Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.22

“Ha!” Akeno let out a grunt as she waved a hand at Kokabiel, the electricity sparking around her before another holy lightning bolt sliced through the air.

The Cadre in question just grinned as he swatted it aside only for Sona to unleash numerous water tentacles from the ground while Rias shot out a burst of Power of Destruction.

The bolt of corrosive energy tore through the ground and impacted against Kokabiel with a powerful explosion, but the Gremory heiress frowned as she watched fragments of holy light falling to the floor.

“Hmm, not bad. Far weaker than your brother's, but then again, there's not many devils that come close to matching his power.” Kokabiel spoke with a hum as he walked out of the smoke. Other than his clothes looking a bit wet, there were no other signs that he was attacked and Rias frowned as the man smirked.

The light spear in his grasp flickered before taking the form of a sword, Kokabiel tossing it between his hands as he stared at the former Fallen Angels that looked slightly nervous at his gaze.

“Ah, my old soldiers that abandoned their mission and betrayed the Grigori. I see you've become comfortable with living amongst the devils. Is the servant life truly that enjoyable?”

“H-Heh, it's not much of a difference compared to being your slaves. Well, we don't get killed if we mess up so that's an upside.” Raynare spoke with a slightly shaky grin as she twirled her light spear and Kokabiel hummed before nodding.

“Very well. Then let us see how much stronger you slaves have become.” He spoke before rushing forward, both Raynare and Kalawarna rushing forward while Rias shouted as she jumped back.

“All pawns! Kuoh Academy is the enemy territory!”

Promotion: Rook!

Both former Fallen Angels quickly shifted to Rook pieces while also creating light shield, letting out grunts as Kokabiel swung his blade and clashed with their shields.

Promotion: Queen

Boost!

Issei was not too far behind as he rushed around their shield from one side while Koneko went around the other, the Cadre quickly kicking the shields back before dismissing his sword and catching their punches.

The ground under him cratered, but his arm did not waver as he grinned and spun, throwing both devils to the side only for pale blue vines to wrap around his body.

“Nice, Saji!” Issei exclaimed with a grin, to which Saji just smirked while Sona swung down and brought a snake of water down onto the grinning Cadre.

Yet, even as he was trapped in the sphere of water, the Sitri heiress frowned as she saw the wide grin on his face before her eyes widened as numerous light spikes formed around his body.

With a grunt, Kokabiel destroyed the water sphere while grabbing at the vines around him, making Saji's eyes widen as the Cadre grinned before pulling the devil in with a heave.

However, Saji was quick to dismiss his Sacred Gear as a blur impacted his side, Mittelt grunting as she rolled across the ground while Kokabiel raised an eyebrow.

“Ooh~ Quite the improvisation there. Let us see what else you have.” With a lunge, the Cadre shot forward at the Fallen Angel, Koneko quickly rushing in from the side with her Touki covering her limbs as Mittelt blocked the first punch.

It shook her arms and she quickly dropped down as Koneko leapt over her with a spin, pushing Kokabiel's arm down while lashing out with her own kick at his head.

The blow made him turn his head, but the Cadre just grinned as he slowly turned back, grabbing the devil by the leg before spinning and slamming her into the ground.

Koneko's vision spun as the force of her slam cratered the ground, but Kokabiel was slightly impressed when Koneko forced herself to focus while wrapping her legs around his arm.

Boost! Transfer!

“Dragon Fist!” Issei roared as he rushed in, Kokabiel looking up right as a glowing heavy fist crashed into his jaw and sent him spiralling through the air.

The blow was not painful at all, but the surprising force behind it was enough to daze him as Rias spread her arms wide, unleashing numerous bolts of Power of Destruction while Akeno summoned bolts of holy lightning from the Gremory crest in the air.

Each bolt resulted in a devastating explosion that shook the air before Sona snapped her fingers, a dozen Sitri crests forming in front of her and amplifying the water serpent she shot through them all until it was nearly the same size as that of a building.

“Hahahahaha!! Wonderful!” Kokabiel exclaimed with a wide grin as he pushed away the smoke with a single flap on his wings, unleashing a gigantic spear of light that matched the dragon in size.

Yet, there was no denying the potent light it exuded as it evaporated the dragon with ease, Rias and Sona looking horrified as Kokabiel aimed the spear at them before smirking as he clenched his fist and made it disperse.

“You thought I would let you all die this easily? No, no~ I want you to show me more. Show me what else the siblings of the Satans can do!” He exclaimed as he swung his fist down, unleashing a barrage of light spears down at the group of devils.

Rias and Akeno were quick to react as they created numerous defensive Gremory crests in front of them, blocking the light spears even as the crests themselves were slowly being chipped away.

Sona quickly added her own crests to it, Issei taking deep breaths as Asia and Saji tried their best to heal Koneko and Mittelt.

“Got anything in that head of yours?” Raynare asked Issei, who frowned before looking to Saji with a smirk.

“Hey, remember what Kiba taught us?”

“We're so not ready for that.” Saji answered, confusing the girls as Issei just pointed at the Cadre with a raised eyebrow.

“Would you rather we die?”

“…I hate you. Okay! Fine, shit. Gasper, you ready?!”

“R-R-Ready!” Gasper squeaked from his box, taking a few deep breaths as Issei held his gauntleted fist to the sky while Saji slowly surrounded his arms in vines.

'Yo, Ddraig, you ready?'

“Ready when you are, partner!” Ddraig growled as Issei grinned as the gem on the back of his gauntlet glowed brightly.

“Balance Break!/ Balance Break!” Issei and Saji shouted in unison while Gasper shot up from his box, his eyes glowing an ominous bright white as the world turned a dark purple with fractures running through the air.

“Boosted Gear: Scale Mail!” Issei grunted as his body was covered in draconic-themed armour, the tail at the back of the armour whacking hard on the ground while the gems on his armour glowed an eerie emerald-green.

“Chains of the Dark Void.” Saji on the other hand had numerous dark purple chains coming from his wrists, each dragging on the ground while the surfaces of the chains were covered with short jagged spikes.

“Huh, Forbidden Balor View? Quite the powerful Sacred Gear you have there.” Kokabiel muttered with a smirk as he looked to Gasper, who quickly ducked back into his box right as Issei rocketed up into the air.

Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!

“Let's go bastard!” The teen exclaimed as he pulled a fist back, which the Cadre responded in kind as he flew down before they clashed with a powerful shockwave.

Their clash shook the air and Saji grunted as he thrust his arms upwards, the chains around his wrists slithering through the air like serpents and surrounding the two right as Issei was sent flying backwards.

The chains surrounded them in a spherical prison as boosters grew from Issei's back and kept him afloat, Kokabiel humming as he looked at the chains around them.

“I have never seen a user of Absorption Line achieving a unique subspecies Balance Breaker other than Chains of the Fallen.” The Cadre spoke softly as he unleashed a burst of light at the chains only to frown as the energy from them was absorbed by the chains.

'I see. The chains absorb my energy and then use said energy to make themselves stronger. From the looks of it, I have to actively use my energy in order for the chains to absorb them so it is weak against physical attackers.' Kokabiel thought with a hum as he looked back to Issei, who grinned as he slammed his knuckles together.

Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!

Transfer!

“Dragon Shot!” With a roar, Issei punched the marble-sized energy sphere in front of him while feeding it half of the energy gained from the boost, Kokabiel's smirk widening as he watched the sphere grow nearly ten times in size before a giant beam of demonic energy flew towards him.

“Fallen Star.” The Cadre whispered as he shot out a small star-like orb of holy energy at the beam and Issei's eyes widened behind his mask when he watched the small star cancel out his blast with ease.

“You are quite skilled, wielder of Ddraig, but I assume from how you're trying to finish this match quickly that you did not achieve Balance Breaker in the normal way. No, from what I can see, you most likely sacrificed a part of your body to achieve it which means you're on a short limit. I'm guessing…three minutes at least and five minutes at most?”

'Well, fuck.' Issei thought with a frown before rushing back at the Cadre, who looked excited as he raised a hand and blocked Issei's punch before throwing him at the chains.

“And the chains don't absorb your energy. That would explain why my Fallen Star had a third of its energy absorbed before it connected with your…Dragon Shot, was it?”

'Come on, Issei. Use that little brain of yours and think.' The Pawn was trying his best to come up with a strategy. However, luck was not on his side as he felt the air shifting when Gasper's Sacred Gear deactivated.

Kokabiel didn't miss the shift either as the Cadre flared his wings and rushed at him, the teen trying his best to block and parry the barrage of blows thrown at him.

Unfortunately, a few got through his guard and his eyes widened in pain when he felt the Cadre's kick connecting to the outside of his knee, making it buckle before his head snapped back as a knee connected with his jaw.

The Cadre was ecstatic as he spun around Issei's dizzy punch before landing a heel kick to the teen's upper back, making him gag before Kokabiel grabbed his boosters.

With a manic grin, he stomped on his back and sent him crashing out the prison while ripping his boosters off at the same time, watching as Issei crashed through the combined barrier Rias, Sona and Akeno made while Saji deactivated his Balance Breaker with a deep gasp for air.

“H-Holy…you weren't…kidding about the energy drain…” Saji groaned as he stopped taking bits of Issei's blood, feeling himself getting lightheaded while Issei groaned as he stood up.

“Y-Yeah, feeling a bit…dizzy here…” The teen mumbled as he slowly stood up on shaky legs, the slight blood loss and low energy levels making his head spin.

“What…just happened?” Rias asked with a frown when Issei and Saji struggling to stay up while their barrier crumbled down, both Akeno and Sona looking just as confused before they turned as Kokabiel crashed into the ground.

Despite the harsh landing, the Cadre looked no worse for wear as he crossed his arms, his wings blasting away with dust with a single flap while he raised an eyebrow.

“Your Pawns are quite extraordinary, Sitri, and that bishop of yours with his Forbidden Balor View is good as well. Does the rest of your peerage have something to offer? Other than of course, my traitorous pawns and Baraqiel's discarded trash.” Kokabiel asked with a bored look, enjoying the flash of utter rage in Rias' eyes as she swung a hand at him.

Immediately, two of his wings were coated in potent holy light and held in front of him, the Power of Destruction blast not coming close to breaking through before he raised an eyebrow as Akeno stomped on the ground.

The next moment, he looked up as numerous Gremory crests lit up the sky, but he was a bit confused and intrigued as the lightning shooting from it impacted the ground around him to form…a cage?

“Now!” Akeno shouted and Kokabiel saw what they were planning when Raynare, Kalawarna, Mittelt and Koneko appeared above the opening in the cage. The three Fallen Angels didn't waste a second as they each threw out a barrage of holy spears at him while Koneko pointed her palms down and unleashed a burst of purifying flames.

The attacks crashed down onto him even as he didn't respond, but as the flames continued to rage, Rias' eyes widened as she heard joyful laughter coming from inside the cage.

“Ahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!! Wonderful! More! Give me more!” The Cadre exclaimed as he bathed in the flames, creating a light spear in his grasp before swinging it wide and shattering the cage of lightning with ease.

“Good work. Let's step this up, shall we?” Kokabiel spoke and with a single hop, he was behind the four above him, Mittelt's eyes widening as she kicked Koneko out of the way while pushing both Kalawarna and Raynare away.

“One down.” The Cadre whispered as he threw his spear down, Mittelt's eyes widening before they went blank as she fell onto the ground with a sickening sound.

“M-Mit…Mittelt?” Raynare was stunned as she stared at the blonde, who was lying still on the floor with a hole in her chest. Kalawara was just as horrified before she looked up right as Kokabiel appeared in front of her with a sword raised.

“Two down.” He whispered as he swung down and a pillar of light exploded outwards from his swing, sending Raynare flying to the side while Koneko looked horrified as the Cadre vanished and appeared in front of Raynare with a spear pulled back.

“That's three.” With a grunt, he thrust his spear forward only to raise an eyebrow as a familiar bright blue sword stopped his attack, looking at Xenovia who gritted her teeth as she swung Excalibur Destruction at him.

The air exploded with a powerful burst of holy energy and knocked Kokabiel backwards, the Cadre just looking amused as he stared at the exorcist standing in front of Raynare.

“Damn, almost didn't make it.” Turning to the familiar voice, Kokabiel turned only to be surprised by the sight of Kiba standing a few meters away, Kalawarna looking just as surprised as the knight knelt in front of her with Arondight in one hand and Muramasa in the other.

“The fact that you're here…did you defeat my brother? No, you don't look like you were put through hell and I did feel his energy vanish earlier. I see…so that's what we're doing here, brother.” Kokabiel whispered as Kiba stood up, looking at the still corpse of Mittelt lying behind the Cadre.

'She's…No, she's not.' With a grunt, Kiba shot forward at the Cadre, who readied himself with an excited grin before frowning in confusion as Kiba vanished the moment he swung at him, turning around to see Mittelt's body gone.

“Asia! Heal her! Saji! Issei! Give her as much energy as you can!” Kiba exclaimed as he placed Mittelt's body down in front of Asia before turning back to the Cadre with a bloodlusted glare.

Reinforcement!

Kuzuryusen!

Asia squealed as the ground shot up when Kiba launched himself forward, each step accelerating him further before he leapt into the air and brought both swords down with a crisscrossing slash.

Blocking both slashes with two swords of light, Kokabiel grinned as he pushed them both to the sides while swinging his blades at Kiba's neck only to grin as the knight let go of his sword while ducking under the attacks.

Catching both Arondight and Murasama by their hilts as they slowly fell down, Kiba growled as he swung upwards in a crisscross pattern once again.

Forcing Kokabiel to lean back for the attack to miss, Kiba stopped his attack halfway before swinging both blades down with a vertical spin, making the Cadre grin as he raised his swords to stop the attack.

Yet, Muramasa shattered while the shards transformed to that of Death-Dealing, the Cadre gritting his teeth as he felt the burning pain from the poisonous shards giving shallow cuts across his shoulders and backs before kicking Kiba with a stomp.

The Knight wheezed as he was sent ragdolling across the ground, but he quickly rolled backwards to his feet before hopping back as the Cadre came stomping down on the ground.

Holding Arondight with both hands, the flames surrounding the blade increased in heat before Kiba shot forward, swinging the sword down right as Kokabiel shattered one sword and swung upwards with the other.

However, his eyes widened when the flames leapt from the blade and burned through the light, shocking Kokabiel as he quickly leapt back while watching how the flames devoured his light.

'That's…what the fuck is Satanael doing with that?!' Kokabiel have only seen those flames from one other object and last he heard, the Slash Dog was in Greece facing off against the Hydra.

Kiba was stunned silent as he watched the light vanishing, slowly looking down at Arondight which was roaring with fire before slowly taking out the Light Container Irina had given him.

'Sacred Gears respond to their wielders. Alright, Sword Birth. Time for you to work with me here and not for me.' Kiba thought with a frown as he took a deep breath before surprising everyone when he stabbed it deep into his chest.

“Yuuto!” Kiba could hear Rias' concerned shout in the background, but he ignored it for now as he took rasping breaths while placing a hand on the shard of solidified light stuck inside his chest.

“Trace…On!” With a growl and a pulse of demonic energy, he was surprised when the shard responded in kind, mixing and fusing together at his heart.

Arondight itself felt overjoyed as its holy-demonic energy slowly began to mix with his own and Kiba grinned as he looked at the shocked expression on Kokabiel's face.

“I see. So, Father's absence is what allows you to do this.”

“What do you mean 'Father's absence'?” Irina asked with a frown and Kiba's eyes widened when he saw Kokabiel grinning.

Before he could say a word, the rushed in while swinging Arondight at his neck, a bit surprised when the flames shout outward in an arc and forced him to duck under it lest he get the flames stuck to his body.

“Exactly what I mean!” He exclaimed with a grin while blocking the following slash with a shield of light, the flames eagerly devouring it before Kiba let off a burst of holy-demonic energy that shattered the shield.

“There's something you should know about your great lord, exorcists!”

'Fuck! Fuck! Come on!' Kiba thought with gritted teeth as he swung Arondight downwards, forcing Kokabiel to block it with another shield of light.

However, the Cadre quickly leapt back when swords sprouted from the ground, Kiba cursing as the Death-Dealing swords cracked and shattered before rushing in desperate to stop the Cadre from finishing his sentence.

“Father is dead!” It was too late though as the Cadre shouted his words with a gleeful grin, shock overtaking the exorcists while the devils looked surprised before Kiba's head looked up right as the barrier surrounding them shattered.

'Well, this is not what I was expecting.' Kiba thought with a blink of his eyes as he stared at the figure descending downwards, the Power of Destruction rippling from his body while his formerly blue eyes were now a deep blood red.

Sirzechs Lucifer did not look pleased in the slightest and his rage spread across the entirety of Kuoh Academy as he glared at the grinning Cadre.

“Kokabiel, this is your one and only chance. Surrender or be erased.”

A/N: And we finally see the ending of the Kokabiel arc, which will end next chapter. Also, a glimpse of the Balance Breaker for both Saji and Issei~ The reasoning for how Saji can use his will be explained next chapter.

And Mittelt's dead?! Or not?! Who knows? We'll have to find out.

Anyway, next chapter: True Holy-Demonic Sword and Kokabiel's Last Stand.

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

Ba-Bye~!!