Of Swords And Angels (part 1)

Notice:

A Demon Lord's Hero isn't mine, it's written by the author Fahad09 and can be found in FF or Ao3. I'm mainly doing this to spread the word that the author Aerle is not the author of Dxd: A New Hero. Do not subscribe to his patreon to read chapters behind a paywall when you can read it for free from the real author on FF net or Ao3.

I'm doing this cuz I thought it looked familiar and realized it was just plagiarism, I went to ff net to see and in one of the comments another use was also stating that Aerle was copying and trying to get people to sub to his P@treon. Looks like it's not his first time doing this too, since that commenter said he also plagiarized a Naruto fic called "With the Eyes of God," by the author cloud9stories

Since in Webnovel Aerle can delete comments and bad reviews, it's quite easy for the dude to scam people and get away with it. 

I'm extremely petty and I liked the original fanfics so Ima just post most of the chapter to fuck this guy over lmao. Also if you see a Patreon link with the title of "Aerle" at the end, it's most likely a scam lol.

=====Chapter 6 (part 1)========

I raised my left hand into the air, watching with interest as the light bounced off the metallic surface of the deep red gauntlet. I rotated my wrist clockwise then counter-clockwise, observing the way the gauntlet effortlessly followed my movement despite its bulk, before clenching then relaxing my hand.

A perfect replica of the Sacred Gear Twice Critical encased my left hand and forearm. Ever since I first heard of Sacred Gears I have wanted to see if I can trace them. However before now I simply didn't have the chance to try.

At first it was due to time, I had so much to learn about the world when I first arrived and a detailed analysis of Sacred Gears was simply not a priority at the time. Then it was due to a lack of opportunity, as in the Underworld Sacred Gears were rather rare to find. They did only manifest in humans after all and outside of a young Devil's Peerage, Sacred Gears users were hard to find.

However since arriving in the human world opportunity no longer became an issue. My first attempt of replicating a Sacred Gear came when I had witnessed Kiba training one morning. Sword Birth was a perfect Sacred Gear for me to start experimenting with as it had so much in common with both my Tracing ability and my element.

While my attempt did work, I wouldn't call it a success. As predicted my abilities allowed me to replicate every sword that Kiba created but that just meant I copied the product of the Sacred Gear, not the Gear itself. Sword Birth as it turns out, did not have a physical manifestation which regrettably meant there was nothing for me to trace.

My second opportunity at replicating a Sacred Gear came soon after. Issei was surprisingly ecstatic for a person who had died just a few days ago. Perhaps it had to do with the lacy bra that Gremory had dangling in front of him with a fishing pole while she sat on his shoulders and made him run around the track field.

I have to admit, the Gremory sure knew how to handle the pervert, far better than I would have had I been in her place. While I doubt it would have been as effective, I would never have been willing to use my boxers as bait in order to train him if Issei was part of my Peerage.

What caught my interest however wasn't the training method but the maroon red gauntlet that covered his left arm. Twice Critical, a Sacred Gear capable of doubling an individual's strength for a limited time. In spite of its reputation as a low-tier Gear its power was nothing to laugh at. To increase my strength by double, no, even a twenty percent increase will give me an incredible boost in my fighting capabilities.

While not a sword, it was one of the more simplest forms a Sacred Gears can take, making it as good a place to start as any. After three days of trial and error, and countless of failed projections I finally made some progress.

I lifted my replicated Twice Critical in front of me. This was the result. With this, my attempts in reproducing Sacred Gears have come to an end. It was in every way a perfect copy that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

It was also a complete failure.

There was nothing wrong with it, no flaw in craftsmanship that prevented it from functioning as it should. It was as I had said a perfect copy. The problem lies not with my replica but with the original Twice Critical, or to be more precise the problem lies with Sacred Gears in general. In my experimentation with them, I had discovered a fundamental truth about their function.

Sacred Gears where not designed to grant its wielder powerful abilities, it is in fact utterly incapable of doing so. A Sacred Gears true purpose is that of a vessel. They were designed to contain the powers and souls of powerful beings. From an all-mighty Dragon to a tiny fairy, a Sacred Gear will imprison them inside its shell. The abilities that they are famed to grant are merely a consequence, nothing more than a side-effect of housing these beings.

That is why this my Twice Critical did not work. Without the soul of a Lesser Dragon to fuel its power it will not grant me any boost in power. Right now it was just an empty vessel, little more than a mundane piece of armor.

It was the same with Twilight Healing. The rings were merely a container for a soul that radiated the power of restoration. While I was uncertain, going off its nickname of "Smile of the Holy Mother", it is possible that its power stems from one of the spirits of the earth, a facet of Gaia herself. That would explain its ability to bypass magical resistance as our bodies are made from the fruits of the earth.

Twinkle Aegis, Tsubasa's Sacred Gear, is famed for housing a fairy with it. And by making a pact with the fairy it is possible to change the effects of the Gear.

That does not mean that it was impossible for me to craft a Sacred Gear, quite the opposite. My Twice Critical is capable of housing a soul just like the original could. It merely needed a soul to fill it.

In other words, all I have to do to make my Twice Critical work is to find a Dragon that is willing to part with its soul…yeah, like that's going to happen anytime soon.

In many ways the Sacred Gears reminded me of the history behind Kanshou and Bakuya. The famed blacksmith Gan Jiang was commissioned to forge an Imperial sword. His wife, Mo Ye, seeing her husband frustrated at his failures to forge such a blade, decided to sacrifice her own life to aid him.

To forge a sword that can reach the realm of the Gods, a human's life and essence is needed as a sacrifice. She threw herself into the furnace in front of her husband out of love, and in his grief he was able to craft the two masterpieces which he named Kanshou and Bakuya, the married twin swords. One to represent his wife and the other himself, the Yin and Yang.

They were masterpieces, unmatched by anything else Gan Jiang had ever forged before. The paired swords had the most remarkable ability to find the other; their attraction to one another will always lead one back to the other even if the other was lost.

Gan Jiang did not live long after he completed the blades. As he only gave up one of the blades but refused to relinquish the second sword, Kanshou, the one that represented himself, perhaps in hopes that it would somehow lead him back to his wife again someday. Regardless, his refusal to surrender the blade had resulted in him being executed by his king soon afterwards.

Sacred Gears, just like the two blades, require the sacrifice of a life to be forged.

I dismissed the false Twice Critical from my hand, hopped of my bed and made my way to the closet to get dressed for school. It wasn't worth it. The prize is not worth it if the sacrifice of life is the price.

I have seen many Magus walk down that path, willing to sacrifice anything in their quest for power. Sometimes that ended in failure while others times they got the power they were seeking, but I had never once seen them find any happiness for it. At that price, such a life has no meaning.

I picked up on my bag from the side of the door as I shoved my other arm into the sleeve of my jacket before existing my room and making my way down the stairs.

Spotting the large pile of lunch boxes on the dining room table, I made a detour toward it to pick it up while crossing the kitchen entrance on my way there.

*Beep*

I stopped in my tracks and blinked in confusion as I heard a mildly alarming sound coming out of the kitchen.

*Beep**Beep**Beep*

The slight anxiety that I was feeling evolved into complete trepidation as I heard the noise again. With great reluctance I reversed my course and made my way back toward the kitchen entrance. I paused, unwilling to enter the room but knowing that I couldn't just ignore it.

*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*

I compromised and decided to stick my head in through the door while keeping most of my body hidden behind the wall and out of harm's way.

"Shirou!" Asia exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of me. "Thank god –Ouch! NOT NOW DAMN IT – Thank that ungrateful prick you're here! I need your help."

"Yes…I can see that" I deadpanned.

The kitchen was, to put it lightly, an utter mess. Cooking tools were scattered all over the counter and floor. Splashes of multicolored liquid stained every conceivable surface in the room including the ceiling and piles of badly chopped fruits and vegetables littered the floor and tables.

Asia didn't fare any better. Her face was covered with food stains and she was wearing what used to be a clean white apron that now looks as it had been vomited on by a drunken rainbow. In one hand she held a butcher knife that she was swinging arou nd in panic every time she spoke.

*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*

Was that the microwave?

"Shirou,*Beep* help. I don't *Beep* know what I *Beep* did wrong *Beep* but *Beep* it *Beep*wouldn't *Beep* stop *Beep* beeping-"

*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

BOOM!

It was only that my superhuman reflexes that allowed me to react in time and pull my head back away from the eruption that sent a black billowing cloud exploding out into the kitchen and shooting through the door.

…I did not even know that was possible.

I mean, do microwaves work differently in this universe or is Asia's cooking so bad that the microwave just committed suicide and tried to take us all with it in some kind of Kamikaze attack?

By this point the smoke was beginning to clear so I carefully peered back into the Kitchen.

The kitchen and everything in it was completely covered in soot, it was as if someone had painted everything black. And poor Asia was no exception. She blended into the background of the room so well that the only reason why I could even tell she was there was thanks to the white of her eyes that were wide open with confusion.

"-Never mind Shirou, I fixed it." She croaked out, her snow-white teeth standing out from her soot covered skin as she spoke.

"…Do you need some help?" I reluctantly offered. Normally I'd be more than happy to help but I'm honestly terrified of entering the kitchen while Asia was still in there. I don't know if it was possible for the rest of the kitchen appliance to follow in the footsteps of the recently deceased microwave but I didn't want to find out. The very idea that my beloved kitchen, the place where I practice my art of cooking, trying to kill me would break my heart.

"No-" A cough interrupted her as a cloud of black smoke erupted from her mouth, "no, I'm fine. You need to get to school anyway. "

I tried not to look relived as I waved her goodbye, picked up the lunch boxes and walked out of the house as fast as I could without actually running. I also mentally added a new item to the list of things to keep Asia away from, at least when I'm in the vicinity. So far it's alcohol, internet porn and now cooking.

===========x==============x==============

"Checkmate." Sona declared after setting down the bishop.

"Ah, well." I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the chess board. "Looks like I lost. Well it was fun but I really-

"Again."

"But we just-"

"Again." She repeated, a tone of finality in her voice.

I sighed in resignation as I began to help her rearrange the pieces on the board, all the while trying to ignore the snickering of the Student Council member around me.

Momo had stopped half way through filling some paperwork when she heard Sona's declaration of my defeat. She stood up and walked up to the large man sized blackboard that had recently been hung on one of the walls of the Student Council Room.

It had a vertical line drawn down the middle of it, dividing the blackboard in two. On the top of both halves were names, Sona's on the right and mine on the left. My side had nothing in the middle of it, just a clear blank space until you reached the very bottom where the number 0 was clearly written.

Sona's side was the complete opposite of mine. The middle of it was filled with dozens of tally marks, almost filling the entire space. On the very bottom of the board was the number 71.

Momo picked up a piece of chalk from a nearby table before approaching Sona's side of the board and added an additional tally mark, and despite the stoic/bored expression she wore I knew, just knew, that she took vindictive glee as she ever so slowly erased the number in the bottom and scratched out the number 72.

Seventy two, I had suffered seventy two continues losses. Just looking at that number sent a knife of pain through me as my pride took another hit. For the last five straight days, ever since the training I had given them, Sona has dragged me into the Student Council office where she repeatedly forced me into a game of chess. She proceeded to kick my ass in every possible way, and I do mean every way.

I've had games where she beat me in as little as seven moves, while at other times she repeatedly spared me as she hunted down all of my pieces one by one until the King remained. Then instead of killing me she proceeded to hunt my King across the board for the better part of fifteen minutes before she decided to put me out of my misery. Or more likely she simply got bored; she seemed to be all out of mercy these days.

All the while she made sure to have the rest of the Student Council watch while it was happening. Going by the barely concealed smirks and snickers it seemed that they were enjoying the show.

Yeah, they may been a little sore about training.

What I didn't understand was why did it burn so much to lose? I didn't even like chess for Maou's sake but my pride, my poor shattered and abused pride, hurt so much at the thought of this little wisp of a girl kicking my ass seventy two times in a row at anything.

The rest of the Student Council's smirks were not helping either. Is this bullying? Am I being bullied?

Sona, being a Devil of Pride like me, probably knew exactly what to do to hit me in mine while not actually doing anything wrong. I mean what am I supposed to say? Mr. Principle, the bullies are beating me at chess. No, they're not beating me with a chess set but in an actual chess game and it really hurts my feelings so tell them to stop. I'd get laughed at, which will probably grind the remaining fragments of my broken Pride to dust. And if Serafall ever found out it wouldn't surprise me if she decided to cheer her little 'So-tan' on…in a cheerleader's outfit with pom poms.

I let out a sigh before picking up one of the pawns and moving it two spaces forward. Oh well, considering what I put them through I'm getting off pretty cheaply. And at least this will give me an opportunity to talk to Sona.

"Did you speak to Gremory yet?" I asked as she instantly replied to my opening move.

She nodded, "While I avoided any details I was able to impart the need for us to prepare and train. All she knows was that I had been able to figure out part of the reason why you're really here and that we needed to get stronger fast."

"So does she plan to come to me for training?"

"There is no need," She used her bishop to capture my knight, "Rias intends to take her entire Peerage to one of her family's villas in the mountains for a ten day training camp and has already arranged for a trainer. She had contacted her brother and requested to borrow his knight, Okita Souji, to coach them for the duration."

"Really? I'm surprised, I never thought she would willing go to Sirzechs for help in anything. How did you convince her to do that?"

"While I didn't mention anything about your true purpose here, I did impart that not only our lives but that of our Peerage were in danger. Say what you want about Rias but she is more than willing to swallow her pride when it comes to keeping her Peerage safe. They'll be leaving in a couple of weeks' time."

I was secretly relieved at that. I have been avoiding the Gremory ever since our first meeting but I knew I couldn't keep away from her for long, not if I wanted to protect her. However if Okita is going to take care of them I won't have to deal with that problem for a while longer.

Now that issue was settled, it was time to broach the newest problem that happened to crop up.

"So, have you heard about the theft?" I asked as I tried to think of my next move.

"Theft?" She repeated, clearly confused by the question. I guess no one told her. "Shirou, what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, I reached into my inner breast pocket and pulled out the folded up report I received last night and handed it to her. She took it from me and began to peruse it while I continued to think of a next move.

It was several minutes later that Sona finished reading, just as I had decided to move my knight. "Four of the Excaliburs were stolen? How did they pull that off? All of the Excalibur's fragments were stored in separate churches all across Europe yet they stole four of the seven at the exact same time." She didn't even bother to look down at the board as she played her next move.

When I first heard that the Excalibur in this world was broken my first thought was disbelief. In my world Excalibur was the strongest holy sword in existence, one that cannot simply be referred as beautiful because its appearance was so unmatched that to call it merely 'beautiful' would only dirty it.

My second thought was gratitude that Saber was not her to hear about the fate of her beloved sword. I was not sure if it was possible for King Arthur to have a heart attack but I didn't want to find out.

I grimaced as it became apparent that my king was getting cornered. "Yes but that wasn't the most remarkable part of the entire thing."

"You're talking about the guards?"

I nodded as I moved my king. Sona instantly played her move as soon as I let go of the chess piece and I had to bite back the urge to cuss. "No one was killed. Do you realize how strange that is?"

She absently nodded as she thought about it, "Why would they bother sparing them. Breaking into such well-guarded places to steal the Excaliburs would be difficult enough as it is. Why would they make it even harder on themselves by sparing the guards? The chances of something going wrong increases exponentially for each guard they spared but they did it anyway."

She shut her eyes to focus on the mystery, "It's not like it would lessen the wrath of the Church by sparing them after stealing the swords. The Church may have been happier to have dead guards but kept the swords then the other way around, so there is no way they'd show any leniency no matter how merciful the thieves acted. And if the perpetrators wanted to harm or weaken the Church it would have been better to simply kill the guards."

I nodded in agreement. The Excaliburs were not guarded by run of the mill security guards, but they were protected by some of the best exorcists the Church has. If they had killed them instead of sneaking by or incapacitating them, they would have significantly weakened the Church's manpower. At least of the human variety.

"So it was an inside job?" She thought aloud, "No, the Excaliburs were guarded by different sects. There is no way that could happen."

Despite the humans of the Heaven Faction identifying themselves as the Church, they were not actually a united group. They were divided into several different sects, ranging from small to large in size, each with their own set of beliefs and command structures. Some of the major sects were the Roman Catholic Church, the Easter Orthodox Church and the Protestants.

Each of the Excaliburs were guarded by different Sects. And while they were officially on the same side, the Sects rarely got along with one another. That was why the idea of an inside job is laughable. The Sects had trouble even agreeing on the smallest and simplest of issues. That a clandestine group of people from several different sects were able to work together so coherently that they were capable of pulling off an elaborate and well-timed theft like this without anybody finding out was as close to impossible as you can get.

"Surprisingly the Church hasn't accused Devils of the theft." I said, drawing Sona away from her thoughts. "It seems that the lack of death or destruction, in addition to the theft occurring on holy ground, has convinced the majority of the Church that it wasn't our side that did it."

"Yes," she nodded in agreement after thinking about it, "not to mention that Devils can't even hold an ordinary Holy Blade let alone an Excalibur. There was no way we could have done it. It's still your turn by the way."

Damn it. I looked down at the chess set and moved a random piece forward, hoping it I would get lucky and get out of this mess. Looks like she'd learned from the last time I tried to distract her with news.

"Speaking of weapons," She was wearing a smug smile as she looked down on the chess board after my latest move though she did not respond yet, "I've been meaning to ask you about the one you gave Tsubaki."

Ah, that's right. I had almost completely forgotten about it. From the edge of eye I caught Tsubaki looking up from her work as she heard Sona bring up the topic. I turned towards her and asked, "Tsubaki, could you please summoning it here? It will be easier to explain that way."

After a questioning glance towards Sona, who gave her a nod, she summoned the halberd that same way she did with her Naginata. The weapon soon dropped into her hands and she twirled it around so that the blade was pointed upwards and the butt of the shaft was placed firmly on the ground.

"Its name is Houtengeki," I began, "a one of a kind halberd crafted in ancient China. It is in every meaning of the word a masterpiece and if you search the entire world you'll never find another halberd that can match it. What distinguished it from any other type of weapon is its versatility that allows it to use all the major characteristic of all other two-handed type of weapons, allowing it to be effective in slashing, thrusting, battering, scything and sweeping.

"However that is just as much a flaw as a blessing in its design, as it takes a lot of skill to handle this weapon. It would not be inaccurate to say that in order to master it you need to the skill to wield several different types of weapon. It is an incredibly difficult weapon to learn how to wield proficiently and will take years even for the most talented fighter to completely master. In the almost two thousand years that the Houtengeki has existed only one man has ever successfully mastered it."

"The most remarkable aspect about this particular weapon is how it's destructive power varies with the skill of its wielder. The more skilled the user the more powerful the halberd becomes, while in the hands of an amateur it becomes little more than a pointy stick."

"At maximum strength it is said to have the capacity to pierce anything in the world, from the strongest of armor to the scales of dragons and even the flesh of Gods."

At this point, everyone in the Council room was staring at the weapon with looks of shock and awe. The flabbergasted expressions on the usually stoic faces of Sona, Tsubaki and Momo were especially hilarious.

Again, I felt a part of me preen with pride at the looks they were giving one of my blades, I almost felt like a peacock showing off his feathers. I took a second to simply bask in the sensation. It was wonderful feeling to have your work recognized and acknowledged after all.

It wasn't unexpected that the Houtengeki's capabilities had caught them by surprise. Unlike the Calabolg II, the Houtengeki didn't radiate as much power even though they could clearly tell it was a remarkable weapon. That was only natural; after all it's true power can only be unlocked when in the hands of a wielder skilled enough to master it.

"Shirou," Sona said, after finally regaining her ability to speak, "did you give my Queen a potentially God slaying weapon? Just like that?" The look she was giving me was the one she usually reserves for Serafall, particularly when she does something incredible stupid or insane.

I shrugged in reply, "I had no use for it." That was true. The Houtengeki, while powerful, did not offer any unique abilities that I could not find in another weapon. In fact, compared to some of my stronger blades, it paled in comparison. "It would be a waste to leave such a weapon with someone like me who will just leave it somewhere to gather dust. I'm sure the Houtengeki will be much happier with Tsubaki instead. Besides I broke her old one, it was only natural for me to replace it."

She shot me a scrutinizing look, "You make it sound like you have a lot of weapons."

I cast my mind to the endless field of swords of my Reality Marble and simply stated, "Yes."

"Who?" Someone questioned from my left. I looked to discover it had been Tsubaki, "You said that only one man in history ever mastered the Houtengeki. Who was it?"

"He was Lu Bu, a man whose skill in battle has carved him a place as a legend in China's history."

"A hero?" Sona asked, "You gave her a legendary hero's weapon?"

I shook my head, "Lu Bu was many great things, but he was no hero."

"Wait, just wait a sec Aniki." I resisted the urge to shudder at being called that name. While I didn't mind it at first, once I found out why Saji called me that I quickly came to hate it. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade him to change his dream, or at the very least not shout it out loud, before Serafall meets him or else Sona is going to have to find herself a new Pawn. "You make it sound like you have hundreds of these things lying about. Does that mean you can give away dozens of weapons and not even notice them missing?"

"While that was not what I meant to imply, yes I can and I know what you are going to ask next Saji and I'm afraid the answer is no, I'm not giving away any more of my blades." I told him. "You have to understand that most powerful magical swords and weapons are not something anyone can wield. Think about how Holy Swords would only allow their chosen user to wield them, the same thing applies to most of my blades.

"The Houtengeki is one of the only handful of weapon I have that can be used by anybody but even it would refuse to grant its wielder the entirety of its power unless they prove themselves worthy of it."

Saji seemed to deflate a little at my words. I couldn't entirely blame him for his disappointment. If I couldn't trace my own swords I also would have wanted one of them for myself too.

"Now Shirou," Sona cut in, "If you are done distracting me I have something to tell you."

"And what's that?" I asked her.

She smirked at me and moved her rook forward, "Checkmate."

===========x==============x===============

The green leaves overhead rustled in their branches as a warm summer breeze swept through the park. It sent ripples running through the still water of the lake, momentarily distorting the reflection of the clear blue skies.

The park was surprisingly empty despite the warm day. Though that could be due to the time, school just ended after all and most kids have either went straight to home or to the nearby shopping center while most of the adults were still at work. The only reason why I was even here was because I decided to take a bit of detour on my way home.

Another breeze swept thought the park, ruffling the bangs of my hair as I walked beside the lake and enjoyed the view. Still, if I had known a place like this existed I would have come here earlier. Maybe I'll bring Asia here for a barbeque or something if it was allowed. Though going by my luck I better prepare a meal for seven as I had a feeling a certain cat will find her way here.

I took a seat on one of the benches lining the road, on the opposite side from the lake but facing it, allowing me an unobstructed view. I decided to relax for a moment and think over how my job has been going so far.

All in all, things have been going surprisingly well. If you discount the whole Fallen incident, everything is on track. I was able to convince the girls to improve the amount and quality of the Bounded Field in their territory, have begun training Sona and her Peerage and while I'm not the one going to train the Gremory's she has arranged a competent fighter to train them.

While I don't know much about Souji Okita personally, having only met him a couple of times and exchange only a few words, I did catch a glimpse of his sword. That was all I needed to know that Gremory's Peerage would be in safe hands.

"It was written by men, you know."

Huh? I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts and looked around. I thought I was completely alone but it looks like I was wrong, I must have been completely out of it to not notice someone approaching. There sitting on a park bench across the road from me and a little bit to my left was a man.

He was clad in a simple white buttoned up shirt with plain black trousers. Around his neck hung a small silver cross which dangled on the middle of his chest. In his hand he held an open Bible that he was currently leafing through.

Beautiful. No other word could accurately describe the man. I had once thought that Kiba had a face that can make even girls envious; if so then this is man can make even the Angels jealous. His beauty was just that unnatural.

The wind gentle caressed his raven tresses sending it drifting slowly about his face. His hair curled ever so slightly as it fell down from his head and onto his shoulders, so dark they seemed to have been painted from the night sky. His skin was a healthy and flawless pink, unmarred in anyway by even the slightest imperfection.

Sky blue eyes shone out of his aristocratic face, which was currently held a look of relaxed contemplation as he studied the bible with a small smile. Slim shoulders and waist, he could have easily been mistaken as a girl from afar. The hands which he turned the pages of the bible with were soft and smooth, a scholar's hands, free of callouses and scars.

He looked so inhumanly perfect, that I actually used my magic to search for any illusion. When they came back negative I used my magic to examine myself to see if my mind was tempered in anyway. But no this was not trick, no illusion, he really was that beautiful.

While I was still inexperienced in the sensing out magic I was quickly become fairly proficient at it, so I cast my Devil Senses about him to see if I could discover anything. He was magical, of that I had no doubt but as far as I can tell he was human with only a bit above average magical reserves. That could either mean that that he has some limited experience in magic or he was simply one of the lucky people to be born with good magic reserves.

"The Bible that is." He leafed through another page as he spoke.

"Huh?" was my eloquent reply.

He shut the bible and held it up to me, "The Bible, it was written by men not God. Christ never penned it himself and it was written many years after he passed away by his devoted followers. Although they did that completely from memory so it was unlikely for them to have gotten it right."

I tilted my head at that, "So…why are you reading it then? If you're that certain that is was man-made then you have no reason to read it. After all it won't lead you to God."

He smiled at that, it reminded of warm rays of sunlight after a stormy night, "Ah, but I wasn't looking for God in these pages. I was looking for man. When you create something you always leave a little bit of yourself in it. A reflection of your true nature." He ran his fingers over the surface of the book, "So I search through these pages to find a reflection of mankind."

"I'm surprised." I told him, "Going by the cross you were I wearing would have figured you for a Christian."

"Oh I am." He picked up the cross as he spoke, "I am a follower of God and believe that Christ was his gift upon all of mankind." He let go of the cross and allowed it to thump onto his chest. "Just because I don't believe the Bible to be completely accurate does not mean I don't believe in God."

"Then why are you reading the Bible if you believe it was made by humans?"

"That's because humans are so very fascinating. Even God himself was fascinated by them. He had created countless of different species but he held mankind above them all. Even his loyal and flawless angels he commanded to bow down to Adam, the father of all humans." He set the bible down onto his lap and traced the engraved title with his fingers. "So from the very beginning I wanted to know, what made them so special. What was it about them that had captivated even the All-Mighty himself. That is why I look for them in these pages."

He leaded tilted back his head and peered up into the sky, and I swear at that very moment the sun began to shine brighter as it came out from behind a cloud, "Let me tell you a little story." He began.

"Once long ago when the world was still young and new, God gathered all of his creations before them and asked 'Who among you will carry the burden of free will?'

"At the time, every creature was under Gods commands. They followed his will to the letter, never questioning nor disobeying. God however was saddened by this as it meant that they did not follow him because they desired to but because they could not comprehend doing anything else. While all of his creations can make choices of their own, they can never go against anything he has decided on, not even to question a single command.

"Thus he created the ability for his creations to choose and named it 'free will'. But then came the question of who to gift it to, as free will was not something to be treated lightly, as in many ways it was as much of a curse as it was a gift.

"So when he gathered all of his creations he turned first to his Angels, creatures of light so beautiful and noble that he has chosen them to act as his voice. He asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we are your servants, your will and voice. We desire nothing more than to continue to serve you as such.'

"He then turned to the mountains themselves, those that can lift the weight of the earth with ease, he asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we cannot lift such a burden. Even our mighty shoulder will collapse under such a weight.'

"Again and again God asked his creations and each in turn rejected his gift. That is until he reached the humans.

"When he asked man if they would desire the gift, they answered "Yes Lord, we would gladly bear such a gift." And then God rejoiced, for at long last he would have someone that would choose to follow him.

"When God dispersed his creations back to where they belong, he returned the humans down to earth and watched over them. As he did, so did all of the inhabitants in heaven came to watch as well, curious about what these humans would do with their free will.

"At first the humans continued to live their lives as normal, seemly unaffected by their gift of free will. That illusion however was quickly dispelled barely an hour later. One of the humans had found himself in a position where he had to make a choice. It was an important decision, one that could potentially affect the rest of his life. So using the intellect his species were famed for combined with his new found free will, he quickly decided on what to do. Do you know what he did next?" He lowered his gaze towards mine as he asked me.

I shook my head, "No idea."

A sardonic smirk graced his lips as he said, "The human turned towards the Heavens and yelled out, 'Lord, tell me what to do!'"

I couldn't help it, I broke out laughing. The idea was so funny because I could picture it happening. It was such a human thing to do I'm surprised I didn't see it coming. When I finally collected myself I found him smiling indulgently at me.

"That, son of man, was the exact same reaction that the rest of Heaven had. I along with many of my Angel brethren laughed at the sight. We believed that our Lord had chosen wrongly, that the humans were unworthy of bearing such a gift. We all turned towards God to tell him so but held our tongues when we saw him.

"Father was not laughing, nor was he upset or in any way angry. He merely watched down upon the humans with the same infinite patience he always had for his children. So we decided to say nothing and turned back towards watching the humans.

"The human, not receiving his reply, turned back towards the heavens and ask the Lord once again. Then again, and again, and once again. Over and over he repeated 'tell me what to do' rather than even attempt to figure it out for himself. After a long while, it finally dawned on the human that the Lord was not going to reply. That's when the prayers for help turned to curses of hatred.

"He cursed his name and insulted him in every way he could think of. All the while, God didn't react; he merely continued to watch over him silently and patiently. At last his insults ran dry and after yelling out that he did not need God or his help that he can decide on his own he left and did just that.

"Over the centuries the very same scene repeated many countless of times. Man would ask for God to command them on what to do and when they received no answer they cursed him before trying to solve their problem on their own.

"At first it was almost painful for us in Heaven to watch. You humans kept stumbling around, making the same mistake time and time again, only to start over and repeat them with each new generation. Many of the Angels turned away, unable to bear watching any longer. Father however continued to watch, never once did he ever stop watching over your kind.

"Then one day, something different happened. Man began to learn. It was the most remarkable thing I had ever seen." At my look of confusion he elaborated, "You must understand when God created us Angels, he made us perfect. We were unchanging beings, an eon can past and we would behave no differently than we did the day we were born. Why would we? God made us perfect, and perfect we remained.

"But you human, you changed. You grew, you became more than what God made you to be. More than he intended you to be. Through your own will and abilities you have surpassed even Adam and Eve, the humans who God crafted with his own hands. And you did so with no help or guidance from the Lord.

"Quickly, that change continued. I watched as mankind learned. How their once endless failure began to turn to success, mistakes became lessons to be learned. Eventually man grew in number until they became so large that they spread all over the globe, outnumbering any other race. Even then they did not stop there; as such an accomplishment was not enough to satisfy them.

"Man, despite all the years, still remembered the splendor of Heaven and tried to match it. They tried to create a Kingdom of their own to rival it. The gathered all the riches and the greatest craftsmen in all their lands and began to build a city to try and rival God's own. A 'Kingdom of Heaven' I believed they called it.

"They failed of course. But just like at the start, they kept trying over and over again…And while they still failed they kept getting better and closer to Heaven's splendors. One needs only to look upon the wonder that was Camelot to realize that." I barely restrained myself from flinching at that name.

He let out a sigh as he lost himself in memories, "I thought for sure they were about to succeed but I never got to find out if Father's faith in them was right, as alas they were stopped."

"By who?" I prompted when it didn't look like the Angel, who pretended to be a man, was about to continue. While I had no idea why one of Heaven's soldiers would wanted to speak to me, I had to admit I was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Devils." He answered. "You have to understand that back then they were different than what they have become today; they were truly vile and evil creatures. They still are mind you, but back then it was in an entirely different level. So much so that the current Lucifer would sooner spit at them then call one of those filth kin.

"That was the start of the Great War. God did not want to interfere with the affairs of Mankind because he wanted to see them grow. To witness them fulfil their true potential that even God himself could not predict the limit of. That was why he never answered their prayers for guidance. He wanted earth to be free from the influence of both Heaven and Hell so that Man can grow unhindered.

"So when he witnessed the Devils encroaching in the domain of Man, corrupting them and twisting their minds, he went to war to protect them. And the rest," he shrugged sadly, "was as they say history."

He looked back up at the clear blue skies, "Still, I've always wondered what would have happened if the Devils had not come. How far would mankind have reached?"

"Humans are not all that great you know." I told him, feeling a little bit ashamed at my original race and at the truth of my words. "I have seen some commit sins that even the most coldhearted of Devils would shy away from. Atrocities so horrifying, that it would make you lose all hope in humanity."

He nodded knowingly at that. "That is true. Even I cannot deny those words. It is why I have always compared humanity as a whole to the night sky."

I frowned in confusion, "In what way?"

"An endless darkness. The night sky is dark and foreboding, it blankets the world and would cause even the bravest of souls to despair, and what little light you do find is always outnumber by the ever encroaching darkness, fighting a battle that it will eventual lose.

"The human soul, no humanity as a whole is like that – pitch black. There are so much lies, hypocrisy, betrayals, hatred and rage that it stains their very souls black. It is why when I look over the sea of human souls all I can perceive is a near endless sea of darkness. It is enough to paint the entire sky black and the few good souls, those flickers of light that shine so bright are so very far apart."

He shut his eyes for a moment before turning and staring right at me, "But do you know what is the first thing that I always think of when I imagine the night sky?"

"What?"

"The stars, "he looked back up to the sky as if he was staring at the very sky he spoke of, "I think of the stars.

"Why is it that when we think of the night sky we do not picture a pitch black sky but a sea of shining stars? The human soul is like that. Flicker of lights on a backdrop of darkness. Our eyes can't help but be drawn to them, captivated by their light.

"Even though we know that the darkness is infinitely more than the light, one limitless while the other limited. That between each radiant star there is a near endless nothingness that divides them, yet when I think of space, when I think of the night, all I can picture are stars.

"They captivate me, those lone few that shine. They draw my eyes to them so that I no longer notice anything else but them. And I love them for it.

"To me humanity is not the many who do wrong, but the few who do right despite how very hard it is to do so. And they do it for no other reason than it is right. That is why I adore humans." He turned to look at me, "Humans like you."

I shook my head at the Angel, "I'm no human, not anymore at least."

He gave me a proud beaming smile, one that reminded me so much of Kiritsugu that I felt my heart ache, before standing up and walking towards me.

"You are," he said when he stood before me. Slowly, he reached out and pressed his open palm onto the middle of my chest. "Even though your flesh has been corrupted by them, I can see past it and peer into your very soul. And what I find there is the spirit of man blazing so brightly that it outshines all but one other that I have seen before."

Before I could even think of stopping him, he took off his cross and placed it around my neck.

I reflexively grimaced, shut my eyes and braced myself for the burning pain…that never came? I slowly pried open my eyes and looked down on the silver cross that rested on my chest, glinting innocuously in the sunlight.

OK. That should have hurt me, a lot at that.

Ever since my reincarnation as a Devil I had been warned repeatedly not to touch any holy objects and crosses were on the very top of the list. Even if held through gloves, indirect physical contact is enough to burn any Devil. Even the Maous are not immune to it.

While there weren't any holy objects in the Underworld for obvious reasons so I never had the chance to personally touch a cross, if I had ever been masochistic enough to want to, I know for a fact that I'm supposed to be feeling a lot of searing pain at this moment.

Cautiously, I poked the cross with a finger before quickly pulling my hand back as if it would grow teeth and bite me. Seeing that nothing happened I touched it again, before cradling the cross in the palm of my hand and staring it in wonder.

I looked back up at the Angel before me, smiling radiantly down at my no doubt confused face.

"Why does the cross not burn you?" He spoke my unasked question. "Even I do not know for sure. Is it due to that thing you hold inside of you? The one that radiates such a familiar warmth. Or perhaps it's just you, Child of Adam; perhaps there is something just so unique about you. Or maybe it is something else entirely.

"I do not know for sure, all I do know is that when I look into you I do not see a soul corrupted by the Devil's taint, even though it wears the flesh of one. I see an untouched human soul that still holds mankind's limitless potential. So in every way that matters Shirou, you are human."

Giving me one more radiant smile he turned and walked away. Once again a breeze rippled throughout the park, this time strong enough to lift the Angel's hair momentarily, revealing long pointed elf-like ears.

After walking several paces away he half-turned back towards me, "Emiya Shirou, you who are one of Adam's children, allow me the honor of introducing myself to you."

Ten bird-like wings erupted out of his back, confirming my suspicion that he was an Angel. Unfortunately I was wrong about what kind.

The smile he gave me was one of unconditional benevolence and compassion, before he placed his right hand over his heart and bent his waist into a small bow, as all the while raven colored feathers gently drifted in the air around us. "I am Kokabiel, the Fallen Noble of the Stars, one of the Lords of Girgori," straightening out his bow he sent me one final smile, "And I shall be the one to deliver the will of God upon the earth."

Then in a flutter of feathers, he was gone.

For a long while I just stared at the spot he was last standing in, as black feathers danced in the breeze, before I collapsed back onto the bench and let out a frustrated sigh.

So… that was Kokabiel. The same Kokabiel that I was sent to guard against, that I was to protect the children from, the Fallen that wishes to start a war and the one who I was ordered to kill if deemed necessary. That Kokabiel.

…Well, that sucks.