Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.31

“You know, if you keep on doing this, I might start thinking that you're starting to like the other girls over me,” Rias whispered as the two of us sat against the back wall and I smiled as I turned my gaze from Azazel and Sirzechs conversing to see the amused look in her eyes.

“As if that would even be possible. Besides, I said that I was paying equal attention to everyone and I meant it.”

“I suppose that is true. So, how do you feel this meeting is going to go?”

“A few ways. The first is everyone talks it out and we head to a three-way alliance, the second is both the Angels and the Devils teaming up in an unlikely alliance against the Grigori, something that I can't exactly see happening. That leaves the third option, which is everyone going back to how things were with heavy suspicion thrown upon the Grigori for potentially working with the same person that Kokabiel was working under.”

“And which do you believe would be the most likely outcome?”, Sona asked, not turning her gaze away from where Grayfia was reprimanding Serafall for her behaviour while I scratched my head.

“Honestly, it's a toss-up for one and three, though the chances for one would be the highest if Azazel is just honest from the start instead of playing his usual games.”

“Aw~ But I like my usual games,” I looked at Azazel with a smirk as he walked up to us, looking back at where Sirzechs was busy talking with Michael.

“Yes, but would you condemn the rest of your organization for the opportunity to mess with your fellow Three Faction leaders?”, Rias asked and I was not surprised when the fallen angel general hummed while stroking his goatee.

“Like I said, the guy is chaos incarnate,” He just seemed amused at my words as he sat down on the other side of me with a slouch and a lazy grin.

“Chaos? Please, I prefer the term creative improvisation. That and you all are too stiff sometimes. A little turbulence is good for growth and progress.”

“There's a difference between turbulence and sabotaging diplomatic stability,” Sona spoke with an eyebrow arched and I quickly pushed his hand down as he went to wag it.

“You want Serafall to freeze a finger off that you pointed at her beloved sister?”, I asked, watching as he looked at the she-devil in question that was looking directly at him before nodding.

“Noted. Anyway, I didn't come over here just to enjoy the verbal abuse. I wanted to hear what you kids were thinking of this whole situation.”

“Then you're better off asking the Prez or the other two. Issei and I aren't the brightest when it comes to this kind of stuff and Xenovia…”

“I prefer to be loud and proud than silent and ashamed,” Xenovia spoke bluntly from where she was conversing with Michael and his entourage, Irina looking a bit happy to see her friend while Nero had a bored look on his face.

“Precisely what I meant. Oh, you can also ask Tsubaki, but I don't think she is one for this.”

“I am not.”

“Neither am I, but here we are. So what parts do you want to talk about?”, I asked and watched as the lazy grin vanished from Azazel's face while a frown took its form.

“You said that Kokabiel was acting on someone else's orders, but I have heard a few messages from my spies that there was another at the battle.”

“Satanael, yes.”

“Hmm, what did he want?”

“To put his words simple, he wished to see what it would take to push a Sacred Gear to the same level as a Longinus.”

“Since you're the only one answering, I'm guessing you were the one to face him, then?”, Azazel asked and I nodded as I felt the tightening of Rias' hand in mine.

“I was.”

“And you survived?”

“He let me live.”

“In exchange?”

“He wished to see what my limit would be.”

“…That doesn't sound like the Satanael I know. If he said that, he most definitely gave you something. Satanael doesn't just do something without a reason.”

“Should I…?”, I asked as I looked at Rias, to which she looked at Azazel with narrowed eyes before letting out a soft sigh and nodding.

“If he is to be our ally, we need to be honest with him,” She muttered and I nodded as I formed a magic crest in front of me, reaching inwards before I watched Azazel's eyes widen when I slowly pulled out the demonic blade known as Arondight.

“Is that…is that what I think it is?”

“Yes, this is Arondight and I believe Satanael gave it to me because he wished to see if I could make it into a true holy-demonic sword like my new blades.”

“…I see. Well, I can already say that you changed a lot with this. It used to have a bit of holy energy with it, but now I can't feel any at all.”

“Oh, that's because Ascalon sucked out all the energy from it, making said sword stronger while allowing Arondight to regain its former power as a demonic blade,” I answered, taking the sword as Azazel handed it back with a smirk before putting it back in the pocket dimension.

“And where were you going to tell us that?”, Rias asked with narrowed eyes and I gave a sheepish smile before answering.

“Honestly, I thought I already told you since Xenovia knew.”

“Xenovia knew?!”

“I did. I found out when he was training with both, but we've never gone back to see how it happened,” Xenovia answered as she sat down behind Rias and I and beside Tsubaki, to which Rias frowned while I sighed as I shook my head.

“Yeah, I didn't think it was a big deal at the time, but I guess I should have told you about it.”

“Even so, it's intriguing that he gave it to you. Satanael was one of the Grigori's top scientists and he was obsessed with the evolution of others. If he gave you that blade and let you live, it was more of an investment than mercy.”

“I figured as much that I was his test subject, but I'm not exactly planning on letting him control the outcome. Whatever goal he has, I'm not going to let it control me. I'll use what I've gained from him, but I won't let him dictate who I am.”

“Hey, you already took the blade. As far as he's concerned, you are already part of his plan,” Azazel said with a shrug as he stood up, turning to where Akeno and Baraqiel were entering the room before speaking again.

“When the meeting starts, both Sirzechs and Michael are going to push me to see whether or not I had ordered Kokabiel to fight you guys. Wish me luck.”

“If we don't, we'll have to kiss this alliance goodbye,” Rias said with a smile and I hid my chuckle as Azazel nodded before patting Akeno's shoulder as she walked past him.

“How was it?”, I asked as she sat down beside me and she looked at us with a soft smile that didn't look as forced as it did every other time.

“It…it was nice,” She said softly and Rias offered a warm smile as she reached over and gently squeezed Akeno's hand while I pulled an arm around her and hugged them both.

“We're glad.”

“Ahem! May all representatives please take your places? The peace meeting of the Three Factions will begin now,” Grayfia spoke and the three of us sat back upright as the leaders took their places, Sirzechs and Serafall sitting down in the seat in front of us while the other leaders took their seats at the other three seats.

“Firstly, I appreciate all of you coming to this meeting,” Michael began the meeting, an inviting tone in his voice as the other leaders nodded in agreement before Sirzechs spoke.

“In these changing times, the old hatreds no longer serve us. We've all lost much and I believe we can agree that Kokabiel's recent actions have risked much more.”

“I'm here to confirm that the Grigori have no knowledge of his plans nor did we encourage his conflict,” Baraqiel spoke and the other leaders simply looked at them as Azazel sighed.

“While I hate to admit it, though, Kokabiel is one of ours, but he was a dangerous and it falls on me that he got as far as he did.”

“It does, but pointing fingers at this point would lead to nothing but more conflict. Therefore, let us proceed with clarity. We are here not just to exchange apologies, but to ask the question everyone is looking to. Where do we go from here?”, Michael spoke, a frown on my face as the leaders glanced at each other before Sirzechs spoke.

“An alliance and a true one at that. Open communication between the factions, shared intelligence and most importantly, collaboration between the factions when threats arise, especially those like Kokabiel or the figure who was backing them.”

“I'd guess that the organization in question would be the Khaos Brigade,” Azazel spoke, drawing everyone's attention before I blinked as the air behind him shimmered and Vali appeared with a smirk.

“Azazel, why is he White Dragon Emperor here?”

“Relax, Vali is like my surrogate son, you know?”

“I reject that claim. You simply helped me get where I am, nothing more,” Vali countered and I smirked as Azazel rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the reason Vali is here is because he has been doing some spy work for me. Apparently, this organization is called the Khaos Brigade. It is made out of numerous deserters from the different factions that feel like they want to return to the old days, with the Old Satan Faction being one of the larger groups in this organization.”

“Of course it is. I'd believe that the descendants of the Satans would join this organization for the opportunity to dethrone us and take back control,” Serafall spoke in a serious voice that I was not expecting as Azazel nodded.

“Precisely. However, what worried me the most is the leader of this organization. The leader…is the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis.”

“…That is a big problem,” Sirzechs grimaced, the other leaders nodding in agreement while I hid my frown behind wide eyes to mimic that of everyone else.

'Right, I remember her being said to be one of the strongest beings in the world. Someone else like Sirzechs or anyone stronger can take care of that. I'm fine with fighting the lackeys.'

“If Ophis is indeed gathering forces, then it must be for a big battle with the Great Red, the other Dragon God. The only issue is that Vali could not find out what the reason is because he had to escape when they found out about his work.”

“So, what you're telling us is that there is a chance of this…Khaos Brigade finding out about where Vali is even though he didn't steal any important information from them.”

“Not necessarily,” Vali answered, making everyone blink as Azazel smirked.

“Right. Vali didn't leave empty-handed. He managed to swipe some intel before his cover was blown.”

“And what is this intel?”, Sirzechs asked and I narrowed my eyes as Azazel grinned before answering.

“We do not have a name or a description, but we do know that they're planning something big. It might not be much, but we do know is that they need to find the Longinus Sacred Gear called Sephiroth Graal to use this.”

“So, it is something they need from the dead,” Michael spoke with a frown and Azazel nodded as he sat down.

“That's what we think as well. I've already assigned a group of Grigori specialists to figure out what else they need, but we know that the Khaos Bridage isn't just looking to destabilize the Three Factions. They wish to provoke a full scale war against every supernatural faction under the leadership and protection of Ophis.”

“Well, that is the answer to our question then. We must form a united front, but more importantly, we need to control the narrative. If the common populace are to catch wind of the Khaos Brigade's existence without the proper guidance, panic will spread faster than we can contain it and there will be some old enemies that would wish to join them in this battle.”

“That brings me to the next point that I wish to speak upon,” Michael spoke up and we all looked at him before I blinked as the man turned to me.

“Yuuto Kiba, Issei Hyoudou and Genshirou Saji, I would like to bring you three to Heaven to see whether or not we can help you three evolve and push your Sacred Gears to their next point.”

“…What?”, I asked with wide eyes, not faking my shock this time while both Issei and Saji looked just as shocked.

“Not just you three. If the other factions have any heavy-hitters with Longinus-class Sacred Gears or high-level Sacred Gears in general, they will be allowed into Heaven as well. I wish for this to be Heaven's contribution to the war to come.”

“That…is quite the plan, but instead of Heaven, why not use the academy we already have?”, Sirzechs spoke while gesturing around us and I watched as Michael hummed before nodding.

“That would be better for me as I would not have to ask for my siblings' permission to let others into Heaven. Yes, I agree to this and will have Heaven's best Sacred Gear user be sent here to help.”

“I'll do the same. Vali here might be good, but we have another guy that kicks his ass.”

“Only when I don't go all-out against him.”

“If you both go all-out, Tobio would still beat you, Vali,” Baraqiel spoke and I was more and more intrigued with this 'Tobio' figure, especially when Vali answered with a huff while crossing his arms.

'Okay, so that's not a person I saw in the anime, which means it's definitely a person from the novels. Hmm, maybe they have a Longinus Sacred Gear as well.'

“May I ask if this person has a Longinus-class Gear at their disposal?”, Michael asked and Azazel smirked before nodding.

“He does, but I won't say which. He likes to tell people himself.”

“That and Tobio and his team like to be mysterious,” Baraqiel added, making the leaders shake their head while I looked to Rias as she excitedly held my hand.

“A training academy with those higher-ranked than we are. This sounds like an interesting time.”

“The only issue is th-”, I stopped talking as I stomped my foot on the ground, holy-demonic blades forming a cage of blades around the room right as a monstrous wave of demonic power crashed into it.

Jumping to my feet, I let out a relieved sigh as the demonic energy in the swords absorbed the energy before I shot them all at the enemy that attacked, watching as the blades stabbed into the gigantic magic crest and exploded with a blazing inferno.

“What the hell is going on?!”, Sirzechs exclaimed while we watched as hundreds more witches and wizards appeared from the crests, but I frowned and turned when I felt Vali's energy rising.

“You want to fight them?”, Azazel asked as he looked at the teen and I watched as Vali nodded before Divine Dividing appeared from his back and helped him float up into the air.

The next, I watched as his Balance Breaker was activated almost instantly, the teen floating in the air with his armoured form before he shot at the enemy while I crossed my arms.

“Okay, what do we do?”, I asked as I looked at Rias, who grimaced before we looked at her brother as he spoke while still looking at the sky.

“First, we need to make sure that Gasper and the others are doing okay in the clubroom. Then, we move back here and take care of the others.”

“We'll go with,” Sona said with a frown and Rias gave a thankful nod before Sirzechs smiled and looked back up at the sky.

“Well, if you want to go, you will have to go now while they're trying to reorient their formation.”

“Let's go,” I said as I hopped through the hole in the wall, Rias, Sona, Issei and Saji doing the same while Akeno and Tsubaki provided rapid cover-fire.

Creating a Rho Aias around my arms, I quickly spun around and created a shield that blocked the bolts of demonic power fired at us, hopping back as Akeno returned fire with Holy Lightning before I frowned as I saw more of the attackers aiming their attacks at us.

“Rias! You guys go on ahead!”, I shouted as Arondight's hilt formed from a Gremory crest at my side, grabbing onto it before flaring my wings out and rocketing into the air.

Sandanzuki!

The air rumbled as I accelerated even more, swiftly cutting through every attack fired at me before rushing at the witches who looked surprised and cautious as I rushed at them.

'Alright, remember Okita's training. Hit fast and hit hard.'

Reinforcement!

Kuzuryusen!

A boom echoed behind me as I shot forward, easily blitzing past the witches and appearing beside Vali right as the witches behind fell to the floor with deep cuts all over their bodies.

“Huh, not bad there.”

“I know and I don't even need a special Sacred Gear to do it,” I spoke with a grin, smirking as I felt his challenging look through the helmet before it vanished and left him with only his wings.

“You think I can't take out more than you with just my wings?”

“I don't think so. I know so.”

“Loser is to be called a bitch for the remainder of us knowing each other?”, He said and I nodded before a giant Gremory crest appeared above us and I swung my hand down.

The next moment, hundreds of holy-demonic blades rained from the sky, Vali quickly creating a magic circle above him to block the attacks while I spread my arms wide as the blades absorbed the magical energy they came in contact with and exploded the moment they became unstable.

“You may be powerful one on one, Vali, but there is no one that is better at taking care of fodder than I!”, I spoke with a grin before shooting at the ones that blocked the explosions, snapping my fingers and dismissing the shards from the swords.

Moving around their magic circles, I spun and cut into a wizard's back, rushing past them while stabbing through their abdomen before moving onto the next.

Barrel-rolling to the side while swinging down and smacking the magic blast down into another mage falling, I looked at Vali who smirked before he shot more blasts in all directions.

Diving around them, I raised a middle finger to Vali while cutting through a group of people, stopping in the air while looking up as my crest shattered to reveal more people coming through the larger crest in the air.

“Hah, I don't suppose this will end soon, huh?”

“No, it will not,” A voice spoke from behind me and I turned only to blink at the sight of a tan-skinned woman floating behind me with a mocking smile.

“Now, tell me. Do you wish to die?”

A/N: And the conflict is off to a rough start as Kiba and Vali face off against the witches only for a mysterious figure to come in.

Will they be the only one? Who knows? Find out next time~!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!