Chapter 69: Kokabiel

Beta read by Shigiya

Next update is To love a sword

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-Kuoh-

They went in straight from the main gate. Having received Rias's message about Kokabiel attacking the school, Kiba came as quickly as he could. The moment he entered the field, the Knight called his sword, [Holy Eraser]. 

The fight with Jeanne revealed to him a truth he didn't want to face all this time.

'I'm still too weak….' 

Everyone was getting ahead of him. His King trained hard before her fight against Riser, growing leaps and bounds compared to her past self. Akeno mastered her Holy Lightning, Koneko made progress with Senjutsu every day, and Hachiman had already left him in the dust. 

He still remembered the days when the latter would barely hold a single minute in a duel against him. Back when he didn't even need to use his sword to defeat Hachiman. Now… It was the complete opposite. 

He failed to protect Akeno, it was his fault she got badly hurt by Jeanne.

If it wasn't for Saji's help and Issei's [Boosted Gear], things would have turned out for the worst for all of them. 

Kiba knew that the only way to get stronger was by unlocking his Balance Breaker… but despite all the hard work he put into his training. The blood, swear, and tears that he had shed—not once had [Sword Birth] responded to his plea. It continued to remain silent, his power unchanged, something which frustrated him to no end.

But he couldn't lose today… not again… never again!

"This is bad…" he said, having everyone around him become speechless after seeing what was happening in their school. 

In the middle of the school field, five swords were releasing an extreme amount of light as they floated. At the center of the rotating swords was a large magic circle that was connected to the fragmented swords. And standing in the middle of the circle was a short bespectacled, elderly man with gray hair and a mustache in priest robes. 

Kiba's eyes widened as he saw a person he and Hachiman had searched for years without success, the latter managing to elude each of their attempts and disappear from the face of the Earth. Now, it was clear that it was none other than Kokabiel who was helping him hide.

An old man stood calmly in the middle of the magic circle—Valper Galilei. 

"You…" Kiba spoke out, filled with so much hate, it almost surprised the others..

The old man looked at him, his eyes squinting a bit at the Knight's face. "Ah, the Gremory group is finally here to see my greatest masterpiece. Behold! I'm going to reforge the four Excaliburs into one." he said with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Valper, how much longer will it take for the Excaliburs to merge?"

"…!"

A voice spoke from up in the sky. When all of the club members raised their heads, they found Kokabiel, who had the moon as his background. Sitting on a chair up in the air while looking down at them. Those who were more sensitive to magic, like Koneko, wouldn't help but shudder at this man's presence.

"It won't even take 5 minutes, Kokabiel-sama."

"Is that so? Well then… I will leave it to you, I suppose."

The Angel of the Stars moved his eyes from Valper to Rias before moving to the rest of her group. After finishing his inspection, he frowned, failing to find the one he was hoping to see.

"I see you all foolishly decided to come alone, has the Black Dragon King abandoned you to your deaths? No, that dragon is far too attached to you all to do that. Are either Serafall and Sirzechs coming?" He asked, leaning his chin on his fist.

Rias spoke, "I do not have any obligation to answer yo—" 

Before she could even finish her phrase, a large flash of light flew past her and everyone.

SWISH! 

BANNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!!

The sound of wind tearing was followed by an explosion that manifested in a large pillar of light that echoed throughout the area! They all shielded themselves before opening their eyes and finding the gymnasium, having turned into nothing but dust by Kokabiel's light spear.

"That is not what I asked you. Next time, answer my questions." stated Kokabiel, putting his hand down after lifting a finger to fire his spear, glaring at the stunned young Devils. After a moment, he let out a sigh of disappointment, "Boring. Well, that's okay. It will be a little entertaining to kill all of you."

'We can't beat him,' a small traitorous voice rang inside Kiba's head. 'You're going to get them killed, you won't be able to protect your friends… just like your first family.' 

These thoughts directly attacked his core, adding more weight upon his shoulders for bringing his friends into this situation.

No! He could do this! The last thing the Knight of Gremory needed was to have doubts and second-guess himself in the middle of a battle.

"Great almighty God, this is on a different level…." Irina whispered in awe at the display of power. 

"He is a Cadre. His name has been recorded in the bible since ancient times. He survived and led the Fallen during the Great War, and was there to watch the battle between God and the original Maous. We should not take him lightly." Xenovia said, agreeing with her partner's reaction.

They didn't stand a chance from the beginning. Hikigaya Hachiman was right. She remembered how he mocked them for their arrogance, but a part of her still refused to accept defeat from just a single attack.

She reached her hand up in the air, closing her eyes as she began chanting. "Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Please hear my call."

"Wait, you're already bringing our trump card out now!?" Irina exclaimed, not expecting her partner to go all out from the get-go.

The blue-haired girl merely nodded her head, for they can't go any less against a Cadre, as she continued her chant. "In the names of the saints who reside within this blade, stand guard, for I will release its might on thee, foul creature—Durandal!"

Light shined before her hand as it condensed into a giant blue sword with golden edges. A sight that would have taken Hachiman aback as the sword itself was as big as a regular human!

"Durandal!?" Valper shouted in disbelief.

Before the fight even began, Valper was not prepared for such a revelation. A sword he dreamed as much about as Excalibur… said to even equal the legendary blade in terms of power! 

"You were not the wielder of the Excalibur!?"

Not just him, even Kokabiel couldn't hide his tiny bit of surprise and slight excitement at this turn of events, before returning back to a look of boredom.

"Wrong. I was originally the wielder of Durandal and was also chosen as the holder of Excalibur Destruction, that's all." Xenovia said with a smug grin.

She made a stance, taking Durandal in her right hand while having Excalibur Destruction on her left.

"Absurd! According to my research, we haven't reached the stage where someone can wield Durandal!?"

The Exorcist answered his question, "Of course. Even in the Vatican, they haven't made someone who can wield Durandal artificially."

"Then why!?"

"Unlike those common artificial holy-sword wielders like Irina, I'm a natural-born wielder." 

With that said, she rushed forward with Durandal raised up high to strike Kokabiel down. But the Fallen Angel kept his unimpressed face, not even dodging the attack.

Clang!

Instead, what happened next caused the rest to gasp in shock. 

"W-What?" Xenovia said as she looked at a strange scene in front of her. 

Instead of hurting the Cadre as she expected, her attack ended up being easily blocked by one of his wings! 

"Is that it?"

"How is that possible!?"

Having seen the situation unfold, the other club members watched in shock.

"Humph, pathetic." The Fallen scoffed. "I admit, you did cause me to get a bit excited there, but unfortunately, I was mistaken. You may be able to wield Durandal, but you have yet to master it."

"Wha—what are you saying!? That's impossible!" The blue-haired girl shouted out, still holding her sword ready in her hands. 

He didn't answer her, attacking the Exorcist with another light spear that smashed against Xenovia's sword, throwing the girl to the ground, causing a crater to form. He flew back up, gazing at Rias and her group with pure malice and bloodlust. But that smirk soon died as a wave of Destruction magic engulfed him.

Rumble!

"Thunder! Resound!"

Soon, thick pillars of golden lightning descended upon where he was. Striking him down mercilessly and turning the ground to rubble.

"Gah!?" Kokabiel felt his body getting drenched in electricity as the bolts of light pierced his wings and his flesh. He managed to use his superior speed, trying to avoid all of the attacks. But the damage was too much even for his wings to fully heal.

"Yaargh!"

His body was falling to the ground, his arms flailing about as he tried to land on his feet. However, the Fallen was now in a position where even his wings couldn't save him. As the golden bolts continued to pierce his body, he was finally brought down to the Earth, landing on his side.

Before he could grasp what had happened, a shadow flashed above the Fallen. With a wagging tail and white cat ears, Koneko's feline eyes focused on him before pummeling his face to the ground with a loud bang!

"Eat dirt, stupid crow." 

Bang!

She punched him again, causing a larger crater. Her gloved fists glowed bright green before they turned into a blur of fists.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Kokabiel's face was getting pulverized with each impact of the Nekoshou's fist. Her punches sounded like a Gatling gun being fired as each strike came faster than the last. And yet, the Fallen Angel didn't even bother to struggle or block the attacks. If anything, he glared at Koneko with growing murderous intent with each hit.

"Enough!" 

"—!" 

Koneko's eyes widened in disbelief as he grabbed her wrists, locking them into place. She tried to pull away, but was unable to break free from his grasp. An instant later, she screamed in pain as the hand that held her started to shine bright, burning her flesh with holy energy.

"Let her go!" Kiba shouted, "Holy Eraser!" 

With a flash of light, his hand now became covered in holy energy. Koneko's eyes showed fear as she was flung away by her own momentum, landing on her back and rolling over the ground. Kobabiel then used his hand to block the sword, the energy getting slightly dimmer but not enough to incapacitate him.

"Begone, you annoying Devil." A large whirlwind was generated with a single flap of his wings, throwing Kiba away.

The man rose to the sky, "Impressive." He groaned out, coughing up blood from his mouth. "Your powers are clearly not as weak as I expected, and your peerage is a powerful bunch indeed."

Rias smirked, feeling her fear subside as she saw a glimmer of hope. Furthermore, having a being as powerful as a Cadre compliment her peerage did make her prideful.

"Why thank you, I'm afraid your ambitions will die here. Surrender, I can negotiate with Onii-sama to lighten your sentence."

Unfortunately, her words barely had any effect on Kokabiel, merely making his grin grow on his face before turning into full-blown maniacal laughter — putting everyone on the battlefield on guard against this madman.

"Hehehe…hahaha… HAHAHAHA!!! THIS! This is so amusing! Do you think just because you managed to make me spill some blood, and earned a small praise from me, that I'll just give up? You haven't even seen me at my worst yet. Are you truly celebrating at this point? Let's fix that!" 

He snapped his fingers. 

To the Devils' and Exorcists' surprise, from the depths of darkness, there came a sound of the ground rumbling. The howl of a monster as it came closer to the surface. A creature that far exceeded the expectations of everyone, making them clench their teeth at the thought of facing these things. 

A dozen meters tall with a large furry body. It had four thick legs. Giant claws the size of a human's hand and eyes that glittered with nothing but pure killing intent, all blood red. From its mouth, what it had were dangerous-looking fangs. Three giant heads with fangs that looked like they could rip anyone into two.

"Here's a human phrase that I quite enjoyed and truly spoke to me. Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war!"

ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!

Its howl was so loud it felt like it shook the ground! 

"Cerberus!"

Rias said it with a voice filled with disgust and trepidation.

"Look over there!" Irina shouted, pointing at the still-opened portal where the monster came from. Skeletal hands emerged, where an entire army of ghostly creatures clad in torn rags and rusted swords. Some were skeletons who had a missing lower body, hovering through the air with their haunting blue eyes focused on the Devils. Others even had rotten flesh still attached on their bones, while some still had bits of flesh hanging by a thread on their faces.

This made a dreadful chill up Rias and the rest's spines.

"W-What is this…?" Koneko asked, covering her nose from the foul stench of death and decay coming from these zombie-like monsters. She backed away, her legs shaking from both fright and disgust. She didn't know what, but something else was making her instincts go haywire along with the equally terrifying presences of Kokabiel as it seemed to encompass all around the battlefield. Like a demon hiding in the shadows, with two beady red eyes observing them from where they couldn't spot it. But she could, Koneko knew this being was watching them without being found, and that made her want to escape this place.

Fortunately for her, her worries diminished as a soothing green light of energy washed over her body. 

"D-Do not worry, Koneko-san!" It was Asia, using her Sacred Gear on her wounded wrists, where she got burned with Kokabiel's energy.

"Thanks…" 

"I-If you get hurt again or see anyone who needs any help — then bring them to me." The nun said, finishing with her healing, showing perfectly unblemished skin, no signs of burns or scars.

Koneko marveled at Twilight Healing's effects. It far surpassed her Senjutsu recovery speed.

"You're so cool, Asia-senpai."

"S-S-Senpai? Cool!?" 

Asia felt her heart flutter from hearing those words, especially coming from such an adorable girl like Koneko. She tried hard to resist the temptation to hug her and pat her head in comfort, especially with those kitty ears making it so difficult for her to resist.

"E-Everyone, get ready… we only need to hold on until reinforcement gets here!" Rias shouted, gathering more Destruction magic. 

Meanwhile, Valper was standing in the middle of the magic circle. With all four shards rotating around him, their power fusing a single, more powerful entity that reached ever so closer to the original Excalibur from legends. 

"These creatures… they are unlike anything I have ever seen before. No, they remind me of Sluagh from Celtic myth… " He commented as he observed the undead, having his scientific side getting interested in their composition and powers. Of course, this would be a matter for another time. At the moment, he needed to concentrate on the shards reforging. "It's a pity that we couldn't find the Ruler fragment. The most powerful of the shards from the sword, holding the will and a large portion the sacred blade's power.which holds a large portion of the blade's will and power. But this is fine as well. I hope she'll be able to wield it using its full potential."

Back with the others, there just wasn't an end to these creatures. With more variety of them appearing, some wearing broken armor and even bows.

FLASH!

After a single flash, they were surrounded by lightning. That was followed by more Destruction magic washing over the battlefield and killing a large portion of the skeletal army. 

"Sword Birth!" Kiba didn't slack off. He filled his area with thousands of swords, piercing the Cerberus and buying more time, creating a sort of wall between them and the enemies.

"Hurgh, it really stinks…" he noted as dark black blood came out of the Cerberus' stomach mixing with the rotten flesh of the undead creatures. Smoke escaped its belly, the strands of muscles reknitting themselves back closed, effectively regenerating in a matter of seconds. But he expected as such, which was why he fired Magic Arrows straight at the dog's eyes, blinding it.

"Ha!" Dual-wielding two swords pulsating with demonic magic, Kiba pierced its throat, cutting the entire body in half.

Rraaaaagh!

Kiba's ears twitched as he heard the cries of another Cerberus emerging from an endless abyss. could hear a dangerous howl... I turned around with scared thoughts and...

"There's another one!?"

Another Cerberus appeared!

WOOHOO!

It made a howl and rushed straight toward the recovering Koneko and Asia! 

"Crap!" 

Before the Knight of Gremory could use the piece's speed boost to reach, a swift white line cut right through the monster's leg before it got its head obliterated by two giant pairs of swords. The Cerberus didn't even have time to howl in pain before it lost two of its head and died.

"Don't worry about them! We got them covered!" Irina shouted to Kiba, making sure to keep what was basically their recent member, Asia, and ally.

"I have come to back you up." Xenovia said to Asia, making sure to not get too close to Koneko with her swords. Her pride took a hit after confronting Kokabiel, but she wasn't just going to stand there and do nothing!

"Foul creature of the damned, return back to the gates of hell!"

After saying that, Xenovia went on slashing toward a few of the skeletons that raised their blades against her. Holy Energy seemed to be somewhat effective against the horde but super deadly against the three-headed dog.

Kokabiel casually watched their struggle from the sky, his grin getting more twisted and wider the longer this battle went on. It reminded him of the Great War when he fought side by side with his Fallen brothers and sisters against impossible odds and emerged victorious. This fight will reignite that flame within every leader's heart.

'Peace? An impossible notion for beings of power, we were made for war. Father knew about this. He gave us these powers for a reason. Even if I'm destined to die here by the hands of Sirzechs or Azazel, I'll do it on my own terms!'

Woosh!

He opened his palms where a single double-bladed spear took form. Almost twice the size of the one he used to destroy the gymnasium, this attack would guarantee the death of any of these Devils.

He gave a signal for his troops stationed in the sky, having so far remained still and waiting for his commands until the main forces of the Underworld arrived. 

"You have my blood boiling for more action, Gremory. Show me more. Show me that anger coursing through your veins!" He aimed his spear right at Rias, fear creeping over her eyes as she realized that there was nothing she could do to dodge or even block that attack.

With a flick of his wrist, the spear flew through the air.

"Rias!"

"Buchou!" 

Everyone shouted out loud, trying to stop the attack but unable to do so as they were too slow. The light spear was just a few meters away from Rias' face.

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[Shadow Prison]

Black flames spurted from the ground, creating a violet barrier all around Rias and Akeno, protecting both of them from the explosion from the light spear. 

Kokabiel didn't expect such a thing to happen. Having been caught by surprise, he didn't notice the barrier Sona set up open up with a single figure descending on the battlefield. 

"Wha—" 

"How pitiful, the once proud Angel of Stars and one of the commanders of the Fallen Angels reduced to a delusional fool who finds peace by preying on those weaker than yourself." A loud commanding voice swept over the area, stopping everyone in their tracks as they now stood in the presence of a King.

Both Xenovia and Irina stopped in their tracks, and the Occult Research Club felt the difference as well. Having seen Hachiman in his Balance Breaker form, they knew how his magic should have felt. But his current self felt vastly different, far more suffocating and cold—like staring into the abyss. It lacked that warmth and the safe aura he always carried with him. 

The only one who didn't mind the aura was Asia, smiling joyfully as she saw the presence of the dragon she had talked to once before. "Vritra-san! I know you and Hachiman-san will protect us all." The nun said confidently.

"The Prison Dragon…" Kokabiel snarled, wary of this new arrival. He was waiting for the boy to arrive, not the Prison Dragon himself. "Where is Hikigaya Hachiman… this can't be you speaking from the Gear," he asked, feeling uneasy about this being whose presence far outweighed Hachiman's.

Vritra didn't bother answering his question.

"During the Great War, I remember seeing you face Asmodeus' army. Such a valiant warrior you were, fearing death yet pushing past your limit and fighting for your kin. Now I see this… a shadow of your former self."

Clang!

Vritra casually used his Prison Wings to deflect another light spear thrown by an enraged Kokabiel. 

"Do not speak as if you know anything about me!" He shouted, rage visible on his face. "You, of all dragons, have no right to judge me! Your previous self, before getting cut into pieces by Indra, slew many Fallens, Angels, Devils and anything else that got in your way! Acting no different than a rabid dog who lost all senses. Don't come here and try to show your wisdom, for you are no different than me." He spread his arms. "Look at everyone around you! My brothers and sisters are ready to put their lives down for this single cause, and we will not stop until all of us die!" 

"..."

Tension rose as Vritra continued to stare at Kokabiel with those glowing red eyes from his helmet.

"Cease this childish tantrum. You cannot be so far gone to not realize that none of the Devils will die under my protection. You are walking down a path without any end. Nothing but death awaits. Leave now…." 

His answer came with Kokabiel ordering every Fallen Angel in the sky to aim at the dragon. Getting into a combat stance, ready to join the battle, his intentions were clear.

Vritra sighed.

"How regretful. Remember, the fault lies on your head."

Black and purple fire spread all over the armor, and he dashed over Kokabiel and thousands of Fallen Angels.

Fwish!

The true battle had started.

{Break}

The others continued with their fight, now no longer having to worry about the Cadre and his army from overwhelming them. They made quick work of the demonic dogs and the group of undead. Xenovia thrust her sword deep into the Sluagh's chest to finish it off — its body turning into dust and disappearing completely.

"We can win this! The Lord is on our side!" Irina shouted as she fought side by side with Kiba and her partner.

"Indeed, the Cerberus is a formidable opponent, and to have multiple of them is quite challenging. But we've grown stronger throughout the years with our training." Rias said, shouting more of her magic to destroy her enemies. A gigantic mass of demonic power shot out from her hand. But the constant stream of powerful attacks was already taking a toll on her stamina and demonic energy, as she was already sweating profusely.

"Rias…" Akeno came by her side, worried about her King's health. 

"I'm fine, just need to make sure we don't end up as a liability to Hachi-kun. We can't let him take all of the burden." 

"Agreed," Koneko said as she kicked a skull like a football.

"Let me help you, R-Rias-san." Asia came over and applied the same treatment to her as she did to Koneko.

"Where is Yuuto?" 

"Over there!" 

Everyone looked over, and to their shock, they saw their Knight run straight for Valper!

"I won't let you live for another second!" he shouted, vitriol pouring from his voice. 

"…It's complete," Valper spoke calmly, despite the incoming threat.

"No, Yuuto! Come back!" Rias' heart dropped when she saw the horrifying scene of the shards merging into a single deadly sword—which Kiba was heading straight to. 

The four Excaliburs that were placed in the center of the school field started giving out incredible amounts of light. Far more than any of the swords shown in the past.

"It's done! The four Excaliburs are going to become one!"

It started giving out divine light that spread throughout the school field. Because of its brightness, the Devils covered their faces. Squinting his eyes, Kiba saw that the four Excaliburs were put on top of each other, which soon merged into one holy sword at the center of the field, giving out a blue-white aura.

"Because of the light created by the Excalibur when it turned into one, the spell on the ground is also complete. This town will collapse within 20 minutes. The only way to dispel it is by beating Kokabiel."

Valper said something disregarding the lives of the innocent and focusing on his masterpiece.  

"Unfortunately, you people killed Freed before I could make use of him as a holy sword user. Though his personality was unhinged, nearing madness without a shred of sanity, the man still was a prodigious swordsman. So I had to take extreme measures." The old man's pale skin suddenly started darkening, turning dark red, and his body expanded with masses of muscles ripping through his white robe. 

"What… what have you done to yourself?" Kiba whispered, feeling sickly from the monstrosity in front of him. With six green eyes gazing at him with pure contentment. 

Valper grinned, his crazy smile getting wider as he came closer to the blade, the latter not even rejecting him like in the past. In fact, he felt the soothing voice of the sword calling for him.

"Why is the sword not rejecting him!?" Xenovia screamed, unable to believe such an evil man could even touch such a holy relic.

"Kukukuku!" He laughed. "You see. I have admired holy swords ever since I was a child. I idolized them so much that every day, I would dream about holding such an artifact in the palm of my hand. My heart was fascinated by the legend of King Arthur and Excalibur. I always heard the story from my mother before she died. But when the day came when I found out my inability to use a shard… I fell into despair."

"Then how—" Irina tried to question him even more but got cut off.

"—I held admiration for those who could wield these swords while I couldn't. That feeling became so powerful that it turned into jealousy which pushed me to start experimenting with creating artificial Holy Sword users. Thanks to the sacrifice of a few… subjects."

Kiba lifted his eyebrows, seemingly in doubt.

"I realized that there was an essential factor needed to wield holy swords. So I used the numerical value of the 'factors' to investigate its capability. Most of the test subjects had the 'elements,' but they didn't have the numerical value needed to wield the Excalibur. Then I concluded… Is there a way to take out the elements and fuse them into a singular and stronger creation?" 

Soon, realization dawned on everyone. 

"I see. I understand now. The thing that is put inside the holy-sword wielders when they receive a blessing is…."

Xenovia seemed like she had learned the truth and grit her teeth hatefully. 

"That's right, child of Griselda, we took out the holy elements from those who have them and crystallized them before merging them into a new host; me." He took out a small crystal orb, "With this, the research on holy-sword wielders improved. Even so, those fools from the Church banished me for heresy and took away my reports on the research." 

This time, he looked at Irina. 

"By looking at you, I see that the project was succeeded by someone. That Michael. He made me look like a criminal, and this is how he repays me? Though I should have expected such a thing from him, he may be an Angel, but the Seraph can be just as ruthless as a demon. With a second crystal inside of me, not only will I be capable of using all swords but your Durandal as well!"

Kiba couldn't believe it. His eyes burned in fury as he realized just what that orb truly was.

"…You killed them and took out the elements needed to wield the holy swords?" He asked Valper with his voice filled with killing intent. Those were his friends, his brothers, sisters, and many innocent children all fuzed in a single crystal.

"Probably, to be honest, I had to acquire twice as many samples after Freed's death. I had three of such crystals inside him. So I just stopped remembering their faces."

Irina couldn't stop her tears from running down her face, imagining the hundreds of children and innocent blood this man spilled just for his selfish goals. 

"Valper Galilei. How many lives have you sacrificed for your greed and experiments…" she asked with a shaking voice.

Meanwhile, Kiba was going through the same emotions. His hands were shaking, and there was an aura of anger coming out of his body.

"Hm. If you say that, then I will give this orb to you. My research has reached the stage where it is possible to mass produce them in the right environment. First of all, I will destroy this town with Kokabiel. Next, I will gather legendary holy swords from all around the world. Then I will mass produce holy sword wielders and start a war against Michael and the Vatican with the combined Excaliburs. I'm going to show the result of my research to those foolish Angels and their followers who have convicted me!" 

The man had truly descended into madness.

"Nothing can stop me! Not even all of the world's pantheons! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

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"Urgh, even now, you humans always surprise me with your sheer level of stupidity." 

A sinister woman's voice resounded all behind Valper.

"Eh?"

Krsht!

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and Valper's monstrous body froze as he slowly looked down. There, a single long and slender hand with smooth skin pierced his chest — holding a still-beating heart.

"Uuugh… w-what…!?"

The old man turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, a beautiful young woman wearing a black dress that flowed like a waterfall. She had dark hair, eyes that reflected the darkness, and a gorgeous figure. Her beauty, coupled with a breathtaking smile, was enough to make men fall at her feet.

But at that moment, what he felt was nothing but the presence of death.

"We meet again." She whispered, looking over Vritra, who was still in the middle of handling an army of Fallens and Kokabiel all by himself. Her lips curled into a wicked smile.

"I'm so glad I got to see you here."

Her voice was soft yet carried a deep and ominous weight. It made Kiba shiver with fear.

She stepped back and held the heart upwards for everyone to see… then crushed Valper's heart in front of the former priest's terrified eyes. Reveling in his mortified look, knowing full well that there was no way he could recover from this. 

"...No... This... Can't... Be… You… promised… " His body fell onto the ground, and a pool of blood formed around it. 

The woman then walked forward and picked up the crystal around Valper's corpse. Much to everyone's surprise, she even casually grasped the fuzed Excalibur without experiencing any rejection from the blade, but her gaze barely held any interest over the sword, keeping themselves glued on the crystal.

"He was truly a disgusting mortal, but I guess humans can surpass my expectations from time to time."

Kiba felt like his heart was about to stop. Being the closest to this dangerous woman, he could feel the sensation of death and the cries of dead souls. He clenched his hand on his sword's hilt, reinforcing his will to stay put and take that orb away from her! He no longer saw it as a crystal ball but as his friends and family who were used as a weapon.

"W-Who are you?" He stuttered, staying on guard against her even if she killed one of their enemies so casually. "Give it back… give me my family back!" 

His shout caught her attention.

"Hm? A measly reincarnated Devil dares to speak to me in such a tone? Know your place." 

She raised the Excalibur in the hair, a blinding light coming from the blade as waves and waves of dark energy were sent inside the sword, nearly breaking it again. She then proceeded to swipe the sword horizontally, sending a giant crescent moon-shaped light of holy energy sword Kiba.

"Sword birth!" 

He called forth a wall of demonic swords, nearly all of them being Holy Erasers. But that didn't help, as the attack cut through them.

"Look out!" 

Xenovia jumped in front of Kiba, using Durandal as a shield.

Crash!

"Argh!" 

Both Devil and Exorcist were sent flying from the impact, crashing against the barrier and falling back to the ground.

'What power!' Rias noted unleashing multiple orbs of Destruction, which were instantly cut apart by the woman. She moved so fast that no one even saw her hands moving.

What frustrated Rias even more was how she didn't even bother looking at her, keeping her eyes locked on Hachiman.

Koneko immediately knew what they were dealing with, her nose recognizing the scent of a being which rivaled Cadres and even Seraphs.

"A-A Goddess…" she whispered.

The woman heard Koneko's words from so far away and turned to give the Nekoshou a delicate smile before flying towards Vritra in Hachiman's body with Excaliburs ready to strike them down.

"—!"

"Hachi-Kun!"

"Hachiman!"

"Vritra-san!"

She was too fast, already having reached striking distance, ready to backstab Vritra.

"Humph! You did not have the courage to face me with your real self, Nemain. Why should I return such a courtesy to a weak avatar?" Vritra mocked the goddess while holding onto the wings of two dead Fallens, their bodies already burned to a crisp from his black flames, with Kokabiel in an equally terrible state.

Clang!

The Holy Sword was blocked by a light spear.

Flying behind Vritra was a six-winged Fallen Angel. She was wearing a tight black latex costume that barely hid her intimate parts. Giving her a BDSM look.

"If anyone is allowed to penetrate this bastard, then that person is me, you fucking bitch!" The newcomer shouted with an excited savage grin, her black hair fluttering in the air. 

"Ray… nare?" 

Akeno whispered, recognizing the Fallen she *ahem* 'tortured' in the past.

But that was not all. A large pillar of fire rose from the ground and engulfed Nemain completely.

"And if anyone is allowed to defeat my rival, then it is I — Riser Phenex!"

"Hm," Vritra smirked under the helmet. "Hachiman is lucky to have friends like you."

"I'm not his friend!"

"Like hell I'm his bitch!"

Yeah, the boy had a bright future.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword and To love a sword having 3 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.