Earlier with Vivi and Issei
"Are you sure this is where Kiba told you to wait?" Vivi asked.
Issei glanced at the small blue bird sitting on his shoulder. The bird looked around, scanning the area for any demonic power signatures.
"Yeah, this is where he is. This is where he said to meet," Issei said.
Koneko stood next to Issei, nibbling on an eclair she had stolen from Shin's fridge. Irina and Xenovia lagged a ways behind them. Xenovia had her hood on and her eyes closed while Irina was typing on her phone. Asia stood next to Issei, twiddling her thumbs nervously.
"We need to hurry. Tosca just got back from her mission," Irina said.
"Tosca?" Issei asked.
"Tosca is our senior exorcist. She's… well, her position is weird. Dulio is the strongest exorcist yes but Tosca is an enigma. But we do know this, she is a loaded nuke," Xenovia said.
"Loaded nuke is an understatement," Irina muttered.
Issei gulped. Someone powerful enough to be labeled as a loaded nuke? He prayed to Satan that such a person wouldn't be sent here. Fighting against her would be a game of futility on his part.
[Ease your mind. Temper your resolve. Focus on what you're doing right now. Remember, after this, all you have to worry about is the White One.]
The White One. Ddraig had been saying that name in his dreams for the past couple of days, ever since the Phenex Rating Game. Vivi flew off Issei's shoulder and transformed into her human form.
"The school yeah. By the way Rin, do you have any way of tracking down the Excaliburs?" Issei asked.
"No. But I bet you that Vivian-sama does," she replied.
"I do. I can sense the fragments. I know where they all are at any time," Vivi said, hovering in the air.
"All of them?" Xenovia asked.
"All of them," Vivi said.
"Even Ruler?" Irina asked.
"Of course, even Ruler."
"Why did you never go get them?" Koneko asked.
"I was satisfied with having that sword out of my life. After Bevidere threw it into the lake, I shattered the sword and scattered the pieces. In hindsight, I should have erased the sword but… sentimentality is a bitch. Those feelings are what led to the current tragedy you see playing before you," Vivi answered.
"So you broke the Excalibur once?"
The group turned to see Kiba approaching them from the gate. He had an emotionless mask but his eyes expressed a flame of determination.
"Of course, I made it. I can unmake it whenever I want," Vivi replied.
"Okay, okay, we're not going to fight now. Jeez, Shin left me in charge of this," Issei said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, let's do this. Vivi, you can pinpoint the exact location of the fragments?"
"Well, right now, it's blurry since there's some sort of interference but I can get their general location," she said.
"Is it far?" Issei asked.
"No, it moved. It used to be in the woods at the edge of town past the Industrial Park," Vivi said.
"What? That's where Shin and Sophia went!" Issei said.
"I said it's not there anymore. It's moved over to the abandoned Church… or where it was. But… it's moving rapidly which means our worst fears are coming true," Vivi said.
Issei grimaced. "What's the predicted trajectory of the Excaliburs?" Issei asked.
"Here."
"What?" Kiba's eyes widened. "Here?"
"They're going to use the Excaliburs to kill Buchou and Kaichou," Issei said.
"What? You knew this?" Koneko asked.
"No. Me, Shin, and Sophia were having a little pow-wow in the pub. Those two were guessing why Kokabiel wanted the Excaliburs in the first place. One of the conclusions we came to is war and… judging by what Vivi said, it looks like that's the case," Issei said.
"Whatever it is, we can intercept them before they can get here which means we need to split up," Kiba said. "Issei, you, Asia, Koneko, and Xenovia stay here. Vivi, Irina, and I will go after the Excalibur. Also, one of you has to warn Kaichou and Buchou of what's going on. Hopefully, we can intercept them in time to stall their plan."
"Wait, are you sure? I can help you," Issei said, placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder.
"Issei, I'll be fine. I need to do this. You're our team's strongest player. If you go down, there's no hope left," Kiba said.
"Be careful, Senpai," Koneko said.
"Rin. Are you gonna be…?"
"I'm not as weak as I look, Ise-kun. I promise you that I'll be back for you," Irina said. She walked forward and planted a light peck on his lips. Issei smiled and touched his lips, missing the feeling as soon as she leaned back.
Asia fumed but quickly masked her emotions. She breathed in and out. She would have her chance soon. She would.
"Asia," Issei said. "We'll guard here. Go find Buchou and tell her what's happening."
"Eh? I can help too!" she insisted.
"No time to argue," he replied.
"..." she regarded him with a pointed look before begrudgingly surrendering to his idea. Asia nodded and took off towards the school building.
"Good luck here," Kiba said, holding his hand out.
Issei smiled and grasped Kiba's forearm. "You too. Blow up that damned sword for all of us."
Kiba nodded.
"I can't believe we're going back here," Kiba said.
Vivi said nothing and merely offered Kiba a glance. To a devil like him, the fact that they were approaching a church, operational or not, was going to set his instincts on high alert. She herself didn't like the place she was approaching. The spring breeze that blew gently through the infant twilight offered no solace nor comfort. It only served to fill them all with growing trepidation at the fact that their quarry drew near.
"We're close. There are two Excalibur Fragments behind those walls," Vivi said.
The abandoned church still exhibited signs of battle from their previous visit. It seemed that the Maou saw no need to fix it up. Instead, the ruined place dedicated to an uncaring God served as a symbol of the fall of faith in this town.
"How horrible," Irina said, looking at the ruined belltower.
"Horrible for you. Not for me," Kiba replied.
She said nothing in return. Instead, Irina made the sign of the cross and offered a silent prayer. "Amen," she muttered.
"Come on. They're in there," Vivi said, floating on ahead.
"Hey, Lady Vivian. Aren't you always with Shin?" Irina asked.
"I usually am. I left the lake to follow him to see where he would go. I never thought I'd spend the next twelve years of my life babysitting a human boy," Vivi said. She smiled. Even if they were boring at times, her memories with Shin were some of the fondest she had.
"What about you? Where's your sponsor? Your Sponsor has to be higher than some mere lake guardian," Vivi said.
"My Sponsor? She's… err… around?" Irina said.
"Hmm, does this Sponsor of yours have a name?"
"Yeah, she's-"
"Shhh!"
Kiba cut the two off. He stood still for a few seconds in the middle of the pathway to the Church's entrance. Despite being able to see inside it, Vivi couldn't make anything out except for the darkness that blanketed the interior. But her senses were certain. She was never wrong when it came to these swords. "It's in there. It's just waiting for us," Vivi said.
Irina bit her lip and pulled the string from her bicep. The string shimmered and transformed into a simple odachi. She gripped it tightly in her hands.
Kiba summoned [Holy Eraser] into his hand.
"Let's head in," Vivi said.
She took point and went in ahead of the two. Kiba and Irina nodded to each other and scanned their surroundings, taking note of the different environmental features and any exits that could be viable in case of an emergency.
"Stop. They're here."
Vivi held her hand up and forced them to stop. She snapped her fingers and cast Perfect Cube. A volley of light bullets came from the shadows and bounced harmlessly off her barrier.
"What's this? An exorcist working with Devils?" an ever-familiar voice sneered. Freed walked out from the shadows of the ruins with a smirk on his face. His white hair blew gently in the breeze. Vivi narrowed her eyes.
Transparency, Nightmare, and Rapidly… three Excaliburs yet he doesn't look fazed at all. What's going on here? Vivi held her hand out and summoned the Focus Orb.
"Freed," Kiba growled out. His demonic power surged and enveloped his body, producing a faint blue aura.
"Ohoho? Someone's getting fired up! Unlike last time, you couldn't get it up for me, could you? But now, you look like you're raring to have another go!" Freed said, cackling at Kiba's reaction.
Kiba clenched his jaw. He remembered how their last encounter had gone. But now, he wasn't alone. At the very least, he now stood a chance against Freed.
"Stray Exorcist Freed, by the order of Heaven, I command you to hand over the Excalibur Fragments and leave peacefully," Irina said, pointing her sword at Freed.
"Pfft…. Ahahahaha! Hahahaha!" Freed threw his head back and started laughing as if what Irina had said was the funniest thing in the world. He revealed one eye that gleamed maniacally. "Is this your first time or something? Did you really think I was going to hand this over to you?" Freed asked.
Irina shifted uncomfortably in her spot. Flames flickered around her. "If not, then I'll have to take them by force."
"Smartest thing you've said within the past five minutes," Kiba said.
"Oh? Oh? Ohhhh? Are we going to fight now?" Freed asked, sauntering over to the three.
Vivi narrowed her eyes. Even when she was here, the boy didn't back down. Something's not right he- Vivi's body split into particles of water as Freed's Excalibur Rapidly came slashing down on top of her head. She quickly reformed in the air above him.
"Hehehe!" He used the enhanced speed granted to him by Excalibur Rapidly and leaped into the air towards her.
Several illusions of Freed surrounded Vivi.
"Vivi!" Irina transformed her odachi into a segmented whip-sword. She swung the whip and sliced through the clones.
The real Freed flipped over the blade. He clicked his tongue and turned around. "I forgot you had one too."
"Did you also forget that you're fighting three people?" Kiba asked.
Freed's eyes grew wide. It was only thanks to his enhanced speed that he was able to react in time to Kiba's attack. He parried the slash at the last second. But the force of Kiba's blow was strong enough to send him to the ground.
Freed landed on his feet and grinned. He switched Rapidly with Transparent and vanished from their sights.
Irina's hair stood on end and she ducked. A cut appeared on her cheek and she jumped back.
"Dirty trick," Kiba said. He and Irina stood back to back, covering each other's blind spots. "See anything?" he asked.
Vivi scanned the entirety of the sanctum. "Transparency is imbued with magic that allows the user to become Invisible. It was reforged in Greece by the Orthodox Church. They must have stolen some of Hades' power and forced it into the fragment. He's completely invisible."
"Then how the hell do we find him?" Kiba asked.
"Kiba! On your right!" Irina yelled.
Kiba raised his blade and slashed at the air. His eyes grew wide when he saw blood spray from the location. "
"Fuck!" Freed yelled. He became visible and jumped back. His body shimmered and faded from their vision once more.
"How did you…?" Kiba asked.
"It makes you invisible, not stealthy. He left footprints on the dust," she whispered.
"I think he knows that now. I guess we have to kick this up a notch." Vivi raised her hand. Her eyes glowed with an azure light. She snapped the fingers of her raised hand. Several clouds appeared within the roof of the church and a torrential downpour began.
"There!" Kiba yelled. He rushed forward.
Clang!
Freed bit back a yell of frustration. "How!?" Freed yelled.
"You have Excalibur but we brought someone who's an expert on countering their abilities," Kiba said. "Now sit still and go to hell!"
"As if you little shit!" Freed yelled. He pushed Kiba back and kicked him to the side.
Irina appeared behind him. Her sword was coated in bright orange flames.
Freed switched to Rapidly and dodged in the nick of time.
A wave of flames split the ground open, leaving a molten fissure in the ground.
Vivi landed on the ground. She slammed her palm onto the floor. Several chains made of water erupted from the floor and snaked towards Freed.
Freed began to run, using his enhanced speed to avoid the chains.
Vivi's eyes never lost sight of Freed. She swiped her hand and sent a blade of water towards Freed.
Freed flipped over the water blade. It flew past him and sliced one of the remaining pews in half.
A violet magic circle appeared in front of Vivi's hand. "Exterminate Ray!" A beam of purple energy shot from the circle towards Freed.
Freed rolled out of the way, dodging the beam of disintegrating energy. He had no room to catch his breath. Freed jumped to the side to avoid Irina's flaming slash. He rushed in and swiped Nightmare at her.
Irina jumped back. Wait… she felt something pierce through her torso. She coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. "An illusion? But when…?"
"When I rolled out of the way," Freed whispered. He kicked her off the sword.
Irina landed on the ground and gripped her torso.
Freed raised Rapidly and prepared to behead her.
However, Kiba was fast enough to block the sword in time. He gritted his teeth and struggled against Freed's superior physical skill.
"Give me a sec," Irina huffed. The wound on her stomach was slowly closing. "Move Kiba!"
"What?"
"Move!"
Kiba kicked Freed back and ducked to the side.
"What are you-!?"
"Eat this!" Irina fired a white-hot jet of plasma from her hand.
Freed narrowly avoided the beam. The plasma jet shot through the remainder of the roof and melted right through it, instantly charring the wood and melting the concrete and metal.
She shakily got to her feet and raised her other hand. A blade made of pure orange-white flame appeared in her hand. The air began to ionize and smell like ozone.
Freed grimaced.
Irina opened her eyes. Her once violet eyes were gone and replaced with flaming pits of orange that resembled the sun. The ends of her ponytail and bangs lost their solid form and transformed into wispy flames.
Vivi and Kiba watched in shock. Irina's power had skyrocketed in a split second.
"Tenka Seisai," Freed muttered. "I can't believe it! You're the rumored Tenka Seisai! Ahahaha! Now, this!" Freed licked the flat of Rapidly's blade. "This is getting interesting but unfortunately…" A flashing magic circle appeared next to Freed's ear. "I have places to be and devils to kill so let me leave you with this parting gift!"
"Parting…!?" Vivi's face morphed into one of shock when Freed pulled something out of his pocket. "Get down! It's a detonator!"
Kiba and Irina jumped back.
Freed grinned and used Excalibur Rapidly to appear in front of Irina.
Irina's eyes widened.
The detonator shimmered and turned into a small cylindrical object.
"In the beginning, God said 'Let there be Light'," Freed recited. He pulled the pin before jumping back. A flash of light enveloped the entire interior of the ruins, temporarily blinding and stunning Irina, Kiba, and Vivi.
Irina's flaming sword dispersed and she dropped Excalibur Mimic.
Freed grinned and sauntered over to the sword. He picked it up and hoisted it onto his shoulder. "Hehehe, detonator? You want one? Well, here's one." Freed pulled another object from his pocket. It was a remote. "At least you three get to go out with a bang." He pressed the button.
Several explosions rang out through the church. Freed threw the detonator on the floor and pulled out a Bible from his pocket. In a flash of yellow light, Freed vanished from the church, leaving behind a few floating pages from the Bible.
Vivi's vision was swimming but she could hear the explosions around her. She quickly floated over to Irina and Kiba, who were still stunned by the sudden burst of light from the flashbang.
"P-Perfect Cube!"
Akeno sat on the sofa, sipping tea. She glanced over to Rias, who was sitting in her chair and sifting through papers. She sighed. This calm facade was a prelude to a mental breakdown. Akeno had known Rias long enough to know that mindlessly sifting through papers was the first sign of a Rias breakdown.
"Rias-sama, looking through papers you already signed off?" Akeno asked.
"Err… I can't really get anything past you, Akeno," Rias said. She put the papers down and sighed. "I've been trying to reach Issei and Yuuto all day! No, I've been trying to reach Yuuto for 2 days! He won't answer his circle or his phone! I am literally a breakdown away from reverse summoning him here and give him a piece of my mind."
"Want me to ask Shin-kun if he's seen him? And Issei too?" Akeno asked. "I know how worried you get and how jealous you are right now that someone stole Issei's virgi-" she ducked her head as Rias's biology textbook flew over it. "Ara, ara, I could have broken my neck, Rias-sama."
"Akenoooo! Now's not the time! We have more urgent priorities like finding Yuuto and Issei!" Rias said.
"I'll ask Shin then," Akeno said, pulling her phone out. She scrolled through her contacts and clicked on Shin's number.
Shin
"No XOXO? Heart? Anything?" Rias asked, peeking over her shoulder.
"E-Eh? N-No! We're just friends," Akeno said. Her cheeks were dusted red despite her claim.
"Ehhh?" Rias smirked knowingly.
"Anyway, let's see…"
[Where r u? We need 2 talk. Yuuto is gone. Issei is gone. Rias is pulling her hair out.]
"Dear Maou, Akeno, your texting is…"
I'm taking care of something outside of town. Issei is with Irina and I don't know where Yuuto is. Dw, I'll be back in a few hours. Just look out on your end. Ran told me that Freed is in town.
"Freed? He's here?" Akeno raised an eyebrow.
"It only makes sense. If he worked for Raynare, then he must have ties to other Fallen Angels. Working for Kokabiel doesn't sound as far-fetched considering his reputation among Stray Exorcists," Rias said.
[Freed? Dat priest?]
Yeah
[will do but only bc its u. ;)]
"I'm going to send out an APB. Sona has her peerage members scattered across town right now which will help us widen our search radius. If Freed is here, we can get him to find out more on-"
The doors burst open. Rias and Akeno raised an eyebrow when they saw an out-of-breath Asia standing at their doorstep.
"Asia?" Akeno asked.
"Buchou! Freed! Excalibur! Kill!" Asia panted.
"Woah, woah, Asia, slow down. What's going on?" Rias asked, helping the poor girl to a seat.
Asia took deep breaths and waited a few seconds before speaking.
"Buchou! Freed has the Excaliburs and they're moving through the town! They're heading for the school!" Asia said.
"What? Are you sure?" Akeno asked.
"Lady Vivian confirmed it! The fragments are at the abandoned church and are heading here!" Asia answered.
"Akeno, go with Asia outside to the front of the school. I assume that's where the others are right?" Rias asked.
"Where are you going?" Akeno asked.
"I need to meet with Sona. The rest of you need to go out there and get ready. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose," Rias said.
"Are you an idiot? Are you listening to yourself right now!? You want us to fight Freed and Kokabiel?" Akeno yelled.
"Don't get snappy with me, Akeno. We just have to hold him off until my brother or Leviathan-sama gets the notification of our situation," Rias said, walking towards the door. "So that's why I need you to-"
The ground shook violently, causing the three girls to stumble. Akeno ran to one of the windows and looked outside. An azure pillar of light towered over the school. The pillar's source was at the track. Small wisps of light spread across the sky, flying in every direction. Each wisp flew frantically as if in search of something. Something that it yearned for deeply. She shivered, feeling the immense amount of holy power.
"Akeno, Asia, go now! Back them up, at least until I get there," Rias ordered.
Akeno bit her lip. "Fine. We'll hold on for as long as we can."
Rias nodded.
Akeno opened the window and climbed onto the sill. She unfurled her wings and flew out.
"Akeno, Issei, and the others are at the front of the school! We need to go meet them there!" Asia said.
Akeno nodded and made a sharp right towards the school's gates. She landed softly on the ground in front of Issei.
"What's the situation?" Akeno asked.
The pillar of light was still there.
"That thing appeared out of nowhere. Where's Buchou?" Issei asked.
"She's currently with Sona. They're notifying the Satans of the situation. Our current objective is to buy time and prevent any collateral that might happen in or out of the school," Akeno said. Lightning crackled at the tips of her fingers. All of her senses were on high alert.
"Yuuto and the others," Koneko piped up.
"Yuuto?"
"They went to intercept Freed before he arrived with the Excaliburs," Koneko informed.
"What?" Akeno looked at her speechlessly.
"Vivi is with them. If anything goes wrong, Vivi will be there to help them out," Issei said.
Akeno bit her cheek and sighed. "Alright. We just need to-" Akeno stopped speaking when a massive blue magic circle appeared in the sky. A blue symbol resembling a necklace spun lazily in the center.
"Who is… that?" Xenovia asked.
"That's Sona-sama's peerage. They must have erected the barrier," Akeno answered.
"Akeno?"
"Sona-sama?" Akeno answered after she heard Sona's voice come in through the magic circle.
"Rias has informed me of the situation. My peerage and I will maintain a barrier to protect and isolate the threat. You all can fight at your full strength without worrying about damaging the town outside. Also, we have another issue," Sona informed.
"What is it?"
"Another barrier has been erected over the town. It is unknown in origin but the nature of it will delay the arrival of Lord Lucifer for at least an hour and half. Rias said that you will hold out until then," Sona said.
"An hour and a half," Akeno muttered. "I got it. I shall await further instructions from Rias-sama."
"Be careful," Sona said.
Akeno nodded and severed the link. "We need to head to the source of that light. If we can stop whatever that is, we'll have halted whatever Kokabiel's plan is."
"What about Buchou?" Koneko asked.
"There's no time. Buchou said she would meet us where our signatures are gathered," Akeno said.
"But…"
A pulse of holy power washed over the school and slammed against the barrier. The barrier strained but maintained its original form.
"Tch!" Akeno clicked her tongue. Her arms were now covered in slight burns. "Asia, heal Issei and Koneko."
Asia nodded and walked over to the two.
"How much time do you think we have until that thing does what it does?" Xenovia asked, hoisting Excalibur Destruction on her shoulder.
"I don't even know what that thing is," Akeno said. "But from what it just did and how much power it's putting out, this entire town will be destroyed if we don't stop it."
"Well," Xenovia said. "Let's get to it then."
Valper stood in the center of the school's track. A golden magic circle inscribed with runes written in Enochian was spread across the entire center. An azure pillar of light emerged from it and towered into the sky. A mere barrier from the House of Sitri would not be able to contain this barrier for long if his calculations were correct. He pushed his glasses up and smiled. His goals. His dream. Today, it would finally see fruition. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his benefactor.
A man hovered in the air. His skin was extremely pale and he possessed red eyes. He had long black hair, reaching down to his mid-back. His raven locks shone in the soft glow of the blue light that washed over the entire athletics field. He wore a black, wide collar suit that parted at the chest. Above it was a long flowing black robe with violet pauldrons and golden streaks. Behind him were five pairs of wings that resembled that of the night sky or the wings of a dirty crow.
"Valper," the man said. His voice was far calmer than the glint in his eye. "Is it finished?"
"Almost, Lord Kokabiel. We're just waiting for Freed to show up with the Excaliburs in order for me to properly tune this spell," Valper said. "Not to mention, the amount of Holy Power we're harvesting from those clones of the children from the Holy Sword Project. With it, we can form a beacon to summon all the Fragments, even Ruler."
Kokabiel rubbed his chin.
Soon… we will enter a new era. You will see my way, Azazel, Michael, Lucifer. This is the only way, Kokabiel thought. A red glint shone in the depths of his eyes. However, the red differed from the scarlet tint of his eyes. This red had the same shade as blood itself.
"Where is Freed?" Kokabiel asked impatiently.
"He said he was going to retrieve the other fragments and come back when I called him," Valper said.
"What? That idiot! Call him now! Tell him to-" Kokabiel stopped talking and raised his hand. A yellow bolt of lightning zapped its way across the sky and came to a screeching halt in the palm of his hand. "They're here."
He crushed the lightning bolt in his hand.
"Kokabiel! In the name of the Satan Lucifer, I beseech you to lay down your arms and surrender, Cadre of the Grigori, Kokabiel!" Akeno landed on the ground a ways away from Valper. Behind her, Issei, Koneko, Asia, and Xenovia all appeared.
"In the name of the Lord, our God, surrender," Xenovia said.
"Hmm? Valper, I thought you said Freed would get the remaining fragments, yet here I see one before me," Kokabiel said.
"I…"
"Nevermind that. Call Freed back here," Kokabiel said. "Hmph, is Gremory that much of a coward that she'd send her servants out here to die? And the Church… sending Durandal's half-baked wielder. Your predecessor would be so disappointed if he saw the current you."
Xenovia grimaced.
Kokabiel smiled at her discomfort.
"Having the gall to insult my servants, Cadre of the Grigori?"
A red magic circle appeared before Akeno. Rias materialized before them and glared at the Cadre.
"Rias-sama," Akeno said.
"Hmph, you've saved me the trouble," Kokabiel said. He descended to the ground and landed in front of them.
"Saved you… the trouble? Why are you here, Kokabiel?" Rias asked. His sudden descent made her anxious.
"Why… war of course. To start… no, restart this war anew! I've seen it. A war that will eclipse even the Great War of the past! And what better way to start this war than to send the current Lucifer the head of his sister… or better yet, send my dearest older brother his daughter's head on a silver plate! This is our future! This is our inevitable destiny! Even if it's just me, war will be the deciding factor of our future!" Kokabiel announced, releasing an immense amount of divine power.
Akeno's eyes grew wide. She and Rias erected a barrier to shield against it. His power was far greater than what they had ever imagined. Kokabiel was an entity that Akeno could confidently say was at least three times stronger than Runeas Gremory. His power was on par with that of a Satan Class Devil.
"What the hell is this monster?" Issei asked.
[Kokabiel. Angel of Stars. He commands a legion of twenty Fallen Angels each with their own battalions. I've heard stories of his savagery in the past] Ddraig explained.
"Well, that's nice and all but… we're supposed to fight that thing!?" Issei asked.
"We have no choice. We have to hold him off for an hour and a half," Rias said.
A yellow cross manifested next to Valper. Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer. Freed walked out of the light, his clothes riddled with cuts and blood flowed freely from his skin. "Man, that girl was hot but…" Freed held up Excalibur Mimic.
"I… Irina? No… what did you do to her!?" Xenovia barked.
"Irina?" Issei asked. "You bastard! What did you do to her!?" Issei said. He tried to rush forward but was held back by Koneko.
"Eh? Well, she was getting serious and this chick's hair lit on fire. Just as she was about to light me on fire or something, I blew up the church and brought the rubble down on top of all of them! That blonde one with the swords and the flying blue-haired bitch! All gone! Buried under rubble if they didn't die from that explosion! Ahahahaha!" Freed laughed while Valper applied healing magic.
"You… you cur! How dare you hurt one of my peerage members!" Rias yelled.
"Valper, is five enough?" Kokabiel asked.
"Five? Yes, five should be fine. But I'd rather prefer all six so we don't have to rush to get it right after we summon Ruler," Valper said.
"Very well then."
Xenovia's eyes widened. Blood sprayed all over the pavement as she fell to the ground. She coughed, spitting blood all over her cloak.
Kokabiel stood over her. His hand was coated in blood and in his other was Excalibur Destruction. None of them had seen him move. None of them had seen him impale Xenovia through her torso with his hand. He removed his hand from her abdomen and wiped it on his robe.
In a burst of speed, Kokabiel returned to Valper's side and tossed the Excalibur Fragment at his feet.
"Asia!" Issei yelled.
"Right!" Asia knelt next to Xenovia and began healing her wound. "Buy me some time!"
"Well, Freed, are you ready?" Valper asked.
"Hehehehe! Is little Excalibur going to be new? Is Lord Kokabiel going to give me a new toy?" Freed asked.
"Something like that, yes," Kokabiel said. A grin fixed itself on his face.
Rias grimaced. Their fight had already been over before it started.
Riser and Ravel searched among the ruins of the Abandoned Church. Issei had called him to go back up Vivi, Kiba, and Irina in their fight. Upon arriving, however, the first thing they saw was a massive explosion that leveled the entire congregation and reduced it to rubble.
"Find anything?" Riser asked.
"No. I can't fi-"
Ravel's words were cut off when the rubble exploded. A violet cube stood in the middle of the rubble. Irina, Kiba, and Vivi were inside.
Vivi lowered the barrier and sighed.
"Darn! I let him get away," Irina said, clenching her fists. She stumbled forward, feeling a bit dizzy from the blood loss.
"Vivi!"
Vivi turned around and saw Riser and Ravel heading for her. "Riser, I need a Phenex Tear for this girl," she said.
"Eh?"
"No time to argue!"
"Okay, jeez." Riser pulled a vial out from his pocket and handed it to her. "I was saving this for the school."
"Irina," Vivi said. She floated over to her and used the Tear to heal her.
"Ahh, that feels so much better," Irina said.
"Riser, you're here?" Kiba asked.
"Issei asked me to come to see if you guys needed help. Judging from the looks of the things here, I'd say you did. What the hell happened?" Riser replied.
"We were fighting Freed to get the other Excaliburs. We managed to get the upper hand on him when Irina… turned into fire. That was until Freed blew up the entire church and brought what remained of it down on top of us. Thankfully, Vivi here managed to throw up a barrier to keep us from being crushed by the rubble," Kiba said.
"I see. Good thing we came here then," Riser said.
"So where to now?" Ravel asked.
"Where else?" Vivi said.
Kiba glanced at her then towards the pillar of light in the distance.
"We have to go to the school."
[]
Kokabiel
The Angel of Stars and one of the 20 leaders of the Grigori.
A battle-hardened war veteran whose sole joy in life is that of combat.
His swordsmanship amongst the 20 is nearly unparalleled and wields power greater than that of a Devil Pillar Head.
In the current era, he leads a listless life and often dreams of dying a warrior's death. Yet the whispers of the Red King urge him to move forward.
"In the end, War is what will save us. As conflict and survival forces living things to grow, so too shall War force us to grow stronger."
The beliefs of this Angel have been warped and twisted from what it once was. The only thing that awaits him is the sweet release he has been yearning for for so long.
[]
Valper Gallilei
The Genocide Archbishop and Founder of the Holy Sword Project.
His obsession with Excalibur knows no bounds and blinds his empathy and oath to serve the meek.
So here we are near the mid-arc finale of the third Arc of Azure. A few things I will change. Kokabiel. For too long, Kokopuffs has been turned into cannon fodder by the OCs and the Isseis of the DxD Fanfiction Archive! So very few stories portray Kokabiel other than someone's punching bag in the third arc! So I shall turn Kokabiel into a legitimate threat to my OCs like... many other people have also done but I will buff him to the point that even Vali would need to put in considerable effort just to subdue or defeat him! I mean, guys, come on, the dude is supposed to be a Cadre Class Fallen Angel.
Shin and Sophia at this time have just finished fighting Yuuma but it'll take them some time to get there which will allow Issei and the others to shine for a bit so expect a little Irina-Issei tag team against the Cerberus. Solely for Irina to flex on Rias... I mean what? Anyway, I don't want to give away too much of my plans for the next chapter so I'll cut this note off here. Thanks so much for continuing to follow this canon re-hash which will no longer be a canon re-hash after this arc. Remember to leave a review and to have a great day or not, the choice is yours!