NMHA Ch. 68 - Unraveled
A/N:
So the show continues. Heh, it's good to finally get to this stage! Even my beta was taken aback when he saw what happened!
But man, the followup did not come easy. Had to put a timer on myself to get this thing out even this quickly. Even then, I didn't quite make it in the time I wanted to.
Enough about me though. Let's keep rolling.
The individual to cast the first stone, ironically enough, came from the Vatican delegation. Only in this case, it was not stone, but rather a cocoon of ice that wrapped around Lunarunn, as though attempting to entomb her in a frozen grave.
Not an instant later, the brunette beat all six of her wings to shatter the half-formed shell. Crimson energy suffused the middle pair and blasted out of the topmost as she launched into the air, cutting to one side as blasts of holy light shot through the chaotic din.
It was as if Hell's gates had opened on the floor of the Summit, the entire room shaking as gods and various mythical creatures rose, whether that was to fire at each other or the Abrahamic trinity. Some backed off from the pandemonium, even as the room expanded in size to further enable the mayhem.
She dodged, weaved, before Weaving herself behind the two advancing Exorcists as they stormed the center.
Between blinks, Luna struck the ground with her silvered limb. Beams of multicolored light webbed out toward Griselda and Dulio, the nun blurring away ('Rapidly,' she noted) and the usually-peaceful exorcist jettisoned himself in a burst of wind as jets of plasma blasted out of the cracks.
Instincts screamed, forcing her to dive away from a fist with such destructive power that the air nearly blistered her skin. One of the strongest holy blades flashed by in an intercept, strands falling away as they met the fate that awaited her neck. Cataclysm Eclipse speared out and met resistance in the Ubermensch's blade and arm- before Luna evacuated, flickering away to evade Dulio's deadly chill.
"Good teamwork," she remarked between stray blasts from their surroundings, sidestepping a burst of dark magic.
"Silence, demon," Vasco intoned, swiping his holy blade to his side in a flourish. "There is nothing to say save His word to exorcise you from this world."
'Wait, wasn't Durandal supposed to be Xenovia's? Did she give it back? Hm.'
"Devil," she smirked. "Still, can't say I'm surprised the Church would strike first when I show that I can actually follow through on proving the truth."
"You have proven your point; you're here to reignite war. War. How can you justify that?" Dulio replied, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a frown. "Like your predecessors, you need to be stopped!"
"You think I need to be stopped," Luna countered. "Why? Afraid of what might happen if word gets out that God's dead?"
She whirled around, catching Griselda midswing with Cataclysm Eclipse as a leg lashed out to slam into the other Exorcist's stomach, sending her flying.
"Seems so," she murmured, this time dodging as beams of raw destruction criss-crossed their way across the Exorcists.
The culprit was immediately clear, Sirzechs's previous attire replaced by his armor, the air shuddering under his power as he ascended-
That same power was matched by the sun, a beam of solar energy that blasted toward him blocked by a disk that devoured the light.
"So this is your decision, Amaterasu?" Sirzechs demanded, whirling on the goddess, who stood with a glare of now-open hostility. "After all we have done to make amends for our past?"
"After everything you pretended to do, Deceiver!" Yasaka snarled, her tails spread wide, will-o-the-wisps at the top of each as she rose as well from Amaterasu's side to his level. "You speak of peace, yet you continue to poach Our people! You speak of family, yet you stole more than just Lunarunn's! By trusting you, Sajin was lost, and you have no idea how many mothers, daughters, and sons will suffer for the loss of our greatest commander in an era! We shall take your falsities no longer; it is time we take matters into our own hands!"
"Is that so?" Sirzechs's face hardened. "I'm sorry, Yasaka-sama, but I'm not the one to blame. Nor will I be the one to fall if you insist on facing me."
"Unlike you and Ajuka- my vessel is not alone," Amaterasu rose, sun and vessel once more side-by-side. "And neither am I. Now!"
The roof shattered as lightning speared through. Following the curve of the God of Storms' katana, the bolt joined the blade as it struck, meeting another barrier of destruction. Susano'o vanished as Sirzechs retaliated, the ground disintegrating into motes of dust. The storm god appeared next to Tsukuyomi and Nurarihyon, glancing their way to give them a brief nod. They each returned the gesture, before rushing forward once more.
A different kind of luminescence flickered behind their forms as spears of light bounced off the staff of the Monkey King, the enlightened youkai fending off Michael and Gabriel with Indra stepping in with vajra in hand, laughing all the while.
"Is that the best you've got?!" he demanded as a lunging punch pushed Michael back despite the admirable block. "Perhaps your 'Heaven' isn't so mighty after all!"
"Brother!" Gabriel cried, redoubling her efforts in the brief moment that it took for Michael to recover, unwilling to give so much as an inch. "Lord Indra, Sun Wukong, what is it that compels you so!?"
"I thought it was obvious," the Monkey King replied, leaping forward and forcing Michael to aid his sister in defending against the whirlwind of staff strikes. "We are of the same mind; ours is a world in stagnation for too long. Just as all things come to pass, seasons must change, is that not correct, Michael, Gabriel?"
"But not like this!" the Archangel protested, backing off long enough to unleash a barrage of light spears, a flying phalanx.
"And yet your mind is clouded with doubt even now," Indra shot back, outstretched vajra smashing the phalanx to naught. "Even now, you wonder- were you wrong? Speak then, speak with all honesty that yours is the righteous path! I know you cannot!"
Gabriel lunged, though regardless if in opposition to Indra's demand or to try and take advantage of the brief lull, she was sent flying by Wukong's staff. Her flight was interrupted by the body of another, prompting her to scramble to her feet, light construct spearing down before it was deflected by another.
"Azazel?" Gabriel grimaced as she turned away. "Apologies, but I need to help Michael-"
"This is... this is all too well-planned," the black-and-blonde-haired Fallen muttered, clutching at his head with a hand, before he called out to the retreating Seraph. "The Youkai sealed off the realm, we're stuck in a cage. We need to work together, or else it's gonna get ugly!"
She paused, glancing back at him... but what laid in her eyes was far more chilling.
Doubt.
"I... I know that, but I have to help Michael first!"
Azazel's gaze shot over to Shemhazai. His aide was desperately defending against a gleeful Greek war god, but instead of immediately rushing in to help, he came to a separate decision. "Then let me help you!"
Gabriel's gaze shot to Azazel once more, before they trailed over to Shemhazai... and the way he screamed as the crunch of the Fallen secretary's nose was muted by the resounding gong of the shield that smashed into it.
Azazel was agonized. Gabriel's voice grew cold.
"No. I'm not letting you throw away any more family for the sake of the 'peace', Azazel. Get your own affairs in order first, before you attempt to help ours."
"But we're family too!"
"Azazel!" He stopped as Gabriel turned back to him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Enough. Please."
"..." He grit his teeth. "I'm going to make them pay for making you cry, Gabby. I promise."
"Don't do it for me," she whispered, before rushing back into the fight without waiting for Azazel's response.
He just stood there, transfixed for a long moment before turning back to fly in front of the xiphos that had been aimed to end Shemhazai's life.
The Governor-General tasted iron from the clench of his teeth as he blocked the coup de grace, even as Ares's eyes lit up. 'Damn you Lunarunn... why did you have to prove Kokabiel was right, now of all times?!'
Azazel shoved Ares back before unloading a furious fusillade of spellfire. "Shem! Now's not the time to be taking a nap, we need to get the hell out of here!"
"Running away from War when it is in front of you?" The god mocked, weathering the barrage behind his shield before rushing back in to lock Azazel in a direct engagement. "It appears that you are more stubborn than I first thought, crow."
All the while, a few spectators remained, most uninterested or undecided in joining, the Allfather among them...
"I assure you, I had no part of this."
...and his blood-brother, causing Rossweisse to flinch back with a choked gasp at the sudden appearance.
"No, such a brazen attack on the state of this world is not your style, is it Loki?" Odin grunted, throwing up a barrier as a beam of lightning sliced across it. Nothing remained of the surrounding seats but ash and slag. "And yet it is all but the start of Ragnarok regardless. Does it please you to see such mayhem?"
"Not at all."
Odin's head snapped over to the trickster god. "Don't lie to me, brother. Chaos has always been as much your passion as your forte."
"And yet, here I am, speaking with you, instead of reveling in it," Loki fired back, expression remarkably firm for the normally mischievous deity. "Listen, brother. What is Ragnarok, exactly?"
"The end of the world, what is your point?" he replied.
"The end of our world," Loki corrected Odin. "It is a cycle. The fire to burn the world. The ash, and the fertile soil to create a new one."
"It is a world without us, Loki. You would light the flame, knowing that you'll become its fuel?"
"Is that not what you would do, by allowing the world to continue as it had been?" The trickster god gestured to Azazel's duel with Ares while Shemhazai weaved spells - too sluggishly to help - behind the Governor-General. At the same moment, Michael and Gabriel were slowly losing ground to Indra and Wukong. A gesture followed a moment later, to Sirzechs and Ajuka; the two were combatting the entirety of the present Shinto faction's powerhouses. "Look at them. Just yesterday they spoke so earnestly about making peace, yet it only took the interruption of one woman to poison the well of trust between them. Could a peace so fragile truly have lasted?"
"Any metal in the forge takes time to settle to steel," Odin replied.
The green eyes of the trickster god met the single golden one of the Allfather. "Yet we need far more than a brittle, half-cooled blade for the fight that awaits us. After all, couldn't the underlying resentment eventually create a rift large enough for the End Beast to fit through?"
Odin glanced over at Rossweisse, who watched on with wide eyes.
"Girl, is what my brother saying the truth?"
"Allfather?" She turned to him, blinking in confusion.
"Answer the question."
The silver-haired valkyrie glanced over to Loki, then to Odin, before furrowing her brow.
"I... I don't know. I was able to uncover that Trihexa is a being of pure malice. It's certainly possible that unsettled grudges could feed it despite being locked beyond time and space. But I'm not sure how that would power It."
Her hand rose to her chin, eyes shaded, deep in thought. "Though there's the possibility that grudges could power It based on the intensity of the animus- and certainly, all three Abrahamics burying the blade despite protests on all sides would exacerbate a lot of them. Or is it that negativity acts as a bridge to It, and all that's necessary is enough of it to support the weight of It's conceptual existence? I don't know, but they're all plausible."
Odin frowned. It wasn't much, but considering how little existed about Trihexa, that was about as much as he could hope for.
He glanced back over to where the instigator faced three of the strongest Exorcists the Vatican had to offer. Attacking, holding her own against their coordinated assault, but not killing.
Odin wasn't blind though- especially not after losing one of his eyes. He knew that Lunarunn could butcher all three humans with nary a second thought if bloodshed were her goal. Those wings were proof of such.
Especially that middle pair. The last time the Allfather could remember wings like those was back when...
"Mimir's missing testes!" he swore harshly as he surged to his feet, and Rossweisse backed off with a yelp. "Are you saying-?"
"I'm afraid so, brother," Loki confirmed softly. "The end days are nigh. It's up to us, however, to decide whether there's anything left to grow after the dust settles."
He grinned. "Personally, I choose life. It's far more entertaining."
Luna could barely refrain from giggling as she blocked Excalibur Rapidly, then ducked as Durandal flashed horizontal, more strands of her ponytail victim to the holy power behind Vasco's blade. He surged forward, giving Griselda the moment she needed to withdraw and re-engage from behind.
'Classic skill trio- tank, flanker, and caster,' she mused, Weaving herself out of the melee as Dulio attempted to freeze her with Zenith Tempest once more. 'Vasco takes the aggro, Griselda to step on toes, Dulio for fire support. It's a good combination; any Devil would have trouble facing these three.'
It was only because she'd trained so extensively that she was keeping up.
Even so, she hadn't been able to score any sort of wounds on the exorcist trio since they covered themselves so well, even if the Devil was beginning to accumulate cuts.
They burned, naturally, but Luna was growing used to Holy element poisoning. Perhaps a bit too well. She was in pain, but more than that, she felt alive, the blood thrumming through her body, mind and senses firing on all cylinders. It felt good to not have to worry so much about politics, or appearances- that moment, all that mattered was the fight and the foe.
Speaking of whom, Luna was surprised they hadn't tried chants. Were they worried that she was too powerful for them to matter?
'Or is Cataclysm Eclipse - or maybe my new wings - purging the holy element on its own, and they noticed before I did?' she wondered as she flipped, lines of red trailing behind the Tainted Gear to avoid the flanking horizontal slashes of the two exorcists. One vile wing plunged into the ground for Luna to use it like a pole, kicking away the return sweep of Excalibur Rapidly. The Trihexa fragment's other wing met Vasco's fist to keep him from turning the far squishier main body of the Devil into a bloody smear. Her leg snapped upward, knee smashing into the head of the Ubermensch with a resounding crack, yet Vasco staggered back only a single step, even as the backlash of the strike lanced up Luna's leg. Her glee was cut off by grit teeth and muted profanity.
'Motherfucker-! Gh- like hitting a brick wall!' Little wonder that Vasco could send Kokabiel packing back in the second World War if he was this sturdy even in his winter years!
She warped away as Dulio struck, appearing a few meters to the side as arctic winds blasted into the spot she'd once stood. With the single moment to breathe, Luna expelled the creeping chill seeping into her bones with a rush of warmth. What better way to stop the loss of particle motion than by speeding them up again?
'I'm not gaining ground like this- but even so...'
She didn't want to kill them.
LEADERSHIP.
Admittedly, they were extremely high up the Church hierarchy. If she cut off such powerful foes, then there'd be no denying her legitimacy in the eyes of power. Her's would become a person to take lightly only if seeking death.
But maybe the exorcists - these ones, at least - would see the light once enough of the truth was revealed? If Luna went for scorched earth, there wouldn't be any slack to give. At that point, they would be right about her.
Luna knew she was damned either way, but she refused to sink to that low.
To that end... 'I need to start making progress, but this isn't a great matchup unless I'm shooting to kill.'
A brief extension of her senses touched on two particular auras; one of serene ferocity and the other of an implacable crackling strength. Her eyes slid over to Indra and Wukong.
She knew that Wukong was an ally, but Indra...? What was he fighting alongside Wukong for? Weren't they of different pantheons?
Indra's eyes caught hers, and he gave her a cocky little grin before inclining his head. He'd noticed her brushing against his energy.
'Guess that's as good a sign as any.'
Luna displaced herself again, this time slamming a sword of stardust against the light spear of Gabriel, the blonde blinking with surprise at the sudden change in opponent.
"Hey gorgeous, come around here often?" she teased with a grin, shoving off the sword to detonate in the Seraph's face, swinging around to block the descending spear with crossed, warlike wings.
"How could you...?" Michael whispered, teeth grit even as he shook his head slowly. He backed off before returning in a flurry of blows. "No. That isn't for me to ask. It's clear you have your reasons, but you must be stopped for the sake of the world."
"Peace is more important than the life of a nobody, huh?" she mused aloud, barrier pane in hand as she deflected each strike, ducking to sweep out the legs of the singed Seraph that had attempted to flank with the Archangel, only to find no resistance as Gabriel had reared back on her six pairs of wings, a claymore of blazing light in hands as she swung down.
Cataclysm Eclipse flared, Luna streaking to the side as a pillar of light detonated skyward from the impact of Gabriel's downswing. The Devil rolled back to her feet out of the blast zone, firing out her question as she readied herself for another engagement. "Then what are you willing to pay for peace, Michael? How many nobodies like me do you plan to sacrifice to maintain the status quo?"
"And how many will you kill to change it?" Gabriel countered, stepping in with a fist covered in light. Luna backstepped, not realizing it was a feint until the angel's feet shifted and closed the rest of the distance with another step, forcing the brunette to block the other radiant grip - with her arms this time. "How many must die to see your vision through?!"
Luna's good arm exploded in pain from the direct hit as she crashed into the seats. Yet just as quickly as she flew in, the monstrous wings propelled her back out of the wreckage, turning rubble and scrap into dust. "As few as possible," Luna growled as she skidded to a stop in front of Gabriel, the light of a dying star in her prosthetic as she extended it, hand clasped onto the cool metal. "But unless I want all those I already killed to mean nothing, as many as it takes!"
Azazel spared a glance as Michael tackled Gabriel out of the way of Lunarunn's point-blank blast, the brunette's invocation of a supernova blasting a hole in the side of the building - and in the skies beyond, the clouds blown into rings by the beam.
'Oh Father... just what has my complacency done?!' he lamented, cursing as he skidded back, knocked away by a mighty backswing of Ares's shield.
"Fool! Do you seek Thanatos?" the Greek god bellowed as he stormed back in, xiphos a blur of an edge that slammed against another light spear, then again, then again and again and again. "Cease your distractedness!"
He'd gotten soft, Azazel admitted to himself. He hadn't trained like Kokabiel had, and it was showing- without his inventions in hand, Azazel was only evenly matched with a god of war, rather than beyond Ares like he should have been. The Fallen tried to summon one of his latest creations - a certain artificial Sacred Gear - but he felt the spell collide with the same block that prevented the delegations from escaping.
'Blast it all!'
With his summon failed, instead the Governor-General conjured a large blast of holy energy, to force Ares back before Azazel lost a limb, though the god rushed back into melee the instant the blast subsided.
No, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? If Amaterasu planned to betray them all along, then it made sense that the ward locking them in would also keep others out. Shemhazai wasn't helping either; Azazel didn't need to see just how bloodied his aide was. Little wonder Azazel's secretary hadn't jumped back in yet, the sort of hit Shem took was not one easily shaken off.
The Greek would pay for that. They'd all pay for that. Nobody hurt his family and got away with it!
"I would say hypocrisy is unbecoming of you, but that wouldn't be true at all, now would it?" Ares smirked, scoffing as he stepped back and thrust his shield forward, a bloody whirlwind emerging from it. Azazel threw up his own barrier, grimacing as the red energy tore at his defense with the same shearing force as thousands of individual blades cutting, jabbing, tearing.
"You're one to talk!" He growled, shattering both spells with another grunt, before dozens of spears appeared around Ares, shooting forward as though fired like harpoons.
The god danced, deftly sidestepping the holy projectiles, blocking or parrying that which he could not. "Ah, but as a god of war, I know all about conflict. I revel in it. Such conflict does not just include that which is exterior."
Azazel scoffed, jaws of light opening up on each side of Ares to devour him in their holy maw. "You? The bloody warmonger?"
The war god smashed his shield into one side of the maw to escape through the broken 'teeth'. "Warmonger though I may be, just because I live for the art of dealing death does not mean I cannot expand my domain. There is a reason Aphrodite and I get on so well, and we each have picked something up from each other during our dalliances."
Ares lunged forward once more, forcing Azazel to spread his wings and take to the air, lest he be smashed by the shield again. "Including a greater understanding of the nature of war itself. It's a wonder-filled hypocrisy- those that would protect what they hold dear inflict misery upon those that others love. I cannot help but admire it."
"Of course you would; it's your domain after all." The black-and-gold-haired Fallen shot back as he pounced downward. Ares barked out a laugh, jumping away before the spears that Azazel had prepared for just that opportunity met a burst of blade-shaped energy.
"And is it not yours, 'Governor-General'? You Fell because of your own conflict with your Father, and even now I can see how that conflict boils within you. You may not want it, but in attempting to bury the blade, you would instill such feelings in others." Ares laughed again. "Hah! It's delightful to see how you'd let your closest subordinate die if it meant fulfilling your ideal!"
Azazel's face went blank. "Then why am I here instead of letting you finish the job?"
"Please. The only reason you are is because your sister refused to consider your 'alliance' any longer," The Greek replied smoothly, deflecting Azazel's words as easily as the Fallen's next salvo of light spears. "Don't think I wasn't watching- your secretary is far from weak, but he was no match for me. We saw it all."
"Shem and I have an understanding," the black-and-gold-haired Fallen bit out. "He knows everything I do, I do for a reason."
The war god smiled, more than a hint of malice in his expression. "Perhaps, but that does not mean that your secretary wholly agrees with sacrifices like one of those many lambs to your father back in the days of eld."
"I would never!" Azazel exclaimed.
Ares just tilted his head, lowering his blade ever so slightly.
"But is that the way your kin sees it?"
Shemhazai, off to the side with a hand over his face, looked up at Ares, before he glanced at Azazel and gave him a nod before his gaze fixed on Ares once more. Ares's shield bash had done a number on the cadre, but the sharpness in his eyes indicated he was still of sound mind. It appeared that he'd recovered by now.
That nod was enough to put Azazel at ease.
"I trust Shem. He trusts me. That's all there is to say about it."
The Greek god's eyes glittered.
"Oh? Whoever said anything about me specifying your shieldbearer?"
'What?!'
Shemhazai's head snapped toward the Governor-General, alarm and shock driving the panic in his voice even as the sound of a veil of magic falling behind Azazel reached his ears.
"ZAZ!"
Azazel tried to move, prompted both by Shemhazai's warning and by instinct, but something - a hand - slammed into his back, a familiar magic coursing through him, immediately sending lead through his body.
With his failing strength, the Governor-General turned to see his chief secretary standing there, drawing back her hand, though the expression on her face laid bare the warring emotions within her.
"Penemue...?" he breathed, barely able to speak, much less remain conscious. But he had to know... he had to know...
"I..." the eyes of the Fallen cadre softened briefly, before hardening once more. "Sorry, Azazel. But I can't let you use our family like playing cards anymore."
'...She always was one of Kokabiel's... more supportive peers, huh...?'
Azazel blinked once, twice, letting out a short chuckle at the betrayal, before finally dropping to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. Penemue watched, as though still debating if what she did was the right choice, before-
"PENEMUE!" Shemhazai yelled through his broken nose, spells upon spells, each more powerful and dangerous than the last, appearing around the violette, at which point she realized that she had to follow through with the decision she'd made.
She lifted a spear and pointed it down at Azazel's neck.
"Enough!" the cadre yelled. "Enough, Shem! I don't want to have to kill either of you!"
The Governor-General's aide went ashen, then red. "You dare-!"
"Just look around you for Father's sake!" Penemue cried, throwing her free arm to the surrounding bedlam. "It was a trap! This whole summit was a damned trap! At least this way, none of us have to die!"
"You'd trust the word of a bloodthirsty Devil that 'justice' would be served?!" Shemhazai demanded.
"We don't exactly have much room to talk, do we?!" she fired back. "Please, Shem! Just stand down!"
Shemhazai grit his teeth, looking around at the other fights- the 'bloodthirsty Devil' in question was dancing in the sky with singularities in hand, moving with an erratic grace, flitting instantly from one direction to the next. A blink later, she was back on the ground, unleashing a blinding blast that sent the Seraphs through one of the holes in the building.
Forced to look away, a glance to Shemhazai's other side laid the exorcists fighting against Indra and Sun Wukong, losing ground against the Indian god and Buddha. They were specialized to fight Devils, not deities, and even then one at a time. Against such a duo, it was everything the Vatican delegation could do to not be struck down.
Above them, Sirzechs and Ajuka were going toe to toe with the Shinto Faction's strongest, though judging by the wounds on the pair of Super Devils, that fight wasn't going well either.
Shemhazai knew better. The Shinto were currently empowered by their home domain, and the Underworld representatives were holding back. If the two Super Devils unleashed their full power, everyone in the Summit would be dead, and the fallout would be nothing short of apocalyptic.
But given how things were turning out, they might have to do so, just out of self-preservation.
Shemhazai lowered his hand, the spells around his traitorous comrade vanishing into the aether.
"Fine," he spat a wad of blood toward the violette. "Fine, I'll 'stand down', but let me make this clear- you'll pay for this, Penemue."
She closed her eyes, accepting the condemnation with a surprising grace. "...I know I will. Ares, I've completed my side of the bargain. Now uphold yours."
"Of course. Why would I do otherwise?" Ares commented, smirking as he walked over to Shemhazai, the secretary staring back... before his shield blurred, and Shemhazai was sent flying into the pews, cratering the area around him from the force of the impact.
He didn't get back up.
"ARES! YOU SWORE NOT TO-"
"He is not dead," the Greek god scoffed, walking over to the unresponsive cadre before picking him up. He slung the Fallen over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "But unlike you, I am not skilled in spells of slumber. Nor am I keen to leave threats like the one he uttered unanswered. This was the best way to ensure he is of no problem for the remainder of this conflict."
Penemue grit her teeth, but took a deep breath. "You'll answer for sucker-punching my brother later. For now, it's time to abscond."
She reached in and pulled out a talisman, then glanced over to Ares, who withdrew one of his own, both talismans glowing before they disappeared.
The fact that the cadre and god teleported away with the unresponsive forms of the two Fallen leading their end of the summit wasn't lost on Ajuka.
"Sirzechs!"
"I saw!" The reigning Shinto trinity disengaged from the sudden swarm of Destruction orbs that Sirzechs unleashed. In the process, the redheaded Devil pulled back with a beat of his wings, wiping away a bit of blood from the side of his mouth, then quickly rubbing an eye, taking note of the situation now that Amaterasu wasn't near-blinding him. "We'll need to find one for you to reverse-engineer if we want to retreat."
"If we can force someone else to use theirs in front of us, I think I'll be able to figure the rest of it out." Ajuka glanced over to the Exorcists, briefly tilting his head toward them. "They should understand the importance of working together to get out of this cage."
Sirzechs paused, brow furrowing for a moment before he nodded. "Understood. Stay in one piece, alright? We all still need you."
With that, Sirzechs blurred away, leaving the green-haired Devil to watch as the Shinto gods approached once more. He lifted a hand ever so slightly, a runic circle appearing in front of his fingertips, spinning slowly, then faster and faster.
"He has a lot of trust that you'll be able to fight us alone, Beetle!" Susano'o commented as he swung in, a blade like lightning sheathed in a blade thereof blurring toward Ajuka.
The green-haired maou's eyes narrowed, and not just because Amaterasu had started radiating her blinding intensity again.
Ajuka's other hand shot out, a runic circle appearing in that palm before it met the storm god's blade. The katana's direction changed instantly, shooting upward.
The green-haired Devil's body twisted, his leg snapped out, Susano'o was sent flying into his sister. Unable to block a body with the Yata no Kagami the same way she could against demonic energy, both went tumbling, recovering moments later. Ajuka whirled around, Tsukuyomi's blade halting midswing as the Devil's Kankara Formula took effect.
"I really do need to talk to Metatron about his part in propagating that insult..." The Beelzebub Satan muttered. A flick of his hand sent the tanto spinning clean through the eye of the moon god, who vanished like mist. Ajuka swung around, the Devil's other hand coming to a stop in front of the face of the individual who tried to use the illusion to sneak in closer.
"Don't even bother with illusions," he warned the 'stunned' illusion - because why stop with just a single layer of misdirection? - in front of him. His hand shot up, a skyward-surging flood of spells bellowing from the small runic circle within it.
The true individual never had a chance.
He was sent flying away, blood spraying from the myriad of gouges that appeared across his body from the barrage even as the concealment spell shattered. Nurarihyon crashed into what remained of the building's ceiling, blowing clean through it.
Ajuka turned back around to the grim-faced Yasaka, then to the scaldingly tranquil Tsukuyomi. "Sirzechs let me off the leash, it seems." He smiled, the dry expression contrasted by the arctic chill of his eyes. "Pity for you."
The three young men sprinted through the halls of the false Kuoh Academy, their footsteps alone in the silence. The mists beckoned from side to side, leading them down a single pathway without a soul in sight- not a single Youkai attendant, not a single Devil or Angel or Fallen.
Did Xenovia make it to the auditorium already? Where was everyone? Did Dimension Lost separate them already?
So many questions, too few answers-
'That's-!'
Issei skidded to a stop, His flaring 'wings' jerking him to the side as a blast of aetheric energy scorched past. Isaiah and Gasper followed suit, the former with a swift dodge, and the latter dropping into the shadows as the magical blast detonated in the distance.
"Hrm. Good thing I chose to play guard dog." Out of the mist, a black-haired man appeared, one Issei recognized too well from his visions. The magician pushed his glasses up with a faint frown and furrowed brow. "Sorry, but I can't let you disrupt the show."
"Georg..." Isaiah grit his teeth. Both Issei and Georg looked over at the blond.
The magician lifted a brow. "I do not remember us ever crossing paths before. How do you know about me?"
Issei was rather curious himself. He knew that Isaiah worked for that asshole Diodora, but...
There was a moment, eyes flicking around, before Isaiah replied. "I've been keeping tabs on the top echelons of the Worldweaver's organization. I knew among them, one of them was - is - the bearer of Dimension Lost. I'm surprised that Lunarunn would throw you into the thick of it so quickly, though."
"Ah, correction." Georg spread his arms. "She never threw me into anything. I joined this incident of my own volition."
"Why?!" First it was that blue-haired guy that ran Issei through with that holy spear in those visions, now it was the woman who would plunge the world into war? What was with this guy following lunatics? "Why would you choose to fight for her?"
"Because she represents far more than just a simple goal," he replied easily. "Do you think that we chose the 'Dawn Legion' moniker for merely the imagery?"
"You mean to say you didn't?" Isaiah jibed.
The magician smirked, folding his arms together. "Not entirely, at least. See, it's not just our image, but our ethos. We seek to bring forth a new day, a new chapter, a new era to this world. Just as the sun rises, so too must we fulfill our mission."
"Awfully pretentious of you to make that claim, don't you think?" Isaiah asked.
"I happen to agree. But then, we've been preparing for fifteen years. Fifteen years that a vigilant party could have seen coming, could have even nipped in the bud, and yet..." Georg's arms rose once more. "Here we are. So far, there've only been minor hiccups, easily addressed. All that needs to be done is make sure everything else goes according to plan."
"Yeah, well good luck with that! You'er wide open!" Issei rushed forward, thrusters blazing as he drew back a fist and launched it at the magic-wielder.
'-What?!'
Only to meet air as Georg sidestepped the blow, green eyes narrowing.
"Rookie mistake."
Fire bloomed in Issei's gut as a knee folded him over, the Research head of the Dawn Legion swerving back and lunging back in with a magical circle in his palm, the resulting crackling burst of energy deafening in Issei's ears. Issei sprouted contrails, crashing into the wall, with his body imprinting it from the force of the sudden stop.
"I'm a Longinus wielder too, but do not think that I am just a Longinus wielder, or just a magician, or just the descendant of Johann Faust!" Georg barked out, adopting a combat stance of some sort.
'Muay Thai?' Issei recognized it somehow as he tried to feel out the damage. Georg landed a hell of a blow, but the brunet could still fight.
"Guh-! Duly noted," he growled, ripping himself out of the hole he made, dust trailing from his crimson armor as the helmet formed over his head.
"Issei, be careful," Ddraig warned. "Dimension Lost may not be an offensively-oriented Sacred Gear, but the Faust descendant speaks truth when he says to not underestimate him."
"I know that!" The brunet warned, but then paused as the reality sank in. "...Right. I don't think I've ever seen him fight before. He always was the escape plan, not an obstacle. Still, a Muay Thai blend of some sort? Who the hell taught this guy?"
"It appears that previous knowledge may be a disservice to you here," the dragon remarked in turn. "Thankfully, you've got allies to cover for you."
"Right, Isaiah and Gasper-" Issei noted how Georg and Isaiah were fighting, Sword of Betrayer locked with a parrying dagger glowing with runes- more concerningly, how Georg was holding his own despite being in close range against Isaiah's swords. "Where did Gasper go anyway?"
His thoughts were interrupted when the mists shifted, the magician disappearing behind them as Isaiah's second blade rushed in. Immediately, Issei spun around, scarlet gauntlet screeching as Georg's dagger sparked over it, and the brunet lost himself to the flow. Issei danced with the magician, skirting past magic and surprisingly heavy blows alike. What felt like a moment - and was likely far longer - passed, and Issei was able to slap aside the dagger and lunge in, body Boosted and elbow extended, on a collision course with Georg's face.
The brunet's world became a torrent of pain as a veritable wave of magic bowled over him, body flailing to recover as he tumbled backward. By the time he was able to reorient himself, Isaiah had engaged Georg once again, keeping the magician from landing a finishing blow.
Issei wasted no time supporting his friend, the fist of the Red Dragon Emperor joining the twin blades of the not-quite-human swordsman, a combination that forced the magician back, with the mists of Dimension Lost rapidly closing in to cover his disengagement.
Both young men quickly retreated from the threat, refusing to underestimate the Sacred Gear at Georg's disposal.
"Where's Gasper?" Issei asked quietly, glancing over to see the blond shaking his head briefly.
What did that mean? Had he gone ahead? Did Gasper fall back? Was he dead? Isaiah didn't seem overly concerned about the dhampir's absence, though, so Issei decided to trust that there was a plan that he wasn't yet privy to.
The magician hadn't yet reappeared, so Issei glanced over to Isaiah once more. "Think Georg fell back?"
"No. The mists are still too dense." The blond tilted his sword upward, readying it further, eyes not straying from their environment. "He's still here, he's looking for an opportunity to take us out."
"Right." Issei's lips set into a frown beneath his draconic helmet as he turned, covering Isaiah's back and vice-versa. "How is he able to keep up with us? He's not a Devil, but he's able to deflect my Boosted strikes, and you're... what are you, exactly? I've gotten the impression you're not fully human-"
"Metahuman," Isaiah replied succinctly. "Human base, plenty of other species thrown in for greater overall attributes. Valerie got creative with me."
"She did, huh?" Issei gave him a grin from behind the helmet. "I bet you two got real close, huh?"
"A gentleman never kisses and tells." Isaiah's lips quirked upward. "But you know how soul manipulation involves the essence of your very self?"
Issei let out a laugh. "Then close is an understatement?"
"Calling it an understatement is an understatement," the blond glibly replied, but his own laughter cut off as the magician lunged back in from above. Isaiah's arm snapped out, blade flying in a deadly crescent. This time, his sword passed through without resistance.
"Shit-!" Mists poured from the clone and immediately closed in around them, so with no other option Isaiah had to call out. "STASIS!"
The world froze, though Isaiah and Issei did not, the former leaping away and the latter shooting away from Georg's feint, regrouping next to the shadow-stepping trap as time restarted and the mists collapsed onto their previous location.
"What's going on?" the blond questioned, teeth grit. "Georg should have been tagged by Forbidden Balor View by now!"
"I've been trying to get a bead on him, but it's like walking on ice!" the dhampir exclaimed, exasperation lacing his voice. "The instant I begin using my Sacred Gear, I slip up and lose him!"
"Disillusionment magic?" Isaiah scowled. "But I haven't noticed anything of the sort. Issei?"
He shook his head. "No, nothing."
Isaiah grunted, breathing out harshly. "This is not good. We're playing 'The Floor is Lava' with Dimension Lost, and he's somehow got an answer for each of us in our favored range despite being a regular human. Did he make the magic apply only for Gasper? We've gotta be missing something."
Silence reigned for the next few seconds before Issei replied. "...Maybe he's using magic to reinforce his body?"
Isaiah glanced over at the Red Dragon Emperor and nodded. "It's possible. But if so, then how is he able to still cast in such vast quantities? Hero descendant or not, that sort of mana throughput when your body is already flooded from reinforcement magic? It'd cripple your run-of-the-mill human from the agony. If he's pushing through that, Georg's pain tolerance is insane!"
"It... could also be that he's just that strong." Gasper's comment turned Issei's blood cold.
"Can't be," he heard himself reply. "Georg's not a fighter... right?"
"I think him being able to keep up with us proves the contrary," Isaiah answered, a grim undertone to his voice. "So. Got any Boosted Gear tricks that could get us out of this one?"
"I've got a couple ideas," Issei replied softly. "But I'm not sure how good they'll be if we want to get past this guy."
"We're sitting ducks right now. I'm all ears."
The brunet shook his head, eyeing the mists of Dimension Lost swirling around them. "He's probably listening in too. You'll have to trust me on this one."
"Done." Isaiah glanced over to Gasper. "If you can't hit Georg with Forbidden Balor View, keep the mists off us. If any of us are tagged by them, there's no telling where he'll send us."
Gasper nodded, mouth and gaze firm. "Got it. And if he's on top of me?"
Isaiah nodded a single, solemn time. Gasper's eyes widened briefly from the wordless response, but then they narrowed, and he mimicked the blond's action.
"Then it's settled. Move!" Immediately, the three bolted, Dimension Lost slamming into their prior location before Georg reappeared, dagger in hand as he appeared above the Red Dragon Emperor.
"CLONE!" Gasper called as the magician froze in place, Issei paying it no further heed as he bolted ahead to the doors to the summit auditorium. Another Georg appeared, circles upon circles forming in front of him, prompting Issei to skid to a stop, arms up in a block.
"ON ME!" he shouted, the furious storm of magic roaring around the form of the brunet as Isaiah took cover behind Issei. The moment the storm elapsed, he darted out from behind the armored fighter, the slightest lull in magic all he needed to get in close to Georg. Blade met dagger again, and a moment later crimson gauntlets joined the clash.
Once more the mists began to close in on the magician, but this time Issei withdrew and thrust a hand forward, channeling the Boosted Gear. "TRANSFER!"
If he could Boost any physical property of an object, then why would he not be able to expand the space between Georg and his mists?
Issei's hunch proved correct when a moment later, the Boosts fled his body, and the moment following the hall was without any of the mists from Dimension Lost at all.
It wouldn't last, but it would give them a chance to take Georg on directly.
The magician gave as good as he got- despite the cuts he received from Isaiah's matching Swords of Betrayer, despite the bruising and bloodied nose that he received from Issei, the two young men found themselves taking staggering blows from body and magic alike. Issei's armor cracked and he quickly found himself tasting iron. Isaiah was a whirlwind of steel, but Issei could still see red from the blurred form of his blond friend.
But they were doing damage, and with Gasper in the back freezing the mists of Dimension Lost as they reappeared, Georg was unable to force them back as he had before.
The assault continued, and for a moment, Issei thought that they were going to take the magician down without needing to resort to drastic measures.
That moment did not last.
It started with a cry of alarm. Isaiah and Issei spun around to see Gasper thrashing, trying to cut away at the mists surrounding him.
"Shit-" the swordsman started, but then paused.
The world around them froze. This time, it wasn't the dhampir's work.
Isaiah caught on first, spinning back around only for his face to meet a fist, sending the bloodied blond crashing into the wall several meters away. By the time Issei had done the same, series upon series of magical arrays were glowing point-blank. He didn't have the time to get his guard back up. Caught in the eye of a typhoon, Issei smashed against the ceiling with such violent force that the back of his helmet and breastplate shattered on impact. The iron Issei tasted vacated his throat en masse. The rest of his armor swiftly followed as stars filled his vision, leaving him in only his casual attire and the gauntlet once more as he fell to the ground.
Gasper watched in alarm as Issei and Isaiah's assault was shut down in an instant. He sprinted for Georg, teeth bared and eyes glowing red as the shadows around them rapidly darkened. "You bastard! BALANCE-"
He too was met with a response from the magician, this one as a crystal sphere with a runic circle on it. As the shadows rose to devour the sphere, the sphere shattered. the room engulfed in a deafening snap and such overwhelming light. Shadows became a mere memory. And for someone whose essence was inextricably tied to them...
When the light faded seconds later, Gasper still stood, as did Georg... but a moment later, the former collapsed, the mists of Dimension lost rushing over Gasper's fallen form like carrion over a corpse.
"Illusion magic-" Isaiah groaned as he rose back to his feet... before he saw the Dhampir was gone. "Damn you! What the hell did you do to Gasper!?"
"I thought I warned you to not underestimate the wielder of Dimension Lost," Georg replied, shaking his head with a scoff as he wiped a thin trail of blood off the side of his face. "I knew that Forbidden Balor View would be particularly effective against my Sacred Gear. So I created a countermeasure, based on the knowledge we had of its current wielder. Damphirs may be daywalkers, but that doesn't mean that they aren't vulnerable to light-based magics."
"And that! How did you know about Gasper! How did you create a disillusionment spell that only affected him, how did-" He froze, as his eyes widened.
Georg lifted a brow, holding his chin between the knuckle of his index finger and his thumb. "It seems you may have come to a realization."
"Are you... like us?"
"You mean 'human'? Or 'mostly', in your case? As if I'd be anything else."
"No, not that, but-" Isaiah seemed at a loss for words, even as Issei stirred, groaning. "No, I mean- did you...?"
The magician's eyes narrowed. "Out with it."
He bristled but pushed on. "Did you see the other worlds too? The other... us-es?"
There was a long pause, the mists of Georg's Sacred Gear settling for a long moment.
"What if I did?" he replied, voice soft. "What, exactly, would that change?"
It was at that point that Issei managed to push himself back to his feet, panting heavily before coughing up another wad of blood.
'He's buying us time,' the brunet realized, looking at the mists around them. 'Ddraig... just how many boosts do we have?'
"None." Ddraig hummed. "Hrm... But there may be a way to get out of this. If you were to sacrifice something, I might be able to convert it into a stockpile of Boosts for you to use before Georg reacts."
'Would you replace it, like you did with my arm back with...?'
"I know nothing of the sort," the dragon replied with a huff. "But if you are asking if that part of your body would become draconic in nature, then yes."
'Then take my arm. Again.'
"Did I do something like this in your visions?"
'Yeah. It was an important situation like this one, too. Not as important in the grand scheme of things, but... I couldn't just sit by and let people be hurt because I wouldn't do anything!'
There was a long moment, as though Ddraig were expecting something else. Finally, Issei relented. 'Ugh, fine. I'm not going to just lie down and give up against this asshole just because he got the drop on us with a stupid illusion, either!'
"Heh. That's more what I like to hear. So, want to see how many Boosts I can get out of claiming your Boosted Gear arm?"
If Issei wasn't sure that it would have tipped Georg off, he'd have grinned. Ferally.
'Do it.'
"It'd change... a lot," Isaiah replied, lifting a hand to his head. "I know that Issei saw It. I know that Gasper and Valerie have too. I know that Lunarunn was tainted by It. So then- why would you still act like this, knowing that thing's waiting for us?"
"'Like this'," the magician replied flatly, glancing between the bloodied, tattered forms of Issei and Isaiah. "You mean by attacking the Summit?"
"Yes! Exactly!" The blond stepped forward. "Can't you see that by causing so much chaos, you're only giving It more of a chance to escape?"
"And can you say that It," Georg emphasized the last word. "-wouldn't escape anyway? Can you truly prove that claim?"
"Well... no." Isaiah wouldn't even pretend to. "But if we don't work together to stop It, then we're all dead! So why would you disrupt our best chance to do that?"
"Because it's not our 'best chance'," Georg fired back. "It's a mistake. How many times has this happened, according to your 'visions'? How many times has It broken free, despite the alliance between the Abrahamics?"
Isaiah didn't have an immediate answer to that, prompting the black-haired man to continue. "What happened in those 'visions' clearly did not work. So we are seeking an alternative solution."
"By... starting a war," the blond dryly commented.
"By being the reaper to what the Gods, the Devils, the Fallen and every other supernatural species have sown," the magician answered. "Since the greatest of us are complacent, or worse, actively exploiting this broken world, it falls to us to set the record straight. The full record. Not just the half-measures put forth by the Abrahamics these past three days. You need only see how Azazel treats his own brothers and sisters to see how their peace is destined to fail."
"And your 'solution' is supposed to be any better?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." He shrugged. "But dues must be delivered. To that end, I will not allow you to stop us."
Georg thrust his hand forward, and the mists of Dimension Lost answered. Even as it rushed back in to envelop the two once more, Issei vanished. Georg's eyes widened as a metal fist crashed into his face, sending him sprawling to the side.
The Red Dragon Emperor didn't let up. He jumped onto the magician's prone form, unloading a blow after blow, knowing that his time was limited. He struck, and struck, and struck again, to make sure that once the magician finally went down, he stayed down.
They couldn't risk him fighting them again. Not after he took out Gasper. He had to be stopped- Georg raised his arm, and Issei slammed both gauntleted fists into the magician's face, feeling something crunch beneath his rabbit punch, red flying, but it didn't stop him.
He had to be stopped!
Finally, with the brunet's arm pulled back for one more punch, Isaiah grabbed onto it from behind.
"Enough," he said quietly, glancing around. "He's down. We need to keep moving."
Issei blinked, looking back down at the brutalized form of Georg- the way his face was swelling up from all the punches, or how he was bleeding from the nose and mouth, the only indication of still possessing life being the faint wheeze that escaped him, and the faint, shuddering breaths. A quick look around the room indicated the same; the mists were rapidly dispersing, the will of their wielder having vanished after the pounding that he took.
He grit his teeth as he rose, giving Isaiah a nod. He couldn't worry about what happened to Georg. Best case scenario, he fell into a coma and wouldn't wake up until it was all over. Worst case, he had a vengeful streak and came after them later on.
Either way, Issei would be stronger. He wouldn't let Georg take anyone else.
"And what about Gasper?"
"He'll be fine. He's strong enough to survive the Dimensional Gap, if that's where Georg sent him." Isaiah frowned. "But it might be a while before we see him again, if he's out cold."
Issei's fists clenched. Oh, he wanted to finish Georg then and there, he wanted to so bad...
But then he'd be no better than It's... tool. He was the scion of a dragon, damn it, and he bowed to no one, least of all such a shallow, hateful thing!
Ddraig hummed, though there was an undercurrent of amusement. "Settle down, whelp. You've got bigger things to burn."
Issei breathed out, saving his indignation and anger. He'd need it for the true culprit of this whole debacle. "Let's go."
The two stood, and hurried away, leaving the prone form of the magician behind them. Several seconds passed.
Then, the magician stirred.
Georg grunted as he worked himself back into a sitting position, shakily. Wheezing badly as he pulled out a small vial, he wasted no time in lifting it to his mouth, forcing the liquid down his battered throat. Even as he gagged and coughed from the abuse, he persisted.
The injuries from the battle began to fade, and in a matter of seconds the black-haired man was back in nearly full condition. Minus his clothes; they didn't survive the fight despite their durability runes, the magician realized with distaste.
"...Seems you were right about them, Luna," he muttered to himself, flexing his fingers to ensure they were back in usable condition. "I should have just used my Balance Breaker from the start."
His eyes narrowed, his nose scrunched up, and he let out a 'tsk'. At least he managed to take out Gasper and drain the other two. It should be enough.
Especially since he learned that all three of them apparently had visions of other selves, not unlike what Luna had said to him, all those years ago. Curious, indeed...
Still, Georg would admit that he wasn't keen on losing, especially to a trio of brats.
Lunarunn marveled at the fireworks. As she hurled miniature suns at the angels, they responded with the light of God, the two elements exploding brilliantly in the sky of the Bounded Space on contact, the air charged with holy energy, embers, stardust, and everything in between. She twisted, and deflected the spear of light from the prettier of the two angels skidding across a wing of Cataclysm Eclipse.
She could also feel the way the world around them groaned under the pressure. Even beyond the cleared skyline, she could sense the way that the energies released by combat had filled the world to stuffed. Thankfully, Mephisto had supplied Grauzauberer to support the Bounded Field, but it was clear that even now, they were pushing the limits of the false world's durability.
What would happen if that were to burst, Luna wondered. Would they all be dumped into the Dimensional Gap? That wouldn't bode well, especially for her- didn't Great Red want her dead for her connection to Trihexa, according to Ophis?
Those idle musings let the two Angels opposed to her reconvene and begin to voice their thoughts.
"That third pair..." Gabriel murmured, brow furrowed before she was forced to disengage, lest she be trapped in a pocket of cold, vacuous space. Michael covered her retreat, the disciplined spearmaster to her more freewheeling ferocity.
"You feel it too?" the blond asked as the two summoned a pane of light, constellations appearing and vanishing upon the golden glass in rapid succession as Luna's stardust barrage met an unyielding wall.
His sister nodded, firing a crescent to the side to keep the brunette from taking their flank, forcing the other woman to throw up a barrier of her own before her body flickered and vanished. "I do. Those wings, I feel like we should recognize them."
"Her powers are familiar as well, seeing them up close," Michael agreed, letting out a grunt as the wing of Trihexa crashed against his spear, then responded to force the Devil back. "But it is at the tip of my tongue. This is strange; our memories should not be failing us like this."
Gabriel let out a gasp as a thin line shot across her cheek, spilling blood as Luna retreated, the tip of her other wing dripping exactly one droplet of the angel's red. "The fact that neither of us have a definitive answer is concerning."
"As is the fact that she isn't using them," the Archangel's eyes widened. "Is she going easy on us?"
"She's still young," Gabriel replied. "Maybe she doesn't know how to use them... yet..."
Her own eyes widened as the brunette launched something far more dangerous their way, judging by the way the light distorted around the dizzying sphere.
Both Michael and Gabriel dove down, the shriek of air filling their ears as the singularity rushed by, their bodies feeling the pull of gravity beyond what either of them could have hoped to withstand had they not evaded.
Even so, the path of the black hole left their bodies feeling a deep-seeded ache, of tiredness, as though it had absorbed some of their inherent light, consuming and destroying all life, and all feeling of such, within its event horizon.
"Or maybe she doesn't understand yet," the blonde finished, a chill running down her spine as she looked up at the six-winged Devil. "...But what does she not understand? I know it's there, I know it is."
"..." Michael had no response, even as Lunarunn tilted her head, multicolored eyes gazing balefully down at them.
"What's wrong?" the brunette called. "I thought we were fighting here." She tilted her head and set a hand on her hip. "I won't stop you if you wanna turn around and go home to fix your shit, though."
Silence, then...
"When did you get those wings, child?"
Luna's eyes narrowed, even as her lips widened into a dry smirk. "Kind of late to play the 'wise steward of God' card, don't you think Mikey? But alright, I'll bite. Which ones are you talking about?"
Gabriel and Michael shared a look, the former of the two answering. "The middle pair. You seem unused to them."
"These?" The brunette frowned, extending one such wing. Unlike the white-skinned pinions with the prismatic, color-shifting membrane, the middle pair were instead ghostly in their partially-see-through nature, colored in royal lavender the whole way through, and bore a shape far closer to Cataclysm Eclipse. However, where the 'Tainted Gear' as Luna liked to call them were so obviously aberrant as to be unsettling, the middle pair of wings had a welcoming feel to them. Welcoming, insofar as a pair of violet, translucent wings that clearly bore a secondary function as weapons could, anyhow.
"Beats me on the exact date," she admitted with crossed arms, the wing returning to its previous place. "I think it happened sometime in the last few months, though. I only noticed them a bit after I took my allies to task for trying to usurp me."
"A casual admittance to trouble in the ranks," Michael commented.
"Never said who, or why." Luna lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Besides. There's no reason to hide it- what else can you expect from a gathering of so many... personalities, but some level of conflict? It's resolved anyway."
The archangel frowned. "Back to the wings, though."
"Why so curious? Wasn't curiosity what got the likes of Azazel in so much trouble with your dad, anyway?"
"Reckless curiosity, but I digress." Gabriel glanced at her brother again. "There is... something about those wings. They tickle at our memory, but we cannot remember why. It is... concerning."
The brunette sighed, lowering her arms with a shake of her head. "Honestly, I'd say you've got a lot worse to worry about then why you can't remember the reason some girl's new wings tickle at your memory."
"What do you mea-" Gabriel's eyes widened.
"Gabby. What do you see when you look from here?"
"I see Father's Creation. Why?"
"As straightforward as ever. Let me ask you that differently, then. Do you see anything amiss?"
"...I don't. Do you?"
"...Maybe I do."
"What is the matter, *(%&?"
"There's something about this world that... worries me."
"Worries? What bothers you? Perhaps I could lend my aid?"
"..." There was no answer. Gabriel's eyes shifted, the only indication that the person she had been speaking with had ever been there floating slowly downward, the feather fluttering in the wind.
"Gabriel?" Michael looked over at his sister, and the way her eyes had widened, then ever so briefly he could see her swallow.
"I think... I think we should go back," the blonde finally said, voice quiet.
"Finally, one of you sees sense!" Luna exclaimed, lifting a hand to her head. "Believe it or not, I don't have any beef with you. My issue is with the Devils, really."
Michael briefly glared at the brunette. "Says the Devil who was throwing black holes at us two minutes ago."
"Two minutes ago, I was busy facing off against two of the Abrahamics' finest. I couldn't exactly hold back, especially since you've been pretty dead-set on killing me for ruining the whole Summit."
"But you still haven't used the third pair yet..." Gabriel trailed off. "You... really don't know what those are?"
Luna lifted a brow."You're saying you do?"
"You really don't understand what you've done, have you?" Michael interjected. "That was a peace eras in the making, and you've dashed it all by declaring a War Between the Heavens? How could you?!"
The six-winged Devil sighed, and met Michael's gaze. It was a sad one, grim, but resolved all the same.
"What you had going, with the Peace Summit, it wasn't going to work." She closed her eyes. "I did what I had to, to see true justice in this world. No more. No less."
"Michael." Gabriel looked at him. "We need to go home. We need to reorganize. Rethink our strategy."
He turned to his sister, aghast. "You would let her get away with starting a war!?"
"I kinda already have," Luna 'helpfully' supplied. "I know you're the disciplined sort, but I was never under the impression you were stubborn."
"Michael." The plea in Gabriel's voice caused his face to pinch into a wince. "It's over. Best case, we come back to this at a later time, but right now we need to avoid the worst."
"Think of it this way; if you two are still in good shape, you'll be in a better spot to do some cleaning." The Worldweaver's comment seemed much more sincere this time. "Better place to defend Heaven from anyone who'd try to claim it, too."
Silence reigned. Then Michael let out a half-sigh, half-growl, looking away. "...Fine. We'll retreat, if you will let us out of your trap."
The brunette snapped her fingers. "Check your robes."
The two Seraphs blinked, but then Gabriel did just that, and pulled out a talisman. She stared at Luna.
"I know Heaven isn't what it was. It shouldn't pretend to be, either. You start to believe something if you hear it enough times. If you keep showing yourself as so much more than you actually are... well." The brunette's gaze, cerulean once more, had softened. "That's how Lucifer Fell. He had every chance to turn back, to be truthful to himself and everyone around him, and he didn't. I don't want that to happen again."
Michael frowned severely as he took out the talisman that Luna had Weaved into his robe. "You will not find an ally in Heaven. We will stop this war. You will see Father's justice. I promise you that."
Luna closed one eye with a scowl. "I've seen 'His' justice already. All I have to say about it is, it's a good thing I know how to drag myself through the mud. I've got plenty of experience thanks to this rotten world."
"I think I understand now. What it is that I... find unsettling about His world."
"Really?"
The brown-haired %#*( didn't look her way, but the way her eyes closed bore a weight of their own. She spoke, perfectly calmly, even as the words were as damning as Lucifer's not too long ago- to challenge God himself. But where the Morningstar's challenged the supremacy of the Creator, or Azazel His wisdom, her's challenged His Creation itself.
"It's already rotten."
"Gabriel?" Michael was growing more concerned with his sister's reaction to Luna's words- now the color was draining from the blonde's face.
Luna frowned, brow furrowing, but at that point, Gabriel already held her talisman up, and was gone.
"What's up with her? She looked like she saw a ghost- metaphorically, I mean. Pretty sure the only ghost that'd faze her is the reappearance of the Holy one."
"I think... I will find out soon enough," Michael muttered, holding up his own talisman before vanishing, leaving Luna alone in the skies.
She turned back around. "Huh... alright. Time to get back to stirring the pot-"
Then the false Kuoh Academy exploded.
Luna floated there with an expression of consternation as rubble rained down even kilometers away like she was, distant figures clashing and blasting away at each other with magics more and more powerful. She could feel the pressure emitted by the gods, even far away as she was.
"Wait..."
The Shinto pantheon had some strong reinforcement magic. There was a good reason the Abrahamics held an interest in holding the Summit in Amaterasu's territory.
Though considering who was being held within the building, the building had to be reinforced further still to maintain even a semblance of structural integrity.
So if that was gone...
"Huh. Guess Issei did manage to get past Georg." She ran a hand through her hair, breathing out an impressed whistle. "I bet on you kid, but honestly, that protag privilege you have is ridiculous. The fuck is your growth curve?"
A/N:
Took a lot to revise. Not much to say here, really. Anyway, the Summit-Breaker Arc will wrap up next chapter.
Tempura Wizard, out.
