The Old God is dead, this we know. Yet like a Phoenix from the ashes of the old world, all of mankind will eventually rise to the side of the Machine God and the Omnissiah.
The entire cafeteria was in stunned silence as Castiel's wings shone for all to see. Despite that sight, everyone was looking at me with various emotions on their faces. Sirzches, along with the other Satans, save Ajuka, and the devil guards were looking at me with eyes that were either distrustful or fearful. Peneume and Shemhazi, along with the fallen guards, were shocked, while Azazel and Bariqiel wore faces of interest or disbelief. The exorcists were in complete disbelief, while my eyes widened as I looked at Michael, ready to ask how he had reached that idea, when an extremely loud sound echoed in the room.
"Is this true, Michael-sama??!!! He is...."
Everyone turned to look at the source of the concern, which was Irina, who was gazing at Michael with her violet eyes, begging him to confirm this again. The blonde-haired man kept his smile and nodded his head at the chestnut.
"Yes, dear believer, what I speak is the truth as I would recognize my creator anywhere. The old one is dead. The Machine God lives and has a shard of him in his very being. The Great Seraphs and I consider the Machine God as the successor of the old one."
This made the devils gasp loudly, hearing the confirmation again, while Irina started shaking in a manic frenzy, looking at me with increasing zeal. That look was beginning to be shared by the rest of the exorcists, save the three Catholic men, in various ways, including a now very happy Mirana. The Russian Princess smiled ultra-wide, and then I felt something happen. She joined the faith in that moment and smiled wider than I had ever seen her before. Castiel continued beaming before he grabbed Mirana, bringing her in for a kiss, which she eagerly returned.
The move was clearly a lust-based thing, yet he did not fall; his wings remained a shining silver. The fallen and devils looked on in mounting shock before Irina finally stopped shaking and charged towards me, crying out in joy.
"Oh, Machine God above and Omnissiah below! Take me into your divine arms!"
Irina dove, ready to tackle me to the ground, but was frozen in mid-air by Michael, waving a wing with an amused face. Dieter was looking at me with a new and very intense face, showing even he was not immune to Protestant teachings, while Griselda and the Catholics looked at me with surprise and growing shock and fear.
The Orthodox exorcists looked on as the room got ready to explode with noise again, with everyone prepared to shout, only for Michael to raise a hand to stop it and, with tears in his eyes, said.
"I would like to speak with my new Father Omnissiah. He can answer your questions and the others'. Please ask him to manifest."
The cafeteria stills again, and I felt wrath grow in me as I demanded him here, because this was a massive thing to lie about and hide from me if it were true. A moment later, the room felt a divine power manifesting behind me. The devils, not Ajuka, got ready to flinch, prepared to scoot away and run, yet stopped feeling no pain. They then froze as everyone in the room, save Michael and a now-holding Mirana tightly, Castiel looked at the Machine God in shock and amazement. I looked over my shoulder at him and asked in a beyond pissed whisper.
"Is this true?"
The Machine God's bionic eye looked at everyone carefully, especially Michael, before it started flickering multiple times. While he does that, Azazel and the other fallen seem to be searching for something, before Azazel says in shock.
"By Eve's massive tits, gigantic ass, divine thighs, and holy hips!"
The devils grew even more afraid, except for Ajuka, who watched with increasing interest. I repeat the question now, very pissed.
"Is this true!? Why did you hide this from me if it is!? Are we not, as you said, equals!?"
The Machine God didn't react to my growing wrath as he continued
searching himself. Michael beams, the exorcists look on in anticipation and
ever-growing hope, while the devils and some of the fallen shake in fear. Finally,
the Machine God spoke with a solemn voice as his bionic eyes started flashing
extremely rapidly, and his face finally took on surprise, shock, and regret
"It is true. There is a shard of Big G in me."
The confirmation made the devil guards panic and back away from the table while Serafall and Fabium started sweating profusely. Sirzches was less scared, but even he was affected, and I felt the air near him begin to pop with the power of destruction. Only Ajuka remained calm as his scientific mind started running hundreds of theoreticals at once.
The confirmation made the exorcists look ready to fall to their knees and sing praises to him, but they were held back from this by Michel raising his six wings on his left side, and they froze in place like Irina. The fallen looked torn, while I was beyond pissed, as now, this possible peace was screwed over in so many ways.
I stand and get ready to calm the devils, but my dad beat me to it as he said in a calm voice, just as the devil guards looked ready to flee from the room.
"Wait."
His voice made the devils still and stiffened Sirzches's and the other Satans' courage as they all looked at Ajuka. Ajuka seems to remember something before he asked in full scientist mode.
"Why do I, nor the others, feel overwhelming, excruciating pain now? The old records of the Morningstar say that he and all devils would feel that in his presence. If you are to a degree him reborn, we should be feeling that now. I assume I'm not because I technically believe in you, but that doesn't explain the others."
Ajuka's saying that made the other devils stare at Ajuka in shock, horror, and confusion. Before the Machine God finally broke from his shock, his face took on new emotions as it seemed he relived a million memories.
"Because he was built a certain way thanks to his core concept ideas. I have been built differently and better, allowing me to leave his weaknesses and mistakes behind."
No one but Ajuka, I, and it seems Michael got that, as confusion spread in the room with all of them gazing at him as if he were crazy. The Machine God looked at Sirzches and the other Satans before regret and anger entered his organic and bionic eye.
"The shard of him in me is his regrets. Like him, I hate the rat that was the original Lucifer and his three treacherous friends, yet unlike him, I don't hate your race. He was forced to hate and punish the race that was made as the original Lucifer's slaves and could never give them the chance to prove they can be different than their Maker. Now all devils will have that chance to prove this, as you are also the children of Humanity, which is what I stand to protect."
That shocked the devil contingent as the Machine God looked at them with pure and utter remorse in his organic and bionic eyes.
"Please forgive the part of me that is him for all the past and present lingering pain Heaven's system has brought to you all this time. I will fix it so that only true bastard devils will be affected by it. I'm so sorry."
That apology made the exorcists gasp while the devils stood in place, stunned and stupid. The Machine God looked beyond ashamed now as he glanced at them in sorrow before turning his gaze to the watching, fallen in shock.
"I also apologize to you all for him. He never hated any of you either. He regretted each of your falls from Heaven and tried desperately to fix that flaw in your fellows, yet he never could because of how constrained he was by his ideas."
The fallen all blinked at that, not getting this before the Machine God's eyes fell on Azazel, and a fond smile crossed his face as memories played behind his eyes.
"I see you have not changed much at all, Azazel, since you fell. You're still lusting after Eve after all this time."
Azazel chuckled perversely, smirking widely, making the other fallen save Peneume sweat drop collectively. Peneume slapped her face in despair before she and the other fallen looked at the Machine God in wary caution and disbelief, before the Machine God looked at Michael. My Patron's face continued to be full of sorrow as he looked at them in regret. Michael, however, wasn't sad, saying beyond happy.
"Hello again, Father, it's wonderful to see you again, even in this new form. The rest of Heaven will be eager and excited to see you once they learn the truth."
The Machine God nodded, still full of guilt, as Michael twitched his wings at the exorcists. They all unfreeze, save Irina, and got ready to fall to their knees as the chestnut grew even more manic. Just before the exorcists were about to kneel, the Machine God raised his arm.
"Never kneel to me. For like my Champion, I will never demand that from you. Instead, rise alongside us to face a world that is ever evolving, like we all must do."
That stopped the exorcists, as faces of disbelief crossed all of them before awe began to appear on the Protestants, Orthodox, Griselda, and the other female Catholic, while the three men were still in a zombie-like state. The Machine God looked at the exorcists with fondness before he finally turned to me with an apologetic face. The room was silent as the devils and fallen looked on at the two of us before the Machine God finally answered my question.
"I didn't hide this from you, my champion. I didn't know until now, as it was so well hidden within me. If I had known this fact, I would have told you immediately; yet, it explains many things that have long bothered me. Please forgive me for not telling you this."
His face and our connection show that it was the truth. I was still pissed, but the anger and wrath slowly began to leave me as I glared at him.
"How?"
That question was also on everyone's faces, and the Machine God took a figurative breath before he looked at everyone, including the now slightly calmer but still somewhat terrified devils.
"Our ally in the nearby place is how, as I said to you when we first met. When he died at Nicaea, with Ascalon shoved into his back by Kokabiel, his ideas detached. They floated in the sea like so many deities from that blade did before, yet unlike them, they didn't all disappear. Several of them stayed close together thanks to the Christian faiths and remained there until our ally gathered them together. He then built me with them. When he was done, I was set to lie slumbering in the sea. When you made the first Oath of Moment, sacrificing your future free from duty, that was the catalyst to awaken me as I attached to you. I am still me, but with his knowledge, I can do many things much more efficiently and effectively than I would have before."
He was again being truthful, and that banished the remaining wrath in me before the Machine God looked at the room again. Most of the tension in the room was gone, though the devil guards and Fabium were gazing at me with distrust and disbelief. That was also echoed to some extent on Sirzches, while Serafall looked uncomfortable, and Ajuka appeared exasperated. My patron sighed, seeing what he had done before looking at the pure angels once more.
"Michael, as my first act as your new father, I say this. From this moment on, Heaven will not attack devils that try for the second children. However bad strays, the Old Satan Faction and devils from the Great King Faction that don't respect this possible treaty are free game."
The exorcists froze before Michael nodded.
"We in Heaven will honor that order to the letter, Father. We want this war over at last so we may evolve alongside you and finally experience what many of us so have desperately wanted."
No sooner was that agreement made than Michael's twelve white wings began turning silver, shocking the devils and fallen again. When they were all completely silver, the Machine God turned to the devils.
"I will strive to prove to you all that I am truly sorry for his past actions in wanting your race's extermination. Don't hate my champion, as you saw, he didn't know this truth. I know I have no standing with you all, but I beg you to truly consider peace."
Ajuka, who was the only one of the devils who could talk, responded.
"We will discuss our options now that we know all of this. I want the peace and would also like to talk to you about other things."
The other Satans nodded dumbly at this before Sirzches looked at me cautiously, his eyes beginning to think along with Serafall and Fabium. The Machine God nodded at the four before he looked at the exorcists and especially Mirana, who smiled widely while holding Castiel's hand.
"I will inform the Patriarch of this order, Lord Reborn. Will Castiel truly not fall now or ever?"
The Machine God smiled now.
"No, he will not. He is free to love you as you do him. That flaw in his old angels will be fixed, and the eventual new ones will be completely free of that failure. Please tell the Patriarch not to do forced mass conversions, as it will weaken me rather than help me. The souls of the current believers will make it to Heaven even if they believe in the old him and not me."
Mirana smiled widely as tears fell down her face.
"I will inform him of that. You will find no problems from us as we scorn all the lessons of the Tyrant of Georgia."
The Machine God's eyes fell on Dieter, who was shaking in eagerness with the other Protestants
"I will inform the Protestant churches of your holy and sacred decree. Though I wish to understand your new form, oh Lord Reborn."
No sooner had Dieter said that than it was whispered in unison by the rest of the exorcists, and before the Machine God smiled softly,
"If you wish to understand me, Strongest Believer, then look no further than my champion. He and I are the same in all regards."
The room's eyes fell on me again before the Machine God turned his eyes to Irina, who was still conscious and frozen in the air.
"You will have to earn my forgiveness before I take you in my arms, Exorcist, for leaving them again willingly this time, and the constant insults to my champion, who has only ever wanted to help you. Your friend spoke the truth; they will not take you back, yet I will tell you this to help you."
Irina went wide-eyed in a small amount of pain that was almost instantly replaced with excitement as she seemed to hear a voice before tears appeared in her eyes. She looked at the Machine God with love before the Machine God looked at the fallen and Azazel.
"I offer you all the chance of reconciliation he could never give you. I will accept you all at any time you decide to take this offer. Please make peace. Bariqiel, please don't hate Michael for Oll's fate. Oll was one of the greatest heroes of this planet in so many ways that you don't understand yet. Ask my champion to explain to you later why that dragon had to be preserved and not destroyed."
Bariqiel glared at the Machine God in wrath, while Michael looked at the other with pity, before Bariqiel then glared at me with a look to explain later, or else he would electrocute me like never before. Azazel looked at the Machine God in curiosity before he shrugged.
"I'll consider it—the offer, not the peace. I also want that, as then I can spend more time in my labs studying gear and or chasing women without being bothered. I also would like to get with your champion, as he and I have much to discuss."
Azazel's face was eager for that future discussion, and the Machine God smiled, amused. The other fallen, save Peneume and Bariqiel, nodded dumbly, still too shocked to say anything. Then, when my patron looked at memagain, seeing what my unasked questions were.
"I will get back to you, my champion, when I have located their user. It will, however, be a bit as I have to make sure those souls here on Earth still waiting get to Heaven, get there, or if they want to, my new afterlife."
I nod to him gruffly before the Machine God looked again, one last time, at the room's occupants with a pleading look before he disappeared. The room fell silent as the fallen and angels looked at each other in contemplation. The exorcists were still for a moment, muttering to each other rapidly while eyeing me, before the three
Catholic men fainted, and it was then that Sirzches spoke, looking directly at me.
"If I am to agree to this peace, you will not proselytize to people in the underworld about him."
His eyes were hard, even though he liked me for my past deeds. The serious look in his eyes told me this was one of his favors, as I gave him a nod.
"I won't and never will, Lord Lucifer."
Sirzches looked at me for a hint of a lie when Ajuka spoke with a bored voice.
"He did not proselytize to me, Sirz. I thought long and hard about it before I made my decision just as you should now with this peace. We will never have a better chance of this happening again if we walk away now. I will sign it and will tell Fia about that one time at my family manor when we were kids if you act like an idiot now."
Sirzches glared at Ajuka before he gestured at Serafall and Fabium to close ranks. They do, and I can see that Serafall was closer to agreeing than Fabium was, as the bald man watched me like a hawk, now thoroughly awake. I curse the Machine God here, as now I have likely made an enemy in the other man. The Machine God apologizes to me while Sirzches and the others discuss things in whispers, the devil guards are still stunned stupid. There was silence for a moment before Ajuka looked at Azazel with a slight smirk.
"I would like to, regardless of the others' decision, hold several scientific talks between you, my peerage, my son, and me. Especially in regard to a new field of study that he is pioneering."
Azazel grinned widely and perversely.
"I would love that almost as much as I love a fat ass and huge knockers. What is this field called?"
Peneume slapped her face in frustration, glaring at her father, while Ajuka smirked wider.
"Deitolagy. It has many radical ideas, and given what we experienced just now, I am now very eager to build that field with him."
Azazel smirked ultra-wide now, too.
"Oh, I'm very keen now too. In these talks, would you be interested in discussing your great invention? I barely understand what I have seen with it and…."
Ajuka shook his head, now stopping Azazel while being amused at the other, making Azazel pout. Azazel was about to say something when something unexpected happened, causing all of us in the cafeteria to freeze. Sirzches, Serafall, and Faibium looked up from their hushed conversation as my eyes widened, feeling the ward scheme collapse. Sirzches got ready to say something before I got a call out from the vox piece in my helmet on the table.
"The wards have been cracked! All forces to the building entrances!"
That echoed in the cafeteria, and Michael looked at Mirana with a deep frown, then at the three unconscious Catholics on the ground.
"Get them to safety, then get ready to defend this place."
The Russian Princess obeyed instantly while Michael waved his wings, making Irina drop to the ground with a thud. She was dazed for a moment before she sprang to her feet, drawing her light sword, shouting.
"I shall earn my forgiveness! For the Lord Reborn!"
Irina then charged towards the doors with her light sword held high, quickly followed by the rest of the exorcists. Azazel sighed, turning to his fallen guards, waving a hand dismissively.
"Go help defend this place. We will show that we aren't Kokabiel's ilk."
The fallen didn't hesitate much before they began forming a shield wall with Bariqiel leading them, still pissed, while Shemhazi sweat dropped and got up. Azazel got ready to talk with Ajuka again before Peneume slapped her father upside the head hard.
"Help them, Dad! You can gush with your new friend later!"
Azazel sighed before he reluctantly got up and followed the other fallen out, along with Shemhazi. Peneume said apologetically to Sirzches and Micheal as she followed after them, making a red-light spear.
"He will be back."
Michael chuckled as he got up from his chair, followed by Castiel.
"I will not stand back any longer and do nothing, especially while Mechanists fight and possibly die for this peace and a new and better world."
With that said, he and Castiel extend their wings, making a light spear or light sai while heading for the door, before a large and echoing series of howls came that I recognized as did Ajuka, who sighed.
"I'm going to help too. That's the OSF, and each one we kill here will mean one less problem in the future."
Sirzches nodded as the power of destruction formed in his hands as he, Faibium, and Serafall got up.
"The temporary truce is still on for now, so help the defense. Each dead OSF levy by you will have its bounty paid out after the conference."
That last part made multiple guards eager as they fed their sins following Sirzches, Ajuka, Fabium, and Serafall out the door. The last thing I saw before they left was Sirzches's eyes watching me in distrust. The room was silent for a moment before I growled beyond angry for everything. I curse the Machine God for this turn of events before pulling my boltgun off my back and running out of the room and into the school halls.
As soon as I opened the doors, I heard the distant sounds of las fire, chainswords roaring and spells being thrown echoing in the hall. My boots thudded as I began running up the hallway towards the sound of the las fire, which grew louder. It was as I was approaching the gym that I found the first signs of battle. Ten skitarii, their two robots, two exorcists, and Serafall were forming a battle line near the entrance from the gym to the hallway as the sound of pained howls grew louder. Then the doors burst open to show a huge pack of fifty starved hellhounds charging through the doorway, followed closely by twenty devils and forty magicians in Nilrem's black and white robes.
The devils and magicians began throwing spells over the hellhounds' heads, making the skitarii take cover behind lockers or some hastily made ice barricades from Serafall. Seeing the dogs once again pissed me off as I fired a bolt down the hall and hit the lead dog head-on. The dog explodes into pieces, stopping the devils and magicians in their tracks as I move forward towards them. Seeing my figure, the skitarii let out a cheer as several drew their swords or readied themselves to shoot again.
"For the Omnissiah who brings light!"
That was the furthest thing from the truth right now as I fired two more bolts that slammed into a devil and a magician, showering their comrades in gore. That sight made Nilrem and OSF flinch, along with making the hellhounds stop their rush.
The poor dogs turned around and descended on the meaty bits, giving the robots a chance to close the distance to tank spells and giving Serafall an opening. She gathered magic in her hands and made a ball of pure ice before she threw the ball down the hall. It hit a magician, freezing him solid, before he exploded, sending sharpened icicles out into the back of the pack of hellhounds and several nearby magicians, killing them while making others back up. However, the sight of Serafall's twin tails and my face pissed off the OSF as one cried out.
"Kill the False Satan along with the halfbreed mongrel, and the True Leviathan will reward you with whatever you want!"
That sent the devils forward as they pushed past the magicians, eagerly throwing more spells at us before Serafall responded in kind as several chainswords kicked on, roaring, and claws began chewing up the pack. My grenade launcher arm extended to throw four frag grenades at them as las fire, along with a few light bullets, flew. Two grenades land in the middle and back of the Hellhound pack before exploding, taking many of them out, with the remaining ones in the middle falling to las fire or Serafall's ice bolts. The other two grenades each landed in a group of devils or magicians. The magicians ran from it, knowing what they were, while the devils didn't, before six devils lost their legs and started screaming, while only one magician fell to the ground. Las shots or an ice bolt ends their suffering as my people advance with swords or guns ready only for both exorcists to rush past them light swords drawn shouting.
"For the Lord Reborn!"
They charged down the hall, quickly joined by the chainsword people, before one of the shooting skitarii asked me over the vox.
"Lord Reborn?"
I growled out, still pissed, while firing another bolt that claimed a magician.
"Long story short the Biblical God died, and the Machine God is in a way him reborn."
That stopped the shooting skitarii around me for a moment, allowing the OSF and Nilrem to start throwing spells more effectively before another skitarii gasped out.
"You mean…."
I snarled out not in the mood right now.
"Yes! Now, for his sake and the sake of a better world, kill these shits!"
My words sent the skitarii here into a frenzy, and I growled again as, over the vox, I heard a skitarii shouting.
"If he was dead then that means he never forsook us! Their excommunications meant nothing! He saw we were still loyal despite their lies!"
The secret was out now, and the vox exploded into chatter that was only stopped by kill team alphas' snarling to focus as the shooting resumed in a new and furious manner. The number of shots began clearing Nilrem and OSF foes, putting them on the defensive and allowing me to make my way to Serafall's side. As soon as I got there, the melee began with an OSF levy getting his head chopped off by a chainsword as I snapped at her.
"Sign this peace or else."
Serafall frowned, throwing an ice bolt at an OSF levy who quickly pushed a magician into the path, killing them, and as the body slumped, she ground out.
"I was going to for multiple reasons, but since you're here and your people know these foes, tell me who the fuck these magicians are. I'm the liaison with Mephisto-chan, and I don't recognize the robe colors."
I fired another bolt, popping an OSF woman who was getting ready to throw a spell at an exorcist, and grunted out.
"They are from a new guild called Nilrem. They, along with the OSF and another group, are part of an organization called the Chaos Brigade. You can guess what they want by the name."
Serafall's frown deepened as she threw a spell that made a storm of snowflakes that flew down the hall and turned into shuriken once past the melee skitarii and exorcists who had joined them.
"Share what you know with us after this. I'll talk to Fabi-chan, as Juka-chan is right, we won't get a better chance of this happening again. Just be ready for Fabi-chan to send people to spy on you."
I growled out.
"Ready for that and more. Just tell him to send them to my city. You will all see that I'm not your enemy, nor is he. They are."
That was punctuated by a bolt fired into a magician who was desperately trying to rally their remaining fellows from breaking and running. His death made the ten magicians left start fleeing back up the hallway, losing half their number to las shots. The remaining five were about to get into the gym when a significant windstorm from the connecting hallway threw them up the other hall. Then five lightning bolts hit the magicians in the heads, popping them as their bodies slump to the floor.
The attackers came into view in Dieter and Bariqiel, and they were followed by three fallen, who began throwing lightning bolts, light spears, and fireballs that rained down on the rear of the remaining OSF here. The pincer made many of them go down quickly, but not before one of the devils cleaves off an exorcist's arm up to the elbow with a spell before dying to a fireball from Dieter. The exorcist went down howling, only for one of the skitarii, who I saw wearing a badge on their armor with a red half-cog, to immediately pull out a potion and splash it on the wound. It caused the blood flow to instantly stop and made a hissing sound as it cauterized the injury.
The exorcist let out a whimper and was soon surrounded by his comrade, a woman, and Dieter. The wounded man looked at his elbow in pure pain and despair. That again pissed me off, as we need everybody for this fight, given the number of dead bodies, and I ordered the other skitarii and robots to head to the next battle. They quickly moved out, followed by the fallen, Serafall and Bariquel, leaving Dieter, the other Protestant exorcist, the medic, and me in the hallway. Dieter got ready to say something to the man before I quickly summoned the anvil and made a prosthetic. The sudden sight of the Longinus made the two regular Protestants gasp, while Dieter watched me kneel and attach the limb, causing the man to hiss. Before he wiggled his new metal arm and fingers, his eyes went wide before I told Dieter.
"He will be fine. Go help the others."
The man looked at the metal hand, then at me rapidly, before nodding quickly and saying,
"Sally, with me. Elias and Irina headed towards the art wing, which was where I was originally going. Bjorn, I will cook you a good meal when this is over."
Sally got up and followed Dieter as I got up, ready to join them in the fight. As I walked away from the medic and the still-shocked Bjorn, I heard just before I turned the corner.
"Flesh is weak, but the Omnissiah brings light to the world that was once covered in night."
I wanted to groan as this was such a bullshit day, as I felt Bjorn begin to believe that. As our trio made its way down the hallway, Dieter looked at me from the corner of his eye.
"Your Longinus…. What else can it do?"
I grunted as the sound of las fire, spells being thrown and pained howls grew again.
"Lots of things, many of which you won't believe till you see them. We can talk later after these shits are dead. The Devils are from the Old Satan Faction. They think you and all other humans are pond scum water."
That made Dieter scowl along with Sally before the German grunts.
"So free game to end then. They will feel the Lord Reborn's righteous justice."
The three of us continued down the hallway toward the art wing, and soon we heard the sounds of hellhounds howling, regular gunfire, and the snap hiss of two lasguns. What we found as we turned the corner was not good.
Arrayed behind hastily thrown-down desks was Irina, the other Protestant, two Orthodox exorcists led by Yuri, and two skitarii cleaning up a small pack of hellhounds. The last of the dogs went down by lasguns and a light sword only for more howls to come from nearby. Then, sprinting around the right of the T-shaped hallway came another large pack of hellhounds with twenty OSF behind them. The OSF sergeant, once they spotted me, like the last one, snarled to his men to kill me before he threw a red spell at the front of the hellhound pack. The spell, which was red in color, made the smell of meat fill the air, then flow down towards us, making the dogs let loose more howls and charge forward as spells flew over their heads. People dove for cover behind lockers as several of my power sword arms extended. Dieter and I shared a look before we moved, dodging spells as Dieter drew his light sword.
The hiss of light energy, combined with fire, ice, electricity, and frost particles, made Irina gasp momentarily in awe before the battle began as three hellhounds dashed forward. They jump towards me, aiming for my throat, teeth ready, only for power sword arms to cut them in half, before I fired a bolt at an OSF man. My shot hit the man, popping him, scaring the shit out of his allies, giving the exorcists and the two skitarii time to open up on the pack. Their shots claim multiple dogs, and two hit OSF, who go down thrashing from light bullets, making the remaining levies take cover wherever they could.
A devil woman with orange hair dove for a locker only to pop when another bolt hit her, spraying her comrades in gore, before I snarled at them, feeding wrath.
"Machine God take you, you curs!"
The utterance made the devils clutch their heads in pain, allowing for two more to go down this time from las shots as Dieter moved his hand and sent a mini tornado down the hallway. The gale sucked up ten of the remaining fifteen dogs and two recovering OSF before a grenade arm extended and threw a frag into it. The grenade exploded inside with a loud thud, sending multiple hellhound bodies to the ground, but only killing one of the levies. The survivor, a man with pink hair, screamed for only a second before a light bullet from Yuri put him down as the two skitarii drew swords and kicked them on.
The roars were barely heard over the sound of spells and the whimpering of several wounded hellhounds from my grenade, but thankfully, they were given mercy by light bullets as Dieter and I advanced with the skitarii, Irina, and Yuri. The OSF sergeant glared at me in hate before drawing his sword.
"You will die here for daring to sully pureblood devil women, you disgusting halfbreed mongrel! For the True Leviathan!"
He charged forward with the rest of his comrades, following suit. I slung the boltgun and drew Mimic in a half second before bringing the blade down on the first OSF. The woman barely blocked the blade before I kicked and broke her leg as I drove Mimic into her chest. She gurgled before I kicked her off it and made Mimic change into a chain axe as it roared to life before cutting another OSF in half. His body parts fell to the ground, and I sliced another devil's head off before I blocked two sword strikes from a pair of devils who looked like twins. The two pissed off faces glared at me before they moved to strike again, only for Irina to come to my side, crying out.
"For the Omnissiah Bringer of Light and my new best friend!"
Her blade came down on the first twin, slicing off his sword hand, making him thrash, allowing me to swipe off his brother's head, moving to the next foe as I snark.
"You aren't one of those knucklehead until you get me to Mars."
Irina got a determined look on her face as she finished off another OSF and charged forward.
"Then let this moment mark the beginning of a Great Crusade for that holy goal! Redemption is mine as I shall become a new Saint Celestine!"
That proclamation made me sweat drop as Irina went to town on her foe, ending him, then going on to the next one without breaking a sweat. I cursed and thanked Issari for sharing that, as Irina's zeal seemed to spread to the two skitarii and other Protestants who fought even harder than before. That fury was beating back the OSF, and seeing a fight they couldn't win, the twelve remaining devils got ready to run, and it was then that Dieter struck. A sudden breeze formed behind the enemy, then turned into a howling gale that pushed the devils forward toward us, setting them off balance. Irina, Yuri, and I immediately took advantage of this to slaughter several of the devils outright while the other Orthodox exorcists fired disciplined volleys from their guns, claiming several others. The OSF was soon reduced to three people, including the sergeant, who, it seems, was determined to go down fighting. Seeing that I switched Mimic to a power maul and closed in on the shit as the OSF was going to pay for this.
I turn Mimic to half power before I swing at the sergeant's leg, determined to end this fast. The man dodged the swipe and thrust his sword towards my head, determined to take it off. I blocked the blade with the top of the maul, then slammed it onto full power and brought the head down on the devil's sword arm. The man barely blocked the head, stumbling backwards as I pressed the attack by swiping at his other arm, then mid-flight, turning back on his sword arm. This time, the maul hit and broke his arm with a resounding crack, making the devil scream for a second before I whacked him to the ground, where he slid and hit a locker hard before he fell unconscious.
I turned to see the fighting die down as Yuri decapitated another devil, while Irina and a skitarii put the final one down with two sword swipes. The windstorm sputtered to a standstill, and I took a deep breath before gesturing to the other skitarii, then to the unconscious OSF.
"Take him to the prison cells here and tell people over the vox to aim for prisoners from the OSF and Nilrem."
The man saluted, relaying that order over the vox before he and the other skitarii moved for our new prisoner. As they dragged him away, Yuri looked at me, impressed.
"Rana was right, you are a master swordsman. I couldn't even get a hint of what you were using."
I was about to shrug that off when Irina huffed out.
"He uses styles developed by these things called Space Marines. I want to learn them too, but Sari won't let me near the machines."
Yuri, Dieter, and the two Orthodox and Protestants gave me a keen look in their eyes, as if to explain that only for my helmet to go off.
"Any nearby people I need help near the armory and teleporters. Two large groups of perros, their handlers, and multiple Nilrem are heading this way."
That was Paula's voice, and just before I could respond, Irina raised her sword high.
"I will reinforce her! For the Omnissiah and the Lord Reborn shall my redemption come!"
Irina practically Olympic sprinted off in that direction, leaving a mini cloud before the rest of the exorcists followed after her. However, Yuri and Dieter gave me one last appraising look before leaving the hall. I was about to follow them when the vox blurted again, this time in Albert's voice.
"I also need help in ze Library. Nilrem and ze OSF are making a very concerted effort to get in it and grab ze crates."
That made me freeze, and then I growled as I put it together. That's how they found us! I'm an ignoramus because I didn't think to check if there were tracking spells on the crates!
As I rushed through the school towards the library, I passed through halls filled with dozens of dead hellhounds, Nilrem, and OSF levies. I also encountered several minor skirmishes involving skitarii, fallen and devil guards, fighting multiple magicians or levies. Those fights soon turned around quickly as I entered the melee, and bodies hit the floor. As I passed by the auditorium, I caught a glimpse of Michael, Shemhazi, Peneume, Sirzches, Faibum, along with four devil guards and fallen ones fighting off three dozen OSF and Nilrem each. Meanwhile, around the stage, there were over a hundred hellhound bodies. The group was not doing well as three of the devil guards were wounded in some way, along with two fallen, hampering the others.
Two of the OSF inside the room near the back, who looked like lieutenants at the same time, brought out two mid-sized Cerberus and then sent them off towards the stage. The dogs sudden appearance and howls gave the OSF and Nilrem grunts a chance to prepare spells only for me to fire six bolts. The bolts hit their targets in the OSF lieutenants, two Nilrem mages who looked important, one of the Cerberus fully,
while the other one only lost a back leg, howling in pain. The dog hobbled about for a second before a ball of destruction, twelve silver feathers, and a red light spear hit the Cerberus's face, sending it to the ground as it began to disappear.
Sirzches, Faibium, and Michael caught sight of me near the door and gave a slight nod of thanks with Michael's beyond happy Faibium's suspicion filled before the three along with Peneume and Shemhazi began a push on the now disorganized foes. I shut and then barricade the door to prevent the newly freaking Brigade grunts from escaping before continuing the run to the library.
That run continued with me stopping only twice more to help skitarii with fights before they ran off to reinforce other battles. The occasional chime of the vox was telling me we were winning most of the fights around the building, but people were being kept pinned down by the sheer numbers the Brigade was throwing at us. The call for help came again from Albert when I arrived at the main hallway, which was connected to the nurse's office and the library, and I saw a small fight in progress.
There, defending the T intersection, I saw Mirana and Castiel, along with the South American Catholic and the other Orthodox, cleaning up the remains of a small pack of hellhounds being urged on by two devils. The Russian Princess was slicing through the dogs while Castiel was throwing silver feathers to help her along with his light sai. The hellhounds were desperately trying to push past them, following a
blood trail that was going around the corner. That sight pissed me off and made
me fire a bolt into one of the devils near the rear, and she popped, scattering
gore. That new meat brought the remaining hellhounds around onto them, and a
grenade that I lobbed. The hounds go down howling, and Castiel threw a barrage
of feathers into the few survivors. The angel then threw one of his light sai into the heart of the last devil about to throw a spell at Mirana. The blade poked through the man, who groaned, then fell. Mirana gave Castiel a look of thanks mixed with some lust before the group went backwards
I went the opposite direction, following the blood trail, and found a makeshift triage center in the hallway outside the nurse's office. There were a dozen wounded skitarii, fallen and devil guards were being attended to by medics, or in the case of a
pair of very badly wounded devils, both missing a leg and an arm, by Saiyo or
Manakel. I stopped for only a moment to make more metal limbs before handing
them to Saiyo, who applied them expertly to the two. The devils gasped, looking
at the limbs, feeling the holy nature of them, yet not burning or in pain, and their comrades nearby looked at them in shock as I pushed past them, moving as fast as possible back up the hallway.
When I finally turned the corner to the library vicinity, I was shocked to find several huge mounds of dead frozen hellhounds going up the hallway to the library entrance. The sound of more footsteps approaching made me turn and aim my boltgun, only to see Xenovia, Griselda, Azazel, and Ajuka coming up the other hallway. My Dad and Azazel were talking amicably while Griselda was checking Xenovia over for wounds. The group, except for my dad, froze at the sight of the mounds before Azazel laughed merrily.
"Ah, so this is where Lavinia ended up. Impressive work as always with her. Oh, and it seems her control has gotten better again. The amazing potential of Longinus' gears. I missed her as she was fun to run experiments with, maybe I can—"
I cut him off.
"You can talk with her later, preferably when she's not fighting and we are not under attack."
Azazel pouted, hearing that, while Ajuka agreed with me, as he made his way towards the first mound with the rest of us following behind him. Halfway around the pile, we heard the faint sounds of fighting. Xenovia and Griselda fell in on my left with Ajuka and Azazel on my right, and as we moved towards the second mound of hellhounds, I snarked out.
"I admit, kid, you have guts poaching people from my organization. The cadres have been complaining that we are missing more and more people each week, and Shemhazi is afraid we will have no stray exorcists left in four months. Can I hazard a guess that Conner is here too, as is his gal pal and that hero descendant that was with them?"
Azazel turned his eyes on me, and his keen look told me he already knew the answer, but I snarked out.
"They are, and your manpower problem sounds like a you problem. If Grigori treated its stray exorcists and other humans better, I wouldn't have so many volunteers. When I start giving health insurance, I'll give Grigori a month to be stupid, fallen only."
That made Azazel sigh as we pushed to the next mound and past several frozen, solid magicians.
"Fair. I have been telling the cadres they can't treat our humans like toilet paper for the last fifty years. After the last time they ignored me, I just sort of… gave up for more time in my labs…. Studying gear…"
I wanted to slap him upside the head, yet I got him so very well, too.
"Sign the damn peace treaty, and I'll give you the mother of all gears to study in mine. Everything you have seen my people using is made from it. It's a new Longinus as you have probably heard, and I need help with getting my balance break."
Azazel froze for a second, stopping to consider that before I heard the doors to the library break down and snap out.
"I'll talk to Mittelt about a date!"
That got an amused laugh from Xenovia and Ajuka while Griselda sighed. Azazel quickly broke from that and got super excited like a child bouncing up and down like his granddaughter did.
"Deal! I was going to sign it anyway after this, but that's too good to pass up! Tell me about your gear have you tested out—"
Azazel's rant was interrupted by the sound of fighting growing louder, and that made us move faster towards the library. As we passed around the second mound, we found at the top of the pile the dead body of a robot with a Cerberus on it. The robot was from Kill Team Cerberus and was the newer one, making me wince as its very dented chassis was covered in claw and bite marks. Griselda gasped at the sight of the Cerberus and robot, taking a step back as Xenovia reassured her mother.
"The robots are on our side, Mama, and are very nice."
Then she turned back to face me, and in her eyes was the barest hint of her old psyker mania.
"Beloved, is it true? Is he really…"
I bite down the growing wrath for her and nod.
"Yes, he is sort of him reborn. He says fuck the Pope, Archbishops, and the Protestant representative who excommunicated you three, because you couldn't help seeing it, and they were needlessly cruel to you all."
Xenovia teared up before saying a wordless prayer for him, while Griselda let loose a small gasp at that. She looked at the two of us before her blue eyes fell on Xenovia.
"You were excommunicated because of the truth? Because of this…. Psyker thing you told me about?"
Azazel and Ajuka leaned in there at the unfamiliar word, and Xenovia nodded.
"Yes, Mama. I was with Rin at the reliquary in the Vatican and saw a torn banner that the angels let the Catholic Church keep from the battle. When I touched it, I saw him stabbed in the back by a shadowy figure and bleeding out before he went still. I collapsed, and when I came to in the hospital, Rin and the Holy Maiden Asia were nearby. Her minder in a bishop was death glaring at me as I apparently said the truth while unconscious. Beloved can explain how it works."
Griselda frowned, then widened her eyes as my dad and Azazel grew keen to ask. The barrage of soon-to-be-asked questions was only stopped again as we rounded the next pile of dogs to see ten magicians and now six OSF levies, all frozen solid. I also noted that one of the OSF had not died from Lavinia but rather from having a hole in his stomach made by a chainsword, but the man had also thrashed to death from holy poison. The sounds of fighting grew louder, and as we rounded the next mound, I heard a voice shout out.
"Anyone who recovers a crate will get a rare 1400s tome from my collection! Three if they kill the ice bitch!"
Almost a second later, another voice rang out.
"Four human whores for whoever gets a crate and a rare familiar for capturing the doll user!"
The spell fire picked up, and Ajuka said, bored.
"That is Galius Leviathan. A cousin of a cadet branch who was never too bright. Let's end this quickly, as I want this treaty signed soon."
Same Dad as tap my gun, getting another bolt loaded into the
chamber while Xenovia drew Durandal, before I grunt to Griselda.
"Ms Quarta, please help the defenders while we deal with the leaders. I would rather my future mother-in-law didn't die at the hands of these assholes."
Griselda looked offended for a moment before she saw Xenovia give a pleading look, making her sigh and agree. We came around the final mound of hellhound bodies and found the doors to the library burst down with a battle line of fifteen OSF levies and twenty Nilrem magicians across the length of the room behind overturned desks and tables, throwing spells and advancing slowly. At the back, directing the attack were three figures. One was a man with the same color hair as Ingvild, throwing a spell at a robot that was deep in the melee with ten well-fed hellhounds. At the same time, behind it were three overturned tables with two carapace helms barely peeking over and taking the occasional potshot.
On the other side of the room, behind the Nilrem lines, was the librarian's circular, tall table, where two magicians were. Both were men, and they were throwing spells towards another overturned table at the right back-hand corner of the library that had a singed witch hat poking over it with the crates behind it. One of the two men had his hood up, while the other had it down, letting his long, red-brown hair flow past his shoulders. That man made a spell circle, gathered magic, and then threw a complex fire spell over his comrades' heads up the bookcase row. The spell got ready to hit the table before it was frozen solid by an ice storm that came from a nearby row. The
fireball dropped as Lavinia's doll poked its head for a second, only to dive back as more spells flew its way.
Ajuka and Azazel fixed their eyes on Galius while Xenovia and I focused on the two magicians. Griselda drew her sword and got ready to help the robot as her light sword, hissing to life, alerted the Brigade, making multiple eyes turn to us. That gave someone an opening as Abe suddenly popped up from behind the table beside Lavinia and threw two ghostly chainswords. The two blades flew and claimed the lives of two magicians, one by chewing off an arm, while the other flew and landed in the chest of the man next to the red-brown haired man. Both foes went down quickly, dying before the battle started again as the remaining magician snarled out in an Australian accent.
"Twenty books for whoever kills this shit bag mutt of a kid!"
That set most of the magicians on Xenovia and me, while from Galius's lips he barked out.
"A new noble house for whoever kills the False Satan and the King Crow!"
The battle started again as spells flew from multiple directions, as people flew into cover, or in Griselda's case, bolted towards the still fighting hellhounds, a robot running fast for a human. Her light sword came into one of them as I popped up and fired three bolts at the magicians, giving Xenovia a chance to move forward. Each bolt popped its target, sending gore flying about, and the remaining magicians into cover, including the leader. I aimed for the librarian's desk, ready to end him, only for an OSF levy to charge me, sword aimed for my throat.
A power sword arm moved and cut the devil in half, but it screwed with the shot, making me have to dodge three quickly aimed fireballs thrown by two magicians. I fired a bolt in retaliation at the more forward of them, and the woman soon summoned a magic shield, only for the round to drill through it and pop her. Her gore flew and hit her comrade, who paled, then ran, only for a ghost chainsword to carve a path across his stomach. I turned to see Abe, Lavinia, and the doll coming forward to help. The young Frenchman had two more ghost chainswords floating behind him and a spell circle in his hands that completed as he threw a fireball, then the swords at three devils trying to push on Albert and his teammate.
All three projectiles hit their targets and fell to the ground, thrashing or screaming, as Abe called out.
"That was for my Maman, you bastards!"
I rolled my eyes at him before trying to line up a shot on the magician leader again, while Xenovia went to town on a group of three magicians, her eyes flashing blue as she swiped in the Thousand Sons style. She was cleaning them up fast, too, as one man went down, missing a leg, before the holy sword went into his chest, before it was out, and cutting off a head from the second magician, while another screamed as he was thrown backwards by a swipe from Durandal. The man hit the librarian's table with a loud crunch, bending the wood a bit, before the leader poked his head out and, seeing he was down to ten allies, made a massive spell circle above him.
Twenty points formed, and then they shot out clusters of fire, electricity, ice, and earth shards rapidly. The projectiles rained down on our side of the library in multiple
directions, forcing me, Xenovia, an advancing Lavinia, her doll, and Abe into
cover, allowing the other magicians to fall back. The ten gathered around the man who snarled at them.
"Power my spell, you dogs, while I do another one!"
The ten magicians instantly obeyed the order as I heard more magic circles forming and the spell fired off more elemental bolts at a faster pace. I could barely peek my head over my cover in a table before a fireball flew towards my face. It grazed me slightly, burning some of my hair off and putting a tingle on my face for a minor burn that instantly healed before I heard a feather wiz over my head. It landed in someone as I heard wet gagging before a body drops, and I saw that it was Azazel as the man was fighting six OSF levies with a light spear. Behind him, Albert and his squadmate were fighting most of the remaining levies with chainswords, roaring. At the same time, I saw my Dad fighting the Leviathan using multiple intricate spells, with Ajuka taunting him in a bored voice.
"Honestly, Galius, if you were at all competent, I'd be dead by now. It's a miracle that you Leviathans can cast anything, given how bad you all are at magic use."
The purple-haired man snarled back as multiple spell circles formed behind him.
"You sullied our noble race by lying with a human bacterium, so your opinion is worthless, Astaroth! Drown beneath my cleansing waters!"
The sound of massive waves was heard before I turned my attention back to the magicians and fired a blind shot in their direction. The shot luckily hit something as a man howled before he was silenced by a chainsword flying. I looked to my left to see Abe at another overturned table with a second sword floating behind him, as I barked out.
"How many of those can you make in bulk?"
Abe thought for a moment before he shouted back.
"Three more. Why?"
I gestured to where the spell barrage was coming from.
"Throw as many of them as you can in that direction as fast as possible."
Abe gave a nod before three more swords formed, and he threw them over the table. Their roars add to the noise, but one must have hit someone, as a woman screamed, and the fire lessened slightly. That gave me a chance to peek over and fire a bolt, which hit another magician, popping him and making his comrades flinch, reducing the spell again. Abe and I settled into that rhythm of throwing swords and firing bolts. We claimed two more foes that way, and the elemental shards slowed and lessened before the clunking of metal was heard. The robot lumbered past Abe and my cover with Griselda behind it, shooting her pistol at the magicians.
That gave me a chance to break from cover and join Griselda behind the robot with Abe behind me, two swords at the ready, followed by Xenovia. My sword arms extend as we make a bull rush towards the desk, and the six remaining magicians got ready to flee as their spell circles faded. The spell above the desk almost flatlined, only shooting out weak bolts that the robot absorbed easily. However, our charge was too late, as the leader had already finished his other work.
The man popped up, and around his hands were two circles of red and green light. The red spell fired off toward the crates, as a massive wind spell created a hurricane-force gale that lifted the crates and sucked them toward the magician, who snarled at his subordinates.
"Stop gawking, you bogans and cast!"
No sooner was that said than the green spell fired off next, making a beam that flew towards us, hitting the robot's right leg, turning it into slag. The robot tumbled from the loss and fell to the ground, making the rest of us scramble for cover as the beam made its way at me. I dived behind a table with Abe and Xenovia behind tables near me while the magician kept firing off the spell as the green beam slowly began melting my cover. Griselda tried to help me by shooting her pistol at the magician, making the beam switch to her cover as the magician snarled out.
"I will share my personal books from Merlin himself for whoever gets a crate!"
The hiss of spells being cast was heard, and I poked my head over to see the crates floating above Lavinia, desperately trying to move as she held them in place with a two-handed spell while her doll made ice walls to cover her. The green beam was turned that way and began quickly melting the walls with more spells following it, and I fired two bolts at the remaining magicians, now clustered around the table that had multiple barriers around it. The first drilled through three barriers and into a
foe, popping him and making half the barriers fade, while the second bolt missed, drilling into the wall and throwing shrapnel around. That shrapnel disrupted the leader, whose green spell flickered before returning to full power as it was turned back towards me. The man's face turned red in rage before he overcharged the beam, forcing me to dodge as it ate away the table.
"You little fuckwit, will die if it's the last thing I do! He will reward me greatly for all the grief you have given us!"
The table began melting rapidly as more power was thrown into the spell, and I really don't like this dude. He must be a master magician close to Euclid, maybe even his personal magician, given his power. The thought of that shitbag made wrath grow in me, but it was quenched as the table gave way, and I quickly dodged to another table, making the beam follow. This table began melting too, and only lessened when a chainsword was thrown that way by Abe. That diverted the beam his way, allowing me to make a shot.
A bolt flew, and almost hit the leader, but he moved at the last second, and it instead popped one of the other magicians. The hit magician's gore sprayed the leader's face in blood, extinguishing the beam spell, and allowed Xenovia, Abe, Griselda, and me to advance again on the remaining magicians. Lavinia's doll also took that moment to throw two ice bolts, and they hit the still there and sputtering weakly elemental spell, and the hurricane spell circles. The element spell circle collapsed while the wind one powered on, and the sound of crates grinding against the ice continued before Xenovia and Griselda fell on the five remaining foes. At the same time, Abe threw a ghost chainsword every so often.
The man, seeing how this was turning against him and spotting something over my shoulder, quickly cast several spells at the ice, desperately trying to break it while slowly backing up towards the hole. Many of his spells were chipping away at the ice wall, but Lavinia's doll would constantly reinforce them, making the man let out a growl of frustration that grew louder as Griselda and Xenovia finished their foes with Abe. The magician leader eyes us for a second before he threw a spell at the wall blasting open a big hole before he books it towards the hallway.
This shit wasn't getting away, and I dashed straight for the man, determined to end him. Mimic shifted to a power axe. I get ready to swing at the man's legs, but he quickly made a spell circle and threw a table at me, forcing me to cut it in half with Mimic. The table parts clunked to the ground, showing that the man was getting closer to the hole. I continued chasing after him with Xenovia, Griselda, and Abe behind me before I heard Lavinia shouting.
"Three foes are advancing on the crates, and I'm out of mana. I need…."
That made me look over my shoulder for a second to see a trio of OSF levies dashing to the crates and an exhausted Lavinia whose doll was now gone. Xenovia, seeing that, changed direction and bee-lined it towards Lavinia with Griselda, while Abe continued to follow me. I get ready to snap at him to go back, but the magician was now climbing through the hole and was almost on the other side. I sped up and, in a few seconds, was at the hole, jumping through it before landing with a clunk and preparing another sprint down the hallway after the magician. The man was fit being halfway down the hall already and was trying to make a portal at the end of it. I wasn't the only one to see that as a ghost chainsword flew past me and headed for the mage.
The man heard the roaring sound coming for him and quickly turned, casting another spell with his left hand that created a barrier, causing the sword to hit and bounce off, but it slowed him down. Abe saw that and threw three more swords, allowing me to close the distance with the mage and get ready for a swipe at his head. The mage was almost to the portal, and I was on him as I pulled Mimic back, prepared to swipe, when the magician turned fully around and fired off one last spell from both hands, snarling out.
"Die, you fuckin mutt!"
A red line shot out of his hands and flew towards my head, forcing me to the ground with a loud thud before I heard a scream. I turned from the mage to see that Abe, who had been behind me, was now missing his right arm. An arm that was lying on the ground next to him, as blood pooled on the floor from the wound. The mage took the opportunity to run, though he cursed loudly before throwing himself through the portal, which snapped shut.
Abe, who was now only silently screaming, was looking at his arm on the floor and then his stump in horror, rapidly getting ready to faint, and I got ready to call for a medic when something happened that both shocked and horrified me. The bleeding from Abe's stump suddenly stopped, and then it began to reform. A baby arm emerged from the stump and then slowly began to grow into a full arm in just a few moments. I realized then what he was and quickly got up to steady him as he swayed side to side, pale and white, and gasped out in French.
"What…."
I immediately gripped him harder making Abe look at me and not the arm.
"Abe. Focus on me. I'm the same as is another and I will explain it to you later when we are safe. Ok?"
My words seemed to calm him down slightly, though not by much, and seeing him still darting back and forth at his arm, I quickly turned him away from it and led Abe back up the hall. The Frenchman was so stunned that he didn't notice me throwing a fireball at the limb. The fireball hit it and started to sizzle as the two of us walked away, and when we were halfway up the hall, the vox crackled to life. Then, multiple voices, including Paula's, began saying that their battles were winding down, and they would start checking their areas for any remaining foes after they were done. That must have meant the battle was almost over, and that was confirmed when we reached the hole in the wall. Inside the library, the battle was over with the
remaining OSF dead, save for Galius, who was floating in a cage unconscious in
front of my dad and Azazel, who were talking about something eagerly.
That sight and seeing Xenovia safe and sound with Griselda helping Lavinia made the last of the adrenaline leave me before I looked at Abe's pale face and led him back into the library before getting ready to help clean up this FUBAR day.
Killian was waiting impatiently at the pickup point inside an abandoned gas station at the other side of the town from the shit bag kid's base. Her powers again were not working, and this, along with how long it was taking for Aj to return, had her at the beginning of a manic state. It should have only taken ten to fifteen minutes, from his radio confirmation to her that they were starting to receive the crates, yet it was now nearing two hours later. Just as she was about to make a sword and throw it into the wall, a magic portal opened, and out stumbled Aj, who had a large amount of blood on his face. The man landed on his back with a thud, extremely winded, and Killian got ready to run to him to secure the crates when the portal closed suddenly and
violently.
The Croatian only hesitated for a moment before she stamped over to Aj and glared down at him.
"Where are they?!"
Aj took a deep breath before he looked up at Killian.
"Nice to see you too, Killian, but to answer your question, they are still there. That kid and his people are much more dangerous than we thought."
That answer pissed Killian off as she got ready to embrace the mania and made a ghost sword, then ground out.
"He only has his peerage and——"
Aj looked up at Killian and snarled out.
"He has more than that, he has a fucking army! A well-trained and disciplined army that has fucking laser guns, guns that pop people like balloons, and more robots than the one in the vid that diced up our pawns! You want to try again with our regular people, go right ahead, they will get slaughtered worse than our help did!"
Killian froze, hearing that as everything washed over her, breaking her mania.
"Laser guns?"
The way it was said in pure disbelief as she remembered a conversation, but Aj didn't notice that new, faraway look, still catching his breath.
"Yeah, laser guns, along with representatives from all three Biblical Factions, there for some damn reason, including the Governor-General and at least one Satan in the fuckwits Father. I'm not trying again with the crates unless——"
Killian interrupted him, breaking the look.
"You will try again. After you make a report to him."
Agrat frowned as she sat next to Katerea, two of her first cousins and five of their most important commanders of their levy waited in the Leviathan's main base in Kazakhstan. They had been waiting for nearly half an hour for Galius Leviathan, who ran their second-largest base, to arrive so they could discuss the orders that Rizevim had given to Katerea and who could be spared to do them. Agrat could tell Katerea's infamous wrath-filled impatience was about to burst forth, so she turned to Alleria Leviathan.
"Cousin, go find Galius."
Alleria, who, like all Leviathans, had purple hair, gave her a nod and got up from the table, heading out of the room. Katerea continued feeding her sin, and Agrat internally rolled her eyes at her sister before letting her mind wander to Ingvild and Janilla. She was worried about both of them and hoped Janilla would be close to reporting in again, as Ophis was growing impatient about recruiting the Astaroth Heir to the Brigade. Agrat was considering various ways of placating the lizard and settled on one when, finally, Alleria returned. Without Galius and with a very concerned face. Agrat got ready to ask only for Katerea to bark out.
"Where's Galius?!!"
Alleria flinched slightly before she stammered out.
"I…. I don't know Lady Leviathan. When I arrived at the base, it was empty."
That news pissed off Katerea and sent her wrath into overdrive as she snarled at her inner circle.
"Find him! I will not fail the True Lucifer's divine orders!"
That temper sent all the room save Agrat scrambling to obey the order while Agrat sighed and got ready for a busy night.
Issari lay on a bed at the manor with a greatly relieved Jeanne, Akeno, and Kiba seated in chairs near her. Asia ran Twilight Healing up her body again for what must have been the two dozenth time that hour, insisting on doing this despite the many times Issari told her she was fine. The blonde was about to do it again, and her green eyes glared in reflex at her future lover as she saw that her fellow social dragon was not doing well. Despite the remaining physical pain from the procedure now all but gone, the phantom pain that Issari had for so long never been able to understand lingered. It hurt in a soul-deep way, and the reason why was that her stupid best friend had left her again.
Despite all the pleading Issari had done to Irina to keep her here, saying to trust Gregor-kun to get the other chestnut, her clemency, the exorcist had embraced her ultra stubbornness and then left minutes before the procedure was to begin. The others, especially Akeno, had been beyond angry with that display, and before Issari's world filled with pain, she heard senpai mutter that Irina was going to regret this action after she returned. Akeno was still feeding her sin over that eventual judgment, even as she talked to Jeanne about the more obscure benefits of being a devil as the French woman listened on.
Kiba was about to get them some quality English tea from the kitchen when the door was suddenly and violently thrown open, slamming against the wall. The noise made everyone jump, including Issari, as they turned their faces to see a huffing and puffing Irina who had a thin streak of blood on her forehead that went to her right eyebrow. The sight made everyone gasp, breaking even Akeno from sin feeding. Still, before anyone in the room could say anything, Irina sprinted towards them with an ultra remorseful look in her eye before she threw herself to her knees at the bottom of the bed, looking at Issari, and wept out.
"Forgive me, Sari!!"
Issari blinked at this, but before she could say anything, Akeno butted in, her tone ice cold.
"And why should she? You left even though she pleaded for you to stay, why should we give you—"
Irina shook her head, tears flowing down her face.
"'Im sorry!!! Punish me however you want, Akeno-chan! I will do anything to earn everyone's forgiveness for my stupidity! Even become one of your pawns!"
That declaration made everyone freeze as eyes widened around the room. The room was silent for a moment before Asia recovered first and sputtered out.
"What??!! You made fun of Jeanne for considering the idea, and now you— Why would you say that now, and why are you injured?"
Irina kept weeping tears as the shame she had apparently been holding in flowed into her posture.
"The conference was attacked and there was serious fighting! I got hurt protecting Dieter from a spell and hit my head! As for why, it's because Sari was right in every way, Asia!"
That information made the barely recovering from the prior room freeze back into shock before Issari, this time, recovered first. The Red Dragon Empress pushed herself up off the pillows despite the phantom pain and looked directly at her childhood best friend.
"I forgive you for leaving Iri, but please tell me who attacked the conference, and what do you mean I was right?"
The confirmation of forgiveness made Irina stop her hard weeping, but angered Akeno, Kiba, and Jeanne before the twin-tailed chestnut started sniffling.
"It was the Brigade. They somehow found the base and... You were right, Sari, because, like you said that day back at the apartment complex, the Machine God is good. He is….. He is all our salvation, and like the weak idiot I was, I didn't see it till earlier. I was wrong and I admit it. I'm sorry for doubting my best friend and for doubting the man that I now see has only ever been good to me, even when I don't deserve it."
Irina was ready to weep again, only to clamp it down, and Asia, being her compassionate self, put her hand on Irina and cleaned the blood off her forehead and healed any remaining wounds. Issari tried to get out of bed to help, but was so exhausted by the procedure that she collapsed back. That sight angered Akeno once more and made Irina cry again.
"I will do anything, Akeno-chan! Punish me however you want for as long as you want, but please teach me about the Machine God and his ways! Teach me how to leave my weakness behind like the Omnissiah has! Teach me until I am like him!"
Akeno was back to being dumbfounded by the one-eighty, and Jeanne, for once, was not scowling at her fellow swordswoman.
"She actually means it. What the hell promoted this?"
The question lingered in the air before Irina sniffled.
"Being shown his Light. A light you all who embraced him saw first. For the Biblical God as we knew him is dead. The Machine God is his successor. I wish to follow his light and the Omnissiah now and forever more."
The moment those words left Irina's lips, Akeno and Kiba got ready to flinch from the utterance of that name, yet no pain came to them. Issari let loose a tiny gap hearing as Asia and Jeanne blinked in surprise at that before Asia got out in a whisper.
"On whose authority do you claim that, as that is not possible—"
Irina looked directly at Asia with eyes filled with new tears. Happy ones.
"By the authority of the Archangel Michael backed up by the other Great Seraphs and the Machine God himself. The Machine God lives and now is the Lord Reborn."
Asia froze again, and pandemonium broke out as Jeanne and Kiba went through a thousand emotions before Asia started grilling Irina further. Yet Issari's brown eyes were only on her senpai as a thought came.
Is she right?
In the warp, two beings faced each other before the gates of what appeared to be a factory, while nearby, the Gates of Heaven shone brightly. As the duo stood before the gates to the building, they studied one another, and then the male God surprised her. He performed a hesaikeirei bow and said in a highly mournful voice.
"I am sorry for him and would understand, as would my champion, if we are expelled from Japan for this."
That move and the sincerity in it blew the small amount of rage that Amaterasu had over this discovery out. Her black eyes studied the God that, despite everything, had become her Pantheon's greatest friend as they closed to think. It had hurt her and the others learning that part of the Biblical God was in him, as he had been the enemy of all pantheons, though theirs was not as affected as many others by him. Yet despite that hurt and fact didn't matter to her after all he and his champion had done for them and the Home Islands. The Omnissiah's trick had tripled the amount of faith they received from the Clans, and with that, they had been able to reclaim several long-abandoned divine defenses for Japan. It had also sparked serious talk in the Pantheon about sharing this trick with their regular priestesses in the mundane world. Thus did Amaterasu open her eyes and look directly into the Machine God's own mournful ones.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. You are not him and have proven that time and time again to us. Your Champion and religion are and will forever be welcome in Japan, eien no tomo."
The Machine God's face lost some of his grief, though parts of it remained.
"Thank you. Eternal Friend. We will never forget this, though I must ask for a favor from you."
Amaterasu looked at her friend strangely before she leaned over to him as he began to explain this favor.
In a cave in the now warm desert, a pair of green eyes opened. The first test was now drawing near.