AN: Hello all here is the next chapter of Harry Potter: Gods and Angels. I am sorry it has been a while, was a bit distracted writing my Harry Potter/ Game of Thrones crossover. I didn't realise I was neglecting my other stories. So I decided to put a pause on that as I update my four top stories.
So yeah I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or High School DxD.
(Last Time)
Before his resurrection, he would have never had allowed the Fallen Angels redemption. He would have simply killed them for their sins and considered it a mercy.
Yet as he had told Raynare and some of his other children, his life as Harry Potter had changed that. It had allowed him to see it from a different point of view. He remembered how Mrs. Weasley had pampered her children, almost a bit too much at times, and the way she had welcomed him into her home without a single complaint. He remembered her ferocity in defending her children and the way she had welcomed that prat Percy back despite his betrayal without a word, only telling him how much she loved him.
He remembered her bawling over Fred's body, denying the truth before her eyes and wanting nothing more than to bring her son back. The pain in her tears back then still brought tears to his eyes now. He remembered how even the Malfoys had abandoned their beliefs in favor of their son and how their love for him was enough that they willingly went to Azkaban in his place. Luckily for the little ferret they had been released before Ophis had gone on her rampage.
Harry thought back on his own memories as God. He remembered Azazel's 'birth'. Back then, he didn't create them as adults but let them grow up like normal human children. He remembered the many headaches Azazel gave Harry as he was growing up, always fighting and arguing with Michael and Azrael. He remembered the pride he felt when Baraquiel learned Holy Lightning as well as Shemhazai learning to wield Holy Flames alongside Uriel. He even remembered the love he had had for Lucifer, his little Lightbringer as he constantly went out of his way to make Harry proud.
He loved his children, Fallen or not. The war had turned him into a hard, unforgiving person but in his hearts of hearts, he loved all of them, even the Fallen. Every Fallen death had carved a scar in his heart and it had only been when he was reborn and regained his memories that the scars had healed and he'd remembered how much he'd loved his Fallen children.
As Raynare cried into his chest, he just held her and wondered if he'd ever reconcile with his other lost children the same way someday.
( - )
Chapter 10
( - )
(In Kuoh)
Harry, Raynare and Rosswiesse appeared in the formerly abandoned church in Kuoh in a flash of golden light. Looking around as he appeared Harry grinned as he saw how the church had been fully restored to near perfect condition in his absence. It appeared the Angels he had left behind had been busy.
"Well this place has certainly changed a lot." Raynare said approvingly as she looked around the church with a smile. A smile that widened when she heard the pitter patter of small footsteps rapidly approaching, without a word Raynare opened her arms to catch the Holy Maiden Asia Argento as she crashed into her.
Hearing the disturbance Harry blinked in surprise as he saw Raynare tackled to the ground by the exuberant nun. Turning to Rossweisse Harry said. "Why don't you ever greet me like that?"
"Father!" Asia said as she untangled herself from Raynare, before she gave Harry a hug to. Not caring that he was her God, as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him as hard as she could.
"Hello Asia, we haven't been gone that long." Harry replied in amusement as he saw how excited Asia was to see them.
"I know, but I missed you all the same." Asia said a smile on her face as Harry ruffled her long blonde hair.
"So has much happened around Kuoh while we were gone?" Harry asked as he shifted his clothes, morphing his finely tailored suit into his priest outfit. He did after all have an assumed identity here in Kuoh, here he was known as Father Harry Black the new administrator of the Church in Kuoh.
"No not really." Asia replied, a thoughtful look on her face as she stuck her tongue out in concentration. "I have just been going to school same as normal. Both Rias and Sona are still there with their peerages, though I did hear that Ms Rias might be leaving the school soon. Apparently she has been betrothed and is set to marry an older man when she turns eighteen."
"Yes Riser Phenex." Harry said with a nod of his head and a frown. "A very odious little Devil and not someone I would want around any of my daughters. But alas the Gremory's drew up the marriage contract and I have no power over their internal politics and no inclination to ruffle any feathers, pun intended."
"Ha! Marriage!?" Rayanre sneered suddenly a disgruntled look on her face as she did. "I never understood why Devils got married, marriage is a sacred thing, surely that it the very antithesis of being a Devil."
Harry looked amused by Raynare's sudden outburst. "Marriage is not the sole domain of any one religion; in fact marriage does not have to be related to religion at all. It is merely a word that signifies the bonding of two people. I personally like the fact that Devils get married, it shows their humanity."
"I think you are grasping at straws there." Raynare replied.
"Probably." Harry admitted with a shrug.
"Oh, but we also have had some visitors!" Asia suddenly spoke up, her face brightening as she said this. "Two Exorcists from the Vatican were here. They wanted to talk to Father Black but left when I told him you weren't here." Asia bit her lip unhappily at that.
Something that Rayanre noticed as she asked. "What's the matter Asia, you seem upset?"
"Oh it's nothing." Asia said flapping her hands as she tried to brush aside Raynare's worry. "Though the Exorcists did say that if they couldn't meet with you then they were going to go and meet with the next highest power in the area?"
"Probably means they had gone to talk with the Sitri and Gremory heiress's." Harry guessed before he frowned as he noticed that Asia still seemed upset. "Did those two Exorcists say something to upset you?"
Asia looked up at him in surprise as he asked that, her green eyes wide. "Did you read my mind with your godly powers?" She asked in awe.
"Ermm no, just a guess." Harry replied with a chuckle, before his face got a bit more serious. "So what happened?"
"Nothing really…" Asia replied uncomfortably.
Raynare raised an eyebrow and met Asia's gaze.
Asia caved in at that and told. "It was nothing really. They just question why I was allowed back into the Church and then told me that I was still a witch. It was just a little upsetting is all."
"Bastards." Raynare growled her eyes flashing with anger.
"Language." Harry said mildly, his lips quirking as he saw the incredulous look both Rossweisse and Raynare gave him at reprimanding Raynare for swearing when he could put a foul mouthed sailor to shame. "I wouldn't worry about it Asia. I'll make sure they apologize the next time you see them."
Asia nodded at that.
"Alright I think it is time we are off, Asia we will be back in a little while, but for now I want you to stay in the church, with things moving as fast as they are we don't know what else is lurking around Kuoh and it's better to be safe than sorry." Harry said, getting a nod from Asia in response. "Raynare, I want you to come with me and Rossweisse. We have a little meeting to crash in Kuoh Academy and I think your input will be useful." Harry said his lips quirking as he did so.
"As you say my Lord." Rossweisse replied with a nod of her head, her hands absently smooth any wrinkles that might have formed in her smart grey business suit as she prepared herself for whatever mischief Harry was going to get into this time.
Raynare threw a concerned look over at Asia before she nodded her head. "Ok, if that is what you want."
"Good." Harry said with a grin as he started to leave the Church, with Rossweisse and Raynare following after him. "I always knew you were daddy's little girl, Princess."
Asia giggled to herself as she heard that, she was still faintly able to here Raynare shouting at Harry in embarrassment from the other side of the doors.
( - )
(In the Occult Research Clubroom)
The members of the Gremory group were all currently gathered in the club room to greet their two new "guests". The two Exorcists' had contacted them through Sona for a meeting with both of the Devil heiresses who were in charge of overseeing Kuoh. After having been contacted the meeting was agreed to, and both Sona and Rias brought their peerages to the Occult Research Clubroom where they would meet their guests.
Currently a slightly awkward silence covered the room as Sona and Rias sat on a couch facing their two guests.
The two girls currently sitting before them were dressed in white cloaks that covered their entire form but currently had their hoods down. The one on the left had blue hair with a green fringe and dark yellow eyes, her unique appearance gave the girl a distinctly exotic look. The one on the right was more normal, with long brown hair tied in pigtails but the normality was broken by her exotic violet eyes. The two Exorcists' were like night and day with the one on the left, who had introduced herself as Xenovia, being outwardly calm and confident, while the brunette, named Irina was cheerful and seemingly naïve to the fact that they were I hostile territory both surrounded and outnumbered by Devils.
However, what had the group of devils on edge was the feeling they were getting from the two girls. Or rather, from something the two were carrying. These two girls were Holy Sword users and the natural aura they gave off warned the Devils that they were dangerous, even though the full power of their swords was being masked. The Devil's found their skin crawling from just being in proximity to the muted power of Holy Swords these girls carried; it was not a pleasant feeling for the Devils and had all of them somewhat on edge as they prepared to speak with the envoys from the Church.
However the one that was giving off the most dangerous aura in the room wasn't the Exorcists but rather Kiba himself. Last night the Gremory Knight had abandoned his group after an almost disastrous Stray Devil hunt, having been reminded of his past when he saw a picture of the Holy Sword Irina's family held in Issei's old photo album. He had showed up at the clubroom not three minutes ago when the Exorcists' arrived and had been glaring at them ever since. His attitude didn't help ease the tension that had filled the room; these two girls represented the second Church group that had come to Kuoh in recent months. Which was concerning considering Kuoh was the first Underworld colony that had been set up on earth.
The first one to arrive was the new priest at the formerly abandoned church, Harry Black. Though where the priest had been of late neither Sona nor Rias knew. Previously the man had been poking his nose around the Devil's business in Kuoh, but in recent weeks he had disappeared. His disappearance had Rias on edge, as to had the sudden arrival of Exorcists, warriors of the Church in Kuoh. Sona however was more patient and less temperamental than Rias; she had interacted with Harry more than Rias and believed herself to be a good judge of character. She did not believe that Harry would try anything underhanded, and for the most part she found herself trusting him, or trusting him as much as a Devil can trust a priest.
Rias and Sona were currently sitting on the couch across from the two Exorcists with their respective Queens, Akeno and Tsubaki standing dutifully behind them. The rest of their peerages were lined up against the wall, far enough away that they could not be seen as a blatant threat to the two Church envoys, but close enough that they could rush to their respective King's defense if necessary.
Rias after a brief discussion with Sona had decided to take the lead in the discussion, it was decided that Rias's somewhat more personable personality would be better when dealing with relative unknowns. Outwardly she appeared calm and confident, inwardly however she was worried. The arrival of these two girls was yet another example of how Heaven was becoming more active.
When she had been in the Underworld visiting her brother, once more trying to get him to use his influence to stop her betrothal to Riser Phenex going forward. He had decided to try and distract her by relaying his own concerns about what was happening.
Apparently more Angels were descending to earth than had been seen since the time of the Great War. These Angels weren't doing anything hostile however; they were simply watching over the humans and protecting them from the supernatural. This wasn't suspicious in and of its self, what was apparently concerning however was the numbers that were descending, it made it clear to Sirzechs and the others in the know, that the forces of Heaven were not quite as diminished as they had believed. When these occurrences were linked with the interference of the Church in the newly established Underworld colony in Kuoh, well it brought up major concerns for Sirzechs and the other Maou's.
Pushing aside her concerns for now, Rias decided to start the meeting.
"First, let me welcome you to Kuoh town," Rias began her tone both polite and welcoming as she decided to start things off on the right foot. "I have to admit your presence in Kuoh is certainly surprising. Would your arrival have anything to do with Harry Black, the new overseer of Church activities in Kuoh."
Xenovia frowned as she heard Rias's words. "Our presence has not got anything directly to do with Father Harry Black. We did try to speak with him before this meeting however, in the hopes of getting his assessment of things in Kuoh. However we were unable to meet with him."
"So does that mean he is no longer in Kuoh then?" Son asked up, her violet eyes fixed curiously on Xenovia as she waited for her response. Sona's own peerage had not been able to ascertain his location and that rankled with her, as when playing chess it was always good to keep an eye on all of your opponents' pieces, so for Harry Black to suddenly go missing, well it was concerning.
Xenovia and Irina shared a glance at that, before they turned to face Sona. "We are unsure of Father Black's whereabouts," said Xenovia calmly. "We arrived at the church yesterday and asked to meet with him, but we were told that he was not present. The Holy Maiden, Asia Argento," there was a tone of disbelief as Xenovia said this which caused the Devils to gain looks of confusion, as they spoke of one of their own, a servant of the Church in such a manner, "welcomed us but he was not there, nor was she able to tell us where he was. We later received word that a stray Exorcist by the name of Freed Sellzen may be in the area and considering his past, we believe Father Black may have been killed by Freed."
Xenovia was divided as to what to think of the former witch, Asia Argento. On one hand, she couldn't believe that she was not only forgiven but raised back to the status of Holy Maiden. It seemed like an elaborate hoax more than anything and Xenovia was determined to see it revealed.
Yet at the same time, Asia's status as Holy Maiden had been confirmed by not only the Archbishop but the Archangel Michael and Seraph Gabriel themselves. A week ago, the entire Seraph group as well as God himself apparently had appeared before the highest authorities of the Church to discuss current affairs. It was there that Asia's status as the Holy Maiden was confirmed as well as the slow redemption of former Fallen Angel Raynare.
That was another thing that bothered Xenovia. Redeeming Fallen Angels? Why now of all times? If it could have been done before, why bring it up now? While it would be great if they could redeem the Fallen since it would not only take away an enemy Faction but also boost their own Faction's strength, Xenovia couldn't help but feel it was unfair. The Fallen had done terrible things, even the grunts. Why should they be offered salvation?
Across from the pensive Xenovia, Rias had her own thoughts about what she had heard so far. She couldn't really say she cared much for Harry Black, and although Asia Argento seemed a sweet girl, Rias had not had much interaction with her. Still what she had heard so far was definitely interesting, it showed that there were divisions in the Church, which was in contrast to the apparent growing strength of Heaven. It also told her she might have found a pair of tools, with which she could expunge this fallen Exorcist, Freed Sellzen, from her territory.
"I ran into Freed Sellzen last night," Kiba spoke up suddenly, gaining the attention of the room on him as he did so. "After I left you guys. He did mention something about hunting priests but I don't know who he was talking about."
Rias frowned at that, slightly annoyed that Kiba was only choosing to reveal this now and not before. Looking over at Sona she could see the irritation on her fellow King's face as well. No doubt Sona like her would have preferred to have known this before hand, so that they could have be better prepared for the upcoming meeting.
Xenovia nodded solemnly while beside her, Irina looked sad. "I guess that confirms what happened," Xenovia said simply her tone slightly somber as she showed her belated respect to the priest she had never met. "He must have been ambushed by Freed on the way to the church and killed. It is unfortunate but-"
"Or," A familiar voice suddenly spoke up, grabbing the attention of the Devils and Exorcists in the room. "I could have been reporting to the Vatican and simply didn't have time to send word beforehand. You people really think the worst."
Everyone turned as one, as 'Father Harry Black' unexpectedly entered the clubroom a large smile on his face as he purposefully chose the perfect moment to make a dramatic entrance. Both Rossweisse and Raynare followed behind the nonchalant Harry, the both of them slightly tense as they entered a room full of Devils, even if they knew these children wouldn't last a second if they were to turn on them. It was always best to be safe than sorry after all.
The two Exorcists looked surprised at his survival but while Irina smiled happily glad that he wasn't dead, even though she had never met him, Xenovia looked at him with suspicion since he entered with a known if supposedly redeemed Fallen Angel. Either way considering their current problem with the Fallen, it didn't paint him in the best light; especially since it was rumored this Fallen Angel was formerly in league with Kokabiel, who was a known warmonger and blasphemer.
"Hello Harry" Sona said her lips quirking in amusement; she had strong suspicions that he had purposefully chosen that moment to introduce himself. Looking past him her eyes took note of Raynare, the Fallen Angel now standing straighter and more confident than she had before. Next her eyes went to the unfamiliar silver hair woman accompanying Harry. The woman was not a normal human, maybe not a human at all, Sona could tell that from just a glance. She looked to flawless to be human and radiated a sense of power that no normal human could, yet she did not radiate with light like Angels did. A Sacred Gear wielding human? Or perhaps something else?
Rias too took note of the new arrivals; she dismissed Raynare easily, barely glancing at the woman as she instead focused in on the other woman with him. She like Sona was able to tell there was something different about her, for Rias though her mind instantly jumped to the woman being a wielder of a Sacred Gear. Once again it was a surprising show of strength from the Church.
"Sorry I'm late everyone," Harry said with a smile on his face and a cheeky wink as he saw the knowing look on Sona's face. Walking around the couch Harry soon took his seat on Irina's left, happily greeting the cheerful girl with a smile and a nod. He did the same with Xenovia who responded more stoically before turning to everyone else. "By the way although I can't say I have ever met the guy personally, I have heard mention of a Fallen Priest called Freed Sellzen, I have also heard mention of his boss, who if I were to guess is also here somewhere."
Rossweisse coughed into her hands.
"Oh yeah, by the way this is Rossweisse, she is my new secretary." Harry said before he noted the incredulous look on the faces of the Devils. "Hey it is a difficult job running a church you know! I mean you both just pseudo run a school and you both have an entire cohort of minions to do your bidding."
"No offence." Harry added in when he heard a few dissatisfied huffs and puffs from said minions.
"Actually I was just going to inform you that Freed Sellzen's 'boss' as you call him is indeed already in Kuoh." Rossweisse said, not amused by Harry's inference that she was his minion but deciding to take the high road… for now. "I received confirmation of it on our way here."
"Hmm, that was quick." Harry said blandly, always surprised by how on point Rossweisse was.
"His boss?" Xenovia asked sharply before anyone else could speak, her eyes focusing in on Rossweisse as she did so. "He is here already?"
Harry nodded as he took a cup of tea from Akeno with a smile of thanks. "Apparently so, though I have to say, I am surprised I didn't expect him to arrive until later. However, it seems as if he came earlier than expected."
Rossweisse nodded her confirmation to what Harry had said. "After conversations with a contact we came suspect he was involved in the thefts and have been tracking him down in order to resolve the issue. Until recently he has been quite difficult to pin down that is until he stopped moving when he arrived in Kuoh."
"Who's Freed's boss?" Rias asked in frustration as she realized she was losing control of the meeting. Harry's sudden arrival had thrown her off. Now he and his 'secretary' were talking to the Exorcists and she couldn't help but feel like a bystander as they spoke of things she knew nothing about.
"Ah," Harry said as he looked over at the Devils, a bemused look on his face as he thought just how odd it was that he was sat here drinking tea with Devils, him God. It was like the start to a bad joke, even so though, if he wanted peace then it was probably better to play nice, starting with sharing some inconsequential information in the hopes of getting what the Devils had managed to gather in return. "Sorry. I'll tell you but first let us give you some back-story and explain why these two lovely ladies are here."
"Recently the Excaliburs that were kept by the Catholic Church Headquarters; the Vatican, the Protestant Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church were stolen," Harry explained with a serious look on his face, losing the humour and playfulness. He had not predicted this happening and it had thrown him for a loop, it was a daring and sudden move and not one he had seen coming. After all, for all his abilities he was not as omnipotent as people liked to believe.
"But how can Excalibur be stolen from multiple places?" Issei, the Gremory s pawn and the wielder of the Boosted Gear wondered aloud, drawing the attention of the room onto himself. "It's only one sword right?"
"The original Excalibur itself doesn't exist anymore," Rias explained to the boy patiently before turning to the Church group. "I'm sorry. One of my servants recently became a Devil, so can we continue this conversation while explaining about Excalibur?"
They all nodded at the club president's request, seeing no harm in it.
"Issei," Rias continued patiently. "Excalibur broke in the war a long time ago. Afterwards, the seven fragments were turned into their own separate swords using alchemy."
At this, Irina spoke up. "Now they look like this." She touched the bracelet on her upper arm and it wiggled slightly before transforming into a long katana. "This is Excalibur."
Xenovia pulled her weapon which was covered in cloth from where it was attached to her back and revealed it to the Devils. What appeared was a two-handed sword with a cross in the pommel, a grip long enough that it looked like it could be held with three hands, an axe-like guard, a second grip with a chain-like form and a long blade that ended with three points.
"This also is Excalibur," Xenovia said calmly. "Excalibur Destruction."
The moment he looked at the two Holy swords, Issei felt as if something really cold was running through his body. Fear. Terror. Awe. He became very scared just from looking upon the two swords and Issei could feel the danger radiating from them. Even he somehow understood that a Devil like him would die instantly just a cut from either of these two blades!
The tension in the room spiked as both of the Exorcists held their revealed blades before them. The Devil's were all on edge, not at all comfortable around something that dangerous to them.
Noting the atmosphere Xenovia rested Excalibur Destruction on her knees as she continued the explanation. "Excalibur was shattered into a number of pieces during the Great War a long time ago like Miss Gremory said. The fragments however were collected and turned into a new form by alchemy. The pieces of the original Excalibur were re-forged into seven swords and these are two of them."
'So Excalibur was broken up into seven magic swords and for some reason two of them were given to these girls? Is this really my life now?' Issei thought to himself as he tried to get his head around what he was hearing. Looking up he caught Black looking at him with an amused smile, as if he knew what was going through his head.
"The Excalibur I hold is called 'Excalibur Destruction'," Xenovia explained patiently, deciding to give a brief overview in order to avoid some of the Devils interrupting and asking questions later. She would only tell them the basics though, things that are common knowledge in the supernatural world. "It's one of the seven holy swords that were created from the shards of the original. The Catholic Church was in control of it until it was given to me to wield."
The blue-haired woman put her sword away after saying that, wrapping it up in cloth. If one looked carefully there were spell symbols on the cloth meant to seal away the sword's incredible destructive power. The tension in the room decreased slightly as she did this, the Devil's calming down slightly now the most powerful and volatile of the two swords was once again covered up and no longer radiating as much holy power.
"Mine is called 'Excalibur Mimic'," Irina said happily, demonstrating the sword's power by changing its shape once again so it now looked like a particularly ornate hand and half sword. "I can change mine's shape into anything I want, so it's really useful for carrying around. Just like this, each 'Excalibur' has its own unique ability. This one was in the possession of the Protestant Church before it was given to me."
"Irina…," Xenovia said sternly. "There's no reason to tell these devils the ability of Excalibur, is there?"
"Oh my Xenovia. Even if they are Devils, we still have to form a trustworthy relationship with them, isn't that why we are meeting them like this in the first place? Also, even if my sword's ability is revealed, I won't fall behind any of the Devils here," Irina said confidently not at all concerned about how she was in a room full of Devils.
"Ha! As if we would ever trust any of the dogs of the Church!" Kiba said harshly, his eyes narrowing hatefully as they flickered from each of the representatives of the Church. He wouldn't trust any of them; he had seen how corrupt the Church was, he had witnessed firsthand and been a victim of their malice and cruelty.
"Kiba!" Rias said sternly as she gave the boy yet another warning glare, once again she was feeling this meeting slipping out of her control as her Knight gave in to his anger. "I apologize for my Knight's words; they were spoken from a place of anger. But they do hold a certain note of truth in them, the Church has never tried to create a trustworthy relationship with us before, in fact the Church has spent most of this last millennia condemning and hating us?"
"Well, I hope that changes since recent information means we'll have to work together," Harry spoke up, inwardly though he just felt as if he had been kicked in the balls. Never did he think he would ever have to say those words to a Devil. But times change, and Harry had changed along with them, no longer was he the same being as he was before.
Everyone save Rossweisse and Raynare looked surprised at his words, none more so than the two female Exorcists. "Father, what do you mean?" asked Irina in confusion.
"Raynare, if you'll explain," Harry said patiently as he looked over at his daughter.
Nodding her head, Raynare stepped forward and addressed the group as a whole. "As you know, a couple of months ago, I came to Kuoh with the intention of killing Issei and stealing Asia's Sacred Gear." Seeing everyone frown at the reminder of her actions, she continued. "What you didn't know was that I had done that under orders of the Cadre Kokabiel."
At that, everyone sans Issei reacted with surprise.
"Kokabiel?" Xenovia asked seriously. "The same Kokabiel who is Freed Sellzen's master?"
"Freed's boss?" Rias interrupted her eyes wide with surprise.
"Kokabiel from memory is a high ranked Fallen Angel. Does that mean he was working under orders from Azazel or has he gone rogue?" Sona spoke up curiously, her sharp mind already trying to analyse the information she had been given.
"Contact has been made with Azazel and he has stated quite categorically that Kokabiel has gone rogue." Harry replied. "Azazel even went so far as to offer the Church assistance in tracking him down."
Sona nodded at that, noting as she did that the relationship between the Grigori and the Church was not as hostile or as corrosive as it was between the Church and the Underworld.
"Kokabiel ordered me to take Asia here and rip out her Sacred Gear," Raynare continued calmly, uncaring of the interruptions as she confessed her former crimes. "At the time, I thought it was because it was simply a close enough place to where we could both kill Issei and take Twilight Healing without problem. Now, however... I believe he was trying to force a reaction from you, Rias, in order to kick off another Great War."
At that, everyone fell silent in shock, trying to absorb the enormity of what she just revealed.
"Ara," Akeno said hesitantly. "Are you sure? I know Kokabiel is a warmonger but..."
"We're sure," Harry said with a sigh, both disappointed that his son Kokabiel was capable and willing to do this, and yet also suspicious as the Kokabiel he had known had always been cautious and honourable, this didn't seem like something Kokabiel would do. "The original plan was for Raynare and her group to kill either Rias or Sona when they came to attack them for entering their 'territory'. Issei being killed by Raynare and turned into a Pawn had already been taken into account in Kokabiel's plan. If Issei was to have survived Raynare's attack then Kokabiel knew he wouldn't be able to stop from trying to save Asia and when Raynare killed him, Rias would react. He banked on either Raynare killing her or at least a few of her peerage which would no doubt kick start a War. My... interference was unexpected and slowed down his plans."
Everyone looked thoughtful, Rias especially. She knew that if her cute little servants had been killed then she would have reacted negatively much like what Harry said she would have. She would have been reckless in her need for vengeance and there was a good chance that Raynare could have gotten in a lucky hit. Doubtful she thought to herself, but possible. Rage made even the best of fighters sloppy, after all. Her death would have kick-started another War and it if it hadn't been for Black's interference, then it would have happened. That knowledge chilled Rias down to her soul.
She knew for a fact that her brother Sirzechs would have been overcome with rage and grief if she had died, she also knew that he would not rest until she had been avenged. Her death at the hands of a Fallen Angel could very well have led to the resurgence of the Great War.
Irina looked at Harry with stars in her eyes. "Your interference must have been God's work then, Father. He must have known Kokabiel's plans and sent you to stop them."
"Probably," Harry had to hold back a laugh as he heard the irony in that statement, but he didn't instead with a grin he said. "But the important thing is we know Kokabiel wants to start a war. He stole the Excalibur fragments to get the Church involved and then came here, to the place where two relatives of the Four Satans were located. No doubt he plans to kill not only us but Rias and Sona as well. When he does... another Great War is inevitable."
Everyone looked disturbed at that. No one there except Harry, Rossweisse and Raynare, knew what war looked like but that didn't mean any of them wanted it. The peace now may be tenuous but it was better than the alternative. This was one of the reasons why Harry was hoping to establish a future peace between the factions. Another war would be devastating, Harry had no doubts that he and Heaven would prevail but he knew that their losses would be significant. More than that he also knew the other Pantheons and more worryingly his siblings might take advantage of that. Yes, peace was the best and most logical option for the moment.
"Very well," Sona said calmly, her analytical mind working over what she had heard so far, weighing the likelihood of Kokabiel's plans succeeding and the probability of successfully stopping those plans from advancing. "With this knowledge then we have to work together to end this threat. Kokabiel is one of the Cadre and we won't be able to kill him by ourselves. We only stand a chance by working together. How does a temporary alliance sound?"
"While I find it disquieting to ally ourselves with Devils," Xenovia said slowly. "Under the circumstances, I would have to agree. Our orders are to stop another Great War breaking out at all costs. Even if that means allying with you Devils. Very well, from now until Kokabiel is neutralized, we can consider ourselves allied."
Irina looked disturbed by what was happening but Harry's comforting hand and warm smile made her doubts disappear. For her faith and to preserve the lives of the innocent, she would ally herself with the Devils. To do the greatest good she would suffer through the necessary evil of allying with Devils. Their orders were clear after all, they were to recover the Excalibur Pieces and stop another Great War from starting. To do that they were to use any tool available to them. They were also told that Father Black would be assisting them in any way he can, so it was not like they were alone in this.
Everyone else seemed content with the arrangement for now. Both Sona and Rias wanted to deal with this issue themselves, as they knew if they informed their siblings of what was happening, then they would be taken back to safety in the Underworld and would lose their territory and hard fought independence. Some may think them selfish for risking so much for so little, but Devil's were selfish creatures by nature and both Sona and Rias wanted to be seen standing on their own feet, especially with having such influential siblings and families.
Rias though also had another reason; she knew that if she was pulled out of school and taken back to the Underworld then she would be forced to marry Riser, as the current agreement was that they would not marry until Rias was eighteen and had left school.
However, one person was not happy with the arrangement.
It was Kiba. He was glaring at the Excaliburs and the two Excalibur wielders with a cruel and hateful look on his face that no one had ever seen before. It was like he was wishing to cause the two Exorcists to spontaneously combust right there and then.
As for Kiba, he never thought that he would encounter the Excaliburs here. He'd thought he would have to go and search for them and now two of them were right there in front of him and a further three of them were here in Kuoh, it was something he had never even dreamed of. Already he could feel the burning desire in him to go on a rampage and destroy the damn things.
But now! The president was even talking about allying herself with them! If Kiba jumped in now, then there was a good chance he would be classified a Stray Devil. The worst case would be the start of a battle. There's no way that there would be no casualties against the Excaliburs.
Yet Kiba couldn't just let them go! His dead friends demanded vengeance and the subject of it was standing not ten feet from him!
Harry sensed Kiba turmoil and decided that unless he interfered, something bad would happen. Kiba needed an outlet for his rage otherwise he would blow this whole thing, so he would provide one.
"How about a spar?" Harry asked calmly, getting everyone's attention. "Kiba seems eager for a fight and this way we can see each side's capabilities."
Rias looked at her Knight and saw that Harry was right. It was best for him to get it out of his system before he did something stupid. "What did you have in mind?"
Harry shrugged. "How about Kiba fights against Xenovia here? They'll spar and we'll see the capabilities of both our groups."
"I wanna fight too!" Irina pouted childishly. "I wanna show off my faith!"
"Then I'll be your opponent!" Issei said determinedly. "You all insulted Buchou when you arrived and I'm not going to take it laying down!"
"Then it's settled," Harry said easily ignoring Issei's inflammatory comments, no doubt the boy was just hoping to impress the Gremory heiress. Plus Harry was curious about how both of these Devils will fare, after all he had among other alterations linked the strength of Sacred Gears to their wielders faith in him, a much easier solution to the problem then individually ripping the Sacred Gears from every Devil and starting a war. "Xenovia vs. Kiba and Irina vs. Issei. Let's take this outside then."
( - )
The group were gathered outside to watch the match, Harry standing beside Rossweise and Raynare, slightly away from the watching Devils. He had already had a quick word with both Xenovia and Irina, warning his two subordinates not to injure the devils too badly. Harry wanted the two groups to work together, and thus didn't want a proper fight to break out, as that would hamper what he had planned.
Harry listened as the four combatants paired off. Xenovia and Kiba were silent as they prepared themselves for the spar while Issei had a perverted grin on his face as he took in both female exorcists' battle outfit. Harry couldn't blame the boy. They were certainly skintight and showed off that Harry had blessed both girls with figures that matched even the most beautiful of Devils.
Harry frowned as Irina started talking about this being a trial from Him to prove her faith and love. Yeah it wasn't, he was just doing this as he thought it would make the two groups work better together, plus he thought watching them fight would be entertaining. What was it with humans constantly trying to attribute significant meaning to his actions; sometimes he just did things because he wanted to do them.
Pushing aside those thoughts for now, instead he decided to watched as Xenovia brandish her Excalibur Destruction while Kiba activated his Sacred Gear, 'Sword Birth'. Harry's face, Kiba's Sacred Gear allowed him to summon any demonic sword he could imagine as long as he had the power to. Harry was very interested to see whether that was still the case, as somehow Harry had doubts that Kiba had all that much faith in him.
Dashing forward Xenovia made the first move, with Excalibur Destruction in hand she swung for Kiba. Irina soon followed after, darting forward, much faster on her feet than Xenvoia she to closed in on Issei, not giving the boy a chance to boost himself as she sought to engage him in close combat.
Kiba seeing the oncoming Xenovia, formed two demonic swords in his hand. One sword, his 'Flame Sword' was enshrouded in fire, which basically burns anything it touches. The other blade he summoned was his 'Holy Eraser', a demonic sword with a dark blade that devours holy energy and other sources of light, the sword can also create multiple appendages that stretch out to absorb light from a long range.
Dancing to the side, Kiba used his enhanced speed, courtesy of being a Knight piece to avoid Xenovia's first swing. Darting in when he saw the girl's sword sing wide, Kiba lunge forward his Flame Blade held out to impale the blue haired girl, with his Holy Eraser held back, ready to swing out and knock Excalibur Destruction from her grasp.
Yellow eyes flickered up and sharpened as Kiba closed in on her. As the boy lunged for her, she felt her Holy Blade grow warm in her hand, holy energy streaming into her body from the blade, enhancing reflexes and strength. Twisting her body to the side Xenovia easily avoided Kiba's flaming sword, kicking out her leg her foot connected with Kiba's knee, the force of it casuign his leg to buckle.
Swing her sword around; Xenovia's blade met Kiba's Holy Eraser. Normally Xenovia would be using Excalibur Destructions ability, which was to basically unleash pure, destructive power that could easily shatter anything it comes into contact with and was powerful enough to create huge craters with ease. But with her blade connecting with Kiba's so close to her body, she was not foolish enough to use this full power, such an action would kill one or both of them.
Even so though, Excalibur Destruction shattered Kiba's Holy Eraser as the connected.
Kiba's face went slack as he saw one of his most powerful swords being broken so easily. This was not the first time this had happened, in the rating game against Riser Phenex, his blades had been more brittle than ever before, and they hadn't seemed to contain the power they used to. Swinging around his Flame Blade, Kiba reacted quickly as he tried to land a blow.
Xenovia, however still enhanced by the holy energy radiating off of her Holy Sword, ducked under Kiba's wild swing even as she swung her Excalibur Destruction around, the blade hilt striking Kiba's blade as she made to knock the blade away, leaving Kiba open for a counterattack.
What she had not expected was for Kiba's blade to once again shatter. Hiding her surprise and scorn for the Devil's inferior blades, Xenovia struck out with her leg, knocking the surprised Kiba off his feet and onto the ground. Swinging her blade up and over, Xenovia stopped it merely inches from Kiba's chest, quickly ending the duel.
Kiba's breathed heavily as he looked up and saw the deadly blade hovering over him. This was impossible, the duel had barely gone on for three minutes and he was already defeated. He had waited years for this moment and yet he wasn't even able to land a blow on his opponent. What was wrong with him? Why were his swords failing him like this?
Issei was doing no better than Kiba. The minute Irina had closed in on him he had tried to back away, giving himself time to boost. He found that he needed to wait at least thirty seconds to boost himself, and that amount of time in a fight was deadly. Already he was covered in half a dozen light cuts.
Irina had obviously been holding back on her strikes, but even so she had drawn blood. The girl was like a blur, easily moving as fast as Kiba, yet somehow she was more fluid. She seemed to dance around him, her blade constantly shifting shape. What minute it would be a katana, which Issei would barely be able to block with his Boosted Gear Gauntlet. The next moment she would dance away, and Excalibur Mimic would turn into some kind of serrated whip.
Issei was constantly moving, or fleeing would be a better term.
"Boost."
Finally he had managed to boost himself, doubling his power. Feeling the energy burning through him he shot towards Irina, trying to take her by surprise by this sudden change in tactics.
The pig tailed girl however wasn't surprised as she easily dodged Issei's strike. Ducking under his extended arm, she slashed out with her blade, now in the shape of a broadsword. The blade slashed Issei's side create a half an inch deep cut in his chest. The boy let out a howl of pain as he felt the swords holy energy burn him, it was painful but not deadly, a part of Issei knew that the only reason he wasn't dead was because Irina was purposefully holding back.
Stumbling forward and away from the blade wielding woman, Issei didn't make it far before his legs were knocked out from under him. Turning his head as he was sprawled on the floor, Issei's eyes widened as he saw that Irina was now wielding a six foot spear, the blade of which was leaf shaped and a foot long.
Twirling the blade in her hands, Irina darted forwards again, only to come to a stop the tip of her spear centimeters from Issei's heavily sweating face.
"Aww Issei I was hoping you would put up more of a fight. I was really looking forward to a good work out." Irina said with genuine disappointment as she changed the shape of Excailbur Mimic, once again making it take the shape of an arm band. Pouting Irina looked over to Xenoiva, only to see her spar had finished to, as a very upset looking Kiba got to his feet.
Watching from a far, Harry took note of the frown on the Devils faces as they saw just how outmatched two of their number, were by the Holy Sword users. It seemed his interference was already growing fruit. Harry smiled pleasantly as he congratulated both of the girls on their wins.
Turning to Rias and Sona Harry spoke up. "Well although this spar has been enlightening I think it is time we get going. I need to talk to Irina and Xenovia and give them a brief update on things in Kuoh. I am hoping we can meet this evening to get started on searching out the locations of the Excaliburs?"
"That sounds reasonable to me." Sona replied, taking over for Rias when she noticed that her red haired counterpart was fussing over both Kiba and Issei. "I am sure by joining our numbers to your skill we will be able to bring this matter to a swift resolution." Sona continued unashamedly.
Harry nodded at that, a genuine smile on his face as he saw how matter-of-factly Sona dealt with things. "Agreed, for now though we will head back to the church. Give my regards to Rias, and I hope her 'pieces' make a swift recovery." Harry replied, his tone changing noticeably as he referred to Kiba and Issei as pieces.
Sona nodded at that, before exchanging curt goodbyes with the two Exorcists and Harry's companions.
Leaving the Kuoh Academy campus, Harry began to lead his group back in the direction of the church by foot.
"So where too now father?" Irina asked cheerfully as she looked at her surroundings with nostalgic interest, her eyes wide with glee as she recognised things from her youth, just as she saw new things that had sprung up in her absence.
"Back to the church," replied Harry with a smile of his own, the girl's cheerfulness was infectious. "We can begin our investigation tonight after darkness has fallen. Till then you can get some rest. After all, you won't be able to fight properly if you're not at your best."
"Right," said the two Holy Sword users in unison though both with different tones.
Xenovia was not as trusting of the priest as her partner Irina was. All the Holy Church had told her was that Father Black was their own age, could be trusted and was very strong. But seeing him in the company of the Fallen Angel, even though she was redeemed and seeing him on somewhat friendly terms with the Sitri heiress made Xenovia think that he might be going behind the churches back. She knew better than to jump to conclusions but still it couldn't hurt to keep a wary eye on the mysterious priest.
She'd report his activities to the Vatican just in case he turned out to be a spy or something equally dangerous. The Church didn't need such scum in its holy midst. For now, she and Irina would separate and do their own investigation just in case he was a spy for the enemy. Xenovia decided to relax her thoughts as they approached the church where they were to stay for the duration of the investigation.
( - )
(Later with Harry)
Harry looked out with a frown over the town of Kuoh, it was night and the dark clouds gathered above the town cast the entire place in shadow. Currently he was stood on the roof of the church, Rossweisse standing just behind and to the side of him. Things were moving fast, faster than he had thought, what was happening here in this small innocuous little town was enough proof of that. But something about it though just didn't sit right with him, what Kokabiel was doing was not his usual modus operandi.
"My Lord?" Rossweisse said, getting Harry's attention as he broke his gaze from looking over the peaceful town and instead looked over to his secretary.
"What is it Rossweisse?" Harry asked calmly a smile on his face as he began to lose himself in her pale blue eyes.
"Why are we taking this approach?" Rossweisse asked bluntly, her cheeks darkening as she saw the way Harry looked at her.
Harry blinked at that, before he looked away from the Valkyrie and instead once again looked out over the peaceful town. "You are asking why I don't just go in powers blazing, find Kokabiel give him a good spanking and return the Excaliburs to the Church?" Harry asked an amused smile on his face as he thought about what people reactions would be to him literally giving Kokabiel a disciplinary spanking.
Rossweisse laughed softly at that before replying. "To put it simply yes."
She had a nice laugh Harry mused to himself before he replied. "Three reason really. First I do not want to reveal my presence to my enemies, not yet. Second something about this just doesn't sit right with me, it is all too coincidental, and it feels like a trap."
"And third?" Rossweisse asked curiously as she went over his first two reasons, accepting that he did have a point.
"The third reason is because I want it to be a joint effort. " Harry replied, sensing the silver haired woman's confusion he explained. "If I want this peace to come to fruition I need to provide proof that the three Factions can work together. By having the Devils, join the Church and a redeemed Fallen Angel in reclaiming the missing Excaliburs, I think that will be a good example of how we can work together."
"But what if things go wrong?" Rossweisse questioned, fully accepting his reasoning, but asking the pertinent question that sometimes need to be asked.
"If things go wrong." Harry said carefully. "Then I will take matters into my own hands."
Thunder could be heard ringing out across the dark skies as he said that, even as forked lighting exploded across the dark skies.
AN: So there we have it, we can already see some of the impacts from Harry's actions and we have been introduced to Irina and Xenovia. I have a few interesting ideas for this arc, but I am going to need to be careful as my other DxD story, Ten Tailed Wolf has reached this arc to. I have separate ideas for both I just need to be careful I don't mix them up.
Speaking of which someone suggested an amusing idea of a brief one shot between my DxD Harry and my DxD Naruto. Can't say I have any plans for it yet, but it could be quite funny so I will think about it.
My next update will probably be either Ten Tailed Wolf or Dead Man Walking. After which it all depends on which way my muse is going.
I would love it if you could all leave a comment or a review as it really does help us amateur writers when it comes to writing our chapters. So please do comment.
I will see you all next time. Hopefully I will have a quick update.
See ya.
Seagate.
