Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 79: The Saint and the Messiah.
Seekvaira Agares.
Kuoh, Japan.
This was probably the worst situation that could be unfolding in front of my eyes. I watched as Rias, Akeno, and Yuuto put on the armor Elias threw to the floor before he left, as well as one of Sairaorg's knights, marveling at the gaudy-looking sword. At the same time, Fleur gave Beluga Forcas the dangerous-looking bow.
Good idea, I had seen how effective that bow could be in the right hands, and Beluga was an expert in most weapons that complemented his family magic, horse taming.
It was… something else. I did not know, nor care, where Eli got so many strange things, at least, before today.
Everyone had their own secrets, after all. But it was getting absurd how he had access to many things that he should not have.
He did not look like the type who lied when we first met, and I doubted that he hid the true capabilities of the wizardkind. So, that brought the question… Just where did he obtain all these relics? I genuinely doubted that they were lost in Britain, of all places, hidden under their weaker yet uniquely complicated wards.
But that was for later; now we were pressed for time. The monsters were flooding the streets, entering homes, and grabbing the mortals out, or even killing them on the spot.
"I need to return to my office inside the school…" Sona murmured urgently, looking at the scene, "Lord Beelzebuth made some contingencies if something like this ever happened. I have access to a runic circle that can knock down every human and teleport them to a safe place," she explained as we all turned around.
"Lady Leviathan can not fight with her full power if she has to worry about the humans here," Sona finished direly.
Rias sighed, dragging her hand through her face, "We will have words later, Sona. I know that before I was not the most responsible person, but I am also the governor of this town. I should have known about this, or even have a copy of it myself."
Sona's eyes were downcast, and I understood both of their points of view, but Rias was right. As lazy as she was before, she was not the kind that would use something like this without reason. She deserved to know.
Even then, this was not the time for this.
"Alivian, you have permission to transform," I spoke loudly, breaking the tense silence that had befallen between my oldest friends, "You will take Sona and protect her. Ignore everything else."
My Queen looked like he wanted to object, but I was having none of it, "Enough, Alivian. You have your orders," I said seriously, "The monsters in general are around Mid-class, with only a few of them being High-class. We will stay as a group… I'll be fine."
Alivian nodded, even as he sighed, "By your leave, my king," he walked through the hole Eli had left, taking off his necktie. I smiled, seeing his muscles bulge as he began to morph.
"Fine," Rias said through clenched teeth. "Fine, Fine! Sona, you have your mission. Kiba, you are the fastest amongst us, and your Balance Breaker might come in handy, follow them."
Yuuto nodded firmly as Rias grabbed a wizarding pouch, throwing it in his direction, "I'll leave it to your discretion how to use it, take care, and I trust you, my precious knight."
He smiled softly as he grabbed Sona by the shoulders and began pushing her towards the hole. Without speaking, he grinned apologetically and lifted Sona up, all the way onto my Queen's back as she blushed but grabbed tight.
Without a single word, Alivian flapped his wings and flew in the school's direction, with Yuuto following tight behind them.
"Tsubaki, you are in charge of Sona's peerage," Rias said as we all turned to look at Sona's Queen and the rest of her peerage, who were huddled together.
"Tsubaki-chan?" Akeno asked softly, seeing Tsubaki looking blankly at the sky where Elias was throwing the colossal dragon towards the mountain.
"Seiryuu-sama?" the Queen managed to choke out, looking at the dragon.
"What was that, Tsubaki?" Rias asked sharply.
"That's Seiryuu, one of the sacred beasts of the five principal clans," she responded blankly, before a couple of tears escaped from her eyes as her alarmed look turned towards the monsters in the street, "But that doesn't make sense… Lord Seiryuu Kushihashi is the wielder. A Sacred Beast can not be out like this in the usual circumstances."
"You don't mean to say…" Hermione gasped softly as she looked at the monsters, "One of the reasons we came to Japan, aside from this, was because some of the principal clans were causing trouble to mahoutokoro… They might have been causing trouble because they had been attacked."
"Enough!" Rias barked impatiently, "We can speak later; we need to move. Focus, people!"
Everyone nodded and ran or flew towards the town.
Later.
"Move, move!" Rias shouted as she herded a group of mortals behind us, making different lines of defense between ourselves and the group of monsters in front of us.
It was realistically easier to save them with speed and strength, even if the veil of the supernatural was broken right now. Mind magic was not something I used much since I didn't mingle much with mortals that didn't know about our existence, but it was the only way right now.
At least they would be alive, even if they wouldn't remember this night.
Koneko, Hermione, Fleur, and Pranitha from Rias's peerage were focused on that. Koneko ran through the monsters, punching them away even as they kept standing up, looking no worse for wear even after the significant impact. The witches were teleporting from house to house and returning with more and more mortals.
From Sona's peerage, Tsubasa and Tomoe were working in the same vein, being supported by some members of Sairaorg peerage.
We formed a circle with all the mortals inside, and the monsters must have sensed the largest concentration of life essence, as they continued to approach us.
We were in luck that all the monsters had appeared within the same six blocks. Even so, hundreds of mortals had been dragged into our circle, and it was already expanding further than I believed feasible.
The monsters were, for lack of a better word, hideous. Human-like, but wrong. Their nails were elongated and dripping a black substance similar to the one from the dragon and Metatron's injury, which was melting the pavement drip by drip.
Their teeth were the same, sharp enough to tear through metal and flesh without a hitch, as I had seen when one pulled the throat out of a couple of elderly men that were unlucky enough to be outside at this moment.
Ten minutes later, the witches and the rest were panting, sweat dripping down from their faces as the mortals, at least the ones closest to us, were safe inside the circle. Hopefully, Sona could reach without many problems and do what she had to do, because we couldn't divide our attention between the unaffected areas, at least, for now.
"Hold the line!" Kuisha shouted from my six as she began throwing spells while the bishops focused on shielding their side.
I turned around, looking as a lance made of lightning went through the first of many monsters. The thing faltered in their mad run, but much to my surprise, the gaping hole in its chest closed, and the thing screeched.
Gasper stepped forward then, shadows twisting around him as his Sacred Gear awakened.
The air chilled when his eyes glowed red, freezing a wave of monsters mid-charge. For a brief, fleeting second, the field went still. With a flick of his hand, tendrils of shadow erupted from magical circles on the ground. They tore the frozen bodies apart, ripping them into dozens of twitching pieces.
But the victory was short. One after another, the chunks of flesh wriggled back together, knitting into their warped forms. Within seconds, the monsters screeched again and resumed their attack, making Gasper and a couple more whimper at the disgusting scene.
Sona's bishops kept up their barrage, magic circles flashing as volley after volley of elemental spells crashed against the horde. Kuisha joined them, fire and darkness exploding outward, but even that only slowed the advance. Sai's bishops focused on defense, walls of dirt and reinforced barriers shaking as clawed hands battered against them.
Inefficient. I had to bite the need to click my tongue watching them waste demonic power, but I also couldn't fault them. There were just too many.
"Enough of this!" Rias shouted, raising her hands. A massive crimson circle formed above us, humming with the famous and deadly power of destruction. From it, a blob of roiling darkness descended, striking a cluster of monsters. The shockwave left nothing but broken pavement and silence. For an instant, I felt my shoulders sag.
Until one of the creatures crawled from the crater, half its body missing. The other half twitched, oozing black sludge as muscle and bone regenerated slowly but surely.
"They… they don't die," Rias whispered in horror and disgust.
Lightning cracked overhead, Akeno's magic tearing into the same monster before it could finish reforming. This time, it convulsed violently, smoke hissing from the wounds where holy energy seared into corrupted flesh. It collapsed, its body burning until it crumbled into nothing.
Akeno's eyes widened. "Holy… It's working! Fleur, your Sacred Gear!"
Fleur's gaze sharpened, the cross-shaped light of the Incinerate Anthem blooming behind her. The next volley of monsters surged and were consumed instantly by the sacred fire, ash scattering where they once stood. None of them returned.
But it wasn't enough. She had barely a week as a devil, and the same amount of practice with her Sacred Gear. Fleur was a fantastic witch, I knew that well, but I doubted it would be enough to cull the horde significantly.
The knights took the cue, charging into the gaps. Sairaorg's devils, Sona's knights, and Rias's remaining fighters fought side by side. Without Kiba, they lacked a lead vanguard, but Kokeko was tough enough to handle that, and small enough to get through their cracks even if her speed was lacking.
Before long, reinforcements ran from Lady Leviathan's direction. The shining metal bathed in holy light cut through the darkness as Irina arrived, Excalibur Mimic glowing in her hands.
Xenovia landed beside her, Excalibur's destruction cleaving through three monsters in a single slash. Behind them, the archangel staggered as he was deposited in the middle of the mortals, hiding him from our view.
But even if they tried to hide it, I noticed instantly as his light flickered, his wings cracked and oozed black pus. Every time he lifted his hand to strike, holy power flared out, obliterating swaths of monsters… but with each effort, the corruption on his body spread further, crawling up his arm and across his chest until he realized the futility of the situation and tried to conserve his strength.
For a moment, the battlefield lit up as another volley of arrows rained down from the sun Elias had conjured, with the golden shafts embedding into the regenerating abominations and actually disintegrating some.
I allowed myself to smile. He's still fighting.
Focusing, I slowed the time around the enemies pushing too far through Tsubaki's flank, giving the weakest link a brief moment of respite.
Metatron tried to follow the rhythm of Elias's light, raising his hand again, but staggered as black veins split further across his skin.
Irina and Xenovia flanked him quickly, their Excalibur fragments glowing as they carved openings for the knights and bishops to regroup. Still, the corruption's advance was undeniable.
"Akeno!" Kuisha shouted as her magic spiked up and created a gargantuan hole in the air above us, catching some of Eli's arrows.
Akeno turned to look around in Sairaorg's Queen direction, a question on her face.
"Throw your lightning into the hole!" Kuisha roared again, her hands glowing as blasts of warped magic detonated across the front lines.
Akeno didn't hesitate, nodding. Bolts of holy-charged lightning lanced into the void-like creation, searing through the abominations and finally consuming them. One after another, they shrieked as blackened husks collapsed, burning into nothing. For the first time, entire swaths of the enemy died on the spot.
Before relief could settle, the ground shuddered violently. Everyone stumbled as the pavement cracked beneath their feet, mine included.
In the distance, the mountain flashed with light. A thunderclap rolled over the town, rattling windows, followed by a terrible silence. Then, with a deafening roar, a gargantuan pillar of ice erupted skyward, piercing the heavens.
My eyes narrowed as black miasma wormed through the crystal structure, tearing it apart from the inside.
The pillar shattered, and hundreds upon hundreds of meters around the place lit up with a blue magic circle, with no doubt corrupted plants emerging from the ground, attacking the small figure in the air.
The Seiryuu was known for its nature magic… and this corrupted version had it as well.
Where the shards fell, blue fire surged upward instead, engulfing the sky. Flashes of holy light split the storm of miasma as Elias battled the dragon in a cataclysm of elements.
The Seiryuu… and a problem that I didn't envy Lady Serafall's position. I doubted that the Shinto would stay silent after today.
We staggered back up as soon as we could, and I knew that everyone's ears were ringing after the thunderclap.
The fight pressed on, each tremor reverberating through my bones. From the opposite side, more shockwaves reached us. I turned around, focusing on the abominations in Rias's flank as I slowed them down, feeling a faint throb in my head. Behind Rias, I could see in the distance our other allies. Lady Leviathan, Iris, and Sairaorg, all battling the two Satan-class fallen angels.
Serafall still stood tall, her face set in a scowl and unbloodied as she hurled storms of ice and other elemental magics at the two fallen. She was keeping Kokabiel busy by herself, and even supporting Iris and Sai against their enemy, using magic to disrupt Satanael's magic circles and covering for her weaker allies every time they needed it. But she wasn't enough all of the time.
Iris, instead, snarled in fury, her black-coated hands ripping apart the spear lodged in her stomach, blood soaking her shirt as her deathly magic pumped in her veins. Sai's frame was battered, his arms streaked with blood, but his aura burned hotter than ever before.
But they weren't enough, step by step, they retreated under the relentless assault as the Leviathan cried out in pain as a grazing slash of that dangerous spear connected with her calf.
Then, at last, a surge of power rippled through the town.
In the very center of their circle, a colossal green runic array spread outward, dwarfing the sky above Kuoh. The mortals screamed in confusion, before their eyes went glassy, their bodies slumping to the ground as motes of light rose from them. In the next instant, they vanished, carried away by Lord Beelzebuth's magic.
I sighed in relief, feeling a weight on my shoulders disappearing as the Leviathan magic increased by multiple magnitudes and threw a gargantuan ice shard at the elvish-looking fallen.
Then, a scream of rage ripped through the battlefield.
Serafall's furious cry split the night, answered by Kokabiel's snarl as his wings flared wide.
"To me, my legions!" The fallen roared.
Dozens of vast runic arrays lit the sky. From them, winged shadows poured out. Over five hundred fallen angels, armed and ready, descending in perfect formation.
I was wondering where they were. I had read about Kokabiel in the past, and he wasn't considered a powerhouse by anyone. No, what made him renowned was his mindset and his legions. One of the best Generals Heaven had to offer before his fall.
Satanael said nothing. Instead, a circle appeared at his ear, another at his mouth, and then dozens more spiraled open across the streets. From them stepped humans clad in strange gear, each radiating the oppressive weight of a high-class devil. My stomach tightened, recognizing their strength. It was around mine.
And Satanael wasn't finished.
A colossal magical circle opened above them, disgorging hundreds more of the regenerating monsters. They hit the ground shrieking, but before we could react, Satanael cackled.
His hands clapped together, and his magic surged as he threw a container with something purple inside in that direction.
The hundreds of abominations screeched as their bodies melted into one another, writhing and fusing. Flesh and bone warped, merging into a single, towering monstrosity that blotted out the street, close to seventy meters tall.
I felt despair creeping into my chest. This was beyond reckless.
Until the sky split.
A silver meteor tore down from the clouds, slamming through the abomination's chest in a blazing explosion. The monster roared, collapsing as a gaping hole was carved straight through its body. Sona's peerage cheered, the new Pawn even dropping to his knees in relief with tears in his eyes.
For a second, I allowed myself the smallest smile, before it was erased from my face.
The wound steamed. Black sludge writhed, bones knitting, flesh weaving until the gap closed once more. The abomination screeched, its many mouths twisting in unison.
From the smoke, a silver figure descended, metallic wings spread wide. The White Dragon Emperor.
Relief spread across the line, their voices rising around me, but I only narrowed my eyes.
As strong as he was, I doubted he would make much of a difference. The monster regenerated too fast, and I felt the magic it used being drained from the air just as fast.
Sairaorg Bael Pov.
I saw her. Iris slipped behind Kokabiel, black sword in hand, her voice low as she whispered a single word in his ear.
"Death."
Kokabiel reacted instantly, a blade of light forming in his grip to parry. He sneered, thrusting forward and skewering her. Iris spat blood in his face, the spear through her stomach making her look like she was about to die.
Instead, she smiled.
Her sword flashed, carving from Kokabiel's cheekbone all the way down to his stomach.
He screamed, clutching at the wound as Iris's blackened magic surged, closing the hole in her own body. The stench of rot clung to the air as her regeneration knitted flesh back together.
I had to hide my shiver. Her magic had warped beyond recognition from the last time we met, and I didn't know if I liked it.
I charged in, my fist cocked, and my punch landed square on Kokabiel's face. The fallen shot through the street and into the side of a house, the walls collapsing in a burst of dust and shattered bricks.
Iris scowled, wiping blood from her lips. "I hope no one was in there."
Before I could answer, Satanael's spear was already streaking toward me. I barely had time to react before a wall of ice erupted, Serafall's magic intercepting the strike. The spear shattered through it like glass, but it was enough. I rolled clear, Iris stepping back with me.
"Be careful," Serafall warned sharply, her eyes never leaving our foes. "The Shinto will seize any excuse to hold this against us." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "Though they probably will anyway."
I couldn't help it… I barked out a laugh at that, even as my fists tightened. "Apologies, Lady Leviathan," I said, my grin spreading across my face, "But that worry is hilarious for the moment."
Iris and I went for Kokabiel while Serafall threw herself at Satanael, frost exploding around them in a storm of ice walls and frozen blades. Even then, she split her focus, throwing barriers or freezing a spear of light every time it came too close to the two of us, even when we could tank them.
Kokabiel laughed, his wings flaring as dozens of spears of light formed at once and shot toward us. He moved like lightning, the sky itself bending to his speed.
I didn't slow down. I roared, my armor creaking as I blocked with my forearms and fists, smashing through spears that should have ripped me apart. Sparks and shards of light cracked against me, but I didn't stop.
"Pathetic," Kokabiel mocked, his voice dripping with cruelty, "This is what the devils send to face me?"
I spat blood before grinning, "Elias's light burns hotter than yours ever did."
I launched myself forward, full force, tackling Kokabiel midair. We crashed into the ground itself, the impact rattling windows across the town. Kokabiel snarled and raised another blade, but before he could swing, Iris apparated into his blind spot, her sword slashing in a vicious arc.
Feathers burst into the air, severed from his wings, and Kokabiel's snarl twisted into fury as he twisted at the last second.
Iris's hand snapped out, a circle of dark magic glowing beneath Kokabiel, "Gravity."
The air groaned as the weight around him multiplied tenfold.
My grin widened, my body moving as if nothing had changed, my touki burning even brighter than before.
Iris gritted her teeth under the strain, her steps heavier and movements slower.
Kokabiel hissed as his body was dragged in the air, his own speed dulled.
She raised her hand again, black spears jutting from the ground beneath him, erupting upward to impale. The fallen barely twisted aside, one of the conjured swords grazing his leg.
"Enough!" Kokabiel roared, light exploding outward. The pressure burst through the street, a wave of radiance and fury that sent Iris and me tumbling through the air, crashing into the ruined street below.
The fallen's laughter echoed through the night as he hovered above, more spears of light forming, dozens upon dozens, pointed straight down.
We both staggered to our feet, bloodied and gasping, only for Serafall to appear in a flash of frost, her ice walls erupting in front of us, catching the first wave of spears. The barrier shattered instantly, but it bought the half-second needed to keep us alive.
"Stay sharp!" she barked, already spinning back toward Satanael's looming spear.
The spears of light didn't stop. Kokabiel's laughter echoed above us as another volley rained down, each one faster, sharper.
Iris screamed when one of them pierced clean through her chest. The golden light burned as it lodged deep, blood spraying from her lips.
"Iris!" I shouted, rushing toward her.
Her hands closed around the spear, black veins crawling up her arms as her necrotic magic surged. With a snarl, she snapped it apart, shards of holy power scattering in the air.
She spat blood with a pale face, but her eyes glowed with fury, "I'm fine."
No, she wasn't. I saw it… the way the wound closed slowly this time, her regeneration struggling against the holy power.
My fists clenched, but I only nodded. If she said she was fine, then fine. She'd keep moving. So would I.
A blur of ice appeared between us, Serafall ducking under Satanael's spear as it whistled past her face. She straightened, breathing harshly, her scowl colder than her magic.
"Bastards," she hissed, "What are you after?"
Kokabiel's smirk widened. "At first? I intended to kill your precious sister with Excalibur and be done with it. But…" his eyes shifted toward Satanael, "…his presence made me think grander."
Satanael chuckled, twirling his spear lazily. "Tell me… do you remember Metatron's wound?"
He raised the weapon, the blade dripping with a black-red sheen that made my skin crawl. "This was crafted from the bone of Samael, bathed in his cursed blood."
He smiled thinly, his eyes glinting as if savoring our reaction. "I was escaping some of Azazel's dogs when I stumbled across your little church here in Kuoh. I could feel the connection. Pipes feeding straight into Heaven's system. I have never seen channels so wide nor pure. Not even the Vatican compares."
Serafall snarled and snapped her fingers, hurling a wall of jagged ice shards toward Kokabiel. He batted them away with a lazy swipe, sneering.
"Pathetic."
Satanael didn't pause.
His voice rose, "Once we are finished, this spear will corrupt the system through that pipeline. And then… every single angel in Heaven will fall. Samael was cursed by God Himself, and his blood is more corruptive than anything else in creation. That curse will spread like fire."
Iris coughed, blood staining her chin. "And the dragon? The monsters?"
Satanael smirked, eyes narrowing. "The Sacred Beast was an experiment. Drenched in Samael's blood until it broke. Its death will be the spark. The Shinto will not sit idle when they realize their treasure is gone. The Seiryuu will vanish from this world, and war will follow. A war that will burn every faction alive."
He continued mockingly, "As for the monsters? Well, let's just say that there are only four principal clans from now on. And the devils are responsible for their deaths."
We couldn't hold them. No matter how many times we pushed forward, Kokabiel's light and Satanael's cursed spear tore the ground apart, forcing us back step by step. My arms ached from blocking, my armor cracked, Iris was bleeding again, and Serafall's leg still dragged when she moved too quickly.
The earth shuddered under us, and in the distance, the sky lit up again. A familiar fire, ice, light, and miasma. Elias still fought the corrupted dragon, the mountain shaking from the scale of it. I forced my eyes away. That was his battle. Ours was here.
Then, finally, I felt relieved.
A colossal green runic array spread across the sky above Kuoh, covering every street and rooftop. The humans screamed in terror as the magic washed over them, their eyes glassy, their bodies crumpling before dissolving into motes of light. In an instant, the town emptied of innocents. Ajuka's contingency.
Serafall threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing in the cracking ice.
"No more restraints!" she howled, her power exploding outward. The ground froze solid for blocks around, the air itself turning brittle and sharp. She moved like a storm, icebergs and blizzards crashing against Kokabiel and Satanael.
Her spear of frost cut through Kokabiel's shoulder, leaving him hissing. At the same time, lances of ice pinned Satanael long enough for Iris and me to regroup.
For a moment, she was terrifying. Satan-class, true and undisguised.
But even then… they pressed back.
Kokabiel's wings flared, burning holes through her glaciers. Satanael's cursed spear shattered her barriers with ease, the black-red aura spreading corruption into her ice until it broke apart in steaming fragments. Slowly, surely, even as Serafall scored wounds, the two of them pushed us down.
And then came the summons.
Kokabiel spread his wings wide, magic circles igniting in the night sky. "Legions, to me!"
The air cracked, and from dozens of glowing arrays poured over five hundred fallen angels, their armor gleaming as they took formation.
Satanael's circles pulsed next, dozens of humans stepping out. Each one radiated the oppressive strength of high-class devils, their Sacred Gears glowing. The ground shook again as another array tore open above us, vomiting hundreds of abominations into the streets.
Innocents, and we had no other option but to end them.
The monsters shrieked, their bodies twisting, until Satanael clapped his hands. Flesh, bone, and sinew melted together, screaming as they merged into a single, towering form. A seventy-meter monstrosity of mouths and claws, steaming black miasma pouring from its body.
And then, Kokabiel's smirk widened.
One of his fallen lieutenants approached, a bundle wrapped in a sealed mantle in his hands.
He bowed, offering it up. "Lord Kokabiel. Valper Galilei is dead as you ordered. But he finished what you asked. He also left this." The man placed a blue stone beside the bundle, saying nothing more.
Kokabiel ignored the stone. His hand ignited as he burned through the seals of the mantle, tearing it away. A brilliant light split the battlefield, forcing us to shield our eyes.
When the glare faded, I saw it.
A blade. One I recognized from just the feeling alone.
Excalibur. Four pieces reforged into one.
Kokabiel raised it high, his laughter booming across the town. "And now… You fall!"
The abomination screeched, its form completing. The ground shook as it took its first step toward us.
And then the sky split.
A silver meteor tore downward, slamming through the abomination's chest and carving a hole through the titan. The shockwave sent rubble flying, the entire street cracking under the impact.
The silver figure landed, Balance Breaker shining, wings spreading wide. The White Dragon Emperor's metallic voice echoed faintly as blue light coursed through the armor.
He didn't look at us, but I could hear the smirk on his face, "Azazel sent me. Said you lot were in over your heads. Name's Vali."
The abomination roared, black sludge spilling as its many mouths screamed in unison. He planted himself between it and us, raising his hand. "Divide!"
White-blue ripples of power surged across the monstrosity, its aura buckling.
For a second, the titan staggered, its form trembling. But then… nothing. The wound filled, the power stolen bled back in as if the creature had infinite reserves.
My eyes narrowed as I clenched my fist. I could see it, the lifeforce and magic swirling inside the abomination, refilling every piece our helper tried to tear away.
Vali remained still, but his tongue clicked against his teeth. "Tch. Annoying. Fine. You two, switch."
He leapt, his armor flashing white, launching himself at Satanael without another word.
I locked eyes with Iris, and we moved as one. Together, we struck.
Her death magic poured like tar, slowing the monster's movements, rotting flesh where it touched. I pushed into the opening, my Touki surging as I roared and swung. My hand tore through the abomination's chest, splitting it wide.
What I saw inside made my stomach churn. A massive, snake-like parasite, coiled where the heart should be, pulsing with black light.
Before I could react, its blood sprayed across me. It burned. My flesh sizzled, and smoke rose from my armor. I clenched my teeth, refusing to give the bastard the satisfaction of a scream.
Still, even with every strike, the monstrosity writhed and healed, the parasite throbbing deeper within.
The battlefield buckled as we were forced back. Step by step, until at last Iris, Serafall, and I regrouped with the others.
And then chaos exploded around us.
Rossweisse stood at the front, her Nordic magic flaring, sealing the abomination's limbs for precious seconds. Fleur's Incinerate Anthem blazed, turning pieces of it to ash before they could re-form. Akeno's holy lightning ripped into the monster's core, searing black flesh away.
Behind them, Rias and Kuisha led volleys of destruction and flame against the humans, their Sacred Gears tearing through barriers. Seekvaira's precise time magic cut windows into the fight, Hermione's spells reinforced shields, and Tsubaki's strikes held the line.
Hundreds of fallen screamed overhead, their formation pressing like a noose tightening around Kuoh.
It was a mess of epic proportions. Screams, steel, fire, and light… the kind of battle where everyone bled.
Gasper raised his hands, his whole body trembling as his eyes blazed red. The humans froze in place mid-swing, their faces locked in mid-snarl. Rias didn't waste the second he bought. She raised her hand and her crimson circle flared, her Power of Destruction swallowing them whole without a shred of hesitation, and two tentacles made out of our bloodline speared two more through their heads.
Seekvaira moved like a machine, her elemental barrage carving through another. Fire, ice, wind, all at once, and the man collapsed screaming before the silence of ash.
Then pain.
I staggered, the world vanishing into black. My sight gone, just like that. My body knew the danger even if my eyes didn't. I forced my head to turn, looking in Rias's direction and remembering the last thing I saw… a stone statue glowing faintly in the battlefield haze.
"Rias!" I bellowed, feeling my voice crack through my panic, "Kill the one with the statue!"
Before she could move, I heard something.
Wings thundered above, and then steel split the air. Kiba dropped like a comet from Alivian's back, his holy-demonic blade flashing. The sacred gear wielder never screamed… he was bisected before the thought reached him. My vision snapped back in a flood of red light.
But it was too late.
The abomination's hand smashed into me, hurling me like a ragdoll. I hit the ground hard, my ribs shattering, coughing blood so thick I would taste Iron for minutes. The world swam… until the mountain lit.
The false sun Elias had left in the sky pulsed once. Then it unleashed hell.
A beam of pure fire and light roared down, tearing through stone and air alike. The mountain range disintegrated before my eyes, two-thirds of it simply gone, erased as silence fell in its wake.
I laughed, blood dripping from my mouth. My best friend won. Of course he did.
But Iris still fought, her deathly aura clashing with the abomination's black flesh. Fleur's fire, Akeno's lightning, Xenovia's holy blade, and the Valkerye Nordic spells. They flanked her, struggling to keep its limbs pinned. I wanted to move, to stand, but my body wasn't obeying.
So I looked across the chaos.
Vali clashed with Satanael, Divide echoing again and again, stripping away pieces of the fallen's magic. His armor glowed, wings blinding as spell after spell shattered against him.
One blast missed entirely, crashing into the ground, and Vali only laughed mockingly.
"Too slow," he mocked, his voice dripping with arrogance, "Are you getting tired, traitor?"
And then it happened.
"AKENO!" Rias's scream ripped through the battlefield. A sound I'd never heard before, grief made flesh. It silenced everything else.
I turned.
Akeno was on her knees, a gaping hole where her stomach should have been. Blood poured from her in waves, too much, far too much, spraying across the broken street like a broken faucet. Her hands trembled as she tried to hold herself together, crimson soaking her arms.
Her eyes widened at Rias as their shine dimmed. Then she collapsed without a word.
Asia was there before anyone else, throwing herself onto the blood-soaked pavement.
She pressed her glowing hands against the wound, Twilight Healing flaring bright green, but it was useless. The light was swallowed whole, drowned in the torrent of blood.
"Please, please!" Asia's voice broke, sobs tearing from her throat. "Don't die! Please, Miss Akeno, don't… don't leave us!"
Her tears spilled down her cheeks, dripping into the wound as her Sacred Gear flickered and failed. She kept trying anyway, pouring every last drop of herself into the girl bleeding out beneath her hands.
"God… please," she whispered brokenly, "Please save her. I'll do anything… please, I can't… We can't lose her!"
The wound gushed back in answer, blood flooding her hands.
Something in me cracked as I watched her. But then Asia's voice changed.
"…Elias."
It was a prayer. Broken, desperate, but louder than the chaos around us.
"Please. Please help me. You can save her. I know you can… You won't let her die. You can't… please!"
There was a moment of silence as the world held its breath. Then...
The sun above us pulsed. Elias's sun.
Holy light poured down over Asia, drenching her in pure radiance. Her petite frame shook, her eyes rolling upward as if the answer was shared only with her. They went glassy, her voice trembling, almost trance-like.
"…Twilight… Benediction."
The world froze under her decree.
A golden halo flared into existence above her head, soft and impossibly bright. Circles of luminous crosses spread outward from her body, embedding themselves into the shattered streets. And by the Satans… her eyes. Instead of green, a cross of pure light burned where her pupils should have been.
Her tears glowed as they fell, dissolving into motes of healing light that sank into Akeno's flesh.
The blood slowed. The gaping wound stopped widening. Akeno's frantic pulse steadied, caught on the edge of death and pulled back, held there by Asia's faith.
The battlefield itself seemed to pause. Even Kokabiel faltered mid-laugh, his spears hovering for half a second as everyone turned toward the girl who should have been powerless.
A miracle. That's what it looked like. No. That was what it was.
And all I could do was breathe out in disbelief, my body trembling in agitation, my vision swimming, as light bathed the street where Akeno had fallen.
Kokabiel clicked his tongue, his face twisting in anger. "Absurd."
His voice carried across the battlefield, sharp and cutting. "That girl… that Sacred Gear should never break. Only Longinus can bear Balance Breakers. Only God's might allowed it. And yet here she is…" he gestured at Asia, trembling but still glowing, her halo burning behind her, "... a pathetic human holding death at bay. You want to know why? Because your God is dead."
His laughter cut into the night cruelly as he smiled triumphantly, "It is the same reason your knight can make swords of both holy and demonic properties. Proof that the system itself is broken, rotting without its maker. Proof of your prayers being answered by nothing."
Asia faltered, her hands shaking against Akeno's body. The light around her dimmed for a heartbeat. I saw her lips tremble.
And then Irina and Xenovia dropped their weapons, the clatter echoing too loudly in the silence.
Their eyes were wide and faces pale. "Tell us it's not true…" Xenovia begged, her voice cracking. "Lord Metatron… please…"
Metatron didn't move. He stared at Asia instead, his body hunched, wings blackened with corruption. Only a faint shimmer of white remained. His mouth opened, then closed. Nothing came. Just some tears.
My chest tightened. Even an Archangel couldn't deny it.
Then Asia's field pulsed.
The halo behind her flared brighter, her light surging higher than before, pushing back the shadows themselves. Her tears didn't stop, but she lifted her chin, smiling down at Akeno before she looked at the two fallen in front of her.
And for the first time, she didn't look afraid.
Kokabiel froze, and Satanael's mocking smirk faltered.
The two exchanged a glance, confusion flickering across their faces.
Kokabiel leaned forward, his voice curious. "How can you have faith after hearing this? Your God is gone. Every prayer you've ever spoken was wasted breath. How are you not afraid of us?"
I noticed it first. The town had gone still. No wings flapping, no screeches from the monsters, no clash of steel between our forces. Nothing. Just silence, heavy and absolute.
Asia sat in the center of it all, glowing, unyielding.
And then the silence broke.
The sky parted.
Light poured down, tearing through the clouds, and from it descended Elias.
Hundreds of his strange wings, or tendrils of holy light, spread wide behind him, blotting out the heavens. They were so large, so numerous, that I had to admit that they covered the visible sky by themselves.
His crown of thorns burned bright, his third eye open and blazing sacred light. His tunic wasn't cloth but radiance itself, flowing around him as though the sun had been woven into a garment. One made for him alone.
The fallen gasped. Some even stepped back.
And then he wasn't there.
He stood instead beside Asia, silent, looking down at her as she looked up at him with wide eyes. The two of them are at the heart of it all. Ignoring everyone as they had their moment of shared silence.
He knelt, his hand resting on her head, patting her hair gently. He smiled, but when I caught his eyes, they were cold.
"Asia doesn't have to be afraid," he said softly, the words cutting through the battlefield like absolute judgment, "God is gone. But the prayers of the faithful do not go unheard. Not anymore… not while I am here."
He took Durindana, cutting a clean line across his hand. Golden ichor welled up, glowing brighter than molten metal. Droplets fell onto Akeno's ruined body and onto Metatron's broken form.
Light exploded outward.
The town itself glowed. Metatron's wings flared white again, his halo reigniting, his eyes opening with renewed fire. Akeno's wound closed, the hole knitting together until only torn fabric remained.
Every fallen, every devil, every human stared.
Elias rose, turning toward the enemy. His gaze swept over Kokabiel and Satanael, their mocking sneers gone, replaced by wide-eyed disbelief.
And then it hit me.
A crushing weight pressed against my chest, sinking into my very bones.
My knees threatened to buckle, instinct screaming at me to kneel. Around us, I saw others falter, humans collapsing outright, their weapons clattering uselessly against the stone.
Fallen staggered midair, wings locking before they plummeted, their bodies splattering against the ruined streets below.
Even the mighty didn't stand untouched. Kokabiel's grin had vanished, his jaw clenched tight as his sword shook in his grip. Satanael's knuckles whitened on his spear, his body trembling for just a heartbeat as his aura flared in defiance.
But they felt it. We all did. The world itself bowed to him.
"God is gone," Elias repeated calmly as if he was talking to himself. Still, the absolute certainty in his voice made me feel as if I was seeing his tale begin, "but He did not abandon this world. He left me."
Author's note: Sorry for the delay, but the chapter is a fair bit larger than the norm, and packed. Dunno... feel so fucking proud of how it reads. Let me know what you think! And yes, I know I'm evil hehe.
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