air as a beam.

"No…" Kiba said in horror as Xenovia gasps while Inquisitor Tyrannus grits his teeth.

Valper laughs with maniacal joy. "Finally, it is done!"

Once the beam of light dispersed, there was now only one fused Excalibur. "The spell on the ground is also complete," Valper said. "Soon this town will collapse in twenty minutes and Lord Mephisto shall arise!"

"Valper!" cried Aidan as he warps to him, ready to cut down the unsuspecting archbishop with his sword.

*CLANG*

But he was halted by Kokabiel who held up a Spear of Light to block Silentium.

"You want to save your town? You will have to defeat me."

Kokabiel pushes Aidan back as he flips in the air and lands before he glares up at the Fallen Angel. Kokabiel soon flaps open and extends all five pairs of his wings.

"Rias Gremory! Are you ready to meet your death?" asked Kokabiel.

"Yours first!" Rias responds with another shot of her Power of Destruction.

A massive amount of demonic power shoots out from Rias' hands, racing towards Kokabiel. But in a stunning move, he catches it easily.

Akeno was not willing to let him do as he pleased with that power in her hands as she snaps her fingers and launches a lightning bolt from above. But like before, Kokabiel simply catches it in his other hand.

He then smashes the two powers together over his head, now holding up a huge sphere of demonic power combined from Rias and Akeno's magics.

And then, he throws it at Rias. The Gremory heir could not get away in time and could only watch in horror.

"Rias!" Akeno suddenly appears between her master and the incoming attack.

*BAAANG*

The two girls closed their eyes briefly as they felt the sphere get closer, only to open them up to see someone else taking the full brunt of the hit head on.

That person was Aidan.

"S-Som…nus…?" Rias whispered fearfully, seeing Aidan take on the full fury of the blast. He didn't even raise his weapons to block the blast and merely stood his ground against the relentless onslaught.

"Aidan…?" asked a shocked Akeno, seeing the nephalem right in front of her.

Once the attack had dispersed, Aidan collapsed.

"Ghhk…"

Aidan could not even describe the pain he had felt coursing through him. Weakened and severely damaged, his weapons slipped from his hands as they are dropped before dispersing in the air. Blood spews out of his mouth violently as most of his clothing was torn and burnt. A black scorches mark like that of a hot spot on a sun was burned right into his chest.

Falling backwards, he was caught by a tearfully shocked Akeno. She levitates back to the ground slowly as does Rias.

"Asia, your healing!" Rias cried.

"R-Right away!" Asia immediately rushes over and wraps An'Naresh around Aidan to heal him while using her Twilight Healing rings. They glow blue yet Aidan's wound was going to take a while to heal.

Off in the distance, Kiba was walking straight towards Valper.

"Brother…" A weakened Aidan said softly, trying to reach out to him.

"What is he doing?" asked Xenovia as she and Inquisitor Tyrannus watched the male blonde Knight walk, making the Inquisitor follow before the Exorcist did, compiling with her master's gesture.

Kiba soon stopped a few feet away from Valper and the newly formed Excalibur, gripping one of his swords tightly in his hand.

"Valper Galilei," Kiba said calmly to the man, with eyes filled with hate. "I am a survivor of the Holy Sword Project. The one whom you murdered along with many others. I was able to live because I was reborn as a Devil. I refused to die because I knew… that one day, I would avenge the death of my comrades and finally have my vengeance!"

He jumps forward at Valper, intent to end the man's life.

"KIBA! NO!" Rias cried to her Knight as Kokabiel creates another Spear of Light.

Anticipating this, Inquisitor Tyrannus rushes at Kiba with speed more faster than the Knight, as if he warped over to the location. Appearing right in time behind Kiba, He grabs the back of his shirt and throws him back with all of his strength, right before Kokabiel unleashes his spear.

Inquisitor Tyrannus looks to see the spear rush to him.

*BOOM*

When the Spear of Light hit the ground, a massive explosion occurs. Kiba yelps as he is bounced off the ground before coming to a halt. He gets up to see where the Inquisitor was, ready to berate him for denying him his revenge.

But in that instant, his face changed to one of shock to see the Inquisitor who—after the dust could went away, was still standing but heavily wounded as he held up El'druin. Much of his wrappings that covered his armor were torn off, revealing his golden angelic armor.

"MASTER!" Xenovia cried out to him. Tyrannus pants heavily, sweating and dirtied from the explosion, before he looks up to see Valper grinning triumphantly from inside his protective bubble.

"To think you were able to maneuver the boy away from my Spear and withstand the attack," Kokabiel commented, making the Inquisitor look over his shoulder to glare at him. "I can see why the Church had sent you for this mission. Freed!"

"What's up, boss?" The crazed priest shows himself.

"Take the Excalibur that has been fused and destroy them," Kokabiel ordered.

"Sure thing!" Freed puts on a crazy smile as he grabs the Excalibur, holding it with both hands. "It's like I've become all powerful now using this shiny thing! Uhehehe!" Freed laughs like the Joker. "Now it is time to chop some Devils up!"

Inquisitor Tyrannus stood up while glaring at the rogue as he brandishes El'druin with both hands.

"So it's your first, huh? Inquisitor?!" Freed asked with his crazy smile.

Tyrannus remained silent as he moves forward and attacks Freed head on. Freed would have dodged out of the way and strike but surprisingly for him, he had to block due to the Inquisitor's unnatural speed.

Xenovia would have gladly helped her master but against someone like Freed wielding four Excaliburs fused as one, it would only be a hindrance for her master. Same thing for Aidan, even as he stood with Silentium drawn in his right hand and his Sacred Gear on his left despite the aftermath of his healed wounds.

Freed brings down the sword onto the Inquisitor, but with his height advantage, Tyrannus turns around quickly and grabs his arms.

"Hey! What do you think you're-?"

*BAM*

Inquisitor Tyrannus gives a violent front kick to Freed's stomach, making him cough up as air completely leaves his lungs. He then uses El'druin to slice at his back while blasting him with holy energy, making Freed scream as he is thrusted away from the angelic sword's blast.

Freed bounces across the ground yet struggles to stand with his back all sliced and burned up.

"You fucker! Who do you think you are dealing with, old man!?" He bellowed in anger and glares at the Inquisitor.

Changing strategies, the four in one Excalibur glows as the blade bends in a flexible way similar to Irina's Excalibur.

"It's not just a mimicry, you know," Freed said as he brings the sword over his head. Going high in the air, the blade splits into four separate, thin blades that hurl at the Inquisitor.

But Tyrannus blocks all four attacks easily with El'druin.

"It's a nightmare!" Freed exclaims as multiple copies of himself surround Inquisitor Tyrannus and jump to him. "This is the power of Excalibur Nightmare!" Inquisitor Tyrannus blocks all attacks however with ease.

"This is not good," Aidan said. "The Inquisitor doesn't stand a chance against someone like that, wielding all four swords' abilities."

"Not alone he can't," Xenovia said.

"Enough!" Tyrannus exclaimed as he stabs El'druin into the ground, glowing in blue from the gem at the hilt, as a shockwave of light disperses away the illusion.

All of the Freed copies disappeared, leaving the original. "Alright~ Brace yourselves, dears!" Freed said as she charges in towards the Inquisitor.

*CLING*

Aidan appears between the Inquisitor and the mad priest as he blocks the latter's attack with Silentium in his right hand. Summoning Leviathan with his left, he pushes Freed's sword away before he spins and gives a wicked upper cut with Leviathan. Freed barely dodged by the skin of his teeth as he is forced back.

"So this is the power of the nephalem," said Valper. Aidan saw the sneer coming off of Valper, of which he only responded with a cold glare. "Half Angel, Half Demon; forever in conflict. A new entity in your own right. And I also see El'druin right before me, an ancient sword whose very existence inspired it all."

"Your point, heretic?" asked Aidan as he turns his body towards Valper.

"Valper Galilei. What do you mean by those words?" Kiba demanded when he stood up.

Valper chuckles. "You see, as a boy I was very fond of Holy Swords. I even dreamed of them in my sleep when I went to bed, especially the Excalibur sword of legend. But the day I found out that I cannot use Excalibur is when I went into despair. Always did I hold admiration for those that could wield it because I couldn't." He then turn towards the Inquisitor. "But that is when I learned of how the sword was truly forged. And the inspiration came from it. And it was all thanks to you, Inquisitor."

All eyes turned towards Inquisitor Tyrannus who glared back at the heretic. "I had nothing to do with the project!" He vehemently denied truthfully.

Valper however knew of this. "I know that. But your sword? Yes, El'druin, the Sword of Justice. I know what it is. I know that only one Elder Angel, an archangel of the High Heavens, has ever wielded it. It was by that sword that we sought to replicate it, hence why the original Excalibur was created in the first place. It was only thanks to the Holy Sword Project that it was complete. It was only thanks to those brats I used for experiments that we have finally achieved that which we sought long ago."

"What? Complete?" Kiba's eyebrows were lifted in doubt. "You disposed of us after finding us to be a failure!"

But that is when Aidan realized it. "No, Kiba…" He said shakily, realizing the truth as it dawned upon him as he looked at Valper and took in his words. "You were not meant to wield the Holy Swords. You were meant to—"

"Indeed." Valper confirmed. "The Holy Swords were meant to be wielded by the Church not as to purge the unclean in the world but to also make war on the High Heavens by wielding angelic weapons made to fit human hands. To teach them that we will not cower in fear of their power through the Heavenly Host if they decide to eradicate us. The subjects we used didn't individually have enough of an essential factor needed to wield the Holy Swords. After I realized that fact, I reached the conclusion. All we had to do was take out the Holy elements from those who have them!"

This shocks Kiba to the core as Valper explains with a look of insanity.

"I had managed to find a way to combine and crystallize those elements," Valper said as he takes out a bright blue crystal object that gave out light as he held it up. "This one contains the correct quantity of the factors. The last one made from those 'failed' test subjects!"

Freed laughs maniacally. "Hyahahahaha! Other guys besides me died because their bodies could not synchronize with the elements! Hmmmmm, if I think about it, that makes me special. You all thought that guys like me would end up being tough, didn't you, nephalem? Inquisitor? No, no. I won't die that easily!"

*SLING*

"Heh…?"

In a blink of an eye that no one, not even Freed could see, one of his arms was severed off as blood squirts out like a broken water pipe. Everyone looked to see Inquisitor Tyrannus giving an upper cut with El'druin on Freed's arm.

"GYYAAAAAAAHHHHH! MY ARM! MY ARM! YOU MOTHERFUCKER-!" Freed screams in agony as he holds his bleeding arm, the only arm left that held the Excalibur.

*BAM*

Using his backhand in an attempt to shut him up for once, Inquisitor Tyrannus flings Freed away far, making the man scream in rage and agony over the blood loss.

"I know of that crystal," Inquisitor Tyrannus noted upon seeing the blue crystal in Valper's hands.

"The thing that is put inside the Holy Sword wielders when they received a blessing is…" When Xenovia learned the truth, her teeth clench with hate. "I see. I understand now."

"Those hypocrites. After the Church banished me for heresy, they shamelessly used the reports of my research. Of course I wasn't too surprised. Michael made me look like a criminal and this is the result? Of course, we are talking about an Angel second to God himself. Even if he takes the elements out of the test subjects, he wouldn't go so far as to kill them. It would only make him more human than me, I who casted that 'humanity' aside in exchange for the powers of the Burning Hells. Kukukuku." Valper laughs with pleasure.

"…You killed my friends and took out the elements needed to wild the Holy Swords?" Kiba asked Valper with pure hatred for the man. "How many more lives must you sacrifice for your greed and experiments?"

"You were nothing more than materials used in the secret project," Valper said as if it was an excuse. "Man is a flawed being. Time and again, we have seen good men give in to temptation. Though it was painful I will admit, I have found only one answer: to wield the weapons of beings higher than us so that we will never fall prey to the blind self-righteousness of the angels. We had everything we needed once it was complete."

"…We believed in what we were doing was for God." Kiba's hands began to shake as his aura of anger emits. "We poured everything because of that fate, and then you… you just threw us away, like lambs to the slaughter."

Valper then threw the orb with the lease amount of interest at the ground, where it rolled by Kiba's foot until it stopped.

"Here, take it! It's yours. My research has reached the stage where it is possible to mass produce them in the right environment. I will destroy this town with Kokabiel by enacting the demonic invasion. Then I will gather all the legendary Holy Swords around the world, mass produce the wielders to the point they are indoctrinated to serve the Burning Hells, and reignite the Eternal Conflict against Michael and the Vatican with the combined and corrupted Excaliburs. I will show the result of my research to those foolish Angels and their followers who have convicted me and be given the power I deserve from my master."

Kiba leans down silently to pick up the crystal. He cradles it with both hands trembling in sadness, keeping it close to him dearly as he remembers the faces of his comrades.

"…Everyone…"

"Unforgivable…" Aidan said to Valper with such hate in his voice as it was beginning to turn demonic and his eyes turning red with hate. "Unforgivable…"

But before he could enact his wrath on the Genocide Archbishop, he saw a light emanating from Kiba. And he was shocked by what he had saw.

Kiba was crying. Tears ran down his face as his expression was filled with sorrow and anger, holding the crystal close to his chest as it gave out shallow lights. Those lights spread and covered the whole school field eventually, making everyone see them in wide-eyed wonder.

Inquisitor Tyrannus looks at the light in front of him as it came from the ground, staring as it as it took shape and form. Slowly but surely, it took the form of a small girl with twin pigtail hair. He recognized this girl as one of the victims, making him gasp slightly before he closes his eyes and brings his head low, remembering their dead faces from that day he entered into the room.

Aidan looked around in amazement. All around him and the others were boys and girls no older than ten giving out white and blue lights surrounding Kiba.

"Are these…spirits?" Aidan asked.

"The various powers that are present on this battlefield have made the spirits within the orbs appear," Akeno said after they finished healing up Aidan.

"Our combined power must have freed their souls from the orb," Inquisitor Tyrannus realized as he brings his head up, looking at Kiba with a sympathetic expression.

"Everyone! I…I…" Kiba stopped, trying to find the right words to say without giving into despair and sorrow. "…I have always thought…always thought about it. Was it alright that I was the only one who survived…? You all had more dreams than me. You all deserved to live more than me. Is it alright that I am the only one to have this peaceful life…?"

One of the spirits who was a boy smiled and stepped in front of Kiba. He then said, "Fear for us no more. You still live at least." Kiba's eyes poured out even more tears, seeing the faces of the ones he remembered.

Their spiritual bodies began to glow blue and white, their lights shining brighter and brighter with Kiba in the center. Their voices then began to speak to him.

"We were no good alone.'

"We may have been cast off and deemed as failures. But…"

"It will be okay if we are together."

"Even in death, we will be happy."

"It is not scary."

"Even if God is not watching…"

"Our hearts are always one with you…"

"ONE."

Inquisitor Tyrannus, seeing perhaps one of the most blessed moments in his lifetime, closes his eyes and makes a small smile unnoticeable for all to see. "Go, young children," He said softly. "Find peace in the light of the Crystal Arch."

Their spirits ascend into Heaven and their forms dissipate to produce a big light that descends onto Kiba, taking it in like he fell into a trance of revelation.

Rias and Akeno smiled with a mixture of joy and sorrow, Koneko thought it was the sweetest thing she saw, Asia held her hands together in prayer, smiling with tears running down her cheeks.

Aidan even had a few tears form and quickly fall at the sight of it.

"May their souls find rest amongst the legends of the past," Aidan quietly said.

To both Inquisitor Tyrannus and to Aidan, they knew then that Kiba, having come to terms with his inner conflict and found peace, had reached his Balance Breaker. Since Sacred Gears change and evolve while using the feelings of the possessors as key, it depends on that feeling to be precise. If the change is drastic enough to be impactful on the flow of the world, then the Sacred Gear has reached the Balance Breaker.

Once the light shimmers down, Kiba opens his closed eyes and scowls at Valper, the Genocide Archbishop bearing a worried expression.

"My comrades…" Kiba said. "They never wanted me to give them vengeance, or justice." Kiba starts to walk towards Valper. "What they wanted, more than anything, was for me to be free. But in order to be truly free, I must destroy the evil in front of me. Then no more innocent lives will have to suffer."

Kiba then summons a sword before himself, grabbing it, and pointing its blade at Valper. "For the only one to suffer before me is you."

Scared for his life, Valper calls out, "Help me! Freed!

"Yes, yes! I'm on it!" Freed jumps into the air and lands, apparently with a new limb that looked demonic-like, not that he didn't care for it.

Valper's false confidence seemed to have returned. "Heh. You are such a little fool. You should have let yourself be killed with the rest of them."

"Kiba!"

Kiba turns his head to hear Rias call out to him.

"You can do it, Kiba," Rias told him. "Fight like a member of the House of Gremory. No true Knight of mine would ever lose to one such as that madman."

"We all believe in you, Kiba!" Akeno joined in on the encouragement.

"I want to see blood," Koneko said plainly.

Asia just looked at him with a teary smile and nodded.

Aidan also nods with a smile, proud of how far Kiba has come. Kiba recalls clearly of the words Aidan spoke to him, the same words the former told the latter in Entsteig.

'You and I… we don't get to hide.'

Kiba was a little surprise to hear such a cheer coming from everyone, but he was nonetheless grateful, smiling in return. "Thank you, my friends."

"Ugh, another awful moving sight from the House of Gag-Me Gremory," Freed exclaimed with disgust. "Now my skin is starting to crawl and its creeping me out. I can't take it anymore! I need to hurry up and kill you! Yes! That ought to make me so much better!"

Kiba gets into a fighting stance until something crossed his mind. Dropping his stance, he points his demonic sword to the sky.

"It's time for a new blade to be forged," He said. "My comrades who have merged with me. Let us overcome this together. The feelings we couldn't say back then, the wishes that we could not fulfill! Let Justice itself flow into our hearts and minds as one! Right here, right now!"

Two powers, his Sacred Gear and the spirits of his deceased friends, exit from the sword.

"I shall become the sword of Rias Gremory and of my comrades! Let my feelings be responded through the eyes of Justice! Sword Rebirth!"

Soon, the two powers, one holy and the other demonic, became mixed, aligning and forming a shape before it appeared into Kiba's hand.

It was a single sword, a beautiful sword unlike anything ever wielded, radiating with such power.

"This is the Sword of Betrayer. It shall receive the power that has both the power of light and the power of darkness within. Justice and Vengeance fused as one!" Kiba exclaimed, ready to battle Freed.

"Holy and Devil powers fused together!?" Rias looked at her Knight with astonishment.

"More than that," Aidan said, watching Kiba getting ready. "It is his Balance Breaker."

"Ho- Holy-demonic sword…? Impossible… The polar opposite of two things cannot merge like this…" Valper saw with fear as he tried to comprehend how such a blade is even possible.

Soon, Inquisitor Tyrannus, armed with El'druin, and Xenovia appear on both sides of Kiba.

"And so, I ask you of this, Isaiah," The Inquisitor said, not taking his eyes off of Freed despite speaking to Kiba. "Shall we end this charade together? Or do you wish to ensure this fool's doom alone?"

"They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Kiba told him. "I would be honored to fight beside you, Inquisitor."

"Then we three will destroy the Excalibur together," Xenovia said.

Kiba looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Under normal circumstances, that weapon Freed has is considered a Holy Sword," Inquisitor Tyrannus said, glaring at the giggling Freed. "But that blade is nothing compared to one such as your Sword of Betrayer, or even El'druin."

As they stop a few feet away from the madman, Tyrannus turns his head towards Xenovia.

"It's time, Xenovia," Inquisitor Tyrannus said. "Draw out your other sword."

Xenovia looked surprised though. "Master, are you sure?"

"To fight an enemy like this, the Excalibur is not an option," Inquisitor Tyrannus said. "If we are to destroy it, we must do so without clashing similar blades."

Xenovia stared at her master with slightly widened eyes before smiling and nodding. Once again, her master was right. If they were going to win this battle, then using the Excalibur Destruction was not an option. Twirling the sword, she stabs it into the ground and puts her right hand out to her right before making a chant.

"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy Mary, Mother of God. Hear my voice."

The space in front of her extended hand suddenly became distorted as Xenovia reaches into it, grabbing whatever was inside. She then pulls it out of the distorted space, revealing it to be a single, long blue sword with golden yellow edges that give out a holy aura. Chains were bonded to the sword, tying it into the gap.

"In the names of the saints whom reside within this blade, I release you from your chains. Durandal!"

With her hand on the D-shaped handle, the chains are broken, and Durandal is now free. Everyone was shocked to see the sword in its existence, even to Kiba and Aidan looking at her with wide eyes.

"That is…" Aidan muttered. "The sword of Roland the Great."

"Impossible!" Valper could not hide his fear and astonishment. "We haven't reached the stage where someone can wield Durandal!?"

"Wrong," Xenovia said, grabbing her Excalibur and made a stance with Durandal, wielding two swords in both hands. "I was originally the wielder of Durandal, but I was also chosen as the holder of the Excalibur. Even in the Vatican, they haven't made someone who can wield Durandal artificially. But to answer your question: unlike Kiba or Irina, I, like my master, am a natural born wielder."

Valper then realized who she was, speechless at her words. "A true Holy Sword user!"

"This is a sword that ravages beyond what people can imagine. It cuts anything it touches, a prime example being Roland's Breach on the mountainous border of Spain and France. Since the sword doesn't listen to me most of the time, I keep it in another dimension for safety."

Durandal gave out a more holy aura than the Excalibur Freed held. An aura that explained its holy significance.

"What the fuck is this?!" Freed shouted and moved his killing intent on Xenovia. "You damn bitch! I don't need any of that for this setting."

Freed swings his sword towards Xenovia, so fast that the Inquisitor and Kiba could not see it coming.

*GACHIING*

But with a single side slash of Durandal, Xenovia shatters the pieces of the Excalibur.

"AAARRGGHHH!" Freed angrily exclaims as his sword reforms again to a different shape. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"You still don't get it, do you, heretic?" Inquisitor Tyrannus said as he charges in with El'druin. "Your weapon is nothing more than a broken blade. Despite the fusion of swords, its power pales before our might!"

"Kiss my ass!" Freed jumps away with the Excalibur Rapidly's power, making the Inquisitor halt himself in his tracks. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!"

"The feeling's mutual, Freed!" Kiba exclaimed in the air behind Freed, ready to cut him down with the new sword. Freed turns and blocks in time as the two clash swords at intense speeds.

*CHAACHING*

Another shattering echoed within as Excalibur breaks once more until it reforms itself.

Freed lands on the ground with a thud, before sitting on his knees and glaring hatefully at Kiba.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? How can the legendary Excalibur shatter into pieces like this!? Horrible! This is really horrible! KAAA! Was it wrong to use something that was already broken from the start? The frivolity of humans. The foolishness of the Church. I want to grow up while taking a glimpse of it!"

*SLING SLASH*

His last human arm holding Excalibur was finally severed, as was his demonic arm, by Inquisitor Tyrannus with El'druin. Freed falls to the ground in pain with both arms missing.

"GAAAAAAAAHHH! FUCK YOOOAAAGGHH!"

Freed screams in pure pain and agony when Inquisitor Tyrannus cut off both of his entire arms off. The mad priest's blood decorates the blade of El'druin like it had been washed in oil.

As Freed screams in pain from the blood loss and total shock over the loss of his arm, Tyrannus grabs the Excalibur from Freed's severed hand and turns to Kiba.

"Now's your chance, Isaiah!" Tyrannus throws the weapon. "Finish this!"

Kiba was surprised to see that the Inquisitor was giving him the chance to destroy the Excalibur, yet he wastes no time in preparing to deliver the final blow. If this was to be the last nail in the coffin of his tragic life as the only survivor to the Holy Sword Project, then he will see it done. He sees the flying sword and stands at the read.

"False Holy Sword Excalibur! No more lives will be consumed for the sake of your power!" Kiba cried as he jumps up with the sword in the air. "Let the fury of justice wash away your corruption!"

Kiba brings down the Sword of Betrayer to strike at the Excalibur blade.

*CHIING*

And instantly, the Sword of Betrayer shatters the fused Excalibur sword, as a crack splits the sword into four individual ones. All of them land onto the ground broken and destroyed.

Valper created the Excalibur with four of the seven swords and all that remained were four small scorched black pieces of metal. Silence fills the air as everyone, including Inquisitor Tyrannus and Xenovia were amazed by the action.

Kiba pants steadily as he looks down onto the four charred metal remnants of the blade on the ground. Taking in a deep breath, he lets out a sigh of relief, as if the nightmare was finally over. But his legs soon gave way as he collapses to the floor onto his back, like a great weight was lifted off his shoulders. He laid there for a few seconds, taking in the new feelings surging through him.

Aidan walks over to Kiba and holds out a hand with a smile. Kiba returns that smile mutually with his own and grabs his arm with his.

"Thank you…" Kiba said as he is brought up to his feet. "Brother."

Aidan returns to Rias to let Kiba have his moment, seeing the shattered remains of the Excalibur. He takes in the moment to celebrate his victory as he looks at his new sword.

"It's finally over," Kiba whispered to his dead friends. "At long last, we are free."

"How…How is this even possible?" Valper stared in shock, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. "How can the power of someone like you surpass Excalibur? And in theory, the fusion of Holy and Devil powers is—GAAUGH!"

Valper wasn't able to finish his sentence as Inquisitor Tyrannus grabbed him by the neck hard, suffocating the life out of the fallen archbishop. Tyrannus lifts him high into the air as Valper struggles against his grip.

"Valper Galilei. As the Inquisitor to the Zakarum Church, I hereby sentence you for execution for heresy and treachery unto all of humanity." Tyrannus soon throws Valper to the ground on his back as he points El'druin towards him. "Judgement has come for you."

Instead of begging for mercy, at least from what looked like it by the tone of his voice, Valper exclaimed, "Wait, wait, Inquisitor! Listen to me! I understand now! Holy and Devil powers. There has to be an explanation, if the beings that represent the two became unbalanced! Then not only the Devil King but God has also—"

*SHIINK*

A Spear of Light pierces through Valper's back, shocking him along with Kiba, Inquisitor Tyrannus, and Xenovia. Even the ORC and Aidan were surprised.

Valper's body limps after throwing up blood before he immediately drops dead, his body dissipating into light alongside the spear.

"Oh Valper," A sneering Kokabiel said, belonging the attention of Inquisitor Tyrannus to him. "For a servant of my master, you have played your part well. But I cannot have you figure that part out as of yet."

Aidan asks the Fallen Angel, "To think you would kill your right-hand man in all of this… what are you hiding, Kokabiel?"

"Just destroying everything I find tedious," Kokabiel replied before he sent an overwhelming aura of pressure. Everyone could feel the ominous aura and confidence coming from him. "And now I am even more bored than ever. Hey, Somnus! Increase the power of your nephalem birthright and transfer it to someone else."

Aidan said nothing, keeping that cold glare on Kokabiel, unlike Rias who felt insulted and enraged. "Are you trying to give us a chance!? Don't bother, we don't need it!"

But Kokabiel laughed. "Be reasonable, my dear. Do you really think you can defeat me on your own?"

Rias was about to empower herself up and fire a blast at Kokabiel to prove her point but before she could, she saw Aidan's hand raised up to her, telling her to stand down.

"Aidan?" asked Rias.

Aidan then turns to her and says, "You don't need my power. You already have it."

While it may seem like a simple gesture to many, that was not what he had meant, according to Rias. She then looks down to place a hand on her own chest and understood what Aidan meant. With the sliver of the Red Soulstone shard embedded in her heart, she had all the power she needed. But like Aidan, she had no control over it. Despite her off-site training with her brother Sirzechs in regard to her new powers, she still had some difficulty directing it.

Would it be enough against Kokabiel? That she did not know. But she was willing to try.

Knowing of what she must do, Rias decides to call out her weapon. That which she pulls out in the case of drastic situations that would leave her outnumbered and overpowered.

"Heres Ultio, come to me now and vengeance shall be ours!"

A massive power influx suddenly envelops her in the form of black and red colors. Her hair was raised up and wildly danced in the air before crimson flames started to form on her body, first appearing on her legs before appearing on her arms. What was shown was a silver decorative-like armor befitting of a Devil noble and heritage.

Aidan was astonished, never having seen this sort of power before. Perhaps this is just a small taste of her new powers when she had inadvertently unlocked it during the Terror Unleashed incident.

As Rias is enveloped in her armor, her sword, Heres Ultio, appears before her upside down with its hilt in front for her to grab. Grasping the sword, she swings it over to her right side as the power aura dies down.

Everyone looked amazed to see Rias in some new outfit, even the redhead herself. She looks at the armor on her hands in awe.

'Is this…my new power?'

He then hears the footsteps of Aidan approach her, bearing a smile.

"Somnus…" Rias called to him. Still bearing that smile, he goes to her left side and holds her arm with his right hand, holding Silentium in his left.

He then looks into her eyes. "Let us end this. Together."

A blush appeared on Rias' face before she smiles back with confidence and says, "Yes. Let us end this. Together."

With their powers manifested before them, the two walk together towards Kokabiel. Every step they took was synced. As they walked, Aidan felt his Sacred Gear increase in power. Purposefully, he transferred that power over to Rias little by little. But his real goal was to inflate his own nephalem power and transfer it over to Rias without the taint of the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws.

All of Rias' Peerage was behind her, worried and anxious abut that was going to happen. But they nonetheless followed her and Aidan.

Kokabiel was amused as he awaits his challengers.

Rias and Aidan continue walking hand in hand with swords at their sides. Aidan, in his mind, knew that in the time they walked, his power buildup was still not enough for him to hand over to Rias. That was because he was careful not to taint his natural nephalem power with his Sacred Gear, tainted by Diablo's touch. So to ensure that, he allows the corruption in his left arm to secretly grow at a slow rate, carefully using it to speed the time of building up power without the lingering taint.

Rias and Aidan soon stopped. And right on time.

"Ready, Rias?" asked Aidan.

"Ready," Rias nodded.

Soon Heres Ultio and Silentium cross blades with one another in front of them as they hold it high. And Aidan's natural nephalem power, red and black in color, transfers over to Rias' blade, glowing in red and white.

When Aidan's power is transferred over to Rias' body, she lets out a moan as a red light covers her body drastically, feeling the power flow through her. If she thought Aidan's Sacred Gear power gave her a boost, then this power, that of the nephalem pure without Diablo's taint, was even greater as she felt aroused, making her blush somewhat.

Aidan is soon exhausted from the transfer as he nearly collapses. Once the transfer was complete, Rias focuses her attention onto Kokabiel.

Everyone on the field felt that amount of power from her as an intense fiery crimson aura ignites her body. Her eyes glow red and white, as if she transformed into a more powerful being. The red soulstone sliver in her heart also glows brightly, increasing her power tenfold.

Kokabiel laughs in joy, his expression colored in ecstasy. "Yes! That flow of power! Though nephalem, it has made you feel like you are now an ultimate-class devil. You have finally reached the equal level to that of your brother, no, even higher than him!"

Rias points Heres Ultio at Kokabiel as three magic circles are formed around its blade, allowing her to charge three powerful blasts of the Power of Destruction.

"Then have a taste of this!"

*TWYOOOON*

From the blade of her sabre sword, three powerful shots of the Power of Destruction emerge, creating a shockwave that shook the ground as it flies to the sky.

Kokabiel puts both of his hands in front of him to block the attack by conjuring a large energy of the Fallen Angels, the power of light itself.

As Rias' shots reach him, Kokabiel takes it head on, his expression surpassing his normal one and looking dreadful and sadistic, if not struggling slightly to hold back.

"How interesting! How interesting indeed! Almost as good as that worthless brother of yours who was so easily defeated by Diablo!" Despite his hands bloody and his black robe in tatters, Kokabiel remained relatively uninjured.

Rias' three shots were pushed back as her breathing becomes ragged, still trying to hold on. Aidan comes up behind to give her support and grant her more power despite his exhausted state of transferring so much. The two try to push forward to overcome.

But Kokabiel founds their attempts amusing and foolish as he pushes the shot back even more.

Rias tries to hold on, but in the end, she was pushed back and off her balance. Heres Ultio falls from her hand and dissipates as she cries out in agony when she falls to the ground. Luckily with Aidan behind her, he catches her.

"I got you!"

Aidan could see that Rias was largely alright but her armor on her legs and arms dissipates as well, having gone over her limit despite the massive boost in power. Rias groans in pain and glares at Kokabiel, only for it to be replaced with shock as she sees Akeno head towards him.

"No, Akeno! Don't!" Rias shouted but the Queen moved on.

"Now to bring down the thunder!" Akeno chanted, pointing her finger up at the sky as a bolt of lightning comes down on her fingers. She then fires directly at Kokabiel but the Fallen Angel shields himself with the wings.

"Lightning?" Kokabiel inquired. "Could this be…Baraqiel's daughter? She has… power within her."

"Do not speak his name in front of me!" Akeno demanded, continuing to use her lightning as her eyes widen with fury, her pupils in a slit-like shape. "I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT MAN!"

Aidan, from below, had his eyes widened as he looks at Akeno. He had heard of Baraqiel before as he was one of many Fallen Angels on par with their leader Azazel in terms of magic and combat. But never in his life did he think he was fighting alongside his daughter, who apparently held such contempt for him.

But to Aidan, he then realized that Akeno did not know a small grain of truth that only he and Uncle Deckard knew. Something regarding the Fallen Angels. Especially on Baraqiel.

A truth that was kept a secret from her for years, known only to certain people like the Four Great Satans and Azazel. And something even he and Uncle Deckard knew of long ago.

After nullifying Akeno's attack completely, leaving her drained and exhausted, Kokabiel laughs as usual. "Oh, dear say it isn't so. For you to become a Devil! What an amusing house you have, Rias Gremory!" He gestures over to Aidan. "The Cursed Nephalem who bears the Lord of Terror in his soul!" Then to Kiba. "The leftover of the Holy Sword Project!" And finally Akeno. "And Baraqiel's daughter!"

"Akeno…" Aidan calls her name, but the Priestess of Thunder's pupils return to normal, wanting to face the man she had liked most but was afraid to do so.

Kokabiel only chuckles with a hand on his chin. "How amusing. The taste for inferior beings must run in the family."

Rias was enraged as the soulstone sliver glows brighter. If one could see it, a faint shadow of Diablo looms over her form. "Your insulting comments about my brother will not be tolerated!" She exclaimed. "But for insulting my servants, you will pay the ultimate price and DIE!"

Kokabiel soon slams to the ground, forming a dust cloud that is soon swept away by his wings. He could only laugh at Rias, "Then try to destroy me, sister to Sirzechs Lucifer! Keeper of the Cursed Nephalem! Crimson-hair Ruin Princess! The one whom you are up against is someone who has been an enemy of Devils since time immemorial and has been imbued with power by the Lord of Hatred himself! If you don't see this as a chance, then your reputation will be looked down upon!"

Rias could only glare at him with hate.

"Kokabiel!" Aidan suddenly zooms past Rias and Akeno, surprising them as he charges toward the Fallen Angel. "You're going to wish you chose your last words carefully for insulting Rias or Akeno like that!"

Akeno gasped in surprise, her cheeks blushing and her heart skipping a beat by his words.

Kokabiel merely grinned continuously as he forms a Spear of Light in his right hand and blocks Aidan's strike. "Please," He said. "You must be joking."

Kokabiel soon pushes Aidan away but that was exactly what Aidan wanted as he lands on his feet.

"No jokes today," Aidan retorted as thousands of spectral swords appear around him and point to Kokabiel. "Now, dance!"

Aidan unleashes Armiger as thousands of conjured up swords form and point at Kokabiel before darting towards him. Kokabiel either evades away or blocks all of the conjured up spectral swords before charging in to the nephalem.

"Aidan, no!" exclaimed a shocked Rias, alongside Akeno and Asia. But the nephalem ignores her pleas and battles Kokabiel head on.

Aidan strikes at Koabiel with Leviathan in his left hand which is blocked before he gives an incoming stab to Kokabiel's head with Silentium. Kokabiel sees it and barely dodges his head out of the way, trimming off a few hairs before he then blasts Aidan away with his magic, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Luckily for Aidan, he lands and scrapes the ground to halt himself. But then a new attacker rushed on to Kokabiel in the form of Xenovia who jumped at him from the right to slash at him with Durandal. Kokabiel creates a Spear of Light in his hand and blocks it easily with just one hand.

Kokabiel snorts, "Durandal, huh! Unlike the Excalibur that was already broken once, that light is the real thing. But against someone imbued with the power of the Burning Hells…"

Kokabiel emits an air wave from his other hand and makes Xenovia's body float in the air before she is brutally kicked away in the stomach.

"Gaa!" Xenovia flew back with an anguished cry.

"It depends on the wielder itself. Even you cannot fully control it because you sealed it away! Even Roland the Great held strength that could match a nephalem."

Xenovia adjusts her stance in the air and lands on the ground. Soon both she and Kiba charge in and went on the offensive with their attacks.

"Kokabiel!" Kiba shouted. "I will eliminate you with my Holy Demonic Sword! You and your master will not take any more lives for your own selfish gain!"

Kokabiel creates a Spear of Light with his other hand and clashes with their swords. Blocking them easily frustrated the two sword wielders, up against this powerful Fallen Angel turned servant of the Burning Hells.

"Attacks at the same time from a Holy Sword and a Holy Dmeonic Sword!" Kokabiel exclaimed. "Interesting! Very interesting! Come then! You cannot defeat me unless you do that much!"

Soon Koneko and Aidan charge right back in to support the two sword wielders. Unfortunately before they could even get close…

"Pathetic!"

Kokabiel's black wings turned into sharp blades that cut up all of their bodies. Koneko received the worst of it as her body falls to the ground with blood spilling out.

"Koneko!" Asia exclaimed as she uses her tendril wings to fly up and catch the cat girl with An'Naresh before bringing her gently to the ground.

Kiba and Xenovia were pushed back drastically as Aidan adjusts himself before scraping the ground with his feet. But he was badly wounded even as he stood his ground, never falling to his knees. Akeno and Rias rush to him as the latter reaches into one of his pockets for a Healing Potion for him to drink.

Footsteps were then heard loudly as all eyes looked upon Inquisitor Tyrannus walking towards Kokabiel, passing over Xenovia and Kiba who were struggling to get up.

"Stay here, you two," He ordered them as he glares at the Fallen Angel.

*SHIING*

Then, out of his back, tendrils of light shine off of it, giving him something akin to wings of an Angel from the High Heavens. He then floats up towards Kokabiel to be at the same altitude as him.

"So, you intend to fight me, huh?" Kokabiel challenged him. "What makes you think you can best someone blessed by the Lord of Hatred?"

"I have fought for an eternity on end, Kokabiel," Tyrannus said. "Compared to what you have fought in the Great War and in the Second Dark Exile, I have faced and seen far worse."

Kokabiel then notes El'druin as Inquisitor Tyrannus gets into a fighting stance, hovering above at the same height as him.

"That blade…" Kokabiel sneered. "I have seen it before. One other being possessed it. An archangel of the High Heavens. And now an Inquisitor is in possession of it? Who are you?!"

Inquisitor Tyrannus did not bother not answering the question as he raises his head. "I am Justice itself."

At that brief moment, Kokabiel understood who he was fighting, as if he saw a flashback of the past during the Second Dark Exile. In that flashback was the image of an Elder Angel of the High Heavens above everyone else as if he was giving a speech. Kokabiel was among the crowd who had witnessed it.

After the brief flashback ended, instead of cowering away, he merely smirked.

He soon charges in at a speed almost as fast as a jet at Mach 3. Kokabiel sees it and just barely moves out of El'druin's way as he shifts his body to the left to avoid the diagonal cut from the right. He then summons two Spears of Light, one in each hand, and fights the Inquisitor up close and personal.

Tyrannus ducks below to avoid a slash from a Spear of Light as he twirls El'druin in his right hand. He then thrusts his sword into Kokabiel's thigh, making the Fallen Angel scream from not just the cut but the scorching burn from the blade's holy power.

Angered, Kokabiel attempts to take another swing at Tyrannus but he quickly stabs his sword into his arm, making him cry in agony. Then Tyrannus uses one of his tendrils to grab Kokabiel by the ankle and throw him away far into a few trees, making him crash through them as they fall. Kokabiel, after getting up, launches a Spear of Light directly at Inquisitor Tyrannus at speeds incomprehensible to see.

"Master!" Xenovia cried, fearing for her teacher as he stood there with El'druin raised up.

He then slices down onto the Spear of Light right down the middle, splitting it in half as both sides veer off and explode at two different targets. He then lowers himself to the ground, still retaining those tendril-like wings.

Everyone there was making expressions of despair and breathing violently. Only Kokabiel, who was at an advantage for the moment, smirked.

"Even after losing the masters you serve, you Devils and followers of God can still put up quite a fight," Kokabiel suddenly said. "No wonder the Demons have trouble with you sometimes."

Inquisitor Tyrannus' eyes widened in shock at first before they narrowed. He remembered that Kokabiel would have been around to know the truth of it all.

Xenovia, on the other hand, asked, "What?"

"What do you mean?" Rias asked in doubt.

"Kokabiel, what does 'even after losing the masters you serve' supposed to mean?" demanded Xenovia. "Answer me!"

Kokabiel laughed manically, finding it amusing as to how blind everyone is.

"Hehehehe…ahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHA! That's right! I totally forgot! You were never told of the truth! Then allow me to enlighten you. When the last war had ended, the numbers of the Devils and Angels had dropped drastically after losing so many of their forces. But it was not just their soldiers and grunts that they lost, oh no! Their leaders were soon gone, and the light of Heaven suddenly began to dimmer away, the faith of followers decreasing over time. And do you want to know why that is?"

Kokabiel, in a loud voice and with his arms and eyes wide open as if he was preaching, then declared the truth of all things.

"IT IS BECAUSE GOD IS DEAD! KILLED BY THE HANDS OF MALTHAEL, THE ANGEL OF DEATH!"

The shockwave of the revelation went through everyone like a tidal wave. Aidan, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, and even Inquisitor Tyrannus were put in a state of complete and total shock and disbelief.

"…What?" Aidan whispered, seeing the visage of the Angel of Death in his mind as clear as day. "Anu is dead…? Killed by…Malthael?"

"No way…" Xenovia looked in disbelief. "…God is dead?"

"…God doesn't exist anymore?" Rias asked in the same amount of disbelief. But the second reason was even more frightening. "He was killed… by the hands of an Elder Angel? No… that can't be! You're lying, Kokabiel! What proof do you have of this?"

"I was there to see it," Kokabiel told them. "Near the end of the Great War, I saw God wandering in the realm of Pandemonium, the very same place He created from His battle with the Prime Evil, Tathamet. He entered into the heart of the Pandemonium Fortress where He found Malthael, the Archangel of Wisdom turned into the Angel of Death after he abandoned the High Heavens following the Worldstone's destruction. God was already on His last legs, the permanent wounds He received from Tathamet untold ages ago finally taking their toll on Him and the last of His ancient power finally exhausted after battling in the Eternal Conflict for so long. So He gave His command to Malthael to kill Him, who obeyed without question, killing God in front of the Three Factions, the Burning Hells, and the High Heavens! Matter of fact, it was Malthael's first kill as the Angel of Death!"

Another shockwave of revelation poured over everyone. The fact that Malthael, the former leader of the Angiris Council and of the High Heavens, was alive all this time; having become the Angel of Death. And he killed God, or Anu, by the deity's command to relieve Him of His suffering.

To the ORC, they remembered when Malthael's shade had shown up to attack Aidan. That dark and ominous aura of permanent empty thoughts like death emanating off of the Elder Angel. Yet how can one so holy and full of wisdom fall from such grace on a dark path to power?

"After the Great War had ended, what was left were the Angels of the Lower Heavens who had just lost their God, the Devils lost their Kings and the majority of High-Class Devils and the Fallen Angels who lost most of their members apart from their leaders. So it wasn't a mere exhausted state. All three factions fell so low on numbers, that they had to rely on humans to continue their generations. Especially the Angels and Fallen Angels that could only continue their species by mating with humans. Fallen Angels can increase if more Angels fall from Heaven, but Pure Angels cannot increase their numbers after losing God. Even Pure-Blooded Devils."

"And what about the Demons?" asked Aidan. "What do they have to do with all of this?"

"When I discovered that the Prime Evils were behind everything in the War, I saw just how dangerous they really are and dared not trusted them. For a time, I agreed with everyone else that they had to be hunted down and contained before they destroyed all of us. But in the long years after our victory, I felt an emptiness inside of me. A bitterness that consumed my nights and days. As I guarded Mephisto's soulstone over the ages, I began to listen to the whispers he was telling me. And of why the Great War was started in the first place. It was not just for world domination to heighten our pride and ego. It was to enslave mankind and tap into their power; the power of the nephalem. Half Elder Angel, Half Demon; yet stronger than both. A prime example of one such as you, Somnus!"

"…Lies… it's a lie…" Slightly further away from where Aidan stood was Xenovia who seemed as if she lost the strength of will. Her expression was one of panic that was almost too unbearable to look at. For once, Aidan could not help but feel sorry for her. She then turns to her master.

"Master! Please, tell me Kokabiel is lying!" She pleaded. "He's lying, right?"

But Inquisitor Tyrannus bore the look of misfortune. His eyes were closed and his head down as he could not bear to see one of his apprentices fall to despair. Yet he knew that not answering her would only make it worse, so he decided to come clean.

"He is not lying," Tyrannus confessed and confirmed, as all others looked at him with shock at the confirmation. Yet his expression was one full of regret. "Anu is indeed dead. I felt it as the last of His life had flickered away. But I never thought His death was caused by the hands of an angel, much less an archangel of the High Heavens and a member of the Angiris Council."

"And that is why I decide to join and serve the Demons," Kokabiel explained. "When I learned that the Great War was just a small skirmish compared to the Eternal Conflict, I reveled in that fact and decided to fulfill my master's wish: to reignite the Eternal Conflict here on Sanctuary between the Three Factions! However, before I even had the chance, the war was halted by all three sides!" Kokabiel's face expressed anger, as if showing pure frustration. "Why would they ever do something like this when we were so close to victory!? How dare they keep me from destroying my enemies and denying the chance to revel in glory!? This is why I swore my allegiance to the Lord of Hatred; to have my revenge on those who denied me such an opportunity! Even that bastard Azazel declared that the war was over after losing most of his men! But then again, what are Fallen Angels who are limited in number compared to Demons who are limitless beyond count?"

Asia covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide open, and her whole body shook. Her faith had not once disappeared since she became a Devil but now it had been immensely shaken like a gong that vibrated from the sound of being hit. Despair washed over her like a tidal wave, the rune glow of An'Naresh disappearing.

"…God…is dead? Then the love we are given by Him is…"

"Michael is taking care of that job," Kokabiel answered. "He's already taken the throne of God in Heaven and continuing that so-called divine protection and love that the humans pray for on a daily basis."

"The archangel Michael is acting as God's successor to the throne?" Xenovia in her state of disbelief. "Then that means all of our prayers are…"

"Well, if the system used by God is still functioning, then the prayers, blessings, and exorcisms would still function. I'm sure someone has been listening." Hearing Kokabiel's words were too much for Asia as she drops and faints to the floor. Luckily, Koneko catches her.

"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 one such weapon because the balance between the Underworld and the Lower Heavens has been broken. In reality, holy and demonic powers cannot merge. If the ones who rule the power of Holy and demonic powers, God and the Satans, disappear, then lots of unique wonders occur."

Kokabiel then turned his attention towards Aidan, gleefully smiling at him. "However, the real balance between good and evil was already broken long ago. I'm sure you can guess the reason, Somnus."

Aidan answered immediately, as if to respond to Kokabiel's mocking. "The nephalem…"

"Indeed," Kokabiel confirmed. "When the nephalem were first created, and by extension humanity, the balance of power between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells was disrupted by the emergence of your kind. You surpass even the mightiest Elder Angel or Demon in existence, even more so than Inarius and Lilith. That is why your kind are seen as abominations by many. That is why we cannot see your fate in the future. That is why the Great War began in the first place: to take the power of the nephalem for our own. Which I will do unto you, Somnus! Then, when all is said and done, the Eternal Conflict will resume! Your heads will be the first of many gifts to my master! I will destroy all Three Factions and then assault the High Heavens themselves! We Fallen Angels will ascend as the true race, the ultimate race! And all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!"

Rias trembled at such a proclamation. At this point, they couldn't win. With Kokabiel having revealed his true allegiance to the Demons of the Burning Hells, it also meant he was granted untold power that had him on a totally different league. His motives were beyond theirs. He was someone who they shouldn't have tried to take on in the first place.

And what's worse, Aidan remained silent. But it was not out of despair or shock.

"Are you done yet?" asked an irritated Aidan to the Fallen Angel. Everyone, even Rias, was surprised that he kept a cool head despite the revelations. Yet for her, she felt as if the darkness within him had once again taken hold of his mind, turning him into the Demon he must fight against.

Aidan continues glaring at Kokabiel. "You sold the entirety of your soul over to the Demons, and for what? The chance to reignite a war?! I won't let you destroy this place called home. I won't let you take away my friends and family, much like how you tried to take away Uncle Deckard. If God is not here anymore, then that is irrelevant to one such as me. All I see before me is a Fallen Angel willing to be turned into a Demon for power. If I must cut down every last one of your kind, whose souls you have sold over to the Burning Hells, to end the Eternal Conflict, then so be it!"

"You? End the Eternal Conflict?" Kokabiel asked. "Oh please. What makes you think you can end it when you are cursed, bound forever to a Prime Evil? You are nothing and will be nothing so long as fear and terror grip your heart like a gnarled root. What makes you think you can end a war that God started when He battled the Prime Evil at the very beginning? You will die before that stupid dream can even come true."

"Then answer me this, Kokabiel…" Aidan trots forward slowly as the Red Soulstone shard in his Sacred Gear glows as does the chunk in his forehead. He then tosses Silentium and Leviathan away, dissipating in crystal light as he approaches his foe without a weapon. The black veins soon travel up in his body as he willingly lets them take over. Everyone is stunned to see what he was about to do, fear gripping them tightly. Fear that Aidan feeds on.

Once he stops at a good distance to Kokabiel, he asks that famous question that he always addresses to his enemies.

The same words of his unwilling companion. His eyes flare up to demonic red instantly as his voice changes immediately.

"How tastes your fear?"

*FWBOOM*

A massive aura of power suddenly implodes within Aidan as the area begins to quake. Covered in a red and black demonic aura whose tendrils of energy randomly destroy the surrounding landscape, everyone backs away and shields themselves from the sudden influx of power.

All except Rias who tries to get to her nephalem.

"Somnus!" Rias cries as she ran towards her Pawn. But a few tendrils of energy randomly strike near her feet, prompting her to stop and only look to see in fear of her Pawn tapping into his dark power.

In that moment, Aidan was enveloped in his armor from his Balance Breaker, Primal Terror Vengeance, yet he continued to gather more power. The Red Soulstone shard pulsated in power, glowing a bright red and white light, and the black veins on Aidan's left arm covered his body entirely. Having activated his Balance Breaker, Aidan allows Diablo to feed him his power while also giving Diablo the aura of fear emanating from everyone as a source of nourishment.

Even Kokabiel was no exception to this fear he felt. As he looked, he got a grasp of the situation of what Aidan had done to himself.

"I know this power," Kiba said. "It's just like when—"

"When Diablo possessed him," Akeno finished his statement in fear. "Both during the engagement party to Riser, and underneath Tristram."

Asia was scared as Koneko shields her behind her, protecting her from the wrathful aura and the tendrils of energy bursting out in all directions.

Rias however tries to get closer to her Pawn against the strong winds and power aura.

"Somnus!" She cried. "Don't do it! Please! SOMNUS!"

But her words fell on deaf ears as her nephalem paid no attention to her, keeping his dark gaze over to the Fallen Angel. The tendrils of energy randomly shooting out kept her from getting close and she was forced to stay back in order to not to be caught in the line of fire.

"Terror comes in many forms," Aidan said. "A child, a warrior, even… a friend."

Aidan laughs demonically at that last remark, as if Diablo had now put some semi-control into his current host. Though not enough for him to turn on the Devils and kill them, it was enough to make Aidan more sadistic and evil, his dark and terrifying gaze set onto the Fallen Angel. Luckily, the seals placed by the Four Great Satans on Aidan's Sacred Gear to keep Diablo sealed were working well.

But Kokabiel merely laughs as he launches a Spear of Light at the cursed nephalem, only for Aidan to swipe it away effortlessly with his hand. Aidan then warps out of sight before he appears behind Kokabiel.

*SHCING*

Severing five wings with Silentium, Kokabiel screams as he takes off to the air and crying in agony. But Aidan ambushes him from his side and plummets him down to the ground, crashing into it and dragging his face across the dirt and creating one long mini trench. Throwing Kokabiel into the air, Aidan swings his tail at him.

*POW*

Kokabiel is sent flying onto the ground before he eventually reconvenes himself in place, skidding the ground with his feet before he stops. He glares at the cursed nephalem and conjures another Spear of Light in his hand and throws it at Aidan.

Aidan easily destroys that Spear of Light and rushes off towards Kokabiel at great speed. The Fallen Angel launches another two spears at him, making Aidan jump over one and cut through another. Both exploded behind Aidan as he tries to cut down Kokabiel from behind again after warping, but the Fallen Angel anticipated this and takes off into the air before he had the chance.

Aidan looks above him to see his opponent and decides to take off into the air to meet him once more.

Kokabiel tries to flee from the nephalem but his speed and power were on par with his. Yet for Aidan, he felt something from Kokabiel that he could sense in every living being, even to someone like him. A feeling that granted him power thanks to the Lord of Terror inside of his body.

Fear. And it tasted good.

*SHIING*

All demonic energy was drawn into Silentium as Aidan holds the sword in front of him. It glows in power and is fully charged as Aidan then rushes onto him.

Kokabiel desperately launches a Spear of Light but Aidan swats it away and zooms past the Fallen Angel, cutting into his side and burning it, leaving a scorched mark of dried up blood.

Aidan halts himself with a skid a few meters away, dragging his feet into the dirt as he looks to see the wounded Fallen Angel clutching his side before glaring at the nephalem. Kokabiel conjures another two Spear of Lights and throws at him.

Aidan charges forth and slides under one Spear of Light before getting up and destroying another with the empowered Silentium. After that, Kokabiel tries to flee but is met with a punch from Aidan who teleported over to his left, stunning him.

Then, Aidan conjures up thousands of spectral weapons from his Armiger and impales Kokabiel, holding him still so as to prevent him from escaping. Each blade dug into the flesh of the Fallen Angel as blood pours out.

Kokabiel could only curse and roar in anguish and anger as he comes face to face with Aidan and his blade raised for the final strike.

"Krisol'fak Aram! Terror Blade!"

And with one massive downward swing, a massive arch of black and red demonic power worthy to the Lord of Terror rushes at Kokabiel at speeds surpassing him. Kokabiel, drained of his magic, could only bear the front of the attack as it engulfs him. He screams in pain as agony and fear envelop like no other, like he was suffering in eternal torment.

*SLICE…SEVER*

"GAAAGGHH! Damn you, nephalem!" Kokabiel cried as blood pours out from his back as he is enveloped by the powerful strike like a million guillotine blades cutting through his flesh.

Turns out that in that one strike, Aidan had managed to sever three more of Kokabiel's wings, disintegrating them into ashes. That brings a total of five wings severed from the fight. The Fallen Angel screams in furious pain.

The power load only increases further and further until finally…

*BOOM*

A massive explosion of energy ensues that covers the interior of the barrier. From outside, Sona and her Peerage struggle against the full might of whatever just happened when suddenly…

*SHATTER*

The protective barrier shatters like glass as Sona and her Peerage cry out in shock, being thrown off of their feet and landing on their either backs or butts.

A few seconds after landing, Sona recovers and groans a little sitting up while holding her head with her left hand.

"What was that?" She asked, until remembering everyone else. "Guys, are you okay?"

"Kaichou! Look!" Sona heard Tsubaki exclaimed as she points to the skies. Up in the light were two figures descending fast, both unconscious as they fall towards the school grounds, landing in two massive explosions of dirt and dust.

Sona did not see who the first figure was given that he was covered in smoke, but she had recognized the second.

"Aidan…" She stared at the second explosion, breathless and fearing for the nephalem's life.

With everyone up on their feet and only having minor bruises, she gathers them to her as they rally over to everyone's location.

---

Sona and the others, once they recovered, rally over to the ORC and catch up, seeing them all on the ground exhausted, wounded, and drained of power.

"Rias?" Sona calls out to her best friend. "Are you all okay?"

"Y-Yes…" Rias said stutteringly. "But Aidan…"

Sona looks in the direction to see one of the craters where either Aidan and Kokabiel fell. Neither could be told of who is in which crater as everyone looks at the first. But eventually, once the smoke and dust clear, they get a good look of who was in it.

*DIING*

Aidan kneels on the ground exhausted and panting heavily and loudly. Silentium was planted on the ground to keep himself up as he holds it with his right hand. Bloody from head to chest and nearly drained of power, he found it difficult to keep his head held up due to his exhausted strength. His armor was shattered mostly, leaving his helmet on that was broken on the right side and showing half of his face, along with a broken horn. His right leg armor was blown off, his left arm armor was destroyed, and his right shoulder armor was in tatters. Cracks were decorated along the rest of the armor.

"Aidan…" Sona muttered his name, seeing the nephalem give his all to defeat a powerful Fallen Angel.

Or so she thought as the sound of movement from the other crater revealed that said Fallen Angel alive, if not barely.

Near the ground zero crater was Kokabiel, wounded and on his hands and knees growling. His clothing was torn to shreds, some of his wings ripped off, and his chest holding a deep gash that bled him dry. Blood erupts out of his mouth and one of his eyes.

And boy was he not happy, especially with a face full of fear and fury. "You…bastard…" Kokabiel said in between his grunts and panting, exhausted as he was. "So this… is the power of the nephalem. One who is cursed by Diablo and possessed by him… Who are you?" Kokabiel glared as he narrows his eyes.

Aidan keeps his silence, glaring at Kokabiel as he struggles to stand. He eventually brings himself up slowly, but his legs and knees wobbled so much that he had to use Silentium as a cane and drag it over to Kokabiel in order to finish the job, skirting it across the ground as the metal is scrapped across the dirt.

"For a nephalem who has yet to unleash even half of his power, to do this much damage to me is damn near impossible. But why? Why did Diablo choose you? What were you to him that I only see as a foolish and pathetic mortal?"

Aidan soon stops his walking, stands up straight, and says, "Because, Kokabiel… I have been chosen. Unlike you who was always meant to be a pawn to Demons. A weakling who decides to take the deal with a Prime Evil in the promise of power, only to be cast aside in an empty victory over a useless tool."

Kokabiel did not take insults too well and would've attacked had he not been in this wreck of a state.

"For all your claims to power, for all your smug superiority, you hack away at the defenseless like a gleeful child," Aidan said, with his eyes turning red as he allows the black veins to overwhelm him. "All your talk of immeasurable power, yet all I see is the manipulation of the weak-minded. The slaughter of the infirm. Conveniently, you had avoided the true challenge until this moment. You failed to match your will with mine, you failed to cut me down at the best opportunity when possible. All of this was made possible by your master because he knew you were simply a puppet who could be used easily."

For all of his pride, Kokabiel started to crack. "Shut up…"

"And here I stand, a nephalem with the soul of one of your masters, in defiance of your plans – and you were utterly beaten by one of them. Use whatever reason you want to enhance your ego, but I know the truth."

"Shut up!" Kokabiel demanded, his voice rising up.

Aidan then said one last thing in the voice of Diablo. "You are a coward!"

Kokabiel, in his state of fear and madness, finally snapped.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" He then shouts to the Heavens in full insanity for all to hear, standing up with his arms out in declaration. "MASTER! MASTER! GRANT ME YOUR POWER! GRANT ME THE POWER TO TAKE SOMNUS, HIS NEPHALEM BRETHREN, AND HIS CURSED WORLD… AND DESTROY THEM ALL SO THAT NOTHING BUT ASHES REMAIN!"

After such a proclamation, a shining blue light emerges up front above Kokabiel. Everyone watches to see the light give off an aura of power, pulsating like a heartbeat with each shockwave that beats.

The light dies down to reveal some sort of blue crystal, emanating with demonic energy worthy of the Hells. But Aidan recognized it for his Sacred Gear on his left arm started to act up, causing him pain as he falls to his knees.

He then knew what that blue crystal was.

The Blue Soulstone of Hatred.

The soulstone floats in the air before it points its sharp tip to Kokabiel, smiling in joy despite his bloody state, opening himself wide open.

*PIERCE*

The soulstone pierces Kokabiel's chest yet he allows it willingly. The pain was so unbearable yet Kokabiel took it all in stride, laughing as he did maniacally as his body had begun to change. Instantly, his remaining wings were all shredded and torn apart, blood spurting out like geysers from each wing severed. Two more hands emerged from his shoulder, bearing only three fingers on each hand. His legs were suddenly severed off as he was levitated into the air, with his flesh slowly melting to show his bones.

Kokabiel laughs and agonizes in the pain, the Blue Soulstone in his chest glowing and pulsating with power as it twists his body from the inside out, turning him into an abominable creature of untold prowess. A light soon emerges from the stone, becoming brighter and brighter and filled with a power of darkness. The power buildup intensifies as the gale winds were drawn in.

"Everyone, get down!" Inquisitor Tyrannus cries to the group.

*BOOM*

A massive implosion ensues as everyone takes cover behind either Rias', Sona's, or Akeno's shield barriers or had their swords pierced into the ground to brace against the gale force winds coming off of it. When the light soon dies down, only smoke remained in the area where Kokabiel once stood.

"Guys…" Rias called out. "Are you okay?"

Kiba and Koneko nodded, as did Akeno and Asia. But when Rias looked at Aidan, she saw him glaring at the smoke, wondering why he was still looking in that direction and why he did not answer her call.

When the smoke eventually clears away after about ten seconds, what everyone saw in front of them filled each individual with pure dread. In front of them was a large skeletal-like Demon, about twenty feet tall, whose entire body comprised only of bone and what flesh made up for it on the upper half. The lower half was missing and had no legs. Its spine, longer than usual, showed below. It had four arms with a chain connecting the two lower ones to a ring on its chest, the upper arms had a few bits of muscle despite the gore dripping down from it. But what was most interesting was that the lower half of the demon comprised only the large spine and pelvis. Two large horns sprouted from the head and multiple spikes emerged on its back shoulders. Though his face bore a little resemblance to Kokabiel's, it was otherwise demonic-looking with a skull-like visage. The Demon levitated above the ground yet gave off a blue mist of demonic energy surrounding its lower half as its spine twirled in circles, cackling in lightning along with the rib cage.

Everyone, to their horror and shock, saw what became of Kokabiel. And who had taken his place thanks to that Blue Soulstone. They all knew who they were facing when the Demon gave its first mocking words.

"You're too late! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Dul'Mephistos, or Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, has awakened.

---

NOTE: Read next chapter for author's note as this is a two-parter.

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