Kokabiel smirked, his voice dripping with arrogance, "Indeed, I am Kokabiel, one of the fallen angels' most esteemed leaders!! Welcome, servants of Rias Gremory, and holy sword wielders of the Church."
Xenovia stepped forward, her holy sword gleaming with power. "Give back Excalibur, the sword you stole! Otherwise—"
"Or else what?" Kokabiel sneered, his crimson eyes glowing with mockery.
"You think you can destroy me?"
The way his gaze lingered, full of cruel amusement, made Kazuki Fuwa's jaw tighten; 'This bastard isn't just underestimating us—he is enjoying our frustration.'
"Damn right, we can!" Xenovia barked. "We were sent here to do just that!"
Her boldness only fueled Kokabiel's amusement. His shoulders shook as a deep, guttural laugh escaped him, reverberating through the battlefield.
"Kuhahaha! Hahahahaha!!! You? Destroy me? Don't make me laugh! Save those bold words for when your skills are actually worthy of the weapons you wield. Right now, you're nothing but a joke!"
The biting insult struck a nerve. Xenovia's face twisted in anger. "You'll regret saying that! I'll make you choke on those words!"
She lunged forward, her blade—Excalibur Destruction—glowing with raw power. The air crackled around her as she charged straight at Kokabiel.
"Wait, Xenovia! Dammit!" Irina cursed, quickly drawing a weapon of her own.
A whip of light materialized in her hand, transforming into a sleek blade—Excalibur Mimic. She dashed after her partner, her movements fueled by urgency.
"Come, church's little girls. Show me what you've got," Kokabiel taunted, conjuring twin swords of radiant light in his hands.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Their blades clashed, creating a brilliant burst of energy. The holy aura of the swords was supposed to burn him, but Kokabiel didn't even flinch.
Instead, he batted away their attacks with ease, his grin never wavering.
"Well, well… What's wrong? Is that all? You can't hope to destroy me with such a pathetic level of strength!"
"Fuck! How is he this strong?!" Xenovia gritted her teeth as Kokabiel effortlessly deflected her strikes.
"Even with the two of us, we're barely keeping up!" Irina added, frustration clear in her voice.
From the sidelines, Yumi couldn't take it anymore. Her hands trembled with barely contained fury as she stepped forward, summoning her own blade from pure magic. "This isn't working... I'm joining in, Kazuki-senpai!"
"Wait, Yumi! Don't—!" Kazuki's shout fell on deaf ears as she rushed headlong into the fray.
However, the attacks of the three, including Yumi, were ineffective and only worsened things. The once-synchronized attacks of Xenovia and Irina faltered, disrupted by Yumi's reckless movements.
Their combination fell apart, leaving them vulnerable.
"Damn it, Yumi Kiba! You're in the way!" Xenovia snapped, frustration boiling over.
"In the way? You're the one screwing this up!" Yumi shot back, her voice equally venomous.
"Stop it, you two! We don't have time for this!" Irina howled, but her pleas went unheard.
Kokabiel, watching the spectacle, let out a sigh of mock disappointment. "Is this what the Church sends to face me? Pathetic."
"Boooooooooom" With a swing of his glowing swords, he sent all three girls flying.
"Kyaaahhh!" Their screams echoed as they tumbled across the ground, landing in a heap near Kazuki's feet.
"You're the one who's a problem, Xenovia!" Yumi growled, struggling to stand.
"Huh?! That's my line!!" Xenovia barked back, glaring daggers at her.
"Enough already! Both of you cut it out!!" Kazuki said in a low tone, he had had enough with their incessant fighting, especially at such a critical moment.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!!
"Ah!"
"Hn?!?"
"Ughhh~?! Wh-What are you doing, Kazuki-senpai?!"
Kazuki unleashed a series of fierce punches, sending the three girls reeling with tears in their eyes. His voice boomed with frustration.
"Shut up, you idiots! Fighting like this in front of the enemy?!"
"Ugh!..."
"That's enough! I'll handle the rest. You guys stay back!!" With that, Kazuki walked toward Kokabiel, his eyes burning with determination.
"Oh... Not bad, emitting quite the murderous aura!! Much better than those little brats," Kokabiel taunted, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Don't lump me in with those morons," Kazuki snapped back.
"Kukuku, my apologies. So? Are you here to entertain me?" Kokabiel laughed mockingly.
"Before we get to that, I have one question. Why did you come to this town?" Kazuki closed the distance between them, his presence imposing as he demanded answers.
"...What do you mean by that?" Kokabiel responded with a sly grin.
"This town belongs to Rias Gremory, the sister of the Demon King!! If a big shot like you causes trouble here, it's only a matter of time before the Demon King himself steps in. Are you trying to disrupt the balance among the three major factions and start a war?"
Upon hearing this, Kokabiel's smile widened into a maniacal grin.
"War? Yes, fucking war! That's exactly what I want!! It's been far too long since that Great War. In the meantime, everyone has become spineless—Michael, Sirzechs, Azazel, all of them! That bastard Azazel even spat out, 'I have no intention of waging war again.' Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!!"
Kokabiel's words grew increasingly heated, his frustration evident.
"If that war had continued, we might have won! After losing so many comrades, why should we sheathe our swords?! If we leave it half-finished with nothing to gain, where will the fallen comrades' grudges go?!"
Kazuki couldn't help but recognize the similarity in Kokabiel's words to something Yumi had recently said. It was creepily familiar, yet twisted.
"...So, your goal is nothing more than to start a war itself?"
"Exactly! I will ignite war once more. The Great War that engulfed Heaven, the Underworld, and the Human World—I'll start it again, right now, myself! Fuhahahaha!!" Kokabiel's laughter echoed with nothing but absolute madness in his eyes.
What might have once been a pure desire to avenge his dead comrades had, over time, warped into a twisted obsession with chaos. For Kokabiel, starting a war was the sole objective, and he didn't care who paid the price—not even himself.
Kazuki's gaze darkened as he stared down the supreme fallen angel. "You're pitiful," he said coldly.
The words ignited a furious rage within Kokabiel. "How dare a wretch like you pity me!!" he roared, his voice trembling with fury.
In an instant, Kokabiel brought down a radiant blade of light toward Kazuki. But instead of retreating, Kazuki stepped in close, slamming his fist against Kokabiel's chest.
"!?"
The next moment, Kokabiel was sent hurtling backward. Yet, almost as if nothing had happened, he rose to his feet, brushing himself off.
"...Impressive. What was that just now?" he sneered, his curiosity laced with irritation.
"You're telling me my —Tiger Cannon— didn't faze you?" Kazuki muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Hmmph. When you reach my level, your enormous magical power naturally creates a defensive field. In order to attack me, you must first break through my defensive field."
Kazuki Fuwa clenched his fists, frustration escalating; 'Damn. Of course, it's not that easy.'
Kokabiel was every bit as dangerous as he'd feared—defeating him would take everything Kazuki had. Resolving to unleash his trump card, Kazuki steadied himself.
But before he could act, Kokabiel received a telepathic message from Freed.
"Hellooo, Boss. Can you hear me? Valper says his setup's ready, so he's asking if you could come over here already."
Kokabiel clicked his tongue in irritation. "Tch, just when things were getting interesting... Fine. Tell him I'll be there shortly."
"Roger that. I'll let the old man know."Freed's telepathy ended with the same playful tone as always, leaving Kokabiel obviously annoyed.
'What a fucking idiot!! As much as I despise him, competent pawns are in short supply these days...' Kokabiel's expression darkened.
'...Anyway for now—'
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