Heavy breaths ripped through Rias Gremory's chest as she slowly came to her senses. Her eyes, still clouded, struggled to focus on the world around her. Her lungs were burning, each breath aching as if a thousand ants were settling in them. The fire that consumed the remains of the Occult Science Hall illuminated the ruined space. The familiar walls where the group meetings were held were reduced to piles of rubble, and the air was thick with smoke. Screams and shapes flitted through the chaos, the ringing in her ears deafened everything, and Rias, with a trembling hand touching her temple, tried to stand. Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees, staining her tattered school uniform with soot.
Through the smoke, she saw Yuuto Kiba lying nearby. His uniform was half burned, the left side of his body was covered in burns, and the smell of charred flesh made Rias feel sick. She clenched her fists, her heart clenching in pain for her knight.
"Kiba!" She cried out, her voice breaking. She crawled towards him, her legs weak with wobbly legs, but every step was painful. Koneko lay next to him, her chest barely rising, her face covered in soot, and her breathing weak. Saji Genshirou lay unconscious nearby, his body covered in rubble.
A silhouette emerged from the rubble. Akeno Himejima, her uniform in tatters, barely hanging on to her body, was struggling to maintain her usual smile, which was slowly sliding off her face, forming a grim grimace. Rias remembered how Akeno had been the first to react to the explosion, instantly erecting a magical barrier. Kiba followed suit, and Tsubaki, albeit belatedly, activated her Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice, to reflect some of the damage. These actions softened the blow, but even their combined power was not enough to completely protect everyone.
The fire blazed around them, smoke rising into the sky, making it difficult to breathe. Suddenly, slow, mocking claps were heard from above. Rias looked up and froze. A man with long black hair, red eyes, and pointed elven ears was floating against the flaming sky. His ten black wings fluttered, and his black robe fluttered, as if absorbing the light. Kokabiel, one of the leaders of the fallen angels of the Grigori, looked down on them with a sadistic grin, enjoying their suffering.
"Hahaha! What a pitiful sight!" His laugh was harsh, metallic. "Look at yourselves, devils! Crawling in the mud like worms!"
Rias gritted her teeth and glared at him, promising herself that she would definitely give him what he deserved. She knew who he was, just like people knew the names of world leaders. Kokabiel, sitting on his floating throne, was the embodiment of arrogance and menace. Her fists clenched so hard that her nails dug into her palms.
A cough could be heard from the rubble. Dulio Gesualdo, covered in dust and soot, crawled out. In his hands was a charred slice of pizza. He looked around theatrically, then looked at the food with comical sorrow.
"My pizza..." he groaned, sinking to his knees. "Sorry, little one, you didn't deserve this fate!" He folded his hands in a prayer gesture, muttering something about an afterlife for food.
Rias's lips twitched in an involuntary smile, but her gaze immediately grew serious. Tobio Ikuse emerged from the rubble, his clothes torn, and next to him, as if from nowhere, a black dog with red eyes appeared, growling softly. Sairaorg, supporting Asia, climbed out after him. Tsubaki helped Sona, whose glasses were cracked, and she threw them aside in annoyance, squinting, trying to assess the situation.
Screams of horror and pain were heard everywhere. The academy students were running around in panic among the rubble. Rias noticed a girl sobbing over her severed arm, crushed by a piece of rubble. Her leg, bleeding, was partially torn off. If she doesn't help, she will die. Asia, having come to her senses, saw this scene, and her eyes filled with tears. Asia's mind was on the verge of collapse, she couldn't bear to see the suffering of the people around her. On the verge of insanity. She tried to break free to the girl, but Sairaorg held her tightly to his chest, whispering words of comfort.
"Calm down, Asia. We can handle this."
Rias turned her gaze to Kokabiel, her anger flaring up again. How dare he invade her territory? Doesn't he know what this will lead to? She stood up straight, her voice shaking with rage.
"Kokabiel! Do you know what you're doing? Do you know what the consequences will be?"
His response was a loud, mocking laugh that made your blood run cold.
"Ha-ha-ha! Consequences?" He wiped a comical tear from his eye, and his red eyes sparkled with mirth. "A girl who has not lived even a hundred years, tells me about consequences? Know your place, worthless! Your place is on your knees, and meekly await death!"
His aura fell upon them with a heavy pressure. Rias felt her legs give way and she fell to her knees, bracing her hands on the ground. Her body was shaking, but a heat was blazing inside her. A surge of energy, fueled by immense anger, washed over her, and her aura flared with the red light of the Power of Destruction. She stood up with a jerk, forming a ball of dark energy in her hand and throwing it at Kokabiel.
The fallen angel lazily created a blade of light, deflecting the attack to the side. The explosion thundered somewhere in the distance, not hitting him. He smirked.
"That's all? A pathetic attempt, Gremory."
Rias gritted her teeth, her anger reaching its peak. But then the sky became covered with clouds and rain began to fall, extinguishing the fire. Kokabiel frowned, his face becoming serious. Suddenly, dozens of bolts of lightning struck from the sky, their blinding light accompanied by a deafening explosion that made Rias's ears pop. The shockwave nearly sent her flying backwards. When the dust settled, she saw Kokabiel surrounded by a cracked glowing barrier. His breathing was heavy, and his face was contorted in pain. The barrier cracked, shattering into millions of glowing fragments, and the fallen angel swayed slightly in the air.
Suddenly, her attention was drawn to the voice of Dulio Gesualdo, who, shaking the dust off his collar, straightened up and loudly exclaimed:
"My pizza! I can forgive many things, but this?! Never!" His green eyes flashed, and lightning swirled around him, mixed with a vortex of air. Dust and debris flew to the sides, pieces of furniture and chairs flew into the air, forcing everyone to cover themselves with their hands.
Rias, irritated by his theatrics, gritted her teeth, but her gaze darted to Kokabiel. The fallen angel, no longer smirking, looked at Dulio with a serious expression. Suddenly, a powerful stream of air and lightning rushed into the sky. Kokabiel extended his hand, creating a magic circle that absorbed the blow. But then, dark tentacles, like living shadows, burst out from under his feet. They wrapped around his ankles, and he cursed angrily, yelling,
"Damn it! Damn Ikuse!" His voice shook with rage, but the shadows, inexorably contracting, pulled him down.
Kokabiel fell to the ground, creating a small crater. Dust flew into the air, and Rias noticed a trickle of blood on his lips. Before she could process what was happening, a whistling sound in her ears made her flinch. In an instant, Sairaorg Bael struck Kokabiel in the face with a fist wrapped in touki power. The crunch of bones echoed throughout the ruined hall, and the fallen angel was sent flying, crashing into the rubble.
Rias watched in shock as her comrades began to take action. Asia, despite her tears, rushed towards the injured students, her hands glowing green, healing those who were on the verge of death. Sona, keeping her cool, shouted out commands, her water magic creating protective domes to shelter the survivors. Tsubaki, standing nearby, reinforced the barriers with her Mirror Alice. Akeno used magic circles to save the students from the rubble. Tobio Ikuse, clutching a blade, stood next to the black dog, its red eyes glowing ominously, waiting for the right moment to attack. Dulio, still disappointed over his pizza, formed more lightning and directed it at Kokabiel.
But Rias felt her own helplessness tearing her apart from within. Everyone was acting, and she was just watching.
Still useless. Again.
A crimson pillar of Destruction Power erupted from her body. The sudden powerful surge of energy surprised everyone, even Kokabiel hesitated for a moment.
That moment was fateful. Kokabiel suddenly wheezed, his eyes wide in shock. He looked down and saw half of his body was gone, a huge hole where his arm, lung, and part of his chest had been. Blood gushed from his mouth, and behind him was a swath of destruction: a gigantic arc of Rias's Power of Destruction had stretched for kilometers, destroying trees, part of a mountain, and possibly several buildings in Kuoh Town. The attack, like a crystal cannon, was uncontrollable, unleashed in a fit of anger. Rias, exhausted, collapsed unconscious, her body limp among the rubble.
Kokabiel, however, was not defeated. The snake in his pocket suddenly latched onto his throat, and he screamed in pain. A wave of purple energy slammed around, sending Sairaorg flying into a half-collapsed building with a deafening roar. Dulio and Tobio shielded their eyes from the dust, but then a new pair of wings sprouted from Kokabiel's back - dark purple, pulsing with ominous energy. His body began to recover, his wounds began to heal, and his eyes lit up with a mad fire. He spat out blood and laughed:
"Damn it, I almost died because of you bastards!" His voice was drenched in madness. Starting to feel a long-lost feeling. "This is it! A rush of adrenaline, blood boiling in your veins! Life and death are breathing down your neck, and you don't know if you'll survive! Great, just great!"
He formed a holy sword, but its light was distorted, shot through with purple lightning. With a single movement, he sliced through the air, and a slanting wave of energy rushed towards them. Sairaorg, still rising from the rubble, widened his eyes. Tobio, reacting, raised his blade, and the black shadow of his dog collided with the wave, causing an explosion and a cloud of dust. Kokabiel, narrowing his eyes, dodged another blow from Sairaorg, whose fist flew millimeters from his face. In response, the fallen angel kicked with lightning speed, knocking the air out of Sairaorg's chest. He flew to the side, coughing up blood, collapsing into a ruined building.
Kokabiel snapped his fingers, growling in anger. The sky darkened, and figures began to emerge from the clouds - dozens of fallen angels with black wings, their feathers falling to the ground like harbingers of death. Sona, having assessed the threat, shouted:
"Everyone evacuate! Prepare for battle! Now!"
Akeno narrowed her eyes in determination. Magic circles appeared next to her and she redirected them towards the new arrivals. The magic projectiles collided, causing small explosions in the sky. Kiba, having woken up and regained his senses thanks to Asia, began chanting, summoning dozens of sacred and demonic blades that pierced the ground around him, preparing for battle. Gasper, trembling in the corner, was in tears, his body shaking with fear. He wanted to run, hide, disappear. But the sight of Rias lying unconscious stopped him. He remembered how she found him, alone and scared, and gave him a home without asking for anything in return.
Is this how I'm going to repay her? He thought, his fists clenching.
The world around him froze. Gasper, gathering all his courage, activated his Sacred Gear "Forbidden Balor's Sight". His eyes glowed red, and time stopped, but not for everyone. With incredible speed, using the power of a dhampir, he picked up Rias, Koneko, and several injured students, dragging them to safety. His heart was pounding, but he repeated in his mind:
I did everything I could.
Kokabiel, who hadn't paid attention to Gasper, continued to laugh, his purple wings pulsing with ominous energy. The fallen angels descended closer, their shadows covering the light of the sky.
Dulio Gesualdo, rubbing his cheek in annoyance, watched the chaos of the battle with Kokabiel. His green eyes swept across the ruined hall, where dust, dirt, and screams merged into an apocalyptic symphony. He chuckled to himself as he watched a small figure in a cardboard bag drag wounded students away from the epicenter of the battle at incredible speed.
The kid did well, to his credit.
Dulio rolled his eyes, wondering how it all came to this.
He had been lazily wandering the world, munching pizza, eliminating stray devils, and helping lost children. His life had been simple: a little exorcism, a little charity, a lot of pizza. Yes, especially a lot of pizza. But everything changed when, before he could even take another bite, he was grabbed by the arms by angels and dragged to a church. There, stunned and penniless, he was given a vague task: find the fragments of Excalibur. Without explaining the details, he was thrown through a portal to Japan. Finding himself in an unfamiliar place, Dulio did not lose his head - he picked up the dropped coin and ran into a gloomy guy, Tobio Ikuse. Seeing that he was not in the mood for conflict, Dulio convinced him to buy a pizza.
Free pizza - what could be better? he thought then, happy with the successful start of the day. But now, standing in the epicenter of destruction, he smiled bitterly. His pizza was left uneaten, and he was drawn into a possible supernatural war.
Dulio turned his gaze to Tobio, who was fighting with cold precision. His black dog moved with frightening speed, attacking the fallen angels. Sairaorg, who had emerged from the rubble, struck with such force that even Dulio couldn't help but whistle.
Those muscles weren't just for show, he thought, rubbing his hands. The air around him began to thicken, becoming heavy, almost unbearable to breathe. Tobio and Sairaorg turned around in surprise, and Kokabiel's eyes widened in shock.
"What happened? Not enough oxygen?" He tilted his head, dodging the spear of light thrown by Kokabiel. The fallen angel's face turned crimson with anger.
Many fallen angels floating in the sky began to clutch their throats, their bodies falling to the ground with dull thuds. But those with more wings stood firm, able to hold their breath or go without air altogether. Dulio tsked, annoyed by their endurance. He clapped his hands together, causing hurricanes and tornadoes to swirl around him. The fallen angels caught in their center were torn to pieces, as if their bodies were being cut by millions of invisible blades.
"Come on, guys, don't make me strain myself!" Dulio shouted, trying to provoke them, yawning lazily, but his eyes were watching the battlefield.
Dulio sighed heavily.
Why can't we just live in peace and be lazy?
But he knew that now was not the time to complain. Although he was not eager to go all out, his attacks were accurate, saving his strength for when new threats appeared.
I'll give them a little help.
Dulio lowered his gaze to the ground.
Kokabiel gritted his teeth and tried to fly, his purple wings pulsing with ominous energy. He prepared a powerful attack, his aura thickening, but Sairaorg did not allow him to rise, and Tobio prevented him from maneuvering. Suddenly, the ground under Kokabiel's feet turned into a viscous quagmire, restricting his movements. He roared angrily:
"Damn worms! Do you think this will stop me?!" His voice trembled with rage, and his eyes glowed with madness.
Kokabiel's confusion gave Tobio his chance. His blade pierced the fallen angel's back with lightning speed. Kokabiel grabbed the blade and turned around, his other hand glowing with holy energy. But suddenly his heart began to beat wildly, and dark writing crawled across his skin. His eyes widened in horror - he recognized the cursed runes, but before he could scream, Sairaorg rained down blows on him, turning his face into a bloody mess. Kokabiel fell to the ground, his body twitching and falling silent, unconscious.
Tobio, breathing heavily, retreated. Jingo, his black dog, happily jumped towards him, licking his hand. Tobio, for the first time in the fight, smiled - a light, almost imperceptible smile.
"Good boy," he said quietly, petting the dog.
Dulio's eyes widened as he watched, and he couldn't help but exclaim,
"Oh, really? You can smile too?" He clutched his heart theatrically, but Tobio only gave him an irritated look.
Taking out an empty vial from his pocket, Tobio muttered,
"Azazel... Whatever it was, it worked." His gaze swept over the ruined battlefield. The bodies of the students mixed with the rubble made him angry. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Ordinary people... Always just fodder for the supernatural world.
His thoughts drifted back to the past. He remembered the first time he encountered a lost devil who was ready to tear him apart. If it weren't for Jingo...
"Woof!"
Tobio looked at the dog, who let out a low, almost soothing growl. Tobio couldn't help but smile as he petted him.
"Thank you," he said quietly, looking into Jingo's red eyes. The dog bowed his head, as if he didn't understand, but his presence was warm.
The dark clouds above the academy began to disperse, and the first rays of sunlight broke through, illuminating the ruined landscape. The light fell on the faces of the survivors, bringing peace to their hearts.