DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 16: Academy Under Siege, Part 2

This chapter marks the end of Volume III: Holy Vengeance.

BGM: Persona 5 - Blooming Villain

Issei and Rias continued to walk toward Kokabiel, hand in hand, as the Boosted Gear built up power. Their friends looked on while Zach's battle against the mysterious woman continued above, steadily climbing higher and higher into the sky.
Still not enough, Issei thought. After a couple more boosts, the gauntlet's jewel glowed emerald green, showing that it was ready to transfer its power. "We're ready, Rias. Are you?"
Rias's grip on Issei's hand tightened. "Absolutely."
Transfer! Ddraig announced. Rias's body shone with green light as she took in the Boosted Gear's power. After a brief moment, her aura's power increased astronomically, even getting the Corrupted woman's attention just long enough for her to be hit by a fireball, after which she shot further up with Zach on her tail.
Kokabiel simply laughed. "Now things are getting interesting! What we've got here is a devil's power to the highest degree! You've got strength on par with your brother, little girl!"
"In that case, begone!" Rias yelled, releasing an incredibly powerful blast of destruction at Kokabiel.
The fallen angel took the attack well, defending himself from most of the damage. "Yes, good! Now, this is a fight! You're almost as good as Sirzechs!" Within seconds, Rias had used up all the energy from the Boosted Gear. She collapsed, ending the attack.
Akeno saw her opening and took it, blasting Kokabiel with lightning.
"The girl with the power of Baraqiel is trying to fight?" Kokabiel taunted, blocking the attack with his wings.
"Don't you dare mention his name! I am nothing like that creature!" Akeno cried.
"Who's Baraqiel?" Issei asked.
"Another fallen angel leader. His power revolves around lightning, just like Akeno's," Xenovia explained.
"That's... a weird coincidence."
Just like Rias, Akeno soon used up the last of her power.
Kokabiel laughed. "Oh, to fall so far as to become a devil! Look at all of you. The Red Dragon Emperor, a broken Holy Sword Project victim, and Baraqiel's daughter!"
"What?!" Issei exclaimed. "That's insane! Akeno, you're the daughter of a fallen angel?!"
"How amusing," Kokabiel taunted. "A propensity for inferior products must run in the family."
Rias stood. "Your insults will not be tolerated! For this, you shall pay the ultimate price and die!"
Kokabiel landed in front of her. "By all means, I'd like to see you give it a shot! I hope you realize you're facing the archenemy of devils. You should take this opportunity. You might never get it again!"
"That's enough!" Issei shouted. "If I hear one more insult to Rias out of your mouth, I'm going to beat the shit out of you! So don't test me, freak!"
"Oh, really?" Kokabiel summoned a sword made of golden light. "You must be quite the idiot."
"I am what I am! Now stay right there if you want some, bitch!" Boost!
Xenovia and Kiba nodded to each other and raced toward Kokabiel. "We've got your back!" the former yelled as she ran past Issei. "I think we can buy you a little more time!"
"Focus on powering up for now," Kiba added before following Xenovia. Koneko leaped past Issei to help.
As Xenovia and Kiba attacked Kokabiel, he summoned another sword of light to easily counter both of them. "What could be more fun than fighting a Holy Sword and a Fusion Sword at once?"
"This," Koneko answered, leaping down on top of Kokabiel. He released his wings for a split second, knocking her, Xenovia, and Kiba away.
Kokabiel made an X with his swords, then broke it immediately. Each sword released a blade of light that attacked Kiba and Xenovia once again. The residual power washed over Issei and Asia, dealing a small amount of damage as the latter healed Koneko.
"Are you okay, Asia?" Issei asked.
"I'm fine, but what about them?" She looked at Xenovia and Kiba, who were both already losing energy.
Kiba struggled to his feet, using his sword to help. "Sword Birth!" Dozens of swords formed around Kokabiel, flying toward him like giant bullets. His wings once again blocked the attack. As he was distracted, Kiba rushed in for a last-ditch effort at an attack. Kokabiel caught his blade. He summoned another one and attacked with his left hand, which was also stopped. Finally, Kiba summoned a third Holy Devil Sword, holding its handle in his mouth. He jerked his head to one side, swinging the blade and cutting Kokabiel's face.
"You little brat!" Kokabiel shot an orb of light at Kiba, but it was blocked and sliced apart by Xenovia. "Why even bother fighting for a group of losers who don't even know they've lost their masters?" he wondered. "Oh, my bad. That just slipped out." He began to chuckle, then laugh, louder and louder. "Well, I guess I am starting a war here. No point in hiding it any longer. I'll be blunt: God is dead!"
"What?! No!" Xenovia cried. "That can't be!"
"But it can," Kokabiel countered. "He was killed in the last Great War, along with the four original Satans!"
"Liar!" Rias yelled. "I've never heard anything about that!"
"The leaders of the Three Factions had to seal that information away so that God-fearing humans would keep on fearing. All three factions were essentially in ruins after the last war, so they had to find some way to keep the order of things going," Kokabiel explained. "But I couldn't care less about that! What drives me mad is that after God and the devil kings died, it was decided that the war would end! Why the hell would they do something like that when we could've won?! How dare they keep me from crushing my enemies, just as it was getting fun?! Even that bastard Azazel declared that there would never be another war! What the fuck is wrong with him?!"
"But... if God doesn't exist, then where is His love coming from?" Asia asked.
"Heh. Michael, the highest of the Seraphs, has been holding his own as the leader of Heaven. He's keeping the humans and angels together in God's stead. As long as the system is running, prayers and exorcisms will function as usual, for the most part. So don't worry, surely someone has been listening."
It was at this point that Asia couldn't take the stress anymore. She buckled, fainting in Koneko's arms.
"That's a natural reaction... I'm surprised I can still think straight right now," Xenovia muttered.
"Well, I suppose the fact that the number of believers in God has drastically dropped really doesn't help anything, does it? Without anyone managing the balance between good and evil, it's no wonder that something as contradictory as a Holy Devil Sword would be able to exist." Kokabiel crossed his arms. "Meaning the war must go on. And I'll keep it going by taking all of your heads if I have to!"
"Listen up, Kokabiel!" Issei stood, leaving Asia with Koneko. "I'm not letting you destroy my friends or this town! I don't care what bullshit reasons you have! Besides, I have dreams to accomplish! Some cliché wing-flapping fallen angel isn't getting in my way! I'm bringing you down, right here, right now!" The Boosted Gear's jewel glowed brighter than ever before. "Let's do this! You're goin' down, Kokabiel!" Explosion! Just like in the Rating Game against Riser, the Boosted Gear transformed. Boosted Gear, second liberation!
Issei raced forward. Kokabiel threw a light spear at him, but he punched right through. His fist kept going, punching Kokabiel and shattering a few teeth. He hit Kokabiel over and over, dealing massive damage.
"What the hell are you?!" Kokabiel held his injured face.
"Remember me well! I'm Issei Hyoudou, and I've got a Boosted Gear powered by pure passion! I'm also the Pawn of Rias Gremory!"
"He's right. We've only lost once we give up! Isn't that right, kids?" Zach yelled. The Corrupted woman was gone. He became surrounded by blue flames, crashing into Kokabiel like a comet. "Listen up, Kokabiel. You're a blight to the honor of fallen angels across the multiverse! In the name of the Vanguard, we're going to bring you to absolute justice!"
Kokabiel struggled to his feet. "I must say, this is interesting! Very interesting!"
A new voice laughed. "Interesting? These children? Hilarious." Something crashed into the barrier, shattering it entirely. An orb of blue light floating in the sky shattered, revealing someone encased in armor similar to Issei's Balance Breaker, but white with blue jewels and wings made of blue light.
"What the hell is the Vanishing Dragon doing here?!" Kokabiel growled. "Surely the White Dragon must be captivated by the Red as- GAH!" He was interrupted by the "Vanishing Dragon" crashing into his back and tearing off a pair of wings.
"Someone who's fallen farther than the ground hardly needs wings, don't you agree?" the Vanishing Dragon asked. Kokabiel released his remaining eight wings and flew up to the new adversary, creating a spear of light that was at least ten meters long.
The Vanishing Dragon simply raised a hand. The jewels on his armor glowed blue. Divide! his armor announced repeatedly until the spear of light was gone.
"What the hell have you done?!" Kokabiel cried.
"His name is Albion," the Vanishing Dragon explained. "My Sacred Gear is Divine Dividing. Every ten seconds, it cuts the power of whatever it's touching in half and sustains me with that power instead! Better hurry, or you won't even be able to defeat a human."
Zach recalled the young man he'd met on the night of Raynare's death. "My gods... it's Vali."
"The Red Dragon doubles its user's power and transfers it to something while the White Dragon halves another's power and uses that power for its owner," Rias explained. "So they've both made their appearances..."