Valper's body fell with a thud at Kokabiel's feet. He didn't even have the chance to say his last words. He just died.
The silence that followed dominated the grounds. It was the kind that settled when something wrong had just happened. Xenovia's eyes flicked to Griselda, her grip tightening on Durandal. Irina froze, hand near her mouth, not sure if she was shocked or angry. Asia inched closer to Alice, her gaze stuck on the man who moments ago was raving like a prophet, now nothing but a lifeless body.
No one cheered. No one sighed. The moment isn't a victory. It was about a line being crossed, and everyone there knew it.
Hajime's group stood grim and silent. Hajime narrowed his eyes slightly, his face expression contorted. Alice and Anisphia exchanged brief glances, their usual relaxed demeanor shifting into a veil of disgust.
Even the devils, Rias, Akeno, Sona, and her peerage, those who are handling the barrier felt a chill settle over them. Though Valper is their enemy, the callousness of Kokabiel's actions was a stark reminder of the kind of opponent they are facing.
Kokabiel, unconcerned by the shock he had caused, merely laughed louder, spreading his arms wide as basking in their reactions.
"What a sight!" he sneered. "All of you, clinging to your petty dreams and beliefs. How amusing it is to watch!"
Mockery gleaming in his eyes, Kokabiel floated higher, savoring the moment. "Hmm, how about making things more interesting. Why not tell you the full truth?"
Griselda stepped forward quickly, a hand raised. "Kokabiel, don't—!"
But Kokabiel merely grinned wider, dismissing her presence. He floated higher, spreading his wings grandly.
"Let me tell you the truth, then," he said with venomous satisfaction. "By the end of the Great War. The God of the Bible... is dead."
The words hit like a sudden blow, freezing Xenovia, Irina, and Asia in place.
"Liar..." Xenovia muttered, but her usual firm voice cracked under the weight of doubt. Her grip on Durandal faltered as if her strength was leaking away.
Irina's face twisted with emotion. "That's not true!" she shouted, but her voice wavered, tears streaking down her cheeks. Her hands trembled, caught between faith and fear.
Asia's legs gave out beneath her. She dropped to her knees, staring blankly ahead. Her lips moved, but no sound came. Her whole body trembled as if her world had just slipped from under her.
Griselda stood behind them, frozen. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, but she didn't speak. Her silence said more than denial ever could.
Kokabiel chuckled cruelly. "Oh, believe it. Heaven's little secret, kept even from you faithful little warriors. Your God perished long ago during the Great War. He died along with the original Maous and fallen Cadres. What you serve now is nothing but his ghost!"
Irina's sword slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground. Xenovia stood frozen, her grip on Durandal loosening.
"The blessings, the miracles..." Asia whispered brokenly. "They... they were real... weren't they?"
Griselda knelt beside her, placing a trembling hand on Asia's shoulder.
"Haha... that's because of Michael. He and the other Archangels are the one keeping the system running, doing everything they can to make sure miracles and blessings still happen, even without God. Which is why it is so pitifully weak!"
Kokabiel's words left a heavy mark, and even Griselda struggled to keep their shaken beliefs from slipping further.
Hajime stood with close eyes, digesting Kokabiel's words. There was no surprise in his expression, only acceptance. "Beside him, Alice and Anisphia remained silent, their eyes following the rest of the group with sympathy, while keeping a wary watch on the smug Kokabiel floating above."
But Kokabiel wasn't done.
"And do you know what else his death has allowed?" he said, the smirk returning to his face. "Balance Breakers. It was the result of the bugs in the gods system. Breaking the status quo creating impossible powers that shouldn't exist."
He pointed at Kiba, who stood rigidly with the Holy Demonic Sword still in his grip. "That thing in your hands... A fusion of Holy and Demonic. Under God's supervision, it wouldn't even have the chance to happen. But now? Anything goes."
A wave of shock moved through the group. The devils, exorcists, especially Kiba, stood frozen, their eyes locked on the impossible sword in his hand. The truth they always thought normal was anything but that.
"But with his death," Kokabiel continued with a cruel grin, "The world has lost the one keeping the balance. Opposing forces, twisted creations, forbidden phenomena. All are possible now."
Irina, Xenovia, and Asia trembled, their grief deepening into something colder, heavier. Even Griselda, kneeling by Asia, lowered her head, her heart weighed down with the burden of a broken reality.
Kokabiel laughed cruelly, spreading his arms as he continued to hammer despair into their hearts.
"And that's why the Great War came to a halt!" he sneered. "With God dead, the original Four Maou dead, and many of our Cadre among the Fallen gone, they lost their drive and will. A bunch of cowards!.
He turned his gaze toward the sky, a sneer twisting his lips.
"A war started on pride and hatred, abandoned due to the death of its god and kings," he spat. "What a joke."
Then Kokabiel's eyes glinted with cruel amusement as he shifted his gaze beyond the battlefield to a distant rooftop where Azazel observed.
"And you, Azazel! Hiding there, aren't you?" Kokabiel called mockingly. "You, the one who turned your back on the war! Playing scientist as the world rots!"
Kokabiel's laughter echoed like thunder across the devastated grounds, driving the nail deeper into the hearts of all who listened.
Hajime's group remained still, listening closely. The Sitri and Gremory peerages clenched their fists, struggling to steady their breathing. The Church Exorcists were rooted where they stood, torn between disbelief and unbearable grief.
Even Sagiri, wore a grim expression of someone who had struggled to accept the truth laid bare before them.
"Is that it? You all went down after hearing the truth? It seems that I overestimated you all.," Kokabiel sneered, voice dripping with cruelty, "why don't we end this farce properly?"
His wings flared wide as he gathered light into a massive spear.
"Come then, visitor, little Devils, pitiful servants Heaven, let me show you the mercy your broken god cannot!"
As the light condensed above him, Hajime stepped forward.
He moved without pause, feet crunching lightly against the broken earth. His eyes never left Kokabiel.
Alice and Anisphia smiled faintly, slightly bowing to him, a simple and meaningful gesture that shows their trust and confidence in him.
And slowly, the others saw Hajime's walking in front with his unwavering will made them want to believe again.
-----------
Hajime's voice rang across the grounds. "So what? What is the big deal if your God is dead? You are, all of you are still here. Living with your best. The world didn't stop because of his death, it continued within you. To each of you."
Around him, Rias and Sona's peerage, and the exorcists felt the doubt over their hearts begin to lift, life returning to their eyes.
"It is fine to grief, to doubt." Hajime continued, raising his head to meet Kokabiel's gaze directly. "That is normal, we are humans after all. But you must never forget. He left all of you a gift, his will and his care."
Kokabiel's sneer faltered for a heartbeat, sensing something shifting. Sagiri, standing off to the side, felt the hairs on her arms stand. Even Sona, Rias, together with the people who are maintaining the barrier around the academy, and those who are facing each in this very ground felt it.
"The system he made for this world is for each of you who remember him, for those who believe in him. That is the biggest proof that God still lives in all of you."
A divine power began to rise from Hajime, but it didn't feel different. It felt close, familiar, like something similar to human will, not from the gods.
The campione, the slayer of gods, usurper of divine authority has finally shown himself.
Hajime's voice was low but reached across the battlefield, "You should feel honored, Kokabiel. Even though you're not a god, I'll fight you—"
He tilted his head slightly, a mocking smile on his lips.
"—in the same way I fought real gods."
Hajime's words rang like a divine decree.
As Kokabiel sneered down at him, Hajime began to chant.
"O chains that were born from the earth with the purpose to bind the divine, I call thee."
A brilliant surge of power exploded from Hajime, shaking the very fabric of reality, the world trembled. The pressure being released by Hajime made Kokabiel's confident grin falter.
Countless golden chains coming out from the ground around Hajime, releasing an oppressive pressure that made everyone feel they were standing before a god.
It was the one of Authorities Hajime had usurped from Enkidu—the Chains of Heaven
Hajime stood like an unshakable pillar amidst the divine storm, his eyes locked on his enemy.
"You desire war since you weren't able to get the satisfaction you want from the great war," Hajime said, voice layered with contempt, "Then be thankful, I shall give it to you then. A fight worthy against the divine. You better not disappoint me, after all I'm stepping on this just for you."
And with a snap of his fingers, the chains of the earth roared to life, dozens upon dozens of them manifesting from the very air and ground around Hajime. Like serpents they surged toward Kokabiel and the fallen angels accompanying him.
Kokabiel's eyes widened in horror as the chains shot toward him with terrifying speed. He twisted his body, wings flaring desperately to dodge, barely slipping out of reach of several chains that cracked the very air with their passing.
Around him, the lesser fallen angels and stray exorcists had no such luck. The chains ensnared them mercilessly, wrapping around their limbs and torsos, binding them to the earth. They screamed, weapons falling from their grasp as the divine bindings suppressed their powers completely, rendering them helpless.
Kokabiel snarled, hurling a light spear at the incoming chains. The spear clashed against the golden chains with a deafening crack, momentarily repelling them but it was clear that even his strength could only hold them back temporarily.
Realization flickered in Kokabiel's furious eyes as he gritted his teeth. "These chains... impossible! This power it's Enkidu's! How can a human wield it?!"
Across the battlefield, both friend and foe stood still, caught in the moment. Hajime has shown a part of his real strength. It was not to oppress them, but show them hope. To give them the courage to take a step forward after a fall. Then one by one, they stood. Their will returning to them. They were able to find back the courage to believe again, even the reality they always believe in was built from a lie.