RWOL here with chapter 4 of Angel Warrior: Archangel.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own either Evangelion and its related works or Highshool DxD and its related works.

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Chapter 4: An Angelic Beginning Part 4 – Finale

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Gabriel sighed wistfully as she looked at her beloved as he slept peacefully in their bed. With the confrontation with Kokabiel quickly approaching, Gabriel wanted to enjoy these last moments of peace with her Shinji-kun. Her beautiful sapphire orbs softened when she gazed upon her beloved's naked upper half, seeing the scars that marred it.

On his chest was a large X-shaped scar he got from facing the MP Evangelions. His left arm had a scar that showed it had been cleanly cut off at the bicep then quickly reattached, while his right arm had a scar starting from the middle of his hand all the way to his shoulder which revealed that his arm had been split in half before the two halves reattached themselves. His hands and feet showed off the stigma from when he was crucified for the Third Impact ritual. He also had several smaller scars that came from his battles as an exorcist and later a mercenary.

"Shinji-kun…" Gabriel whispered as she gently traced his scars. Every time she saw his scars, she couldn't help the rage she felt at the Fallen Angels for their despicable plans of Second Impact, the Angel Wars and the botched Third Impact. It forced a pure soul like Shinji to grow and mature before he was ready, to see things that a child didn't need to see, to become a warrior and killer. Even after all he suffered through, he somehow managed to retain his purity, and it was something she was sure no one else would have been able to do.

Looking at Shinji, Gabriel realized that he was highly complex in character. He was strong. He was smart. He was wise. He was sensitive. He was grief-stricken. He was frightened. He was courageous. He was invincible. He was vulnerable. He was loyal. He was selfless. He was tortured. He was young. He was old. And it was this complexity that was part of the reason she loved him so much. It was part of the reason she disobeyed her brother and left for earth, taking on the alias of Gabriella D'Angelo and entering Kuoh Academy so she could watch over and eventually make him hers.

Gabriel moved closer so she could cuddle Shinji, resting her head on his chest and listening to his calm breathing. She just couldn't help but feel fear for her Shinji because despite his own impressive skills he would most likely end up fighting Kokabiel. Despite his warmonger attitude, Kokabiel was known for his fierce loyalty to his fellow fallen angels and the fallen angel cause. As such when he recognized Shinji as the Angel Slayer he would immediately target him to gain vengeance for the deaths that Shinji caused Grigori.

Gabriel was startled from her thoughts when she felt a hand gently running through her hair. She instantly melted into her beloved's touch, her fears evaporating as she gave into the feeling of comfort.

"There's no need to worry so much Gabriel-chan." Shinji spoke as he felt his girlfriend snuggle him more.

"I can't help it Shinji-kun." Gabriel responded. "You're the first and only man I ever had romantic feelings for in centuries. I brought you back into the supernatural world because I couldn't stand the thought of you being made into devil should the devils find a loophole around the mandate or if one devil decided to ignore it and force you into servitude." She explained feeling some guilt over her selfish actions.

"First of all I never left the supernatural world. Besides you only did that because of your love for me." Shinji countered quickly. "I know how most devils recruit for their peerages, with some using the most underhanded of tactics to gain their slaves. I would have been used to increase their status and importance and nothing more. You saved me from a life of being a tool, slave and a pet so thank you my Tenshi-hime." He said tilting Gabriel's head upward and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Gabriel's face was beet red due to being called 'Angel Princess' even as she gladly gave into the kiss. Gabriel moved to completely lay on top of her beloved so she could be in a better position to return kiss, deepening it as her tongue moved against Shinji's in an almost sensual manner. After nearly thirty minutes of kissing the two finally ended the kiss due to a need for air, a trail of salvia between them as they stared lovingly in each other's eyes.

"I love you my Tenshi no ōji (Angel Prince)." Gabriel said returning Shinji's pet name with one of her own.

"And I love you my Angel Princess." Shinji returned before leaning in for another kiss. One that Gabriel readily returned.

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Melpha kneeled before her bed, during her usual morning prayer and was on the last few verses. Once done, the overly buxom blonde Archbishop moved to sit on her bed before gently grasping the necklace she had been given by Shinji right before he left for the Angel Wars. Opening the locket, Melpha gazed longingly at the picture of her and Shinji, her cheeks flushing with a faint blush as she focused on Shinji. Melpha couldn't help the way she felt about Shinji since from day one she knew he was the one for her. He was smart, he was funny, he was kind, he was gentle, he was generous… he was so many things that appealed to her. He always believed in her, never once looking down on her and always offered his support when she needed it. He was there for her when she cried, cheering her up and making her smile. Whenever she doubted herself or her skill, he destroyed those doubts by helping her with her strengths. He had done so much her she couldn't help her feelings becoming deeper and stronger.

When her memories were restored, she pushed herself hard in order find her Shinji and bring him back to her. Because of this she became the first female Archbishop in the Church's history and quashed any doubts her fellow clergy members had about her and her skills.

And then he returned to her. Her Shinji had come back… but he was already taken by Gabriel.

Despite the pain in her heart, Melpha didn't give up hope as she remembered Shinji's words to her about how giving up hope meant accepting defeat and basically dying. So she vowed not to give up on her feelings and to follow Shinji wherever he went for just being by his side would be enough for her. Though she would try to get a piece of his heart for herself.

Standing to her feet, Melpha dressed in her battle gear and once dressed gathered her satchel and was ready to serve the man she loved with everything she had.

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In Xenovia's room, the blue-haired beauty was laying naked in her bed with her hands behind her head. Her dark yellow eyes stared into the nothingness that was her room's ceiling as she thought about the upcoming battle. It would be her gravest battle to date, far eclipsing the one she had with that arrogant Phenex two years ago and his whore of a so-called Queen. She was about to do battle with a leader of Grigori, a fallen angel recorded in the bible and a survivor of the Great War.

This fallen angel was a warmonger, desiring only war so he could fight strong opponents and prove that fallen angels were superior to all others.

It was also the chance for her to see just how powerful her leader St. Shinji really was. Since joining Shinji's Brave Saint, she had been curious about his skill given he was personally trained by Vasco Strada. The way he stood, it was subtle, but she could see that he was always prepared for a confrontation; coiled and ready to strike like a snake. His walk was filled with confidence but not an ounce of smugness or arrogance. When he began instructing her in fully learning the Angel Sword techniques (her guardian Griselda had taught her the techniques after she had mastered them) she saw glimpses of his technique; they were measured and calculative where there was no wasted movement or energy. Each strike was meant to bring Shinji closer to victory and his foe closer to defeat.

It made a thrill go through her at the thought of testing herself against Shinji. Despite her attempts to hide it from others, Xenovia had become something of a battle maniac; mainly in her desire to test herself against strong opponents. To see how she far she has come with her training; to find her current limits and then break past them. And she could see that Shinji was the same; he wanted to fight strong opponents to test himself, to see just how far he is on the food chain and to see where his power was ranked at.

Rising from her bed, the blue-haired beauty did her morning routines before getting dressed in her battle attire.

Come Kokabiel! Let's see how you fare against my King the Archangel of Twilight St. Shinji. Xenovia thought bringing her hand upward and clenching it into a fist.

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Asia kneeled before her bed as she just finished her morning prayer. Despite finding out the truth about God's death during the final years of the Great War, Asia couldn't stop herself from still praying. Even though God was dead she still believes in his teachings because they were the only things she knew. She had lived by them since she was born and even after she was taken in and made a Holy Maiden. And because of this she was rewarded with becoming an angel of Heaven. Shinji Strada had saw her potential and made her an angel, thus a member of his Brave Saint. She was grateful to Shinji since he had always treated her with genuine kindness.

There was no ulterior motives, no false smiles and words, no her holding her at arms' length due to her Twilight Healing making her a 'freak'. No he treated her as a friend and a comrade, genuinely caring for her wellbeing. He had her training under Lord Raphael not only to improve her healing technique but also because he wanted her to become a confident woman who was firm in her beliefs and had the strength needed to protect those she cared about. He proved this when he told her about God's death; so that Kokabiel couldn't hurt her when he revealed it in an attempt to make her and the others despair.

As long as there is still one person who believes in God and follows his teachings, God is alive. Each and every Christian in this world keeps God alive and thusly he can never truly be dead no matter what. Just as the Satans aren't forgotten by the devils, God isn't forgotten by the Angels and Christians of the world.

That was what her leader told her and he was right in the end. God was still alive in her heart because she believed in both him and his teachings. She would be forever grateful to Shinji, not only for his genuine kindness and friendship towards her, but also for giving her a new life where she could truly help those in need and for giving her the courage to continue moving on in her life as a Christian despite God's death.

Thank you St. Shinji-sama. Asia thought with a tearful smile. Know that I will always serve you to the best of my abilities. Besides God, only you are worthy of my loyalty, friendship and love. Asia thought before praying again. "Dear God, please watch over St. Shinji. Please guide him so he remains on the just and righteous path. Please protect him from those that wish to harm him. And please… allow me to be by his side always. Amen." Asia prayed.

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Irina Shidou sat in a meditative position already dressed in her battle attire, Excalibur Mimic in its katana form resting across her lap. Today was the day that she would face her gravest trial yet; facing down the legendary fallen angel cadre Kokabiel. Despite everything she had recently gone through because of this mission, Irina was determined and ready to prove herself by facing this trial head on. And in the end she'll be stronger for the next trial that like this one she'll overcome.

Why?

Because St. Shinji was counting on her to be helpful!

She owed her King that much after how much he helped her so far, especially last night.

Why?! Why are you telling me this lie?!

It's not a lie Irina-san it's the cold, hard truth. Gabriel and Melpha will tell you since she saw the final battle between God and the Original Lucifer; Melpha is part of the clergy who have blood sworn to keep the truth hidden; and Xenovia can back me up on this since I told her earlier today.

But… God can't be dead! He just can't!

He is Irina-san and for the last 1000 years. But as I told Xenovia he still lives on in your heart.

My… my heart?

Yes Irina-san your heart. As long as you continue to believe and follow his teachings then God continues to live on through you and every Christian in the world. He will never be forgotten as long there is one believer in this world that preaches the good word. Besides I'm telling you this not to hurt you or weaken your faith. It's so you won't be despaired when Kokabiel reveals it. Being a warmonger on top of a sadistic monster, he'll use every means to try and beat us, including revealing God's death, just so he can watch you despair and gain sick glee from it. But remember my words Irina-san, God lives on through you and I know he's proud of how you and the rest of his children are enduring in his absence. That is the mark of a true Christian; to endure the trials put before you, not compromising your morals and values and not betraying your faith.

"Yes I will endure this and grow stronger for it." Irina murmured to herself her hand clenching tightly around Mimic's handle. "I will become a true Christian as St. Shinji-sama believes I am and in doing so become a true angel as well. Yes St. Shinji-sama is wise and I will serve him faithfully as I do God's teachings. I know now I was meant to join St. Shinji-sama's Brave Saint for he's the only one truly worthy of serving under." She said snapping her eyes open and revealing they were blazing with determination.

The Ace of Oracles was ready for battle.

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Griselda flowed through a series of kata, showing the mark of a master-level fighter with how smoothly and seamlessly she transitioned from one kata to another. Her strikes were measured so she didn't waste energy and movement. Finishing her final kata, the Queen of Hearts sighed before stabbing her sword into the ground and wiping the lite sheen of sweat from her forehead with the towel she summoned. She looked up to the morning skies knowing that the upcoming battle would determine the world's path from hence forth.

Would there be peace, no matter how fragile it was.

Or would there be a war that would consume everything and everyone.

She sighed as she remembered how Shinji Strada entered her life by way of her King who held feelings for the young warrior. Being on Gabriel's Brave Saint meant she had the chance to meet and spar with the legend himself. Despite having reservations towards Gabriel's relationship with Shinji, Griselda was intrigued by Shinji for her own reasons. Even though he was a true believer, he had liberalist views which apparently allowed him to remain open minded.

He had claimed that he respects all religions because in the end it was that particular person's choice to worship in that religion they had chosen for themselves. He would not look down on or disrespect that person for the religion they chose as in his opinion it was those who were intolerant that caused and inflamed the strife that currently exists between the religions.

There is no one religion superior to others as all religions are equal. Thinking that your religion is the superior one is the main reason there is so much friction between them.

In fact she had a few debates with Shinji on the topic of religion and was surprised by many of his answers. He didn't try to argue her down or try to make himself right. He merely presented his opinions in a clear and neutral stance; pointing out flaws that he saw and giving possible solutions. She was surprised by Shinji's wisdom despite his young age and his belief for religious tolerance.

And then he reveals the truth of God to Asia, Irina and herself not only so they know the truth but to protect them from Kokabiel should the fallen angel try to hurt them spiritually. Like the devotee Christian she is, Griselda tried to deny Shinji's words as a lie… until both Gabriel, Melpha and Xenovia confirmed that Shinji was telling the truth. Griselda very couldn't call her King a liar since the Archangel has lived for thousands of years and saw the final battle between Lucifer and God. Melpha was part of the clergy and thus, one of the few humans to know the truth. Xenovia revealed she learned the truth earlier that day and it was thanks to Shinji's words afterward that allowed her to continue on as a Christian.

Words which Shinji repeated with a little bit extra wisdom tacked on for good measure. He had, in a few simple words, rejuvenated her faith in the Christian teachings and given her the strength to continue on as a Christian.

Shinji Strada you are one interesting man. Griselda thought with a small smile on her beautiful face. I now understand why Lady Gabriel loves you so… and why I'm beginning to love you as well. Griselda thought knowing her budding feelings would cause tension between her and Gabriel.

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Kiba Yuuto stared blankly out his apartment window, his mind on the compromise Shinji gave to his master Rias just yesterday. After being trounced by two Excalibur wielders within the same damn week Kiba was ready to go Stray and do whatever it took to get his revenge… until his Buchou had told him of the compromise and it left Kiba wondering.

Was he really just projecting his rage and hatred on the Excaliburs because he wouldn't have been able to get revenge on the man responsible for the pain and suffering of him and his Holy Sword comrades?

He had spent the better part of the night thinking about Shinji's words and came to the dawning realization that Shinji was absolutely right. When he really thought about it, it was completely idiotic to hate an inanimate object that had done absolutely nothing to him. A sword could only harm him when wielded by someone who had ill intent. It was all Valper's doing because of the man's overwhelming greed towards the Excaliburs. The allure of the Excalibur's immense powers must have drove Valper in creating the Holy Sword project so that maybe one day he could wield the sword itself.

All the pain and suffering of those who had been part of the Holy Sword experiment was for Valper to be able to wield Excalibur himself. It wasn't about making the Church stronger, no it was about Valper's selfish desire.

Summoning Holy Eraser, Kiba moved so he was in a Knight's stance. "My Holy Sword comrades please forgive me for my foolishness. But know that soon I will avenge you all by making Valper pay for his sins. That I vow!" Kiba promised before getting prepared for battle that would determine the future.

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Back at the shrine that is their home/HQ the Brave Saints of Hearts and Oracle were putting the finishing touches on their preparations for their battle with Kokabiel. Though Shinji had to wonder just how sexually repressed the old men running the Church were because really the so-called 'battle attire' Xenovia, Irina and Griselda were wearing were a bit too sexualized for the term battle attire.

Melpha's version was a one-piece, skin-tight body with the arms and legs being a grayish-black with a matching corset-like vest for support, and modified knee-high boots with knee-pads built in. Her long hair was now in a messy ponytail with a braid wrapped around it. Xenovia's version was a black, skin-tight unitard with short sleeves and pauldrons, matching fingerless gloves that extend to her biceps, and thigh-high boots, all of which are adorned with straps. Asia had gotten her own battle attire which was a long-sleeved, skin-tight unitard with fingerless gloves and thigh-high boots. Irina's battle attire was a thigh-length variant of the female Church battle attire, didn't have the pauldrons like Xenovia's and was sleeveless. Griselda's version was a long-sleeved unitard with the pauldrons and built-in elbow pads with the sleeves' ends simulating fingerless gloves. She wore dark gray fishnet-like tights underneath the unitard with built-in knee pads and knee-high boots on her lower half. (*Note: Think of Black Canary from DC Comics.*)

Their attire did little if nothing in showing off their ripe and shapely bodies. Every curve and contour of their bodies was on display particularly in their breasts areas (especially since their crucifixes brought attention their ample breasts whose perfectly round shapes were clearly defined by the tight outfit) and ass areas (again an area clearly defined by the tight outfit).

This is probably the closest thing to porn for those old codgers. Shinji thought as he double checked his gear. Shinji himself wore a black, military-grade body suit with a neoprene under-layer for comfort with built-in reinforced elbow and knee pads along with a built-in Batman-styled utility belt. On top of the bodysuit's upper half was torso and shoulder armor made from the scales of the Diamond and Titanium Dragons along with the leg armor that covered the suit's lower half. The suit was reinforced with an adamant coated bulletproof Kevlar, bi-weave mesh with high-level magical enchantments for further protection of his vitals. The elbow and knee pads were also made of adamant for extra protection and an added level of attack for his elbow and knee strikes.

He wore matte-black, armored gauntlets that stopped short of his elbows, with the armor being made of the scales of the Diamond and Titanium Dragons also and the knuckle parts were adamant so to enhance his punches. There were hidden, assassin-styled blades hidden within the gauntlets for a surprise attack. The blades were unique as they too were made out of the scales of the Diamond Dragon and Titanium Dragon so they were literally unbreakable. His armored combat boots were also made of the same substances as his gauntlets and the rest of the suits armored pieces, and were also matte-black in color and had two daggers hidden in the front and the back.

The suit also included a mask-helmet fusion, armored just like elbows, knees, gloves and boots to protect his head. There were several gadgets built-in; infrared vision, x-ray vision, night vision, a two-way radio with an encrypted channel for him and his allies and a magic seal on the mouth area that filtered the air and protected him from air borne toxins.

The 'outfit' was completed with a night-black short-sleeved, hooded cloak that made Shinji look more like a Dark Lord of the Sith than a holy warrior of God.

Gabriel and the others had been in awe when Shinji appeared in his normal battle attire and explained its functions. As he doubled checked his gear, Shinji gave his girlfriend/Queen discreet glances because of how effing beautiful she always was, even in her battle attire. She wore a set of armor that consisted of an ornate metal corset-shaped breastplate on her torso followed by a white skirt with blue ends, and a white cloth wrap behind her. On her arms she has two full length arm-guards with white cloth pauldrons, and on her legs she has thigh-high metal boots. The armor was pearl-white in color with gold trim. (*Think of Annelotte's armor from Queen's Blade but how I described.*)

"Alright since we're already here's the plan." Shinji began getting the women to listen. "Kokabiel will most likely attack today given Xenovia's confrontation with Freed. This means that Kuoh Academy will be our battle ground and where we end things." Shinji said getting nods of acceptance. "Asia as the healer you need to stay out of sight so as not to be targeted. You'll team with Melpha since she has some powerful defensive spells."

"Hai St. Shinji-sama." Melpha and Asia said to their leader.

"The rest of you will handle the stray priests and any other surprises. Kokabiel is mine to battle." He said getting a grimace from Gabriel. Before anything else could be said, the angels felt a cold shiver run through them. Shinji widened his eyes in shock and realization before running outside to confirm his fears with the girls hot on his tail.

"A barrier?!" Gabriel gasped seeing the shimmering atmosphere. "NO! He means to involve the humans in this! He's forcing us to choose between either trying to save the humans or fighting him to stop his plans!" Gabriel realized in horror.

"The cunning bastard." Xenovia hissed as she glared at the barrier.

"Tch." Shinji muttered before summoning his power. A baseball-sized orb of holy energy appeared in his hand before he threw into the air high above Kuoh Town where it dispersed into glittery particles that rained down on the town. "That will render all non-supernaturals unconscious. That's the best we can do for the humans. We have to get to Kuoh Academy and stop Kokabiel now! Ophis stay here and watch the place. I'll call you if I need okay." Shinji said getting a nod from the loli-dragon. He then summoned a mandala to teleport his Brave Saint to Kuoh Academy.

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(Kuoh Academy)

Kokabiel smiled darkly as he sat in his floating throne, looking down on the world as if he was a dark god. Standing beside his throne on the left and right respectively were his two loyal minions who have always faithfully served him since they fell from Heaven centuries ago. The stage was set; the bomb was already set and was counting down, his forces were battle ready and thirsting for blood and carnage, and Valper was ready with his little experiment. All that was needed now was for the players to show themselves.

Ah. Speak of the devil… Kokabiel gave a dry chuckle at the thought as he sensed two decently sized yoki signatures. A red and blue mandala, baring the crests of the Gremory and Sitri clans respectively, appeared depositing the Gremory and Sitri peerages. Rias and Sona directed their attention to the floating throne and saw Kokabiel looking down on them, both literally and figuratively.

Before anything could be said or done, a silver-white mandala baring the crest of Heaven appeared depositing the heavenly angels sent by Michael. When Kokabiel looked them over, noting his former sister Gabriel, his red eyes stopped and widened when they landed on the only male in the group. They then narrowed in anger and malice when he recognized the person. Standing from his throne, Kokabiel snapped his fingers causing a large, singular mandala to appear that released his forces. There were 100 stray priests armed to the teeth along with 50 Knight-like beings known as Black Knight Golems. The Knight Golems stood eight feet tall with gleaming onyx armor, armed with either a shield and sword or shield and lance. Their eyes glowed with the ferocity of a red-hot star, glaring darkly at those before them. (*Note: Think of the Black Knight Golem from Castlevania Lords of Shadow*)

"Freed." Kokabiel's dark voice resounded through the academy.

"Yea boss man Koka." Freed said, the insane priest revealing himself. He scanned the groups before him before his eyes landed on Kiba and Xenovia. "Oi! Shitty devil and angel-chan! So good of you to show up! It saves me the time of hunting ya shitty asses down and kill ya." He said licking his lips at the thought of spilling their blood. Xenovia gave Freed a disgusted look while Kiba glared at the insane priest. "Oi! Old man Valper you ready or what?! I want to kill some shitty devils and angels!" Freed shouted getting Kiba to stiffen when Valper revealed himself.

"Ah youth these days. So impatient." Valper sighed. He scanned the group and stopped when he spotted Kiba. "Ah. Izaiya it's been so long since I last laid eyes on you. How have you been… my adopted son?" he asked honestly while dropping a major bombshell and using Kiba's birth name. The entire area within Kuoh Academy's grounds was silent after that. The only sound that could heard was the gnashing of Kiba's teeth as he glared venomously at his adopted father.

Kiba's peerage mates and the Sitri devils stared at him with worry and shock. They knew that he had been adopted into the church but to think that his adopted father was the very one who made his life hell with the Holy Sword Project. The angels were shocked also as they could all admit that they didn't see this coming at all.

Well this is one fucked up family reunion. Shinji thought shaking his head. To think that Kiba-san would be related to this monster in human skin. Though I can understand since I used to live with the stigma of being related to Gendo Rokubongi. Shinji mused.

"YOU ARE NO FATHER OF MINE YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD!" Kiba screamed towards the disgraced Archbishop. "AND I NO LONGER GO BY THAT ACCURSED NAME!"

"Oi! You mean shitty devil-chan is your son old man." Freed asked cocking his head.

"Yes. I found the boy on the streets and took him in when I saw his potential. In fact he was the very first volunteer for Holy Sword Project. Foolishly believing he could become the hero of the Church with it." Valper said looking at his failure of a son. "Besides yourself Freed, Izaiya here could wield all of the Excalibur pieces quite easily. Alas he still ended up as a failure like the rest. Oh well I can see to the disposal of the final test subject from Holy Sword Project be completed." He said waving his left arm.

A golden mandala appeared where a golden, bastardized-looking sword rose up from the ground. The devils shivered as they felt the immense holy aura from the sword. Their natural devil instincts were telling them to stay away from… this abomination of a holy sword. Though for Kiba, his rage only heightened when he saw the abomination before him, summoning his trusted sword Holy Eraser.

"This is my greatest creation; a fusion of the Excalibur pieces we've gathered… the Fused Excalibur." Valper said proudly gesturing to the sword. "Soon enough I'll recreate the almighty True Excalibur once I get Destruction, Mimic and Ruler. Freed have fun testing out my creation. Oh and save Izaiya for last. I want him to see a true Excalibur wielder's power."

"Gotcha old man Valper." Freed said moving towards the sword, grasping it before setting it free. Its holy power increased dramatically as he gave it a few experimental swings. Grinning maliciously Freed turned his attention to the devils and angels. Using the power of Rapidly, he blurred into action but was met by Kiba as they clashed once again.

And that was the signal for the battle to begin.

Sona and her peerage acted quickly, calling upon their yoki and combining it together to create the strongest barrier they could in order to contain the battle.

Then Kokabiel's forces charge forward with a loud war cry and their weapons drawn. The Gremory peerage and the Brave Saints charged as well.

The battle for the future had begun.

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{Gabriel VS Bezaliel}

Gabriel stared down her former brother the Shadow of God, Bezaliel. He was still the bald, seven-foot three-inch tall, dark-skinned man with a hulk-like physique. He still has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one. He wore no shirt or any kind of top, further displaying his hulking physique. He has various tribal tattoos covering the entirety of his upper arms, his entire chest and back. He wore gold bangle bracelets on each wrist and wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the center. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler and boxer. Ten, jet-black wings jutted from his back. (*Note: Think of the Fourth Raikage from Naruto but bald and with tattoos.*)

"It has been some years since we last met Gabriel." Bezaliel said in his usual deep, baritone voice as he looked at his former sister.

"Yes it has Bezaliel." Gabriel said simply. "I can already see that I won't be able to talk you out of this foolish action of starting another war." She said with a frown as she gathered her power.

Bezaliel chuckled before retorting; "To you this may be foolish but to those who do not like this fragile peace and how it came about… this action is needed. The grudges of the past have yet to disappear my naïve little sister. While some have managed to lay their grudges to rest, there are others who weren't able to and have even nursed those grudges to the point of being consumed by them. Even if we are to fail today, there are others who will take up our cause and unleash the fires of war upon this world."

Gabriel frowned as she listened to Bezaliel, unable to refute his words. She knew several of her fellow angels who still talked about eradicating the devils and fallen angels. They did not understand the sacrifices needed to do such a thing and even if it was possible, then Heaven would be severely weakened which would be an open invitation for the other factions to try something.

The beautiful Archangel put those thoughts on the back burner, summoned her trusted Sword of Fate and unleashed her power. In response Bezaliel unleashed his power and charged towards Gabriel who met his charge with her own.

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{Griselda VS Qemuel}

Griselda grunted as she clashed with the eight-winged fallen angel Qemuel. There had been no words exchanged when Kokabiel's forces charged forward and Qemuel targeted her. Her trusted blade Tizona, a Katzbalger arming sword, clashed with Qemuel's blue light spear. Pushing the man back, Griselda managed to get a good look at Qemuel's appearance.

He is a tall, muscular man with light blue spiky hair with matching eyes, the latter including green lines below them. Qemuel's attire consists of a ragged black, punk-styled vest with an upturned collar and spikes along his shoulder ridge. The inseam was light blue to match his hair and eyes. He wore a navy blue A-shirt with a stylized skull icon on its front with the obscene message of 'F*ck U'. His entire right forearm was covered in a tattoo depicting a naked female fallen angel with twelves wings and holding a scythe. His hands were adorned in black, fingerless gloves with bangles on his wrists. He wore baggy, acid washed, dark olive-green jeans with rips and tears in them and was held up with a skull buckled belt and combat boots with the laces undone.

"Tch. Not bad for a woman though I'm not really seeing why you're called the strongest female exorcist the Church ever produced." Qemuel taunted. Griselda merely let the taunt slide off her like water off a duck's back, already used the usual sexism that came with being a female warrior. Griselda charged forward, surging Tizona with her holy power and launched several energy-wave slashes at Qemuel. The eight-winged fallen angel did some aerial maneuvers to dodge the attacks and managed to get his spear up to block Griselda's strike.

Qemuel once again flinched back in fear, which Griselda capitalized on by hitting the Angel Sword technique Flash Strike to cut through the light spear like butter and deal a strong blow to the fallen angel's chest. Qemuel growled angrily as he held his bloody chest.

First blood went to Griselda.

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"Hah!" Xenovia shouted as she struck down another stray priest with Destruction. After the two fallen angels with Kokabiel had targeted Gabriel and Griselda, the 100 stray exorcists had split up into two large groups; 50 targeting the angels with the other 50 targeting the devils with the Knight Golems backing them up. Xenovia was abusing the power of Excalibur Destruction, using its immense destruction powers to mutilate any stray exorcist and the Knight Golems foolish enough to cross her path. Though the Knight Golems were proving tricky in killing but she'll manage. She even took a few holy firearms from the dead exorcists to even things up since some of the exorcists were former Dragoons. And it had been a while since she used a gun due to her preference in getting up close and personal with her opponent.

Though she made a mental note to keep the bazooka because she liked the destruction it wrought when she made it go boom.

Irina was using Mimic's ability to the maximum, using any and all weapons she could think of and trained in to take out the stray priests and the Knight Golems which were proving a bitch to take down. In fact she had already brought out her true holy sword, Hauteclere which had some effect on the golems, getting them to freeze up and apparently short-circuit but they would just keep coming. Though their movements were now sluggish and 'glitchy'. Melpha was proving her magical prowess by protecting both herself and Asia in the strongest barrier she could produce while also launching powerful magical blasts at anything coming towards her. Though the Knight Golems beings were, to a degree, shrugging off each attack and kept up their slow pace towards them. Asia was using her Twilight Healing to rejuvenate Melpha so the older blonde could keep up her onslaught.

On the devil's side, Rias and Akeno were taking on all of the Knight Golems that had chosen to come towards the devils to get rid of the more dangerous threats. Power of Destruction and various elements were relentless in striking the 'robotic' beings but they were, to a degree, shrugging off the attacks. A few of the Knight Golems had broken off from that battle and moved towards the others. Koneko, Xuelan and Isabela were pummeling any exorcists within their reach with Isabela actually using a random priest she got her hands on as a human baseball bat to bludgeon other priests with. With Siris and Karlamine, they were slicing and dicing priests left and right. The priests were unable to track the Gremory Knights' immense speed; only seeing brief glints of steel before their lives ended.

Ravel was immolating priests left and right and striking against the golems with everything she had while Mihae was using everything in her arsenal to take down any and every attacker. The Pawns, having promoted themselves to Queen, were attacking anything that was moving. As Issei, after some struggling and several Boosts, had managed to take down a few priests of his own. He was shaken out of his small triumph when he saw a priest sneaking up on Ravel with a light blade. Rushing towards the priest and praying to Satan that he's not too late, Issei began boosting his power once more to enhance his poor attributes so he could run faster. It was then that Issei got his miracle as the Boosted Gear reacted to his desire to save Ravel, allowing Issei to finally 'level-up' so to speak, gaining the 'true' form of the Boosted Gear.

"RAAAGGGHHHHH!" Issei shouted as he launched his Dragon Cannon attack. The cannon-like blast vaporized the unsuspecting priest, even as Ravel turned around when she sensed the discharge of yoki. A Knight Golem that was fighting both Xuelan and Isabela took heavy damage but still continued on with the fight.

"Issei-kun!" Ravel gasped realizing her Issei had saved her.

"I'm glad I made it time Ravel-chan." Issei said giving Ravel a thumbs-up. Whew! I nearly lost a beautiful pair of oppai there. Issei thought to himself as he stared lecherously at Ravel's well-sized oppai and getting the girl to blush when she realized where her crush was staring at.

"You two can fuck each other later. Right now we got a fight to win!" Isabela growled to the two as she and Xuelan struggled against a Knight Golem. The two blushed deeply (with Issei letting out a perverted giggle at the thought of fucking Ravel) before snapping to attention, Ravel and Issei rushed headlong into the battle. Issei began supporting his comrades by using his newly unlocked Transfer ability; boosting his power to a considerable degree then transferring it to his peerage mates. This gave the Gremory Team an edge against the supposedly nigh-unbeatable Knight Golems.

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{Kiba VS Freed}

"Kukukuku! Shitty devil-chan is entertaining!" Freed cackled as he clashed with Kiba again and again. The Fused Excalibur once again crashed against Kiba's Holy Eraser in a fight for dominance. Like their previous fight, the two were evenly matched but this time Kiba was ready for any surprises from Freed. "Shitty devil-chan are you jizzing yourself like I am?! Because I'm practically jizzing myself here!" Freed shouted as he managed to push Kiba back.

"You disgusting bastard! I'll end you here!" Kiba said desummoning Holy Eraser and summoning his strongest sword and charging towards Freed once again. Freed was stunned when Kiba's sword ignited with black fire, black wind and black lightning, which Kiba took full advantage of by giving Freed two deep gashes in the shape of an X on his chest causing the insane priest to cry out in pain. "This is my strongest sword created from Sword Birth… Seikai Joshin (精圧壊 女神 Spirit Crushing Goddess)!" Kiba declared. "

Seikai Joshin allowed Kiba to use the five elements of fire, wind, lightning, earth and water and then mix them with the darkness element to form the dark elementals. The black fire, the strongest and most destructive form of fire, burned and cauterized. The black wind enhanced the sword's cutting power by sharpening the edge while also enhancing the fire's power, black lightning enhanced the sword's piercing power with vibrations and messed with the target's nervous system, the black earth strengthened the sword's durability while damaging the opposing sword, and black water enhanced the sword's speed and fluidity and also damaged the opposing sword due to its acidic nature.

It was a pet project of Kiba's in his bid to gain vengeance against the Excaliburs. Sekai Joshin was Kiba's answer to equaling the power of the Excalibur pieces. Basically it was his anti-Excalibur.

Kiba blurred into action, pushing his Knight power to the max, slashing wildly at Freed who was unable to counter due to the lightning screwing with his nervous system. Kiba brutally kicked Freed in his chest, sending the rogue priest tumbling head over ass twice before he landed with a thud.

Freed growled as he struggled to his feet, wheezing as he struggled for breath. "Un. Shitty devil-chan got some new tricks. But so do I!" Freed shouted before vanishing from Kiba's sight. The blonde Knight guarded himself as he recalled the powers of the Excalibur pieces.

He must be using Excalibur Transparency. Kiba thought as he focused on his surroundings and ignored the other sounds of battle. Transparency renders the user and the sword itself invisible to the senses of an opponent but… Kiba thought quickly ducking under an invisible slash and lashed out with his own sword that got him a yelp of surprise. Freed was forced to drop the invisibility due to the cut on his cheek. But it can't render the KI (killing intent) invisible to the senses of the opponent. And Freed is just leaking KI by the gallons.

"Ya shitty devil! I'll fucking rape ya for ruining my handsome face!" Freed shouted as he suddenly duplicated himself. Kiba was on guard once again as he looked at Freed and his clones. "Ha! Take this devil-chan! I've cloned myself! So let's have a gangbang!" Freed shouted as he and his 'clones' used Rapidly's power to run circles around Kiba.

Kiba merely tightened his guard as he focused on the army of Freeds.

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{Legend VS Legend: Kokabiel VS Shinji}

"So you show yourself Angel Slayer." Kokabiel spat angrily seeing his brethren's murderer before him. "This makes things easier for me since I won't have to hunt you down. It saves me time… time that I can use to kill you and avenge my brethren you murdered!" Kokabiel shouted over the sounds of battle below him.

"Avenge?" Shinji questioned. "They destroyed an entire continent, killing 3½ billion people in the process, ruined the world nearly beyond repair, then 16 years later started a war with the intent to wipe out the rest of humanity." Shinji listed off as he summoned his trusted blade. "You have a twisted sense of loyalty for wanting to avenge people like that. But I'm not here to debate about your sense of loyalty. I'm here to stop you one way or another. Since it's clear that you won't surrender if given the option, then you might as well come to peace with yourself because today is the day you die." Shinji promised pointing his trusted broadsword towards Kokabiel.

The cadre sneered at Shinji's boast but his eyes widened when he recognized the sword in the Angel Slayer's hand and sensed the power coming from it. "Oh! That's Almace the sister blade to Durandal! Seeing that blade makes me remember that Durandal wielder I fought during WWII… Cardinal Priest Vasco Strada." Kokabiel reminisced with a dark smile. That fight was easily ranked within his Top 10 Favorite Fights list because after all it was one of the few times a human managed to push him so far in a battle and even defeat him.

"So you know of my Almace?" Shinji asked looking at his trusted blade. It took the form of a fusion between a broadsword and a Khyber knife that was six feet in length and two-feet wide. The blade was a ruby-red in color with a polished silver edge that was also doubled-edged to give the sword extra bite in its cuts. The sword has an L-shaped guard in front of the handle that extends to the bottom just above the pommel, with a small extension on the right side of the handle.

"Of course! Almace is a sword equal to Durandal in every way possible. It was previously wielded by Turpin, Archbishop of Reims – a warrior-monk and the orchestrator of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which he and Roland the Ultimate Paladin killed each other." Kokabiel explained looking at the legendary sword. "Turpin was the only person of that age who could compete with Roland and his Durandal, thus proving himself a monster like Roland. When wielded in the hands a true master, like Turpin, Almace is a threat unlike any other. For you to wield that blade… I guess that the rumors are true about you being Vasco's son, the Executioner and the Second Coming of the Original Turpin. This is perfect! I get the face the son of the man who pushed me to the absolute limit in WWII." Kokabiel said with a shark-like grin coming close to splitting his face.

Being a battle maniac, Kokabiel always loved fighting strong opponents and if even half of the rumors are true about Shinji's skill and that he was adopted and personally trained by the Second of Coming of Original Roland himself then this would be quite the battle that Kokabiel could put in his book.

"Well then Angel Slayer I'll give you a warrior's death. It's the least I can do for giving me a glorious battle that will be the prelude to the Second Great War." Kokabiel said summoning a light sword.

"The battle hasn't even started yet and already you're underestimating me." Shinji said simply while flinging blood off of Almace's blade.

Wait.

Blood?!

"ARRRRRRRRGH!" Kokabiel's pained scream pierced the night as his body finally registered being attacked. His right hand was clutching his left arm… or rather, the stump that used to be his forearm as it was cut off from his elbow. The cut was gushing out liters of blood even as Kokabiel tried to stop it by gripping the wound tightly. Kokabiel also noticed that he was having problems balancing himself in the air, his eyes widening before his head moved so he could look behind him. Three of his ten wings on his left side were gone leaving him with only seven wings. Realizing what just happened, Kokabiel just chuckled darkly before using holy fire to cauterize prevent further blood loss from his injuries.

"That technique just now was Flash Strike, an instantaneous sword strike that can pierce even space-time." Kokabiel said calming himself. "You used two Flash Strikes in a single instant; the first was used to remove my left hand while the second one was used as the set up for Nine Fold Rakshasa: Three Fold Flash." Kokabiel stated reviewing Shinji's actions. "I'm impressed that you managed to do such a thing against me. I'm one of the original creators of Nine Fold Rakshasa and its variants alongside Uriel." Kokabiel revealed.

"I already knew that. Gabriel-chan taught me all five of the sacred Angel Sword techniques along with how they came to be." Shinji revealed. "Since she was the one to angelize me, Gabriel personally trained me herself in the ways of angelic combat." Shinji said. "Even she was surprised at quickly I was able to learn and master the techniques since I've only been an angel for about six months."

"…Then allow me to praise you. The Angel Sword techniques took years for us, the original High-ranking Angels, to create and an equal amount of time to master. For you, a mere fledgling angel, to be able to use them with your level of proficiency after only six months of training is definitely no small feat." Kokabiel praised the legend. "You're nothing short of a genius with a sword. Or perhaps Gabriel is just a better teacher than I thought she could be?" Kokabiel mused but then shrugged not really caring about Gabriel's teaching skills (despite the fact that she had taught him centuries ago). "Anyway know that I will not take you lightly anymore! With every ounce of my power I will crush you!" Kokabiel declared summoning a new light sword. "Let's see just how skilled you really are in the angel arts! NINE FOLD RAKSHASA!"

Both of them vanished in a flash and reappeared as they clashed, the shockwaves generated from their clashing attacks were actually affecting the battles below them.

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As Shinji officially started his battle with Kokabiel, Gabriel was already in a heated fight against Bezaliel. Sword met fist repeatedly as Gabriel and Bezaliel tried to gain the upper hand. An overhand sword strike was blocked by Bezaliel's bangles and the kick he launched was blocked by Gabriel's armored knee. The two pushed away from each before Bezaliel launched several orbs of darkness energy which Gabriel countered with holy energy orbs. Holy and Darkness collided in a chain of explosions lighting up the night sky.

The two legendary angels clashed once more, sword and fist colliding repeatedly in a dance for dominance before Bezaliel got the advantage when he kicked at Gabriel's feet tripping her up. Off balance, Gabriel was unable to dodge the barrage of darkness infused punches to her face and torso before Bezaliel ended his 87 hit combo with a vicious haymaker that sent Gabriel to the ground with an authoritative BOOM. Bezaliel didn't relax knowing that Gabriel wouldn't be defeated so easily.

And he was right when the Sword of Fate soared through the dust cloud towards him at insane speeds. Managing to dodge, he fell into Gabriel's trap as she peppered him with her seiki infused feathers from her gold wings. Gabriel then appeared before him and unleashed her own 87 hit combo that had Bezaliel reeling since as the Archangel of Power, Gabriel was power personified and so Bezaliel's body was being punished to an ungodly degree. Gabriel's combo ended with a spinning, axe-kick that piledrove the Shadow of God into the ground with severe authority.

A few seconds later, the dust cloud was dispersed by Bezaliel's flaring aura as he glared up at Gabriel. Infusing himself the darkness element, which caused a slight increase in his already massive muscle mass, Bezaliel surged forward and with a single punch shattered the sound barrier and sent a massive concussive shockwave towards Gabriel. Having quickly infused herself with the water element, Gabriel deftly dodged Bezaliel's attack and shot several tire-sized water bullets at her foe. Bezaliel blocked the water bullets with his wings, reinforcing them with more of the darkness element. He grit his teeth as the water bullets hit him like a runaway freight train and pushed him back several feet. Had he not reinforced his wings, he knew they would be badly broken.

Frowning, Gabriel decided it was time to use the techniques Shinji taught her. Pointing her Sword of Fate at Bezaliel, Gabriel prepared her attack.

A tennis ball-sized orb of holy energy appeared at the tip of Fate's blade, which Bezaliel quickly realized was Transmigration Cycle, but he was surprised when streams of water came from Gabriel's body and combined with the orb. Gabriel was also adding more and more of her power to the orb while condensing it at the same time, thus causing an exponential increase in its destructive yield. Once at the level of power she wanted, Gabriel gave Bezaliel a dark smile before shouting the name of her attack.

"Samsara Cycle!" the Samsara Cycle left Fate's tip with a shocking level of speed that it made a miniature sonic boom and quickly expanded to the size of mini Red Dwarf star. Shocked, Bezaliel created a barrier of darkness and further reinforced his body with the darkness element.

BOOM

The explosion rocked the campus like a level 8 earthquake smoke billowed from the point of impact, but Bezaliel burst out of the smoke, his body only lightly charred, but his wings were burnt, tattered and some even bent at unnatural angles.

"Wha… what was that?!" Bezaliel demanded holding back his wince of pain.

"It was the Samsara Cycle. Though you should pay more attention to the remaining energy orbs." Gabriel said simply with a dark smirk. Bezaliel blinked before looking around him to see that he was indeed surrounded by several dozen energy orbs that then launched themselves at him, inducing numerous explosions upon his person.

"This Gabriel-chan is the Samsara Cycle, created from the fusion of the water element with the Transmigration Cycle." Gabriel remembered Shinji's explanation of the Samsara Cycle as she watched the scene. Once the first wave of orbs were done, a new wave of orbs, this time in greater numbers and smaller sizes, formed and launched themselves at the still reeling Bezaliel. "Combining the water element with the Transmigration Cycle immensely increases the strength and accuracy of Transmigration Cycle, but also when the initial attack is over, the remaining energy that dispersed into the air 'flow' back together to form smaller balls of energy to attack again. This process repeats itself over and over until all of the energy had been expended. Thus it is called the Samsara Cycle; the cycle of life, death and rebirth."

I poured a mass amount of energy into the Transmigration Cycle as I made it, condensing it while simultaneously adding my water element to create the Samsara Cycle. Gabriel thought watching the endless onslaught of the Samsara Cycle decimate Bezaliel. This basically overcharged the Samsara Cycle to an extreme degree but it was needed given what the Darkness element can do when one is infused with it. Gabriel frowned as she remember the effects of the darkness element when she oversaw Shinji's Twilight element training and they fully noted the affects it had on him.

After several long moments, the energy of the Samsara Cycle was finally expended as Gabriel took in the decimated form of Bezaliel. His wings, a source of pride for both angels and fallen angels, were destroyed beyond repair. In fact he couldn't even maintain his flight with such ravaged wings, struggling to use even levitation magic to keep himself afloat in the air. Third and fourth degree burns covered his body, his gold bangles were destroyed, and his pants were tattered shorts.

Bezaliel gasped as he struggled to gain any breath, as just breathing wracked his body with pain. The Samsara Cycle was truly a devastating attack.

"It's over Bezaliel. You can no longer fight so just surrender." Gabriel said knowing she had won.

"…haa… I can't… do that…" Bezaliel wheezed painfully. "As… as I… said earlier… there will… be others. Beware… the Khaos… Brigade… for the… 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven' leads it." Bezaliel said before using the last of his power to activate a self-destruct spell, killing himself even as Gabriel tried and failed to stop him. Gabriel stared at the spot her former brother inhabited, her eyes narrowed as she recalled his final words.

The 'Demon King of Sixth Heaven' leads the Khaos Brigade…? Gabriel mused before putting it on the back burner before helping her comrades.

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Qemuel growled as he once again moved away from the charging Griselda, intent on keeping her away from him. He had wanted to fight the Angel Slayer Shinji Strada but Kokabiel had immediately targeted him, leaving him and Bezaliel with the leftovers. Bezaliel had gone after Gabriel as he was the only one besides Kokabiel who could fight her. So that left Qemuel with Griselda Quarta the strongest female exorcist since the Original Joan of Arc.

The fight so far had been a stalemate for three reasons. 1) Griselda was an Ophan-class angel, meaning she has 20x the power of Virtue-class angel like Qemuel. 2) Thanks to her holy sword of Spanish legend, Griselda could break his concentration every time they clashed due to Tizona's fear inducing effect. And 3) Because of Tizona, Qemuel had forgone close-quarters combat and focused on long range with his light spears and magic blasts but Griselda had her own long range attacks.

As such, while Griselda had managed to wound him during the beginning stages of the battle, it had now become a battle of attrition.

Griselda frowned as she was growing severely annoyed of this cat and mouse game. Deciding to finish this battle in one shot, she began gathering her power by infusing herself with the ice element, she got into the Transmigration Cycle stance which was copied by Qemuel. As she formed the Transmigration Cycle, she added her ice element to it, streams of ice flowing into it and transforming it into her new special attack.

"Transmigration Cycle!" Qemuel called out as he launched his attack.

"Diamond Realm: Shrapnel (金剛界: 榴散弾, Kongōkai: Ryūsandan)!" Griselda shouted as she launched her new elemental attack. The ice elemental Diamond Realm: Shrapnel was a widespread, near-omnidirectional attack sending out a literal multitude of diamond-like ice shards. The shards tore through the Transmigration Cycle like it was wet tissue paper and sailed towards the stunned Qemuel who hastily put a barrier. Like with his Transmigration Cycle, the shards tore through his barrier and made the fallen Virtue into Swiss cheese. Griselda flinched as she saw how just how effective her newest technique was. This was the first time she used the Diamond Realm: Shrapnel on a living target since Shinji taught her how to fuse her ice element into the Angel Sword techniques.

Shaking her head, Griselda turned to survey the battlefield. All of the human priests were dead or dying, leaving only those Knight Golems as the remaining enemies. And those things were like literal walking tanks with the amount of punishment they were taking. Gabriel had finished off her opponent was now helping take out the remaining golems; the robotic beings crumpling under Gabriel's vast might. Xenovia was making her way to the blonde Gremory Knight who was in a pitched battle with Freed. The devils were concentrating their powers together to deal with their Knight Golems. Seeing Melpha and Asia struggling with a golem, Griselda rushed towards them, using her Diamond Realm: Shrapnel to attack the golem.

Melpha breathed a sigh of relief when Griselda took over fighting the Knight Golems, as despite Asia healing her, it was a strain on her body using her magical energies in a constant cycle like that. Despite the break, Melpha kept up the barrier just in case for a stray attack. After a few moments of centering herself, Melpha began launching magics attack again, this time focusing her main skill of White magic since that seemed to deal serious damage to the golems.

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{Kiba & Xenovia VS Freed}

Kiba panted as he released another wave of enhanced black fire from Seikai Joshin, taking out another batch of illusions from Freed. Seeing as how he couldn't tell the illusion clones apart from the original, Kiba and simply chosen to take out the clones and the original with omnidirectional attacks. While it got rid of the clones, Freed would simply spam them in larger numbers than before and then use Rapidly's powers to move between them for guerrilla-style attacks.

Kiba would simply retaliate with another omnidirectional attack which forced Freed to disengage his current attack and dodge. But this was also draining him of his yoki and stamina and he realized this would end up becoming a battle of attrition between him and Freed.

Quickly thinking up a new plan, Kiba stabbed Sekai Joshin into the ground and focused on the Black Earth element and caused a magnitude 3, localized earthquake that caused Freed to stumble mid run. Wrenching his blade free Kiba rushed the stumbling rogue exorcist who was unable to defend himself from Kiba's attack that nearly bifurcated him. Panting deeply, Kiba turned his attention to his Satan-damned adopted father who looked undisturbed that Freed was defeated.

"Finally… finally after all these years I shall avenge myself and my comrades!" Kiba said though Valper was still unafraid.

"Hm. You did better than I expected Izaiya." Valper commented honestly. "Even with four of the seven Excalibur pieces fused together you still managed to defeat Freed. And that sword of yours is truly fascinating… maybe I should have you spared so I study you in depth to discover your secrets. It may even end up helping my research on making Excalibur even more powerful." Valper said with a greedy glint in his eyes.

Kiba sneered as he raised Seikai Joshin. "You speak as if you aren't going to die today Valper. Your ambitions… your greed… and your madness ends here! No one will suffer what I and my comrades went through with you dead!" Kiba claimed but before he could strike down Valper and avenge himself he was forced to dodge an attack that he barely registered.

Kipping up from his roll, Kiba gasped when saw Freed was still alive… but he had changed greatly. He stood at seven-feet with gray-black skin and heavily muscular now since his new form destroyed most of his clothes. His off-white hair was gone, leaving the man-monster bald. His face was malformed, twisted from the transformation now being skull-like with sunken, void-like eyes, to ram-like horns jutting from his head and a piranha-like mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. There were bony, spike-like ridges along his arms, a spike forming from each elbow, before the ridges formed a malformed clawed gauntlet on each hand. His pants were tattered shorts due to the spiked ridged on his legs and spikes from each knee along with the taloned feet.

"What in the world…" Kiba asked in shock.

Valper gave a deranged grin before explaining. "You see Izaiya I'm not allied with Kokabiel. Oh no. You see I never went to Grigori like most disgraced/rogue priests do. No I was approached by an organization that truly recognized my genius and wanted it to flourish… unlike that idiotic Vatican. With their help I was able to continue Holy Sword Project so I could perfect it and even create a way to restore Excalibur to its original form and power. When they learned of Kokabiel's plans they sent me as envoy to help since a war coincides with their plans. They were the ones who supplied Kokabiel with those Knight Golems currently destroying your friends. Freed, who had already joined Kokabiel by then, agreed to undergo some… modifications turning him into this beast you see before you. This form gives Freed a massive boost in all areas… Freed!"

The man-monster that was Freed blurred out of sight getting Kiba to barely react as he blocked the sword strike but was sent sailing several feet and landed with a thud due to the strike's insane power. In a nanosecond, Freed was on him, the Gremory Knight barely rolling out of the way from Freed's attack that created a large crater. Kipping up, Kiba was pushed to the absolute limit in trying to parry the literal storm of blades that Freed was raining down on him. Then there was the sheer power behind each blow he barely managed to parry; there were literally bone-jarring and Kiba swore he could hear his bones screaming in protest.

Then out of nowhere Freed's malformed fist smashed into his face due to the man-monster's devastating right hook. Blood and spittle flew from Kiba's mouth even as he was then doubled over from the knee strike Freed gave him and the blonde Knight could only be thankful to both the holy and unholy that the spike on Freed's knee was so short since his insides would have been damaged. Kiba couldn't count his lucky stars any further than due to Freed gut-wrench powerbombing him into the ground, his spine cursing in protest. Freed then stomped on him, getting Kiba to cough up blood and bile. Freed raised his bastard of a sword, ready to end Kiba's life before he blasted away by an energy wave-slash.

"That's twice now I've saved you Gremory Knight." The haggard looking Xenovia said appearing with Destruction in hand as Kiba growled from his spot on the ground since he was doubly in her debt. The Ten of Oracles helped him up to his feet, the devil knight using his sword to steady himself. Xenovia then looked to the enraged man-monster Freed had become, raising an eyebrow at the creature. "You know this form suits you. It matches your insides as you've always been a monster in human skin since your birth from the bleakest of wombs." Xenovia said taking a stance.

Freed flinched backward and roared in pain due to the gash on his chest, unable to comprehend what just happened. Blurring into existence, Xenovia flew through a Nine Fold Rakshasa before hitting another Flash Strike that sent Freed stumbling backward screaming in pain and outrage.

"Gremory Knight I'll handle this monster! You take care of Valper." Xenovia told the devil who reluctantly nodded. Xenovia executed another Flash Strike on Freed while Kiba gingerly made his way towards Valper who still looked unconcerned with the this latest development.

"Do you want to know why I did what I did Izaiya?" Valper questioned Kiba who glared venomously at him. "It was because I wanted to wield Excalibur… to be a hero in the legends and stories I read as a child. I joined the Vatican initially as an exorcist, hoping that one day I would be chosen to wield Excalibur but it didn't happen." He said with anger. "Despite everything I went through I was never chosen! I couldn't even wield the other Holy Swords of legend! So I switched fields and turned to science hoping that it would help me find my answer. Decades of research led me to discover that only those who are classified as 'Natural Holy Sword Users' could wield true holy swords. And I knew what I needed to do." Valper said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a blue crystal vial.

"Is… is that…?" Kiba questioned looking at the vial.

Valper continued on as if he didn't hear Kiba's question. "I researched exactly how one can be classified as a Natural Holy Sword User and that lead me to finding out about the Light Attribute. One needed a mass amount of LA to be classified as such, needing to be well beyond the 'above-average' range so that there was a chance for synchronization between master and sword. The greater the LA, the greater the chances of synchronization with a true holy sword. That led me to create the Holy Sword Project." He revealed looking from the vial to Kiba. "This here vial is from the last batch, the very same batch you were a part of Izaiya and that allowed me to finally gain what I wanted." Valper said with a deranged grin.

"There was no need to kill my friends! We thought it was for God and endured any pain we received the entire time!" Kiba shouted seething in pure rage.

"You were only materials in a project. When it was done, the only thing left was to dispose of the excess material." Valper countered. "Then there were those hypocrites in the upper echelons of the Church! Excommunicating me as a pagan yet they still use my research." Valper commented with disdain. He tossed the vial at Kiba's feet. "You can have it. We, and those fools in the damned Church also, can already mass-produce higher quality ones."

Kiba took the vial and felt his dead friends' essence in it, causing him to remember all the times he shared with them though the pain of Holy Sword Project and when they told him to run and live when Valper attempted to kill them all.

"Valper, how many lives did you destroy for your research and desires?" He asked as he pressed the crystal on his chest.

Valper smirked, knowing that fusing something like that to a devil was fatal.

But instead, figures made from blue energy appeared around him.

"What the hell?" Valper asked in shock. "Are… are those… people?" he asked only to gasp in a horrifying realization.

Kiba's heart managed to free the souls trapped within the crystal!

"Every day I thought 'did I deserve to live?' when my friends were dead. They had more dreams then I did. They wanted to live more than me." Kiba said sadly. Then one of the spirits gripped his sleeve and he finally noticed them. He looked at the little girl, then the others. Tears welled up in his eyes at seeing his dead friends again, even if they were in spirit form.

"It's okay."

"Even if there is no God."

"Even if God is not watching over us."

"Our hearts are one."

"Take us in." The spirits said and fused with Kiba.

Valper could only stare in terror that Kiba was still standing. He should have died from the holiness of the vial alone.

"Thank you my friends. I understand now and know that I will live for all of us! BALANCE BREAKER!" Kibe shouted raising Sekai Joshin in the air as light and darkness spiraled out around it. Everyone stopped to look at the awakening of Kiba's Balance Breaker as the multitudes of light and darkness erupted and then fused into the blade changing it. "SWORD OF BETRAYER!" Kiba shouted as in a bright gray light flashed nearly blinding everyone.

"What the hell is that!?" Valper gasped, shielding his eyes from the sudden energy burst.

"This is the Sword of Betrayer which is empowered with Holy and Devil powers." Kiba explained.

When devil writing appeared in the center of the blade, Gabriel and Rias gasped.

It's like Shinji-kun! Gabriel mentally gasped in realization. With the Almighty's death the balance of the world was shattered allowing for opposites to become one and create a new power. Light and Darkness have become one for a second time! The first time it was Shinji-kun who is the physical embodiment of Twilight now this devil has created a Twilight sword. Gabriel thought feeling worried. Shinji wielding Twilight was one thing but now a devil has managed the same feat.

"Holy powers and Devil powers fused together into a sword?" Rias asked wondering how it was possible.

"A holy-demonic sword? Two opposing powers together shouldn't be impossible!" Valper declared in disbelief backing away from Kiba with true fear in his heart.

"Valper this is where you die!" Kiba growled.

"FREED!" Valper yelled in terror trying to get away from Kiba. Freed appeared mid-swing but he was moving at a snail's pace in the newly empowered Kiba's eyes who deftly blocked and parried the swing in one instant. The man-monster was sent flying towards Valper who was unable to move out the way and tumbled about with Freed. Xenovia appeared by Kiba's side, stabbing Excalibur Destruction into the ground before folding her hands over her chest.

"Peter, Basilius, Dionysius and Blessed Virgin Mary, hear my prayers." Xenovia chanted. A gold colored symbol appeared next to her and a broadsword with a blue blade and gold edge came out wrapped in chains. "The saint living in this blade, I set you free." Xenovia said, right before the chains shattered from the weapon. "Holy Sword Durandal!" Xenovia said as she picked up the weapon.

"Impossible! My research didn't reveal how to use Durandal!" Valper gasped in shock and fear at seeing the Peerless Sword itself.

"Unlike Irina and Kiba, I am a natural born wielder like my guardian Griselda and leader St. Shinji." Xenovia said charging up Durandal, the blade humming with barely restrained power waiting to be unleashed.

"A true holy sword user!?" Valper shouted his fear increasing even more.

"Durandal is the peerless sword of destruction, rivaling the might of Caliburn and can cut anything in its path with no trouble. Though there are a few times where even I have trouble with it. Its power has to be kept contained by the holy chains because it's infinitely dangerous." Xenovia explained. "Knight of Gremory, Valper is yours. Freed is mine."

"Agreed." Kiba said before he and Xenovia rushed the two. Freed roared and charged as well blindly rushing to his final battle. Xenovia quickly used the instantaneous speed of Flash Strike to shorten the distance between her and Freed. Freed couldn't even widen his eyes in shock when Xenovia instantaneously appeared in front of him, Durandal swinging free.

"GRAND HOLY SLASH!" Xenovia intoned killing Freed instantly and shattering the bastardized Excalibur. When the light died down there was a several meter long trench that went all the way to the boundaries of Kuoh Academy's landscape, stopping just scant inches short of the barrier that Rias knew would have been destroyed along with the portion of Kuoh Town in that direction. There was also nothing left of Freed; no body, no bones, no ashes… no nothing! There was literally nothing left of Freed!

The only thing left from the destruction Xenovia wrought were the faintly glowing fragments of the bastardized Excalibur.

"GAH!" Valper screamed as he tried to crawl away from the area. Due to being right behind Freed, Valper was also in the line of fire and the disgraced Archbishop barely managed to move out the way… but not unscathed. He was covered in bruises, burn marks and both of his legs were now nothing more than stumps with the ends cauterized so he wouldn't bleed out. A shadow fell over him getting the old man to look and see his adopted son. "P-please Izaiya! I'm your father! You wouldn't commit patricide! The bible says thou shall not kill thy father!" Valper begged desperately and pathetically.

Kiba gave Valper a satanic grin before retorting; "I'm a devil now so the bible's words mean nothing to me now. Goodbye Valper may you burn in hell."

Valper couldn't utter another word as in an instant he was decapitated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

{Kokabiel VS Shinji}

"Well shit!" Kokabiel muttered as clashed with Shinji once again. One… two… three… nine strikes before they pushed apart and stared each other down. Kokabiel frowned as he surveyed the scene; his forces were routed, Freed and Valper were dead and he had to contend with both Shinji Strada and Gabriel. Even if he killed Shinji he would be too weak to fight off Gabriel… an angel that even he was afraid to fight against despite his battle loving ways.

"It's over Kokabiel." Shinji said staring down the cadre. "Even if you somehow managed to defeat me you won't be able to stop Gabriel-chan from taking you out. Surrender and accept your punishment." Shinji said giving Kokabiel this one last chance to surrender.

Kokabiel sneered before pointing his light sword towards Shinji, immediately a ball of magic energy gathered at the tip.

"(Sigh) Suit yourself then." Shinji raised Almace where the same ball of magic energy started forming at its tip as well. Both of them got into the same stance; their sword-wielding arm pulled back before thrusting their swords forward at the same time.

"Transmigration Cycle!"

Both balls of magic energy left their respective blades and expanded as they rapidly made their way through the air towards each other. They clashed with each other, disintegrating the ground beneath and releasing so much power that the others watching, despite being a distance away from the fight, had to brace themselves so that they wouldn't be blown away (except Gabriel since she could easily withstand the power). The energy balls were too bright to look at, but the light was rapidly diminishing as both energy balls attempted to overpower the other. Soon, the victor was decided and Shinji's attack blasted through Kokabiel's forcing the fallen angel to dodge.

"To think that your Transmigration Cycle could overpower my own." Kokabiel commented.

"It's not surprising really." Shinji began getting everyone's attention. "Had I not taken away one of your hands, the medium for channeling your power, and effectively cut your combat prowess in half yours would have drawn with mine." He revealed.

"And by cutting off three of my wings on my left side, you disrupted my balance to further cause me problems." Kokabiel added realizing the truth behind Shinji's actions.

Gabriel smiled as she had already deduced what Shinji did when she saw Kokabiel's state. She knew that despite the class difference, Kokabiel held an advantage in terms of experience that would allow him, to a degree, mitigate the power advantage Shinji had as an Archangel. Knowing this, Shinji had created a strategy that would allow him to cripple Kokabiel's power in an instant and make this fight a bit easier for him.

"Shall we continue Kokabiel?" Shinji said taking his stance.

"Yes we shall Angel Slayer!" Kokabiel said as he copied Shinji's stance before rushing towards Shinji who copied him. They vanished and the dance of death began once again as the legends continued their epic battle.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Dozens of explosions rocked the whole campus as Kokabiel and Shinji and met each other's blade for blade in a dance of death. Shouts of Nine Fold Rakshasa were heard as they called out their attacks again and again. They would break apart and try something different ranging from throwing magic blasts, light spears, Transmigration Cycles, Flash Strikes then back to Nine Fold Rakshasa.

"Nine Fold Rakshasa!" Again and again, each sword strike from either of them was parried by an identical sword strike from the other. One, two, three… Nine strikes. The technique ended, but Shinji suddenly followed up with an upward thrust that knocked Kokabiel's light sword away, surprising the cadre as he lost his balance from the sudden attack.

"Flash Strike followed by…!" Shinji pointed the hilt of his sword of light at Kokabiel's unguarded torso. "Transmigration Cycle!" The ball of energy exploded at point blank range, the shockwave knocking Shinji back as Kokabiel was engulfed by the full blunt of the attack. "That was a risk in using such a move so close but it certainly worked." Shinji commented as he looked at the smoking crater that Kokabiel's body created. With a flare of his power, Kokabiel dispersed the smoke revealing his ragged shirt and injured torso, the cadre wheezing and coughing as he tried to regain his breath.

"To think that you reached the level where you can follow up Nine Fold Rakshasa with Flash Strike instantly." Kokabiel wheezed as he looked at Shinji. "You just keep surprising me Shinji Strada. Instant follow ups of Nine Fold Rakshasa with Flash Strike and you know the true nature of Transmigration Cycle. You charged up a Transmigration Cycle and held it with in your blade, increasing its power while powering up Transmigration Cycle at the same time. Then after your follow up Flash Strike you unleashed the strengthened Transmigration Cycle." Kokabiel said shaking his head impressed.

The devils really didn't know what Kokabiel was talking about though Rias had heard of the Angel Sword techniques in passing. They were techniques that could allow a low-ranking angel the ability to fight a stronger opponent equally and that there were five versions used. Lucifer and those that fell with him originally knew the techniques but had the knowledge sealed off by God before being cast out of Heaven after Lucifer's failed rebellion.

With the angels (Melpha, Xenovia, Asia, Irina and Griselda) they were impressed with Shinji's skill in the angel arts and how he was handling Kokabiel in this battle. None moreso than Gabriel who had a smile of pride on her face as she recalled Shinji's commitment to his training; seeing his determination to grow stronger and improve himself.

Unlike Flash Strike or Nine Fold Rakshasa, techniques that combine magic with swordsmanship, Transmigration Cycle is more akin to a magic spell that works best when a sword is used as a medium. Therefore, Transmigration Cycle can be focused at any part of a sword, not just the tip. Gabriel thought looking on. Shinji-kun managed to understand this almost instantly and took advantage of in ways we the remaining angels of Heaven didn't think of. Gabriel thought remembering the several improvements Shinji made to the Angel Sword techniques that surprised them.

Suddenly Kokabiel's aura exploded, driving Rias, her peerage and Shinji's Brave Saint along with Griselda to their knees from the sheer immensity of it. Gabriel and Shinji were the only ones fully unaffected by Kokabiel's display. Kokabiel's body then burst into white flames… or so it seemed. Kokabiel's body was indeed swathed in white flames, but they did not burn him. Instead, they caressed him gently, as though completely subservient to him, a sharp contrast to their fierce appearance and heat (which had the devils damn near sweat soaked).

"Hmm. Elemental Infusion." Shinji mused. Elemental Infusion was the ability to infuse an element(s) into one's body to increase their combat prowess. Elemental Infusion was discovered, on complete accident, by his girlfriend Gabriel when she was in the process of mastering her Water element. Shocked, she had experimented with this new discovery until she could safely use it without harming herself. Once she managed to perfect it, she showed it to the other High-ranking angels and taught them to do the same with their elements besides Holy (aka Light).

Uriel and Kokabiel took Fire, Gabriel and Shemhazai took Water, Michael and Metatron took Earth, Raphael and Sariel took Wind, Raguel took Fire and Earth, Baraqiel and Raziel took Lightning, Ramiel took Thunder (a sub-form of Lightning), Azazel and Lucifer took all six of the elements. Each element has a different effect. Wind increases speed and agility for the body and increases cutting power when channeled through a blade; Earth augments physical strength and defense; Water enhances reflexes, instincts and intuition; Fire increases fighting spirit, combat prowess and power; Lightning increases speed and power but completely forgoes defenses; Thunder, while having the same effects of Lightning, primarily focuses on using powerful concussive blasts/bursts; Holy has the same effect as the first four but puts a strain on the user's body; and Darkness (the effects which Shinji discovered while training to master his Twilight) has the same effect as the first five and the strain on the user's body is greater than Holy's.

"Heh. I'm not surprised you know about it since Gabriel did invent it after all." Kokabiel said clad in his white flames.

"Well then let me show you something unique." Shinji said releasing Almace and getting the blade to float before him. Taking a deep breath, the legend focused before his own aura flared, causing the devils to be driven straight into the ground from its vastness. Kokabiel was pushed back several feet from the shockwave Shinji's power released and was having trouble breathing due to the power. The angels stood unaffected and seemed to bask in Shinji's holy aura.

Immediately, fire flared around his left arm, gales of wind gathered around his right arm, water flowed around his left leg, rocks suddenly formed and surrounded his right leg. The four classical elements of Fire, Wind, Earth and Water expanded and enveloped his body and then seemed to vanish, but the angels and devils knew better. Even from where they were, they could feel the oppressive aura coming from Shinji.

Kokabiel took a step back in shock at what he was witnessing.

"Impossible… Four elements at the same time!? And furthermore they're opposed pairs!? That isn't possible!" Kokabiel commented before being hit with realization. "Of course! God's death is the reason for this!" he revealed getting the devils to stiffen in shock. God known as the literal Almighty and rivaled by very few was dead? How? Looking at the angels, the devils saw their grim faces, showing that they already knew about this. "The balance of the world is shattered so opposing pairs can become one now!" Kokabiel said with a growl. "…How? It took us, the original High-ranking Angels, a full decade (a decade and a half for Gabriel due to elemental infusion and sixty years for Azazel and Lucifer for all six elements) to fully master our chosen elements. How is it possible that you've already mastered the elements to this extent!?"

"The main reason why it took you so long is because it was a completely new concept at the time, so your training was mainly trial and error until you found the proper ways to use the elements and then mastering them. For me, I had already trained in the elements of fire, wind, lightning/thunder, earth, water, holy and later darkness so it was easy enough to remaster the first six and master the seventh after my angelization." Shinji revealed to the stunned cadre. "For multiple elemental infusion… that was a pet project of mine for the last two years; to create an ultimate attack using the combined might of the elements. I had to take it slow lest I destroy my own body; carefully testing each combination, their benefits and drawbacks. It took me two years of hard work but I finally managed it. This is my Shundan (瞬断, Power Flicker)." Shinji finished as everyone took in what he just explained.

Incredible! Gabriel looked at her boyfriend/King in awe. To think that he could create a technique by combining four elements together as one giving him the strengths of all four! I'm so glad that I got to Shinji-kun first and not the devils. As much as it pains me to admit it but before Shinji-kun joined, Heaven was the weakest of the three factions. Even with Dulio as Michael's Joker and wielding the Zenith Tempest. Gabriel thought looking at the battle. Xenovia wondered if Shinji would be able to teach them this Shundan but Griselda countered that she [Xenovia] had other things to learn and master before learning such an advanced technique.

"Now then Kokabiel playtime is over! This place shall be your grave!" Shinji declared as he grabbed Almace, the legendary holy sword responded positively as Shinji flowed his new power into it. Kokabiel summoned another light sword that was then engulfed in the same white fire that Kokabiel was. The entered their stances before blurring into the action. The bladed dance of death that was Nine Fold Rakshasa repeating but this time with far more intensity and ferocity than before.

Shinji's Shundan allowed him to take advantage of the synergy of the four classical elements through the use of Holy as Shundan's foundation, maximizing their strengths to the fullest and thus allowing him to push Kokabiel to his absolute limit. Kokabiel, clad in his holy flames was heavily abusing the fire element's fighting spirit/combat prowess/power increase effect along with the Holy element's ability (which doubly increased his fighting spirit/combat prowess/power) in order to try and drive Shinji back but the two were evenly match. He also had to constantly create a flaming light sword due to the unrivaled cutting power of Almace.

The two were moving about the grounds of Kuoh Academy, the shockwaves/explosions from their sword clashes, martial arts strikes and other attacks were destroying numerous parts of the school and its other buildings. Even the barrier was barely withstanding the power the two titans were releasing, severely straining Sona and her peerage as they used literally every ounce of their yoki to keep it up. But even then the massive power output was leaking through and adversely affecting the town. Rias and her peerage couldn't even keep up with the sheer level of speed the two legends were fighting at. It was the same for Shinji's Brave Saint and Gabriel's Queen, with only Gabriel herself able to keep track of the battle.

Another finished Nine Fold Rakshasa caused the two fighters to be pushed back. Kokabiel was the more haggard of the two; having lost another wing which reduced him to six (but helped with his balance), numerous cuts, burn and scorch marks, blood covering half of his face from a cut on his forehead and missing half of his right ear due to a miss cue on his part in an attempt to dodge that Flash Strike Shinji used to try to decapitate him.

Shinji himself was fairly better thanks in part to his high-grade battle attire and the materials it was made out of. Besides some cuts and burn/scorch marks that his suit stopped, and some slight panting Shinji was in still good health compared to Kokabiel.

"…Ha… Ha ha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kokabiel suddenly let out a crazed booming laughter as he gave Shinji a crazed look. "THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! A STRONG OPPONENT! A REAL FIGHT! THIS WILL MAKE FOR AN APPROPRIATE PRELUDE TO THE WAR!" Kokabiel shouted in an ecstatic voice. He flared his already immense aura even more, his skin beginning to burn and smoke rising from him due his loss of control of the fire element because of his elation of fighting an opponent of Shinji's impressive caliber. Kokabiel merely relished the pain he was in as it made him even more excited, because this was the fight he always craved for. "THIS IS THE FIGHT I'VE LONGED FOR! SHINJI STRADA I WILL REMEMBER THIS FIGHT WHETHER I WIN OR LOSE! COME LET US FINISH THIS AND DECIDE THIS WORLD'S FATE AS IF WE'RE GODS DELIVERING JUDGMENT UPON IT!" Kokabiel howled now completely lost to his battle lust. More of his skin was burning and smoking but Kokabiel merely ignored it.

They got into their stance once again before they rushed each other, another blades dance began with the intensity and ferocity increasing with every clash. Kokabiel's insane laughter was barely heard over the battle. They once again added martial arts to the battle, pounding the living daylights out of each other in the battle of dominance. The gym building was destroyed when Kokabiel hit a Nine Fold Rakshasa/Transmigration Cycle combo on Shinji who quickly rebounded and returned the favor by blasting Kokabiel into the ORC building with an attack called Sacred Fist which surprised everyone when Shinji conjured a giant, spectral fist of holy energy that smashed into Kokabiel with the force of a charging dragon.

Well… at least Rias had a legitimate excuse to renovate the clubroom now.

The two titans appeared before the angels and devils again, took their stances and rushed each other for yet another epic clash. But right before they clashed, Almace was suddenly wreathed in white flames, causing Kokabiel hesitate which was a fatal mistake that Shinji gladly capitalized on.

"Nine Fold Rakshasa: Asura!" A flurry of flaming sword strikes smashed into Kokabiel, who cried out in pain as the wounds dealt by the sword were crudely cauterized by the flames. By the time the ninth strike hit, Kokabiel's torso was covered in cauterized gashes and third degree burns, and it was obvious that he was in great pain.

"…What… was that!?" Kokabiel asked with a labored voice, the pain so great that he had to force his words out. He also wondered how Shinji's flaming sword could get through his holy fire cloak. He forgot he was facing the legendary Almace which was nearly unrivaled in cutting prowess so it was not surprising that the flame-enhanced Alamce cut through his cloak.

"Something that I began experimenting with after learning the Angel Sword techniques." Shinji began. "As I learned them I began experimenting in order to improve upon them as I could see that there was a vast well of untapped potential. One such experiment was combining the elements with the techniques." Shinji began his explanation. "I could already infuse my sword with the elements to increase its power so why not the techniques themselves. With the former already mastered, it was fairly easy to do the latter. When I showed Gabriel-chan what I did, even she was surprised as the idea never occurred to her and the others. She took the 'concept' to Michael-sama where he and other Seraphs are experimenting with it using their elements." Shinji finished as the angels smiled since at how he was making Heaven stronger.

"Now then it is over Kokabiel. I will admit you gave me quite the fight but it ends now and with your death." Shinji said now suddenly behind the wide-eyed cadre. Liters of blood erupted from Kokabiel's upper body as said upper body began slowly sliding before it fell to the ground with a sickening thud with his lower half following afterward. "Flash Strike: Wind Cutter." Shinji intoned as he landed on the ground and walked over to the defeated cadre. Despite just being bifurcated Kokabiel refused to give up, trying to move his upper body but couldn't.

"…It… is… not… over!" Kokabiel gurgled before raising and slamming his right hand on the ground. A black magic circle appeared a few feet away causing a fairly large object to rise up. The angels and devils were tensed, wondering what it was but when it was fully revealed Shinji gasped in horror at what he was a seeing. "…die… you shitty… bas…tards." Kokabiel said taking his final breath before dying.

"AN N2 MINE!?" Shinji shouted as he looked the object in abject horror. The N2 Mine was a high-grade nuclear bomb but without the radioactive fallout of one. Even moreso the N2 Mine went through several upgrades during the Angel Wars of the original timeline that increased its destructive yield. By the final months of the war it was 10x more powerful than its first incarnation.

Though Shinji had no way of knowing that the N2 Mine had been modified by tapping into Nature Chakra to increase its destructive exponentially. And on top of that there was a timer indicating only 30 seconds were left before the mine went off and destroyed Japan.

Naturally the angels didn't know what an N2 Mine was but seeing Shinji freak out because of it caused them freak out. The devils (except Issei as he was only devilized a two months ago and thus didn't remember the original timeline as Rias never restored his memories of said timeline) who knew what an N2 Mine was were freaking out as well. Rias was tempted to call Sona over and have her take of this since Sona was a smart person and smart people could handle problems like this.

Shinji racked his brain for a solution before a memory from the original timeline came forward.

"Hey Shin-man take a load of this!" Kensuke Aida said leading Shinji to his private warehouse housing his 'toys'. Shinji looked around, feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the guns Kensuke had stocked up in here. It was like he was preparing for war. The guns ranged from antiques up to modern; all in display cases with tags indicating what time period each gun was created in and used. Hell there were even tanks and other military vehicles from different time periods.

How did Kensuke manage to afford this?

Turning to look at whatever Kensuke wanted to show him, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when saw it.

"KENSUKE WHY DO YOU HAVE AN N2 MINE?! FORGET THAT! HOW IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF HELL DID YOU GET ONE IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE?!" Shinji shouted at the military otaku.

"The black market." The weapon otaku answered simply getting Shinji to choke at that. "Anyway I'm showing this to you so you can learn how to disarm one should the need arise." The otaku went on as he pulled out the schematics for the mine.

"Kensuke why in the world would I want to learn how disarm an N2 Mine when I can just run for the hills?" Shinji asked the boy. Kensuke didn't know he had various teleportation methods to escape such situations thanks to Melpha.

"You never know when a situation might happen where you have to disarm a badboy like this." Kensuke said going over the schematics. "It's better to be prepared for such an occasion than not and get blown to hell because you couldn't disarm it or run away. Not that you outrun the shockwaves produced." Kensuke added with a shrug.

"…Fine let's get this over with." Shinji said sighed knowing that the otaku would just continue to hound him until he agree. Besides it might be useful if he ever did come across a bomb and he was forced to disarm it.

To think that I WOULD end up having to disarm an N2 Mine. Shinji thought quickly approaching the mine. With only 15 seconds left he had to move fast. Recalling what he learned that day, Shinji removed a specific plate and found the specific circuits and wires needed to shut the thing down. Doing exactly as he was taught, Shinji managed to deactivate the mine with 3 seconds left to spare. Shinji sighed before wiping his brow and telling the others it was okay now.

"You managed to disarm an N2 Mine?" Rias questioned shocked that Shinji would even know how to do such a thing. "You're a man of many talents then Shinji-kun." Rias said with a seductive smile, one that wasn't missed by either Shinji or Gabriel. Gabriel glared at the girl knowing that the she-devil was trying to seduce her man. Shinji mentally shook his head really wondering if this devil had a death wish in trying to seduce in front of his girlfriend. The Brave Saints also noticed and felt annoyed that this devil was trying to come on to Shinji. Issei glared at Shinji since (in Issei's mind) he was taking his [Issei] girl Rias.

"Something I learned from an old friend." Shinji turning away from the devil heiress and getting her to pout. "Anyway did someone get the Excalibur fragments?" he asked his fellow angels.

"I did St. Shinji." Xenovia said revealing she had wrapped the shattered fragments in her discarded cloak. Gabriel looked over the fragments and saw that the cores were still intact so the swords could be repaired.

"Alright let me gather Kokabiel's body and this mission will be complete." Shinji said with a sigh. They had succeeded and stop the onset of another possible war. Once reaching Kokabiel's severed body, Shinji used some angel magic to bring the two halves together before wrapping a burial clothe around the late cadre and placing him in the newly summoned coffin. Closing it, Shinji sent the coffin to his pocket dimension. "Alright. We'll head back to the shrine and head to Heaven in the morning. Because I'm tired and Shundan was more taxing than I thought." He said getting nods from his fellow angels.

"Wait!" Rias said approaching Shinji who sighed.

"Yes Gremory-san?" Shinji asked trying to be polite as he really wanted to go home, cuddle with his Gabriel-chan and sleep. Was that really too much to ask?

"Please call me Rias." Rias said with a flirtatious smile. "I want to offer you a spot on my peerage." Rias said getting shocked looks from the angels with Shinji sighing as he at least expected something like this. The girls on Rias' peerage except Ravel were sporting smiles since they believed their master would be successful in recruiting Shinji. "I can promise you that by becoming my servant you'll have a far more rewarding life than now. I can give you everything that your heart desires; fame, fortune, glory, friends and lovers. You can rise through the ranks of devildom to become a High-class devil where more opportunities await, including having the right to your own peerage that you can set up as your harem if you wanted. You would even be able to have those angel women as part of your peerage/harem.

You could try becoming a top contender in the Rating Games where the Top 10 Ranking RG Champions are seen as heroes to the masses. You could even try to become the new 'Emperor' by defeating Diehauser Belial the current Emperor and the Number 1 Ranking RG Champion. You could even try to become one of the Great Satans which I'm sure would be whole heartedly supported given who you are. Shinji Lucifer has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

And most importantly… you can have myself and all of my female servants as your lovers and wives. Where you can experience all kinds of pleasures with us who would gladly give ourselves to you whenever you asked… in whatever position you wanted… trying any sexual kink you desired. What I'm saying is that as a devil you truly enjoy your life and have what this selfish world tried to deny you and be selfish yourself instead of devoting said life in servitude to Heaven where all pleasure in frowned upon." Rias gave her sales pitch.

The area was silent as everyone waited for Shinji's answer. Gabriel, Melpha, Xenovia, Asia, Irina and Griselda were afraid that Shinji would agree to Rias' offer. After all that she said, that she boldly promised were things she could indeed make happen given her current position as Gremory Clan heiress and being the younger sister of the Crimson Satan so she had perks most other devils didn't have. Gabriel was especially worried since given the time she went undercover at Kuoh she had seen just how perverted some of the male species could be and that what Rias was offering was something most men would instantly agree to. Looking over the she-devils even Gabriel could admit that they were breathtakingly beautiful, able to entrance any man with the upmost ease.

It caused her to have doubts about herself. Was she beautiful enough for Shinji? Did he even see her as beautiful? Would she be able to make him happy? Was he truly happy in the life she gave him? Did he really love her as she loved him? When the time came for them to have sex would she able to pleasure him?
Would Shinji want to have sex with women besides her and have his own harem?

All these thoughts and doubts ran through her mind as she looked at Shinji, awaiting his answer.

"No." Shinji said shocking the devils at his refusal (except Ravel who was happy since she wanted to give herself to Issei and Issei who was happy that Shinji wouldn't get the beauties on the Gremory peerage as they were his). The angels breathed a sigh of relief, moreso Gabriel whose doubts were blown away like a trash in a hurricane. "I'm sorry Gremory-san but while interesting I must decline your offer. I never once regretted becoming an exorcist nor have I regretted becoming an angel. Now if we're done here I want to get some sleep." Shinji said to the stunned Gremory heiress as he and his fellow angels left.

The she-devils (except Ravel) were still stunned at Shinji's refusal to join them. Kiba, while stunned and even a little disappointed, was able to accept Shinji's choice as it was Shinji's choice after all. Though it didn't mean he couldn't at least be friends with Shinji since Kiba owed him for helping him [Kiba] in finally putting his past to rest and move on. Issei didn't care one way or another and Ravel had similar thoughts as well due to her feelings for Issei.

"I take it that Shinji-kun didn't agree to join us." Sona stated as she and her peerage made their way to the Gremory peerage. The Sitri heiress and her peerage were tired and drained from the ordeal and after seeing the devastation wrought from the battle to the school grounds they knew they wouldn't be getting any sleep for the next several hours. "So… what exactly happened here since I'll also have to report this to my Onee-sama?" she asked knowing she was going to get an ear full from both her parents and her sister.

She probably wouldn't be leaving the Sitri Palace for the next year or two.

Rias managed to partially get over her shock and relayed the entire battle (which included her sales pitch and Shinji's refusal) to Sona who committed it to her memory.

"I see. This only makes Shinji-kun more valuable but convincing him will be problematic. Even moreso since the option of force would be out of the question. Oh well." Sona said deciding to move on. While disappointed that Shinji refused to become a devil it was his choice in the end. Besides there was also Shinji being the boogieman to devils since he's known as the Executioner and killed many of their kin by the dozens so it would have been controversial to make him a devil servant.

"Rias I suggest you move on. Shinji-kun made his choice so we have to accept it. If he wouldn't go for such an offer then there is nothing we can give him. Besides even if you decided to try and continue to pursue him then force is out of the question given his power is vastly superior to yours and mine." Sona said adjusting her glasses even as the crimson-haired woman slumped her shoulders knowing her friend was right. "Now then let's clean this mess up. Thank the unholy it's a weekend tomorrow so we have time straighten everything up."

Her fellow devils gave her nods of acceptance and went about to repair the damage to Kuoh Academy. Though Tsubaki noticed something that was off.

"Kaichou?" Tusbaki asked after drinking a vial of Phenex Tears she always carried on her.

"Yes Tsubaki." Sona asked drinking her own vial of Phenex Tears.

"Rias-dono said that there were a hundred priests and a 50 Knight Golems yes?"

"Yes. Why are you asking?"

"Then what happened to the bodies?" Tsubaki asked gesturing to the empty field. Sona blinked before sweeping her gaze across the field… devoid of bodies. Using her senses, Sona detected faint traces of foreign magic which she deduced was angel magic. A small smile appeared on her face as she realized what happened.

"It appears that Shinji-kun has helped us in the cleanup." Sona said simply as Tsubaki raised her eyebrow wondering what her master meant.

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"Humph! An interesting battle! Truly Shinji Strada is a worthy opponent for me to fight." A tall white, armored and winged clad figure said crossing its arms. The figure had been dispatched to stop Kokabiel and his mad bid for war but upon arriving had chosen to hang back in order to see just how skilled the Angel Slayer really was. The display left the white armored figure impressed and thus caused it to move Shinji Strada up on its "Top 10 Beings I Want to Fight" list.

I will fight till I take my last breath. I've got of the heart of a warrior… the heart of a warrior

Bringing out its cell phone, the figure spoke.

"Yo. Vali here."

"Vali what's taking so long? Shouldn't you be back by now with Kokabiel?"

"Ah. Azazel. Sorry 'bout that but Kokabiel's dead." Vali said to the Grigori Governor-General like she was talking about the weather and truly unconcerned about Kokabiel's death.

"Vali!" Azazel sighed through the phone. "Did the idiot resist because I knew he probably would have and you would just kill him not to be hassled."

"Actually it was the Angel Slayer who killed Kokabiel." Vali revealed getting stunned silence from her end.

"…I see then. So this confirms the rumors of him joining Heaven, no matter how ironic it really is. Just one more fallen angel added to his already long list… So you hung back and watched the fight?" Azazel asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah I did. It was truly a battle worthy of two legends such as themselves. I'll tell you about when I get back." Vali said before hanging up on Azazel. "Heh. Grow stronger Angel Slayer for the time will come for us to do battle soon enough. True Longinus VS Divine Dividing. Seraph VS Cambion. The Strongest Exorcist VS the Strongest White Dragon Emperor. One shall rise in victory while the other falls in defeat." Vali said with a smile hidden by her helmet. The White Dragon Emperor took off, leaving behind the devils that were tirelessly rebuilding their ruined academy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hmm. We got some excellent data for the Knight Golems." A figure spoke going over the data streaming on his laptop. "Though it seems that White Magic or anything Holy in nature does significant damage to the golems." The figure spoke once more.

"Not surprising as the golems are made primarily with Black Magic and alchemy." Another figure spoke, this one having a feminine tone. "But for everything else, the golems preformed beyond our expectations. Though we'll need to find a way increase their defensive properties to better handle powerhouses like Gabriel. Her strength is beyond monstrous." The figure said reflecting how Gabriel only needed one-to-two hits to take out the golems she created.

"We might have to sacrifice some things if we try that." The male spoke with a raised eyebrow. "There aren't many materials with the needed level of durability like you're talking about. Though I'm more worried about the Knight Golem in the Angel Slayer's possession. That busty blonde magic user managed to get that last one before we could use the mandala on it."

"It does not matter because by the time the angels discover even half of its secrets, we would have fully perfected the Knight Golems." The female spoke not worried at all. "Besides it would be funny to see that angel bitch Nanael struggle to comprehend my masterpieces. Well lets head back so we can look over all the data without risk of being found out." She as her companion nodded before a teleportation mandala opened, taking the two back to their lab in the Khaos Brigade HQ.

And cut! Now this was a challenge to do as I almost forgot about this one. Thankfully I was able to pick up and finish this chapter. This is the end of the Angelic Beginning Arc and yes this is a full blown story now. The chapter will be an interlude that will lead to the Kuoh Treaty mini-arc which will lead to Khaos War Arc. I hope you like the fight scenes since as I tried to give everyone a chance to shine and show you the readers what they can do. I would like to thank the author Dragonliege242 for letting me use the names of his attacks; Nine Fold Rakshasa, NFR: Asura, and Flash Strike. Then there are the concepts such as the elements, their effects when used and Elemental Infusion. They all belong to Dragonliege so please give him the credit.

Also there will be some changes to the story, mainly in chapters 1-3 due to the recent spoilers released for light novel volume 19 and the changes I made that led to Golden Satan being created. With all the powerful fighters that the crew in HSDxD have to fight on a daily basis you can understand why I want Shinji to be a bit more skilled so he can handle these progressively stronger opponents. In the spoilers for light novel volume 19, Xenovia is supposed to go against the previous Durandal wielder who is an ageless warrior at 87 and whose strength and skill is God-level, making as him as powerful as Roland himself whose own strength was also God-level (which explain how he singlehandedly slaughtered an army of 100,000).

These changes will merely give Shinji more depth as a character because if you look at Shinji's character there is not much depth to him. Shinji in Legend of the Golden Satan has much more depth because it gets you to wonder about him. What kind training did he go through? How many beings did Shinji fight and kill? What kind of things did Shinji do while part of the Hero Faction? Does Shinji regret some of the things he did while part of the Hero Faction?

These are the kind of things that you ask yourself as you read the story. You wonder just what kind of mysteries lies within Shinji's character.

This also gives Shinji the chance to have an actual chance in fighting off these strong opponents instead of getting trounced for most of the fight and either being saved by the timely arrival of a stronger ally or the enemy being called back or him pulling out a surprise power-up that somehow manages to turn the tide of battle and give him a narrow victory.

The changes to this story will have ask questions about it. Why was Vasco in Japan? Did he really want to genuinely help Shinji? Or did he have an ulterior motive for adopting Shinji as his son? Did Shinji regret some of the things he did as an exorcist? Just how many supernatural creatures did Shinji kill during his time as an exorcist? How hard did he train to gain the level fo skill and power has now?

Like with Golden Satan you'll wonder about Shinji's character and how he'll affect others around him due to his more in-depth past.

Also for the part where Valper revealed himself to be Kiba's father, I did indeed get that from Star Wars because I watching it at the time of writing this chapter. I wanted to add more depth to Kiba's character since it would be more dramatic between him and Valper. And yes I feminized Vali because really why not? Characters are being feminized all the time on fanfiction so why not.

Well read and review. Flames will be ignored.