God is dead.
The words repeated over and over in her mind. Akeno didn't know what to think. She wasn't Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim yet some deeper part of her. A primordial instinct lamented the loss deeply. It was that blood she hated so much that made her feel this way. Her violet eyes drifted over to her King who looked to be in shock and denial. It was to be expected.
The woman in the Church who Vivian had called God was truly not God at all if Kokabiel were to be trusted.
"G- God is… wait, that's not possible!" Asia stammered.
"She's right. How could that be possible? We are still able to perform Miracles! Prayers get answered!" Xenovia yelled.
"Like I said before, Yeshua and Michael are doing a stellar job at maintaining the System that Mother had said up," Kokabiel said, chuckling at his own unintentional pun.
Irina was strangely silent through this whole matter as Akeno had noticed. Kokabiel had also taken notice of her silence. The Cadre rounded on her.
"You've known, haven't you? Knowing who your Sponsor is?" Kokabiel said.
Irina said nothing for a few seconds.
Xenovia and Asia looked to her for any measure of denial. Their faces fell when she spoke up.
"I did," Irina said. "It's common news amongst her family that she has died. The Three Great Powers of the Canaanite Gods stopped warring after she died. Her death unironically brought them together. Baal, Mot, and Yam all sequestered themselves to their realms in shame and guilt for not being able to save their Sister on time."
"It was worse for us Three Factions. With the death of Mother, the pillar of our Pantheon was gone. Heaven was about to fade from Existence and all the souls it housed would crash into the Earth and cause untold havoc. Angels and Fallen Angels could no longer increase their numbers. Even Devils were severely affected by this. It's rare to see a Pure Blooded Devil these days," Kokabiel said.
"Then who…?" Asia fell to her hands and knees in complete shock. Her green eyes stared desperately at the Cadre floating above them. "Then who brought me back!? Who turned me into this!?" Her wings sprouted from her back, causing Kokabiel's eyes to widen considerably.
"Impossible! How are you…?" Kokabiel trailed off.
Akeno observed Kokabiel's facial expressions. He knew. He knew who that woman was. And it seemed that her King had caught on as well.
"You know who that woman was, don't you?" Rias said.
"It's impossible. She disappeared after the War. There's no possible way!" Kokabiel said. He breathed deeply before composing himself. "But let's not bother ourselves with such trifle. The Eve of War is upon us. Soon, Michael, Azazel, and Sirzechs will realize the futility of it all! Peace! Bah! We must evolve through conflict! It's the only way to survive! The Four are upon us and the tide of Entropy will overtake us all! And the only way to survive is…."
Kokabiel raised his fingertips and caught Excalibur between them.
"War. Through war, we will evolve and fight against our predestined extinction," he finished.
Akeno watched as Kiba struggled against Kokabiel's immense strength. The names he listed off. Akeno knew them. Azazel. Michael. Not Sirzechs but she knew he was referring to the Original Lucifer. Those four, even if Sirzechs wasn't recorded in the Bible, were all legendary existences that he planned to go to war with. Even the name Yeshua.
"Issei, how much longer do you have left on your Balance Breaker?" Rias asked.
"Ddraig?"
[8 minutes] he replied.
"Okay, we have to keep this up for 8 minutes. Riser, can you back us up?" Rias asked.
"Yeah. Don't even ask. Ravel and I will go support your Knight and Rook," Riser said.
"Akeno and I will back you up with cover fire," Rias replied.
"Hoho? A Phenex and a Gremory? The last Gremory I fought was Runeas and she put up a really good fight for a Devil," Kokabiel said. His body tensed in excitement.
Akeno grimaced.
"I'll show you what happens when you waltz into my territory and do whatever you want," Rias said.
At her words, the others rushed towards the Fallen Angel, prepared to fight a battle they all knew was futile in the end.
And even amidst their struggle of futility, Akeno created an arrow made of yellow lightning and nocked it into her bow. Her power surged.
Shin, hurry! She thought. And she fired.
Shin landed in front of the school in a huff. His brown eyes took notice of the azure barrier erected around the campus.
"Shin, Akane just messaged me. Her flight is ahead of schedule and should arrive within several minutes. Hold out until then," Jingwei said.
"Shin, the Sitri Peerage are there, maintaining a barrier to keep everyone contained," Sophia said.
"We need to get in there somehow. I think I see Sona-kaichou," Shin said.
"Let's go," Sophia said.
The two ran over to her. Worry was growing in the pit of Shin's stomach. Akeno, Issei, and Irina were in there as well as the others. Nightmarish thoughts invaded his mind with every step he took. On his shoulder, Ran nuzzled his cheek.
"Master, you should have more faith in them. Issei-sama is the Red Dragon Emperor and Irina-sama is a Contractor. Besides, we only have to hold out until your sister gets here," Ran said.
"Yeah," he replied.
After a few minutes of running, the two came to a stop outside of the barrier where Sona and the other stood with their hands outstretched. Judging from the sweat on their faces, the barrier would not hold for much longer. Unlike the Sona and her Queen, the rest of the peerage members did not have the stamina to sustain such a high level barrier for long periods of time.
"Sona-kaichou!" Shin yelled.
"What? Who is it now?" Sona turned her head to face them.
"Faulkner-san!?" Sona said.
Shin smiled. "Can you let us in?" he yelled.
"What? And do what!? You two are no match for Kokabiel!" Sona yelled.
"Of course we know that you, Wet Blanket! We're here to hold him off until help arrives! She should be here in a couple of minutes!" Sophia said.
"Help? The Maou aren't going to arrive for another hour and 20 minutes!" Sona said.
"We're not waiting for the Maou! Onee is going touch down at Kuoh Airport in about an hour! Sophia and I can buy us that much time!" Shin said.
"What the hell does your sister have to do with any of this?" Tsubaki asked.
"Just trust me! Now let us in before Kokabiel breaks this shield with Rias's corpse!" Shin shouted.
Sona looked as if she was struck across the face physically with Shin's words. She sighed. The paperwork she needed to fill out after this. "Fine. If you want to die, then so be it," she said. Sona waved her other hand and a rectangular entrance opened on the barrier. "Be careful. Remember who our foe is. The minute Kokabiel breaks this barrier, this town is screwed."
"It's not screwed," Shin rebutted, glancing over his shoulder as he walked through. "Because all of us are here to make sure it's not."
Akeno grit her teeth.
Even with Issei's transferred power, Rias should have become several dozen times stronger than she was now. But Kokabiel toyed with them. He had allowed them to struggle in futility and for what?
The Cadre stood there, holding Rias's Power of Destruction back as if it were nothing.
"How terribly amusing. The power you've received from the Red Dragon has significantly increased the power you have. I dare say that you might even have talent equal to that of your brother," Kokabiel commented.
"Akeno!" Rias called out.
Akeno hummed and fired a massive lightning arrow at Kokabiel.
The Cadre's eyes widened with a glee they had never seen. It masked the paranoia that was present in his gaze completely. His wings spread and absorbed the attack like a lightning rod. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes narrowed.
"So you've really become a Blood Traitor, Baraqiel's daughter?" Kokabiel asked.
Akeno's eye twitched. Her lighting raged in response to her emotions and turned white.
"I've heard him say that before but… what's a Baraqiel?" Issei asked.
"Baraqiel is one of the Cadres of the Grigori. A Fallen Angel of the highest class who has the power to command thunder and lightning," Xenovia answered.
"So wait… he called Akeno his daughter. Then that means that…!" Issei's eyes widened as he connected the dots.
"Blood Traitor? The only blood traitor I see here is your filthy kind!" Akeno screamed.
Kokabiel felt the pressure of Akeno's attack growing. It became harder and harder to try and push her back. This was making him actually put effort into fighting back. He grinned and dispersed the lightning while crushing Rias's attack at the same time.
Akeno's eyes widened when she saw Kokabiel suddenly in front of her. Her vision and mind did not register such a fast movement. Kokabiel raised his hand to swipe at her when a red blur slammed into him.
"Focus on the fight!" Issei said, hovering in front of Akeno.
Kokabiel righted himself in the air.
"Red Dragon. How amusing," Kokabiel said. He held his hand out and taunted Issei.
"Tch! I don't have much time!" Issei said.
[We only have 6 minutes left] Ddraig said.
"I know!"
[Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost]
Issei boosted several times and shot toward Kokabiel like a rocket.
The Fallen Angel grinned. He raised his hand and caught Issei's punch. A shockwave washed over the entire grounds, rustling the trees and scaring away what little animal life remained within the barrier.
Issei's arm shook. He tried to push against Kokabiel to no avail.
"That's the spirit! Struggle! Struggle induces evolution and evolution grants newfound strength!" he pulled Issei towards him and slammed his fist deep into Issei's torso.
Issei gasped in pain and the sound of ribs shattering echoed through the school.
"Issei! Let him go!" Irina flew towards Kokabiel with her Shuhadaku raised. She appeared on the Cadre's left and swung the sword in a downward motion.
Kokabiel created a sword in his left hand and blocked the flaming blade. "Tch! How persistent!" His wings spread widely.
Neither of them had noticed it. In an instant, the two were riddled with several slashes across their bodies. Irina and Issei let out soundless screams. Their blood sprayed from their wounds and Kokabiel both grabbed their faces and threw them to the ground.
He kicked the air and shot like a comet towards the downed Irina.
"If I kill the Champion of Shamash, surely that will entice some action from those Ancient Gods!" he yelled.
Irina was on her hands and knees, gripping her sword tightly. She shakily got up and prepared to block the attack.
"Rekku Madan!"
A blue bullet fired in the path between the two. Kokabiel halted his advance and quickly turned to see Asia with several blue projectiles floating beside her.
"Don't hurt them!" Asia said.
Kokabiel said nothing and hovered in the air. He was sure that the nun was a pacifist. He blocked Irina's attempted surprise attack, much to her shock.
"Rude," Kokabiel said.
"Take this! [Dragon Shot]!" Issei fired a beam of red energy at Kokabiel.
Kokabiel sent his left sword upward, causing Irina to stumble. In a rapid motion, he grabbed Irina by the throat and threw her at the Dragon Shot. The energy blast made contact with her and exploded violently.
Issei's eyes widened in despair when he saw her falling to the ground. He flew over to catch her as fast as possible.
"Irina! Irina!" Issei yelled. He wiped her hair out of the way and gently lowered her to the ground. Issei pressed his ear against her chest and heard the sound of a faint heartbeat. "The blast just knocked her unconscious…"
"Don't worry about her! Go, the others need you!" Asia said, running over.
"I'll leave her to you then," Issei said.
Xenovia and Kiba nodded to each other.
"Issei, we'll take point! You go around and attack Kokabiel with everything you got," Yuuto said.
Issei nodded.
Xenovia and Yuuto, followed by Koneko, all ran towards Kokabiel.
"Take this!" Yuuto swung his sword at Kokabiel.
The Fallen lazily blocked his attack with a light sword.
Yuuto pressed against it, channeling the remnants of his demonic power into the attack.
Kokabiel grinned, clearly enjoying Yuuto's struggle.
Behind him, Xenovia appeared and swung the massive holy blade at Kokabiel's unprotected neck.
However, Kokabiel's senses were honed by years of war. He blocked Durandal with another light sword and let out a sigh of disappointment.
Akeno gulped. The difference between them was just too absolute. They were mere infants trying to fight an adult. His senses. His swordsmanship. Even his magic was on a completely different level than theirs. A man who was tempered by war and bloodshed and had his techniques and senses honed to their highest possible level.
"The two of you are disappointing. To think that a Holy Demonic Sword, Excalibur, and Durandal can only do this much!" Kokabiel roared. The anger and frustration were evident in his voice. "Is there anyone among you strong enough to even do anything?"
He pushed them away. In a rapid motion, Kokabiel kicked them both away. He landed on the ground and straightened himself in time for Koneko's fist to make contact with his sternum. A shockwave greater than the one Issei produced shattered the ground underneath them and produced small tremors that shook the field.
Kokabiel looked down at the site of contact with an unamused gaze.
Koneko's behemoth strength hadn't even caused him to budge a single millimeter. She let out a battle cry and threw another punch. And another. And another. And another. She finished her combo off with an uppercut.
Once again, her massive strength broke the ground even further. Her fist had made him look up but Kokabiel's feet were still firmly rooted on the ground. His red eyes looked down at her with glee.
"Ooh! I think I felt that one! Now, it's my turn!" he balled his fist and punched her in the stomach.
Her usual composed demeanor shattered like her ribcage. She fell to the ground, clutching her torso, and vomited blood onto the pavement.
"Come now! Prove to me that you deserve to survive! Strength is the only way we can overcome the coming tide of death!" Kokabiel raised his boot and brought it down to squash Koneko's skull.
Riser and Ravel's simultaneous attacks halted his kill move. Kokabiel's grin grew wider. A block. A parry.
The two siblings were in perfect sync with one another. For the first time in this fight, Kokabiel felt a sense of being pressured. He dodged Riser's punch and blocked Ravel's flames.
"How impressive. You two are showing such great promise," Kokabiel said. He swiped a light sword at Riser's face.
The Phenex narrowly escaped with only a cut on his cheek. A trail of blood trickled down his face.
"Haaah!" Ravel brought her hands down in a powerful downward swing. Kokabiel never even so much as glanced in her direction. His wings blocked her attack before retaliating with a swarm of powerful slashes.
Ravel screamed in pain as she was sent flying back with multiple lacerations coating her body.
"Ravel!" Riser screamed. He coated his fists in flames and amplified them with the Inter-Promoting Spell. He barraged Kokabiel with several powerful punches.
The Cadre Fallen took a few steps back, taking each and every one of Riser's blows without even blocking.
Riser roared and punched Kokabiel in the jaw.
Kokabiel stumbled back, surprised at Riser's sudden increase in strength.
Riser flattened his hand and thrust it towards Kokabiel's chest.
But his attack was halted. Kokabiel grabbed Riser's wrist and gripped it tightly.
"This technique reminds me of the Vermillion Star," Kokabiel said.
Riser's eyes widened in excruciating pain. Kokabiel's entire arm had gone through his torso.
Kokabiel pulled his arm out and kicked Riser again.
"Who's next?" Kokabiel asked.
Vivi flew towards the Cadre and fired a blast of violet energy at him.
Kokabiel stopped his action and cocooned himself in his wings and blocked the attack. "You're spent, Lady of the Lake. Recreating the Excalibur has spent a lot of your stamina," he commented.
"You're just seeing things!" Vivi said. She raised her hands into the air. A thousand swords manifested behind her, the tips all prepared to skewer Kokabiel in numerous, horrendous ways. "Pristine Rain of Blades for Slaughtering an Army!"
"The famous technique that wiped out an army of Angels that tried to make Britain an occupied territory during the war! How exciting!" Kokabiel said. "An entity who has power on par with a Satan and a God and one of the most prominent Genius Loci around! Allow me to meet your strength with my own!"
Behind Kokabiel, a series of light spears numbering in the thousands manifested.
The two fired their attacks.
Yuuto recovered in time to grab Koneko and retreat from the site of impact. Rias and Akeno both erected barriers to protect everyone.
Spear met blade.
Explosions of varying sizes lit up the sky above and threatened to break the barrier that contained them. The ground shook violently from the shockwaves and the windows in the school shattered.
"Haaah!" Vivi summoned a massive water dragon and fired it at Kokabiel.
Kokabiel summoned his two light swords and sliced the dragon apart.
He flapped his wings and kicked off the ground, moving faster than Vivi had expected.
She whirled around and was barely able to block his attack with a sword she created on the fly. The sword shattered upon making contact with the sword and she jumped back. Her eyes glowed blue and she dashed towards him. Another sword manifested in her hand and she swung, slicing open Kokabiel's shoulder.
Kokabiel's wings spread from his back and sliced her rapidly!
Vivi bit back a scream and jumped back. Blood poured from the open wounds on her body. This speed is nothing compared to Akane but… even to me, it's just a blur! She thought.
"That's the spirit! But…" He narrowed his eyes at Vivi's panting. "It seems that I was right."
"Tch! I still have more than enough power to drown you!" Vivi said.
"Then if you have time to do that, spend it worrying about them!" In a rapid motion, Vivi's eyes widened when she saw Kokabiel throw one of his light swords at the barrier.
She appeared before them and blocked the attack. Vivi gritted her teeth and fell to one knee. No matter how strong she was, Vivi was not confident in her ability to fight Kokabiel. The two were nearly relatively equal in terms of power but Kokabiel had her outclassed in so many different ways. Close combat was never her forte and her opponent could more than make up for the difference in ranged combat.
"This is a losing fight," Vivi muttered under her breath.
"But you managed to cut open his shoulder," Akeno said.
"I wield strength considered to be on par of a Satan Class Devil or a Low Tier God but… Kokabiel is an entity that has fought and killed Satan Class Devils in the past. His skills are far greater than mine," she said.
Akeno bit her lip.
"I'm not gonna give up," Issei said, stepping forward. "You hear me you, Fallen Needledicked Bastard!" he brought up his gauntleted fist. [Boost] The Scale Mail boosted several more times.
Come on! Issei urged.
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
Issei was now at 256x his own power. He kicked off the ground and shot toward Kokabiel.
The Cadre had an anticipatory, twisted smile on his face. As Issei drew near, his Scale Mail dispersed.
No! NO! DDRAIG! Issei thought frantically.
[Our time limit expired] Ddraig said.
Issei fell and rolled to the ground, stopping a few feet from Kokabiel.
"You ran out of juice?" Kokabiel asked. "I honestly hoped you'd be the one here to impress me most. You and the Contractor of Shamash."
"Issei!" Irina said weakly. Her wounds were being taken care of by Asia. She got to her feet and tightened her grip around the Shuhadaku. Flames covered her arms as she raised the blade. She swung the sword, sending a cascade of white-blue fire hurtling towards Kokabiel.
Kokabiel raised his hand and blocked the flames. He slid back a few centimeters. The heat radiated from this attack. This was truly the flames of that God. The Goddess of the Sun.
"Hehehe! Ahahahaha! Yes! This is splendid!" Kokabiel said. He closed his fist and extinguished the flames instantly.
"Tch!" Issei growled and shakily stood on his feet.
"Truly amazing! This! This is the kind of ambition I desire. The evolution of the three factions is embodied in you! This is why I have a proposal for the two of you, Red Dragon, Contractor of Shamash! Join me," Kokabiel said, holding his hand out.
Akeno narrowed her eyes. Her gaze drifted over to the two, who were looking at the Cadre with shocked looks on their faces.
Issei was the first to step forward toward Kokabiel. He slowly reached his hand out to grab his.
"Issei!" Irina yelled.
"Issei, no…" Rias had a look of utter betrayal on her face.
"Kokabiel, I realized I was wrong about you," Issei said.
"You did? You've finally seen the righteousness of my path?" Kokabiel asked, feeling a glimmer of hope. If the Red Dragon joined his side, then even he would be able to stem the tide of Entropy.
"You're not like Valper," Issei said.
Just as he was about to shake Kokabiel's hand. He sucker-punched Kokabiel in the face using the strength granted to him by the Queen Promotion.
The unexpected attack sent Kokabiel flying across the field and he crashed into the school building.
"You're even more batshit insane than he is!" Issei yelled. His fist throbbed in pain.
A spear of light burst from the dust cloud towards Issei.
"Issei! Get out of the way!" Akeno yelled.
"You're late," Issei said.
The light spear was sliced by a wave of light, followed by a series of sword waves.
"Sorry."
Issei grinned tiredly.
Shin and Sophia landed in front of him.
"S-Shin." A smile of relief graced her face.
"Go take a breather, Jailbait. We got it from here," Sophia said, hoisting her scythe on her shoulder.
"Lucifer's daughter," Kokabiel said, bursting from the dust. "And… Vivian's Contractor."
Shin and Sophia glared at the Fallen Angel defiantly.
"Ran," Shin said.
Ran popped out of Shin's jacket.
"Let's do this," Shin said. He created Clarent in his hand.
Ran turned into a swirl of black flames and latched onto Clarent. The sword morphed and the blade became more curved. The highlights and coloring of the blade turned pitch black with a texture that resembled a roaring fire.
"Matoi Kajiri Version I: Sundowning Holy Sword," Shin said.
The blade of Sophia's scythe became far more pronounced and the coloring on her feathers glowed brightly.
"Oh?" Kokabiel raised an eyebrow.
Akeno bit her lip. She looked at Shin and Sophia's backs. Her eyes closed and she let out a shout. "Shin! Sophia! Don't lose!" she yelled.
Kokabiel raised his hand.
His action caused the two to spring into action. In a burst of speed that took everyone, even Kokabiel by surprise, the two circled around him and attacked.
Kokabiel caught both their attacks in his hand. "Oho? How impressive!" he said. In his left hand was Clarent and in his right was Sophia's Scythe.
"Hey Shin," Sophia said. The mist on her scythe grew thicker as she spoke. "Let's kick this guy's ass."
"You had me at kick his ass." Shin's eyes glowed blue and lightning arced off his body.
The two disappeared in a burst of speed, breaking free from Kokabiel's grip.
Two streaks of light, one blue and one violet clashed with Kokabiel.
Sparks flew everywhere as the three sped across the school field.
Shin kicked Kokabiel in the chest, sending him back several feet.
Kokabiel landed on the ground. "Come!" he taunted.
The two dashed towards him.
Fist met fist. Sword met wing. Each kick was countered with a kick of its own.
Their attacks were a blur and even Kokabiel had a hard time defending against the two. A flash of silver and blacklight caught his attention. He moved his head out of the way, dodging the Enchanted Clarent.
He kicked Shin, sending him flying across the air.
Shin righted himself and threw Clarent at Kokabiel.
Kokabiel deflected the blade easily and grinned cockily.
Sophia rushed in and threw her scythe. Kokabiel ducked under it and threw a left jab at her face.
She deflected the punch and went in for a kick.
Kokabiel blocked the kick.
The two engaged in a deadly yet graceful dance. Each of their calculated, carefully timed attacks was nearly mirroring the other's. Sophia's fighting style was a hybridized version of her Father's and Azazel's after all with a few modifications to accommodate her weapon of choice.
It was only natural that she was able to almost perfectly follow Kokabiel's movements. She ducked under one of Kokabiel's punches and broke his nose with a full-powered jab to the face.
"You bitch!" Kokabiel yelled as he stumbled back. A faint light healed his nose and he reached to grab Sophia's face.
Or he tried to. Shin's boot planted itself firmly on the side of Kokabiel's face and the Fallen Angel was sent sliding back.
"You insolent creatures!" Kokabiel yelled. Yellow light crackled around his hands and coalesced into two blades.
The two rushed forward. Shin held his hand out and Clarent flew into it. He met Kokabiel's blades with his own.
Sophia jumped over Shin and formed another scythe. She brought it down but was blocked by Kokabiel's wings. She unfurled her own wings and coated them in the corrosive power of Tranquility. Her wings methodically went to work, peppering Kokabiel's with numerous attacks.
"You bitch!" Kokabiel pushed back against her, throwing her off her position.
"Shin!" She yelled.
Clarent let loose a burst of black flames that seared through Kokabiel's light sword.
"Impossible!" Kokabiel yelled.
He stepped back, only for Shin to drop Clarent and construct a massive hammer. He swung the hammer upward, sending Kokabiel into the air.
Sophia flapped her wings and flew at hypersonic speeds. She kicked Kokabiel in the torso, creating a massive shockwave that sent him flying into the school roof.
"Onigari-Ryuu: Shinsoku!" Shin ran after the flying Kokabiel at the same speed.
The two landed on the school roof and faced an angry Kokabiel.
"Ran," Shin said. Ran reappeared on his shoulder, allowing Shin to disperse Clarent. Shin created Failnacht and nodded to Sophia. "Sophia! I'll cover you!"
She nodded.
Shin pointed Clarent at Kokabiel, causing the Cadre to stiffen in his spot.
Several artillery machine guns manifested in the air behind Shin.
"So that's what you've been studying?" Sophia asked.
He pulled the trigger and a hail of bullets rained down on Kokabiel.
Kokabiel spread his wings and performed a series of precise flaps. He zigzagged his way out of the way of this bullet hell he had found himself in. But the bullets did not cease. The fire rate of the turret guns increased and the number of bolts fired grew exponentially. Several of them managed to cut Kokabiel on his face, shoulder, and wings.
In a fit of rage, Kokabiel spread his hands and wings out, unleashing a powerful aerial blast that expanded outwardly from him. The bolts were all dispersed and Shin's concentration was shattered as he was forced to erect a shield.
Kokabiel sighed and cleared his mind. As he did, he noticed a glimmer of light coming from in front of him. He jumped back just in time to avoid Sophia's scythe which curved upward into the air.
He looked up and saw Sophia appear by her scythe in a flash of light. She formed a light spear in her other hand and threw it at Kokabiel.
Kokabiel threw his hand out to blast the spear into nothingness when Shin appeared in the scythe's place with a blue orb floating in his left hand.
He grinned and threw a light spear at Shin.
The orb in Shin's hand glowed brightly. "Trick Star," Shin muttered.
Shin and Kokabiel swapped places.
Kokabiel roared in agony when he felt something stabbed through his back. He had been impaled by his own light spear. He looked up and saw Sophia's heel connect with his skull, sending him plummeting into the school below.
Shin and Sophia dove after him, weapons poised and ready to strike him down when a burst of divine power exploded from the rubble and sent them flying back.
Everyone watched as Kokabiel shot into the sky with a massive yellow orb over his head.
"Bigger!" Kokabiel yelled. The orb rapidly expanded in size to the point where it was the same size as the old school building. "I have to admit that you two caught me by surprise. If I didn't know better, by the way, you two sync up so easily, I'd have thought you've fought together for years! And those eyes. I've only seen those eyes on her boy."
"Her?" Shin raised his eyebrow. He wiped some blood from his mouth.
"The Vermillion Star. She looked at me with those same eyes before leaving a deep scar on my person. It was four years ago," Kokabiel said.
Four years ago… wait that was when… Shin grimaced.
"Now… you are the third human to ever leave me with such a wound on my body! For that, I shall repay you by destroying you with my power," Kokabiel said.
Shin bit his cheek. There was no way they were going to be able to destroy that. He clenched his fist tightly.
"Shin. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now," Sophia said.
"Huh?" He looked over and saw a confident smile on her face.
"Now's not the time to give up. We have people counting on us to keep him back while they recover," Sophia said. She held her fist up.
Shin grinned and bumped her fist.
"You're right. Alright then! Time to bring out the big guns!" Shin said. He clapped his hands together. The blue light inside of his eyes intensified and the tips of his hair began to glow a bright shade of blue. An azure aura erupted from around his body.
Lines began to trace across the air, weaving, and crisscrossing to form intricate shapes and patterns. Gears and bolts manifested. A hammer along with a spring and large metal chassis was formed next. The lines extended outward to create a massive barrel.
"This is a 45-type 94 Naval Gun. The largest caliber naval guns ever mounted on a warship and were used by the IJN Yamato during World War II," Shin said.
"He's planning to use a human weapon against a Fallen Angel?" Rias asked. "Is he insane?"
"No," Vivi said.
Everyone turned to look at her. "You're all not getting the picture. Human ingenuity is the most terrifying thing in the world. With enough research and modifications, a human weapon can depose even a God. And Shin just constructed the gun and not the ammo, meaning that he's planning to load the gun with…"
"Failnacht's Bolts," Akeno finished.
"Precisely," Vivi said.
"Sophia!" Shin called out.
"Gotcha!" she jumped into the air and landed atop the newly constructed naval armament. Sophia coated her hand in black and violet flames and slammed it atop the artillery.
"Ready!" Sophia said.
"Set!" A wicked grin graced Shin's face.
"FIRE!" the two yelled simultaneously.
With a thunderous roar, the gun fired a blue bolt shrouded in a black and violet flame. The bolt traveled at extreme speeds, surpassing the dynamic visions of everyone except for Kokabiel, who retaliated by throwing his massive light orb at them.
The two attacks collided in mid-air, clashing for supremacy. The two attacks let out waves of hurricane-force winds that battered the school and threatened to shatter the barrier that was set up by Sona Sitri and her peerage. Cracks appeared across the sky as the barrier struggled to contain this powerful blast.
After a few seconds of clashing, the two attacks detonated.
Shin and Vivi both erected a Perfect Cube around the explosion, containing the blast within it and preventing it from vaporizing them alongside the entire school.
Shin fell to his knees, panting from the effort he expended on containing such a powerful explosion. Sweat fell in droves down his face.
"Shin, are you alright?" Sophia helped him up.
"Yeah, I'm-! Sophia! Behind you-" he never finished his sentence nor did Sophia ever notice Kokabiel appearing behind her. It was Shin's warning at the last second that she turned around, only to be thrown to the side by Kokabiel's powerful punch.
She flew across the entire campus and crashed into the school. The science wing of Kuoh Academy caved in on top of her.
"SOPHIA!" Shin yelled.
"Worry about yourself, boy," Kokabiel said.
Shin jumped back, avoiding Kokabiel's light sword by a hair's breadth.
Damnit! If only I had more time, I could create Secace to at least give me a chance in this fight! Shin thought. He winced and jumped. Kokabiel's sword had just inflicted a deep wound on his arm.
"Heh, where's that bravado you had so much earlier? Or can you not even fight without the daughter of Luci-" Kokabiel raised his hand and caught a light spear aimed at the back of his head. "Fer." he finished. Kokabiel slowly turned and blocked Sophia's scythe.
"Shin! Get up!" Sophia yelled. She jumped back and deftly evaded Kokabiel's slash. Kokabiel's fist came at her like a rocket and connected with her abdomen. Her eyes widened and she fell to her knees, vomiting blood.
Shin got to his feet and disappeared in a burst of speed. Clarent manifested in his hand. "Onigari-Ryuu: Muto no Obororenge!"
Kokabiel's eyes swiveled over to Shin. With a flourish and a shower of sparks, Kokabiel methodically blocked all of Shin's rapid-pace slashes. In a split second, the two were locked in a deadlock.
Shin fell to his knee as he tried to push Kokabiel back.
"Pathetic!" Kokabiel spat. His wings spread from his back. In a flash, Shin fell to the ground, riddled in deep cuts all over his body. Blood poured from his wounds and began to stain the earth.
"No… Shin…" Sophia shakily got to her feet.
"Shin… Shin! Wake up!" Irina cried out.
"You bastard!" Issei roared. He summoned [Boosted Gear], ignoring the pain that shot through his body.
"Shin?" Akeno stumbled forward towards Shin's unmoving body. Her eyes dulled and she fell to her knees. "Shin? This is a joke right?"
"Oh? You care about this boy, Daughter of Baraqiel?" Kokabiel asked, turning his sights on her. "Worry not. You'll see him soon."
"No… Shin… Nooooo!" Akeno's eyes glowed brightly. The mark on her hip glowed brightly. Around her pupils, a white ring etched itself into her irises. A white and violet crown that resembled horns appeared on her head.
"What? This power… It's the same as his!" Kokabiel yelled.
White lightning exploded from her body and shot towards Kokabiel.
"Tch!" Kokabiel created a massive light barrier. His eyes widened in shock when the barrier shattered like glass in the face of Akeno's white lightning.
He jumped into the air, avoiding the ruinous blasts. The ground below him was scorched and reduced to hot pools of magma.
"Akeno?" Rias asked.
Akeno stood up with tears streaming down her face. The white aura around her body grew stronger.
Ran stiffened upon sensing the power radiating from Akeno. It was just like that time eleven years ago. She shook her head at the memory she could not recall.
"You… I have to kill you before you realize your true self…," Kokabiel muttered. Several dozen light spears of varying sizes formed around and behind him. With a flick of his wrist, Kokabiel fired the spears at her.
Akeno's lightning reacted automatically, striking down the spears as they came. But her lightning was not enough nor could her body sustain the level of power she was putting out. Some of Kokabiel's spears breached her lightning strikes and struck the ground around her.
"Hey…"
The voice caught the attention of the two. Akeno and Kokabiel turned around to see Shin, weakly standing on his feet.
"You guys assumed I was dead really fast," Shin said. He coughed, spitting blood onto the ground.
Upon seeing Shin, Akeno's white aura died down and the lightning weakened.
"Shin!" she said in relief.
"I can correct that statement," Kokabiel said. He created a spear of light and threw it at Shin.
Time slowed as Shin watched the spear approach. He clenched his fist and summoned his Contract. Power flowed through him and the adrenaline sharpened his mind. He was going to live. Shin had heard Akeno's anguished cries. He would never let her cry like that ever again. Not her. Nor his friends. And…
He would catch up to his older sister.
The sword etched itself clearly in his mind. The breakthrough that he needed was this life-and-death situation.
A white sword projected itself into reality. Blue lines drew themselves in the shape of the blade. The sword solidified itself into reality and glinted eerily in the distorted light of the Moon. Its hilt had a gem that resembled frozen ice and hummed with power the moment the handle made contact with Shin's bloody hand.
"Weapon Recreation Complete: Sword of Silence, Secace," Shin said. Time flowed normally. Shin gripped the moonlight white blade tightly and slashed Kokabiel's spear.
In an instant, the spear dimmed and faded from existence.
"What!?" Kokabiel said.
"Secace, the Sword of Silence and Binding. An Anti-Holy Sword with the power to dampen and bind magic temporarily," Shin said. He swished the sword, leaving an arc of white light. His body was chock full of adrenaline. Shin pointed the blade at Kokabiel. "Prepare yourself, Kokabiel!"
Kokabiel clenched his fists.
"Onigari-Ryuu: Muto no Obororenge!" Shin disappeared in a burst of speed and peppered Kokabiel with sword swings.
Swing, block.
Slash, block.
Sparks flew across the field as the two darted at high speeds across the air.
"Binding? You think that you can land a cut on me-"
A cut etched itself across Kokabiel's cheek.
"You cheeky brat!" Kokabiel thrust a light sword forward. That's when he noticed it. His body felt sluggish. His power was being restrained. Shin dodged.
"Onigari-Ryuu: Tsujigiri!" Shin slashed Secace, launching a wave of ki.
Kokabiel's eyes widened. One of his wings slid off its stump and fell to the ground.
"You… YOU! YOU DARE!" Kokabiel roared.
Shin landed on the ground. The Binding Mark left by Secace would wear off in seconds. He needed to apply another one in order to survive the next few minutes. His eyes wandered across the field. The flames left by Kokabiel's and everyone's attacks were all bending in a certain direction.
"Just a few more minutes," Shin said. "Onigari-Ryuu: Isshin!" Shin slashed his sword quickly.
Kokabiel blocked the attack and rushed toward Shin.
Shin ducked under one of Kokabiel's swings and slashed the Cadre's torso with Secace.
Kokabiel blocked the attack and kicked Shin away. "Even with Secace, did you really think that you could be me alone?"
"Not alone," Sophia said.
"But with us backing him," Irina called out.
"We stand a chance," Issei said from above.
"Fools! Why do you resist!? Can't you see that your sacrifices are necessary!? And yet you fight to live to see the End! Entropy has already planted its claws in this town! The Queen of Conquest walks amongst you!" Kokabiel cried out in frustration. His wings spread from his back and beat them all back.
Shin slid back and used Secace to stabilize himself.
"Queen of Conquest this. Entropy that. Extinction this. Can't you say anything different? You're spouting the insane words of a man who's lost it all! Give up! The Maou and Heaven will show you no mercy! And neither will she!" Shin said.
"You cannot see her for who she is. Baraqiel's daughter will be the end of you all," Kokabiel said. "If you'll stand in the way of our mutual survival, I will strike you down here." Kokabiel raised his hand and threw a light spear.
The spear disappeared from Shin's vision.
It was too fast. In mere instants, the spear would strike Shin through the head. Kokabiel was sure of it. Or that's what he hoped would happen.
Above them, the barrier shattered like glass and his light spear was sliced into multiple microscopic pieces. It was a sword swing so precise that it slashed the bonds fusing the light particles together.
Shin's eyes widened when a familiar shadow covered him. He looked up and saw long black hair swaying in the wind. The figure's black jacket swayed in the breeze. Her katana rested in her left hand. On her shoulder was the ever-familiar white bird form of Lady Jingwei.
"You're late, Onee," Shin said.
"Hmph, sorry about that. I'm home, Shin-chan," Akane said.
[]
Secace
The Sword of Silence used by Sir Lancelot in the distant past.
The original weapon used during the Unification of Britain under the banner of Camelot.
It is a sword that inflicts silence upon those it cuts and nullifies their magic.
The original sword was destroyed but its memory exists within Vivian.
Now the sword sees its rebirth once more and is wielded by Shin.
[]
Akane Faulkner
The older sister of Shinku Faulkner and the eldest daughter of Rowan and Akari Faulkner.
She is codenamed Vermillion Star and is feared across the Supernatural World by all.
Her combat skill is completely unparalleled and unrivaled, even without the assistance of the divine power of her Authorities' Enhancements.
And she uses these skills in a never-ending quest to challenge the strongest beings in the world.
Yet her reasoning differs from that of others.
She is strongly attached to her younger brother and will do whatever it takes to protect him.
"Though the future holds nothing but darkness with roiling storms, I shall set the world ablaze with my iron drawn for I vowed with my life to keep you safe."
Here we are! The mid-arc finale is the next chapter with Akane finally making her return to Kuoh. And if you read carefully, in the midst of this most chaotic chapter, Kokabiel name-dropped the Queen of Conquest. If you missed it, then it's fine, it'll be revealed later during the Peace Treaty portion of the arc, which will be the turning point for this story into its own thing. Like I said in the description, this story is a slow burn. Really slow. Took us about 27 chapters to get here and one sex scene.
With that, let me highlight the upcoming arcs and some things I have planned for each one.
Furude Family/Ryuu Matsuri Arc: Sophia won't be in this one but Issei and Irina are. Asia too. This will revolve around Asia's official induction into Shin's xenophobic family and her last name will change.
Romania Arc: We get to meet Rizevim for the first time and Yuuma appears along with the Red King.
Ragnarok Arc: Loki. Standard. I need to do this canon arc.
The Black Horseman Arc: The title is self-explanatory but the ExE Kids may or may not appear here.
Those are the next 4 Arcs highlighted! Let me know if you have some ideas down in the reviews. Speaking of... leave your reviews! Anon left a review asking about Akeno's powers and I shall answer them right here. They are not a Contract. They are something else. Though, Yam having a Contractor/Champion sounds interesting. I'll look into it. With that, I hope you all have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours.