Chapter 5: Starfall
Naruto was an agitated man right now. Time was tight, and he had to quickly get his two associates into town. Shadow Clones made it a lot easier, but it was best to hurry in any case. Besides, this was sure to cause grumbling among the old fuddy-duddies in charge of the Church and Devil politics.
He had not been entirely honest with the two Devil Heiresses about the Inquisition. Nothing he had said was wrong, but he had omitted that there were Inquisitors with marching orders. Neither had he said that they would come to Kuoh, or that they did so at his behest. That was liable to blow up in his face, or so it would be if the same old fuddy-duddies he had thought of earlier had anything to say about it. With the Inquisition and the little sisters of two Satans involved, however, that was not going to happen.
I'm a damn genius, thought Naruto with a sense of satisfaction.
"What's with that stupid smirk of yours?" said a voice form a small distance away.
Naruto turned his head towards the two men who were approaching him. One of them was fairly average in height but with a strong, powerful build. His dark hair and his skin tone denoted him as Levantine in origin. Next to him stood a tall, wiry man with unnaturally white hair and fair skin. Most distinct of all, there was a shining halo above his head which marked him as an Angel. They were two old friends of Naruto's, whom he had met on his journey through Africa.
"It's not any less stupid than your ugly mug," shot back Naruto.
The other man sighed and said: "Baldwin, stop antagonising Naruto. Naruto, stop falling for it. There's no time to waste. I can sense Kokabiel unleashing his power."
The blond Shinobi nodded. "You're right. Let's move."
He quickly created a hole in the surveillance barrier of Kuoh and let his companions slip through. The three of them then made haste for Kuoh Academy, although they were slowed down by Baldwin's limited human constitution. On the upside, that left enough time for a small briefing.
"How bad is it?" asked the taller man.
"Bad. I don't know what the Hell the Church is thinking, sending only two Middle-Class exorcists after an Ultimate-Class being. One of them nearly died tonight. I was close to blowing my cover to save her. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary, but it was close. You gotta kick some serious ass in the Vatican after we're done here," answered Naruto.
"I'll take it under advisement," replied the man.
"You'd better, you bloody pigeon," shot back Naruto.
The tall man rolled his eyes and said: "I have a name I'm quite fond of."
"Looks like… I'm not the only one… falling for provocations… Pahaliah," wheezed out Baldwin.
Their breakneck pace had already taken them a good chunk of the way to Kuoh Academy. It did leave Baldwin breathing hard, however.
"Hush you," said Pahaliah. "Save your breath for the battle."
"The Shadow Clone I have observing the battle hasn't popped yet, so we should be good, but we should hurry all the same," said Naruto. "The brats won't last all that long."
The two Devil Peerages were now assembled in the park close to the school. They met up there to gather their strength before the big confrontation with Kokabiel. Rushing at an Ultimate-Class Fallen Angel one by one was not the smart thing to do, after all. There were a few things left to discuss as well.
"We began erecting the barrier as soon as we settled the unconscious Church girl at my house. We should be finished presently," said Sona.
Rias acknowledged: "Good. I assume your Peerage will be needed to keep the barrier active. In that case, the fighting will be taken care of by us."
Sona then said: "Considering the situation, should you not inform your brother?"
Rias looked uncomfortable and replied: "You haven't told your sister either."
Now the other young woman also looked troubled. "You see, my sister is… Well, your brother would definitely come here if you asked him."
Not that Satan Leviathan would not come either, Koneko surmised. That woman was as famous for loving her younger sister as much as Sirzechs was for loving his own younger sister, perhaps even more so.
"I already informed him, fortunately," said Akeno. "Satan Lucifer and his reinforcements will be here in an hour."
"I don't appreciate you going behind my back for this," said Rias.
Akeno shook her head and said: "This is bigger than your dislike for his overbearing attitude. We could die here, President."
Koneko had to agree, although she said nothing. As she would later find out, it was somewhat hypocritical from Akeno, considering her inherited powers and their lack of use during the Rating Game with Riser, but the [Queen] was right. A bit of shame could be endured if it meant survival. Koneko very much liked living.
"Alright," said Rias with a slight grimace.
Sona nodded in acknowledgement and said: "We will hold the barrier and try to limit the damage to the outside as much as possible. Good luck."
"I leave the rest to you, Hyoudou. Don't embarrass our school out there!" said Saji.
Koneko could see Issei wind up to retort something, but Rias interrupted him before he could, saying: "We will now go inside the barrier and engage Kokabiel. Be warned, this is a life and death battle. Don't die in there. I'll never forgive you if you do."
The Gremory Peerage then did as their [King] commanded, and entered the barrier. They did so from the school's main gate, which gave them a good view of the area. That view enabled them to see an old man they recognised as Valper Galilei stand in front of a magic circle. Arrayed around him were four swords. Whatever he was planning with it, it could not be good.
"Valper… What the Hell are you doing?" asked Issei.
"I'm fusing the Excaliburs, you silly boy," replied the old man.
"How much longer is this going to take?" asked a bored voice from above.
Valper answered hastily: "Five minutes!"
"Hmm… Acceptable," said Kokabiel. "Now, back to you lot. Are the Satans coming?"
Rias glared at him and said: "Instead of them, it's us who are going to fi-"
Kokabiel interrupted her by throwing a massive light spear at the gym building. Koneko had never seen one this big. It had to be enormously powerful.
Boom!
Like she had somewhat expected, the spear of light completely demolished the building, blowing it up completely. If any of them were to be hit by such an attack, they would die. Koneko's nervousness began to build up.
"That's boring. Ah well, you might serve as a bit of entertainment if I get creative enough," groused the Fallen Angel.
The spear of light was still stuck in the ground where the gym had been previously. It had impressed and intimidated the Devils. Koneko glanced at the others, noting their resolution, even issei, who was staring intently at his army. He was likely talking with Ddraig. Well, so long as he got courage out of it, it could not hurt.
Courage is what we need right now, thought Koneko.
"Since you lot are too boring to fight myself, I'll have you play with my pet," announced Kokabiel.
As he snipped with his fingers, a rumbling sound could be heard. Then, the ground burst, and a giant, three-headed dog emerged from the newly made hole in the ground. Its large teeth and claws as well as its other features clearly identified it as one thing:
"A Cerberus!" exclaimed Rias.
"What's a Cerberus?" asked Issei.
The redhead answered: "It's nicknamed a guard dog of Hell, or rather the Underworld. They live at the gates of it. That ugly thing is not supposed to be here."
"… I'll take it on. Save your strength for Kokabiel," said Koneko.
"It's too tough for you alone!" protested Rias.
The young Nekoshou responded: "It's possible that I may need help, but I've grown stronger. Let me show you."
Koneko was tired of being the weakest combat capable member of the Peerage. She had trained under her new teacher for some time now because of this. This was a chance to prove that the training had borne fruit. It was time to show the others that she was not to be underestimated.
"Fine," said Rias, "But we will stand by. Issei, start boosting your power!"
"On it!" replied the boy.
The telltale [Boost] followed from his gauntlet. He was getting ready to support.
"How often can you transfer the full power?" asked Rias.
Issei answered: "About three times. I can squeeze out a fourth, but I'd pass out of I did."
Rias nodded. "Then let's be judicious. Koneko, you can start."
Reassured that her comrades were watching her back, Koneko approached the Cerberus. It reacted immediately by running at her in turn. It was quite fast, but that was fine for Koneko. She may not have been able to show off her technique against Freed, but she was ready to employ the tricks she had been taught to use against fast opponents. Beast and Devil were now mere centimetres apart.
The clash came as a surprise – for the Cerberus, that was. Koneko's punch hit fast and hard, impacting the middle head of the dog-like creature with tremendous force as it attempted to bite her. The left head then tried to take a bite too, only to be met with the same result. The right head made no such move, however.
The Cerberus then jumped back, creating some distance. The right head now acted, although it refrained from biting. Instead, it opened its mouth and, with a terrifying roar, unleashed a torrent of flame. The fire was headed straight for Koneko.
"I won't be taken out by this," said the Nekoshou.
She flashed through the hand signs of the Substitution Jutsu. When the puff of smoke came, she was gone, and in her place was sack of sports supplies left over from the destroyed gym. Koneko had just performed her first correctly executed Substitution Jutsu.
She wasted no time resting on her laurels, however. As quick as her legs allowed, she was back in the fray, and hit the surprised Cerberus in one of its jaws. The Nekoshou followed up with a devastating series of punches to each of its heads. That move cost the three-headed dog over a dozen teeth.
The final punch landed on the beast's torso, launching it into the air. It fell some distance away.
"Akeno, now!" shouted Rias.
As if recognising the danger, the Cerberus moved its head in the direction of the Peerage's seniormost members and attempted to launch fire from all of them. Akeno, however, was faster. The spell she cast completely froze the flames in the dog's mouths.
Rias followed up by launching a large sphere of the Power of Destruction at the Cerberus. To compound the problem, Koneko, who had closed in again kicked it in the direction of the attack.
The collision had debilitating consequences for the Cerberus. It was bleeding from its belly and from all three mouths. Its breathing was laboured and its footing unsteady. It looked like it was on its last legs. Yet it still stood.
"That thing is tough. Is it seriously still standing?" asked Issei.
Koneko agreed in disappointment. She had hoped for better results after all her training. Was she still weak, or was the Cerberus just that strong? It mattered little; the thing was still standing. Still, the Cerberus was injured. Despite the smaller than hoped degree, it was still progress.
A roar then shook the school grounds. Heads turned, and the Gremory Peerage spotted a second Cerberus clawing its way out of the ground.
"Another one?" yelled Issei.
The shout seemed to draw its attention. It ran directly at him and Asia, who stood next to him. He looked just about ready to pick up the girl and run.
Rias spotted the problem instantly and said: "Ise, use the boosted power and get away from it!"
Before he could act on that order, however, something happened.
Slash!
One of the heads of the Cerberus went into the air and disintegrated. The newcomer responsible for the attack was not Yuuto, as Issei and even Koneko had expected, but Xenovia. Excalibur Destruction sat in her hands, the weapon extended in a stance ready for a renewed attack.
"I've come to help," she said.
She then slashed at the Cerberus' midsection and cut it in half with a single strike. Both halves then disintegrated quickly.
"Creatures like that don't stand a chance against holy swords," said Xenovia.
It was true. Anything that was not an Angel or otherwise filled with holy energy disintegrated upon being killed by a holy sword. Even being hit by one was debilitating to most beings; to Devils, it was lethal. It was no wonder that the Cerberus was done for.
Down to one again, thought Koneko.
It was then that Issei's Sacred Gear started flashing. The boy seemed as surprised as she was, perhaps even more so. His expression shifted shortly after, however. Either he had found out or Ddraig had told him.
"President! Akeno! If I transfer now, the power will be enough to take down the Cerberus!" he said.
Rias then quickly replied: "Good. Ise, you transferred your power to Asia's cross and the holy water when you fought against Riser, right? Can you do that for Akeno and I as well?"
After a moment, Issei replied: "If it's just you two, I can do it. The downside is that I can only transfer 70-80% of the boosted power, according to Ddraig."
That made Koneko think. Was it 70-80% in total or each? If it was the latter, the ability had shocking potential for development. She would have to ask Issei later.
For now, however, Rias said: "That should be enough. Do it!"
"Transfer, please!" she and Akeno said in unison.
Issei then touched their shoulders and used his ability.
[Transfer]
A surprisingly large amount of demonic power shot into the two young women. It enshrouded them, powering them up beyond their usual capacity by far.
"Let's do this!" said Rias.
Akeno nodded at her. She pointed her finger into the sky and summoned thunder magic in the air.
The Cerberus may have been a mere beast, but it could spot the danger ahead of it. It's injuries slowed it down considerably, but it still had enough time to turn a clear hit into a graze. Unfortunately for it, it did not get the opportunity to do so.
"Stay were you are," said a voice. It was Yuuto's.
Dozens of demonic swords erupted from the ground and skewered the Cerberus' paws, pinning it in place. It was thus trapped, and Akeno's thunder magic hit it. The unfortunate creature was bathed in a sea of lightning as a result. Akeno put her everything into the strike, which made her expend the power Issei had given her rapidly. The Cerberus' fate was sealed, then, and the already injured guard dog of the Underworld was vapourised.
Rias, however, directed her power in another direction. She pointed her hand at the Fallen Angel in the sky and said: "Take this, Kokabiel!"
The sphere of the Power of Destruction was impressive. It eclipsed anything Koneko had seen Rias do by a long shot.
"That thing is massive," said Issei in awe.
Despite sharing his thoughts, Koneko groused internally: Why are you surprised? You of all people should know how much power you fed her.
The sphere was then shot off in Kokabiel's direction. The man lazily raised his hand and gathered a bit of holy light in it. The two forces collided, and when the sight cleared, Kokabiel was still floating in the sky, having deflected Rias' attack upwards into empty air.
"Hm… That was mildly interesting. It's impressive how much the Red Dragon Emperor increased your power, Rias Gremory," commented Kokabiel.
His musings were interrupted by Valper: "I'm almost done. The sword is nearly finished."
The glow coming from the magic circle which the old man was working on intensified. There was a big flash, and the four Excalibur fragments converged on the centre.
"Four shall become one!" exclaimed Valper.
The swords seemed to melt together, forming a new one. It was big and looked imposing, although it also had a hint of patchwork in its appearance. The beauty the individual fragments had had was not present anymore. Instead, it was nothing but a sharpened brick with an edge and utilitarian design.
A grin spread on the Fallen Angel's face. He said: "Excellent. In that case, I'll let you and Freed take care of the entertainment."
"Why, yes. I am sure Freed can play around with them until the town blows up," said Valper.
It was then that Freed emerged from the shadows, and shouted: "Now that sounds like fun!"
"What do you mean with the town blowing up?" questioned Rias.
Valper's grin was sadistic as he answered: "The moment the ritual for the creation of this Excalibur was finished, the spell that will destroy this town was initiated. In twenty minutes, it will destroy this town. The only way to stop it is to defeat Kokabiel."
That proclamation immediately raised the stakes of the battle. The Devils could no longer fight simply to delay until Sirzechs' reinforcements arrived. By the time he showed up, all of Kuoh would already have been destroyed. The only way to come out of this alive was to triumph over the rogue Cadre.
However, in the darkness of the night, no one noticed a ring of black ink surround brightly glowing magic circle, not even when one of them stepped into it.
"Freed, take the Excalibur out of the magic circle and kill the Devils with it," ordered Kokabiel.
Freed grinned as he retrieved the fused sword. "On it, boss! No need to get on my case like that, you know? You're chewing through subordinates fast, but with little Excalibur here, I can't help but be excited and kill a few Devils for you, hehehe!"
Xenovia examined the situation and told Yuuto: "[Knight] of Rias Gremory, if our agreement still stands, let's destroy this thing."
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for that?" asked Yuuto.
"It won't be as long as the shards of the original Excalibur that serve as the cores of the swords are preserved. That sword over there is holy in nature but not in purpose. It is no true holy sword," answered the exorcist. "Its wielder also plays a role. That thing is heretical."
Valper chortled at that, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.
"Valper Galilei," said Yuuto, "I'm a survivor of the Holy Sword Project. I died because of you back then, but I have lived on as a Devil."
The excommunicated cleric's eyes lit up. He said: "A survivor? How quaint. What a misfortune. It must be fate that we meet here, so far in the east."
He chuckled. The sound was grating, annoying even. Perhaps the old man simply didn't have the breath for a proper laugh anymore, but it may also have been that he could not do anything without bothering people.
He went on: "You see, I've been obsessed with holy swords since I was a little boy. I was devastated to find out that I could not wield them, especially my favourite, Excalibur. That was why I began researching methods of acquiring the necessary talent, that which we call the holy element now. My goal was to create Excalibur wielders at will. I wanted to become one of them at any cost. And thanks to you and the others, my research was complete."
"What do you mean with complete? You killed us all because we were failures!" yelled Yuuto.
Koneko was curious as well. If the research had already been completed, why had it ended the way it had?
Valper shook his head and answered: "Failures? Dear me, no. The thing about the holy element is that it manifests as a factor. Many people have that factor within them. You simply lacked the numerical value of a proper holy sword wielder. However, my research concluded that it is possible to extract the factor from people and crystalise it in concentrated form such as this thing here."
He held up a small sphere that exuded a holy aura.
"That is what is used during the ceremony that creates new holy sword wielders," observed Xenovia.
"Correct. These spheres are created by extracting the holy element from others and crystalising them. Convenient, no?" said Valper.
"That's why you killed us? To extract the holy element?" asked Yuuto.
Valper nodded. "Indeed. This one is from back then. I used three on Freed."
The insane former priest cackled and said: "A few others died because their bodies couldn't handle the holy element due to low compatibility. Aren't I special, hihihehe. I don't die that easily, isn't that right, Ise? Did you think I should have been one of those guys who should have died?"
"Oi, don't call me by that name! Only friends get to do that," shouted back the boy.
"And we're still having a conversation here," said Yuuto.
And we don't have the time for it! thought Koneko. She said nothing, however. Despite the time limit, this was important for Yuuto, and Issei still needed to boost his power more.
Yuuto went on: "Valper, how many did you kill for your sick experiments?"
"I can't remember," said the man with a sadistic grin, "but my research paid off! I'm now looking into ways on how to truly mass-produce holy sword wielders. Once I have an army at the ready, I can go and start a war against Michael and the Vatican. It's what they deserve for excommunicating me and calling me a heretic while using the results of my research. Ah well, Michael is too soft to kill the people from whom he extracts the holy element, so that may have been the reason."
It was a bit odd that the man wanted to start a war against the Archangel, and not God. The warmongering itself was already stupid, but the way he phrased it was suspicious.
Valper then tossed the glowing sphere in front of Yuuto. It rolled forward and touched his foot. Yuuto picked it up and patted it lovingly as tears streamed down his face.
"… my comrades," he muttered.
The light from the sphere intensified, and suddenly, motes of light started appearing around it. They dropped to the ground, where they grew into the shape of children, boys and girls alike. There were many of them, enough to fill the whole schoolyard.
Akeno, who was the Gremory Peerage's expert on spirits, said: "The powers present on the battlefield made the spirits appear."
The mechanics behind the phenomenon were likely a lot more complicated than that. Sadly, however, Koneko had never bothered to learn about them in detail. That would have to be rectified. What she could see, though, was that the spirits gave of the pale blue light associated with the holy aura.
"All of you…," said Yuuto.
He clearly recognised the phantoms. It was easy to deduce that they were his friends and comrades from back then. That there were so many, and that they were apparently only a fraction of the total number of victims, sickened the young Nekoshou to the core.
"I've always wondered… why me? There were others with bigger dreams… Why was it that only I got out of there? Why is it that I only got to have a peaceful life?" asked Yuuto.
One of the spirits started speaking. Koneko could not make out what the spectral boy was saying, but Akeno could read lips, apparently even in Italian.
"You don't have to worry about us anymore. You're alive, at least," she relayed the words.
Koneko knew for a fact that Yuuto could not read lips either, but he seemed to understand. He cried, and the phantoms began to sing. There was no actual sound, but it reverberated throughout the area. The song, whatever it was, reached everyone, and they could hear it clearly.
Asia identified it. "It's the sacred song," she said in surprise.
Koneko had heard of it. It was often sung by believers who were aware of the supernatural. Regular people did not get to hear it, and it was supposed to do grievous damage to Devils. Yet she could hear it and not feel a single bit of pain, quite the opposite, in fact. A pleasant warmth spread through her body as the melody went on. Yuuto was even joining the singing.
Almost as soon as that had happened, the phantoms around Yuuto started glowing. They spoke:
"Alone, we were nothing."
"None of us had enough of the holy element to wield the swords."
"But together, we do."
"Accept the holy sword."
"Don't be afraid."
"And even under the watchful eye of God…"
"… We are one."
And then, light enveloped shone through the darkness of the night. It enveloped Yuuto, and seemed to bless him. Koneko could feel how his presence was changing. Something was happening within him, and it was significant, to say the least. She wondered what it was and how long it would last, however.
The glow abated after a while. The shades of Yuuto's old comrades disappeared, but the peaceful expression on his face remained for a while. It seemed like he basked in the slowly fading presence of his old friends. That came to an end as well, eventually.
"I am at peace now, but there remains one thing for this nightmare to be over and done with," he said. He then looked directly at the former Archbishop, and told him: "Valper Galilei, so long as you live, you will continue to commit more atrocities like the one that killed my friends. I will put an end to you and your sick experiments! There shall be no repeat of the Holy Sword Project!"
"Pfft! Progress requires sacrifice. Shouldn't you know that already?" responded Valper.
That statement was quite hypocritical. Koneko was sure that the old man had never sacrificed something dear to himself all his life. He was an infuriating individual.
She was not the only to be upset, however. The first one to give voice to his thoughts was Issei: "Kiba! Kick the old guy's ass! Get Freed too, and smash Excalibur! The [Knight] of Rias Gremory, our friend and comrade, can't fall to a slasher flick reject like him! Don't waste our fighting spirit! You stuck with me, even if it meant getting on the President's bad side, so take my support now and win!"
The guy could be quite inspiring when he wasn't being a lecher. She felt like adding her own encouragement.
"You can beat them, Senpai!" she said resolutely.
"We believe in you!" added Akeno.
Rias added her own words as well: "Show your superiority to Excalibur, Yuuto. A servant and [Knight] of mine cannot be bested by a fake holy sword like that!"
The mood was ruined by what was said next.
"Bahaha! You shitty Devils are a fucking riot, aren't you? You've wasted your time talking and crying, just because of a bunch of little ghosts. Hilarious! And they sung that shitty song too. I hate that thing! Makes we want to cut you up. I think that's just what I'm going to do. Your sorry ass can't do shit against my four-in-one Excalibur!" exclaimed Freed.
Yuuto levelled him with a glare, and he responded: "My comrades' spirits are within you. I will cut them free."
Insane laughter came at him. Freed asked: "How are you going to do that, genius?"
"I will become a sword," answered Yuuto, "the sword of my comrades and my master, Rias Gremory. My Sacred Gear, respond to my feelings! Sword Birth!"
An ominous glow exuded from him. It felt like holy light, only corrupted by demonic power. It was something Koneko had never seen before, and it indicated that something had happened to Yuuto's Sacred Gear. It was…
"Balance Breaker: Sword of Betrayer," announced Yuuto.
He wasted no more time and attacked Freed with all the speed his [Knight] piece afforded him. Freed barely managed to respond in time, intercepting the attack with his blade. Contrary to the insane man's expectations, however, it was not Yuuto's sword that gave out. It was Excalibur; and while no damage showed on the blade itself, its holy aura was diminishing fast.
"Hey, that's cheating!" protested Freed. "How can you beat the original holy sword!"
"If this were the original Excalibur, I wouldn't be able to win at all, but this cheap knock-off can't handle the power of my and my comrades' feelings," responded Kiba.
It was no hyperbole. Sacred Gears responded to the emotions and spirit of their users. As of right now, the most motivated person on the battlefield was Yuuto.
After making a noise of protest, Freed started using the Excalibur abilities of the fragments that had been fused into his sword. It warped under the effects of Excalibur Mimic and sped up under Excalibur Rapidly. He tried using Excalibur Transparency to his advantage as well, only to have the blade deflected again and again.
"Why am I not hitting you, damn it?! This is supposed to be the pinnacle of holy swords!" shouted Freed.
"You're too easy to read," answered Kiba as he continued to deflect all strikes.
The insane priest's killing intent really was easy to respond to. Even Koneko could feel it.
This naturally put Freed on the backfoot, and there was someone willing to take advantage of it.
"Keep him pinned," said Xenovia. She then put aside her own Excalibur fragment and chanted: "Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy Mother Mary. Please hear my voice. In the names of the Saints dwelling within, I will release this blade. Durandal!"
An enormous holy aura suddenly appeared from her position during the chant. When she was finished, she put her hand into a special distortion.
Clearly a pocket dimension, thought Koneko.
When Xenovia's hand came back, it pulled a new sword with it. The aura it gave off sent shivers down every Devil's spine.
"Durandal?!" exclaimed Valper.
"So you were not an Excalibur wielder," said Kokabiel, sounding interested.
Xenovia shook her head and said: "No. I was originally supposed to be only Durandal's wielder, but I was issued an Excalibur as well."
"That can't be," protested Valper. "Even my research has not gone so far as to create artificial Durandal wielders!"
"The Vatican can't either. Unlike Irina, I'm a natural-born holy sword wielder," responded Xenovia. "I have to admit, it's very hard to control. Its destructive aura is incredible. I have to keep it sealed in a separate dimension, or it will get out of control. It chose me, but it's not listening very well. It should still be enough for that crippled Excalibur of yours, though. Let me test Durandal's mettle on your Excalibur!"
The holy aura of Durandal rose and rose until it exceeded the one of Freed's sword significantly.
"That's unfair, you fucking bitch! Hax! I call hax!" he yelled
The blue-haired exorcist merely swung her sword at his, and there was a great clash. The alchemically fused Excalibur nearly shattered into a thousand pieces upon impact. A somewhat large shard attached to the hilt was still fully intact, but the rest had cracks all over it.
"So it is nothing but a fake after all," she said.
Freed was not happy about it at all. He looked at the crippled sword he was left with and said: "Are you fucking serious?!"
"I certainly am," said Yuuto.
He slashed at the Stray exorcist, shattering the pieces of the broken blade Freed was holding and cutting him down in the process. And, satisfied with that result, he lifted his own sword up to his face.
"We've done it. We surpassed Excalibur, my comrades," he muttered.
With that deed done, Yuuto sighed, looking lost. Koneko could understand that. Excalibur had been his motivation to keep going for a long time now. He had achieved his ambition and most of his revenge. The rest, however…
"It can't be!" exclaimed Valper. "Holy and demonic energies mixing should be impossible. Such polar opposites cannot come together. Unless…"
Yuuto scoffed and said: "Prepare to die, Valper."
The old man ignored him, however. "Yes, that must be it! The forces balancing these energies must be gone; that would explain it. In conclusion, that means G-"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was penetrated by a spear of light.
"Hahahahaha! What entertainment! How remarkable of you to figure it out. Unfortunately for you, you've served your purpose. You were never anything more than a way for me to alleviate my boredom. It's my turn to play now," said Kokabiel.
"What the Hell? Wasn't he supposed to be your subordinate?" yelled Issei.
The Fallen Angel raised an eyebrow and mockingly answered: "He was entirely unnecessary. I could have done this whole operation by myself from the beginning. He was there to entertain me. And so shall you. Boost your power more, boy, and transfer it. I'm giving you so time to do that, so give me a satisfying fight."
"Are you mocking us?" said Rias in outrage
Now is not the time for wounded pride, President! shouted Koneko internally.
She shot her [King] a look that said as much, but it was not noticed in the dark.
Kokabiel responded: "You mock me with your weakness. You can't defeat me as you are."
Unfortunately, the rogue cadre was correct. Rias and Akeno had the power levels of High-Class Devils, but everyone else was below that, and Kokabiel was an Ultimate-Class level being. That discrepancy in power could not be fought with their current level of training.
Rias grit her teeth, and eventually said: "… Power up, Ise."
"Already on it, President!" he said in response.
[Boost]
Came from the gear. It was nearing its capacity since Issei had continued to charge it during Yuuto's fight with Freed. The power he had built up was considerable.
"Now, whom will you give that power to?" asked Kokabiel.
Rias stretched her hand out in Issei's direction. "Give it to me," she said.
The phrasing brought unbidden thoughts to Koneko's head. She was not thinking of power at all when she heard Rias say that. It got even worse when Issei took the other pureblood Devil's hand. The look they gave each other spoke of affection, trust, and love for each other. It was a bit heartwarming, but it did not help at all with the distracting thoughts it brought up for Koneko.
It was not the first time this had happened. In fact, moments like that had become more frequent recently. The phenomenon was certainly strange, and it took her focus away from the life-threatening situation.
She shook her head. What is wrong with me?
Fortunately, she was pulled away from that train of thought by the transfer of power. Rias' own power shot up drastically. She was overflowing with it.
Rias wasted no time using that power. She quickly made a huge sphere of the Power of Destruction. She put nearly all of her demonic power into the attack. It was powerful enough to kill nearly anything it hit.
"Blow away!" exclaimed the redhead as she launched the sphere.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! This is the strength equalling that of an Ultimate-Class Devil! A bit more and you'd be on the level of a Satan," said Kokabiel in response.
Sadly for the Devils, he was on the same level as the attack. He raised his hand and built up an enormous amount of holy energy.
The two opposing forces collided with a sonorous bang. Kokabiel visibly struggled to defend against Rias' attack. That said, he was slowly pushing it back bit by bit by feeding his defence more power as time went on. Eventually, the Power of Destruction was dispersed, and the Fallen Angel was still up and running.
He had not been left unscathed, however. His clothes were tattered, and his hand was bloody.
"That was good. Talent clearly runs in the family. You're walking your brother's footsteps," he said with a manic grin.
The attack had failed, so no more time could be wasted. Everyone had to get into the action. If Kokabiel had the opportunity to go on the offensive, they were all dead.
"Lightning!" announced Akeno, more for her allies' benefit than her own.
As the melee fighters avoided the blast, her magic crashed into Kokabiel. Sadly, however, Kokabiel merely deflected the attack with his wing.
"Who are you to stand in my way, spawn of Baraqiel?" asked the Fallen Angel.
"Don't talk as if he and I were in the same group!" yelled back the young woman in a rage.
Kokabiel had certainly hit a sore spot. The revelation aside – Akeno had never talked about her father to Koneko – the young Nekoshou now saw that the [Queen] was losing her cool fast.
It seemed that Kokabiel was more interested in mockery than fighting seriously, however. "You've got an interesting taste in servants. The Red Dragon Emperor, a survivor of the Holy Sword Project, and even Baraqiel's daughter. Your preferences are just as weird as your brother's."
"Shut up!" said Rias. "How dare you insult my brother? And how dare you insult my Peerage? I will have your life for this offence!"
Kokabiel merely laughed and said: "Come at me, then, and strike down your enemy. If you don't take this chance to take me down, it might get embarrassing for you."
Koneko spied Xenovia muttering something to Yuuto. The exorcist then moved to attack Kokabiel head-on. The attack failed spectacularly in only two moves.
After he had picked up Xenovia and kicked her, Kokabiel made a disgusted face, and said: "Pathetic. The sword alone is nothing without a good wielder. Vasco Strada was unconquerable with this. You, on the other hand, are disappointing."
He made to attack Xenovia, but he was interrupted.
"I won't lose any more comrades. Take this!" shouted Yuuto as he moved in with his holy-demonic sword.
The strike was caught with only two fingers. "Interesting. Still weak, but you've got potential. Show me some real resolve."
This was Koneko's opportunity. While Kokabiel was busy talking down to Yuuto, she moved behind the Fallen Angel, and threw the strongest punch she could. If it connected, she could-
Pain erupted from all over her body. Kokabiel's wings had turned into blades and struck at her with insanely fast speed. It was an incredibly painful experience, but fortunately, the wounds were far shallower than they appeared. That was one upside of the situation.
It was only then that she noticed an unseen force pulling her away from Kokabiel. She had no clue what it was, but she was grateful. She realised that if it had not been for this force, she would have been wounded grievously now.
When she came to a halt, she heard the wind whisper to her in a familiar voice: "Shh, stay quiet. I've got everything under control."
She relaxed as she heard those words, and nodded. If he was here, there was some hope yet, even if she did not know just how strong he was.
When she could focus back on the fight, Kokabiel had already fought off several more attacks from the others. Yuuto had managed to land a minor blow on the fallen Angel's cheek, but the whole Peerage was now either out of commission or unable to fight in the first place.
Kokabiel sighed in disappointment. "Is that all you have to offer? Well, you are still young. Disappointing as your power levels are, your morale and fighting spirits are quite good. Interesting to see how both the Devils and the Church can still fight even after losing their rulers."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rias.
Her opponent looked at her in confusion for a second before a look of realisation came over him. He laughed and said: "I nearly forgot! Let me tell you, then. It was not only the Four Great Satans who died in the Great War but also God. Only the higher-ups of the Three Factions are supposed to know. It's what has allowed them to keep this annoying ceasefire going. The Devils and Heaven had lost their leaders, and Azazel pulled us back after we had lost the vast majority of our troops. Every faction had lost so many people that they simply stopped fighting. Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels; increasing the number of them is difficult now without their creators making new ones. They can mate with humans, rare as it is, and you have your Evil Pieces, but even pureblood Devils are rare now, right?"
"You lie!" shouted Xenovia. "That can't be true!"
Kokabiel sneered. "The point is, nobody of high rank is interested in war. Michael, your new Satans, even Azazel; none of them want a second Great War. That fool! We could have won if we had continued. No matter, I'm starting this war myself now. I will prove to the world that we Fallen Angels are the supreme species without the need for humans with Sacred Gears."
There was someone aside from Xenovia who did not take well to the news. Asia was having a mental breakdown. "God… is dead? He is no longer around… Was the love of God… fake?"
"That's right," said Kokabiel. "There's no such thing as the love of God or his divine protection anymore. Admittedly, Michael is doing a pretty good job at replacing him. Prayers, miracles, and exorcism still work, but if you compare it to back in the day, Heaven's System operates as nothing more than a pale shadow of its former self."
Asia was like a boneless heap now. She fell to the ground in despair.
"Pull yourself together, Asia!" yelled Issei at her.
He ran over to her and took her in his arms. It was a sweet gesture, even if the battlefield was not appropriate for it. Still, if they were to survive, they needed their heads in the game, and Issei was doing a good job at putting Asia's back in there.
Kokabiel merely grinned. "Let's start a war! A glorious war to the extinction of all opponents of the Fallen. I will begin by levelling this town."
Sensei, where are you? thought Koneko in panic. This was not going like it should have been!
"Screw you!" yelled Issei. "I won't let you ruin this town. My comrades, Asia, the President and my family all live here. This place is also my vital base for my plan to become a harem king!"
Koneko suppressed the urge to sigh. That damn lecher.
"Harem king, you say?" asked Kokabiel. "You could become one if you joined me. You can pick up beautiful women along the way and have your way with them as much as you want."
"That would have been tempting once, but no," replied Issei immediately.
What do you mean, tempting?! You're the worst! Wait… once? thought the young Nekoshou.
Then Issei went on: "A wise man told me recently: 'There are no shortcuts on the path to your goals.' So, no! I do want many beautiful women, but I will become a harem king by my own merits! That is my goal and the source of my power!"
In a fashion so very typical for Issei, his speech was inspirational in the most stupid yet effective way possible.
"If you want women that much, I'll do lots of naughty things for you after we got home alive," said Rias with blush of embarrassment.
"Really?! You'll even let me suck your nipples?" asked Issei.
"Yes! If you win, you can do it. It's a small price to pay," answered the redhead.
Issei's aura flared into existence at those words.
"Yes! I can do it! I can suck on the President's nipples!" he shouted.
That actually worked? You're the worst! shouted Koneko in her thoughts. Despite this, she could not help but imagine how it would look. She caught herself soon, however. This was getting embarrassing.
The blush and expression on Rias' face spoke of severe embarrassment too. Koneko thought: I feel sorry for her.
Issei went on: "You're going down, Kokabiel! You stand between me and my prize! I'd even punch God to get there!"
The build-up of power was enormous. Koneko had never felt it go so high in Issei. It even surpassed Rias at full power at this point.
"What the Hell are you? How can such power come from nothing but perversion?!" yelled Kokabiel.
"I'm the [Pawn] of Rias Gremory!" answered Issei. "I'm the possessor of the Boosted Gear who grows stronger with erotic thoughts and hot-bloodedness!"
As embarrassing as his words were, he now had the power to prove them. The red and green glow of his Sacred Gear grew in intensity, and power continued to flow from him, although it was highly unstable. His aura was suffusing the battlefield now, and it dispelled the despair that had befallen the Gremory Peerage.
Then, a voice interrupted the ongoing situation.
"I'm glad to see that my teachings have been put to use."
"Sensei," greeted Koneko.
She could sense his grin before she saw it. "Time for the grown-ups to clean up," he said.
Navigating the town in the dark had been easy for Naruto. He was a Shinobi of considerable experience and power, after all. He was fast, agile, and somewhat knowledgeable on Kuoh's streets. He had no problem moving at high speeds. His companions, especially Baldwin, were a bit slower, though. That was why it had taken them some time to reach Kuoh Academy.
The battle had already begun by the time they had arrived. Instead of interfering, however, they had set up additional security measures. Naruto, for one, had made a containment seal around the big magic circle on the ground, and had erected several layers of barriers around the one maintained by the Sitri Peerage.
Their security still sucks, thought Naruto.
He had had to interfere again when Koneko had been in danger, but he and his companions had mostly observed the battle. They had gained valuable data about the fighters, and at least Naruto knew how to use it in the future. Now was the time to step in, though.
After having observed Pervy Kid's antics, he moved forward and said: "I'm glad that my teachings have been put to use."
He thought it best to interrupt Issei before he blew himself up with the amount of unstable power within himself. That did not mean that he did not take a small bit of pride in having his words taken to heart. It was great when students learned so fast.
Speaking of students…
"Sensei," said Koneko in greeting.
He grinned at her and replied: "Time for the grown-ups to clean up."
"Who are you?" asked Kokabiel.
The grin on Naruto's face grew bigger. "Oh, me? I'm in the temporary employ of two people who would really like to meet you."
As he finished saying that, footsteps could be heard, and the figures of his two companions appeared out of the darkness of the night.
"I see you're still as much of a sore loser as ever, Brother," said Pahaliah.
"You are no brother of mine!" shot back Kokabiel.
Koneko looked at Naruto, and asked: "Who are these people, Sensei?"
The human who had accompanied him and the Angel spoke up: "My apologies. I am Baldwin, Patriarch of the Coptic Church and High Inquisitor of the Levant, and this is Pahaliah, the Angel of Redemption and my assigned supervisor. Nice to meet you, Miss Toujou."
"Stop it with the pleasantries. We're here for a reason," said Pahaliah.
Naruto nodded and said: "Yeah, let's hurry up. Some angry brat is assaulting my barriers, and it's getting irritating."
Kokabiel was rather put out at being treated like this. "Don't mess around! I am not done away with lightly!"
He fanned out his wings, and charged at Pahaliah.
The Angel responded by throwing a spear of light at his face right before his opponent could reach him, forcing Kokabiel to avoid. Two more spears followed, which forced the Fallen Angel back.
"You're not the only one with your level of power," said Pahaliah.
From his back emerged ten white wings, and a powerful holy aura exuded from him. He, too, was an Ultimate-Class being. That was actually rather common in Heaven. Despite the low number of Angels, Heaven was the strongest of the Three Factions. There were more Angels of the Ultimate-Class than equally strong Devils or Fallen Angels put together. Pahaliah may have been in the upper levels of those, but even he was only one of dozens of ten-winged Angels. Kokabiel may have been special among the Fallen, but in the grand scheme of things, he was still not one of the truly big hitters.
Trying to prove the opposite, Kokabiel formed a vast spear of light, easily on par with the one that had obliterated the gym. He threw it at Pahaliah, who made no move to stop it.
"Die!" yelled Kokabiel.
Baldwin stepped in front of Pahaliah and simply said: "Sacral Sanctimony!"
The spear of light stopped in front of the man. He then grabbed it and took control of it away from its original owner.
"What? How could you do that?" asked Kokabiel.
Baldwin levelled him with a mocking expression and said: "Is it not fitting that an Inquisitor would be equipped to deal with traitors to the Lord? To answer your question, my Sacred Gear Sacral Sanctimony allows me to take control of any holy light that comes closer to my body than five centimetres."
"You never even stood a chance," concluded Pahaliah.
He then impaled Kokabiel's wings with spears of light. Kokabiel screamed, and fell to the ground. There, he was hit by the spear he himself had thrown at Baldwin. The light exploded with a resounding boom. The results spoke for themselves.
Kokabiel lay on the ground, bloody and nearly unconscious. He could barely move, and only groaned in pain when his opponents approached him.
Naruto was the one who spoke this time: "Now for my part. You're gonna get punished for this mess, ya know? Your death might cause problems on the diplomatic front, so I came up with something special for you."
As he said this, black ink streamed down his body over the ground to Kokabiel. The ink then enveloped the Fallen Angel in an elaborate sealing pattern. A blue glow then shone from the ink, and Kokabiel screamed.
"Since you tried to use your power to destroy the peace so many of your comrades died for, you clearly don't deserve it. You've wasted the light given to you. I'm gonna find a better use for it," said Naruto.
"AAAAAAAAGHHHH!"
Kokabiel's screams became louder as the glow intensified. This went on for a minute longer, until, at last, the Fallen Angel stilled, and a golden-glowing sphere exited his body.
"I've wanted to get my hand on holy energy for quite a while. Thanks for giving me the opportunity, you crappy crow," finished Naruto.
He then took a scroll out of his pocket. He opened it, revealing another seal within. Said seal proceeded to greedily drink up the sphere of holy energy until there was nothing left. After that, Naruto put the scroll away again.
As he did so, the magic circle containing the town-destroying spell Kokabiel had place in it disappeared. The containment seals around it vanished as well. It signified the Fallen Angel's defeat.
Naruto grinned. "Mission success."
It was then that the barriers around the field shattered. A white-armoured figure broke through its last remnants at high speed, aiming straight for Kokabiel. Neither Naruto nor his companions moved to stop it, and the Gremory Peerage were too slow to react. The figure thus reached its goal without interruption.
When it had come to a halt, Naruto greeted it: "Hello. Are you the representative of the Grigori?"
"… You expected me to come?" asked the figure with a male voice.
Naruto nodded and said: "Azazel likes the current peace. It'd look really bad if he didn't send anyone to stop a warmonger from his side. I gotta ask though, who are you?"
"My name is Albion," responded the figure. "I have orders to bring in Kokabiel and his associates."
"Right. Well, I don't know about the associates, but you can take Kokabiel with you. He's still alive, at least," said Naruto. "Galilei's dead and the wannabe swordmaster is on his way there. The guy's lost a lot of blood."
"In that case, I will take my leave," said the white-armoured man.
He picked up Kokabiel and Freed, and then turned about, only to be interrupted.
[Are you going to ignore me, White One?] said a voice from within Issei's Sacred Gear.
Another voice, one that did not belong to the man who had spoken previously, came from the armour: [Is that you, Red One?]
[Yes, it is I,] answered the being within Boosted Gear.
[Somehow, I don't feel like fighting you right now. Our destined confrontation will have to wait,] replied the White One.
The Red One responded: [Agreed. We will fight later.]
The man in the white armour then told Issei: "Grow stronger. We will meet again, and then we'll fight."
With that, the man spread the white and blue wings of his armour and disappeared into the air.
"Who was that?" asked Issei.
[That was the White Dragon Emperor. You and he are destined to fight. Be wary of him, partner. His powers are the opposite of yours. Where you increase your power and give it to others, he takes power from others and adds it to his own,] explained the Red One.
"That's a problem for another day, though. The big trial of today has been taken care of," said Naruto.
Rias added: "It is as he said. I am beyond glad that you all survived, and that we're all together again. Welcome back, Yuuto."
"Welcome back," said Issei with a smirk.
Koneko said: "I'm happy. You'll come to our club activities again, right?"
Kiba laughed and said: "It's good to be back. Yes, I'll join in again."
Rias smiled warmly as she heard this. Then, she held out her hand and demonic power appeared in it.
"That said, Yuuto, you still get punished for acting on your own like an unruly child. You nearly went Stray. One thousand spanks!" she declared.
Naruto interrupted her: "He's also under contract. You saw that, right?"
"Fine. One hundred will do," conceded Rias.
Kiba gulped.
Well, that fight's over, thought Naruto. Now comes the tedious part.
"Sorry to interrupt, Red," he said, "but can you give us an ETA on your brother's arrival? We should prepare to handle the diplomatic side of things while you kids do whatever you do."
That was important. This night was not going to be without consequences, after all. The Star of God had been defeated, but there was still work related to him. Naruto was sure that it was going to be boring in spite of what it meant.
That is the price of peace, he sighed out mentally.
AN: Greetings, dear readers! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.
Today's chapter was a bit longer because I didn't want to cut the fight in half and spread it out across two chapters. That means there wasn't too much character development or interaction in this chapter, but I've got plenty planned for the next one.
That said, Baldwin and Pahaliah have made their entrance. Concerning them, I have a few words to say:
Pahaliah is an "OC" in DxD, but in mythology, he is an Angel of the Shem HaMephorash (also known as the Tetragrammaton). His name roughly means "God Redeemer." I put him in there as a contrast to Kokabiel (his name meaning "Star of God") by giving both of them ten wings. While that is enough to take on a Cadre position in the Grigori, it doesn't even warrant a true leadership position in Heaven. The Ten Seraphs all have twelve wings, and the Four Great Seraphs among them are even higher on the scale. Michael with his golden wings is above even them. The Ten Seraphs are likely all Satan-Class in terms of power. I infer this because in Volume 17, a four-winged Angel was ranked Ultimate-Class. In the Light Novel, Heaven is explicitly stated to be the most powerful of the Three Factions, and I believe this illustrates that well.
Baldwin is another OC. He is a transmigrant (not Hero Descendant, for obvious reasons) of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. In this story, he is the Patriarch of the Coptic Church and the High Inquisitor of the Levant. Ishibumi intentionally never talks about more detailed denominations of Christianity in the DxD novels, and also completely elides Judaism and Islam to avoid inflaming statements. I treat, and encourage my readers to do the same, DxD Christianity as a catch-all term for altered version of the Abrahamic faiths. The Bible in the DxD-verse contains a lot of phrases, mentions and characters that have never been in any Bible in the real world. Considering that the Egyptian, Greek, Irish, Norse and Zoroastrian pantheons are also still active in the DxD-verse, the territory where DxD-Christianity operates is also left a bit nebulous. So, in that scheme, I have decided that I will at times mention minor denominations (such as Coptic Orthodoxy) at times, but I will not involve real-world religious politics, as far as the purposes of the story allow me. As such, I have deliberately chosen a Christian hero figure that was, as far as I know, pretty tolerant of other Abrahamic faiths to be this OC.
A final note on Koneko, and why she has strange thoughts at times: That will be addressed next chapter. There are reasons, and I think they align reasonably well with a certain incident in canon. So, please be patient before you freak out about her being OOC.
At this point, I would like to thank everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed. My thanks to all the silent readers as well. I'm glad to have your continued support.
Now then, that is all from me for today. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!