DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 23: Beyond

CONTENT WARNING: BRIEF MENTION OF SUICIDE

During Issei and Vali's Fight (BGM: Diana Boncheva ft. BanYa - Beethoven Virus)

As Zach flung fireball after fireball at the Corrupted woman, pushing her back to the ground, he could feel his Unbound state losing its power. I have to end this quickly... He picked up his speed and tackled the woman head-on.
"Jūs nogalināt mūs!" she screeched, clawing at him desperately.
"Yeah, whatever, lady." Zach took hold of the golden chain swirling around his body, instantly noticing the drop in his energy. C'mon, just a little more...! He wrapped the chain around his opponent's neck and pulled, strangling the mysterious woman. He sent waves of heat through the metal, heating it to scalding temperatures.
The Corrupted woman cried out in pain and tried to remove the chain, only to burn her hands in the process. "Jūs muļķi! Atlaid mani!" she demanded.
Something in Zach's mind clicked. "Are you speaking Latvian? I mean- Vai tas ir latviešu valodā? Vai tā ir valoda, kurā runājat?"
The Corrupted woman stopped struggling. "Tas aizņēma kādu laiku. Jā. Kāpēc tas ir svarīgi?"
"Vai tu saproti angļu valodu?"
"Protams. Jums vajadzētu palaist, 'varonis'. Glāb sevi."
"Never. They need me and I need them. They're my friends. You want me to just abandon them for my own sake?"
"Tas būtu labāk nekā alternatīva." For the first time, the woman spoke English: "Anything is better than the alternative. This is your last chance, Praktum. Run. Save yourself. These people are useless to you and you know it. The Daemon is coming and he cannot be stopped." The woman dissolved into scarlet mist, leaving Zach alone.
"The Daemon..." Zach's Unbound form fizzled out as his consciousness faded and the pain of his previous injuries overwhelmed him. He fell from the skies, azure flames surrounding him as his new Sacred Gear formed on his arm.

The next day... (BGM: Altitude. - lost // found)

Zach sat up and opened his eyes slowly. He found himself in his bed with his left arm in a cast and sling. Who brought me here? he wondered. Using his good arm, he pushed himself out of bed and hesitantly walked downstairs. He found that he was alone and hours late for school. It was almost lunchtime. "Dammit... I guess I have an excuse, but..." He lazily made himself some coffee and checked his phone, quickly finding what he'd been worried about: someone had seen him falling from the sky the previous night.
The article read: Nobody could've seen this coming. An art student visiting from Tokyo was the one who seemed to first notice the strange phenomenon. He said, "I was painting late into the night when I happened to look outside my hotel window. At first, I only saw one, but I soon noticed a meteor shower happening in the skies above us. And at the center was one larger meteor. It seemed to glow a brilliant blue, easily surpassing the others in its beauty. None of the news stations had even mentioned the possibility of one happening tonight. With renewed vigor, I tossed my previous work aside and began to paint the scene." As you can see, this unexpected meteor shower startled the people of the town. Researchers are looking into the situation. Keep an eye on local news for further information.
Zach sighed with relief. "Just a meteor shower... that's better than I thought it would be." He glanced at the clock. "I should get going..."

On the beach... (BGM: Destiny: The Taken King - Remembrance)

Zach stood barefoot in the surf, watching the moon. He glanced around himself. The beach was empty. I should come here more often... He walked down the shoreline, in a bit of a daze. "Azrael? You there?" Royal blue light gathered over his right hand and forearm. A dark grey metal gauntlet formed over his arm. Indents in the top part of the gauntlet glowed blue.
Zach. It's good to be able to talk outside of the Heart again.
"Yeah. Glad to hear your voice. It's weird to say, but I missed having you in my head."
You'll have Satanael and Kaira too, you know.
"I can live with that. What can you tell me about this thing?"
Well, for one, it's strong. Very strong. Think of it as a physical manifestation of your powers as the Phoenix of Rebellion. Got any names in mind?
"I was thinking something along the lines of... the Phoenix's Talon."
Be sure to thank Azazel for that suggestion. At any rate, this baby's got some of the powers of the Boosted Gear to go along with it. You can boost your power by around a third, but only every ten seconds. You can transfer your power to anyone or anything you want. What's more... you can choose to focus on a single attribute and double your proficiency in that specific field at the cost of the others. And in the sun, you get a bit stronger. You've got your regular blessings and curses too, but their potency has been ramped up a bit. But I should warn you. You're a bit weaker against Chaos and Order magic now and all your natural weaknesses have been highlighted. Be careful.
"I will be. I promise. By the way, can you tell me anything else about Ophis?"
Hm... as we recently discovered, it's leading the Khaos Brigade. One hell of a shapeshifter. Incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. No leads yet as to why she's running a terrorist organization other than for the hell of it.
"So much for having some all-knowing backup."
Ophis transcends reality, you know. That complicates things.
"So do you."
Which is exactly why I was unable to provide all the intel on Kaira that we could've used back in the old days. Acausal beings like Ophis don't exactly follow all the rules. Paracausal beings like us would be able to throw the rules out the window if someone didn't lock us in the Heart and we didn't need hosts to walk the mortal realm.
"Okay, good talk, shut up now." Zach's arm glowed blue once more, and the Sacred Gear was gone along with Azrael's voice. "Now... if Bikou was part of the Khaos Brigade... that has to mean..." Zach stared at the back of his hand. The Japanese symbol that Kuroka had created for him to get in touch with her reappeared. "I could confront her about it... no. I have other things to worry about. I know I'll see her again anyway." He stared back up at the moon. "There's so much changing so quickly... I can only hope that the team and I can keep up with it all... wouldn't you agree, Gabriel?" He turned. Sitting behind him on a picnic blanket was an inhumanly beautiful young woman with long, curly blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes wearing snow-white robes and various golden jewelry.
The Seraph gazed into Zach's eyes. "Zachary Praktum, yes? Come. Sit with me."
Hearing his full name sent a shiver down Zach's spine. He obediently sat. "Is something wrong?"
"You mean besides an invader in our timeline, the looming threat of the Khaos Brigade, and a sharp increase in Norse monsters appearing on Earth? No, everything's just fine."
"Funny. What's the Khaos Brigade's plan? Why are they doing all this?"
"Nobody can tell for sure, but we have some theories. Have you ever heard the story of the Apocalypse?"
"The Biblical one? Not recently, why?"
"That makes things easier. I'll be simple: that story isn't exactly true as humans know it. It says that the two beasts and the dragon will appear during the Apocalypse, but in truth, God told me once that they will be awakened by seven trumpeters. Their awakening is the beginning of the end, whether it is by God's hand or not."
"You're saying the Khaos Brigade wants to awaken those beasts and the dragon."
"The dragon is awake already and drifting through the Dimensional Gap. We intend to keep it that way. The beasts, however... the Behemoth has been lost for millennia. Nobody knows what happened to it. The other... we know where it is. It is sealed away and hopefully the method by which to unseal it died with the Lord."
"Wouldn't He have told the Seraphs so that they can enact His will if anything happened to Him?"
"Not all the Seraphs, no. He told Lucifer and Metatron. They were his favorites. Lucifer, as you know, was turned into the first devil and cast into the Underworld millennia ago and is now dead. Metatron disappeared as soon as the Great War was over. I believe he became tired of the inter-faction feud and left to live out eternity in solitude."
"So they'd have to find him."
"Yes. I understand that you are busy with your own mystery and the fight against the Khaos Brigade, but if you are able, would you please also try to find Metatron before they do?"
Zach nodded. "It would be my honor. But wouldn't the Khaos Brigade also need the trumpeters to wake the beasts up?"
"Those trumpeters committed suicide. As soon as God died, their instruments became blades. They slit their own throats and drowned in their blood. All we have left are their skeletons. Even then, the trumpeters may be responsible for that duty, but it does not mean they're the only ones who could do it. Anyone who knows how can release that beast as long as they have the will to do so and bear the responsibility for any consequences."
"Is there anything you can tell me about the beast?"
"Only that once it's awake, it cannot be stopped."
The Phoenix's Talon formed on Zach's arm. "Challenge accepted."
"Don't be stupid," Gabriel sighed. "You are powerful. Not all-powerful. Even gods cannot stand up to it. Its name is Trihexa, and it is the most destructive being in this timeline. Nobody is even sure its mind can comprehend anything other than destruction and carnage."
"I've dealt with worse."
"You were Azrael's chosen Guardian of Balance at that point. You do not have that power anymore."
"You-"
"Know your past? Sirzechs contacted the Seraphs shortly after hearing about it from you. It was quite a shock to hear from our enemy at the time and it be information that helps us. In any case, you and your friends would have no hope of stopping Trihexa, even in your prime, without the power of those Primordial Lords. You and I both know that. Even all four Satans, all four Seraphs, Azazel, and our strongest allies couldn't hope to defeat it."
"There are other mythologies that would be willing to help, aren't there?"
"Yes. But I speak from experience when I say that some are too proud to fight a battle they can't guarantee victory in. As soon as they came across Trihexa or heard of its power, they would leave and take their forces with them."
"So the odds are entirely stacked against us and if we fail to keep Trihexa sealed and asleep, there's nothing we can do."
"Exactly. But have faith. Even if God is not here in person, I believe He is watching over us, and through our prayers to Him, we will secure our victory."
"No offense, Gabriel, but praying doesn't usually get me anywhere. Getting up and taking action does."
"Then I will pray that your actions are enough to save us all."
Zach stood. "You have fun with that." He picked up his shoes and spread his wings. "Thank you for the information, Lady Gabriel. But I have to head home now."
"And leave a girl all alone on a night like this?" Gabriel pouted. "How rude."
Zach rolled his eyes. "If you want to look at it that way, be my guest. But to me, you're just another angel. See you next time we almost die, I guess." He shot into the air like a missile, disturbing the sandy beach around them.
Gabriel watched Zach go. "So, he's our hero, hm? Perhaps he has potential, but he's arrogant. Headstrong. A liability."