Chapter 22
As soon as we entered the grounds behind the main Kuoh school building, I promoted to Queen, the power of the Evil Piece strengthening my whole being.
We found Kokabiel in the middle of the sports area, a wide and open place just behind the main school building. The two stooges, Valper Galilei and Freed Sellzen, were there as well. They stood by a magical circle, over which the four Excaliburs radiated their power into the air, slowly rotating.
Valper stood in the middle of the circle, a magical device in his hands; it looked like he was directing the spell or a ritual. To be honest, I wasn't sure of the process, only that this much destructive energy being released would not end well for anyone.
When the old man spotted us, he smiled a kindly smile; the expression on the face of a person responsible for so much evil rankled me deeply. "Excellent, it's always better to do these things with an audience to appreciate my genius," said Valper, spreading his hands in a grandiose gesture. "Rejoice, devils, for you will witness a thing not seen in centuries; the four shall become one."
His speech was interrupted by Kokabiel, who sat on a floating throne high above the ground. "Valper, my patience is running thin. How much longer?"
From his position high above us and from the grandiose seat the Fallen Cadre summoned to himself, he looked almost like a king overseeing his subjects. He even positioned himself in such a way that the moonlit sky was his background when we looked up at him.
"Not much longer, my lord, just a few more moments."
"See that it is so, Valper."
The Fallen leader moved his gaze from the excommunicated priest to us, speaking in a lazy tone, almost as if bored. "So then, who shall it be? Will you face me yourself? Or is Sirzechs on his way? Perhaps Serafall?"
"We shall be your opponents tonight, Kokabiel," said Rias but was interrupted before she could utter any more words to the Fallen leader.
With a flick of his wrist, Kokabiel summoned a large Spear of Light and flicked it towards the gymnasium; in an instant, the building disappeared in an explosion of light and magic. So this was the power we were dealing with. Somehow, the excitement I felt managed to increase, despite the effortless power the Fallen Cadre just displayed.
"I expected… more," drawled Kokabiel. "Is your brother truly not concerned with your fate? I expected my challenge to be answered appropriately, not by infants."
Kokabiel shifted on his throne and propped his head on his fist in an expression of boredom. "Since you mustered only this feeble response, I shall have you play with my pet first; let's see if you are capable of even that," he said, snapping his fingers.
From the darkness beneath Kokabiel emerged a large thing; it set the ground rumbling as it came closer to us.
Perhaps ten metres tall, the creature was large, resembling a hound, only fiercer. Massive claws, large fangs in its mouth and burning red eyes, but the most distinguishing feature was its three heads.
It roared at us, the sound shaking my bones.
"A Cerberus, guardian of Hell; but to bring it here, into the moral world…" said Rias, her expression cautious.
The Cerberus was now in between us and the Holy Sword ritual, with Kokabiel still sitting in his throne. It seems he was keen to observe us, not interested in fighting us just yet. That was good, one enemy at a time.
Summoning Ancalagon and the Boosted Gear, I joined Rias and the others standing opposed to the Hound of Hell.
"BOOST"
Akeno's hands were already sparkling with lightning, small bolts dancing between her fingers. "Rias, let's handle this dog; we can do it."
I rested Ancalagon on my shoulder, smiling at the opponent. I was growing used to these feelings: on one hand, anticipation for battle, making my pulse quicken; on the other, anger over Kokabiel's words, over his intentions. I let that anger wash over me, sharpening my focus.
Kiba and Koneko flanked our group on either side, with Asia standing behind Rias and Akeno.
Rias smiled slightly, her confidence surging. "You're right. Very well, my servants, let us dispose of this monster in the name of House Gremory!"
Rias' proclamation was followed by a hand gesture; the Chuuni Princess of the Underworld was true to form, even when faced with literal biblical opponents.
"BOOST"
Fanning out, Rias and Akeno unleashed their demonic power on the two outer heads of the Cerberus. Rias' Power of Destruction eliciting a howl of agony from the beast, and Akeno's lightning doing likewise. The whole body of the Cerberus reared on its hind legs, and with another howl of frustration, it unleashed a stream of flame from its centre head.
Before the flame could hit us, Kiba surged forward, a blade of ice in his hand, already releasing steam into the air. With a heave, Kiba unleashed a wave of ice from his sword on the incoming flames, freezing the infernal fire before it could harm any of us.
With a slight nod to Koneko, the two of us sprinted towards the Hell Hound, leaping over the frozen flames. I unfurled my wings and hovered in the air for a split second; just as Koneko made her pass by me, I reached out with my hand to catch her already extended one.
"TRANSFER"
Transferring the power, I adjusted my position in the air, putting my hands together and giving Koneko a platform to boost herself off of. With a flap of her wings and exertion from her leg muscles, the white-haired devil plummeted towards the monster beneath us, delivering a devastating kick to its skull, sending it to the ground, with the whole body following closely behind.
I followed right after Koneko, surging on my wings; Ancalagon levelled point first towards the beast. With a shout, I drove the tip of my sword deep into a large eyeball of the monstrous hound.
As I felt my sword impact what I assumed to be part of the skull inside the monstrous head, Kiba joined me and did the same with the other eye on the central head. With his ice sword still in his hand, he twisted and channelled power into it, pouring icy demonic magic into the beast's head.
Its howls of agony were followed by one of the side heads snapping at me, but before it could close its razor teeth around me, Koneko punched it, making the head snap to the side, but by the gash on her arm, she did not do so unscathed.
When the last head of the beast tried the same with Kiba, lightning descended from the skies; striking it in the snout and making it howl, but its cries came out weak.
The beast was injured, but despite the monstrous damage we did to it, it still lived. Despite this, things were not looking too good when another Cerberus stalked from the shadow. How many of them were there?
Before my question could be answered, the newly arrived Cerberus charged in the direction where Rias, Akeno and Asia were, completely ignoring us. However, before it could reach them, a flash of light surged from the side, striking through Cerberus's neck, cutting one of the beast's heads clean off, dark vapour pouring from the gaping wound.
Xenovia landed on one knee from her slashing jump, flicking the blood of the Hell Hound from the Excalibur Destruction in her hand.
"It seems my arrival is timely," she said, looking at Rias, who gave a nod of acknowledgement; her help was accepted, and it might as well be needed when we finally faced Kokabiel.
/Break
Akeno looked from the newly arrived exorcist Xenovia back to one of the Cerberuses, now a head shorter, leaving it with just two. The wound was smoking a dark vapour from the Holy power of the Excalibur. Like all devils and the Fallen, a Cerberus was a creature of darkness, and Holy and Light powers were very effective when used against them.
After her brief words spoken to Rias, Xenovia hefted her sword and attacked the wounded beast, slashing at its torso with the Hell Hound roaring in pain and anger. The beast was seriously injured; the two wounds from the Holy Sword were most likely fatal.
Akeno looked to her own hands, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, the feeling she had during the Rating Game coming back with full force. She thought when she shared her parentage with the rest of the peerage, that it would offer some form of closure.
It did not, not fully.
The part she feared did not happen; she was not rejected by her friends. Most knew to some degree already. Kairos continued to be his usual self, acting as if nothing had happened. And even Asia, the pure soul that she was, had nothing but kindness towards her; despite what she would have suffered at the hands of the Fallen had she not been taken away by Kairos.
She has gotten acceptance from others, but she never managed to find closure for herself; she never accepted herself, despite sharing it with others.
And now, the ugly head of doubt reared itself once more. Just seeing the effect the Holy Sword had on the beast borne of the Underworld made Akeno doubt herself once more. Just on the edge of consciousness, she could feel it, gnawing at her. The power of the Fallen within her… her father's power.
Baraquiel's Holy Lightning.
Despite the name, Baraquiel was no longer capable of creating true Holy Lightning; the Holy element of the Light that all Angels carried had been stripped from him when he Fell. Now, all that remained was the Light, but it still carried potency within it; it would not hurt another Fallen as it once did, but it would still hurt devils and creatures of darkness.
Her decision made, Akeno rose high in the air, pointing two fingers towards the sky, letting power gather within her. With a surge of willpower, power flowed, and dark clouds gathered high up in the sky, casting shadows over the moonlit sky. She could feel it, the power of Light, her heritage.
Once, when she was a little girl, she would stare in awe as her father conjured motes of golden light in the air; sometimes she would chase after them as he made them fly around their home. She remembered her mother's smile… how she missed that smile.
Before… before that night, Baraquiel started teaching her how to summon the Light, but she never got too far in her learning. And after that, she never tried learning it again, despising the power as a memory of what could have been and what was lost.
So when she called, the power came sluggishly, her body unused to its magics and feel. Despite this, Akeno endured, coaxing the power to come forth, to spring out and fill the darkened clouds above her.
With mental exertion, she called upon power she despised for almost half of her life; golden lightning came crashing down onto her extended hand; for a moment, she held it there, feeling the warm feeling she once did in happier times.
But then her eyes narrowed with resolve and determination; channelling the power that once gave an angel the name Lightning of God, Akeno hurled the roiling thunder and lightning onto the first Cerberus just as it was getting back on its feet.
"Crash Down! Holy Lightning!"
/Break
When the golden lightning struck down on the Cerberus we were facing, and the other one gave howls that turned to whimpers of agony, I knew the first part of the battle had come to an end. Slowly, both Cerberuses started turning into dust, the wind blowing them away.
The sound of slow clapping made us all look upwards, towards Kokabiel, still sitting on his throne languidly. He had a lazy smile and was clapping his hands theatrically, as if enjoying the entertainment we provided.
"I must say, this has been both informative and more entertaining than I anticipated; perhaps there is a sliver of power present in your peerage, little Gremory," said Kokabiel. "I saw you transfer part of your power, Red Dragon Emperor. I wonder… what would happen if you transferred your power towards the Gremory? Would her Power of Destruction equal that of her brother? Or would she still be a pale imitation of that annoying brat?"
Before Kokabiel could say anything further, Valper's voice cut through.
"My lord, pardon the interruption, but it is done; my masterpiece is complete."
Looking towards Valper, the light emanating from the Excaliburs was being pulled inwards, rather than outwards as before; the four swords were fusing into one another, forming a rictus of a sword.
"The four Excaliburs are becoming one," said Valper, grinning. "The ritual is also complete; the gathered power can destroy this town at your command, my lord."
Kokabiel grinned. "Freed," he called out, the mad exorcists grinning from below.
"Yes, boss?" asked Freed, becoming more animated by the second, already anticipating what Kokabiel had in mind.
"I give you leave to wield this Excalibur in my name; let this be the last entertainment of the evening," declared Kokabiel, once more leaning backwards into his throne, crossing his legs, his posture still utterly relaxed.
"Aww, you give me the best of toys, boss; don't mind if I do," said the still grinning Freed, grasping the newly made Excalibur.
"Rias Gremory's Knight, if your bargain is still valid, let us destroy the Excalibur together," said Xenovia, looking at Kiba.
"You would go so far? To destroy four of the swords?" asked the knight.
"Things have progressed beyond what the Church has anticipated; they will have to make do with fragments of the sword. They cannot reasonably expect anything more than that. This new sword is a heresy," said Xenovia, looking determined.
Valper's laugh interrupted the two sword wielders. "Hahaha, this is amusing, all this talk of heresy. It is still an Excalibur, is it not? Who are you to declare what is holy and what isn't?"
Kiba turned his attention to the exiled priest. "Valper Galilei, I am the sole survivor of the Holy Sword Project. You meant to kill all those involved, and perhaps in a fashion you succeeded, for I have been reborn as a devil."
The calm with which Kiba said it surprised me, but looking more closely at his eyes, I could still see the hatred and resolve in them. Valper's days were numbered; that was for certain.
"Interesting, I did not think I would meet a survivor of that project. What an intriguing set of circumstances to meet with one such as yourself in Japan of all places. Perhaps it was fate that you would be here, to die by the very creation you helped create," said Valper with a chuckle, looking at Kiba as if he were an interesting subject, rather than a person.
"You see, holy swords always fascinated me; I was always enraptured by the legends of old and powerful blades like the Excalibur, ever since I was a child. When I found out I would never be able to use it, I fell to despair," said Valper, with a tone of a kindly grandfather explaining something, instead of the murderous wretch that he was in truth.
"In my heart, I admired those with the ability, because it was denied to me. Over time, once I had gotten older and wiser, I started experimenting; hoping to bring into fruition that which has been denied to me and others, the ability to wield a Holy Sword without the necessary predisposition," continued Valper and then spread out his arms, the kindly smile never leaving his face.
"Lo and behold, I have succeeded. The masterwork of my life is now complete. I have to thank you and others like you who gave their lives for this to come to fruition; it would have never been possible without you."
Kiba's gaze grew wroth with each word that left Valper's mouth. "What are you talking about? What is complete? The Excalibur?"
"Oh, that? No, that is merely alchemy, something many in the Church are capable of; it is the reason the original shards of Excalibur were reforged into the seven. No, that is not what I meant. You see, I realised that there was an essential factor needed to wield the Holy Swords; I needed multiple subjects to determine the value of that factor and how to best bring it to bear. Most of the subjects had the potential to wield the swords, but it was never enough. After a while, the conclusion I reached was to gather that potential and combine it into a single transferable essence," said Valper excitedly.
Xenovia nodded her head. "I see. I understand now. The thing that is put inside the Holy Sword wielders when they receive the blessing, that is…"
"Correct, by taking the holy element of potential wielders, we extract it and crystallise it… just like this," said Valper and produced an orb, glowing in soft light.
"With this, the research on Holy Sword wielders improved. Even so, those fools from the Church banished me for heresy and took away my reports on the research. But seeing you here and now, I see that the project was continued by someone else. Hypocrisy at its finest. Michael censored me, made me a criminal, and yet he still made use of my research and its results."
Valper was laughing at his own words, apparently finding them amusing.
"…You killed my comrades, my friends, just for a holy element to wield the swords?" asked Kiba, his voice holding a deadly edge.
Valper smirked at the Knight. "That's correct, this orb is the last one. It's the original one from your batch; the others I have used on Freed here."
The former exorcist perked up at the use of his name, grinning with insanity at us. "That's right, the other guys just died like the lame shits that they were; they couldn't synchronise with the element. I guess that makes me a special little cookie," exclaimed Freed.
"…Valper Galiliel, how many lives have you sacrificed for your greed and experiments…"
Kiba's voice was now filled with pain, his eyes set on the small orb Valper held between his fingers.
"Hm, they were your friends, were they not? "Here, boy, have this," said Valper, tossing the orb to Kiba, to all our collective surprise. "I no longer need it; my research has progressed enough that I can now mass produce these things. You may keep that one for sentimental value, if you manage to live through this."
Kiba caught the orb, holding it in his palms and looking at it, his eyes misty and lost. He patted the orb sadly, lovingly, and dearly.
"…my friends…"
There was a tear on Kiba's cheek. His expression was filled with sadness and anger. Suddenly, the softly glowing orb in Kiba's hands pulsed with light; it started to spread, and it eventually covered the whole school field. Mots of light rose from the ground, taking shape around Kiba.
They were people. Boys and girls shining in white-blue light.
"The residual energies of the battlefield must have triggered a synaptic backlash, releasing the stored spiritual residue within the orb; it's the echo of the souls within."
The voice came from Akeno as she came closer to us as we stood together, with Kiba by the side; the spectral images of young children still gathered around him.
"…my friends… I'm sorry, you all died just so that I may live… It wasn't right… You all had your dreams… Why was it me who survived, while your own lives were snuffed out?"
One of the spectral images moved its lips, but while we could hear no words, Kiba's expression softened; clearly, he was able to hear them. Surprisingly, Akeno started translating what they were saying.
"Don't worry about us anymore. You are alive at least."
Kiba was not crying, listening to their word. Suddenly, all of them started speaking at the same time. I furrowed my brows, but I realised they were singing.
"…They are singing a hymn," said Asia, looking intently at the miracle in front of us.
Kiba's voice joined with theirs, shedding tears all the while. This must have been what kept them sane during Valper's experiments, their lifeline they held onto. Kiba and his comrades had the smiles of innocent children.
Their bodies started to glow brighter, with Kiba at their centre.
"We were no good alone."
"We didn't have enough elements to wield the Holy Swords, but…"
"It will be okay if we are together."
I could now hear the voices myself.
"You have to accept the Holy Sword."
"It's not scary."
"Even if God is watching."
"Our hearts are always…"
"ONE."
Their spirits went up into the heavens, and they turned into a big light that fell down to Kiba.
TAKE NOTES, KAIROS; THE KNIGHT HAS REACHED IT.
What do you mean?
CAN'T YOU FEEL IT?
I looked at Kiba more closely, observing the way his magical energy felt, but I couldn't say for certain; there was too much magic in the air from the fighting.
THE CULMINATION OF HIS RESOLVE, SACRED GEARS REACT TO EMOTIONS. IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT BODY AND POWER; I HAVE TOLD YOU THAT.
I watched as the magical light settled down on Kiba, enveloping his form.
THAT YOUNG MAN, HE IS THERE.
THE BALANCE BREAKER.
I could see it now; the power within Kiba fluctuated, but it was climbing, his hands still clenched to his chest, the now dry tears marking his face.
"…I will become a sword," spoke Kiba, slowly opening his eyes. "For my friends, past, present and future, I will never let something like what happened to me happen to anyone else! In the name of Rias Gremory, I will cut you down right now! Freed Sellzen! Valper Galilei! Sword Birth!"
A single sword appeared in Kiba's hands, shining both with holy light and demonic power. Something that should have been impossible.
"Balance-Breaker, Sword of the Betrayer. With this sword, combining the holy power and demonic power, I shall cut you down!"
With that statement, Kiba rushed at Freed, moving at a higher speed than he usually did, even when utilising all of his knight piece powers.
Despite this, Freed was able to keep up with Kiba, the power of the four Excaliburs coursing through him. I hefted Ancalagon in my hand and made to join him, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I looked back and saw Rias, slightly shaking her head.
"Kairos, this is a fight that Kiba must fight without us; let us put our faith in him."
Despite understanding what Rias meant, I was conflicted. I came to view Kiba as my friend, and I wished to help him in the fight. At the same time, I recognised the truth in Rias' words; Kiba needed to find closure. And battling this new Excalibur, crafted by the hands of the man responsible for his suffering and wielded by a man who could only do so because of the same, was something he had to resolve by himself.
Therefore I decided to listen and stand by the side with everyone else and simply observe. As I looked closely at Kiba's new sword, I could see the dichotomy of it. On one hand, it was a demonic sword like the ones created by his Sacred Gear; on the other, it was a Holy Sword, not dissimilar to what made Excalibur special. Holy energy glowed faintly alongside the dark demonic one, contrasting one another and yet part of the greater whole.
As Kiba and Freed clashed, I could see the aura of Freed's Excalibur give in to Kiba's Balance Breaker sword. The insane exorcist had enough presence of mind to also realise this, channelling more power into his sword and activating various properties belonging to the individual Excaliburs that made up the sword.
Kiba increased his speed even further, his Balance Breaker state enhancing his normal abilities beyond their limit. For a while, it looked like Freed with his Excalibur amalgamation and Kiba's Sword of the Betrayer were evenly matched. The Knight's speed and unique properties of his sword clashing with the uniqueness and various abilities of the New Excalibur.
Seeing them at an impasse, I thought that perhaps now was the time to add my strength to Kiba's, but before I could do that, Xenovia moved first.
"Your new sword is excellent, Knight of the Gremory, but allow me to add to your effort; together we will destroy that abominable sword!" said Xenovia, holding her sword in her left hand and outstretching her right to the side.
"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy Mother Mary. Please hear my voice," she intoned, her voice a solemn prayer.
Space to her right distorted, and when she reached into the distortion, Xenovia pulled a completely new sword, this one giving off Holy aura as well.
"In the names of the saints who reside within this blade, I will it to release. Durandal!"
Xenovia's exclamation was followed by sputtering from Valper himself. "Durandal?!"
To our surprise, even Kokabiel made his voice known. "You were not the wielder of the Excalibur?" he said, still hovering in the air upon his throne, enjoying the theatre in front of him.
"Wrong. I was originally the wielder of Durandal. I was also chosen as the holder of the Excalibur; that's all," said Xenovia, brandishing her new blue and gold sword. To her credit, she managed to double wield two-handed swords; it said something of her skill and strength.
"Absurd! According to my research, we haven't reached the stage where someone can wield Durandal!" exclaimed Valper.
Xenovia smirked. "Of course. Even in the Vatican, they haven't made someone who can wield Durandal artificially," responded Xenovia, looking intently at Valper, who was now frowning.
"Then why!?"
"Unlike those common artificial holy-sword wielders like Irina, I'm a natural-born wielder," said Xenovia, feeling the weight of her new sword in her hand. "Durandal is a sword that ravages beyond what people can imagine. It cuts anything it touches. It doesn't even listen to me most of the time. That's why I have to keep it in another dimension; otherwise, it would be dangerous. Even I, the holder, have a hard time with it. Now, Freed Sellzen. Thanks to you, we can have the decisive battle between Excalibur and Durandal. Right now, I'm shaking with enjoyment. Don't die in a single strike, okay? At least use the Excalibur to its fullest!"
With those words, Xenovia charged Freed, joining the fray with Kiba. The two swordsmen fought side by side, covering their weaknesses and exploiting the gaps left by one another. It was honestly astonishing how the two could work together without any prior training.
"Do you see it, Valper? Our powers have surpassed Excalibur," said Kiba, delivering a riposte, leaving an opening for Xenovia, who followed it up with two strikes, first with Excalibur and then with Durandal.
Freed staggered, even the power of the New Excalibur unable to keep up with three powerful swords arrayed against him.
With a shout, he tried stepping backwards, words of insult on his lips, but before he could utter them, Kiba swung his blade. Propelled by the Knight's speed, he aimed squarely at the New Excalibur in Freed's hands, striking the blade, its aura already stuttering from facing the powerful blows of Durandal.
With a shattering sound, Freed's new blade broke into pieces, Kiba's sword continued its deadly arc, and Freed's head rolled off his shoulders, a headless corpse falling to the ground.
Valper was still on the side, staring unbelievingly at the decapitated corpse of the former exorcist, stammering. "Ho-Holy-demonic sword…? Impossible… The polar opposite of two things cannot merge…"
Kiba flicked his blade and pointed it towards the excommunicated priest. "Valper Galilei. Prepare yourself."
Suddenly, Valper started laughing, a sudden hysteria overtaking the portly man. "…I see! I understand now! Holy and demonic. It is an explanation if the beings that represent the two become unbalanced! Then not only Lucifer but also God has…"
A spear of light pierced the old man, silencing any further words before they could be uttered.
Kokabiel was standing from his throne, hovering in the air on his ten wings. "Valper. You were remarkable; the reason you came up with that conclusion proves that. Unfortunately for you, your usefulness has come to an end."
Slowly descending to the ground, Kokabiel started clapping slowly, a large smile on his face. "I must say, I did not foresee this to be so entertaining; it's almost a theatre play, a tragic backstory, revealing hidden power and defeating a fated foe. Simply marvellous. Oh, I must thank you for this; truly, I have not been so entertained in quite a while," said Kokabiel. "But, as with all plays, inevitably we now come to the final act. Truly marvellous set up, the Power of Destruction, Baraqiel's Holy Lightning, a Sword Birth Balance Breaker and a Boosted Gear."
Kokabiel laughed loudly and landed on the ground, releasing overwhelming pressure from his body. "Let us see how far you can push these powers," he said, pointing at me.
"Increase the power of the Red Dragon Emperor and transfer it to someone else. I wish to see with my own eyes if that power of yours could entertain me just a little bit; perhaps then the Power of Destruction your crimson master bears will not be so trifling," said Kokabiel, looking at me.
Before I could say anything, Ddraig's voice interrupted me. His voice was heavy and reverberating in my mind.
I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU STOPPED WASTING TIME, PARTNER.
What do you mean? I thought, confused.
CAN'T YOU FEEL IT? LOOK DEEP INSIDE YOURSELF. YOUR BODY HAS BEEN READY FOR QUITE SOME TIME; IT WAS YOUR RESOLVE THAT LAGGED BEHIND.
You can't mean that? I… I cannot be ready for that now.
YOU THINK OF THE PRETENDER AND HOW HE ACHIEVED IT, BUT YOU ARE NOT HIM; YOU NEVER WERE. LOOK INSIDE YOUR SOUL, AND SHOW THOSE WHO DOUBT YOUR POWER THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS. I CANNOT SUFFER ANYTHING LESS FOR THIS INSULT ON OUR POWER.
Before I could say anything further to Ddraig, the Red Dragon started speaking through the Sacred Gear to everyone around me and to Kokabiel.
"YOU WISH TO SEE THE POWER OF THE RED DRAGON EMPEROR?" Ddraig asked Kokabiel. "HAHAHAHA, YOU ARE AN AMUSING ONE, OH ANGEL OF THE STARS!"
Even as he spoke, I started to understand. I looked deep within my soul.
"VERY WELL, LITTLE CROW, COME AND GET A TASTE."
There was fire in there, one I haven't felt before.
"NOW FOR WRATH."
I grasped it and held on to it.
"NOW FOR RUIN."
I brought it forth, letting it fill my whole body.
"AND THE RED DAWN."
"Balance, Break."
"WELSH DRAGON, BALANCE BREAKER!"
Power surged through me; the feeling was intoxicating. So much raw power. I've never felt this powerful, even when I boosted to my maximum. This was it; this was the Balance Breaker, the Scale Mail of the Red Dragon.
The power emanated from me, a corona of green and red magical energy. The power I gave off was physically heavy, matching the pressure Kokabiel himself gave.
The ground beneath me cracked slightly, dust flying into the air.
This power, it could not be contained. It must be unleashed!
No waiting for Kokabiel to speak, I surged forwards, wings sprouting from my back. Not the usual bat-like of the devil, but larger and more menacing, the wings of a dragon.
Ancalagon levelled in front of me; I charged Kokabiel before he could say anything further, boosting along the way. No longer was I limited to a boost per ten seconds; now the boosts came in multiples, the power overwhelming.
In a second I was upon Kokabiel. He conjured a sword of light, and we exchanged blows; his speed was blinding, but so was mine. We moved faster than I ever did before, each strike carrying a force I could have never imagined.
Kokabiel unfurled his own ten wings of dark feathers and flew backwards, slashing his sword at me in the air; from it, much like my own technique, emerged a yellow magical slash, sailing towards me. Channelling my power into Ancalagon, I sliced the incoming magic into two in a downward swing. Continuing in a circular cut, I copied our shared technique and sent out a similar attack back to Kokabiel.
Grinning, the Fallen Cadre dispersed my own magic in the same way, and we closed in again, his wings carrying him forward, same as mine.
"Interesting, very interesting, boy," said Kokabiel when our swords locked and we pushed against each other for a moment.
Not bothering with a response, I thrust my sword upwards from our lock and used Ancalagon's guard to shift his blade upwards, intending to bring my pommel crushing down on Kokabiel's head.
The Fallen saw through my attempt, moving one of his wings into the way of my strike, and my descending pommel met the feathers, their strength as if made from steel.
With the black wing now obscuring my vision, Kokabiel brought another one from his other side in a sweeping motion, the incredibly durable wing scratching against my Scale Mail, but to no avail; my armour held.
I tried to strike again with my sword, but Kokabiel's foot shot out faster than I could react, kicking me in the side, shifting my stance to the left. He followed it up with an attack with his sword, but I used my wing in the same way he did his, blocking the strike.
When Kokabiel grinned, I knew I made a mistake; his Light blade tore through the membrane of my wing as if it was made of paper.
Shit
I cursed silently; looking closer, I could see the reason. Kokabiel's wings were not strong in and of themselves; rather, he channelled his magic through his wings, enhancing their strength and enabling him to use them offensively.
Grinning behind my faceplate, I pushed my power to my other wing and brought it down on Kokabiel, copying his move.
Not seeing the danger, the Fallen leader disregarded it as a threat, only for his eyes to widen when it impacted on his shoulder, unbalancing him. I quickly followed it with a thrust of my sword, the tip barely grazing Kokabiel as he moved with incredible swiftness out of the strike.
All of these exchanges happened in a span of seconds; that's how fast we moved.
He stopped for a moment, examining his wound, and then looking at my wings. I had already repaired the damaged one with a push of mental will and channelled power.
"Very interesting indeed. You are quick on the uptake; tell me, Red Dragon Emperor, what is your name?"
"Kairos."
"Hmm, a laconic type, eh? No matter, every warrior is different in battle," said Kokabiel, lowering his sword slightly. "Tell me, Kairos. How would you like to join me? I can see it in you, the passion for battle; we are not so different, you and I. Join me, and there will be more battles than you can imagine, the war reignited anew; we will carve our way across battlefields without count!"
I shook my armoured head.
"I'm afraid that is impossible. While I must admit I have learned to enjoy fighting, my priorities are different than yours; I shall not sacrifice everything I have on the altar of personal glory."
"A pity then; you could have been great at my side."
Rias made her entrance with a ball of destruction fired directly at Kokabiel. The Fallen leader effortlessly angled his sword and redirected the ball of demonic power upwards, letting it pass him harmlessly.
"Do not mistake him for someone who would join the likes of you, Kokabiel!" exclaimed Rias, her eyes brimming with Power of Destruction.
From the sides, Akeno and others also joined the fight.
I made the mental calculation almost immediately; the Fallen Cadre was too powerful for any of the Peerage to fight alone. The sole exception was me at the moment. I was the only one who could match him.
If Kokabiel focused his power with intent to kill on any of the others, he could do so. So far, before he and I engaged, he has been toying with us, letting us fight the Cerberuses and Freed; now we couldn't rely on that fact.
I had to keep him occupied while others attacked from the sides; if he took his attention from me, there was a real chance someone would die. I would not let that happen.
Boosting my power to even greater heights, I charged at Kokabiel again, this time with the support of everyone else.
Akeno rained lightning bolts as Kokabiel and I clashed our blades. From the side, Kiba and Xenovia attacked with their swords, only for Kokabiel to create another one and weave through us with the grace of a duellist.
Shielding himself with his reinforced wings from the magical attacks, Kokabiel parried and blocked sword strikes from us three. Every time he looked like he might counterattack someone else, I was on him, driving into him with relentless force, just to keep his attention on me.
We were driving him backwards, the attacks taking their toll on even the Fallen Cadre.
Suddenly, he flexed his wings, radiating power, and pushed those of us closest to him away with a sheer force of his power.
Kiba, Xenovia and even the approaching Koneko flew away; only I managed to hold on by channelling my own power to counter his.
Kokabiel grinned, his rictus smile marring his otherwise fair features.
"Truly this is the most amusing of battles. I honestly did not expect this when I came to Kuoh. What a gracious gift you have given me," said Kokabiel, hovering slightly in the air. "Even after losing both your masters, you are still willing to fight. Simply marvellous!"
The battle came to a slight stop as we rearranged ourselves, Asia healing Kiba from the slight graze, courtesy of Kokabiel's sword of Light.
"…What do you mean?" asked Rias, perplexed by the Fallen's words.
"Hahaha, that's right, you have no idea! We kept the truth to ourselves; you would not know. Very well, for this entertaining evening, I shall reward you with the greatest gift of all, the truth. In the last war, it was not only Lucifer and the other Satans that perished, but also God perished with them!" shouted Kokabiel, the grin from the battle never leaving his face.
"We, the leadership of the three factions, kept it to ourselves; there was no need to burden the rest, but now, on the eve of a new war, the secrecy of that information is becoming moot. Even Valper was starting to figure it out; sooner or later, someone else would have put the pieces together," stated Kokabiel, pointing one of his swords to the corpse of the excommunicated priest.
"…You lie… it must be a lie; you are a fiend, Kokabiel." Xenovia's voice was cracking, disbelief clear in her tone.
Sighing as if some burden was off his chest, Kokabiel spoke to Xenovia with almost parental gentleness. "It's the purest truth you will hear in your entire life, little girl," said Kokabiel. "It is the simple truth; because those who started the original war are now gone, we must restart it on our own; otherwise, it will never come to pass. The three opposing factions are too exhausted, and too many of those who fought in the first war are dead or uninterested in continuing; that is why. That is the reason for all of this," he said and motioned towards our battlefield.
His grin then returned in full force. "From here on out, I will start a war! I will take your heads as a gift! Even if it's only me, I will continue from where we left off! I'm going to show Sirzechs and Michael that we, the Fallen Angels, are the ultimate beings!"
I couldn't let that happen; I was building something good here. No way some dusty angel from history books was going to ruin all of this for me.
"Like hell you are!" I shouted, leaping with my wings into the air, engaging Kokabiel in our dance once more.
"Rias, everyone, get back; this is too dangerous!" I shouted towards the others. While I didn't know for sure if defeating Kokabiel one on one was something I could do, I could still match him, and it was easier to go all out if I did not have to worry about others.
"Yes! That's the spirit! Show me what you've got!" shouted the Fallen Cadre, charging against me from above.
Throughout the battle, I have been subconsciously calling on my demigod powers, just like I have done in all of my previous battles, but this time, I focused on them more clearly, employing what I came to call Time Rending, moving in jagged parallels, my speed changing from slow motion to swift movements in mere moments, making it extremely hard to predict.
Instead of striking at the incoming Kokabiel, I twisted in the air; using my time power to confuse him as to where my body would be, and grabbed him by his wings as he flew past me, hurtling him downwards to the ground.
Twisting again, and facing downwards I channelled massive amounts of power to my sword; sending out a Crimson Slash towards Kokabiel, something he managed to block only partially.
Before he could recover, I was on him, exchanging blows.
As we duelled, I made use of all my powers, weaving Time Rending and Crimson Slashes in concert.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that I'd never seen before; motes of golden light were flying through the battlefield around us, almost like a visible gust of wind.
They flew all around the battlefield, seemingly at random.
As we battled and moved around, one of the gusts of the golden wind came between us. The most curious thing was that, going by Kokabiel's eyes, he didn't see them; only I did.
I frowned, but my eyes widened when Kokabiel passed through one of them, speeding up his movement. The sudden increase in speed unbalanced the Fallen leader, making his strike overextend. I punished him for it with a jab in the face, barely hitting his face as he had already weaved through the strike, but he quickly jumped backwards, looking confused.
Already guessing what was happening, even though I did not know the reason for it, we engaged again, and I led him to another golden wind flowing on the battlefield.
This time, his movement slowed down to a crawl as he passed through it. I was already in motion, striking with a downwards slash, power flowing through my blade, shattering his hasty parry and creating a wound on his leg.
Kokabiel used his wings to carry him backwards, looking around himself, completely bewildered, anger visible on his face. "What is happening?! What is this?!"
Suddenly, a feeling I have never felt before but one that I instinctively knew invaded my senses.
HE IS HERE.
Yeah, I can sense him too.
Before Kokabiel could speak any further, another voice added to our own.
"Now this is interesting."
We all looked up towards the sky, and a confusing feeling of excitement and weariness passed through me at the same time.
In a flash of white light, the being whose voice just spoke, descended through the barrier, shattering it in a flash of power and movement, the motes of magic once making up the barrier slowly falling down through the air.
The familiar armour of Scale Mail greeted my sight, except it was all white. Of all the things I have forgotten or misremembered about this new life, one of them I never forgot: the White Dragon Emperor, Vali Lucifer.
Everyone else appeared surprised as well, but it was Kokabiel who voiced our collective thoughts.
"…Vanishing Dragon," said the Cadre, his gaze hateful. "Have you come to dance with the red one as-!?"
Before Kokabiel finished his sentence, Vali descended on Kokabiel in a burst of white light, tearing one of his wings off, making the Fallen cry out in agony.
"It's like the wing of a crow. It has a disgusting colour to it. Azazel's wing is much darker and has the colour of everlasting darkness, you know?" said the White Dragon user.
Was I that dramatic as well? Perhaps something to do with us dragons.
"Y-You! My wing!" cried an enraged Kokabiel.
Vali gave a soft laugh in response. "It's a symbol that you have Fallen. There's no need for wings for those who stooped down even below the earth, right? Are you still planning to fly?"
Yeah, it must be a dragon thing.
"Vanishing Dragon! Are you opposing me?!"
While Kokabiel and Vali spoke, I angled myself to stand in front of Rias and the rest of the Peerage. While I was fairly certain that Vali would not attack, I refused to trust half-remembered memories of an anime I watched almost 20 years ago at this point, not when it came to this. This was not a story, it was all real.
Just as Kokabiel tried to create a spear of Light, Vali spoke once more. "My name is Albion."
"DIVIDE"
The voice of actual Albion sounded across the battlefield. Two more divides, and Kokabiel's power gathering in his attack withered away.
"Damn you!" screamed Kokabiel, seeing the power of his attack evaporating.
Charging at the White Dragon Emperor, Kokabiel attempted to pierce Vali with a spear in one hand, slashing with a sword in the other.
"DIVIDE"
Vali toyed with Kokabiel, dividing his power, greatly slowing the Fallen leader, until his speed and attacks could be seen by all the others. A great fall from his previous blinding speed, where only I could have followed, and even that in my Balance Breaker form.
"…I-Impossible… me…"
"I was told by Azazel to take you back even if by force. You acted out a bit too much," said Vali, still cosplaying as Albion.
As Kokabiel cursed Azazel's name, Vali delivered a punch to the Cadre's face, silencing him.
Picking him up, the White Dragon user turned to us, looking at me specifically.
"When Azazel mentioned a new Red Dragon Emperor had emerged, I never thought you would have achieved your Balance Breaker so soon. Perhaps you shall give me a good fight… Unfortunately, it will have to wait for another time; I have duties I must see to," said Vali, then looked more closely at me when I offered no reply.
"…What is your name?"
"…Ddraig," I said with complete seriousness in my voice. The adrenaline from the battle with Kokabiel was receding, and I didn't feel like playing drama theatre with the descendant of Lucifer.
…
Perhaps seeing what I was referring to, Vali refused to respond to my needling of his ill-chosen moniker for tonight.
"We shall meet again."
With those words, he departed, Kokabiel slung over his shoulder.
I released a sigh of exhaustion and released my Balance Breaker, the exhaustion hitting me. But I remained on my feet, turning towards my friends with a smile. We did it; we won.