Today, the usually cheerful Kouh Academy was eerily quiet, despite it being a school day. The entire school ground was now surrounded by a barrier. This barrier was maintained by the student council, who remained on constant alert for invaders.
Sona, who was supervising the barrier, turned to the side and spoke.
"Rias, are you certain you can handle Kokabiel? Remember, he's a cadre for a reason. It's not too late to ask your brother for help."
"I could say the same for you, Sona. Why don't you ask your sister for help?" Rias rebuked.
"You know my sister handles foreign affairs. Right now, she's heading to Gregory to manage the aftermath," Sona replied.
Before Rias could say anything further, they heard Akeno's voice as she came out of the building.
"I've already informed Lord Sirzechs about this matter. He should be here in about an hour or so."
"Akeno, why the hell did you do that? We could've handled this ourselves!" Rias said, clearly frustrated by Akeno's actions.
"Rias, normally I wouldn't say anything, but this is a time when we need all the help we can get. After all, this is a cadre we're talking about. We're too weak to defeat someone at that level. So, even if you don't like bothering your brother, we have to do this—it's an emergency," Akeno replied with a serious gaze.
Rias sighed.
"Fine. What you did is right, anyway, so I won't argue. Did the others come back?"
"Yes, Issei, Asia, and Koneko are inside the building trying to come up with some battle plans. But Kiba hasn't returned yet. He seems to be busy, as he didn't even answer my calls. Do you think he's in trouble?" Akeno asked worriedly.
Rias took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a few moments as she tried to sense Kiba's situation. After a while, she opened her eyes and said,
"No, he's not in any danger. I can already sense him coming this way, so his safety is guaranteed for now. Let's head inside and discuss our strategy to buy some time."
As they were about to head inside, they heard Sona's warning.
"Rias, it appears you're too late. The barrier has been broken near the school gym. I suspect that Kokabiel is already there, waiting for us to attack. You guys buy time as much as possible while we handle the barrier so the human world doesn't get affected by this fight."
Rias and Akeno nodded to each other before running toward the school gym. Along the way, they caught up with the others and finally arrived at the gym. Upon arrival, they saw a man who had the appearance of a short, bespectacled elderly figure with gray hair, a mustache, and black eyes, wearing a priest outfit, performing a ritual. They knew it wasn't anything good, as they could see numerous magic circles rotating around what looked like a sword in the making, which instinctively made them take a step back when they looked at it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
They heard the familiar gruff voice and looked around to find its source. They saw a throne made of some otherworldly material floating in the air. Kokabiel sat cross-legged on the throne, wearing a bored expression.
"What the hell are you doing, Kokabiel?" shouted Rias, her aura leaking.
Kokabiel, unfazed by her aura or presence, responded in a bored tone,
"He is Valper Galilei, a former priest who was in charge of the Holy Sword Project before being banished. He's now merging all four Excalibur fragments that we collected to create a stronger one. Isn't it beautiful? Once this sword is finished, all we need is a large number of sacrifices to stabilize its form, and this city just so happens to have the necessary sacrifices we need. Hahahahaha!" Kokabiel laughed maniacally.
Rias and the others clenched their fists, horrified at the thought. Before they could dwell on their dark thoughts, they were interrupted by a voice.
"Do you think I'll let you do that, you bastard? Do you think human life is something you can just toss aside like trash? I will never let you hurt anyone, even if it's the last thing I do!" shouted Issei, as his Sacred Gear manifested and began to glow.
"Hahaha! Why don't you try, Red Dragon Emperor? Show me your pointless struggles and entertain me a bit," Kokabiel taunted, his grin widening into a ferocious smile that nearly split his face.
With a casual swipe of his hand, a two-meter-long lance made of mana appeared. He threw it toward the devils with ease. The ground cracked under the impact, and Issei and the others were nearly blown away by the wind pressure.
After they stabilized themselves, Rias and Akeno unleashed their magic at Kokabiel with full force. He merely raised his hand, catching their magic as if it were a ball. By pouring his own mana into it, he enlarged the magical spear and hurled it back at them.
A huge explosion ensued, and several buildings were heavily damaged. Most of Rias's peerage members were blown away and lay on the ground, slowly getting up.
"Tsk," Kokabiel clicked his tongue, his expression returning to one of boredom. "This is boring. Let's deal with my pets instead."
He cast a summoning spell on the ground, and a pillar of fire erupted. From the summoning circle, a three-headed mythical creature emerged.
"Cerberus, the guardian of the gates of the Underworld!" exclaimed Rias, feeling the pressure rise as another Cerberus emerged from the circle.
"What is Lord Sirzechs doing to be this late?" murmured Akeno, unaware of the drama unfolding in the Underworld.
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~ Biblical hell, in capital city Lucifaad ~
The capital city of Lucifaad was the first city ever created and ruled directly by the original Lucifer. However, after the Great War, this city came under the control of Satan Lucifer, as it now houses the parliament.
It was supposed to be just another ordinary day in the city, where travelers would come to enjoy their stay, and the government would hold their meetings, only to disperse after long arguments. Everything was proceeding as usual when suddenly, the city was enveloped in a majestic aura, followed by a shout, "What did you say?!"
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