Chapter 125 - 42

42- The King's Sword: End of a Long Day

…..

"Do any of you have any idea of how much effort I put into this plan?" Kokabiel cleaned his face and noticed some blood on his hands before vaporizing it with the pressure of his power. "Do you? Maybe time seems like an irrelevant concept because of how old I am but I actually had to build all this up for decades! Centuries!"

The golden aura around the fallen angel began to grow and spread with a darker tone coloring it to match the expression on the man's face. However it didn't reach those weaker than him as Yoruichi's own presence worked as a barrier as she glared at Kokabiel with hatred.

"Ever since the Great War ended I waited for my chance, sharpened my weapons and gathered allies. Using my resources I had a hand on every pocket, all just to wait for the right opportunity!"

More of Kokabiel's power was unleashed and Yoruichi let out some of her own to protect her friends. Gold met gold but where the fallen angel's had a dark hue, the nekomata's power was similar to lantern banishing the night.

"When I finally had my chance, when the stars finally aligned, then what happened?" Full red eyes turned to Shirou in fury. "A human capable of fixing an incomplete sword shows up! A human capable of rebuilding Caliburn when one of its pieces was missing was an impossibility that I couldn't take into account." He then looked at Yoruichi with less hatred but hatred all the same. "And now I have one of the Kings of Kyoto, right when I was about to do everything by myself! What are these odds?!"

Impatience and fury, those were the only emotions in Kokabiel's face as it turned more and more monstrous with his turning completely red. Were him a normal being that would be the sign of something terrible wrong.

There was definitely something wrong when Yoruichi punched him in the face. "Talk to someone who cares." She moved to deliver another punch but this time Kokabiel blocked the attack. "Oh~"

"Don't you have any tact, woman?" The fallen angel asked in fury but Yoruichi didn't care, she just delivered a knee to his stomach. "Oof."

Faster than the fallen angel could blink, Yoruichi was delivering a sequence of punches on his upper body before throwing a kick to his leg. Kokabiel began to fall but his instincts, honed by milenia of combat, reacted and he began to to fly away from his opponent.

He was fast but Yoruichi was not called the Goddess of Flash for nothing and was already on him again. Kokabiel raised his defenses and blocked the first jab only to get a kick on the side of his head. Feeling his natural defenses challenged by Yoruichi's power, Kokabiel created a Light sword to cut the yokai.

Yoruichi evaded the blow and turned to deliver another kick but Kokabiel grabbed her feet with his elbow and attacked in two fronts with his sword in one hand and light energy on the other. The nekomata used his tenue hold to raise her other feet to redirect the sword, the light not harming her thanks to her Ki.

Both separated as Kokabiel turned his sword into a spear which he throwed at Yoruichi. Since if she moved the spear would fly in her friend's direction, she deflected the weapon with a hand as electricity began to run through her body.

"Lightning Claw." The nekomata's nails seemed to grow with energy that took the shape of the claws. Unlike Akeno's constructs that seemed to brim and fluctuate with energy, Yoruichi's were perfect and only looked like cat-like claws.

Then she did a slash and the claws emitted energy that seemed to cut the air and fly towards Kokabiel in five streaks of lightning. They destroyed many of the swords on their way and reached the fallen angel just as he created a shield made of Light to block the attack.

It was a square shield that protected him head to toe based on the one the Romans used and successfully protected its creator. He still felt the power pushing him but easily pushed it back only for Yoruichi to already be attacking him from the side, claws ready to rip out his eyes.

At that point Kokabiel had to retreat and take flight but not without taking a cut on his face. Some of the fury of the fallen angel had disappeared and he smiled derangedly. "At least this will be a good fight!"

Ten wings opened and dozens of Light spears formed above Kokabiel before throwing them all at the nekomata. Yoruichi began to dodge them easily as she focused some power on her left hand to have more claws to work with. "Lightning Claw!"

Ten slashes flew in Kokabiel's direction but he also dodged and made more spears. "What is wrong? Can't fly?" He threw them all again and kept making more around him to follow up only to then realize Yoruichi had disappeared in the smoke. "What the-?"

Instincts warned the fallen angel in time as Yoruichi showed up to his side and managed to cut his wings and reach his waist, piercing his flesh. Kokabiel felt the lightning disrupting his body but bit it off before hitting Yoruichi's back with a spear. Despite having reached the fallen angel she still couldn't fly so she took the hit and fell down.

Rolling around the ground, Yoruichi recovered faster than Kokabiel who was still feeling the effects from the lightning in his body. Senjutsu wasn't something he was used to fighting against and every hit the nekomata was delivering did more than just superficial wounds. He felt as the foreign Ki affected his body, forcing him to slow down.

The fallen angel was so slow that he gave Yoruichi enough time to charge more power on her two hands to send two huge lightning bolts in his direction. Fortunately for the fallen angel he could still fly and moved out of the way of the attack as his body and power began to stabilize.

Only his experience in reading expressions and the twitch of Yoruichi's lips warned him that he wasn't in the clear and Kokabiel flew higher as the lightning bolts had turned around to hit his back.

"Damn!" Yoruichi cursed as she grabbed the lightning with her hands and absorbed the energy. "I hate flying types!" She began to run again and Kokabiel struggled to follow her as she ran up to the roof to use it as a platform to launch herself. "Gotcha!"

"You think so?!" Kokabiel formed another shield and sword to block the nekomata.

When the blow came Kokabiel flew back but held his position enough to counter with his sword. Yoruichi used her claws to stop the blade of Light and the two powers collided in the air as a flash blinded everyone.

"I knew she was strong but-"

"This is ridiculous!" Ise and Saji commented but the Sitri Pawn was clearly more in disbelief than his Gremory counterpart. "Who the hell is she? If she was around, why didn't she show up sooner?!"

"It is because she is a yokai." Shirou replied easily as his vision returned and he watched Yoruichi do a flip and block the sword going her way before kicking Kokabiel away. "Like devils she also would have been affected by the Sanctuary."

"How is she that strong?" Tsubasa asked in clear interest. "She can't fly and even then she is giving that bastard a run for his money."

Koneko was the one who replied. "Senjutsu." Her voice was soft but showed no fear. "She is a master."

"Oh… Can I learn that?" The blue haired Rook asked.

Landing on her feet, Yoruichi watched as Kokabiel let out more power. "Already got rid of my Ki, huh?" WIth a fist on her palm and both at her right, she began to gather Ki, Touki and youki for a stronger strike. "Let's see how you deal with this." Her hand began to open as a sphere with a lot of Ki and a little youki took shape before she launched it at the fallen angel. "Storm Sphere!"

A sphere pulsing with lightning wasn't what Kokabiel was expecting to face that day but he easily dodged by moving to the side, watching it for a moment to make sure it wouldn't turn towards him. Yoruichi took advantage of that to jump at him faster than before and throw a flying kick but the fallen angel was expecting that and moved again.

With another sword he tried to cut the nekomata but Yoruichi parried with her claws as she began to fall down. Kokabiel saw his chance and created one hundred spears of Light to overwhelm the woman. He had to work quickly, before she landed, because she was much faster than he was, so once he had close to thirty he already began to send them.

Yoruichi blocked the weapons of Light midair and even used one to jump away from another. That was fine with Kokabiel as more and more spears followed the first volley in a wave of Light that threatened to crush the nekomata.

Then he felt lightning hit his back and his whole body felt like it was about to burst. Kokabiel was confused from the sudden attack and his concentration slipped making his weapons disappear. He tried to keep going while looking around to find who attacked him but the Cadre was hit by another bolt and began to fall.

Yoruichi landed safely and began to run around the battlefield, picking up two of Shirou's swords on the way. Her eyes never left Kokabiel as most of her concentration was on bringing him down with her surprise attack. Like before her lightning was disrupting his senses only on a smaller scale since she had no direct contact with him.

Took Kokabiel being hit two more times before he figured out that the attacks weren't coming from the students and Exorcists but from above. A single eye managed to glimpse the sphere that Yoruichi had made before throwing another lightning bolt in his direction. Fighting the numbness and forcing his power to move, the fallen angel managed to hold up a barrier with a hand before getting hit by Yoruichi from the sides.

Her two swords pierced the man's chest and stomach, Kokabiel feeling immense pain. 'When was the last time I was hit like that?' He wondered as the nekomata used her Ki to send more lightning while she moved to rip him apart.

Normal beings would be dead just by the swords but Kokabiel wasn't normal even by the moonlit world's standards. He isn't only a fallen angel but one of the first angels and with a howl of fury he pushed Yoruichi back, swords still lodged on his body as he flew away.

Her hands free, Yoruichi took direct control over her orb and had it fly towards the fallen angel once again. All the energy that it had stored was ready to blow up.

Kokabiel had to think quickly as his condition was deteriorating. He needed space and the first thing he did to get it was to fly away from Yoruichi.

The nekomata gave chase with her sphere and began to run in Kokabiel's direction as well. She knew he was suffering from her previous attacks and like he knew that he needed to get some space she knew that victory was close. The sphere moved faster and was about to get Kokabiel when she suddenly undid its existence.

"You coward!" Yoruichi kept it high in the sky as Kokabiel landed close to the group of Kuoh students.

Most were afraid by his presence but Kokabiel just laughed. "'All fair in love and war' or so they say." The man held the swords sticking in him as Yoruichi grew closer.

Kokabiel ignored the frightened and indignated looks as some of those who he was using as shields were getting ready to attack. None of them was a threat so he focused on his real opposition as ripped off and then threw the blades Yoruichi had used before at her.

Before the Cadre couldn't even fully extract the swords, Shirou was already willing them to disappear. The fight was too fast for him to keep up so he got working fast into neutralizing any advantage Kokabiel could have because of his weapons.

Yoruichi noticed how the traced weapons became mottes of mana just as they left Kokabiel's hands and let more of her youki flow. Soon cat ears and two tails showed up and she accelerated further to hit the fallen angel on his face with her elbow, doing a front kick after as a follow up.

Not having an opportunity to use someone as a hostage, Kokabiel let Yoruichi push him away with the kick. He was paying special attention to the nekomata's hand as she moved from her elbow blow into a Lightning Claw with far more energy than before.

That was why she was trying to push him away from her friends, this attack was going to be far more devastating.

Fortunately for Kokabiel he was already prepared as a shield of Light barred the attack.

The shockwave that was unleashed proved Yoruichi's caution right as those who just managed to stand fell down again. Still Kokabiel couldn't stop himself from being pushed back. The claws of Lightning threatened to break his shield and cut him in half so Kokabiel put all his power on the barrier.

It held but Kokabiel still flew all the way until he hit the gym, opening a whole as the attack kept pushing him inside until it exploded away from everyone's view.

Yoruichi made no comments and gave no warnings, she just accelerated towards the gym as fast as she could. She also shouldn't stay close to them for long in the middle of a fight while going all out as some of them could get seriously hurt. In her proper form she could feel her youki empowering every motion and move which made things more risky.

The very air around her was charged with electricity because of her claws and she planned to let Kokabiel feel every single volt from them. Yoruichi reached the opening she made in the gym faster than most people could blink but Kokabiel was already standing with a magic circle in front of her.

A magic circle with symbols Yoruichi didn't recognize. "Smite!" A strong golden Light was unleashed and the nekomata had no chance to react. Her whole body was covered with whatever spell Kokabiel was using and she flew back and hit the ground hard with smoke covering her body.

Slowly Yoruichi started to stand up as Kokabiel exited the gym and flew to the rooftop with a bloodthirsty smile. The nekomata felt that her body was stunned by whatever that spell was and her energy felt disturbed.

When Kokabiel made another magic circle of the same kind, Yoruichi turned to Senjutsu as everything else felt unbalanced. She was preparing to block or dodge whatever spell Kokabiel was using.

"IT IS HOLY ENERGY!" Sona screamed with all the air left in her lungs and Yoruichi immediately began to move to the side. She wasn't as fast as her usual speed but still fast enough to barely dodge the attack.

With a frown, Kokabiel tried to keep up with the nekomata but even after taking damage with Holy Energy she was still fast enough to dodge every shot.

Xenovia jumped in front of the devils while flaring Durandal's aura to block any stray shots. "Fallen angels shouldn't be able to use Holy Energy!" She complained louded. 'Is this because God-'

"The magic circle! That is Valper's magic circle!" Sona had glared at the blasted thing on the air for hours during her attempts to take down Kokabiel. Between the pauses, the moments of planning and the many failures, she studied it as much as she could. "It is not real Holy Light."

But its effects were close to the real thing. Close enough that it could kill any of the devils or weaken someone as strong as Yoruichi.

Kokabiel saw how Yoruichi was more wary of his attacks now that his triumph card was revealed. While true that a fallen angel couldn't use Holy Energy anymore, Valper's research gave him ideas.

Angels in general were always stagnant beings, at least when it came to power. They were created perfect in appearance, power and intelligence. While they were all different in a way or another every single one of them started as the definition of 'perfect'.

However, remaining perfect in an ever changing world was an impossible task even to the creations of God.

That turned out to not be a problem for the Angels of Heaven, not while God was around to actualize their existences. Holy Energy came from that, an actualization from what Angels originally were since they started as beings of pure Light.

Even with His death the access to Holy Energy was kept open by the system He had created.

And it stopped being a fact to the ones who fell. Without God's protection they found themselves without some of their powers and access to the Holy Energy that closed the gap against some of the beings who came close to them. Fallen angels didn't grow weaker per say but they lost some abilities that Holy Energy gave them like healing, greater manipulation of their Light and blessings.

Most would expect the fallen angels to be extinct after the first few were exiled since they still had the weakness of their pure counterparts and a slow growth in power. Instead they faced the odds and managed to survive thanks to many factors which included procreation.

Fortunately for the species as a whole the hybrids, born of the union between fallen angel and human didn't have that problem but they were born weak and in need to grow and few really had the potential to be as great as the originals.

However the world was still passing by them and Kokabiel hated to thank Azazel for having found the real solution; learn from humans and adapt.

Some protested but in the end Azazel was right and the magic circle Kokabiel was using was just one of the many things that he learned since his Fall. Unlike many of his brethren, Kokabiel had no interest in science or magic in general unless it was associated with combat or could be used for that in some form.

That was why he was one of the fallen angels that mingled most with humans, especially in places where there was war. Because of it he accumulated thousands of years of experience and strategic thinking which he was using to keep Yoruichi at bay since the combat began.

Even as his hands prepared for his next maneuver, Kokabiel worked on the Holy Energy flowing from the magic circle to keep the nekomata distracted. She was still much slower than before but the Holy Energy he used wouldn't be fatal for her even if he used all his mana to power it.

For it was not real Holy Energy, just something that Valper managed to concoct after years of research; Holy Energy without the backing of a god.

Most pantheons, not all for some had no need for it, created their own alternatives if not Holy Energy in the form of prayers, sutras, runes and many other methods. Every single one of them had a 'flavor' that marked which pantheon of god started that tradition and much like Holy Energy could be used through certain artifacts and prayers, those alternatives had their own sources.

What Valper did in his bid to rebuild 'Excalibur' was figuring out that they needed a power similar to God to execute the process. Ironically he only reached that conclusion because the Church had excommunicated him since when he was a follower the idea was too blasphemous for him to consider even when he didn't hesitate to use children in his experiments.

That was what convinced Kokabiel that the time had come and he set the plan into motion. It might have failed but he that didn't annulled the hours he poured studying Valper's research for the idea of utilizing Holy Energy again would be a great boon to any fallen angel.

His hands separated and another magic circle showed up just to fizzle out. Kokabiel frowned as magic wasn't really his forte and he didn't have much time to perfect the process.

"Angels can use magic?" Ise asked in frustration as the fallen angel kept their last hope at bay with a hand while the other worked on something. And all knew that whatever it was wouldn't be good for them. "Wasn't that supposed to be a devil thing?"

"Most magic is just manipulation of mana." Momo from Sona's peerage replied. "In theory anyone can use magic if they can feel mana."

"Yoruichi needs help." Rias pointed out but did nothing. "But we would only get in the way."

"We just need to make an opening for her." Sona looked at Xenovia with intent and the girl nodded in understanding.

"That won't work." Shirou stopped them before they could get any plan in motion, his eyes locked in Xenovia.

"Why not? I'm the most healthy here and the only one with a weapon that can harm Kokabiel."

"If you had already mastered Durandal, sure." Shirou replied with a frown.

"How do you know I haven't mastered Durandal yet?"

"I have a Reality Marble."

"I still don't understand what that means."

"It doesn't matter!" Sona interrupted the two as they watched Yoruichi jump to the side to dodge a spear of Light and rush towards Kokabiel. "Do you have any better ideas, Emiya?"

The magus nodded. "Actually I do. If Xenovia can use Durandal as a charm to protect us then Yoruichi can go all out." He saw that the bluehead didn't understand what he meant. "Yoruichi is having to protect us from Kokabiel's presence while she fights because if she doesn't some of us will be crushed by his power. If you take away that weight from her, she can fight properly."

That wasn't what the Exorcist didn't understand. "How am I supposed to make a charm?" Xenovia looked at Durandal with intrigue. "What do you mean as a 'charm'?" She read every document the Church had on Durandal and none spoke of it being used in such a manner.

"Durandal was forged using Holy Artifacts. Its power goes far beyond being just a sword." Shirou began to explain before an explosion caught their attention.

Yoruichi had managed to reach Kokabiel but the fallen angel anticipated her maneuver from the right. The fake Holy Energy that was restricting her was gone and she was once again fighting at full power, lightning coursing around her as her claws looked ready to rip Kokabiel apart.

The fallen angel wasn't afraid even if Yoruichi was much faster than him. She wasn't fast enough to escape his senses and when she came from an angle he knew exactly what she was planning to do.

"You are still far too young to be facing me." Kokabiel spoke with jest, his mood improving by the good fight and every advantage he found against the nekoshou. "But thanks for the experience of fighting Senjutsu. It has been fun."

The swipe to his side missed as once again Kokabiel took flight, his motions were followed by another magic circle showing up between them and the nekomata quickly changed course and dodged to the side as he unleashed another blast of Holy Energy.

Like he expected she began to circle around again, the rooftop of the gym being destroyed as he pursued her with one hand and worked with another. As a magic circle slightly different was finally completed, Kokabiel made it disappear as he figured out the necessary equations for what he wanted to do.

Yoruichi suddenly threw a lightning bolt in Cadre's direction, too fast for him to dodge, and Kokabiel used his wings to block the attack. He felt it anyway even if the damage was limited. His wings absorbed the energy much better than the rest of his body would but the pain was still tremendous.

It was enough to make Kokabiel flinch and Yoruichi saw it as her chance as she moved to attack him again from the back, moving as fast as she could so as not to give him a chance to find her and react.

But Kokabiel had thousands of years of experience in combat and the moment he didn't see Yoruichi in front of him was the moment he took flight again and dodged the attack within inches of crushing his spine.

Despite how much Kokabiel was enjoying the fight, he knew his time was limited. "I grow tired of this game."

"You and me both." Yoruichi began to prepare another lightning bolt when the magic circle returned in front of Kokabiel. She immediately dropped the attack and got ready to run but instead of shooting anything the circle floated in front of its creator almost inert. 'What now?'

A spear appeared on Kokabiel's hand as he studied the magic circle with a smile. "It has been long, so long since I could use Holy Energy." There was no melancholy there, just rage but not at the people in the area. It was his Father he hated the most. "Now let me show you why I am the Angel of the Stars!"

The powerless audience could only watch as Kokabiel threw the spear towards the magic circle and how it broke into hundreds of smaller spears of Holy Light. It was like the stars were falling from the sky in waves or a meteor shower that threatened to swallow Yoruichi.

With the addition of Holy Energy to his repertoar the fallen angel was able to break apart and use his energy for many more attacks. That was the power that Kokabiel had in his prime when he was one of the Angels of Heaven, a power that could compete with gods that could only belong to a ten winged angel.

The shower of Holy Light was much faster than any attack Kokabiel had unleashed before as his power seemed to gain more life by the addition of the element. Even the power of the spears was not the same as the smaller constructs were as strong as any of the bigger ones he used before.

Yoruichi tried to dodge but, as the rain of Light poured around her, she saw herself with no places to escape and had to dodge every single beam of Light individually. She successfully managed to evade the first few but they were too many and she was hit several times even as she kept moving constantly.

In the end it was the gymnasium that gave in first.

There were no explosions as the energy was too controlled for that but the building couldn't take that many hits. It just felt into itself as the structure took hundreds of spears that broke it apart with their overwhelming number.

The result was that not only Yoruichi was dodging a rain of spears but also struggling to keep her footing. Thanks to her agility and skill she didn't fall even once despite the many spears that hit her.

But they did hit her and Yoruichi had to keep moving despite the accumulating wounds. Only her skills kept her alive as she used senjutsu to neutralize most of the damage while her speed let her dodge anything fatal.

Finally she escaped the cage of Holy Light but it wasn't for free as she ended up hitting the ground hard, blood pouring from everywhere. She recovered quickly and managed to get to one knee before Kokabiel came at her with a sword of Light ready to cut her head and blocked it with a lightning charged hand.

There was no Holy Light in the sword so it was easier for her to stop it but the many cuts and wounds she had accumulated in her arms, back, legs and face made things tougher. Her orange shirt was damaged enough to reveal her bare back and black undershirt beneath but her eyes remained fierce as she jumped to the side, grabbed one of Shirou's swords and used it to stop another blow.

Kokabiel, much like the others watching, knew that was a sign that Yoruichi was losing and Shirou pleaded to Xenovia again. "You have to use it."

"But I don't know how!" Xenovia understood when he talked about the movement of mana but failed to apply his instructions. "Most of the time Durandal doesn't even obey me. It's just too powerful and when I try to force it-"

"'It acts like a wild horse that refuses to be tamed'." Xenovia's eyes widened as Shirou quoted her word for word.

"How did you-"

"You heard Kokabiel; my Reality Marble is connected with swords. You could say I am a sword but that doesn't matter." There was no time to debate philosophy and he approached Xenovia to place a hand on her shoulder. "What matters is that my friend is trying to save our lives and is losing because some here may die if Kokabiel's presence reaches us."

During the fight they stopped feeling Kokabiel's overwhelming power because Yoruichi was keeping it at bay. Even wounded and fighting for her life, her protection continued which made some of the devils, those that like Asia and Riruko, look down in sadness as they knew they knew it was mostly for their sake.

"Because of my Reality Marble I can read all the history of a sword, including yours. That is how I am able to make so many, I have the history of every single one of them in my mind." Cue to some to remember that there were thousands of swords around the battlefield, Yoruichi even grabbing a second one to help in her defense.

Xenovia understood that Shirou knew about her comparisons with Durandal because that was something she mused from time to time. The Exorcist didn't hesitate to offer him the sword. "Then do it."

"I can't." Not even because of the exhaustion since Durandal had its own power. "I am not the owner of the sword." His grip on her shoulder was gentle but firm. "That is you."

Looking at her weapon and seeing her reflection, Xenovia didn't know if she could believe Shirou's words.

So far since coming to Fuyuki she had run around in an empty chase, failed in her mission and had her worldview shattered by learning of God's death. Physically and spiritually Xenovia was beyond exhausted and part of her just wanted to crawl into a ball and die with how shaken she was after everything.

Despite that, duty kept her going as much as her moral compass. Xenovia didn't want to allow the suffering that Kokabiel's actions threatened to unleash. But Shirou could see in the Exorcist's eyes; she was done and barely hanging on by a thread.

"Do you think Durandal chose you by mistake?" Even with all that Shirou refused to give up on Xenovia. Not only she was their best hope besides a suicidal attack, he knew her history with Durandal and how dedicated she was to the path of the sword. "Do you? Because I am sure it didn't." He saw how she looked at her weapon in disbelief. "Or you thought God chose you?"

"Yes." Xenovia admitted as the sounds of the battle echoed around Kuoh. Shirou could feel his swords breaking but focused on Xenovia. "I thought that God had… recognized my faith."

Shaking his head, Shirou placed a hand on the sword. "Maybe God didn't, but Durandal did." Her eyes grew wide. "Don't think that it is alive by any means. It can't talk, react, or fight by itself like you or I."

A loud echo came from his soul as the pegasus agreed. It was close to the Durandal inside his Reality Marble and Shirou felt both blades react.

"But it has an echo, a will of some sort that I find hard to explain. Maybe it is the will of God," he could see her hopes growing but had not finished, "or maybe it is the will of the Noble Phantasm. Durandal was the one who guided me to Caliburn's fragments after it told me its history with barely a glimpse."

All of that spoke of an intelligence of some kind, maybe not rational but able to make certain decisions.

"Besides, Durandal chose you." Shirou smiled gently. "Of all people from the Church, Durandal recognized your potential. Right now you aren't at the same level as your predecessors but this sword, a sword that was wielded by heroes, decided that you could keep up with them."

Xenovia looked at her sword once again, the battle behind her forgotten even as the loud sounds proved it was still happening. Then she looked at Shirou and saw the poor condition he was in with a body much more hurt than her own and exhausted after having a city worth of mana run through it.

"A hero?" She remembered how Shirou referred to God in the same vein and a feeling of determination blossomed from her chest. "Like Cardinal Strada and Sir Roland."

"Or Hector of Troy." Xenovia looked at Shirou in surprise as something seemed to stir in her sword. "That was his weapon first. It might have changed shape and hands but it is still Durandina." He could see she was almost convinced. "I know you are upset about God but even if you can't live for Him, I believe He would be happy if you lived for yourself."

"That is right, Xenovia-san." Asia stepped up to get close to the Exorcist. She seemed to be shivering and afraid but gathered her courage to talk. "When I became a devil I knew I didn't lose our Lord, God's love, because I knew he would want me to be happy." Already exhausted she almost fell back only for Ise to catch her up.

Rias touched her Bishop's forehead and muttered "You shouldn't say the name, Asia. You already are too weak as it is."

"But I wanted to give Xenovia my honest feelings… I should have talked to her earlier today." And it was working as Asia had all of Xenovia's attention. "He loves us and even if He is gone He did it for us. How could we deny His love by not living the best life we could?" She touched Ise's arm with a smile. "I wouldn't trade those I met here for anything in the world."

From pride of having Durandal, Xenovia soon felt shame. 'She is a devil, God is dead and yet… Since when am I a coward?'

Once more she looked at Durandal and Xenovia could see another version of herself looking at it in the past; brave, determined and eager to prove herself. When she told Vasco that she planned to surpass him the old Cardinal had smiled with approval before starting to teach her some tricks to control Durandal.

Xenovia turned to Shirou, determination renewed. "What do I have to do?"

"Durandal can produce miracles to an extent. What we need is a wall or barrier that can protect us while Yoruichi goes all out." And they needed it fast as from the corner of his eye Shirou could see that Yoruichi was barely holding Kokabiel back. "But ever since Durandina became Durandal it started to respond to the will and wish of its weirders."

"Shiro, get to the point." Rias suggested, worried about her friend who was running away from Kokabiel who kept throwing Holy Energy at her.

"Right… you pray."

"Pray? That is it?" Xenovia suddenly found Shirou's expertise doubtful.

"Well, we do need a miracle." At those words Xenovia couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"Very well. Let's hope for a miracle then." Xenovia turned to the battle and raised her sword. "Are you sure that I can't just swing it at Kokabiel and kill him?"

"You could but I don't think you can control Durandal enough to do that." Shirou admitted with a frown. "The sword isn't the problem-"

"It 's me. I know." She smiled at Durandal. "Compared with those legends like Roland or even Hector… I am lacking." Xenovia spoked respectfully but had no hard feelings about that fact. "But that is fine." Her smile grew as Durandal's aura was unleashed. "That means I just have to catch up with them!"

Kokaibel stopped his attack when he felt Durandal's power pouring out. He expected an attack and immediately turned only to see Xenovia standing still with the sword's power almost out of control.

'A distraction?' He turned to look at Yoruichi who was looking at the same event with worry. 'No, she didn't know.' But it was clear Xenovia was planning something and while he couldn't reach her and the others with his presence, he could reach them with his power. "Not like I need to let them live anyway."

The fallen angel spoke out loud to force Yoruichi into action and the nekomata didn't disappoint as she threw the swords she was using at him. That gave him an opening that Kokabiel moved to capitalize and Yoruichi had no choice but to jump away from him or be hit with his spear.

But the Cadre didn't give chase and instead pivoted on his foot to throw the spear towards Xenovia. His previous advance was a feint and Yoruichi couldn't stop him anymore, out of position as she was. She began to let out more power to speed up further but Kokabiel was already making another weapon to intercept her.

Yoruichi moved for a kick to push the fallen angel back again but Kokabiel already anticipated that with a shield that stopped her. An explosion of light behind Kokabiel interrupted their fight and the man began to laugh.

"I win!" Declared Kokabiel with a sense of victory but Yoruichi's frustrated face gave way to a smile. "Don't you care about your allies dying? Or have you started to feel the thrill of combat."

Yoruichi laughed a little "With you? The only thrill I'm going to feel is going to be when I'm ripping your eyes off." Kokabiel laughed at her declaration even if he didn't understand why she was so cheerful. "Also, unlike you, I can feel the Ki of everyone here." That made the man pause and blink before he looked back to the dissipating smoke.

"Impossible!" Kokabiel had put a lot of his energy in his spear and yet when the dust settled he saw that none of the humans or devils were harmed.

On the contrary, one of them looked much stronger than before, covered by an energy that seemed to spread and protect those behind her. Standing proudly with Durandal raised in front of her was Xenovia Quarta and she had a curious look on face. She almost didn't recognize the sword in her hand but her eyes weren't being deceived and her soul told her that it was Durandal.

Except it had changed in presence as the aura it was letting out wasn't the white from typical Holy Energy nor the gold that the Fused Fragments produced.

It was bronze but a kind of bronze that Xenovia had never seen before. Quickly her mind drew comparisons with relics she had seen in the Church and Sir Gaheris armor from earlier on that day

But the bronze leaving Durandal looked more ancient than any of those. There was an ethereal quality to it that many could admire but not recognize.

She turned back to look at Shirou with a confident smile, moving the transformed Durandal towards him. "Looks like I made a miracle."

"That is incredible, Xenovia-san." Asia looked much better than before as the aura seemed to involve her kindly.

Shirou chuckled. "That you did." He, like everyone else, was surprised by Durandal's new form. However he could understand where it came from. "It looks like Durandina's power." Which made sense to him.

One of the things Shirou learned by studying Noble Phantasms was how they really grew with time by using Muramasa, Caladbolg and Hrunting as references. His Muramasa wasn't actually a legendary sword but was a Noble Phantasm due to who made it and the man's own legend, that was why it was weaker and flexible compared with the others as it wasn't fully crystalized.

Caladbolg on the other hand was an old weapon with a definitive legend which gave it a considerable destructive power. Turning it into an arrow wasn't that complicated once Shirou got some practice but the redhead always knew that if he used Caladbolg there would be no holding back its explosion.

Then there was Hrunting, which was an ancient weapon that in the past was able to always seek the vitals of its owner's enemies. Even Shirou was surprised by the strength of its blast which showed it was a high grade Noble Phantasm but its purpose wasn't to be destructive in the first place.

Hrunting's purpose was to hunt and its age made it so that once the weapon was turned into an arrow it actually became even better at its job, never losing sight of Freed even when Shirou himself couldn't find him.

Same thing applied with Xenovia's sword. "Durandina is the core of Durandal, the first weapon. Its original goal was the defense of a city." Shirou felt the aura around him and how it wasn't empowering him or anyone else, it was just protecting them. "It was once said that 'if Hector hadn't fallen then Troy wouldn't either'. That is what this is; a defense similar to the walls of Troy."

"So it remembers being Durandina?" Xenovia looked at Durandal again. "Nice." She then turned to the two combatants and pointed her weapon at Kokabiel. "While I'm here, you aren't hurting anyone else!" The fallen angel looked legitimately taken back by the declaration but Xenovia ignored him. "Shihouin Yoruichi, I'll protect everyone so fight as you please!"

That earned a loud laughter from Yoruichi. "Nyahahahaha~ That is great! Thank you, Xenovia Quarta!" Her eyes grew even more feline as energy began to build up around her. "I will hold you to it." Lightning began to surge around her but her opponent wasn't focused on her anymore.

Kokabiel ignored how much power Yoruichi was letting out now that she wasn't bothering to hold his own power back. Taking the chance he threw every little bit of his presence at the devils' direction to try and crush Rias and Sona before something else went wrong.

But only Xenovia reacted to his presence by falling to her knees. Everyone reacted by trying to help her but the bronze aura formed a wall and stopped them from advancing much like the soldiers and civilians of Troy couldn't reach Hector during and after his duel with Achilles.

"So I can't protect myself? Like I care!" Xenovia smiled as she stabbed Durandal to help her get up. "You aren't passing!"

"That is the spirit!" Yoruichi shouted in approval and Kokabiel immediately turned to defend the next attack only to fail and a punch threw him all the way back towards the rubble of the gymnasium. "Good job, Xenovia!" The nekomata stopped close to her allies and all admired how lighting covered her form but the power was still being built up. "You alright?"

As she got closer, Yoruichi noticed that Xenovia looked worse than before but the younger woman smiled again. "I don't think I can deflect another direct attack but besides that…"

"She's barely standing on her own." Koneko revealed. "Too much energy on the wall."

"She wasn't fully healed either." Rias commented.

Yoruichi took all the information and nodded. "Don't worry. I will finish this soon enough." More lightning emerged from her form as Yoruichi tore out the rest of her orange shirt to reveal her black undershirt that exposed her back. When she smiled it revealed sharp fangs. "Just keep up for a few minutes."

"Let me help!" Kiba stood up, volunteering immediately.

"Kiba, no!" Ise couldn't move away from Asia but Saji had the same thought and moved to stand in front of the Knight.

"You aren't in your right mind, man."

"This has nothing to do with the Exca- that sword!" Personally, Kiba didn't care which sword it really was, he still hated it. But that was far from his mind at the moment. "Please, let me fight. To atone for my mistakes."

Guilt and fury ran as one in Kiba who couldn't believe he ended up doing nothing even with the object of his hatred to his face. The worst part for him was that instead of keeping control he lost to rage again and put his friends into danger by just charging like an insane bull.

Yoruichi barely gave him a glance before ignoring the Knight and turning to Xenovia. "Can't that thing hold?"

"Kokabiel's presence won't reach anyone else. Not while I'm standing." The nekomata was grinning.

"It isn't just his presence you should worry about." More lightning covered Yoruichi as her power began to skyrocket and Xenovia felt the pressure coming from it. But the Exorcist didn't fall and was relieved when Yoruichi's power stopped fluctuating as she controlled it more. "Good. Keep going like this. I will finish him in a minute."

With practiced maestry Yoruichi kicked her footwear off her feet just as her nails became claws and they began to be covered with black fur. It wasn't just her feet as her bare arms and back also had black fur growing on them as her fangs seemed to be a little sharper.

Those behind Durandal protection couldn't feel the massive power right on their faces but Xenovia was sweating as she felt insignificant before the nekomata who now had fur on her arms, back and in some part of her legs that all could see thanks to some tears on her pants.

None of that detracted from Yoruichi's beauty as her face, while looking a little more wild like her hair, remained human even if her eyes became more feline.

"What the actual fu-"

"Saji, language." Sona protested weakly as even if she couldn't feel Yoruichi's power she could see how the lightning around her seemed to tear the place apart.

"So that is what happens when a yokai masters their youki." Rias whispered so softly that she believed no one could hear her.

"That is right." However Yoruichi could as her senses grew even sharper. "Most yokais can only return to their original forms or hide themselves by removing or adding extra appendages." She posed and could notice some men and women blushing in her audience. "But the same way I can turn into a full cat, I can also mix it perfectly with my nature thanks to my mastery of Senjutsu."

"I see…" Rias kept her face flat while she observed Yoruichi from head to toe. "Well, don't let us keep you. He is getting up."

"Nya~" With that Yoruichi charged at a furious Kokabiel who made another magic circle and began to prepare another spear.

The fallen angel was sure that Durandal's protection was superficial and weak. He could see that Xenovia barely knew what she was doing so all he needed to do to accomplish his goals was to throw more power at it.

When Kokabiel noticed Yoruichi's new form, he raised his guard and turned his magic circle to her. Only for her claws to sink on his chest before he could even understand what was happening.

All watching stood admired at Yoruichi's speed as an after image disappeared an instant after she had connected the blow. "That was-"

"Fast! So goddamn fast!" Tomoe stopped her Queen from speaking but no one blamed her.

Kokabiel watched as if in slow motion as Yoruichi real claws left his body. She was going slow for his 'benefit', enjoying the suffering in his face. It was hard for her to not do it as her instincts were far more attuned to a cat's than even in her cat form and she wanted to play with her prey a little.

So when Kokabiel fought back with the spear of Light he had already formed, Yoruichi did a flip backwards to give him some space. The fallen angel had a hand on his chest as his heart was wounded and exposed. His natural healing was fixing the damage but there was no way he would be ready before Yoruichi attacked again.

And attack again she did, leaning left and right playfully before disappearing right before Kokabiel's eyes. His senses were more advanced than anyone else in the area bar the nekomata herself but even he was having problems keeping up.

He heard something from his side and threw his spear as fast as he could before making another one. His attack seemed to land only for Yoruichi to disappear. 'An after image!'

Then felt a hit land on his side and turned to see a smiling Yoruichi as her fist sunk in her gut before she disappeared and only the phantom pain remained.

Not allowing it to distract him, Kokabiel moved his hand to create a magic circle with the other turning his spear. Focusing all his senses and power he managed to find Yoruichi's fast moving presence moving to attack his back.

There was no thinking as the spear stabbed the magic circle and it began to pulse as the fallen angel turned it in that direction and unleashed a cascade of Holy Light.

A flash turned the night into day one more time but while that blinded everyone else, Kokabiel's eyes were unaffected and he created another magic circle just above his chest when he noticed that he had hit nothing.

'I need to heal! I need to heal quickly and then-' A fist made contact with his face and Kokabiel stopped in the middle of his work.

"Nya~ You aren't fixing that." Yoruichi commented before accelerating again, avoiding a sword of Light aiming to her chest. A claw made contact with Kokabiel's face and he failed in counter attacking after. "What is wrong?" She kicked him before her claw sunk in his back between his wings. "Cat got your tongue?"

Letting out a lot of mana, Kokabiel made dozens of spears that Yoruichi easily dodged. He summoned some more to force her to move the way he wanted, to force her into a path for a trap. He could see the path she fell for his feint and prepared another magic circle for another one.

The blast of Holy Energy was brighter than all the others and it flew in Yoruichi's direction followed by four of his spears. His plan was to use the more dangerous Holy Energy to distract the nekomata while the spears blew up around her.

He was already making another one for his next attack when he got interrupted by Yoruichi simply charging at him surrounded by lightning. 'Holy Energy doesn't work anymore?' Was all he had time to think before his body was electrocuted. 'No- this is- stronger than before- many times stronger!'

'This is getting boring- No, focus!' Yoruichi managed to direct her mind even as the instincts she amplified with the transformation were taking hold. She moved her hand and her claws almost ripped Kokabiel's eye off as he flew back in retreat. 'Oh good~ No, I have to concentrate.'

She could feel the excess of Ki enhancing her instincts as they enhanced everything. That catlike nature that all nekomata had demanded to be let out and it took considerable effort to not give in.

Senjutsu allowed the manipulation of Ki and with it Yoruichi could do wonderous things including her new form or shrug of Holy Energy.

'I shouldn't have done that.' Creating a lightning barrier to bounce off Holy Light and other things was an idea she always had but she shouldn't have tried for the first time in real combat. 'It was an impulse. Just an impulse.'

All she wanted right then and there was to surrender to these impulses and keep having fun by jumping over Kokabiel and stomping his head on the ground. The fallen angel recovered and tried to spear through her only to hit another after image before Yoruichi showed up by his side and kicked his face.

'I sound like a junkie and I can't let Koneko-chan see me like that.' Especially not now when she recognized Yoruichi as something like a sister. She could already see the little devil's disappointed face by how she was acting. Her transformation even made the image more livid. 'I wasn't lying, Koneko-chan. This isn't a Senjutsu thing but a me thing.'

Yoruichi kept running laps around Kokabiel, from time to time throwing a punch while the fallen angel failed to hit her. She was over the hundredth lap when a thought came to her mind.

'This guy sure can take a hit… A lot of hits. He just isn't breaking.' And then a smile began to make her way, an innocent but feral grin. 'Can't I play with him… just a little bit? I mean, everything is under control, right.'

Sliding her leg between his, Yoruichi pushed Kokabiel down and expected him to fall as she channeled another lightning to throw at him. However he used his wings and retreated a step before Yoruichi's lightning connected with him. Her smile grew bigger as the fallen angel seemed to grow more desperate.

'I can play with him a bit, right?' When he landed, Yoruichi charged towards him at full speed and watched when he lifted his spear to make her impale herself. 'Nyaa~' Only for her to stop suddenly into a running position.

Kokabiel was surprised but closed the gap as fast as he could before she disappeared again. Another after image had tricked him and he was so distracted by the pain that he failed in keeping up with the nekomata.

Looking around, the fallen angel felt a chill running through his spine, an almost forgotten sensation running through him similar to the lightning Yoruichi had used since their fight began. 'Am I afraid?'

'Yes' was the answer that Kokabiel reached but he refused to show it, focusing on the fight and the Light spear in his hand. Twirling his weapon while looking around, he tried to find the nekomata. A sense of dread had him quickly turning around and swinging his spear only to find no one.

Except Yoruichi had been there as those watching could infer when they saw the tall woman move behind Kokabiel just as the man began to attack. Once again Kokabiel was looking around but this time when he moved they could see Yoruichi moving with him like a shadow.

In this case she was too fast for him to catch and his wings worked for his detriment. With how Yoruichi was moving there was no way the fallen angel could catch him and that began to affect the man.

Nobody could see or had the means to know that Kokabiel was starting to panic but he was and he knew it. Fear began to take hold the moment that he saw Yoruichi's new form but only settled when she showed her real power and he realized that previously she was putting most of her effort on protecting others and not fighting him

While Xenovia's newly acquired protection also released Kokabiel from needing to keep pressuring his 'hostages', the power he could bring to bear was falling short. HIs years of experience were rendered useless against someone with a power many times greater than his own.

And upon understanding that he saw no choice but to run away before things went worse for him.

Kokabiel opened his wings and began to fly only to find himself stuck barely two meters off the ground. "Sorry but this is officially a 'no fly zone' right now." Yoruichi revealed herself, Kokaibel's leg bleeding because of her sharp claws that also sent pulses of electricity though his system. "Don't worry. We are going to give your money back." As in she planned to make him pay for all he did by dragging him down and hitting him on the ground face first. "Oops! Looks like you forgot your baggage!" She lifted him up above her head before throwing him down once more on her other side. "That is it. Make sure to look through. The nekomata airlines won't be held responsible by any teeth," she hit him on her other side, "blood," repeated the process, "or feathers you lose in our planes!"

Once again Kokabiel's eats dirt as his Light spear was long gone and he tried to focus on protecting his head. He was succeeding only because Yoruichi was just using brute force and the earth but every second that passed he also felt great agony since she was sending more and more electricity through his leg little by little.

'Never before-' Kokabiel felt the pain on his back, his wings retreating to spare himself from more. 'Never I had-' He could barely form the thought before his arm met with a piece of wood as he protected his face. 'I should-' Again pain on his back. 'I ha-' It was starting to get difficult to think.

From the back the students of Kuoh and Exorcists couldn't help but feel a little nervous at Yoruichi's definition of fun. "She is playing with him."

"We can all see that, Sona." Rias replied with a chuckle that had her fellow King glaring at her.

"This!" The Heiress of Sitri motions to the fallen angel being manhandled. "This is why when a person like her shows up in town we have to report it!"

"But you won't~" Rias teased and Sona knew she couldn't really reply.

"Okay, that is cool and all but a question; what is going on?" Tsubasa, Sona's Rook, finally asked. She liked that Kokabiel was taking a beating but was confused by all that was happening. "Who is she again?"

"Shihouin Yoruichi, one of the Four Kings of Kyoto." Shirou was the one who replied, noticing that the other bluehead, Xenovia, looked to be struggling. "You can drop the barrier now. I don't think Kokabiel can do anything to us at this point."

Xenovia nodded and did as suggested, almost falling down only for Durandal to help her stand up. "I'm really thirsty after this."

"Okay let me see if I got this straight!" Ise pointed at Shirou after Rias' short explanation. "The cat that hangs out with us is actually a big shot from Japan's faction and she wants to get into Shirou's pants?"

Rias shrugged. "A crude way of saying it but sure."

"And you have no problems with this, Buchou?" After she shot her head, Ise looked at Shirou with envy. "Dude, are you kidding me?"

"Isn't he supposed to be the one trying to make a harem!" Saji commented while pointing at Ise but the brown haired Pawn wasn't offended.

Shirou turned to Rias. "Did you need to tell them everything?"

"Of course I did. They deserve to know~" Now that most of the danger seemed to be gone, with Yoruichi playing with Kokabiel, Rias felt more relaxed and wanted to have some fun.

"How is she winning so easily?" Issei asked with a blush after he fixed his uniform. He had a similar opinion to his namesake and fellow Pawn but decided to focus on the fight.

"Because she is one of Kyoto's Kings." Rias felt that explained everything but all the reincarnated devils and Exorcists looked confused. "Right, pretty much they are the representatives of the Japanese pantheon on Earth."

"But Kokabiel is a ten winged angel." Irina flinched as the man's face was bleeding because of what Yoruichi was doing. The nekomata even stopped to look at her handwork."They are below only the Seraphs and are able to face even pagan gods."

Xenovia knew her partner wanted her to agree but after learning about God's death she didn't feel like believing in anything.

Noticing how Irina still referred to other gods, Shirou turned to see that Medusa had passed out due to her efforts before replying. "The families of the Kings of Kyoto have a pact to train each other and help their members to reach a suitable level of power to represent their gods. The strongest ones."

"And despite how powerful a ten winged angel is, they always had only the power of minor gods while Yoruichi-dono would be on the same level as someone like Tsukiyome or maybe even Amaterasu." Sona clarified his words so Shirou nodded only to notice the harsh look she was giving at the 'fight'. "Why isn't she killing him?"

Shirou knew the question was for him. "When she transforms into that form she becomes much more… playful depending on her mood."

"You two talked about it?" Rias didn't know about Yoruichi's true power but her lover apparently did as he nodded once again.

"She never showed it to me or anything like that, something about jumping my bones too soon." He felt Ise and Saji's glare because they all knew what those words meant. "It isn't something every yokai can do, just a trump card that she worked on with Senjutsu."

Rias looked at Shirou, really looking at him with the goal of making him squirm. "You aren't telling me something about it."

"Nothing bad…" Shirou replied slowly. His face was the same as the steel of his blades, firm and unchanging. 'Can't tell her that Yoruichi described that form in detail.'

Lots of detail by taking off her clothes and moving her hands to show exactly where the black fur which was as tough as armor would grow or how she could use her claws to tear most things, like clothes apart.

Suffice to say that it was before Shirou and Rias became a thing but the magus was sure that if Yoruichi had advanced first then and there then his lover wouldn't be a devil but a nekomata. Then Rias smiled and Shirou used all his will to not react.

"But she should kill him." Sona's voice brought both redheads back to reality as the Heiress of Sitri's glare remained firm. "Every second Kokabiel lives is another chance for him to do something."

"That is hard to believe when this Yoruichi is throwing Kokabiel around like a ball, chasing the fallen angel on all fours." Nobody really could disagree with Xenovia as her legs finally gave in and she sat down. "All that I know is that I'm spent, hungry and can't wait for all this to be over."

Meanwhile the others talked or debated one thing or another, Koneko kept watching the fight eagerly. Her attention was on how Yoruichi was moving and how the power was circulating inside her.

With Durandal's barrier gone, Koneko's senses could perceive everything her mentor was doing and she couldn't help but wishing to keep up with every detail. She also knew that Yoruichi was having a lot of fun with what she was doing. The Ki leaving the nekomata was practically chipper while she played with her new toy.

At that point even Kokabiel knew he was just a toy, his body was badly wounded and blood was pouring all over. 'Where did everything go wrong?' He managed to think while the nekomata gave him a small tap to throw him around again. There was little the fallen angel could do to protest since almost all of his bones were broken and he couldn't move. 'I was never… humiliated in such a manner.'

The only reason he was alive was because he was amusing a more feral Yoruichi and Kokabiel knew it. For someone that loved to dominate the battlefield and show his power now he was impotent and vulnerable. When he stopped moving he watched as Yoruichi skipped close to him before sending him flying again.

He could barely feel himself falling into a hole and rolling before Yoruichi hit him again. She wasn't even using Senjutsu, just her strength to play with him until he died.

Because Kokabiel was already broken, both in spirit and in body as he was missing most of his teeth, blind from one eye and bleeding all over. Many of his bones were dust and had he been any other being lesser than an angel he wouldn't even be able to feel pain anymore.

This time his nature was against him for he was still a fallen angel and still felt everything happening, much to the yokai's delight.

Despite his current predicament, Kokabiel couldn't stop himself from trying to figure out where his plans failed. 'A Reality Marble…' His mind managed to muster enough hatred to remember that. 'Of all things… How could I plan… For a Reality Marble?' His fingers grabbed some dirt in rage.

If there was one thing that he couldn't anticipate, counter or even see coming was a Reality Marble. They were so rare that someone like Kokabiel, a being that has been alive for eons, had only seen one fully realized. After the user of that one died the gods, fearful of their potential, started to hunt potential Reality Marble owners.

With the research of Reality Marbles considered a taboo in the moonlit world it should be impossible for someone to have one. None had showed up, the some gods being fearful and diligent made sure that the potential would be untapped by all beings.

'Yet I found one…' Kokabiel's rage helped him get up as his power began to escape in waves. Yoruichi sat back and watched curiously, not caring for any tricks as her rational mind was buried beneath the playful cat. 'A human with one… at that… one with swords… one that could reforge Caliburn!'

Kokabiel's power flared but while that was enough to worry almost everyone, Yoruichi wasn't impressed. If anything she watched the bright lights with some childish glee in her face.

'My plans… were perfect… everything was set up…' He remembers the deals he made to reach this far, both inside and outside his Faction. Kokabiel knew that even if he survived this was his best shot at restarting a war. 'But now… now everything is… ruined.'

Playing it back everything he did over the last few centuries just to reach this moment, Kokabiel felt his rage grow even stronger.

'All because… of a human… an impossible human…' More power was let out despite the man's body almost breaking apart. 'If it wasn't for him!' The moment that Kokabiel turned to glare at Shirou, Yoruichi moved and slapped him on the back of his head.

The fallen angel lost his hold on his power and fell down again as the nekomata watched him with some wariness. She was still in her more feline mentality but all her instincts screamed 'protect' when Kokabiel sent the least bit of aggression towards Shirou.

The man managed to turn up to look at the sky, his blazing fury held beneath an even greater degree of caution.

'There is also the yokai… had you not been dead… I would think you planned this… Father…' Looking at the stars he named himself for, Kokabiel knew he couldn't win the battle but his mind still worked to try and find a solution. 'Can I kill the Heiresses? Just one…'

Denial came as the fallen angel failed to get up. Looking around he could see that Yoruichi was still on guard and there was no way for him to reach them and even if he could there were others still ready to fight.

Sacred gears and weapons were out as the devils stuck because of the Sanctuary were free to intervene if he attacked. Of them he counted two dragon type sacred gears and upon seeing one in specific he had an idea.

'A long shot…' A deranged smile came to his lips. 'He must be… close… Azazel trusts him.'

It was a gamble so unlike every other plan he had before that Kokabiel knew he was desperate but in his condition that was the only play he had left.

Since he fell from Heaven, Kokabiel saw himself as a strategist who minimized the influence of luck as much as he could. Counting on it against a Gremory also was conventionally a bad play to make. However he also knew that luck was part of the battlefield.

'If there is something humans taught me… is that sometimes you need to count your 'lucky stars'.' Kokabiel managed to drag himself to his knees. His broken bones stopped him from getting up.

He had no guarantee that it would work or even if he was right and his brother sent the right person to look for him close to Japan but he refused to accept defeat.

'One way… or another…' His power rose again as he turned to Yoruichi. The nekomata looked ready to pounce but Kokabiel's smile unnerved her enough to have her stop. "One way… or another…" He powered himself more as his wings expanded from his back again. "One way or another! I shall have my war!"

Unleashing all his power at once, Kokabiel created a pillar of Light that reached the skies. The boundary field around Kouh became visible as the fallen angel's power collided with it and the area started to shake at the beginning of an earthquake.

"What is he doing now?!" Ise asked while helping Asia to stay on her feet as the land began to shake intensely.

"I…" Rias turned to Sona who also looked towards her.

It was the Sitri who voiced their thoughts. "I don't know."

The boundary field held Kokabiel's power for as long as it could. It was designed to stop people from using mana like this, both to protect the area but also to keep the secrets of the moonlit world. When people just left Kuoh on foot it didn't stop anyone unless certain conditions were met but pure mana was another case entirely.

And Kokabiel just unleashed his power in the form the boundary field was made to counter, an immense use of mana in a form that could harm Fuyuki and expose the truth about the world. The earthquake was the result of too much power being used at once to keep the pillar contained on the inside as the ley line was being used to its full capacity.

Or it should have been if not by the fact that the ley line from Kuoh in particular had been battered into a state of exhaustion by the efforts of combining and then reforging Caliburn. More power could be pulled from other branches but that was a risk for Fuyuki's population so most boundary fields were designed to use that ley line but to not go further.

In most circumstances it would be enough to stop someone with the power to destroy an unprotected city but Kokabiel was even stronger than that.

The Angel of the Stars may have fallen, beaten to an inch of his life and with foot on the grave but he was still the Angel of the Stars and by pouring all his fury in the last of his power he succeeded in opening a hole on the boundary field that allowed his power to escape.

…

All around the town many watched as a pillar of light illuminated the night for a moment before disappearing. Some believed it was fireworks, others an hallucination and others just shrugged it off.

None of them belonged to the moonlit world who felt the power and began to move around to prepare themselves for an attack or to hide. Something was wrong and calls needed to be made.

"Setsuna-sama, maybe we should return to Kyoto." Jaken, the ever faithful servant approached his charge who was looking at her school's direction with worry.

"Are you sure that Sitri-done said that the Exorcists would be taking care of the situation?"

"Yes, ojou-sama." Both of them knew that such power escaping Kouh wasn't a good sign for the Second Owners.

Moving towards her room, Setsuna pulled out her phone and saw that she had no calls. A frown made its way to her face before she shook her head. "Call the yokais around the area to see if any of them are hurt." As the daughter of one of the Kings of Kyoto she had a duty.

Pride and worry were mixed in the kappa but he nodded. "As you wish."

Looking out from the window of her luxury apartment, Setsuna couldn't stop her worry. 'If something was happening they would call me, right?'

…

Those that were aware of the moonlit world also were running around to control the information. "Fireworks! Until we have confirmation that something happened, those were fireworks!"

In the police station the phones were ringing non stop as the officers and detectives tried to stop things from spiraling out of control without necessity but people were curious and if it wasn't for how short the pillar was then there would be thousands of videos on the internet already.

To a normal officer of the law they just had to reassure the population but to those in the know they had to get into contact with others in their group and try to coordinate with the residents of the moonlit world.

The police force wasn't alone in that plight as most agencies and contacts the moonlit world had in town began to move; the director of a certain hospital ordered more ambulances to roam the streets, the firefighters also were sent out by their captain who contacted the other battalions in Fuyuki, the news of the next day was already being written to talk about an accident.

Many pieces of a giant machine moved frantically with the goal of hiding the truth about the world from the masses. They were unsure of what was happening but every single one of them was fairly competent and knew that something was going on in Kuoh, the devils' headquarters.

Coordinating the best they could, everyone was on the same page to stop the crisis until they got into contact with the Second Owners or anyone of similar rank. It was the kind of situation they were all in as they had few contacts directly with the moonlit world besides the devils but they would hold the fort until they showed up.

Until then questions kept pouring in as the city itself tried to understand what was the majestic light that banished the night. Even one moment was enough to capture the hearts of many but those who knew the truth also knew that things would pass, they just had to hold.

'Where are the devils?' Was a question that many asked when another bright light descended on Kuoh.

Before it was a dull golden light but this one was shining even more and was completely white.

…

Back in Kuoh, Kokabiel had just spent the last of his energy and opened a hole on the boundary field. Had he been in better condition then that would barely require any effort but with his wounds it took everything he had just for a small opening the size of a big pipe.

"He used everything he had." Koneko informed everyone. A wave of relief spread over the students as the Rook's senses were always right on those matters. "There is just… so little left."

"Then we won, right?" Irina asked with a little uncertainty.

Kiba was the one who replied. "If you consider all this a win." He sounded bitter but relieved at the same time.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to fold." Saji commented as his Absorption Line disappeared.

"You did nothing since you got here, Saji." Tsubasa commented with a chuckle.

Looking a little offended, Saji avoided commenting since he saw his classmate and colleague's uniform that showed how many wounds she had before being healed by the damage it took.

Moving closer to Medusa, Shirou tried to scoop her with his arms but was too weak to do so. His body was practically protesting every move and it was just by his strength of will that he was even conscious.

"Let me help." Koneko offered and Shirou stepped back. "Is it still time for dinner?"

Shirou chuckled as he helped Koneko place the goddess on her back. "Unfortunately I think that at this point we will need to eat take out."

But any relief and celebration slowed down with a question. "Why did he do that?" Rias asked with a frown. "He must have known that unless he broke the whole thing, the boundary field would regenerate."

Everyone could see it happening as the hole the fallen angel had made was growing smaller by the second. "Was he trying to damage the city?" Issei asked and his King shook her head.

"No, the boundary field's destruction wouldn't affect the rest of Fuyuki." Although she lacked the understanding of Kokabiel's goal, Sona knew that there was something behind his actions.

"Maybe he just lost his mind?" Ise tried to be optimistic but he was as anxious as his namesake.

"Possible but I doubt it." Rias wished that Yoruichi had just killed the fallen angel but by the way she was admiring the pretty lights it was clear that the cat was still on the metaphorical wheel. "Can we do something for her to go back to normal? After all the damage Kokabiel took, a normal Yoruichi could just deal with him."

Shirou understood what his lover meant ."Sorry but she said that in this case we would have to wait her out." At least that was what she told him. But observing Kokabiel he felt relieved. "I think at this point any one of us could finish this."

It was clear to all to see that Kokabiel was done when his arms fell to his sides and the man didn't move anymore. Even the more feline Yoruichi was watching him with a certain degree of disappointment as her fun was over.

Any hope of everything ending quickly was subdued when a bright white light arrived in the area. It was a pure light that could easily be confused with one coming from a Holy Sword or similar despite lacking any traces of Holy Energy.

[Grr…]

"Ddraig?" Ise turned to his sacred gear as he heard the dragon on his head.

[Pay attention, partner. Maybe this is the day you die, after all.] Outloud he said. [The White One is here.] Just the way he said it was enough for the members of the ORC to understand who he was talking about.

The Exorcists catched up a second after since there was one being Ddraig called 'White One.' "Out of the pan and into the fire." Xenovia commented with a bitter chuckle.

Some were concerned by how massive the power felt but took solace in the fact it wasn't as massive as Yoruichi's and it lacked Kokabiel's malicious pressure. Instead there was a deepness to it that seemed to have no end as the white light began to approach the ground and everyone began to see its true form.

A majestic armor white with some shades of grays in the hands and arms, there were also several blue gems on the arms and the chest with the main one being in the center and much bigger than the others.

There was some bulkness in the armor that indicated that it could tank many hits but also looked sleek. The better comparison that some could come up with in their minds was a robot from an anime but the design still offered maximum protection and didn't hamper movement. Taking it in completely Shirou knew that a smith would find it extremely hard to forge that armor.

Especially the helmet since it not only seemed practical but also gave off the image of the head of a dragon that had no weaknesses. Truly it could only be a creation of a sacred gear.

What really captured everyone's attention were the dragon-like wings with a deep crystal blue that seemed to transcend existence. "That is it… Divide Dividing." Irina barely spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

"The White Dragon Emperor…" Ise couldn't help but gulp at the presence of his 'Destined Rival'. "How is he so strong?"

[That is because, unlike you, he is already fully realized.] Ddraig sounded upset at the notion. [What? You thought that fallen angel was some hot shit?] There was no doubt the Welsh Dragon was pissed. [He is barely a speck of dirt before my real form and not worthy of cleaning a true Heavenly Dragon Emperor's feet.]

Ise couldn't really complain or disagree as he had felt Ddraig's full power once when he dived into his soul. He knew the Red Dragon Emperor was that strong and by default his rival would be just as strong. Yet standing there with said rival in front of him made Hyoudou really understand how weak he was.

[Want to hear the worst part?] And Ddraig was fully aware of what Ise was thinking. [That is not even half of our full power. Be glad neither you or your rival have access to it.]

During the White Dragon Emperor's descent Shirou began to hear the pegasus on his soul grow agitated and act out with excitement. 'What is wrong? Why are you acting like this?'

He never got an answer because the new arrival spoke and not in a way anyone was expecting. [Are you aware of the work you gave us, Fallen of the Stars.]

"Albion… Have I truly infuriated you two that much?" Kokabiel asked sarcastically and that confirmed that the voice wasn't from the sacred gear host but the Dragon itself.

Albion's voice was eerily similar to Ddraig's and his tone carried the same gravitas for those used to hearing the Welsh Dragon. It gave off the same impression of wisdom and power while also carrying a certain irritation.

"Is it just me or does he sound… annoyed?" Asia asked as gently as he could.

The White Dragon Emperor landed and Yoruichi jumped a few steps back, instinct telling her he was dangerous even if her mind was still fogged due to the transformation. The armored form gave her a glance with blue eyes before their attention turned to the fallen angel before them.

[Oh but you did, Fallen of the Stars.] The title was clearly a jap that Kokabiel didn't like but could do nothing but glare at the armored being. [Because of you, the Crow had us flying around two continents trying to track you down! Two continents!]

The rage was palpable as a wave of hatred escaped the armored form all focused on the fallen angel even as everyone else could feel it.

[Don't buckle down now, partner. Not before the White One.] Ddraig chastised Ise but the brown haired Pawn didn't need that.

"Don't plan to." He was still standing in front of Asia and even with the wrath of Albion around them it was less direct than when Kokabiel did the same.

Still the power was impressive and Sona was furious. "The Vanishing Dragon here too." Tsubaki looked at her friend and noticed how her hand was bleeding.

"Kai-"

[Part of Europe and all of Asia! That is the extension of the goose chase you had us sent in.] The one who felt most of the dragon's wrath was Kokabiel himself.

'He is even stronger than the last time we met.' The fallen angel fought to keep his head up but he was too weak. 'He is letting Albion vent but the dragon is still held tightly on the sacred gear. This is his power alone.' He knew that the silent treatment of the owner of the sacred gear didn't mean he wasn't the one throwing his power around. "I would apologize but you don't care for empty excuses. What I can give you… is a reason."

A tilt of the head showed that the host of the Vanishing Dragon was intrigued and Albion stayed silent for a moment of clear deliberation. [We are willing to hear your reason.] The dragon spoke again after a few seconds .[And please do include why you used your energy as a beacon. We are anxious to hear about that.]

"What you see, great Vanishing Dragon Emperor, is a defeated man who had all his plans spent and was forced to go for a far more unreliable resort to accomplish his objectives." He wasn't even making an effort to hide the fact the recent arrival was that new resource. "You see, I unveiled a plot between the Heavens and the devils to destroy the Grigori."

"You got to be kidding me!" Rias complained, already seeing where that was going.

"He wouldn't dare." Sona voiced her disbelief.

"He would. The son of a bitch definitely would." Rias added.

"What is going on?" Ise asked for many as some were catching up with what was happening.

Shirou tried to explain. "He is about to pin everything-" But Kokabiel recovered enough to keep going.

"They made a deal to pretend to steal the Excalibur Fragments and managed to reforge it in a single sword!" Bloodied and with almost all of his bones broken, Kokabiel still managed to point towards the blade which still emanated an ethereal presence. "Behold, Vanishing Dragon, the legendary sword Caliburn the Golden Sword of the Victorious! With it they have the means to extingue the fallen angel race and divide the world between them."

"Son of bitch just pinned everything on us." Saji couldn't help but comment in full agreement with Rias' earlier words.

Meanwhile, Rias took a step forward. "That is all a lie!"

"See, the sister of Lucifer herself is on the plot! They even got one of the Kings of Kyoto to make sure things went smoothly!" He made an exaggerated motion to himself with a bitter laugh. "Look at my condition. See how far I have to go only to fail and they complete the sword."

And the Vanishing Dragon was paying attention, looking between Kokabiel, Yoruichi and the sword with apparent intrigue.

Albion said nothing for a few moments and Kokabiel took it as a sign to keep going. "We must destroy them and confiscate the sword. It is the only way." But he knew that the sword wouldn't budge or move, he just needed the White Dragon Emperor to kill everyone else. "That is why I called for help. I knew my brother would have sent you to look for me and that you would be around somewhere."

The last part was the only true statement but if the Vanishing Dragon believed on anything or not was up to him. He didn't know any of the citizens of Kuoh or the Exorcists and it was true that Caliburn was reforged and Yoruichi was around so there was plenty of evidence that supported Kokabiel's version of events.

So it was surprising to some that the armored form's shoulders began to shake a little, premeditating Albion's loud laughter. [Hahahahaha! Do you expect us to believe that pile of crap? There are so many holes in your story that it hurts to not laugh! And I don't even have a body! Hahahaha!]

"Thank God he isn't an idiot." Xenovia flinched when she noticed what she said and looked out at the devils who flinched as well. "Sorry."

"It is fine. I can't blame you for your relief." Because Rias and everyone else was relieved too. "I confess that I was also afraid he was some sort of… gullible idiot."

"It would be a trend with dragon based sacred gear holders." Koneko commented from the side.

""Hey!"" Said holders protested.

Even Yoruichi seemed to be powering down after the declaration that Kokabiel wasn't believed. She still held her transformation up and the power was still flowing but her rational mind returned to the forefront at the moment.

All the while the dragon laughed and it took a few seconds for the ancient being to recover. [I swear that if I had lungs I would have died suffocated! Also, for someone who loves theater so much, your act wasn't even passable.] Kokabiel felt an eyebrow twitch. [You want us to believe that Heaven could come up with a plan with the devils just like that? Chances are that you were the one trying to remake the sword for a reason or another.]

The fallen angel tried to shrug but he found himself unable to move his shoulder. "Guilt as charged." That silenced the Vanishing Dragon and the rest of the audience.

[Did you just admit to being the main responsible for the Exca- I am sorry, Caliburn's fragments theft? You do realize Azazel suspected that and asked us to collect you, right?]

"I do and I did." Kokabiel found himself chuckling despite the pain he was in.

[And you expect us to fall for your… I can't even call that acting.] Albion failed to find a proper word.

Despite the irritation at the criticism and the fact that the holder of Divine Dividing seemed to refuse to direct a word towards him Kokabiel knew that the White Dragon Emperor was still his best chance.

His last chance. "It would be much better for me, us, if we could get into the same page. The reason why I did this was to restart the Great War." Once again all were shocked by the blatant reveal but the White Dragon Emperor seemed to lean in to hear better. "To ensure the future and the supremacy of all fallen angels I orchestrated the theft of the once known Excalibur Fragments, allied with humans to have the sword reforged and planned to use it to kill the Heiresses sisters of Maous and restart the conflict."

[A confession, even if overly dramatic…] All the fury had left Albion's voice to give way to curiosity. [And you want us to be your accomplices on this?]

"I heard that your partner likes fighting. Can he think of a better place to find strong opponents than the middle of a war? The Greatest of Wars?" The fallen angel's tone sounded sweet even if to many they could only hear poison. "If you, Azazel's protege, kill them, that would accomplish the same goal. Not as beneficial to the Grigori as my plan was, a great plan by the way that was ruined by chance, but it will restart the Great War all the same since we can pin everything on them to be at fault for trying to reforge the sword."

[Hmm. No.]

Kokabiel didn't want to believe his ears. "No?"

[No, my partner doesn't want to start a war based on a lie, especially a bad one at that.] Suddenly the White Dragon Emperor was face to face with Kokabiel, just a couple of inches keeping them apart. [When we decide to start a war, it is going to be on our terms, not yours or anyone else's.] However Kokabiel's face didn't show fear.

Despite Albion's crushing presence of the Vanishing Dragon's power, the fallen angel remained calm and was even smiling. "Pity, it would be a good way to keep me as a protagonist. It seems I really lost the part." His eyes held the same mania they had previously and thought the day. "However I am pretty sure you are about to start a war and it won't even be because of a lie."

Another moment of silence passed as the White Dragon Emperor deliberated. For some reason the holder of the sacred gear wasn't talking but was still in contact with the dragon who was acting as the mouthpiece of the duo.

Either way both looked at Kokabiel with intrigue. [What do you know?]

"Hmm… Maybe not enough if I were to go by your tone." Kokabiel admitted, only for an armored hand to grab his neck. Already weak, the fallen angel felt the specter of death even closer. "Nothing… from you… but from them…" His eyes traveled to the group behind Yoruichi and the nekomata began to prepare more Ki in her hand. "A… impossibility…"

[Interesting. Maybe we should hear him out.] Albion suggested but it took another moment before the hand let go of Kokabiel's neck. [You are lucky Azazel wants you alive or else my partner would have already taken your head. We don't like you thinking that you can control us.]

When the Vanishing Dragon floated one step or two back a claw of lightning took shape to the left, aiming to Kokabiel's head.