Sona thought the experience day was going well. No fights had broken out, the teachers were doing their jobs, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
All in all, an excellent first impression.
And then the roof caved in.
A scaly, draconic head thrust itself in, sweeping the area with eyes ablaze with fire. "WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE ONES? MY GULLET IS WAITING!"
Her first thought was that the roof was going to be a pain to fix. Her second thought was how did a giant scaly lizard get so close without someone noticing? Her third thought was I should probably run before that thing notices me.
As she turned around to do just that, the dragon's head snapped towards her. "AH, A FRESH MORSEL. COME HERE!"
Blue glyphs spun around her hands, creating a torrent of water that crashed against the incoming head, pushing it back a little. The dragon shook its head, disoriented, then charged at her once more.
"IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN THAT!"
Shit. Where was her peerage when she needed them? Oh right, she had assigned them to administrative duties all around the school.
Really regretting that decision now. But how was she supposed to know that Evil Dragons would decide to attack today of all days?
But before her bad decision could turn into a fatal decision, a bright light slashed through the air, slamming into the dragon's head. It roared in pain as it lurched backward, warily regarding the new threat.
"I hope that you are not injured, Sitri-san."
Ewald's calm voice was a welcome balm at a time like this. She had been on the fritz all day, worried that the experience day would be a flop, and this sudden intrusion of oversized reptiles wasn't helping matters.
"I am fine, Cristaldi-san. Mostly thanks to your timely arrival."
He nodded as he kept a careful watch on the dragon. "I would advise you to regroup with your peerage. I have a feeling that the enemy is not done yet, and it will take an organized effort to repel them."
Sona scowled but pulled herself together. She was just going to have to make the best of a bad situation. "Understood. Will you be fine on your own?"
"You needn't worry about me."
He stepped forward, his sword blazing with the light of his passion, his eyes firm with steely resolve.
The dragon shrank back, intimidated by the sheer presence the man exuded.
"I have always wanted to take up dragon-slaying as a hobby."
xxx
Azazel grunted as he pulled his light spear out of the head of a freshly-killed Evil Dragon. It had been an aggressive, psychotic thing – it had ignored any and all attacks thrown at it, preferring to take the hits and charge forward to reach its prey.
Against weaker opponents, such a strategy would've worked perfectly fine. A dragon's hide was one of the toughest materials in the world – no normal attack would've been able to pierce it.
Unfortunately for this dragon, Azazel's attacks were tougher than its hide. He hadn't survived the Great War relying on his wits alone, after all.
A few meters away, Sirzechs' Bishop was putting the finishing touches on his own quarry. But at this point, it looked more like a gruesome test subject than an opponent. Turns out, being flash frozen, then boiled from the inside, then turned inside out, then shredded by demonic energy blades wasn't good for its health.
Well, Azazel was pretty sure the dragon was dead by the second step. He applauded the man's curious nature, but there were more pressing issues to deal with now than how thoroughly you could mangle a dragon's corpse before it simply dissolved.
"If you are quite finished, Mathers-san, we should move on to the next area. There may be others who require our aid."
MacGregor looked up. "Yes, yes, just a moment, please. Dragon scales are notoriously hard to come by, and I've always wanted to collect some to use as regents!"
Azazel sighed. "I'll go on ahead then. Catch up when you're finished with . . . whatever you're doing."
"I'll do just that," the other man replied.
Leaving the room, the fallen angel's mind was awhirl with thoughts. He had no doubt that the instigators of this assault were the Khaos Brigade; the school's status as a symbol of multi-faction unity made it the perfect choice for an attack meant to dissolve the fragile bonds of peace that bound the Biblical factions together.
But just as a destructive attack could push people apart, a unified defense could pull people together. United against a common foe, the relations between the factions might improve as a result of this disruption.
At this point, he believed that inter-faction relations were strong enough that nothing short of extremely corrupt dealings would cause them to regress back to a Great War era of chaos and violence. Knowing this, he couldn't believe that the enemy's sole objective was an attempt to dissolve relations. The Old Satan faction may be crazy, but they weren't stupid.
So, what was this then? An all-out attack just to show that they were still a threat? Or maybe an attempt to wipe out some of the most prominent members of the Three Factions? But with so many of their heavy hitters in one spot, he couldn't see either plan working out in the enemy's favor.
Grrr. All that thought and he still wasn't any closer to figuring out the enemy's true objective. He had a gut feeling that it was something sinister, but he had no idea what.
Another draconic head burst through the wall, bellowing out a challenge for all to hear.
No time to think now. There was a dragon that needed killing, and he was going to give it exactly that.
xxx
Homura was beginning to tentatively call this trip worthwhile when the building began to rumble.
The wall exploded inwards, several draconic heads forcing themselves in, roaring in anger and hatred.
The first head exploded in a shower of gore, courtesy of a fist clad in red.
The second head stuttered and stilled, shriveling and shrinking in on itself until it was a speck that was ruthlessly crushed underfoot.
The third head paused mid-roar, an expression of confusion on its face before the head proceeded to slide off its neck, sliced clean through.
The fourth head exploded in purple flames, its roar of hatred turning into a roar of agony as the holy fire burned it until nothing remained but a charred stump.
Homura lowered her hand, sparing only a brief glance for her handiwork before turning to the others. "I take it being attacked by dragons isn't exactly normal in the Underworld?"
Issei chuckled weakly as he cleaned the blood off his red gauntlet. "Unfortunately not. Someone must have sent them." His eyes narrowed. "They look a lot like the mass-produced Evil Dragons I fought in Romania . . . it must be Qlippoth again."
Vali scowled. "So, my worthless grandfather has shown his face again." He stomped towards the hole that had been opened in the wall. "I'll find him and show him just how strong I've become –"
He paused at the edge of the hole, his eyes widening.
Tobio, flicking blood off his scythe, approached the spellbound teen. "Is something the matter?"
"Hey . . ." Vali's voice was uncertain. "What color was the land around this school?"
"It was kinda reddish," Issei replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Because all I can see is black."
Homura joined the other three in peeking out the hole and immediately agreed with Vali's assessment.
All she could see was a sea of black. Black, twisting forms thrashing about with specks of hateful, red eyes dotting the ocean of malice.
The amount of bloodlust in the air was almost overwhelming. Homura had never felt such abundance of negative energy in the air, not even during the attack on the peace conference. Compared to that, this was far, far worse.
"Bet I can take out more than you," Issei said.
"Not a chance," Vali said with a smirk.
The two of them leaped out into the waiting horde, an armor of scales already beginning to form around their bodies.
Homura rolled her eyes at their reckless actions. "Are you going to jump down there with them?"
Tobio laughed. "You got me there, Akemi-san." He crouched down, his eyes analyzing the scene before him, red and white carving a path through the black thicket. "Azazel-san would be quite sad if something happened to his adopted son. It would be remiss of me to not provide backup." He stood back up and a offered a hand to her. "Care to join me?" he asked humorously.
She shook her head. "I'm fine up here. This is an excellent vantage spot for me to provide support from."
"Very well then. Do take care, Akemi-san." He leaped away, a shroud of darkness building up around his body as he fell.
Homura sighed as she pulled out her bow. She wasn't too worried about her companions or the other people at this school. There were enough heavy-hitters on their side that she expected the invasion to be repelled without too much trouble.
She figured she might as well pull her weight. The sooner this was over with, the sooner she could go back to Heaven and ask her friend for that favor Azazel's little lesson had planted in her mind.
She pulled back the bowstring, an arrow materializing in her grip.
Damn that man. Who the hell did he think he was, sticking his nose into her personal life? She didn't need his advice; she would've figured out what she wanted on her own. Probably.
. . . No, that wasn't fair to him. She wouldn't have changed. She was too used to doing the same thing over and over, repeating the same routine day after day. It was a consequence of her time loops; after being forced to repeat the same days over and over, that kind of static nature had been ingrained into her. Because even when she tried to change something, it always ended the same way. So why even bother?
She didn't know how Azazel had known about her issue, but it was likely someone had told him. Maybe one of the other magical girls (she didn't think it was a coincidence that Mami had asked her the same question before). Perhaps even Madoka herself. God knows that her kind-hearted friend would ask someone to help her if she thought it was necessary.
So, in the end, she supposed she was grateful that something had changed. That she had changed. Even if it had required an external factor to do it, and that external factor just had to be Azazel.
She didn't really have anything against the man. It was just that his laid-back attitude and jovial nature rubbed her the wrong way. He seemed like the kind of person who would walk up to her and ask, "Why so serious?"
As if in response to her sudden spike of irritation, her arrow burst into flames, purple fire dancing around its tip.
"Damn him," she muttered.
She let the arrow fly, her magic causing it to split into a mighty barrage of fire and fletching, raining down on the black tide and setting it aflame.
Howls of agony greeted her attack, and Homura grimly set her sights on the next area.
xxx
A gunshot cracked through the air. Mami twirled around, dodging a mouth filled with sharp teeth, pulling out yet another of her muskets and lining it up in one fluid motion.
BANG!
The dragon's head flopped back, a fountain of blood spewing from its now-empty eye socket.
There was no time to rest, however, as two more Evil Dragons rushed her, roaring their promise of vengeance towards the sky.
She dashed backward, trying to put space between them while she reloaded, bringing her newly constructed arms up to bear –
One of the dragons stumbled, an enormous spear piercing its belly. It collapsed, writhing in agony before an orb of demonic energy blew its entire upper torso off.
The other dragon staggered, stumbling into several dozen swords driven into the ground like stakes to help hold the enemies back. As it attempted to trudge through anyway, Mami took the opportunity to barrage it with a flurry of shots.
Its bleeding body hit the ground a moment after.
She took a deep breath, surveying the surroundings and finding it to be surprisingly clear of enemies. Looking further, she saw that the enemies that had been en route to their position had deviated from their path.
Well, she certainly wasn't complaining. She took this moment of reprieve to check up on those near her.
They were outside on a rather large balcony, giving them a good view of the surrounding area. They had gone outside to get some fresh air when the dragons had suddenly descended upon them, and during the chaos, the door back inside had gotten blocked off by rubble, leaving them unable to retreat while still pressured by enemies.
Miraculously, they were still unscathed. Mostly.
Kyoko and Sayaka were both covered in blood, although none of it appeared to be their own. With their regenerative powers and their "puppet" bodies, she wasn't too worried about either of them or herself.
The others, however, looked much worse for wear.
Rias was leaning against a column, clearly out of breath and exhausted. Gasper and Le Fay were next to her, both splayed out on the floor due to fatigue.
And she couldn't blame them. They had been fighting for well over an hour now.
It was a blessing, she supposed, that their bodies couldn't get tired. No matter how much they were worn down, no matter how badly they were hurt, so long as they still had magic, they could keep going. Even though it was a constant reminder of the differences between them and the normal denizens of this world, it was quite handy in a situation like this.
But at this rate, it wouldn't be enough.
"This isn't sustainable."
All eyes turned to her as she uttered her proclamation.
"What do you ya mean? We've been killing all the dragons coming in just fine," Kyoko said.
Mami nodded. "That is true. But, is there any sign that this flow of enemies is going to stop?"
They glanced out towards the horizon. The sea of black was still there, relentlessly marching towards the school, eyes of burning hatred still locked on them. It was like they hadn't even made a dent in them.
"M – Maybe reinforcements will come?" Rias tried.
Le Fay shook her head from where she lay on the floor. "Nope. Not gonna happen anytime soon. Far as I can tell, we're trapped in some sort of time dilation barrier. One hour in here is about a minute outside, so if we assume that reinforcements will come in fifteen minutes, that's fifteen hours that we'll have to hold out."
Everyone grimaced at that information. There was no way they could hold out for that long. At that point, Mami knew that even their tireless bodies would run out of magic to fight with.
"So, the only other option is to defeat the enemies, right?" Sayaka said.
"In case you haven't noticed, that seems kinda impossible right now," Kyoko grumbled.
"Actually, I think I know how we can do that."
All eyes turned to Gasper, who had at some point gotten off the floor and was leaning against the balcony, staring across the sea of enemies.
"I think they're getting teleported in."
They all blinked. "How can you tell?" Rias asked.
Gasper pointed. "See there? There're flashes over there that look like teleportation circles activating. If we can stop those, we can stop enemy reinforcements from coming in."
They all strained their eyes trying to see what the Bishop was talking about.
". . . I can't see anything," Kyoko said.
"Me neither," Le Fay said.
Mami tried enhancing her eyesight with magic, straining them further and further . . .
There. Tiny blue flashes, near the edge of the sea of black. It was no small that she wouldn't have noticed if Gasper hadn't pointed them out.
"I think I see them," she said. "They're very hard to make out, but they're there." She turned to Gasper. "You must have very good eyesight, Vladi-kun, to be able to see so far."
He flushed. "Ah, I've always had good eyesight," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
Sayaka nodded. "So, we just need to somehow destroy those teleportation circles."
Kyoko stomped a foot in irritation. "Easier said than done. They're kinda way over there, with a lot of dragons eager to have us for dinner in the way."
"This will need to be a coordinated effort, then." Rias folded her arms. "I suggest that we regroup with the others and share our findings; this will allow us to formulate a plan that will hopefully end this battle once and for all."
Mami nodded. "I concur."
"Alright! Now that we have a plan, let's get going!" Sayaka dashed towards the exit.
"You know there's a giant-ass rock in the way, right?" Kyoko said.
Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Yes, I could tell, thank you very much." She approached the rubble blocking the door and grunted as she pushed against it. It moved slowly, inch by inch, but when Kyoko added her strength to the effort, she could see the rock steadily be pushed aside.
And with a final whump, the obstruction was removed.
"Phew! The path is clear, everyone!" Sayaka opened the door and headed inside.
"Ya could've at least said 'thank you,'" Kyoko grumbled as she followed.
As the rest of them began to move, Mami noticed that they were missing some people. Two people, to be exact.
"Um . . . we might need some help."
Gasper had managed to drag himself halfway to the door before collapsing to the floor again. Le Fay, on the other hand, hadn't even managed that and was still lying sprawled on the ground.
Mami shared a look with Rias and came to a silent agreement.
Sighing, she scooped up the little magician girl, carrying her piggyback style. Next to her, Rias did the same for her Bishop.
"I hope the others have done a good job of defending the school," Rias muttered. "It would be unfortunate if we had to fight like this."
Mami had to agree. Fighting with two hands behind her back didn't sound very fun.
xxx
Azazel had thought that with so many talented combatants on their side, the battle would be over quickly.
Turns out, quantity could trump quality. Especially when said quantity was bordering on infinite.
He idly flung another light spear, skewering an Evil Dragon that had strayed too close. It roared in pain before limply falling over, joining its brethren in a pile of corpses near the front entrance of the school.
He had long since lost count of how many he had killed. With each one's passing, another one seemed to rise in its place, creating an endless horde that wouldn't stop until it had overwhelmed them with sheer bodies. The only reason they were still holding out was the rather ingenious distraction MacGregor and the other mages had concocted.
"Um, how much longer do we have to stand here?"
Azazel grinned. "Just bear with it, Issei-kun. Your sacrifice is saving us all. Besides, you wouldn't want to wimp out before your rival does, hmm?"
Vali didn't look too pleased about the situation either. The fallen angel couldn't blame either of them; after all, the two of them were stuck in magic circles outside the (relative) safety of the school building.
The plan was simple; since a conventional barrier would be swiftly run over by the mass of Evil Dragons, they needed something with a little more finesse. Something that would trick the mindless beasts into focusing on something other than the school, something big and flashy.
And what was bigger and flashier other than a bigger dragon?
Dragons were creatures of power: they were born from power, they lived to achieve power, and typically, they died once they fell from power. They were naturally drawn to other sources of power, drawn so that they might try to claim them for themselves.
And when it came to sources of power, there were few that could match the Heavenly Dragons themselves.
Of course, being sealed in Sacred Gears diminished them quite a bit. But that's where the magic circles (cobbled together from standard Magician magic, Youjutsu, and a touch of demonic magic) came in – they were designed to amplify their draconic presence, projecting an illusion of two vast beings, awe-inspiring and eye-catching, to all the Evil Dragons nearby.
Of course, like all illusion magic, this mirror was fragile, prone to shatter at the slightest touch. Which was why the two hosts were strictly ordered to not move an inch (much to their displeasure).
It seemed the intimidating illusions were doing their jobs. The enemies were now funneled toward the front entrance – right where the two Heavenly Dragon Emperors stood like two guardian gargoyles. Of course, there was the issue of the Evil Dragons trying to rush them instead of the school, but even that was mitigated by the fact that the foes seemed hesitant to charge all at once. They were like wolves surrounding a much stronger quarry, sending in a few pack members in intervals to weaken it before collectively rushing in for the killing blow.
All the members who got close were met with a swift demise, however. Killing them was much easier when they were distracted by phantoms that weren't even there.
And so, their bluff held. So long as it seemed like they were too dangerous to rush all at once, he guessed that they would continue to send probing attacks to wear them down. Which meant that now, they simply had to take turns doing guard duty instead of fighting for their lives amidst the rubble of the school.
A most wonderful improvement. Now they had the time and space to formulate a strategy for a counterattack.
Several more light spears burst from the ground, appearing just in time to impale the next wave of Evil Dragons. They thrashed about, their movements not quite consistent with the wounds they received, before finally falling limp.
Interesting. MacGregor had said that, to the enemies, it would look like the two Heavenly Dragons were the ones killing them. He wondered what his handiwork looked like then: were his victims being burned alive? Or maybe they were being eaten. Dragons were natural predators, after all, and no one said that a dragon couldn't prey on other dragons.
"Quarta-san, Shidou-san, it's your turn," Azazel called out.
The two exorcists-turned-angels nodded and rushed past him on their way outside to guard their peers. Their movements were still a little sluggish from the previous fighting, but there was no helping it: they were all exhausted, yet someone had to stand guard.
He turned around and headed into the lobby proper, where most of the others were gathered. As he entered, a girl ran up to him, offering a bottle of water.
"Here you go, Azazel-san!"
He smiled. "Thank you, Meguri-san."
Sona had quickly taken charge of the situation, citing that "it was her school under attack, and she was damn well going to defend it as best she could." Her peerage had run all over the campus, collecting supplies from various classrooms. Food, water, medical supplies . . . these were all being distributed to those who needed them.
It was a good thing, too; without those Phoenix Tears in the medicine cabinet, he doubted that they would've maintained their zero percent casualty rate so far.
She was also the one responsible for their little group in the lobby. They had been spread out all over the school when the attack happened, and Sona and her peerage were the ones who had rounded them up in an orderly fashion, braving the occasional random encounter with an angry dragon along the way.
Once their distraction had been put in place, Sona had also taken it upon herself to formulate the guard schedule, deciding which pairs worked best together and how to maximize each of their rest periods so that they could hold out for longer, and possibly survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Unfortunately, Azazel doubted that such a strategy would pan out. If what MacGregor said about the time dilation field they were trapped in was true, their resources would run out far before the outside world noticed their predicament.
Which was why he wanted to call a meeting in the hopes that they could come up with an alternative plan. One that didn't involve them sitting around waiting to get run over by a mob of angry Evil Dragons.
However, they were still missing a few people. Which was less than ideal, because the fewer heads they had, the less likely it was for someone to come up with a good idea.
"Any idea where your friends are?" he asked.
Homura looked up from where she was sitting on a couch. The girl didn't look nearly as fatigued as some of the others in the lobby (Kuroka and her sister had passed out next to each other in a stray spot of sunlight), but he couldn't quite tell if it was because she really wasn't that tired or if she just had a very good poker face.
"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen them at all since this whole mess began," she replied.
Azazel frowned. The three girls from Heaven, along with Rias, her Bishop, and Le Fay were the only ones still unaccounted for. The others tried to hide it, but it was clear that the rest of the peerage were worried about their King, and Arthur was no exception to being a worrywart if his constant pacing around the room was any indication either.
Several of them had wanted to send out a search party for their missing members, but Sona had forbidden it, stating that splitting up at this stage would only put all of them in danger.
While it might have seemed like a cold-hearted decision, Azazel couldn't help but agree. The initial surprise attack had taken out large chunks of the school, leaving several sections unstable. If the search party stepped in the wrong spot, it was possible they could cause a section to collapse, generating enough noise and chaos to shatter the precarious illusion they had going on at the front entrance.
And if that happened, it was all over.
Of course, it was still possible that the missing members might end up doing exactly that, but with fewer people running around, it was far less likely.
The pounding of footsteps drew all their attention to one of the side corridors. Someone was coming.
Saji stepped into the hallway and called out, "Who's there?"
This hallway had been one of the more heavily damaged, debris and rubble cluttering its hall. The rubble rustled, and four disheveled travelers made themselves known, picking their way across the rocks that littered the floor.
Wait. There were six of them. Two of the aforementioned four were carrying the other two on their backs.
The blue-haired girl sighed in relief upon seeing their camp. "Man, we finally made it!"
"Tch. I could've done without all the rock climbing along the way," her red-haired companion muttered.
Rias's peerage rush to greet their King, who looked quite haggard from carrying her Bishop such a long way. Arthur rushed over as well to receive his sister from the blonde girl's arms.
The murmuring in the room grew at the appearance of their lost members, but they were all silenced when a single voice cut through the air with regal authority.
"We know how to stop the enemy."
Rias's face was drawn and she looked about ready to collapse, but her voice was unwavering as she divulged crucial information about why the enemy's numbers seemed limitless and how they might stop them.
Azazel nodded thoughtfully as he listened. Maybe . . . if they all worked together, then maybe . . . this could work.
Rias finished her report, and her peerage helped her stumble over to one of the couches to rest. Which was important, because she was going to be needing her strength very, very soon.
"I have a plan," he announced.
All eyes riveted to him, and he inwardly smirked at the attention he was receiving. He wasn't one of the leaders of the Biblical factions for nothing, after all.
"It will be hard. It will be difficult. It will make you feel more exhausted than you already are. But it's our best bet at victory, and when the alternative is to sit here and wait to be overrun, I think we have nothing to lose. What say you all?"
He could see the fire relight in their eyes, that spark of hope that drove men forward to do great things. One-by-one, they all turned to him with expectant looks, entrusting him with their future.
It was a strange feeling. Here he was, a leader of the fallen, and yet not even one of those following him at that moment was a pure-blooded fallen. It was not a feeling that he would ever have expected to experience a century ago.
"But before we begin, I will need to know all your capabilities. And when I say all, I do mean all. Every secret weapon is an advantage that may prevent someone's death here today, and neither you nor I want that on our conscience."
He noticed that the girls from Heaven looked distinctly uncomfortable. Looks like he would be getting to hear a few juicy tidbits in a moment, although he thought it was mildly ironic that the representatives of Heaven would be the ones keeping secrets. One would think it would be the devils or fallen with those kinds of tricks up their sleeves.
But considering that everyone here was putting their trust in him, a fallen, a race notorious for being conniving and deceptive, it showed that old reputations mattered little in this new world they had forged for themselves out of the blood, sweat, and tears of the old.
It was a good sign. A sign that things could change, that they could change, that centuries-old grudges could be buried after all.
And with so much riding on this, Azazel had no intention of letting anyone die here today.
xxx
Euclid watched as the circle thrummed and throbbed, spinning about before spewing forth another black dragon. The beast blinked, regarded its surroundings with mild surprise before roaring and taking off to aid its kin in the assault on the school.
He frowned. It had been over an hour since Qlippoth's assault had begun, yet Auros Academy was still standing. Highly damaged with several sections in shambles, but still standing nonetheless. He would have thought the place to be overrun by now.
Sure, the Evil Dragons were not individually threatening, but with this many of them, this battle should have been a foregone conclusion. Yet it seemed that their enemies were still holding out. Somehow.
He would have gone to investigate, but his master had explicitly instructed him to stay back and guard the teleportation circles. Normally, he would've scoffed at the idea that the foe could wade through such a thick hoard of dragons to penetrate their defensive barriers around the circles, but his master's word was law, and he had no intention of disobeying.
Stranger still was the other magic circle on the ground nearby. It was cleverly hidden, woven amidst the teleportation circles to mask its presence. Even he, a master Magician, would not have been able to notice it had he not witnessed that witch inscribe it onto the ground with her very own hands.
He did not know what function it served, and he did not bother to inquire; if his master wished for him to know something, then he would tell him, and Euclid would sooner blast the witch away before he asked her for anything. The only times he spoke with that woman was when they set up the teleportation circles, and even that was only the bare minimum necessary for cooperation.
The woman's very presence irked him. Why was a witch of Hexennacht necessary, when he was a perfectly capable Magician himself? Perhaps the witch had a few years on him in terms of experience, but a mere human, with a very finite lifespan, could not possibly compare with a devil who had several more lifetimes worth of time to grow and gain experience.
The very fact that he was stuck here while she and his master were off doing something rankled him to no end. Only his stalwart devotion to his liege's command prevented him from flying from his post to his master's side, where he belonged. Because the only greater crime than being away from his lord's side was disobeying a command.
He would not dishonor himself by committing that grave sin. Perhaps if he showed his loyalty by accomplishing this task, his master would see that associating with that damned witch was entirely unnecessary. He was more than enough to fulfill Lucifer's every wish.
A rumble echoed throughout the landscape. Euclid spun around, eyes darting in every direction as he searched for the source of the disturbance.
There. In the distance, there was a massive cloud of dust where the school had been. When the cloud cleared, he could see that the academy had been leveled, its very foundations torn down.
He sighed in relief. Finally. Now that the upstarts had been taught the price of straying away from their true nature, he could leave and return to his master's side.
Conjuring a teleportation circle, he prepared to step into it, mind already brainstorming various possibilities as to where his lord had gone. Perhaps he was at their base? Or maybe he was out gathering resources for the next stage of the operation?
He stopped in place. Not because he wanted to, but because there was something in front of him that prevented him from going further.
He blinked in surprise. Right there in front of him, a yellow ribbon was drawn across his teleportation circle, forbidding him entry. It was such a flimsy thing, so fragile-looking that he should've been able to snap it with no effort at all.
But it refused to yield. Even blasting it with demonic energy left nary a scratch on it.
"What's going on here?"
He tried closing the circle. It disappeared without any fuss, but upon reopening it, he saw that the damned ribbon was still there.
His eyes rapidly scanned his surroundings. Where there was one abnormality, there was bound to be another. And sure enough, there was a certain "fray" in reality, a ripple across his vision that hinted that what he saw may not be real.
Snarling, he grabbed the ripple and pulled it apart, destroying the illusion that had been plaguing him.
What he saw . . . utterly baffled him.
It was as if the land around him had suddenly transformed into a comical parody of Heaven and Hell. The reddish landscape was still there, but there was an aura of dread in the air, an unsettling feeling of wrongness that pervaded the very land.
In contrast to that uneasy feeling, bright, happy objects dotted the landscape: apple trees were in full bloom, even though there were no trees in the Underworld (no natural ones, at least). Teacups of various sizes lay scattered about, some in pristine condition, some shattered in several pieces. A rainbow bridge stretched across the horizon, a sickeningly bright and cherry addition that had no place in a land as unholy as the Underworld.
But all that paled in comparison to the giant monstrosity hovering in the sky.
It looked almost . . . cartoonish. It had a fan-like head, a small torso, and a comically oversized waist. Yellow ribbons trailed down its side like arms (Euclid just somehow knew that it was what had prevented him from departing), and it had short, spindly legs.
As he looked closer, he saw what appeared to be figures hanging in harnesses of ribbons, tiny blips that flitted about the giant figure, like moths dancing around a flame. Several of them detached themselves, falling towards the black horde below.
He didn't concern himself with them; the dragons would make short work of them soon enough. What did concern him were the rather familiar figures surrounding the giant, figures that should have perished along with the school.
How irritating. Looks like he would have to stay a bit longer.
He didn't know what that giant thing was, but he didn't care. There were all sorts of strange creatures in the world, but very few had the power to matter.
But he . . . he had plenty of power to spare. If only his master would recognize him for his worth!
A red gauntlet materialized on his right hand. At the same time, a purple cross appeared in his left.
They were but replicas, shadows of their true selves. They could only perform their basic functions, and they could not evolve to fit the wielder like the originals. But with access to as many as he did, and when he combined their powers . . .
A black dog materialized next to him, rising out of a pool of liquid shadow. His red gauntlet flashed, and the dog grew, its body rippling with muscles as it became the size of a car. Its red eyes glinted dangerously, a predatory vibe practically oozing off it.
A flash of purple and the dog was bathed in holy fire, a cloak of flames that would burn anything that dared to get in its way.
Euclid smiled. He had collected trace residue of several Longinus from past wielders over the centuries he had been alive. Some of them had been attained at a dear cost, but he considered any price to be worth it for the sake of his research. And when his work finally borne fruit, when the replica Gears were finally ready for use . . .
Are you finally done playing with your toys, Euclid-kun?
. . . His lord had not understood. Had not seen the value in his work. But perhaps it was inevitable when said man possessed an ability that could render Sacred Gears worthless with a touch.
But he had a chance now. To prove his work's worth, to prove his worth, he would crush those standing in his master's way once and for all!
xxx
Despite the terrible way the day had gone so far, Azazel was in a rather good mood. After all, he had a plan, and he had pilfered some secrets while he was at it!
Well, he supposed he couldn't really call it a secret anymore if everyone knew. Everyone present, that is. But the revelations had simply made him all the more eager to investigate the goddess and those associated with her.
Those girls from Heaven had explained that their goddess had used some "wildcards" that Beelzebub had given her to give them the ability to call forth some rather intriguing creatures. One of which he was currently riding on right now, which rejuvenated those in its presence and could create a barrier that prevented others from leaving.
The girl who had summoned it, Mami, had seemed distinctly uncomfortable when she was asked to do so. But with a bit of cajoling from him (he was a ladies' man, after all) and the severity of the situation pressing on them, she had reluctantly followed through.
The other two girls, Sayaka and Kyoko, had no such reservations about calling forth their own summons. The redhead's summon, a strange being with a candle for a head and riding on a horse could wrap an area in a barrier of illusions, trapping those caught within in a false reality.
However, after a bit of rudimentary testing in the school's courtyard, they had discovered that said barrier had a bit of travel time. Which meant that if the enemy was alert, they would be able to notice its approach and take appropriate measures to defend themselves. Which meant they needed a distraction – one big and flashy enough that their foe wouldn't be able to take their eyes off it.
Sona had not been pleased when someone suggested blowing up the school. She had definitely not been pleased when he seemed to be seriously considering the idea.
She had been absolutely livid when he declared it to be a splendid idea.
After being talked down, the girl had grudgingly conceded that it was a practical choice. A building could be rebuilt, but lost lives could never be reclaimed. And what better way to lull their foes into a false sense of security than letting them think that they had won?
"We're close enough now, so we're moving on to stage two of the plan!" Azazel called out from where he was perched. "Strike team, head out!"
A chorus of acknowledgment answered him, and he watched as several members of their group detached themselves from their ride and fell towards the waiting horde.
It was a simple plan, all things considered. They would ride on Mami's summon and use its healing aura to replenish some much-needed energy beforehand, and they would mask their approach using the destruction of the school and Kyoko's illusion barrier. Once they were close enough, those of them skilled in physical combat would jump down and begin eliminating the Evil Dragons while they were still trapped in the illusion. Those with wings would use them to slow their descent and aid in the landing of those without.
The rest of them, those more skilled in magic, would land near the teleportation circles and work on dismantling them. However, they would need to deal with the Evil Dragons still teleporting in but dealing with the few teleporting in at a time should be much easier than dealing with a vast horde all at once.
And if all went well, they should be able to exterminate most of the dragons and seal the teleportation circles before the illusion barrier was broken.
But of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy.
The first sign that this was going to be a lot harder than expected was when a blaze of purple fire shot at them from the ground, a roaring inferno that sought to consume them all.
"Tsubaki!"
"Right!"
Rising to her King's call, Tsubaki drew her arms in front of her and slashed them downward, forming a glittering, silver mirror. It was her Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice, which allowed the user to absorb and redirect an attack with increased strength.
The fire crashed into the mirror, stalling as it was met with unyielding force. When its force finally waned, the flames gathered themselves, then shot back down from whence it came with renewed vigor.
It scorched the earth on impact, but before the flames could run wild, they were snuffed out, like they were but mere candles.
A dark laugh echoed in their ears.
"Come, traitors! Allow me to show you the peril of standing against my master!"
There was a silver-haired man standing down there with his arms outspread. He raised his arms, and a giant doll of ice rose out of the ground, landing gracefully next to its summoner. It had four slender arms, and its face was utterly blank, as cold as the material from which it was made.
"No . . ." Azazel muttered. "It can't be. That looks like . . . Absolute Demise?!"
As an avid researcher of Sacred Gears, he made it his business to know all the different kinds of Gears as well as what each was capable of. And of course, the most powerful of the Sacred Gears, the Longinus, were what held his attention the most. They were the anomaly, the glitch in the code. The weapons that should not exist yet did. For they were the things that allowed a mere human to fight and defeat a god, pervading the natural order of things.
He had met the wielder of Absolute Demise a few times. She was a pleasant girl and an excellent singer who worked at a bar that he himself had opened.
There was no way that she was here. Which meant . . . this was a duplicate?
The doll trembled, and silvery, white wings sprouted from its back. Azazel grew even more alarmed, but his voice also held a tinge of excitement.
"And Divine Dividing too! To combine two Longinus together . . . what I would give to compare notes with such a genius!"
He couldn't help but feel a bit miffed. He took great pride in his status as one of the leading researchers on the Sacred Gears, yet here was someone who had not only managed to create replicas but could combine them in a way that amplified their potential?
He wasn't sure whether he should praise them for their ingenuity or curse them for bruising his ego.
The doll raised its arms and icy mist spewed forth, coating the airspace in front of them in an icy haze.
On second thought, he should probably focus on defeating them. Because they were, y'know, kinda in the way.
"Don't touch the mist!" he called out urgently. "If I had to hazard a guess, that mist will drain our power and give it to that doll!"
Some of the mist had already reached them. He watched as the end of one of the yellow ribbons trailing down their ride wilted on contact, becoming limp before finally dissolving into motes of light.
Mami, on seeing the danger, quickly willed her summon to pull away to safety.
"What's wrong, traitors? Running away already?"
The man on the ground continued to taunt them, fervor raging in his eyes.
Azazel growled as he tried to wrack his brain for an answer. From what he had seen so far, the foe possessed Absolute Demise, Divine Dividing, and judging by that blast of fire from earlier, Incinerate Anthem as well. And there was no guarantee that was the extent of what he had.
He watched as several spells were thrown at the doll, but all of them were swiftly reduced to nothingness in the field of mist, their power constantly divided until nothing was left.
Hmm. To get an attack through, it would need to be strong – so strong that it could withstand being divided several times and still have the power needed to destroy, or at the very least severely damage, the ice doll.
He had just the candidate in mind.
"Gremory-san." He glanced at the girl in question. "How much can you compress your Power of Destruction?"
She blinked at him in surprise from being suddenly addressed but quickly recovered. "Quite a bit. I've been practicing, but I'll need some time to charge it up."
He nodded. "That should be fine. It seems the enemy is content to wait for us to come to them."
As if to prove him wrong, the ice doll raised a hand once more, sending shards of ice spiraling towards them.
He cursed. "Or not."
Barriers were quickly thrown up to deflect the oncoming barrage. Most of the attack was blocked, but the scant few that made it through left nicks that quickly turned into dissolving motes of light as well.
Mami grimaced. "I won't be able to keep it materialized if we keep on getting hit," she said with a strained voice.
"Then we'll just have to distract it." Azazel stood up. "Gremory-san, Tomoe-san, the two of you stay here. We'll be relying on you two to destroy that giant ice doll. Pendragon-san, Himejima-san, I want you two to stay as well to defend against any attacks that might come this way. Everyone else will be coming with me to the ground."
They all nodded, content to let him make the decisions. It was a burden that he was familiar with, one that he would not wish on anyone else.
But he digressed. There was a giant ice lady, and he had to get its attention. Totally a piece of cake: he had charmed far colder women, after all.
xxx
Sayaka thought the plan would go off without a hitch.
After landing (with some help from Irina), she had immediately called forth Oktavia using the witch card Madoka had given her.
It was a strange feeling. Like something was clawing its way out of her chest, and just when she felt she was going to burst, her witch appeared in all its shiny, mermaid-y glory and the pressure vanished. Like a burden had been taken away from her.
It had turned and glanced at her, and although she couldn't see its face, she knew what it was trying to tell her.
After all, it was part of her. Just as she had hopes and dreams, she also had sorrow and regrets. The only difference between now and then was that now, she could accept her failings and move on.
What a mess she had made back then. She hoped she hadn't caused the others too much trouble with her idiocy.
Her blade found the soft underbelly of a dragon and slid upward, carving the beast from groin to neck in one fluid motion.
It collapsed, its cloudy eyes dimming and finally blinking out.
Next to her, her witch sliced open its own quarry, although it would perhaps be more accurate to say that it cut it clean in half considering how much force it used. Several of her familiars were dancing around, but they weren't much help since she highly doubted that blunt instruments could pierce a dragon's hide.
Her other allies had also taken to dragon-slaying with gusto. Kyoko was practically plowing through the black tide, her spear a whirlwind of death as she attacked the vital points: stabbing out eyes, slicing open necks, and destroying brains. Her witch stood nearby, its form motionless as it did its duty to maintain the barrier of illusion that made the Evil Dragons such easy pickings.
Irina and Xenovia were performing perfectly in sync with one another, their blows coordinated and their steps flawless. Supposedly, it had something to do with how the Brave Saints system was based on playing cards, which might be why they were shouting "Blackjack!" every now and then.
She saw others from her class as well: Ewald was at the forefront, carving up dragons like nobody's business. Arthur was right beside him, their Holy Swords glinting like deadly flashes of light in the darkness of the Underworld. Yuuto trailed not far behind, his Holy-Demonic swords leaving ruined corpses behind him: some charred, some burned, some simply disintegrated out of existence. Bikou and Koneko were working together, smashing dragon skulls with staff and fists respectively.
But of course, the biggest show-offs were –
"One-hundred-one! One-hundred-two!"
"Hah! I'm at one-hundred ten! Hope you're ready to be known as the Butt Dragon Emperor from now on!"
Tobio sighed as he wielded his scythe with deadly grace, lopping off the heads of dragons near him with almost casual ease. "This isn't a competition, you two. For this mission, efficiency is valued above all else."
Issei and Vali turned to simultaneously glare at him. "Oh yeah? How many have you killed so far, Ikuse-san?" Issei asked.
Tobio smirked. "Two-hundred."
". . ."
". . ."
"WE'RE GONNA BEAT YOUR SCORE IF IT'S THE LAST THING WE DOOOOOOOOOO!"
Tobio sighed as the two boys redoubled their efforts, their blows connecting with such force that the corpses were flung far away. "Well, that got them more motivated at the very least."
Sayaka chuckled from that little display. Everything was going well, so this would be a cinch!
A low growling soon proved her wrong, however.
"Hey Kyoko, now's not the time for your stomach to be asking for a snack . . . break . . ." Her voice trailed off.
"What? My stomach wasn't growling, Rookie."
There was a giant dog in front of her. Its coat was jet-black, and it stared at her with predatory red eyes that gleamed with malice.
Oh, and it was on fire. Couldn't forget that important part.
"Nice doggy . . . if you stay where you are, I'll give you a treat, alright?"
It growled and charged at her in response.
Yeah, she didn't really think that would work either.
A quick roll brought her to safety as the dog cratered the ground on which she stood a moment before, setting it ablaze as well.
"The hell are you doing over there – oh . . ." Kyoko had noticed their uninvited guest. "What's that giant dog doing here?!"
"Don't ask me!"
The others noticed that something was wrong as well.
"Is something the matter?" Ewald asked.
Tobio blinked as he stared at the dog. "Wait . . . that looks just like my Sacred Gear. Minus the flames, that is."
The dog howled, a harsh, grating sound that invaded her ears, clawing at them like the damned dead had awakened and were trying to drag her down under with them.
Around them, one-by-one, clouded eyes cleared, revealing blood-red irises that glared at them with bloodlust.
"H – Hey! Why did this one dodge?! It wasn't supposed to dodge!" Issei shouted in alarm.
Welp, here was complication number one. Sayaka really hoped there wasn't going to be a two and three after this.
xxx
Azazel was beginning to think he did his part well. Perhaps too well.
Another wave of icicles crashed down around him, barely missing him by a hair's breadth.
"You'll have to try harder than that, dolly! I'm one tough catch, y'know?"
The giant construct shuddered, as if in anger, and rained another frozen barrage down on his location.
But he was already moving, light spear out to deflect any shards that strayed too close for comfort.
It should go without saying that the icy doll was only targeting him at this point. Why, you might ask? After all, it's not as if he had landed in front of it and proceeded to declare, point-blank, that it was a "stone-cold bitch."
Needless to say, that small plot of land he had been standing on was promptly sent back to the ice age.
His allies were dealing with that silver-haired devil and the Evil Dragons still coming out of the teleportation circles. They seemed to be holding out well enough, so now he just had to wait for Rias to take the shot. In the meantime, he just had to avoid being skewered or turned into a popsicle. Easy.
A dash here, a jump there . . . he didn't bother trying to retaliate. None of his attacks would make it through the barrier of mist intact, so it would just be a waste of energy.
"All that ice is making you slow! Have you tried going on a diet?"
The doll glared at him (as much as it could without being able to form facial expressions, anyway). He could certainly feel the killing intent – quite an impressive amount, in fact. It was like there was another consciousness behind that block of ice . . .
Hmm. He knew from that monkey king that most, if not all the Longinus had some sort of consciousness sealed in them. But to think that these replica Longinus also possessed something like that to a degree? That . . . that was bordering on the creation of life!
He heard something whistling through the air. It sounded like the artillery was here. Now, to make sure it landed perfectly . . .
"C'mon, you won't be able to get a man with such half-hearted attempts like that!" He stepped in front of it with his arms outstretched, presenting himself as a clear, open target. "Have you tried cooking? I hear the best way to reach a man's heart is through his stomach."
Eyes filled with cold fury eyed him disdainfully. It raised a hand, prepared to bring down a blizzard-y hell upon him –
The orb of demonic energy streaked through the air like a meteor, zipping through the misty barrier like it wasn't even there. It shattered through the doll's body, leaving a gaping hole in its torso.
As it fell, Azazel saw his chance – he leaped up, aligning himself next to the freshly-dealt wound and reached inside –
It was cold. That should've been obvious, but it wasn't just the temperature; it felt more like there was an absence of something, a void hidden within the doll's body. He felt around and finally found the one speck of warmth.
He pulled the core out, and in his hand was a frozen heart.
His eyes met the doll's; its eyes were as cold as ever, but he could see the faintest hint of sadness deep within its icy depths.
"Didn't your parents tell you not to chase someone like me? I know, I know, I'm a real lady-killer. But –"
His hand tightened.
"I've broken more hearts than you can possibly imagine."
The heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, each a mirror that seemed determined to reflect that last, lingering look of sorrow in the doll's eyes.
He leapt away, averting his eyes from the ruined construct. He should be used to this by now; he had killed and destroyed many others for the sake of his goals. This was simply another addition to his tally.
. . . This peace had made him soft. But perhaps that was a good thing if even monsters like him had a chance of redeeming himself.
But first, there was a real monster that needed to be dealt with.
xxx
Corpses littered the ground. Blood stained the fields. Sword met fang as the brave warriors of this generation fought against the fell dragons that sought to doom them all.
And through it all, Kyoko was chasing a dog.
Why was she doing this again? Oh, right. The damn thing could wake up the sleeping dragons with a howl, and while they had slit a lot of their throats so far, they weren't quite out of the woods yet.
"Come here!"
Issei dashed into the dog's path, crouching down as he braced for impact. The canine had other ideas, however.
A blur of shadow and the boy was left grasping air as the beast bounced overhead.
"Too slow, Hyoudou!"
Vali shot forward and strafed the area in front of the dog with demonic blasts, herding it towards two of their allies. Yuuto and Koneko stood at the ready, watching it approach. As soon as it neared them, Koneko slammed the ground with all the force of the Rook piece behind her, throwing both debris and the dog into the air.
Yuuto, seeing his chance with his opponent immobilized mid-air, slashed forward –
The dog twisted, its form contorting as it barely dodged the slash, losing only a few strands of fur. Seeing his attack fail, the boy reached forward with his other hand, managing to grab onto the dog's tail –
The flame near its tail flared, pulsing as it shined brightly and forcing Yuuto to let go with a pained grimace.
"Get back!"
Hearing Sayaka's warning, the two members of Rias's peerage quickly jumped back as a barrage of swords impaled the ground, creating a circle around the dog. It barely spared the barrier a glance, bunching its muscles and leaping upward without a second thought.
But as it arced over the swords, the blades trembled, pulling themselves out and shooting towards the airborne beast. It recoiled in surprise as it dodged, causing it to lose precious forward momentum.
For a moment, it hung there in the air, suspended and vulnerable.
"Now, Kyoko!"
She didn't need Sayaka's cue to start preparing her attack. Her spear was already disconnected, snapping towards the dog in a whip-like motion like a snake about to snap up a tasty morsel. It wrapped itself around her target, and Kyoko slammed her quarry into the ground with all the force she could muster.
But the dust had barely settled before a ferocious howl shook the air and a massive wave of heat radiated outwards, stalling their approach.
Kyoko grimaced as she braced herself against the blasts of heat. She could feel it struggling against her binding; it had nearly broken through, but this was their best chance to put it down before it could get even more out of hand.
"Transfer!"
Vali shot through the air once more, this time with such force that he pierced through the heat wave like it wasn't even there, disappearing into the cloud of dust and smoke.
"Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!"
When the dust finally settled, they saw the White Dragon Emperor standing proudly, holding a small, black puppy in one hand.
It let out a pitiful bark, ejecting a small puff of flame out of its mouth.
Naturally, the first question was:
"Are you going to keep it?" Issei asked.
Vali gave his rival a blank stare. "I don't particularly care for dogs. So, no."
"Then I'll take it!"
Yuuto gave him a level look. "A dog that can breathe holy fire is a fire hazard. Doubly so since we're devils. I highly doubt Buchou would let you keep it."
"Then I'll keep it!" Sayaka was only too quick to jump into the discussion.
Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Have you ever owned a pet before, Rookie?"
"I'm sure it can' be that hard!" Her friend confidently replied.
"Stop talking about who gets to keep the puppy and start killing these dragons!" An irritated voice in the distance called out.
Kyoko turned around with a sigh and readied her spear. Pigtails was right; they should probably deal with those angry oversized lizards first. Quite a few of them had been woken up in all the chaos, but the majority were still caught in her witch's barrier of illusions.
After they finished off the live ones, the rest should be a piece of cake.
And then she can finally go back to Heaven and eat some real cake. God, it'd been a long day and she was starving.
xxx
Euclid was having the time of his life.
Here were worthy adversaries, foes that he could strike down in the name of his lord! It had been a long time since he got to cut loose with his inventions, and he was almost grateful to these enemies for giving him the chance.
Almost. He was still going to kill them all for defying his master, but it was the thought that counted.
A few of the traitors strayed too close for his liking, and he sent them scattering with a wave of holy fire. Waves of magic attacks shot towards him, but they were all easily dispersed by the barrier he had reinforced with his replica Boosted Gear's power.
He felt giddy. There was this intense rush coursing through his body, a sense of overwhelming superiority and invincibility. None could touch him! For he was the one closest to God, he who had cracked God's secrets and recreated some of the most powerful tools of destruction left behind by the original Creator.
"Come! Come and be destroyed by my power!"
A flash of his hands disrupted the imposter Lucifer's servant's spell. A wave of fire extinguished the Leviathan's ilk's water serpent. A miniature hurricane sent the filthy Stray Devil and those around her tumbling.
Such power! And this was only with a few of the Longinus; what could he achieve, he wondered, were he to recreate all of them?
He felt a maniacal laugh build. Yes, with such power in his possession, his master would have no trouble conquering this world. And once he had delivered this realm to him on a silver platter, his lord would have no choice but to acknowledge his worth!
"Fall before me! Fall before my might, my glory!"
They were saying something. Indistinct, meaningless prattle and chatter. The fools; didn't they know that pleading for mercy would not work? The only suitable punishment for treason was death, after all.
He saw them beginning to flee. Cowards! They knew they couldn't take him, so they sought to escape.
He chased after them, his feet carrying him relentlessly forward. They passed by the teleportation circles, which were still spitting out Evil Dragons. The beasts were swiftly cut down, however, helpless from the brief disorientation they suffered during the transition.
No matter. He didn't want the mindless beasts to steal his glory. The traitors were his to kill – his alone!
"Come back and fight me, cowards!"
His enemy ignored his cries, continuing their retreat. As he continued to chase them, he stumbled over something –
Ah. One of the damned dragons had teleported in right as he passed a circle, creating a sudden displacement of air that forced him off-balance.
Snarling, he incinerated the beast for its transgression. He had not seen the point in using these dumb creatures when he alone could have brought the school to ruin, but his master had insisted, and so he had ceased his complaints.
He continued to march forward, the bane of devils in one hand and the power of the Heavenly Dragons in the other.
Suddenly, his quarry stopped and turned around. Ah, so they've realized their efforts were futile. Perhaps they would be gracious enough to die quickly as well.
The barrage of magic that came his way signified that they wouldn't.
Oh well. He would enjoy crushing them just as much as he would enjoy a swift execution.
To the right of him, another Evil Dragon materialized; it only had only time to roar once before it was swiftly exterminated in the ensuing crossfire.
His ire grew as he saw his foes turn tail and flee yet again. When would the traitors learn? With the time dilation barrier encompassing the area, they would not be able to leave, and the barrier would not collapse so long as he drew breath.
He angled his approach to the right to cut off his enemy's path of retreat. Perhaps he would be able to pick some of them off as they fled –
He paused briefly and raised a hand. A massive orb of demonic energy slammed into the barrier, the Power of Destruction fighting against his raw, augmented demonic power and losing. He grimaced as an arrow alight with holy fire swiftly followed suit, struggling against his defense and giving him pause.
Both attacks were quickly snuffed out as the white wings of Divine Dividing flashed, reducing their strength to nothing in a matter of moments.
He smirked. No matter what they did, no matter what tactics they used, they would not be able to overcome him. He was, after all, the one who wielded the power of God himself –
A brief flash of pain. A moment of weightlessness. And suddenly, he realized he was falling.
His eyes trailed downward as he fell, and he noticed that he seemed to have lost the lower half of his body. Now, when did that happen?
His eyes darted further, and he spotted his answer. An Evil Dragon, freshly teleported in, lay inside the magic circle. Only, calling it a dragon at this point would be too kind. It was more akin to a messy carcass, innards on the outside of its body and scales lying scattered about. He could see bits and pieces of his own body strewn alongside the corpse in a most macabre display.
Ah. How silly of him. To have forgotten the most basic rule of teleportation magic:
Never stand in a circle when it was being used.
Break that rule, and, well, the results speak for themselves.
How careless of him. He allowed himself to be lured by the nose right into a trap. His master would never let him hear the end of this.
"My . . . my lord . . . ."
He could still fulfill his duty. He had the power of God on his side, after all. None could stand against him! He just needed to heal himself, grow his legs back, and deal with the traitors once and for all.
As he weakly stretched out his arm, a light spear stabbed through it, pinning it to the ground.
He blinked at it. How strange. He was sure that he had thrown up a barrier to deflect that attack.
He glanced at his other arm and saw that it was encased in ice. As he struggled to break through, another blast of magic shattered it into tiny pieces, spraying flesh and blood everywhere.
"G – Guh – !"
More attacks barraged him, cutting him with ice, burning him with fire, and blowing up more of his body . . .
And through it all, he kept on trying to reach. To reach that power he had possessed just a moment ago, that rush that made him feel like he was on top of the world!
No matter how hard he reached, that feeling stubbornly refused him. And as his vision darkened, he felt his arm flop to the ground, no longer possessing the strength to defy his fate.
He blearily blinked, and with his rapidly fading sight, he could see . . . a light. A bright, shining light that came closer and closer. Was this . . . was this his final reward? A final gift from his master, to reward him for all his years of service?
The light struck him, and he felt something pierce his forehead.
It burned. Like an angry god, it ravaged him, consuming him utterly.
He screamed.
His body finally gave out, rivers of blood streaming out of his broken body, seeping into the ground.
The lines of a circle yet unseen pulsed gently, its runes turning blood-red from the sacrifice.
xxx
Rias sighed in relief once she saw their enemy finally fall. Next to her, Mami let out an equally relieved sigh.
"Oh dear, what a terrible way to go. The poor thing must have been in so much pain," Akeno said with a dreamy sigh.
Rias chuckled. "I don't know how you have the energy to still be making jokes. It's taking all I have to keep myself upright."
"Didn't you know? I have amazing stamina! Just ask any of my clients." Her Queen winked at her.
They all shared a laugh. "Be proud, Gremory-san," Mami said. "It was your blows that allowed Azazel-san to take down the ice giant and stall the enemy long enough for us to spring the trap."
Rias shook her head. "I would not have been able to land my attacks with such precision were it not for your aid, Tomoe-san. Your advice was very helpful."
"Yeah! How were you able to eyeball it so well? Even the most experienced Magicians have trouble hitting spells at this distance without some sort of guiding spell," Le Fay said.
Mami smiled. "Years of experience." She glanced down and saw that the others were beginning to dismantle the teleportation circles. "Now that the battle is over, we should rejoin the others. Shall we?"
At the others' nods, she mentally commanded her witch to lower them down to the ground. "By the way –"
Two things happened at once. First, the invisible barrier surrounding them suddenly flashed and turned a deep, crimson red. Then, noticing the abrupt cut-off, she glanced over –
Mami's body was limp, eyes glazed over and utterly soulless. With no strings to give it commands, it began to slide off their ride, tumbling over itself.
"Tomoe-san!"
Rias reached forward, trying to catch the body –
She stumbled, then spun around in alarm as she realized that the other girl's familiar was crumbling out from under them.
"Wah!"
Her bat-like wings exploded out behind her. Seeing that Akeno had secured Le Fay, Rias stretched her hand outward, desperately trying to catch the lifeless body sailing through the air –
Down below, the deactivated teleportation circles glowed with new life, combining with each other and a previously hidden circle to carry out a new ritual. She could see the others react in alarm, could see their confused stares and panicked expressions.
None of them would react in time, she knew. It was up to her!
Her wings flapped harder, and she used the last bit of her magic to give her another boost in speed. Her fingers managed to brush the tip of the other girl's hand –
A hole in reality tore through the air. A thin, slender tendril lashed out, grabbing the lifeless body and pulling it inside.
Rias could only stare dumbfoundedly as the gap snapped shut right in front of her.
xxx
"What wonderful craftsmanship! Heaven's new goddess sure is full of surprises, isn't she?"
Rizevim tapped his foot impatiently as Walburga gushed over their latest acquisitions. "Yes, yes. Now tell me, will it work or not?"
The witch glanced up with a mildly annoyed expression. "It should. Much better than we could've hoped for, in fact."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do elaborate."
The witch paced in front of the table upon which three bodies lay. "As we suspected, these bodies are nothing but empty shells. It will be a trivial matter to use the Sephiroth Grail to breathe new life into them. The hard part was what came after, the part where we twist them to fit our designs."
He nodded as he followed along. With the Longinus he stole from that vampire brat, making new life was easy; however, any creation would be a blank slate. It would have no personality, no ideals, no sense of right or wrong. Perfect for molding into whatever he desired, but such an effort would take a great deal of effort and time.
"However," Walburga continued, "I've found something interesting. It seems these bodies have some sort of dark magic imbued in them. It is difficult to make out, but I can sense despair. Pain. Anger. All the delicious emotions that bring out the worst in humanity." She grinned savagely.
"Truly? Now, that sounds familiar." He thought back to the peace conference, to that barrier of despair that he had witnessed, the very same barrier that had set him on his path today. Was it related, somehow?
"Can we make use of it? If we use that sinister energy as the basis of the Sephiroth Grail's magic, then . . . ."
She nodded excitedly. "Exactly! If we do it like that, why, the resulting beings will be far eviler than any dull puppet we could break to do our bidding." She approached the bodies on the table. "If I just fiddle around with the circuits to make it more receptive to that dark core . . . there!"
It was faint, but he could see the black lines trailing across the body, the dark energy that faintly crackled with malice.
He smiled, a crooked, warped thing. "Excellent. I shall take it from here, then."
She nodded and backed away. "Try not to spill anything. I do so hate cleaning up after others."
"You needn't worry. No drop shall go to waste."
She nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly paused and turned around. He could feel her eyes boring into his back. "You lost that pawn of yours back there, didn't you?"
"My servant fulfilled his role. He was but a stepping stone for my plans." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You do not feel pity for every ant you trample underfoot on your path to glory, do you not? I believe the same principle applies here."
The witch laughed. "Well said, Lucifer." She reigned herself in, but her smile remained, radiating malice that only the most despicable beings could produce. "Hey. Once you're done, I hope you won't mind if I take them out for a spin. I'm sure the ensuing chaos will be absolutely delicious."
"Be my guest."
"Oooh, giving up your toys that easily? Why don't you come join me? As the originator of this plan, you deserve to be there when the fireworks start going off, wouldn't you say?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have . . ." He fingered the dagger in his belt, the blade stained with Samael's blood. ". . . Other obligations I must attend to."
She sighed. "A pity. I suppose I'll have to enjoy it all by my lonesome, then." She turned around. "Well, have fun tinkering around. You know where to find me."
As the door shut behind her, Rizevim allowed himself a small sigh. It was a shame, really. Walburga was the closest person to understanding him, but even she would simply be another pawn that he sacrificed for the sake of his goal.
He gazed at the limp bodies before him. They looked so delicate. So frail.
When he was done with them, there would be no shred of that innocence or vulnerability left.
He placed a hand against the chest of the first one and willed his power forward.
The body buckled and spasmed, its mouth wide open in a silent, endless scream.