Hey guys I'm back. Let me first apologize for the long absence. I was extremely busy and barely had the time to work on my story. I also took an entire month vacation to spend time with my family in Spain which is why I wasn't able to update anything these past few months. Luckily, I was finally given some time which I dedicated to making this new chapter and wouldn't you know it I managed to write enough for 2 chapters but I have decided to combine it into one because you have all waited long and patiently for it.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter. Once again, special thanks to Azemption for proof reading my story. If you would like to read an amazing story, I would suggest reading his story which I have posted in my profile page.
I do not own any of the characters. Those belong to the original creator of High School Dxd.
Without further ado, let's get on with the story.
Kiba was wandering around without a destination in mind. He had been so angry after hearing Issei telling him that he should move on from his quest. He knew deep down that they were all worried for him. He could tell based on their expressions. It also didn't help that he shouted that he was willing to die for his quest. It was something that he never really wanted to let anyone know because he knew it would create needless worry for his king and his friends.
All of this brought back memories of his family. None of them were related by blood as they were all orphans who were brought in with the glorious task of helping the church find a way to create holy sword users that would be able to wield Excalibur. However, after years of constant experimentation, it was deemed a failure. They had suffered through years of pain and torture believing that they would one day become special beings. Their faith in this belief as well as each other was the reason they were able to endure such harsh tribulations.
Yet, their faith turned out to be for naught as they were deemed useless and immediately sentenced to be disposed of. Kiba remembered that day so clearly, that he could see it in his nightmares. Back then, he had been known as Isaiah. He recalled how they were all gathered in a particular location thinking they were about to go through another experiment but it turned out to be something much worse. They had been gathered to be disposed of at the order of their superiors. All the researchers came in dressed in full-body suits before they started gassing all of them. Somehow by sheer luck, he had been the least touched by the poisonous gas. Knowing that they were about to die, all of his friends including those much younger than him banded together to try and save him as they tackled the researchers trying to allow him to escape.
"RUN ISAIAH"
"YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
"GO NOW!"
He remembered all of them screaming, blood spewing from their mouths and eyes due to the poison. They were fighting to give him a chance to escape. He felt his heart break knowing his family was throwing their lives away to give him this chance. And so, with every strength he had remaining in his legs, he ran.
"Don't let him escape!" He could hear the researchers yell however they were stopped by his friends.
"DON'T LOOK BACK. KEEP RUNNING"
"GO ISAIAH"
"LIVE"
With tears in his eyes, he could do nothing but run away as fast as he could, never looking back as the sound of his brothers and sisters voices faded into the background. That was the last time he ever saw them. What made it worse was that despite their sacrifices, he had still inhaled some of the poison and would have died if he had not encountered Rias Gremory who had reincarnated him as her knight after seeing his strong will to live.
This was when Kiba Yuuto was born. Despite having been spared, he could never stop asking himself "Why him?". Why was he given the chance at life when his family died protecting him? Many of his family were much younger than him and had greater ambitions than him. It should have been one of them that had escaped. It should have been him who had died fighting alongside his brothers and sisters. All he could think about was how he felt like he had abandoned them all to their cruel fate. It wasn't fair. They had prayed every single day for the lord to come and save them yet their prayers were never answered.
And now, years later his past seems to have come back to haunt him when he had come face to face with Excalibur. The very thing that started all this and the very object that was ultimately responsible for the murder of all his brothers and sisters. He was finally given a chance at the revenge he had been dreaming of his entire life
"You need to learn to let go and move on with your life" Kiba remembered what Issei had told him but he could never let go of his deep-seated hatred. Not until his family has been avenged. If it cost him his life, then so be it. His family had sacrificed their lives to protect him so now it is his obligation to use his life to avenge theirs.
Kiba looked to the sky as he made a promise. A promise to destroy Excalibur once and for all.
Lying in his bed, Issei started to ponder on everything that had happened throughout the day. The first was the fact that their current enemy had turned out to be Kokabiel, the Fallen Angel Cadre of Grigori. He had heard many things about him from his uncle but most of it revolved around the fact that he was a warmonger that desired conflict. Not good news! It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Kokabiel selected this place to initiate his schemes. It is a well-known fact that Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri are in charge of Kuoh on behalf of the Underworld. Those two were the little sisters of two of the current 4 Maous. By killing them he will easily be able to usher in a new war against the Devils. The Angels will most likely join in due to the use of Excalibur. He will finally get what he always wanted. Another Great War. Thinking about it carefully, the fallen angels that he had dispatched earlier when he went to save Asia might have been working for Kokabiel, both as a scouting party and assembling power considering they tried to extract Twilight Healing from Asia
Issei sighed as he decided to finally give a call to his uncle he conjured a magic circle near his ear. Eventually, he heard the signal connect.
"Hello?" He heard Barakiel answer on the other end of the line.
"Hello uncle, it's me!"
"Issei! How are you doing, my boy?" Barakiel happily asked his nephew.
"I'm doing alright and you?"
"Things have been a bit hectic at work but other than that, I'm alright. Anyways, is there something you wish to talk to me about?" Barakiel inquired.
"I do uncle. I just learned of some very disturbing news today and I needed to talk to you about it."
"Oh, what is it? Sounds urgent" Barakiel asked seriously. Issei then went on to explain the events that occurred today including what they believed to be Kokabiel's plot.
"That's the gist of it, uncle" Issei finished explaining the situation causing Kokabiel to sigh depressingly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Dammit, I had a feeling that things might escalate like this when I heard the news about Kokabiel. We had placed several of our best men to monitor him to keep track of his whereabouts but he had managed to disappear recently. We tried finding him but with little success. I can't believe that he managed to slip into Kuoh undetected." Barakiel stated with a hint of worry in his voice considering that his daughter would be caught in the crossfire. Would Kokabiel kill his daughter? The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't afford to lose Akeno again. His mind would probably never recover from that.
"Don't worry uncle. You know that as long as I'm here, I won't let anyone touch a single hair on Akeno's head." Issei stated as if he could read what his uncle was thinking. This allowed Barakiel to take a huge sigh of relief knowing that he could trust Issei. In terms of power, Issei could obliterate Kokabiel easily, however…
"Very well, I'll trust you Issei. However, please be careful. Most factions have already seen the footage of your battle against the Phenex member meaning that they know you are allied with the devils and that includes us Fallen Angels. Kokabiel might be a warmonger but he is no fool. The fact that he is moving forward with his plans means that he must have something planned against you. I don't know what it is but I have a bad feeling so please be careful." Barakiel warned Issei who agreed with his assessment.
"Alright. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Whatever Kokabiel had planned for him, Issei would be ready.
"Good. I'll notify Azazel and the other Cadres about this. Please be careful and stay safe." Kokabiel said. Issei nodded.
"Thanks, uncle. See you!" Issei bid farewell to his uncle and closed his connection. That was one problem solved but now his thoughts were directed at another different issue, specifically one revolving around a certain knight. Kiba was currently consumed by vengeance and Issei as well as the others were scared that he was going down a path of no return. He had even admitted that he was willing to give up his life if it meant being able to complete his quest and there was no way for them to convince him otherwise. Issei knew this more because he could relate somewhat to Kiba. He had also lost his loved ones when he was young and was powerless to do anything about it. Although Akeno had thankfully survived, his aunt had not. However, unlike Kiba, he had unknowingly in his rage, killed all the people responsible for her death thus avenging her but Kiba had no such closure. In addition, the biggest difference between them was that he had his family's support through such times. Then, slowly but surely, they were able to move on which was what Shuri would have wanted Although, Kiba had gotten support from Rias and everyone else, the re-emergence of Excalibur brought out all his suppressed rage and memories that he had kept buried within himself.
Knowing Kiba, he was undoubtedly searching for the pieces of Excalibur regardless of any danger that may befall him. What could be done to help him? He started thinking of possible solutions and amongst the multiple ones he thought of, only one of them seemed the most likely solution. With a sigh, he left for school.
At the ORC clubroom, Matsuda had just dropped a large bombshell on the rest of them.
"WHAT! YOU MET AZAZEL THE FALLEN ANGEL LEADER! ARE YOU SURE?" Rias couldn't help but yell out in disbelief and extreme worry. It wasn't enough that she had just learned that Kokabiel was lurking behind the scenes, in her territory no less, but now she had just learned that the fallen angel leader had snuck in as well and met her pawn.
"Y-Yes Buchou. That's who he introduced himself as." Matsuda stated nervously.
"Shouldn't you have known who the client was considering every request goes through you if I'm not mistaken?" inquired Issei as he recalled what Rias had explained to him a while back.
Rias took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she sat back in her seat.
"Yes, you are correct. Normally any requests everyone receives go through a thorough investigation to make sure it's valid. However, with everything that has been going on, I guess I slipped up. That is still no excuse for my carelessness. You could have ended up getting hurt or worse Matsuda-kun. I am very sorry for that" Rias apologized to her beloved pawn. Matsuda looked flustered seeing his king apologize to him as he frantically flailed his hands around.
"I-It's alright Buchou. I can't blame you considering how many issues keep popping off so please don't apologize."
Rias smiled at how forgiving Matsuda was. "Thank you very much Matsuda-kun."
"You're welcome Buchou"
"What did Azazel want anyways?" Issei asked having an inkling of what Azazel came for. Matsuda then began to explain how he went to the client's house which was where he met Azazel who asked him to play a racing game against him. Afterward, he introduced himself as the leader of the Fallen Angels. He had first reassured him that he had nothing to do with Kokabiel's schemes and declared that his brother had gone rogue. He had even confirmed that the fallen angels they had taken care of previously were part of Kokabiel's group and thanked them for finishing them off. When Matsuda asked him why he didn't just take care of Kokabiel himself, Azazel answered that he could not because it may further escalate Kokabiel's plan for another great war. The fact that he had to hide his presence and sneak in just to talk to him goes to show the lengths he had to go to to make sure their sensitive ceasefire did not crumble.
"Then he left. However, he did mention that he would probably be able to send someone to help deal with the situation. Not sure who though because he teleported soon after without giving me the chance to ask him." Matsuda finished explaining about his time with Azazel.
'Seems Azazel already knew about this without needing uncle to notify him' thought Issei. Azazel might seem careless but his uncle had stated that he was the smartest person in Grigori. He must have already guessed Kokabiel's intentions long ago. It was a shame that he didn't finish Kokabiel the moment he showed signs of betrayal. This whole situation could have been avoided had he done that. However, Barakiel explained that at heart, Azazel was a very nice person and loved Grigori as his family. The fact that he still called Kokabiel a brother despite his clear betrayal indicated such which was why he wanted to believe in his brother's chances to see the error of his ways even if it was futile.
"I see. At the very least, it's good news to know that Kokabiel won't receive any help from Grigori. Did he say anything else?" Rias asked.
"Only that he wanted to play more games with me some other time" Issei chuckled when he heard that.
"Azazel is certainly a very laid-back person."
Rias sighed. She wanted to complain to Azazel for literally breaking into her territory and meeting her pawn but this wasn't the time. At least, he admitted that he wasn't colluding with Kokabiel. With that out of the way, there was something else they needed to take care of.
"Has anyone seen Kiba-kun?" she asked everyone. Since the match against the exorcists, Kiba has been going on a crusade trying to find the missing pieces of Excalibur.
"Unfortunately not, Buchou" Akeno shook her head negatively.
"No" Koneko answered
"We haven't seen him either" Matsuda pointed towards himself and Asia. Issei also nodded.
"Speaking of Kiba, we need to do something. If he keeps going on these excursions of his and encounters Kokabiel and his forces, it will cost him his life." Issei stated. No one could argue this because it was true. Rias and everyone else were very worried for their friend.
"I know however he won't stop even when I, his king, ask him to. It's unlikely he will stop until he finds Excalibur and destroys them." Rias said in a very worried tone. There wasn't much she could do. Kiba had already ignored her orders. Under normal circumstances, he would have been branded a rogue devil but Rias was appalled to even consider that option considering how much she cares for her peerage so all she could do was let him go.
"I have an idea but… I'm not sure if you are going to like it." Issei stated with an unsure tone.
"What is it?" Rias asked curiously. At this point, she would accept any idea that might save her knight.
"Well basically instead of stopping him, why don't we support him in his endeavor?" Issei stated his idea causing everyone to go wide-eyed.
"W-What? Didn't we just agree that his mission will get him killed which is why we are trying to stop him?" Matsuda shouted in disbelief.
"I agree." Even Koneko agreed with Matsuda. Issei raised his hands in front of him.
"Hear me out first." Issei tried to calm down the others as he continued "We've already established that Kiba will stop at nothing to achieve his quest even at the cost of his life which is why I believe it's best if we simply aid him and keep a watchful eye on him. If he is going to blow a fuse, might as well that it happens when we are near him so we can assist him." Issei explained his reasoning. Rias thought about it and even though she wasn't very receptive to the idea of it, she agreed that Issei's idea would probably be the best way to ensure Kiba's safety.
'If you can't beat them, join them' as the saying goes. As long as they could keep an eye on Kiba without him blowing a fuse, they could easily assist him and hopefully convince him to escape should they encounter Kokabiel. However, there is one issue.
"Didn't we just agree that we would not meddle in the church's affairs? I am not sure the two exorcists will allow us to intervene in their mission even though they need the help." Rias stated the present issue. The last thing she wanted was to start a conflict between both their respective faction which could result in a war. Issei smirked.
"While it's true that you had agreed that you would stay away from them, I had done nothing of the sort. While I am indeed allied with you guys, that does not mean I belong to the Devil faction so they should be alright with my help unless they have a screw loose in their brains." Issei explained hoping the exorcists won't deny the help they severely needed. However, Rias spotted a small issue with that.
"Won't they be too scared of you considering how you almost killed the blue-haired exorcist? They will most certainly want to stay from you out of fear." She stated reminding him of their previous encounter.
Issei opened his mouth but then froze… … … 'Yeah, that might be a problem' he thought to himself. To be honest, Issei had forgotten about that little incident when he came up with this plan. He had no regrets whatsoever about the course of action he took. They had threatened Asia's life in front of him and he would be damned if he stood there and did nothing to protect her. Hell, he had promised extinction to Riser Phenex for calling his Akeno a whore so the blue-haired exorcist should consider herself lucky that Asia and Akeno pleaded for their lives. Unfortunately, this does pose a slight tweak in his plan. Normally, he could just force them to accept his help but this might result in causing problems for Rias.
'BAH, Blasted politics. It's no wonder Mom and Dad didn't want to have anything to do with other factions' Issei shouted in his mind feeling like he wanted to pull his hair out of annoyance. He then took a deep breath before shifting his focus to Matsuda.
"Well, I guess we improvise then! I'll bring along Matsuda with me. From what I saw, the chestnut-haired exorcist, Irina Shidou, I believe her name is friends with him so she might listen to us when we offer our help. Besides, from what I saw, she possesses the brains of their duo and thinks logically compared to the blue-haired exorcist. With Matsuda coming along, we will at least be able to have a proper discussion and hopefully convince them to allow Kiba and the two of us to help them on their quest. In addition, just because they told you to stay out of it doesn't mean you cannot investigate the matter on your own. This is after all known to be your territory which is why I can just state that you sent Matsuda with me to keep an eye out on things as is your right, should they ask about it." Issei explained his reasoning to Rias. She saw his explanation to be reasonable except for maybe one detail.
"Do you honestly think Kiba will even humor that idea? He not only hates their guts for being a part of a church but they have the very blades he wants to destroy very badly. I don't think he will go along with the idea even if we manage to convince the exorcists" Matsuda countered thinking about the blond knights' behavior during their last encounter.
"In that case, we can come up with a compromise. How about if we propose that they allow Kiba to destroy only 1 of the captured fragments in exchange for our help?" Issei suggested.
"There is no way they will even consider such a thing. To them, the Excalibur fragments are more important than their lives. You know this!" Rias rebutted. Issei lifted a finger in response.
"True, however, they did state in their own words that they would be willing to destroy the Excalibur fragments if they were unable to recover them so parting with a single one in exchange for us helping them recover the others seems like a good bargain for their side no especially considering that their opponent is Kokabiel, a Fallen angel cadre," Issei responded. At this, Rias began to ponder. It was true that the 2 exorcists did say that if they could not recover the fragments, they would rather they be destroyed than remain in enemy hands so Issei's idea did make sense.
"Alright," Rias nodded. "In that case, I'll leave it to you and Matsuda-kun. Will you be able to find both the exorcists and Kiba-kun or would you like us to help you search?" she asked but Issei shook his head.
"No need. I can easily find all 3 of them and while Kiba has been covering his presence, I'm assuming he is silently following the 2 exorcists to see if they can lead him to the other fragments. Finding the 2 exorcists will be the same as finding Kiba" Issei pointed out that Kiba was most likely in the vicinity of the exorcists hoping to find a clue on the Excalibur fragments so it will be easier to search for the exorcists first which will likely lead them to Kiba.
"While we are doing that, you should probably alert the Student Council President. Whatever Kokabiel is planning cannot be good and I have a sinking suspicion his plan will start soon. You may want to contact both of your siblings and let them know about the situation." Remarked Issei. Rias seemed a bit conflicted because she didn't want to always ask her brother for help whenever something happened. She wants to prove that she can handle it on her own. Besides, she had Issei here who acknowledges that he could defeat Kokabiel by himself so there might not be a need to call them. Seeing her expression, Issei sighed.
"Rias, I understand you want to prove to everyone that you can take care of your territory with the Council President but don't let your pride stop you from making the right decisions. We just argued over the exorcist's poor choice of handling Kokabiel on their own without any help and yet you are considering doing the same thing. I know I said I can handle Kokabiel by myself but what if he brings back up? I can confidently state that I could probably take on Kokabiel and his forces by myself. However, Kuoh would probably be wiped off the map as well as collateral. You've witnessed my strength both against Riser and Tiamat. However, the goal here is to defend Kuoh from Kokabiel and his forces so we must take every precaution we can to accomplish that."
Rias took a deep breath and smiled "You are right Issei-san. I shouldn't let my pride dictate my actions. I'll notify Sona and call up the Maous for assistance."
"Good, we have a plan. Let's do it!"
"Yes!" Everyone stated at the same time and they all dispersed.
Issei and Matsuda were walking around the city with Issei leading Matsuda towards the two exorcists.
"You sure they are this way?" Matsuda couldn't help but ask since they were on a busy street and he would have assumed the exorcists would be looking in other places with fewer people like the abandoned church where all the fallen angels used to be.
"Yes, I can feel their presence up ahead so we should be close soon," Issei answered. Eventually, they spotted the two exorcists however their jaws slacked as they could not believe the situation they were seeing before them.
"Spare change. Can you offer us spare change in the service of the Lord?" They heard Irina ask for money as the people passed by. The two exorcists were sitting in the corner asking for change. What the heck happened? Issei thought it was no wonder he couldn't feel Kiba anywhere. He must have seen this scene and just left someplace else when he saw they would be of no help.
"I-Irina! What's going on here?" Matsuda was the first to ask and they both stepped forward towards them. Of course, seeing Issei near him did bring up some fear, especially from Xenovia but they knew he wouldn't cause a commotion in front of so many people.
"Oh, Matsuda-kun! It's good to see you again. How are you?" Irina inquired with a smile.
"I'm okay but seriously what the heck happened for the 2 of you to be begging for money? Didn't the church give you money for your mission?" Irina looked away in embarrassment as some specks of sweat could be seen on her face.
"Heh heh he, w-well umm… you see"
"Irina wasted all our money on a fake painting she bought of a Saint" Xenovia interrupted Irina, telling the two of them the truth causing Irina to gasp at her friend's sudden betrayal.
"I-It's not a fake. Can you tell that it was a beautifully painted drawing of the legendary Saint Elizabeth? How could I call myself a faithful devoted of the church if I did not buy it?" Irina vehemently stated with a passion.
"You wasted all the money that was supposed to be used for our mission." Xenovia scoffed at her companion. Irina looked away in shame knowing she could not refute it. Seeing the silence, Issei saw it was a good time to talk to them. That's what they had come for in the first place.
"While this is entertaining to watch, would it be alright if take a moment of your time to talk" Issei stated politely knowing that he needed to be nice if he wanted to engage in conversation with them.
"What is it that you want a dragon?" Xenovia asked not reciprocating Issei's politeness but Issei didn't care at the moment.
"How about we find a better place to talk? I'm sure you don't want to talk sitting on the streets." Issei suggested.
"We can talk over at my place. My mother is currently at work and won't be back until later so my place is free for the time being." Matsuda offered his place of residence as the place to hold the meeting.
"That is an excellent idea and we would be glad to accept your offer" Irina immediately jumped at the chance to go to Matsuda's place. It sure beats where they are now. Xenovia wanted to decline but even she had to admit that anywhere was better than their current predicament.
"Fine! Let's get this over with then" Xenovia answered. Seeing the both of them agree, Matsuda leads all of them back to his place. Irina decided to start a conversation with her crush. Even though he had become a devil, she still treasured him dearly and she could see that he hadn't changed much despite becoming a devil other than the fact that he was very perverted but that was a long time coming due to the conversation he had in his youth with that perverted old men. Eventually, they arrived at Matsuda's home and they each took a seat with Xenovia and Irina seated on one side and Matsuda and Issei on the other side.
"So, what is it you wish to talk about with us? I believe we've already discussed all that we needed to the last time we met at your school." Xenovia began wanting to know what the two wanted with them.
"We would like to ask you both a favor," Issei spoke in their stead. Both Xenovia and Irina raised a brow in confusion wondering what favor they could have.
"A favor? For what!" Irina asked the question in both their minds.
"We were hoping you would allow our friend Kiba to join your search," Issei stated their favor which did very much surprise the two exorcists who were speechless for a moment until Xenovia recuperated from it.
"Didn't we just agree previously that the devils would not interfere with our mission? Why would we allow such a thing?" she questioned.
"Also, from what I saw, the man you are talking about hates us with a passion due to being a Holy Sword project survivor. There is no way he would even consider working alongside us and it might cause unnecessary conflicts between us which is something we must avoid." Irina added on to which Issei agreed.
"You are right! That is why I'm hoping you would indulge in allowing Kiba to destroy one of the lost pieces of Excalibur in exchange for his help." Issei dropped the bombshell causing Xenovia to stand up furiously.
"Not! Our mission is to recover the lost fragments of Excalibur and return them to the church. It is our reason for being here or have you forgotten?" she glared at Issei.
"I do remember but I also recall you stating that you would be willing to destroy those fragments to ensure they could not be used by the Fallen Angels. All I'm asking is you allow my friend to relieve his burden by destroying one of the fragments. Of course, I'm not asking all of this for free. If you would accept this, I can promise you my full cooperation in your mission. You've already witnessed my strength so I'm sure you know I can be very helpful in your search." Issei offered his services in exchange for allowing Kiba to destroy one of the fragments. The exorcists were surprised by this and Xenovia didn't know what to do. She wanted to reject his offer because it was their duty to retrieve those fragments even at the cost of their lives. Even though the church did permit them to destroy them if they could not. That was a last resort and to even allow a devil of all things to destroy one would be considered heresy. But, could she even reject him? This dragon is the famed Crimson Calamity Dragon that even the church warned them not to enrage. Something she spectacularly failed at. She was conflicted over what course of action to take. Irina, on the other hand, thought about it and honestly, it did not seem like a bad offer for them. Sure they would have to give up one of the fragments of Excalibur but the church was prepared to destroy all of them so that their enemies wouldn't be able to use them. If they received his help, she had little doubt they would easily be able to accomplish their mission and it would have the added benefit of pacifying the devils as well. 2 birds with one stone kind of deal. That is why she decided to accept the offer.
"Very well! I accept your offer in exchange for a single fragment of Excalibur. However, we decide which fragment your friend is allowed to destroy. Is that acceptable?" Irina stated her terms to Issei who smiled.
"Of course! That is reasonable" replied Issei.
"Irina! What do you think you are doing?" Xenovia shockingly asked her partner. Irina turned to Xenovia.
"I believe this to be the best course of action to take to accomplish our mission Xenovia. Our opponent is Kokabiel, a Fallen angel cadre who used to serve our Lord. I am not so delusional as to believe that we are strong enough to be able to take him on even with our weapons. There is also very little chance that we might somehow be able to steal back the Excalibur fragments under his nose. We would just die without being able to do anything. Don't get me wrong though, I am willing to die in the service of our Lord if that is necessary but if there is a way to increase the odds of both the mission's success and our survival, wouldn't it be better to take it? Issei-san is willing to offer his help in exchange for a single Excalibur fragment. In exchange for sacrificing one fragment, we would be able to recover the other fragments which is our primary mission. That is why I am willing to accept his terms even if we have to team up with the devils. Besides, we do kind of owe them our lives. If it weren't for Asia and Akeno, Issei might have ended our lives previously" Irina shivered as she recalled Issei's fury. If anything, it was Xenovia who owed the devils her life but she would never admit it so Irina shifted it to the both of them.
"You have a very smart childhood friend Matsuda" Issei was impressed with Irina's rational decision-making. Any other exorcist would have just rejected his offer straight up and died a useless death at the hands of Kokabiel.
"But… to allow a devil to purposefully destroy one of the fragments… How are we going to explain it to the church?" Xenovia thought of the repercussions the church might impose on them for allowing such a thing. Irina just shrugged her shoulders.
"We can tell them the truth. We were offered aid by the Calamity dragon in exchange for a single piece of Excalibur. They did tell us to avoid causing conflict with him so we just abided by their instructions. If not, we can just say the piece was destroyed during battle. I think both cases are fine, don't you think?" she explained to Xenovia who sighed.
"Fine! I'll go along with it. I hope you can fulfill your end of the bargain then." Xenovia looked at Issei who nodded.
"Of course! A dragon does not go back on his word. When are you going to continue your search for the fragments?" Issei asked.
"We were planning to start now. The faster we find the pieces, the faster we can finish the mission" Xenovia answered.
"Alright! In that case, Matsuda will accompany you while I inform Kiba of our agreement. From there, we will search for the Fallen angel. Once they are found, I will contact you via Matsuda and we can begin the mission."
"Sounds like a plan. Guess I can view this as a date, eh Matsuda-kun" Irina winked at Matsuda who blushed a crimson red.
"You can't help teasing me, can you?"
With that, the group of Irina, Xenovia, and Matsuda started their search for the fragments of Excalibur while Issei used his senses to locate Kiba and inform him of their plan. Hopefully, this will help relieve the burden he carries inside himself.
(In an abandoned building on the outskirts of Kuoh)
The preparations were nearly complete as Kokabiel and his allies were gathering their forces in preparation for their attack on Kuoh. Kokabiel could hardly contain himself as his ambitions of another Great War would soon be realized.
"Are all your forces ready?" Valper Gallilei interrupted his thoughts with his question.
"Indeed! I've gathered all the fallen angels who are loyal to me and my cause. How about you doctor?" Kokabiel questioned the last member of his ally who smiled.
"Mine are fashionably ready for the attack. Although couldn't you have warned me about your little friend's temper? He had slaughtered some of my precious minions just for being in his way." Remarked the unknown doctor.
"I still can't believe you managed to bring in such a thing but the question remains, Will he be able to deal with that monstrosity?" Valper referred to Issei causing Kokabiel to nod confidently.
"I can assure you that he is more than up to the task. As the saying goes 'to defeat a monster, you must use a monster'. I have no doubt he will accept aiding us as soon as he sees who his opponent is."
"He better. The success of our plan hinges on the belief that he can either deal with the dragon or at least stall him long enough to finish our goal." Valper remarked. No matter how many forces they had gathered, they had no means of dealing with the Calamity Dragon that was currently residing in Kuoh. Even Kokabiel, as prideful as he is about his superior strength, admits that he stands no chance against that dragon. Their plan will be for naught if they cannot deal with him.
"I'll take your word for it Kokabiel. In the meantime, I have to finish some fine-tuning to my little experiments. I have to thank you for the scales. They have allowed to create such masterpieces" the doctor stated with glee as he looked at his golden armored knights.
"If anything, I'm impressed you were able to make them so quickly." Praised Kokabiel.
"It's all thanks to these beauties" he pointed towards his gloves. "Thanks to them, I can work so much faster and more efficiently as well. The perfect tools for the most fabulous scientist" he spun around flamboyantly.
"Although, I'm more shocked by something else. Where on earth were you able to find 'that'?" Kokabiel pointed towards another armor. The scientist smirked.
"Oh! I'm impressed you were able to deduce what material I used for that magnificent piece. I have to admit, it is probably my best masterpiece as of yet. As for where I got it from. Let's just say, I have friends in many places and it was they who found it and brought it to me."
"Does it hold the power of the original?" he asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, not! It's a mere replica after all but it does possess the basic functions." He responded to Kokabiel's inquiry.
"Doesn't matter in the end! Even possessing a fraction of its strength is enough to decimate armies. We will put it to good use. Now if you will excuse me, I need to attend to our colleague in there" Kokabiel pointed towards a door. His allies nodded and left to finish their preparations.
Kokabiel marched towards the room and opened the door. Inside he could hear the recording of a particular game playing back. Watching it was the silhouette of a massive behemoth who seemed to be watching the video very intently.
"Well, have you decided on my request?" Kokabiel asked. The being could be seen moving his body around as a large reptilian eye opened up and looked toward the Fallen Angel cadre.
"Haha, I must admit that I did not expect from you however it would seem that I was wrong. He is a worthy opponent." A deep and ferocious voice replied.
"Does that mean I can take it as an agreement on your part?"
"Yes, the deal is struck. You should consider yourself lucky that you did not waste my time otherwise I would have killed you on the spot." The beast bellowed causing Kokabiel to shiver as sweat could be seen dripping down Kokabiel's face. The scary part was that he knew that what he stated was true. If he wanted to, his head would have rolled off his shoulder the moment he stepped into the room. He was a real monster with overwhelming might. A monster that he needed right now to fight another monster. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.
"Good to know. In any case, since the bargain was struck I came to inform you that the preparations are almost complete and we will head to Kuoh soon. Please be ready when the time comes." He informed him.
"Don't worry. I will be ready. However, let me make one thing clear. I am only interested in fighting the dragon. I will not take part in any of your little skirmishes and if any of you dares to get in my way, I will wet my blade on their bones and feast on their flesh." The beast threatened as a wave of murderous intent spilled over the room causing Kokabiel to gulp knowing he wasn't joking.
"I understand. I will let our forces know. As long as you can deal with the dragon, everything will fall into place and you may even be able to face other powerful opponents like the Maous of the Underworld when they show up."
"Hmf! I could care less for those flying bats as I do you pigeons. Now get out of here before I use you as target practice" he growled.
"Very well" Kokabiel nodded and immediately left to premises, clear glee shown in his expression now that the final piece of his plan had come into place. Victory is now assured and finally, after a long time, he will be able to usher in a new era of war.
Inside the room, the behemoth went back to watch the recording of Issei's fight with Riser. He watched him as Issei roared into heaven cementing his victory over the puny devil. The beast smirked revealing an array of white fangs as his two reptilian eyes showed glee and anticipation at the upcoming fight.
"Hahaha, finally I will face a worthy opponent in a glorious battle. The slaughter shall soon begin. I cannot wait." He stated in excitement. Soon, the battle will begin.
Chapter end
And we finally end the chapter. Soon, the battle will begin. Will Issei and his friends have an easy victory or will he actually face a challenge. Some of you ironically have already guessed who Kokabiels secret associate is despite me not putting his name but I already knew such fans of anime would catch it. If not, then I hope you are in for a surprise when he is revealed.
As usual, if you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Also, if you would like to talk to like minded people, please join my discord channel which I have posted on my profile page. My goal is too reach 100 people for now and hopefully with any luck create a community where people would chill and chat about anything.
Anyways, Thank you very much for sticking with my story despite the large delays. Catch you next time my friends and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.
Until next time
Mairsarmy321 out.