Chapter 283 part 2

Scáthach POV

I looked at the 'priest' who also stared right back.

He quirked his head, as if inspecting me, a curious look upon his face.

"Apologies, but have we met before? For some reason, I have the strangest feeling that I know you from somewhere, but I simply can't place it." He finally spoke up.

"I do not make it a habit to associate with such repulsive people." I snorted, eyes glancing to where Wilhelm had taken his fight a little distance away.

Good, he hadn't allowed his anger to overrule his common sense.

I wouldn't chastise him for how he was acting. I did not believe I had the right to when I once made him watch a similar scene by my own hand.

It was a sin that would weigh heavily on me, but I could only make sure that he never suffered such a grievance again.

I do not know if the others realized what this person was, thus I took the opportunity to stake my claim as his opponent.

"Quite." He pursed his lips. "Though you give this oddly familiar feeling, but maybe I can't place it because it's completely overshadowed by all that bloodlust you're giving out. I feel as if I'll be stabbed through the heart if I lose focus for even a moment. How peculiar."

"You misunderstand something."

"Oh? And what's what?"

"It will happen regardless of your efforts to the contrary."

"Oh, I like you." The corners of his lips curled up. "Though, you should be careful of who you taunt." His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You say that as if I did not know you are a God." I spun my spear, slamming it against the ground.

That elicited a reaction out of him. "….How did you know? I was sure I hid it thoroughly."

Hmm, why did he not even try to deny it?

"You are not a God yourself, but I feel…..something Divine about you."

"It's quite simple." My back foot pushed into the ground, and his eyes widened as a heartbeat later, my spear was aimed for his heart. The Unnamed God twisted his body, already having casted several spells. I allowed momentum to carry me to dodge the barrage, a trade for me not being able to take his heart. Coming to a stop, I spun around, swiping my Spear as Runes manifested and danced through the Air. "kljúfa." I actualized the simple spell, my Magic cleaving through several of the Elemental effects that he unleashed.

I stood back up straight, spinning my spear, flicking off a tiny bit of blood on its edge.

The aforementioned God look entirely unamused as he stared down at his arm. It was the tiniest cut that healed without any effort on his part. However, it did serve to pierce through the veil he was hiding himself behind. It did mend itself rather quickly, but it did show that this façade was not but an illusion.

"I have bathed in enough Divine Blood to recognize another."

The God frowned, looking back at me. "Careful with your words, Mortal. My amusement may run its course."

"Funny, I have heard similar words many times in the past. How many of the Gods have I slain had uttered such trivialities before me? What warning need I to heed from someone who hides themselves in front of this Mortal."

The God's eye twitched, but he didn't jump upon my provocation. I was still unsure of his true identity; thus I would continue to probe, but I did not wish to commit without knowing any details I could find out when others required protection within the vicinity of my battle.

"Some manner of Demi-God? There shouldn't be many of you running around these days. Especially ones that know that Language and use of Norse Magic." He seemed to be voicing his thoughts for his own amusement. "But I don't think that's it either. My instincts are telling me it's something much different, but I just can't put my finger on it."

For some reason, it made me annoyed to converse with him. And the feeling of being looked down upon was also not one I enjoyed.

If I had not been a Servant, even with how advanced Wilhelm made my vessel, I would have no hesitation in my ability to kill him.

Unfortunately, I am much lesser now than when I was alive.

However…..that did not mean that victory was beyond me in the slightest.

This one gave off a much more dangerous feeling than that Goddess I had fought in that other world. She was a mere shadow of what a God should be, not even allowed to be called a Divine Spirit with her reduced state. This one, while the differences were obvious to someone who had once lived in the old age in my world, was without a doubt a God.

Spinning my spear, I kicked up large swathes of dirt, with a second flick, I sliced at the ground, imbuing the ground with a string of Runes.

The wind reshaped, gathering up the dirt and shot at the God like spears.

He casually swayed side to side as to dodge, but that wasn't my intent.

The spears all swirled around him and I snaped my finger, causing them to burst into a large upturn, concealing vision.

With that, I moved, a straight trust right at his point of location. I gathered a significant amount of Magical Energy at the tip of my Spear and let out a shout.

The God raised up his hand, and cast a spell in response. The space between us fluctuated as my Spear collided with something very sturdy. The result was that neither side would give in, his shield fluctuated, I pushed, but my Spear was unable to penetrate the shield.

The God had an amused smile still adorning his face which made me wish to wipe it away.

"Did you not wonder why I used such a spell to obscure vision when I attacked from the front?" I took a small bit of satisfaction as his eyes gain realization and he glanced down at the ground.

On his side of the shield, a handful of small stones began glowing, each had a Rune placed on them. My previous spell had deposited them at his feet without him noticing.

He raised his other arm to cast another spell, but I took that moment to put much more power into my thrust, shattering his shield at the same moment his attention was divided.

The resulting explosion caused a large portion of the school behind us to disappear.

My own shield shimmered around me, a singular string flickering before fading as to not be caught up in my own attack.

I frowned once more, waving my spear to the side to clear away the dust once again, to get a clear sight. I didn't expect him to be there, I could feel something happen right at the point of contact.

Instead, my eyes followed the feeling of anger directed towards me.

He was standing atop another building and he had a much better expression. His mouth twisted back in a snarl as he held his eye.

Part of is face was…..shattered, and I could see his real eye beneath. Silver in color, but I still did not know to whom it belonged.

He had hidden everything quite well thus far. Even his magic was hidden, he was using the Human Magic from this world and layered several spells together to get a worthwhile effect.

It was….roundabout, but still provided results. Very inefficient, but it served to hide his origin.

It seemed that this was not the ideal battlefield for either of us.

The God swiped his hand, mending the fake body once more.

"Cute trick." He looked very calm after composing himself.

"Yes, the child that showed me thought it was very amusing." I nodded me head, meeting his barb.

Setanta looked so proud of himself when he showed me the runes he carved on stones, then started throwing them, making them explode.

"One thing after another." The God sighed, walking along the edge of the building, as if taking a stroll. "I swear, this was supposed to be an easy little experiment. Help out the little Soldier, watch these idiots implode on themselves. But that pigeon couldn't even do this right, and it was such a simple plan." He abruptly turned, like he was going to step of the edge only to disappear and reappear on the ground.

"I suppose it was intelligent by their low standards. Really, it wasn't that difficult, help him sneak some of his people in the Vatican disguised as Devils, kill a few 'important' mortals. Stab their important sword into the annoying Devils –" He waved his hand flippantly. "Not to mention that a portion of his own Soldiers should be attacking Devil Territory right about now, you know, to round everything up. Along with many other smaller incidents around the world. With so many fingers pointed, it's impossible to know who or what's the right story. All the lower ranks know is that they were attacked by the other two factions, and their leaders won't have any choice but to retaliate."

"You talk too much." I took a step forward, ready to attack again.

"Or maybe." He raised his finger up, and a massive Spell Circle appeared beneath us. "You should pay more attention~"

My eyes widened; did he weave spells into his monologue?

"Well, it was fun, goodbye." He snapped his fingers and a baleful Green Serpent created from Divine flame came into existence, coiling around me.

For the first time in this fight, I felt a hint of the God's Authority come into being. It was still not one I could immediately place just from feeling.

However, this attack would be far from enough to stop me.

I ran my hand down my spear, bringing forth my Primordial Runes as I strung together the Ancient Language along my weapon. I lifted it up, and slammed it against the ground.

"Jörð tími tómr"

A domain expanded outwards from me, the Serpent flickered and appeared still. Within this small domain, I slowed time to roughly a standstill.

The God's eyes widened, and he reacted frantically for the first time since our meeting. I could see his Divinity expunge outwards, fighting against the effects of mine as he pushed himself backwards. He was near the edge, but it was enough time.

I let loose my Magical Energy fully.

A simple movement again, a singular thrust right at his heart.

A significant amount of Power emanated from the God in response, the temporal anomaly around his immediate person was pushed to the side as he swiped his hand and a beautiful Dagger appeared between his fingers.

The point of my spear met his own weapon, he was bodily lifted up off the ground and carried outwards from the Domain I had created.

The Arrogant God went tumbling across the ground before sliding to his feet, his illusion flickered briefly before stabilizing. He growled in annoyance, that haughty façade of his dying.

He planted his foot firmly, swinging his Dagger with enough force to deflect another trust of my spear, the ground to the side was cleaved away by the dispersion of power that was expelled.

We were far enough away from the others, that I couldn't help but feel my blood boiling again. The need to protect them was wavering as he focused solely on me, and thus I felt excited at the prospect of the fight.

My Spear turned into not but a red blur streaking across space, moving faster and faster with each moment.

And the God, he was keeping up.

I could tell his strengths did not lay in martial might, however, he was still experienced enough to deflect or dodge my blows as his feet slid across the ground, redirecting most of the force behind my attacks. He was most certainly losing ground with each exchange, but he was fighting.

"Who are you!?" The God blurted out. "How do I not know who you are!? And how do you know that Magic! The Old Bastard barely taught anyone that!"

Though he shouted the question, he didn't give me an opportunity to answer, not that I would. He grabbed his Dagger with both hands and slammed it forward, knocking my spear downwards, utterly obliterating the ground beneath us.

He disappeared from sight, blade coming at my back. With a flick of my fingers, I actualized a shielding spell that his weapon collided with it, in his other hand, he held his own Magic, still keeping to hide himself. The Spell Circles overlapped as a large amount of power gathered.

I dropped to my knee, spinning my body around, Spear piercing through the Spell Sequences, disrupting the process.

With another sneer, he teleported away ontop a half-destroyed building. "I grow tired of this foolishness." His Dagger disappeared and he raised both hands up. In one hand, a Baleful Green Fire raged, in the other, a Bone Chilling Coldness radiated out.

The one with Fire he held towards the Snake that was still suspended from my previous spell. As if grabbing hold of it, he slammed his hand down. My temporal domain shattered, and the Fire was recycled into a new sequence. The ground cracked beneath it, a deathly aura began radiating outwards as hands grasped at the edged. Hundreds of figures pulling themselves out of the earth, enveloped in that Unholy fire of his.

In his other hand the world turned cold.

Snow began falling down above us, winds whipped up, forming an obstruction, as if he declared his own domain in the vicinity.

The flickering of Fire was all that I could see now as the ice cold air enveloped my vision completely.

The God himself turned his lips upwards mockingly.

I could feel his presence shift and…..merge with the many that now walked around the ground. He was hiding himself amongst the Undead he summoned.

More specifically, the type of undead I could recognize – Draugr.

I looked as they surrounded me, hundreds of Undead, and any of them could be this God who was so skilled that I was having trouble finding him.

"What's wrong?" A voice carried upon the winds, not giving his location away. "A little cold for you? Do my little friends make you uneasy?"

I breathed out a cold breath of air. "How nostalgic."

Whatever this God had expected, I did not believe it for me to feel so familiar.

"All of this to hide your identity? My excitement has died." I spun my spear again in annoyance. "You had no true intention on fighting me from the start, merely play whatever games it is you are playing."

"I guess you aren't the foolish woman I thought. I was only a spectator that wanted to see this play out and I'm left disappointed. Oh well, it doesn't matter in the long run."

His words irked me.

"Razor Cold Winds? Undead abominations?" I harumphed in contempt. "Allow me to show you my home for the past thousands of years."

I could feel my Magical Energy swirled about as I touched my second Noble Phantasm.

The Cold Air around me distorted, the Winds that he had summoned were bent as I commanded my own Authority to descend.

"Open, Gate of Skye!" I Declared as the massive stone gates slammed into the ground behind me.

A compulsive force swept out, dragging everything along with it. The Undead he summoned were forcibly taken. The winter storm he called forth was consumed.

The area was swiftly cleaned up as the Gates behinds me slammed shut and disappeared.

There was but one last figure infront of me.

He didn't deem it necessary to hide himself anymore.

"Who are you?" He had a very serious expression on his face.

"I wield Gae Bolg and summon forth the Land of Shadows, and you still ask me who I am?"

The God's face flashed through many emotions; it seemed as if he wanted to ask many more questions. However, a large eruption power exploded out from behind us, from the direction that my Student was fighting the Fallen Angel.

"I will remember you." The God stated, his form cracked and shattered, and I only saw the briefest glimpse of him before he utterly disappeared. "Wait until my own stage is set." His last words barely reaching my ears.

Hmph, a second time I allowed my foe to escape.

That Athena previously, and now this God who refused to tell their name.

It is truly difficult to keep a God anchored if they wish to flee, but….It will not happen a third time.

[***]

Raikou POV

I hovered protectively amongst the others as a few Fallen Angels fell from the sky by my own hand.

However, there were still many thousands in the sky. They were…. disciplined, more so than I had anticipated. I did not think I would see creatures as lofty as Angels were acting like Soldiers in such a manner.

Whatever grievances there are against this Kokabiel, he certainly trained his men well. As a leader myself, I could acknowledge that much.

Both Scáthach and Wilhelm had taken their fights away from the group, so I did not have to worry about that aspect.

Though, Scáthach's opponent did give me pause.

Something about him sent a chill down my spine. Is that why she sought him out?

It was irrelevant right now, I didn't believe she would lose. I should focus on the task that Master had given me.

Admittedly, I'm not in the best position to fulfill it.

They obviously knew they possessed an advantage by staying so high up in the air, and I did not have a means to actually fly.

I did not think any of them could singularly match me, but with so many…..I was more than aware that a group is capable of overcoming difficulties by working together.

They also didn't move, as if watching warily, waiting for us to make a move and respond accordingly.

Looking up at the two dragons still fighting higher up, I did have an idea...whether it would be a good idea was still not decided.

But I thought my Son would be all for it in a different situation.

"Jinn." I called out, and the Blue-skinned girl perked up, she was still healing everyone having grabbed Master's Staff.

"Need help?" She offered almost immediately, the sweet girl that she was.

"Yes, but...would you be able to stay back and defend? I fear I won't be able to fulfill my command without leaving this area."

"Leave it to me!" She replied, giving a thumbs up.

"Hmm, do you perhaps have a spell to give me flight as well?"

"A flight spell?" She blinked. "I do….but I would have to be nearby….."

"That would defeat the purpose." I opened my mouth again, but suddenly the Angels in the sky moved.

They weren't simply throwing those Spears made of light, as annoying as it was to constantly defend against such a thing. No, they divided themselves again, moving to a new, obviously practiced, formation. The sky lit up with that Holy Light, and it changed to look almost like A Spell Circle as a significant amount of power was visibly gathered.

There were about a Dozen of Spell Circles hanging high above and they were all powered by a couple thousand Angels.

"That doesn't look good." Jinn eyed it with thought as her own power started to flow. "I can….probably stop all of them."

"Allow me." I turned to see Artoria walk up. "I have finished healing where I could and have distributed Health Potions. There is only one problematic injury at the moment."

The…..Devils had all gathered behind us, quietly watching with a hint of fear in their faces.

"Do you need help? I can...put out enough to stop maybe one of those right now." An older woman asked.

And I believed this was the one that had my Son's affections.

I can certainly see why he was so captivated based on his tastes.

"You must be Venelana, we haven't met yet, I'm Jinn!" The Blue Woman happily greeted, as if there wasn't a looming threat overhead.

Amusingly, the Devil Woman looked not quite sure how to react.

"Worry not, while we are present, no harm shall come to you and yours." Artoria stated. "Focus on your own recovery."

"Sir Pendragon, allow us to fight by your side." Another, younger, Devil stepped forward, a man wearing full Knight regalia.

"You have done wonderfully, Sir Furcas, allow us to handle it from hence forth." Artoria denied his request.

They may be standing now, but they were in no shape to continue fighting.

"Are you going to use your Noble Phantasm?" I asked.

"Indeed. In the meantime, would it be enough for you to prepare a counter attack? I do not like such a large number of foes hanging above us." She furrowed her brow.

"…That depends. Jinn, you said you can't sustain flight for me, can you give me a large boost upwards?"

"A large boost upwards?" She tilted her head now in thought. "I can…..but are you sure?"

"Mmm, I just need to aim. And…. I may require assistance; I do not wish for them to escape or scatter. If you have an opportunity, please take it."

"I will look for an opening." The King of Knights nodded, eyes moving towards above.

The Light gathered above reached its precipice, and the air vibrated before they were released in condensed beams that shot down.

Artoria raised her hand up towards them. A golden light of her own started trickling out, as a beautiful Sheath seemed to manifest from her chest.

"Avalon" The word wasn't loud, but for some reason, it took precedence over all other noise in the vicinity.

The Sheath shook and erupted in a blinding light.

It swirled around, covering us. A tranquility spread around us, regardless of the battle going on outside.

When we spoke at a previous time, she called it the Absolute Protection, and my first time seeing it activated, I couldn't refute her words. I knew at this moment, that nothing I could do would be able to break this defense, and I wagered, nothing on the battlefield right now could either.

The condensed beams of light slammed into the shield, and it didn't even waver in the slightest. The two different forms of light seemed to be incompatible as the hostile energies were pushed away, cascading out in all directions.

They were certainly powerful. I don't know If I could have taken one head on without preparations.

"Beautiful…"

It was Venelana who whispered, and I held the same mindset.

"Prepare yourself, it will only hold for a few more moments." Artoria broke us from our stupor.

"Got it!" Jinn's movements with her staff manifested several Magic Circles, leveled over one another. "Well…..step on up."

The lights that descended upon us finally puttered out and vision of the night sky returned once more.

I hesitantly stepped upon the platform she had created. I eyed the two Dragons still fighting in the sky, weaving in and out of the unnatural Thunder Clouds that I'm sure my Son had summoned.

"I modified the Flying spell a little, instead of just letting you hover around, it's overloaded and only active for a single moment to launch you upwards, so hang on tight!"

The shield around us receded back into the form of a Sheath and Artoria caught it.

"Go." I stated.

Jinn jerked her hand upword and I found myself a hundred meters off the ground and still accelerating upward.

I went past the Angels, my lightning surrounding me as I narrowed my eyes on my true target, and my Sword unsheathed.

Based on what my Son had told me about this spell, I could tell them apart based on what they were doing. I could guess the one apparently using magic was the real Níðhöggr.

I felt myself turn into a streak of Purple Lighting as I held my sword out and sliced upwards, my blade finding the underbelly of the Dragon.

The Dragons, both the real and fake, let out a very surprised exclamation, though one of them was more of a painful wail of surprise.

Unfortunately….I still continued upwards for a few dozen more meters before my ascent stalled out. However, as I began to fall, I found footing on an ally.

"I believe this is the first time we have met in person." I smiled as I caught my balance, placing a hand against the strange sensation of Dragon Scales.

"You're absolutely crazy." Ddraig let out a laugh, having caught me and flown up for a moments respite from his foe. "Definitely one of the brat's women."

"Fufu, do you mind me stepping in? I believe we can help each other out." I flicked my blade, not wanting the dirty blood on my weapon before it crackled with lightning.

"As loathed as I am to admit it, I'm not really his match as I am right now. So….I don't mind teaming up. You got a plan, cause he isn't an easy opponent. Your attack barely penetrated his softer parts."

I frowned, but couldn't refute his words. "Yes, it appears I will need to deal a stronger blow."

"Hmm, your Noble Phantasm should be able to do something, but….I don't have much time left. I'm basically running on fumes here and I'm doing my best to keep this fake body from breaking."

"It should be enough; I have a plan. But, I would need this Dragon to follow us. And as it stands, it seems to be keeping a wary distance."

"Yeah, he was always a big coward. Preys on the weak, and runs away when the strong comes. Though, if you could piss him off, he would ignore that and come at you in a rage. But I don't think he'll listen to my taunts anymore; he seems pretty numb to them."

"Make him angry?" I rubbed my chin in thought. "Would sufficient damage work?"

"Maybe? He would probably think it beneath him if you wounded him…..no offense."

"None taken." I looked down at my sword and had an idea. [Master, may I please borrow your Dragon Sword?]

I didn't receive a verbal reply, but I could see a Sword fly up from down below.

"That'll do it." Ddraig chuckled as he tilted his body, flying back towards the other Dragon who was keeping pace but at a little distance. "All you, little lady."

I braced myself as Ddraig flew right at the other dragon, no intention of stopping. The Real Níðhöggr roared, accelerating himself.

I jumped up right before they collided, the Noble Phantasm reaching my hands and I fell forward, stabbing it into the Evil Dragon, piercing through its scales much easier than my own blade.

Níðhöggr looked startled as its body jerked, it roared, head thrown back in confusion, and Ddraig took that opportunity to bite into its neck.

It jerked back and forth, trying to dislodge me, however, I regained my footing on its back, pulling the Sword free and sliced into it more and more, my Lightning crackling around the blade as I pushed it fulling into its hide, all the way down to the hilt.

The Anti-Dragon Properties caused it to rip apart the scaly defense.

"PESSST!" The Evil Dragon hissed , breaking free from Ddraig's grasp and spun its body. I couldn't hold on and fell off after pulling the blade free.

"Got you." Ddraig grunted as I landed upon his head.

"Do you think that was enough?"

"ROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!"

"There is a possibility…"

Yes, I believed that would suffice. I think the Anti-Dragon properties caused it to act more irrational than normal as well.

"What's your plan?"

"Head into the group of Fallen Angels.

"Hahaha, that sounds like fun, let's go."

I stood back up, glancing behind us as the other Dragon looked mad with anger, and it was flying faster than us. Putting Ascalon safely away into my storage Bracelet, I sheathed my own sword. "Is this your fastest speed?"

"In pure flying….yes. But I think I got a little more juice in me for something else." Ddraig sucked in a deep breath as we approached the groups of Angel who looked hesitant at our approach, but formed up ranks all the same.

Well trained indeed.

"Wuld!" Ddraig breathed out, and I felt us both accelerate in a blinding burst of speed, to the point where we bulldozed through dozens of Fallen Angels, and their entire first line and appeared on the complete other side of their formations. "You got one of those, little lady. It's your turn now."

"Yes, I shall deal with this dragon then, and answer my Master's command." I declared, taking a spot atop of Ddraig's head as I pulled on my Divine Lightning, my Noble Phantasm activating.

It was not the Noble Phantasm I had as a mere Berserker.

When Master and Grandfather had fixed me, they added other aspects of myself. It was mostly my Saber aspect that filled in the gaps, but other things slipped through. My Riding had increased from my Rider Class and such, but what filled another slot in my Noble Phantasms was my Lancer Class.

It appeared in my hands, a weapon not my own, but my Father's.

An iconic weapon that hailed from the Eastern Lands of India.

My allowance of its use was only during the activation of my Noble Phantasm.

My Lightning danced around it as it began to spin, coalescing Magical Energy until it reached an adequate amount.

"I will show you…."

It continued to increase in speed as it spun in my hands until it became nothing but a blur, Lightning arcing in every direction.

"Gozu Tennou, the Eastern Deity, Vajra of Indra. That is, the Spear of the Divine, made from the Sacred Sacral Bone. Now, come forth and annihilate every foe!"

I stopped my machinations, all the accumulated power dancing around the weapon as I reeled back, and threw it with all my might.

"Śakra's Vajra!!"

The Fallen Angels had noticed, they tried to move out of the way, but they were reduced to ash by the mere passing of the Divine Weapon.

As I had predicted, the Fallen Angels realized that it was folly to stay so closed together, separating almost immediately upon seeing their comrades facing my Father's divine wrath.

But my main target was not them.

The Dragon who saw what was coming, its lower body jerked, trying to stop its forward momentum, its wings suddenly trying to change its direction, but it was too late.

It's body arced as the Divine Weapon connected, an ear piercing roar of pain echoed out. My Noble Phantasm tore through its stomach and exited out the other side, sailing across the night sky.

And seeing a Golden Light start rising from the ground below, I realized my role had finished.

[***]

Artoria Pendragon POV

I watched Raikou ascend to the sky, not quite understanding her plan until she landed atop of Ddraig in that fake form.

Avalon had returned inside me and I kept my vigil watch.

I did not know what to think about this woman beside me previously, this – Venelana. However, seeing how she was so desperately trying to protect her daughter….I felt an inkling of respect swell up.

Perhaps there was some common ground we could find, more so than I had expected beforehand.

But that was a thought I dismissed for now. I had a duty to uphold and I would not allow any of these children to come to harm under my watch. And especially the woman who Wilhelm had traded affection with.

It was no secret how much he treasured our…..relationships. I recalled the looks he had when I found out the situation with Scáthach after he returned. We were no where near where we are now in terms of relationship bonding, yet, the thought of him returning to that state made my heart wretch.

These….Fallen Angels had almost caused him to revert back to that again.

I kept it under wraps, but my anger was not absent.

I would also admit to feeling odd about fighting Angels that had Fallen from Heaven.

"Jeez, they don't give up." Jinn huffed, holding her hands up and casting a multitude of spells.

Several layers of shielding covered us as a bombardment of Holy Spears rained down.

"They were trained to whittle down stronger enemies." Venelana seemed to know them well enough to explain. "They won't commit unless they are sure of victory. Kokabiel wasn't gloating when he said that he's fought Gods on the battlefield."

It was a valid strategy. They had the advantage in terms of 'terrain' and numbers. Using the most minimal amount of energy, they would slowly wither away our defenses. Be it Magical Energy or mental fatigue, eventually, most would give out in our situation.

"And what was that earlier attack? It was much more substantial." I asked.

"A probing." She answered simply.

"Hmph, the only probing I allow is from Wilhelm." Jinn huffed, more Spell Circles appeared and she returned attacks back to their origin. Elemental barrages ascended the sky, Fireballs, Lightning Bolts, Ice Spears, a plethora of effects and I think Jinn was just testing her variety of spells instead of committing to a true attack.

"….Must you speak that aloud?" I groaned.

And the smile on her face answered my question.

At this point, we were all aware of what she got up to when intimate with Wilhelm.

And where she keeps her lamp….

It may look like Jinn was just casually shielding us, but I would see much more nuance. When an attack landed, she distributed the accumulated force and shifted it outwards, mending the spot that was struck and cycling every single aspect of the spell to continue at every single attack.

Despite the flippant attitude she liked to take sometimes, she was without a doubt, a very intelligent and accomplished Mage.

Spirit of Knowledge indeed.

Their continued bombardment ceased as we all looked up and saw a large Dragon tear through their numbers.

A massive amount of Lighting gathered upon Raikou and I knew my turn was approaching.

"Śakra's Vajra!!"

The weight of her words carried all the way to us as the Dragon itself looked mortally wounded and a large swath of Fallen were decimated in the attack.

"Stand back." I declared, taking a few steps forward. Invisible Air was within my grasp as I looked at my targets.

The Fallen Angels suddenly got much more concerned about someone else, as their attention turned towards Raikou and Ddraig.

"All yours, sister!" Jinn happily absconded from infront of me.

Invisible air began to unravel around my blade, the light contained within started to seep out.

Any hesitance I had about showing off my Blade once more was completely gone after seeing the battlefield when we first arrived.

Slowly, the familiar motes of light began rising out of the ground, lighting up the surroundings.

The moon itself seemed to dim in response, and even I was still affected by the concepts I held within my hand to this day.

"Light!?"

"Watch out, don't let it touch you!"

"Quick, cast a shield!"

I glanced back at the worried expressions of the Devils. Mayhaps a previous warning, but it did not cross my mind until this moment.

"Worry not, this Light will bring you no harm." I declared, Invisible Air freeing my true blade completely. As if singing its return, the motes around us began to dance and swirl around my blade.

A new silence descended, an understandable response.

I took a step forward, holding my blade on high, and the Light erupted form my position. Gathered, coalesced upon the edge of my Sacred Sword.

The Dragon in the sky writhed in pain after receiving Raikou's Noble Phantasm, and Fallen Angels flew around in scattered remnants of their former lines, reorganizing themselves as best they could after having two dragons clash between them.

I felt the warmth that my sword radiated, and the turbulent emotions I felt in my heart as I aimed them all at the source.

And I swung my sword down, deciding their fate.

"Excalibur!"

The accumulated light and heat was released towards the sky, ascending towards the heavens to punish the sinners.

It consumed all in its path, the Dragon was no exception and the legions of Angels were decimated upon its arrival. The eruption that turned into a pillar that connected to the sky, alighting the entire night to the point where the moon was outshined.

It was fast, a blinding speed as the many figures in the sky simply disappeared, leaving only remnants.

And as I brought my blade down, so too did the remains of a Dragon fall to the ground, lifeless.

[***]

Wilhelm POV

Much of my anger had….subsided as I looked at the broken body of the former Fallen Angel before me. I say former because…..all of his wings are thrown to the side and he now lacked a single iota of Holy Power, courtesy of the Presence within my spear.

I was not aware that He could even do that….

But continuously looking at him only made it flare up again. I lacked any sympathy for this man, wanting to restart a war by killing my woman and her Daughter, among others.

I think I was pissed off even more before he didn't even seem crazy, and simply wanted to burn the world because he couldn't cope with the idea of not having a war anymore.

I waved my hand, depositing the wings into my ring. No idea what uses they had, but they should be good for something.

My Balance Breaker faded, and I let out a long breath. The Holy Power didn't go rampant this time since I didn't push past what I could realistically contain as a Half-Devil.

Putting my Spear away, I grabbed hold of the unconscious body and began dragging him back to where the others were gathered.

There were many signs of battle across the now destroyed school, and I was by no means oblivious to many happenings that had occurred. The Noble Phantasms that were unleashed, and other such things.

I could imagine that the Dragon took some effort to put down. It was a scary mother fucker that existed as an Antagonist to an entire Cosmology.

And whatever that Priest was.

Speaking of, the warped space around the place seemed to have disappear a little while ago, so I assumed he was dealt with in some manner.

But I was completely confident that my girls could handle it.

Raikou asking for my sword was a good indication of how it probably went along with the massive pillar of light that erupted form Artoria's Noble Phantasm.

Admittedly a small part of me felt amused at the thought of this school being left in ruins. I had very few good memories here, and those mostly tainted by what I learned after my…..leave.

I made it back to the others after walking through several destroyed building, which I'm pretty sure were still intact when I initially knocked Kokabiel away.

All eyes turned to me as I tossed the Fallen Angel forward.

Usually, I would say something witty or something along those lines, but my eyes fell on the source of my presence.

I walked towards her, almost ignoring everything else, and wrapped her up again.

"Are you okay, do you need more healing?" I finally let go, inspecting her every which way.

"Wilhelm." She stopped me, hands cupping my cheeks. "It's okay, I'm not hurting anymore. Relax, take a deep breath."

She said that, but I looked at the holes in her clothing, the amount of dried blood that soaked her white dress.

"You sure? I got a lot of things if you aren't."

"I'm sure." She giggled softly, her hand rubbing my back as I embraced her again.

I let out a deep breath, pulling away again. "What do you want to do with Kokabiel?"

"Is he still breathing?" Venelana peered over my shoulder, looking at the unmoving body.

"Yes. But that's all."

"There are stumps on his back…"

"I pulled out his wings."

"You do know that's probably the worst thing that an Angel can suffer, right?"

"I did not, and I would do the same again."

"Well, you'll not hear me argue against it." She dismissed any concerns easily enough. "Only that I wish I could have helped you. But….it would probably be best to keep him alive for the moment….evidence."

Yeah, that's understandable from her point of view. And it would foil his initial plans, so I didn't say anything to the contrary. Would probably make him more depressed than he currently was…..if he hadn't pass out due to the pain, I presumed.

The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed, even if everyone looked like they were still recovering. I barely spared a second glance at the other Devils, but they were more or less up on their feet. A few exceptions, but my desire to ask was almost nonexistent.

Scáthach had walked over in the past few moments and I didn't even notice. She took a spot next to Artoria and Jinn, giving a small smile in acknowledgement as our eyes met.

I was grateful they were letting me have this moment with Venelana.

I just…..didn't want to let her go. I was very protective of her right now after what happened.

Which made the spatial fluctuations I just felt behind me turn my mood even more sour.

My first instinct was to grab the True Longinus and stab whatever came through but….cooler heads prevailed. I'm sure they called their family and support, I wouldn't want to butt heads with her people and put her in a difficult spot.

I turned around to look at the kid walk through.

Silver hair, a cocky look on his face.

"Oi, hand over Kokabiel." He blurted out, arms crossed and a seeming inability to read the mood.

As if to respond to his words, Ddraig landed right behind him with a pissed off Raikou on his head.

"Fucking excuse me?" I asked in total disbelief.

[***]

Hey everyone, i'm back. For those of you that didn't know, I was in the ER over the weekend and rested for a few days afterwards. Nothing tremendously serious, i'm doing a lot better now, but i was pretty much indisposed for a little while there. Well, we're back on a normal schedule at this point -- hopefully. Here's the part two of chapter 283.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone