Sacred Gear: Heavenly Crown

Chapter 10: One-Thousand Suns (3)

Today was the day, or at least, they expected it to be. It was Saturday, the day Kokabiel had off-handedly implied he would make his move. Irina was still recovering within the Sitri medical ward, but she should be cleared by the following morning. They wanted to keep her for observation to make sure that the severe loss of blood didn't do any lasting damage. That meant that not only was one of their comrades out of the fight before it had even begun, but they also had no idea of the enemy's strength. Kokabiel admitted himself that Issei might be a match for him, albeit in a rather self-assured way, so he definitely had more up his sleeve. The question was what?

That question, perhaps more than any other, kept the Hyoudou house awake throughout most of the night. Issei tried his best to comfort Xenovia, but even the ever-stoic blue-haired warrior was visibly shaken at the sight of her partner. She may have taken this mission knowing the odds of her coming back alive weren't the best, but to witness it...to witness her friend and partner covered in wounds and bleeding...lying unconscious and left to die...that's something else. Believing you're brave enough to look death in the face and then charging in anyway is different than actually doing it. It is the inherent nature of living things to live, so purposefully entering a situation that would endanger that instinct is more than a little difficult.

So they stayed and watched the clock tick away the hours until morning, Issei, Asia, and Yuuma snuggled together under their blankets; basking together in their closeness and shared safety and warmth. Until the morning came...

The four residents of the Hyoudou home had breakfast, slightly darkened rings around their eyes. They spoke lightly, each one worried about what was to come. In Issei's mind, half of him was more afraid that the attack was never coming today in the first place. That Kokabiel had dropped that convenient hint of attacking on a Saturday as a response to his taunt. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense...but Kokabiel wasn't the person to do that. He was evil, dangerous, and insane, but he was a warrior. Not in the honorable way, per se, but in the way that he wanted conflict. He wanted a challenge.Going after and killing weak targets for the sake of blood was Freed's thing and Issei made sure to wrap up that loose end before it could come back to haunt him.

The day continued...uneventfully. The Sitri peerage, the Gremory peerage, and the Hyoudou group simply sat in the Occult Research Club building and waited. And waited. And waited. But as afternoon changed to evening, their waiting was at an end. A surge of power. A tremble of the land and the building. It was here. He was here. Kokabiel's assault had begun.

"That's them," Rias announced sternly. "Sona's peerage will maintain a barrier around the school. Issei, you and your group will assist mine with meeting them head on."

"I thought you said your brother was going to help us with this? You did contact him, right?" Issei asked seriously.

"I did," Sona spoke up. "But he can't be here. Neither can my older sister."

'Well, isn't that convenient...' Issei deadpanned in his mind. "And you didn't try to say, 'this could be the difference between mass war and permanent peace?'"

"I did," she answered sharply. "And she really tried to help, but they can't yet. Permission for two Super Devils to do anything that remotely resembles military action in the human world is a long process, Issei. As we speak they should be finishing their meetings now. I'd give it roughty an hour."

"We don't have that kind of time," Issei sighed. "Rias. You lead your group. I'll lead mine. Are you ready for this?"

"I am," she said confidently.