"Shuo, did Kiba really just push his Sacred Gear into Balance Breaker? And he's fused holy and demonic power—unbelievable!"
The entire group stared at Yuuto Kiba, awe written on every face. Xenovia and Irina exchanged a look of pure shock, as if the ground had just shifted beneath them.
Rias and Akeno glanced at each other, then smiled softly—a quiet relief settling in. They knew, finally, Kiba had broken free from the shadow of the Holy Sword Project.
Shuo turned to Kokabiel, his expression amused, voice light. "Well, Kokabiel, looks like your little minions are all taken care of. That leaves just you."
He waved dismissively, but Kokabiel, floating above, erupted into wild laughter.
"Hmph! Hahaha… You think this is enough to defeat me? What a joke! And you two Holy Sword wielders from the Church—how are you still standing, when the master you served is gone?"
"What did you say?!"
"Lost our master? Explain yourself, Kokabiel!" Xenovia demanded, her voice shaking.
Shuo arched an eyebrow, but let Kokabiel speak. Some truths, however painful, needed to come out—both for the mission and for the story. He wondered if the girls could bear it.
Kokabiel covered his face with one hand, laughter twisting into something darker. "Oops, did I let that slip? Well, since I'm about to start a war between the three factions, I have nothing left to hide!"
He dropped his voice, letting the words fall like a hammer.
"Your God died a thousand years ago, in the Great War between Heaven and the Underworld!"
Silence.
The revelation hit like a thunderclap. The Biblical God—dead. Fallen.
"God… is dead?!"
Everyone froze, except Shuo, who already knew. Rias, Koneko—even the ever-stoic Koneko—stood rooted, faces pale with disbelief.
"Liar!" Xenovia and Irina stared at Kokabiel, voices trembling.
"God is dead?"
"That's impossible! We've never heard anything like this!" Rias whispered, eyes wide.
Kokabiel's lips curled in a sneer. "In that ancient war, God single-handedly took down the original Four Devil Kings and countless high-class devils. The angels and fallen angels lost most of their forces, too—only the top brass survived. Pure-blooded angels can't be born anymore, and pure devils are nearly extinct. The leaders of all three factions—and the other gods—hid the truth, so humans would keep believing."
The weight of his words pressed down on everyone. Kokabiel grew more agitated, veins bulging in his forehead as he spat his rage.
"What I can't stand is that after God and the Devil Kings died, Azazel called the war pointless and stopped fighting! If the battle had continued, the fallen angels would have won—we wouldn't have this stalemate. I can't accept it. I'll never accept it!"
He roared, voice echoing across the battlefield.
Xenovia and Irina crumpled to their knees, panic and helplessness flooding their faces. For years, their faith had been unwavering—now, with a single truth, their world had collapsed.
Asia, pale and shaking, suddenly shouted back.
"The Lord is gone? No! You're lying! What about the blessings and miracles we receive in the Church?"
Her words became Xenovia and Irina's last lifeline. Surely, divine power couldn't be faked.
Kokabiel smiled, cold and cruel. "God is dead. But as long as Heaven's system exists, Michael can operate it—he can grant blessings and miracles. But it's just keeping the system running. There are flaws—like how new pure angels can't be created anymore."
He pointed at Kiba. "Because God is dead, the balance between holy and demonic power is broken. That boy was able to fuse both and create a Holy Demonic Sword. And you, former nun—if God hadn't died, and the system hadn't glitched, your Sacred Gear would never heal devils!"
Asia nearly collapsed, Koneko rushing to catch her and gently resting her against a tree.
"So it's Archangel Michael who replaced God…" Xenovia whispered, voice hollow.
"Then… what are we?" Irina's voice cracked with pain.
Kiba's heart twisted. He remembered the Holy Sword experiments—singing hymns, praying desperately to God while teetering on the edge of despair. When the project failed and the Church purged them, he'd thought God had abandoned them. That was why he'd joined the Underworld, becoming Rias's devil servant.
Now he understood. God hadn't abandoned them—He'd already fallen, centuries ago. Their prayers had never reached Him.
Kokabiel's voice rang out, manic and triumphant.
"So I'll take your heads as offerings! Even alone, I'll restart the war! If I kill the sisters of Devil King Sirzechs and Serafall, the Underworld will burn with their fury. The ancient war will begin again!"
He laughed, mad and wild.
The battlefield fell silent, the truth settling over everyone like ash.
Shuo watched Kokabiel with calm, his voice cutting through the quiet.
"Well, have you said enough? Laughed enough? If you're done, it's time for you and me to settle things."
Kokabiel's laughter died instantly, his face stiffening.
Shuo turned to Rias and the others, smiling gently.
"Even if God is dead, what does that change? We just have to live our lives, right?"
Rias and her team met his eyes, drawing strength from his calm, and smiled back.
Shuo looked to Xenovia and Irina, his tone gentle but firm.
"You two look lost, like someone's thrown you away. Think about why you're alive. If your God could see you now, is this what she'd want? If you truly have nowhere to go, I'll take you in. How about it? Haven't I always treated you well?"
He offered them comfort—not as a leader, but as a friend.
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