23 -||

The groups meant to directly combat the Fallen all moved into position, surrounding a large floating throne that hovered above the school soccer field. Blades were drawn, Magic Circles were called upon, and mana began to permeate the air as we prepared for our assault. Rias stepped forward, voice cutting through the silence. "Other, this is your last chance. We have you completely outnumbered. If you don't surrender now and turn yourself over to the proper authorities, we will destroy you."

Kokabiel sighed melodramatically, rising from his throne. "Ah, it would indeed seem you outnumber me. There's no possible way that I could stand a chance against this many powerful Devils with just one of me." A mad grin stretched across his face. "Which is why I brought two!"

Kokabiel's shadow seemed to stretch and split, another of himself appearing from it. It bowed mockingly, its' laughter synchronizing with the original's.

"T-two of them?" Rias gasped.

I shrugged. "Hey, it works for Issei and I. Who's to say he didn't figure out a way to copy us?"

She nodded seriously, charging an orb of Power of Destruction. "What have you done, you monster?" She shouted up at the duo.

They glanced down at her, smirking with wry amusement. One turned to the other. "Shall you, or shall I?"

"Go ahead, I know you're dying to."

"Very well." The Fallen sighed. "I normally wouldn't explain this to anyone, but this is my trademark technique, and I'm quite proud of it. It fits with my style perfectly!" He grinned. "You see, this technique allows me to make a perfect, flesh-and-blood clone of myself with no strings attached. Well…" The grin widened. "Not for me, anyway. Every time it's used, it halves the user's remaining life force. Which means, as soon as this pitiful form dies, I can just move on to the next, and the next, and the next! Isn't it wonderful? A glorious game of blood and death, all for my entertainment!"

{Wow, he's really selling it.} I sent in amusement. {Please tell me you're recording this.}

{I'm a step ahead of you. I have several high-quality recording crystals stuck to various walls around the school. By the time we're done here, we can make a full montage!} Sera cheered.

{U-um, he isn't actually serious about halving his life force, right?} Asia asked worriedly.

I smirked to myself. {Normally it would. But since Shirone and I taught him the basics of Senjutsu last night, he's drawing the power from nature, instead.

{So why don't we use those clones? It sounds convenient to have clones that don't pop after one hit.} Sera pointed out.

I grimaced. {The problem with that method, though, is that the clones die of organ failure as their bodies simply run out of energy to continue living, but still leave corpses. It's messy, it's wasteful, and it leaves bodies behind. We'd just be giving our enemies a literal blood trail to follow.} I tuned back into Kokabiel's continuous ranting, amusement creeping into my tone. {Perfect for general villainy, though. He's only ranting to give himself time to gather more energy. More energy, more clones; more clones, more eeeevil.}

"—And now, my clones!" Kokabiel roared, gesturing with an arm. "Attack!"

His clones, having grown to easily half a dozen in number, split up and charged our little groups. I blinked in bemusement, mentally commentating.

Xenovia, Irina, Kiba VS Kokabiel 1

Gilgamesh Phenex VS Kokabiel 2

Ruby, Rias VS Kokabiel 3

Millicas VS Kokabiel 4

Asia VS Kokabiel 5

Shirone VS Kokabiel 6

FIGHT!

Ah, that never gets old.

{FOCUS!} Ruby shouted, Boosting twice and blocking a strike meant for Rias. {This guy isn't playing around, he's legitimately trying to kill us! And I'm stuck with the girl who's convinced that the only solution to her problem is 'throw more power at it'!}

{Excuse me, Miss Kettle, this is my friend Mr. Pot. Guess what? He says you're BLACK!} Shirone sent, visibly grinning as she caught her poor foe and began kicking the shit out of him.

Ruby huffed, slicing through a Light Spear with Crescent Rose as she shot the little Nekoshou a glare. {Catty much?}

{I'm a cat, what's your excuse?} Shirone sent back in amusement.

The Kokabiel in front of me just raised an eyebrow. "Oh, finally noticed me, have you?" He asked mockingly.

I smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry, I zoned out for a second there. I'm kind of new to the whole 'fighting to the death' thing. I've only ever sparred."

'I give off a completely different impression as Millicas than I do as Red. That, paired to 'Red's' gender difference and my supposed lack of experience makes him less likely to think we're the same person. Now I just need to make sure he differentiates our fighting styles as well, and I'll be golden.' My lips twitched. 'Or red, as the case may be.'

"So… am I going first?" I asked awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

He blinked, staring at me for a few seconds. "…Oh my God, you're serious."

'…Ah, what the hell. Might as well take it up to eleven. It's Goku time!'

I smiled. "No, I'm Millicas. It's nice to meet you, Other."

He twitched. "…Nice to meet you, too, little Devil. Now, I hope you don't mind as I send you straight to Hell."

I frowned, tilting my head. "Nah, Hell's not so bad. The only real bad parts were these two oiled-up German guys who kept trying to wrestle me."

'In my defense, he literally walked right into that one.'

He didn't bother replying, instead charging up a Light Spear. "Say your prayers, then."

I cocked my head. "But if I do that, I'll get hurt!"

"…Good Lord, I can't believe you're his son." He grumbled.

I frowned. "Can we fight now?"

"Son of a—" He gritted his teeth. "Yes!"

I grinned, giving myself a mental pat on the back. This is fucking gold, man. "Then let's fight!" I launched myself forward, telegraphing my punch as I screamed like a madman.

Predictably, he dodged.

I blinked in mock shock. "How did you do that?"

He stared at me. "You know, killing you would be doing the Underworld a favor."

I began dodging Light Spears as countless magical circles appeared behind him, firing volley after volley.

'Eh… this is getting pretty boring. Damn. I was hoping to get him to use the 'drown you like a sack of dumb puppies' line. I would've loved to see his response to… eh, fuck it. Let's see how much of Dragon Ball I can recreate.'

I gathered my power, feeling the familiar draw of Senjutsu as I began generating bioelectricity. I didn't give him a chance to notice what I was up to, charging at him and launching a volley of strikes. He dodged or blocked all of them, smirking as he caught my fist midair. "Is that all?"

I drew on my Touki, swinging my other fist at him. He caught that one too… or, well, he tried.

There was a clean snap, and his arm gave. The look on his face was priceless, only made better as I twisted my other hand out of his grasp and drove my fist into his stomach. He finally managed to get a wing in the way of my next blow, but that only protected him from the damage rather than the force behind it. He went flying, crashing into a metal pole some ten feet back.

I stopped, grinning like a loon. "Ha! I got you!"

He pried himself out of his confines, looking pissed as hell. "How the hell can you be this strong, yet this dumb! Any idiot would've gone for the finishing blow, but you just start grinning like this is some demented game!"

I frowned. "It's not? But I thought you said it was."

"I was being coy, you fucking—"

I used the bioelectricity I had been charging this entire time to gather plasma in my hands, sculpting it into a ball, before projecting it out in a cohesive beam. The Kokabiel in front of me didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence before I blasted him to smithereens.

'Ah, the joys of the Kamehameha. Issei's going to be pissed that he missed it, though. He can never quite get the technique right.'

I dusted off my hands, turning and watching as the rest of my group slowly made their way through their enemies. Some due to genuine effort being expended, some due to boredom. Shirone seemed to be enjoying a frankly disturbing game of cat-and-mouse, and Ruby was making idle conversation as she fought. Gil had actually given Kokabiel a low-level Phantasm and was having the time of her life beating him into the ground using sheer skill.

I glanced over to the last participant and winced.

The less said about that particular fight, the better. I don't think that's supposed to be facing that direction… Or that… Or that…

You know what, I think maybe Asia learning how to use her healing to re-attach a spinal cord wasn't as good of an idea as I thought. The serene smile she's wearing right now isn't exactly the picture of stable, either.

{Millicas-sama, our girlfriends are hot when they're fighting.} Sera sent, watching in fascination as Gil quite literally disarmed Kokabiel.

I sighed, keeping my mild concern to myself. It was partially my fault that they were this way. {You better not be taking any ideas from this. I prefer not to show off if I don't have to, it gives the opponent far too much time to charge up their superweapon or analyze your fighting style. I only ever show off when I'm playing a part.}

{Uh, Assassin, hello.}

I rolled my eyes. {An assassin that wears Magical Girl outfits and twirls flamboyantly whenever she meets someone new. I'm not saying you've got an issue, I'm saying to make sure you don't end up picking up bad habits from a group of psychopaths.}

{Who, you guys?}

{No, the other guys.} I snarked, intercepting a new Kokabiel clone and killing it without preamble. I had played my part, so I should just be able to sit back and let the main players take the stage. {You're dating a girl with severe Dependent Personality Disorder, another with romanticized form of bipolar, one with the supernatural equivalent of Diogenes Syndrome, and one with a complete lack of empathy for those who aren't currently in a Bond with her. If you haven't already noticed we're all mentally ill, then you're probably missing something.}

The next Kokabiel clone was much harder to take down, this one actually trying rather than just making it look like he was. He still wasn't fast enough to dodge the web of red threads I wove around him, and was turned into bloody confetti less than an instant later.

{Is Asia the one without empathy, or the one with severe dependence issues?}

{Take your pick. Shirone and Asia both have those kinds of tendencies.}

{True enough.} I could hear her mental hum as she adjusted the scope of a disturbingly complex rifle that I didn't know she had. {You forgot to mention the sociopath, though.}

I blinked. {How so?}

{Disregard for right and wrong, persistent lying or deceit to exploit others, and a lack of 'self' that means drawing from surrounding influences rather than actual knowledge.} Sera listed, the scope of her magical rifle snapping into place with a soft click. {Sound familiar?}

I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. Ruby and Rias finally finished off their Kokabiel, only to be faced with two others. {Interesting. You just described several symptoms of having a damaged Spirit. Do you think the two are connected?}

Sera hummed. {Possibly. Not all Spirits fully develop, after all. Maybe sociopaths are just people lacking part of their Spirit from birth.}

{And psychopaths are missing a different part of their Spirit, or are just damaged in a different way.} I agreed, catching on.

{Look at you two, chatting away like an adorable couple like we aren't fighting an opponent who could probably seriously hurt us if he were trying his hardest.} Ruby sent, her mental voice audibly smirking. {Though, I think Asia and Shirone wouldn't see themselves as having any problems. In their minds, it's everyone else who has problems.}

{Shirone starts breaking down if I don't touch her within a certain time period, and Asia sees 'fixing' other people as her personal duty.} I deadpanned.

{You have so little Pride that you literally live in a broom closet.} Ruby countered. {Sera had to smack you in the face with the consequences before you even noticed them, and after you solved your problems, you're already planning how to duck under the radar again.}

I shrugged. {I've never been too Prideful. So sue me. I still like showing you girls off, don't I?}

{Showing us off, while hiding in the shadows.} Ruby sighed.

I caught a blow from a Kokabiel, snapping back into reality. Too many of them to allow my usual tactics to remain unnoticed, meaning I had to play my part once more. "Sorry, I was just talking to the voices in my head." I apologized, rubbing the back of my head. "Didja need something?"

"We're trying to kill you." One of them deadpanned.

I shrugged. "Well, you're not doing a very good job. I'm still here, aren't I?"

All eight of them simultaneously raised their arms, summoning Light Spears the size of pickup trucks. "You're right," Another agreed pleasantly. "We'll be rectifying that mistake now, if you don't mind."

I grinned. "Oh, go right on ahead! Smash that Light Spear directly into my perfect jawline!" I spread out my arms, as if accepting an embrace.

The seven seconds of stunned silence was absolutely worth feeling like a complete moron. Then they all began launching their spears, prompting me to dodge. I laughed like a kid at a candy store, singing the theme song to a popular children's show as I did. I picked them off one by one, using brute strength and various Ki attacks I 'borrowed' from Dragon Ball.

"Makankosappo!" I shouted, twin beams shooting from my fingers. One beam remained straight, while the other curled around its' twin in a constant spiral. It drilled through Kokabiel's reflexive shield with some difficulty, but decapitated him with little problem.

…All right, maybe I was having a bit too much fun with this.

I glanced at the original Kokabiel, sitting calmly in a floating throne as he endlessly formed new clones. By now, over fifty separate clones had been formed, all at the same strength as the original and all seemingly under the control of the evil 'Other'.

…Jesus Christ, this is overpowered. If this were a legitimate evil plot, then Kokabiel would be a force to be reckoned with. Even the most powerful Devil would be fucked if several thousand Cadre worked in unison to end their lives.

But then again, that was the plan. The only true way to gain respect in the Moonlit world is to have enough power to prevent anyone from fucking with you. So I taught Kokabiel how to multiply himself infinitely—with drawbacks, of course. The clones died after a certain amount of time, so all one had to do to remove Kokabiel's clone spam is to lock him somewhere without any Nature Chakra for a while.

Utterly dedicated to peace to the point of genocide, powerful enough to have some serious weight behind his words, and experienced enough to avoid the worst parts of being in power. The fact that I alone knew his kill-switch made it that much better.

I took a moment to cackle evilly inside my mind. As long as Thought Acceleration is in effect, I can monologue as much as I want, with no negative repercussions.

{Speak for yourself, mad scientist. Your cackling is really loud.}

…I regret nothing.

I shredded another unfortunate clone, smirking to myself as I caught sight of a head of spiky blonde hair. "Issei! You're late!" I shouted, waving him down.

He laughed, diving down and joining me. A man in a fedora and trench coat followed, eying the hundreds of Kokabiels all around us. "Lord above, what the hell happened here?" He asked, looking slightly alarmed.

I sighed. "Kokabiel is apparently possessed. Infinite clone spam that halves his host's life after every use. Extremely annoying."

Issei grinned. "Annoying? Hell no. I've been looking for a decent fight for ages."

I gave him an irate glare. "Do I need to kick your ass again?"

He flinched. "Er- no, Sensei. I was just excited."

I nodded once, lifting my gaze. "Good. Any idiot who actively seeks out armies of people stronger than them is asking to get their asses kicked."

Elsewhere, a certain blue-haired undead sneezed. Odd, considering his kind were immune to the cold.

Asia joined us, wrapping me in a hug.

I took a moment to appreciate the softness of Asia hugs. Much better than the tackles that some of my other girls seem to enjoy.

"Cas, are you all right?" My little Angel asked, looking concerned at my unfocused gaze.

"I'm fine. I'm just feeling lucky that I have such wonderful girls." I told her, smiling gently.

Asia flushed, a small smile of her own growing on her face. "Not as lucky as we are."

Issei made gagging noises, ruining the moment. "Jesus you two, get a room! This is a battlefield, for crying out loud!"

I rolled my eyes, giving Asia a quick peck. "Just because Rias is pissed at you right now doesn't mean that you can bash my love life."

"Rias and I aren't as mushy as you are." Issei deadpanned.

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe that's why she's pissed."

The Fallen that had accompanied Issei coughed. "While our love lives are a fascinating subject, I'd much rather deal with the problem at hand."

I nodded once, and Asia let go of me to stand at my side. "You're right. Other is getting stronger by the minute. Any ideas?"

He smiled darkly. "You're asking Heaven's former top strategist. What do we have?"

I raised an eyebrow, shooting Issei a glance. "Issei should've told you already."

"He didn't."

"I gathered that." I agreed drily. "All right, so everyone in my Peerage is easily Ultimate-Class, as well as Issei and possibly Gaspar. I think Gaspar is tracking down Valper, though. Asia here is a twelve-winged Angel—"

"I'm sorry, what?" The man interrupted. "No Angel has become an Seraphim since God—"

"Long story, God runs a bar in London." I waved him off, continuing my explanation. "Anyway, I prefer to stay hidden, because the son of Lucifer intervening would prove nothing. Issei said that you have a similar plan to mine, yes?"

He nodded, still taken aback by my previous revelation. "Yep. Have all three Factions join together and fight as one. I just didn't expect you to take it quite so literally."

I shrugged. "Well, I did bring a few members of the Church, but for a threat of this size, I can't exactly expect them to pull something out of their asses. The two of them are only human, and they can't even match a single Kokabiel. I'm pretty sure they're off trying to find Valper instead."

He absorbed the information, running his fingers over the brim of his hat. "So how exactly does Kokabi-Other's clone technique work?"

I frowned. "According to him, every clone he uses halves his life force. But then again, he might well be lying. I'd wager that if you take down the original, the clones will at least be weakened."

He grinned. "That's what I like to hear. So, a team of a Devil, a Fallen, and an Angel go in and try to take out the original. Is the Gremory girl—"

"High-Class, zero battle experience." I cut him off, glancing at the now hundredfold army. "Not her. Take Issei, maybe, or one of my girls."

He shook his head. "I'll take Issei. I prefer working with people I know, and I don't know any of their abilities. I only asked about the Gremory because I hoped she could end this using Power of Destruction."

I raised an eyebrow. "Gil has literal millions of God-Tier weapons, Ruby blasts things to kingdom come, Shirone punches hard enough to hurt a Dragon, and Asia kills people with healing magic. Power of Destruction isn't the only thing that can disintegrate an opponent down to the molecular level."

He blinked, looking over at my Angel with new respect. "How does that work?"

She smiled serenely. "I remove things and heal them back differently. The same spells that let you re-set a bone that healed incorrectly can be used to turn the bone itself into a different shape, and acupuncture spells can be lethal if fired at high speeds. Oh, and if I really want to, I can simply dissolve the laminin that glues cells together, turning them into a pile of useless matter."

Issei's grin widened. "Don't fuck with the white mage, indeed."

The man sighed, reaching over and smacking Issei upside the head. "Focus. You're going to be fighting for your life in about ten seconds, so don't get distracted."

Issei rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Azzy. I'll just keep my sagely wisdom to myself, then."

The man groaned quietly, muttering something about bars, before turning to us once more. "Asia, you can be rear guard and support. Issei is best suited to vanguard, so I'll be middle until he's tired out."

"Fat chance of that happening." Issei crowed, raising a fist and punching the air. "Now let's move our asses already!"

"Issei wait—and he's gone." The man sighed, spreading his wings and lifting off the ground. "Let's go, then. Don't worry, young Devil, I'll make sure your girlfriend doesn't get too banged up."

Asia gave me a heartbreakingly sweet smile, before spreading a pair of pristine white wings and taking off after the other two.

{I'm liking the idea of 'banging up' Asia.} Sera giggled, an odd tone in her mental voice.

There was a pause.

{Oh Satan, did I say that out loud?}

{Yes, yes you did.} I replied in amusement, summoning a dozen threads of Nightmare and preparing to help if I had to. {I'm more surprised that you're embarrassed about it than the fact that you said it.}

Ruby cut in, smirking. {Don't worry, Sera. You're not the only one who pictured that.}

{I wonder if she's wearing panties under that uniform.} Shirone mused, tuning into our conversation.

I tried to ignore the way the conversation was headed, and yet… {Why would that be a valid concern?}

{She outgrew hers', remember?}

I rolled my eyes. {I know. I took her shopping on Tuesday.}

There was a pause as all my girls suddenly became very interested in what we were talking about. {You went shopping?} Gil sent, curiosity warring with jealousy.

{Bra shopping?} Ruby continued, smirking. I had a feeling she was purposely escalating the situation.

{Panty shopping?} Sera piped in, Lust beginning to creep into her thoughts.

{Lingerie shopping?} Shirone added, sounding distinctly hopeful.

I rolled my eyes. {No, just bras. Asia-style bras, not the kind you perverts wear.}

{But did she model them for you?} Sera demanded, Lust now in full force.

I groaned. {This is NOT THE TIME.}

{…Can we at least have the memories?} Shirone asked, still hopeful.

I exhaled, giving in. {Fine. Just don't make me a part of whatever fantasies you cook up.}

{No promises~!} Sera sang smugly.

I rolled my eyes, sending the memories and closing the Link. My thoughts slowed slightly, and I returned to reality. I dodged a volley of Light Spears, slightly horrified by the sheer mass of Kokabiels in front of me. It was only my common sense kicking in at the last second that stopped me from shredding the seventy-some Fallen with Nightmare. As satisfying as it might be, it would blow my anonymity clear out of the water.

Oh, and it would ruin my later conversations with my poor victim. The look on his face when he realized I wasn't a complete moron would be a sight to see.

Heh.

I threw a blast of plasma at my foes, making a show of drawing out each fight as the brawl began. I totally wasn't trying to distract myself from a sudden barrage of suggestive images, no siree. Not one bit.

In my peripheral vision, I watched as the Faction trio began tearing through the mass of clones, slowly but surely making their way to the one in the throne. Asia was obviously holding back, but didn't bother to hide anything. She shifted from personality to personality, taking and discarding skills with alarming ease. She used her Light to its' fullest effect, morphing her weapon from a shield to a spear to a claymore. Durandina was used to its' fullest effect, whether in its' sword or lance form, and the enemy quickly learned exactly how well she could use the thing.

{Don't think I don't notice you all watching me.} Asia sent, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. {I wouldn't mind, if I didn't know for a fact that Shirone is currently drooling and Sera is staring at my ass.}

{You have a very nice ass.} Sera agreed.

I sighed, shaking my head and knocking back another clone. {I'm just making sure you don't need any help.}

{That's fine, but why don't you watch Issei or… um… that other guy, instead. You're distracting me.} Asia replied, sounding slightly irritated.

I felt a smirk grow across my face. {But Asia, who would want to watch a pair of sweaty men when they have a stunningly beautiful Angel?}

Asia faltered, her flushed face visible even from afar. {D-damn it, Cas, don't say things like that! I'm trying to focus, here!}

{He's right, though. You are quite stunning.} Ruby sent slyly, voice teasing. {I'm sure he could show you how beautiful he finds you after you're done~!}

Asia damn near dropped her spear at that one, frustration and embarrassment clouding her mind as she firmly shut her side of the Link.

{…Too far?} Ruby asked awkwardly.

{Just a tad.} I soothed. {She'll be fine in a bit, she's just trying not to get distracted.}

{R-right.} She muttered, returning to her own fight.

The Faction trio finally made their way to the floating throne, not bothering to try to engage its' occupant in conversation, instead simply hurling a barrage of attacks at him. Kokabiel batted the spells away, laughing. "Is that all you've got?"

The man in the fedora smirked, and his power spiked. "Not in the least. Now!"

All three simultaneously unfurled all twelve of their wings and used the rapid boost in strength to form an odd formation around the Fallen. I blinked, not recognizing the spell. It was shaped like a triangle, with each of the three beings being an anchor point. Three walls of Light surrounded the 'boss', closing him in and making his features blurry and indistinct.

"Impossible!" Kobabiel gasped dramatically, voice carrying even through the barrier. "Azrael? You haven't been seen since you fell! And a True Seraphim? Michael was only able to achieve that level of power with God's aid! Now that God is dead—"

He was silenced by a sudden Light Spear to the gut. The twelve-winged Fallen that threw it smirked, gazing down at the Fallen in the throne. "You talk too damn much."

Kokabiel's eyes narrowed, and he pulled the spear from his gut. "I get it, now. You aren't natural beings, are you?" A low chuckle began to build in his throat, coming to a crescendo as he tilted his head back and laughed wildly. Madness gleamed from his red eyes as he rose, still laughing. "I see. I get it. You're like me, aren't you? Outsiders from Beyond the Plane. I thought I'd gotten you all, but apparently I missed a spot. I don't know why I missed it, after all, the only explanation for the Three Factions to work together so well is if you're under the control of another." The Fallen's laughter faded, but his mad grin remained. "But don't worry, little ones." Power began to build around him, the walls of the barrier cracking. "I'll be sure to correct my oversight shortly."

The walls surrounding him shattered, and the battle was mayhem. Each clone, once only cannon fodder, suddenly became fitting of the title of Cadre-Class as they unfurled all twelve of their wings and cranked their power up to max. This was the force that had been so feared in the Great War, the force that was now multiplied a thousandfold by the thousands of clones working in unison.

{…Holy shit that was intense.} Sera finally murmured, staring through the scope of her rifle. {I take it he's finally decided to get serious?}

{{{Yes.}}} Several voices answered in unison, all of us drawing on our own power with the same synchrony.

Red threads danced about me, diverting deadly strikes and wounding a few unlucky clones. A yellow blur soared past me, crashing into the wall of the gymnasium. Issei rose, spitting a glob of blood from his dusty mouth, before flickering forward to attack once more. I allowed him past, using a well-timed blast of fire to scatter the foes in his way. Issei was more or less immune to normal flames from his training with Riser, so I didn't spare him any further attention. Block, hurl explosive spell, reflect Light Spear, dodge, repeat…

There was a pause, tension in the air as the fight lulled for a brief moment.

Tension promptly broken by Ruby. {Um… Rias just passed out. Where should I—}

{Storage gem.} I answered, lips twitching.

{…Okay, then.}

I relaxed slightly, cranking up Thought Acceleration. Fighting like this isn't exactly my forte, considering I hate wasting any more power than necessary. Full frontal assaults are similarly against my preferences. I would've preferred to take them all out using a World-Class spell from a safe distance, cloaked under half a dozen shielding and concealment spells as well as my Avatar. Hell, I could even hurl a ball of Void at them, and watch them all fall prey to a literal black hole. But I had little doubt that this fight was being scryed and/or televised by every Faction with an ear to the ground, so using my usual tactics was an invitation to get my ass handed to me. Nightmare is already pushing it, but I had already used it during my fight with Zekram, so I was less reluctant to reveal it.

But seriously. Fuck this fight.

I punched a clone in the chest, feeling bones give under my Touki-infused fist. I vaporized a clone behind me with a blast of pure mana, beheading another with a line of Nightmare. I spared a glance to where Asia and the other two were fighting the boss, gritting my teeth as my Angel caught a blow to one of her wings. She shrugged it off like it was nothing, but I caught the slight wince that flickered across her features. Unfurling a single pair of my scaled wings to deflect blows to my sides,

))I know Nothing.((

I charged a single Kamahameha, inflating the attack well past its' intended limits,

))Yet, I understand Everything.((

before firing what amounted to a laser of pure plasma as large as the school.

))And so, I shall chase the Dream.((

Have I ever mentioned how much I fucking love my Marble? No? Well, I do. Applying it to any given spell allows me to either blacklist or whitelist given targets with no extra steps necessary. Excellent for crowd control of this scale.

The attack blew through a large swath of the unwary clones, annihilating them with extreme prejudice as it passed harmlessly through the Faction trio and splashed against the shield around the school.

…I hope whoever was holding that part of the shield didn't just piss themselves…

Ah, who am I kidding. I would've loved to have a camera set up to watch their faces.

The twelve-winged Fallen, Azrael apparently, blinked in shock and examined his unsinged coat. "How—"

""Reality Marble bullshit."" Asia and Issei answered in unison, one sighing while the other wore a shit-eating grin.

"…Right." The Fallen grumbled, glaring down at the slightly singed form of their foe. He had managed to shield himself with his wings and I suspected several dozen spells, but he looked pissed. "Remind me to thank your boyfriend later."

Asia smiled sweetly. "No need. I can do it for you."

Heheheh.

I felt a Spear puncture my wing membrane, and my grin strained slightly. Assholes sure know how to ruin a moment of victory. If they hadn't been avoiding aiming at lethal spots, I'm sure I'd have a back full of sharpened Light. Not my best moment, but my preferred methods of crowd control would've practically waved a red flag towards my connection with The Red Man.

I spread my wings to their fullest, snapping them open with a strength and speed that could've easily snapped my foes' necks. Dragon wings are built for combat, and now that I'd decided to reveal mine, they could be factored into my fighting style with minimum difficulty.

I healed the tear in my left wing, charging them with a fair amount of power and forcing Touki into them until they glowed. A long, whip-thin tail snaked around my feet, stabilizing me as my large wings began to flap. I didn't bother dropping my levitation spell, using the powerful appendages as weapons rather than a means of travel as I flicked from place to place. Spell-wing-block-tail-charge-fire. A simple pattern, adjusted and modified to fit my needs as I fought the seemingly endless flow of Cadre-Class clones.

…Why did I think this was a good idea, again?

Oh, right, I thought it would be overpowered and badass.

I glanced around at the sea of glowing red eyes, grumbling softly to myself. 'I guess there really is such a thing as something working too well. If I didn't know for an absolute fact that he was on our side, I'd kill him on principle. As it is, I'd better take care of some of these. Maybe if I—'

There was a tremendous blast of power, drawing my undivided attention. All the clones on the field froze, and the boss began to laugh loudly. "Truly, you are a treat." The last word was purred, his red eyes glowing brighter. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop playing, now. You see, there's another part to the spell I use." The clones around us began dissolving into ash, streaming into the wind as their skin became paper and their bones crumbled. I froze, now well and truly disturbed. This was not a part of the plan.

"You see, there would be no point in creating an army if I must stand up to gods." He began, sneering. "An army of mosquitos does nothing to a giant, save make him reach for his bug repellent." He began to glow a deep, blood red, his teeth lengthening and sharpening. His features became feral, animalistic, as if someone had redrawn his entire body with a wild beast as a template. "But one giant mosquito? No giant on earth can ignore that."

{…Am I the only one who just pictured Kokabiel with the body of a giant mosquito?} Sera asked randomly, finger resting on the trigger of her rifle.

{Yes!} Gil snapped irritably. {Now hush!}

"The true function of this technique is more than it seems. For you see, every clone I make is capable of independently generating power. So in the time I was playing with you, I grew from holding the power of a single Cadre to over a thousand!" He laughed, holding out a clawlike hand and flexing it. "I must say, this form is magnificent. It's nothing like my original form, but I care not. It has the power to match those foolish children who play for peace. And it has more than enough power to crush you."

He smiled, letting silence fall over the field as that sunk in. "Oh, come now. Did you honestly think me a comic villain who mindlessly reveals his plans to the heroes? All my grandstanding has a purpose, and one that it has served well. For while I was distracting you…" From behind the school, a brilliant pillar of light flickered into existence, slowly widening until it was easily larger than the school. Then, it vanished as quickly as it came, leaving a faint afterimage on my retinas. "…My loyal subjects have been forging my blade." He swiveled towards the beam of light, raising his voice until it echoed. "Galilei!" He bellowed.

The old priest was nowhere to be seen for a few moments, until he finally made his way around the school. Behind him, a single clone escorted Gaspar, Valerie, Kiba, and the Church duo. Gaspar looked remarkably bored, despite missing an arm, and Kiba had a sizable welt on the side of his head. Valper Galilei was wearing a wide smile, holding the semi-restored Caliburn as if it were a newborn child. "Here you are, my lord." He called, holding it up for all to see.

The Kokabiel before the throne snorted. "And you expect me to get it all the way over there? Please. Clone, bring me my blade."

The clone nodded once, eyes downcast, and took the blade from Galilei. Something niggled in the back of my mind, and my mouth twitched. The clone, face downcast and hidden, seemed to have no red glow around his eyes. 'So that's his game.' I mused, relaxing slightly. 'Make the 'Other' into a spectacle, then defeat him as Kokabiel. Credible, explainable, and impossible to prove foul play was involved. Hell, the one on the throne probably wasn't even the original. Good man.'

The 'clone' spread its' wings, flying up to the one on the throne. Asia caught my signal to wait, though she got confused looks from her two companions as she silently conveyed the message. The clone landed, getting down on one knee and holding the hilt of Caliburn with both hands. The point lightly rested on the tile surrounding the floating throne, and I mentally prepared myself to act if I was wrong about him.

The boss reached for the hilt—

There was a flicker of movement—

And the animalistic form of 'Other' was cleanly cut in half, right down the middle. The golden-eyed form of Kokabiel glowed with Light, similar energy flickering over the blade in his hands. The two halves of Other slowly slid apart, its' last words a mere gurgle.

"And that." The now-revealed Kobabiel spat, voice echoing with power, "Is why you never try to steal the form of a Higher Being."

There was a moment of silence, before I began to laugh. Kokabiel joined me, deep baritone loud and contagious. "M-my apologies." He finally managed, stepping over the corpse of his clone and sinking into the throne. "I had to wait until he was unprepared. He was used to taking over the minds of mortals, see, so he didn't suspect a thing when I didn't fight him overly much. The first time he made a clone, I just shifted from one body to another. The fool didn't suspect a thing."

He turned to the three uncertain beings who still hovered before him, his golden eyes dancing with amusement. "Azrael, you old codger. How the hell are you?"

The tension broke, and there was a collective sigh of relief. The Fallen addressed chuckled, adjusting his fedora. "I'm fine, thank you very much. And you?"

Kokabiel shrugged, examining the incomplete blade in his hands. "I lost half my life force, but I got a cool new sword out of the deal." He glanced over to the shell-shocked faces of the group who had gone after Galilei. "My apologies about that, by the way. I merely wished to see it through. No offense was meant, I just needed a weapon powerful enough to slay a being many thousands of times more powerful than myself. The fool played right into my hands, trusting 'himself' with his plans. I shall return this to the Church, if you wish."

Xenovia nodded shakily. "Y-yes." She managed, face pale. "B-but is it true? Did God die?"

Kokabiel sighed, looking downcast. "It was. I may have been trying to throw you off, but my words were no less true because of it. In the Great War, the Maou and God came to an accord. They wanted the fighting to stop, and they knew that could never happen while they still breathed. God was still weakened from sealing a… well. He was weakened, and he knew that he would lose in a straight fight, so he agreed to the plan. The Maou and God, in one final, epic battle, destroyed each other. Their corpses were purposely destroyed in the fallout of the attack, and neither hide nor hair was left over to resurrect them. A calculated move, and one that opened the way for peace today."

He paused, lips twitching. "But you never know. Jesus had a respawn time of three days, so who's to say Father dearest doesn't have a respawn timer set to loose him on the unsuspecting population once more in thirty years or so? The old troll never could resist a good joke."

Xenovia forced a shaky smile. "I-I see. T-thank you, sir."

He nodded once. "It is my pleasure. I have caused much damage here, so it's only fair that I attempt to repair it."

Issei raised a cautious hand. "So… we're not fighting, then?"

Kokabiel blinked. "Good Lord, you sound just like him." He shook his head. "No, we will not. Unless you insist on attacking me, I wish to begin making amends for the actions that Outsider made while wearing my face."

Issei slumped. "Dammit, it was just getting good." He glanced over at his companions. "Hey Azzy—"

"No."

"Damn." He sighed, turning to Asia. "And you?"

Asia gave him a sweet smile. "Only if you want your spleen where your kidneys are."

Issei blinked. "…Okay, then. I guess I'm done here." He folded all but a single pair of wings, swooping down to where Ruby was placing Rias's unconscious form on a semi-ruined bench.

Azrael sighed, glancing around the ruined school grounds. "We did quite a number on this place."

Kokabiel raised an eyebrow. "You fought off a literal Legion of Cadre-Class Fallen… and you're worried about the property damage?"

Asia burst into giggles, and the Fallen coughed in embarrassment. "Er… yes?"

Kokabiel sighed. "Azazel can repair this in the time it takes to make toast. I'd be more worried about the way he'll react to your presence."

"No less badly than seeing a Seraphim." Azrael replied drily.

Asia flushed slightly, folding all but a single pair of wings. "Um…"

Kokabiel ignored her, a smirk growing across his face. "Please. Have you seen the size of her rack? Not to mention those perfect curves and shy disposition. She makes Gabriel look like a little girl playing dress-up. Azazel will be more likely to start a new religion around her than actually realize the ramifications. You'll probably just get a free drink or two."

…I would be pissed, if every word weren't completely true.

{Cas!} Asia squeaked in embarrassment, face lighting up.

{He's right, you know. Them hips don't lie.} Sera agreed, a feral smirk stretching across her face. {And that thin white robe… mmm…}

I closed the Link as Asia began to protest. Opening a Gate, I stepped through to where I suspected Sona would be. Fortunately, luck was with me as I noticed her floating several feet off the ground with a look of intense concentration. "Hey, Sona, you can drop the shield now." I called.

She collapsed, the blue shield flickering out of existence as she ceased powering it. She forced herself to her feet, panting, and shot me a glare. "Could you have been any slower? I was about to run out of mana, and half of my Peerage already passed out."

I raised an eyebrow, hiding my amusement as I decided to mess with her. "Oh really? And how dangerous would you say your job was?"

She frowned, taking a shaky step forward and adjusting her glasses. "If I had failed, Other would've been able to invade Kuoh without any trouble. If he planned on escaping, we would be his first targets. So I'd say it was incredibly dangerous, thank you very much."

I snorted. "Please. The bastard cloned himself a couple thousand times, and we had to fight them all at once. You had the easy job."

Her eyes widened. "T-thousand?"

I nodded, mentally taking pictures of her shocked face. Sera would appreciate this later. "Oh, yeah." I snarked. "You should've been there! There was some fire, and some lightning, and I think some acid… great fun. Oh, and don't forget the Light Spears every bloody clone had access to. Great fun, that. Rias passed out fifteen minutes back, and most of us are pretty dinged up. We're good, but a thousand-odd Cadre are too much for anyone. If it hadn't been for Kokabiel—"

"Kokabiel?" Sona interrupted, confused. "But he—"

"Did you honestly think he would just sit there and let himself be possessed? He took over a clone and cut Other in half the moment he had the opportunity."

Her eyes widened. "O-oh. And my sister? Is she all right?"

My face twisted into a grimace. "She's currently perving on Asia. Last I heard, she was imagining her in one of those thin robes Angels wear."

Sona opened her mouth, paused, then closed it. "At least it's not me." She finally muttered. "She's your problem now."

A wide grin stretched across my face. "I'll tell her you said that."

Shock flickered across her face. "Wait, wha—"

I stepped back through the Gate, closing it behind me. 'Nailed it.'

Everyone seemed to have landed, and were congregating around the ruined front doors of the school building. Gaspar was holding the drained, beheaded corpse of Galilei, looking extremely satisfied with himself. Kiba stood beside him holding the severed head.

I didn't say a word.

Asia was adorably flushed as she struggled out of one of Shirone's hugs, and Gil was watching with a small, fond smile. Ruby was repeatedly poking an unconscious Rias in the cheek, Issei seemingly torn between joining her and fending her off. Azrael and Kokabiel were chatting amicably in a language I vaguely recognized as Hebrew, and the Church duo were debating what to do with the large blade given them by Kokabiel.

All is well.

I felt my cell phone vibrate, and pulled it out of my pocket. "Hello?"

"I think Rider is about to pass out in excitement." The dry tones of Minato answered me. "He used his chariot thing to smash dozens of Fallen into the ground, laughing like a madman. Any idea how we're going to fix the school?"

I glanced over at the Fallen. "Hey Kokabiel, didn't you say that Azazel would take care of this?" I called, holding the phone away so I didn't deafen Minato.

He blinked, turning to face me. "Certainly. Why, is there a problem?"

I grimaced. "One of my Peerage members got a bit too… enthusiastic. The halls of the school are ruined, now."

"I see." He chuckled. "Well, no harm no foul. I'll just suggest that Azazel do a complete overhaul, or perhaps some restorative spells."

I nodded, returning the phone to my ear. "The Fallen have it covered."

"Good. I'll be back at my apartment if you need me, but I think I deserve a shower after the past three hours of fighting." He sounded exhausted, and I didn't blame him.

"Go ahead, we should be fine from here. I'll tell Sona not to bother you." A spark of mischief lit my eyes. "Or would you rather I insist that she check up on you?"

"…I hate you sometimes."

"I love you too. Or, rather Sona does~!" I ended the call with a click, tucking the phone back into my pockets.

All in all, a very fulfilling day.

A thin pair of arms wrapped around my waist, and I smiled. "Hello, Shirone."

"I killed them for you, Master." She proclaimed proudly, looking up at me with glowing golden eyes. "I killed them all."

My lips twitched as I eyed the bloodstains on her clothes. "So I see. I take it I'll have to bathe you, then?"

She looked extremely satisfied with herself. "Yes, Master. Can we bring the rest of them, too? I want all of you to be with me."

I blinked. "…You just want to see them all naked, don't you?"

"Mhmm." She agreed shamelessly. "And I think Ruby wants to fuck you stupid."

"…Right." I agreed, remembering that particular instinct. "She mostly just wants to make sure all of me is completely safe, while celebrating her victory. She should be fine with just cuddles, as long as no one gets her riled up."

Shirone pouted. "Dammit, Master, it's just a month! Why don't you just call it off, just this once?"

"Two reasons. One, I'm exhausted from using energy-intensive attacks for three hours straight. Two, Remilia will be here later tonight, and she's going to want to cuddle with all her 'big sisters'." I replied, amusement lacing my tone. "Don't tell me you want to explain to a three-year-old what sex is."

Her ears flattened against her skull. "…I hate it when you use logic like that." She grumbled.

I sighed, stroking her head and giving her a soft kiss. "Let's not pretend you five wouldn't keep me for an entire day. We still have school tomorrow, and having five sexually frustrated girls with supernatural stamina is an issue best left for next month." I smiled coyly at her. "Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out on the best birthday of your life, would you?"

"No, Master." She agreed absently, eyes slightly glazed. "Can you kiss me again, now?"

I chuckled and pulled her into a deep kiss. Kokabiel wolf-whistled, and Issei started laughing.

The stares I was getting from the rest of my girls told me I would be busy giving out kisses for the foreseeable future, so when I finally pulled away, I glanced over at Kokabiel once more. "Does anyone need anything else?"

The Fallen waved me away. "Go satisfy your Mates, little Dragonling."

I chuckled, folding my oversized wings and dismissing my tail. "My thanks. Girls?"

Ruby sighed, but stopped poking Rias. "All right. Let's go."

Asia nodded, taking Gil by the hand and tugging her. I opened a ))Gate((, and stepped through with Shirone in tow. The rest of my girls followed, and I closed my Gate. Sera appeared a moment later, a wide smile on her face. "We won!" She cheered.

"The fight was staged." Ruby pointed out. "It took most of the fun out of it. If we were fighting for real, we could've taken the lot of them out within ten seconds. It took a while for them to build up their numbers, after all."

Asia frowned. "That doesn't make it any less of a fight. We were still in danger."

"But still, I—"

"Less talk, more cuddles." Shirone grumbled, shooting Ruby a glare. "And then, after cuddles, we're all going to take a hot bath. After Remilia gets here, we're going to have more cuddles, then we're all going to bed early."

Asia smiled at my little Nekoshou. "Sounds fine to me. Should we play a board game, too?"

Gil looked down at her bloodstained and sweat-soaked uniform. "As long as we get a change of clothes first. I think we should have the bath sooner rather than later."

I nodded once. "I'll go get it ready."

I was instantly pinned by five separate glares. "No." Ruby growled, crossing her arms. "You're telling the maids to do it. You are not leaving my sight."

"…You just admitted that it was all scripted." I deadpanned. "I was never in any real danger."

"Don't think I missed that Spear through your wing, mister." She huffed, expression darkening. "And I don't care, you're still not leaving my… our sight until we're sure you're all right."

"And we've cuddled." Shirone added.

"That too." Ruby agreed.

I heaved a deep sigh. Even with a Soul Bond, my girls can still confuse me.

I smiled down at a white-haired little girl. Her eyes were a bright red, and her face was practically glowing with joy. "Onii-sama!" She squealed in excitement, latching onto my leg.

My lips twitched. Apparently, Rias had rubbed off on her while she was away. "Hello, Remilia. How was your time at grampa's place?"

She smiled brightly. "It was great! They taught me how to fix stuff all better!"

I blinked. "I see. That was nice of them. Can you show me?"

She shook her head. "M' not good at it yet. Later."

I gave her a pouty look. "But Remilia…" I whined. "I wanna seeeee."

She burst into giggles at my behavior, and I could hear several of my girls muffling their laughter as well. "Nope! Sorry, Mi'cas, but I promised Grampa Zee that I wouldn't use it until I was ready."

I sighed melodramatically. "Oh, well. Too bad." I gave Sera a mental nudge, and scooped little sister up in my arms. "Can I introduce you to someone new?"

Her eyes widened. "Really?" She gasped. "Who?"

I turned, and Sera stepped forward. "Her."

Sera was almost vibrating with excitement as I handed her the three-year-old ball of adorable. "She's so cuuute~!" She squealed, squeezing her close.

Remilia giggled. "Hi! I'm Remilia, who are you?"

"Hello!" Sera greeted, just as enthusiastically. "I'm Serafall Leviatan, but you can just call me Sera-nee!"

"Okay, Sera-nee!" Remilia chirped. She turned to me, face split by a wide grin. "Are you going to marry her, Nii?" She asked in a loud whisper.

I laughed. "Probably." I whispered back. "She's not getting rid of me that easily."

Sera's smile got a bit brighter at that.

Remilia nodded once, examining Sera with a solemn seriousness that only a child can muster. "I like her." She decided, whispering no less loudly than before. "She looks fun."

I rolled my eyes. "You should see her TV show." I replied, not even bothering to whisper.

Her eyes grew to the size of quarters. "You have a TV show!?" She gasped, turning back to Sera. "That's so cool! Can I see? Can I see?"

Sera tried to stifle her giggles. "I don't know, when's your bedtime?" She asked with mock seriousness.

"I can stay up until seven!" Remilia proclaimed proudly.

Sera shot me a questioning glance. I nodded once, confirming her words. "Then I'm sure that'll be fine." She replied, returning her attention to the girl in her arms. "Do you like Magical Girl shows?"

The answering gasp of excitement was all the answer she needed.