Chapter 26: Fallen Angel of the Stars Part 2

"Balance…Breaker?"

Issei repeated Ddraig's words as he and everyone stared at Kiba and the weapon in his hands. It was a long European style blade with a black colored handle and gold detail while bright red letters in a foreign language ran down the blade. Everyone, including Balba, looked at the blade with interest and caution.

Rias smiled as she looked at her Knight. As she looked into his eyes, she could see the change that had occurred within him. Gone were the fires of vengeance and anger that had plagued him for the years she had known him. Now, he was empowered by a passion to live and do right by his comrades. His resolve had never been stronger and she, as his King and older sister, couldn't feel any prouder.

Kiba raised the blade and pointed it at the two madmen. "Behold, the fusion of my Sacred Gear and the spirits of my fallen comrades: the Sword of Betrayal! A sword that combines holy and demonic magic!"

'Holy and demonic?' the pervert questioned. 'Is…is that even possible?'

"Sword of the Betrayal?" Balba said as he looked the blade up and down. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter what sword you bring to battle, nothing is capable of defeating Excalibur."

"Here we come!" The blond and the two Excalibur users shot towards the white haired man. Kiba ran straight while Xenovia and Irina split off to his sides.

Freed smiled viciously at this sight and raised his weapon. "Alright you fuckers. Let's give my brand new Excalibur the taste of blood!" The blade and the rogue priest began vibrating before he disappeared from sight. Those with trained eyes, however, could see that Freed jumped towards Kiba and descended at a quick pace.

The blond raised his weapon and blocked the strike before he pushed Freed off. The rogue exorcist landed on his feet before he shot back towards the devil at a speed no ordinary individual would have achieved. Kiba was not ordinary. The blond parried each one of Freed's strikes, each getting faster after the last. After one last strike, the two's blades remained lock as they stared at one another; one with sadistic glee and the other with willful defiance.

Their lock up was interrupted as Freed jumped to the side, avoiding Xenovia's swing. He landed on the ground but jumped away once more. This time he dodged a long and thin blade that implanted itself into the ground. The blade retracted, returning to its owner Irina. She smiled at the priest and raised her weapon. "Last time I was caught off guard. This time I'm fully aware of what is in front of me."

"I wouldn't get cocky you-" Freed cut himself off and his eyes widened. He moved from his spot once more, avoiding a large yellow colored fist that made contact with the ground and cratered it. The fist removed itself from the hole as Yami landed in it, her hair returning to normal. She looked at the white haired man with her usual cold stare.

"…Such a vulgar mouth," she said, "I despise that."

"What was that you shitty bitch?! You want to say that to my face?!"

"Yami? Why is she getting involved?" Issei asked, more to himself than anyone around.

The assassin looked at the confused Knight and said, "…Yuuto Kiba, correct? I ask that you allow me to help silence this vulgar mouth."

Kiba furrowed an eyebrow at the request but he nodded and said, "I have no issues with it, but Balba is mine."

Yami nodded and turned her focus back onto Freed. "…I understand, more than you believe."

"Stop talking and starting dying!" The white haired man screamed and appeared right in front of Yami. He swung the blade down but the assassin raised her arm and blocked the attack with a transformed blade of her own. "Fuck I forgot you had this bullshit power!"

"…The only fact you need to understand is that you have no counter to it."

Freed's teeth gritted and his eye twitched furiously. He raised Excalibur up and brought it down onto Yami's blade as hard as he could, creating sparks as the two collided. He raised the blade once more and swung again. This action was repeated with each swing increasing in speed followed by Freed's shouting, "Die, die, die, die, die!" Soon the swings began to come in from different directions, forcing Yami to begin moving her arms to block the attacks.

The two's encounter was cut off by the two members of the church and Kiba, who all came in from different sides in order to box the rogue priest in. However, Freed jumped high into the air and landed away from the group just as their blades met. The four turned back towards him and met his stare. Freed smiled as he lifted Excalibur and licked the blade. "OK, so you can handle one trick. How about two?"

The three sword users' eyes widened as they saw Freed multiply. First there were two of him, then came four, and soon there were enough of him to completely surround the four of them.

The devils and alien looked on with wide eyes of their own. "Guys!" Issei cried in worry.

The Freeds placed their hands on their hips and laughed heartily. "Hahahahaha! This is the power of Excalibur Nightmare! Not bad huh? And when I add in my Excalibur Rapidly…" The Freeds began running around the four at a pace that the only visible sight was their bloodthirsty grins. "The best part is that you can't tell which of us is the real one assholes!"

Kiba raised his weapon and turned to one side of the circle. "It seems that he is speaking the truth. Each one of them has the same look as the original."

"…And the vulgarity as well," Yami commented as she placed her back against Kiba's.

The blue haired girl and her chestnut haired friend copied this action so that all four faced a different direction. "Though I prefer to cut through every single of them, we can't afford that." Xenovia looked over shoulder and met the stare of Irina, the former nodding her head with the latter copying.

"Alright then!" Irina exclaimed as she raised Excalibur Mimic high into the air and stabbed it into the ground.

Issei furrowed an eyebrow in confusion. 'What is she doing?' His eyes widened as it hit him what his childhood friend was planning. Irina's weapon is Excalibur Mimic which holds the ability to transform itself into anything, like the katana she usually wields or the ribbon she wears on her arm. 'That means if she were to place it in the ground…'

Several blades shot out from the ground in the position that the Freeds were in, creating a circle around the four. The Freeds jumped out of the way at the last second splitting themselves up from one another.
This was their undoing.

Seeing the Freeds no longer together in a circle, the four shot off towards the ones in the direction they were facing. Kiba sliced through five, but they turned into smoke upon his blade's impact. Xenovia cut through seven, each never getting the chance to raise their weapon, but they too were fakes. The six that went after Irina found themselves with sliced chests as Irina elegantly swung her Mimic like a ribbon around herself. Yami was the most impressive as she killed all but one with her transformed blade hair that shot out in different directions, piercing each one of her target.

The last Freed sweated as he looked at the scene before him. He grunted before he yelled, "Fine! But I still got another trick or two! Now you see me…" The white haired man disappeared with a sword swipe. "Now you fucking die!"

"He can turn invisible too?!" Issei screamed angrily. "That is just fu-" He looked at the innocent eyed girls staring at him. "-dging bullcrap!"

The four fighting the man, however, said nothing but instead looked around. "Excalibur Transparency," Xenovia began, "it holds the ability to turn both the weapon and the wielder invisible. Excellent for infiltrating enemy bases."

Kiba's eyes scoured the area at a fast pace before they widened. He ducked his head down quickly just as something went right over him, cutting a few strands of his hair in the process. His eyes narrowed as he looked in front of him. 'You may be invisible…' Kiba raised his blade and blocked an unseen strike, with the sparks as the only indication, before he maneuvered his blade down and slammed his foot down on his opponent's invisible weapon. He then shot his fist forward and hit the rogue priest who became visible.

The now seeable Freed held his bloody nose and scowled at the Knight. "How the hell did you-"

"Your thirst for blood is too thick to hide," Kiba said.

"Now stay right there!" Freed looked behind him and saw a descending Xenovia with Excalibur Destruction raised above her head. Although his blade was still stuck, Freed moved to the side just as the blue haired girl brought her blade down creating a small crater. This forced Kiba to move out of the blast range which allowed Freed to further the distance as his weapon was freed from the Knight's foot. Xenovia looked at the man before she turned to look at her chestnut haired companion. The two shared a nod. She stabbed Excalibur Destruction into the ground and raised her hand. "Peter, Basil, Dionysus, and lastly the Virgin Mary! Lend thy ears to my humble request!" A golden magic circle formed before Xenovia's hand and out came the handle of a blade. She grabbed the handle and pulled it out to reveal a blue bladed broadsword with a golden edge. Its length was longer than the female who wielded it was tall but she held it up in front of her like it was nothing. "I wield this blade in the name of the saints who dwell within it! Durandal!"

Balba's eyes widened as he saw the blade appear. "D-Durandal?! Impossible!" he exclaimed. "My research never even came close in finding another wielder much less creating one!"

Xenovia nodded at the former priest's words. "True, not even the Vatican was able to create a replacement. However, they were able to find one."

"Y-you…you mean you…"

"There is nothing artificial about Irina and me!" Xenovia exclaimed.

"We're one of the few natural born users!" Irina continued.

"Durandal, is that some fancy holy sword?" Lala asked.

"It's not just some fancy sword Lala," Rias replied, her eyes wide as she stared at the blade in the blue haired girl's hand, "that is one the most famous holy blades, wielded once by one of Charlemagne's Paladin. To think someone from the church was capable of wielding it."

Xenovia slid her right arm across her chest, bringing Durandal to her side. "Freed Selzen," she began as her eyes narrowed, "I have to thank you. Because of you, the world will bear witness to a battle between Excalibur and Durandal!" She shot towards the white haired man, kicking the dirt behind her. "I'll destroy that blade in a single slash!"

"How is that even possible?! You made that big entrance before and now you got some kind of plot twist?! Well fine, if you want to die then come at me you shit eating bitch!" Freed met the blue haired girl's charge with his own but was stopped as a long blade shot past his face, forcing him to lean back. He looked to his side to see Irina smiling as Excalibur Mimic retracted to its normal length. "You fucking-" He cut himself off when he saw how close Xenovia was. Freed raised Excalibur up to meet Durandal, however the fused blade was shattered the moment it made contact with the attack.

"As I thought," Xenovia began, Durandal in front of her, "a blade like that could never stand up to the might of Durandal. Or perhaps its failing lies with its wielder."

The white haired man looked at the broken blade in his hand with anger filled wide eyes. "Fucking damn it! What is with this blade getting shattered and recycled all the damn time?! What a cruel way to goAGH!"

Freed never finished his statement as he found himself on the receiving end of Yami's hair transformed into several fists punching him all over his body. The blonde alien stared at the man as he went flying through the air. "…Never lose focus, no matter what the situation."

Freed grunted as he landed harshly on the ground. He glared at the two girls as he pushed himself up. "You…fucking…bitch. I don't even know you and already I hate you, you shithead! I don't care if Excalibur is broken, I'll-"

"Do nothing!" Kiba exclaimed, causing the rogue priest to turn around just in time to see the Knight descending upon him with the Sword of the Betrayal raised above him. "Checkmate Freed Selzen!" With wide eyes, Freed raised the broken blade in a last ditch effort to block the attack. However, Kiba's blade went right through the broken blade, though much more like a hot knife slicing butter as opposed to the shattering Durandal caused, and across Freed's chest.

Though he was not cut in half, the injury he received poured out a hefty amount of blood. Freed fell to his knees and before he hit the ground, he let out a final, "Fuck…you."

Those on the side let out a small breath of relief at seeing the rogue priest go down. Along with a few cheers congratulating the four on destroying the blade and beating the man, Issei looked at the still breathing Freed and asked, "How the hell is he still alive?! He's harder to kill than a cockroach."

With his back turned to his fallen foe Kiba said, "My friends…thank you. Our combined power has defeated Excalibur." He looked at the two church members and Yami with a smile. "Thank you three as well. If it hadn't been for you all, I don't believe this fight would have gone as smoothly."

Irina smiled back and rubbed the back of her sheepishly. "Nah, I'm sure you would have found a way."

As she let Durandal fall to her side Xenovia nodded. "Indeed," she began, "that sword of yours…you said it was a Demonic and Holy blade correct? With how it cuts through Excalibur I don't doubt that it would have done the job even without my Durandal."

The blonde assassin merely stared at the Knight before she turned away. "…I only helped because it would eliminate one more threat. Besides…you have one more opponent."

"Yes," Kiba replied as he nodded and narrowed his eyes, "I do." He turned to look at the wide eyed Balba who was sweating vigorously at the scene before him.

"T-this…this is impossible! Discounting Durandal shattering it, that blade should not have been destroyed!" Balba, who had watched the entire fight, looked at the blade in Kiba's hand with confusion. "A sword that combines Holy and Demonic properties cannot exist! Their opposing factors would cancel each other out with the system in place! God would never allow such a thing to occur within his…wait…"

"And now, for my comrades and everyone else who you have harmed, die!" Kiba exclaimed as he lifted his blade and shot towards the man.

"It can't be! But that is the only explanation! Such a thing can only happen when the balance between holy and demonic is shattered! Which means…" Balba's eyes widened as they filled up with realization of his own discovery. "Yes! That's it! Not only the original Maous, but also GodAGH!"

Everyone stopped at that moment. Every pair of eyes turned onto the human and their eyes widened as they saw a light spear pierce his chest. The old man looked down at the spear in his chest with his own set of wide eyes. "What…but…why?" he gurgled out before falling face first onto the ground. The Arch Bishop of Genocide, Balba Galilei, was dead.

"Quite impressive Balba," a familiar voice began, drawing everyone's attention upwards causing their wide eyes to be maintained, "with only so little information you managed to figure out such a secret. A mind like yours only comes once in a generation for humans. It is sad that not only did your usefulness ended but you found out such a secret."

"N-no way," Issei said.

"Zastin!" Lala cried out in fear.

Kokabiel smiled viciously at the group as he floated above them. What made those on ground level worried was the lack of scars and injuries on the black feathered threat while the alien swordsman hung his arms in exhaustion while covered in bruises and bleeding from the chest.

Sparks flew as light spear met light sword.

The weapons moved away from one another before clashing once more. This action went on a few times before they locked their weapons against one another. Their wielders, each with different expressions, looked at the other. Kokabiel, with his crazed and bloodlust filled eyes and grin, met with the determined and focused face of Zastin. The two stared, trying to gauge the other and see what the other would do.

The grey haired alien was the first to act. He loosened his stance and let off the pressure he put against Kokabiel, allowing the fallen angel to push forward. However, Zastin swiveled his body to the side which caused Kokabiel to fall forward. Zastin swung his blade down only to be met with a block by another light spear.

The fallen angel pushed the alien away and jumped back, however his grin remained. He let his arms hang to his side and allowed the light spears in his hand to dissipate. He snapped his fingers and a dozen more appeared instantly floating at his side. The long haired man pointed at his opponent and the spears shot towards the alien.

Zastin's grip on his blade tightened and he shifted his right leg back. He brought his blade back before swinging it right in front of him, blocking the first spear. Without missing a beat, his swing flowed toward another direction and stopped another spear. He continued swinging, stopping each spear without a single bead of sweat gracing his head.

"Hmm, interesting," Kokabiel mused as he rubbed his chin.

"I believe it is my turn," Zastin said. He kicked off the ground and rocketed towards the fallen angel.

Said angel let out a short chuckle and extended his arms out. All around him, several more light spears formed before they were fired with a new taking its place after the last was shot. The alien weaved in and out of each spear, occasionally knocking one aside.

Kokabiel grinned as he looked at the alien. "I have to say, I am impressed. There are few that can match up against me."

Despite himself, Zastin couldn't help but grin back. "That is one thing we agree on. I haven't been allowed to let loose since the war."

This statement caught the long haired man's attention as he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you fought in a war as well? Tell me, what was it like?"

Zastin furrowed his own eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean? It was like any war. Bloody, gruesome, unforgiving, every day a battle and struggle to keep alive while putting down another foe."

"Heheheh, yes, it's been so long since I've heard such words but hearing them gives me great joy."

"Joy? There is no joy in war! What matters is ending it!"

Kokabiel crossed his arms and stared at Zastin with a condescending look at those words. "Ending it hmm? Tell me, how much do you know about the Great War that happened here on Earth? The one I fought in several millennia ago."

The swordsman allowed his sword to fall to his side and his stance to loosen, but his body remained tense. "I do not know much about it. From what Lady Rias has said, it was not pretty, but that is coming from the words of someone who was born long after it."

"Indeed. That girl is not even a quarter of century old and her older brother has yet to even reach a millennium in age. The Great War was, in a simple word, bloody. Every day, hundreds, possibly thousands would end up being killed in the conflict. Some that survived came back different. Either they were too scared to go back, too cowardly to remember their own race's cause and fight for it, or…" The fallen angel pointed at himself. "They turned out like me."

"What do you mean?"

"Before the war, I was an astrologer. I studied the stars, looking at their patterns, trying to understand their meanings." Kokabiel looked at the sky with a nostalgic expression. "I later gave this knowledge to humans, though it took them a long time for them to figure out what my teachings meant. Then the war broke out and, despite being a mere scientist, I was sent out to fight. Back then, I was nothing short of a coward, a child that had been thrown into a war with no previous knowledge on how to fight. But…"

"But?"

"I soon attained my first kill. It was an unorthodox feeling, strange but not unpleasant. And then, I killed a second time and then again and again and again. I don't exactly remember when, but around my hundredth kill…" Kokabiel flashed a terrifying grin and his eyes gained a murderous edge. "I was feeling pure euphoria!" His grin shifted into a frown, the first he had sported during their fight. "But then not only did Azazel drag the fallen angels out of the war, the war ended! I was left with nothing! And from then on, I was forced to play clean up for Azazel, like some sort of janitor! I'd have rather died in battle than live such a static life!"

Zastin looked at the fallen angel thoughtfully. "You said the war ended correct? How did it end?"

The long haired man reformed his grin at the question. "That is a secret and one you will die without ever knowing. But it doesn't matter. Once I've killed the little sister of Sirzechs Lucifer and the little sister of Serafall Leviathan, I'll start a new war that will be even bloodier than the Great War! And perhaps I'll find a way to drag in this Gid Deviluke as well and make it a universal war! Wouldn't that be grand?"

The grey haired man frowned and lifted his blade up once more. "I'm not sorry to say that that is a horrible idea. One that will be stopped here!"

"Then let us see if your words hold strong!" Kobabiel formed another light spear in his hand before he dove at the alien.

Zastin brought his blade back and swung it as hard as he could just as the fallen angel swung his own weapon. The two collided and created a plethora of sparks. The two men pushing back and forth before separating and clashing their weapons again.

As he pushed his light sword against the light spear, Zastin could begin to feel sweat form on his face. It was a light coat but it was still there. He looked at his opponent and couldn't see a single bead causing him to frown. 'I need to end this quickly.' With all the strength he could muster Zastin pushed his blade harder against Kokabiel's light spear, causing the fallen angel to lean back.

The long haired man noticed this change and said, "I have to admit, you are good."

The alien refused to pay attention to the man's words, in fear of becoming distracted.

"But…"

Zastin's eyes widened as he felt a pain in his chest. He looked down to see a light spear had pierced him through his back. He cough up a little blood.

"You are not good enough."

Kokabiel threw a punch straight into Zastin's face, causing him to stumble back. While he remained on his feet the alien was further stunned. This left him unable to stop the barrage of punches sent to his face and body courtesy of the fallen angel. The last punch sent him to his knee. Zastin groggily lifted his head up at the smiling fallen angel. 'Princess Lala…' Kokabiel reached towards the defenseless man with a grin.

'Forgive me.'

"Here, a present," Kokabiel said as he threw the limp Zastin at the group.

Their eyes widened as they saw this. Lala was the first to act as she flew into the air and caught the man she knew since childhood. "Zastin!" she cried once more. "Please! Tell me you are alright!"

The grey haired man groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at the pink haired girl apologetically. "I'm sorry Princess," he said.

"Lala! Get him over here now!" Rias shouted. Without any question, Lala descended towards the red haired girl who was right next to Asia. "Asia, take care of him." The blonde nodded wordlessly and activated her Twilight Healing. The wound and bruises on Zastin began to heal and he began to breathe steadily. Rias looked up at the fallen angel with a cold sweat and nervous eyes.

"I don't believe it," Peke said, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Zastin is the universe's greatest swordsman! How could he lose?!"

"'The universe's greatest swordsman'?" Kokabiel asked before he shook his head. "I'm afraid you are misinformed. I have fought the universe's greatest swordsman and that man right there is nowhere near his level." He smiled viciously once more before extending his arms to his side. "Now…who shall be the first to die?"

AN: Happy new year-wait, this is a day late? Well fuck. Any way, hello everyone, good to see you all once more in the next chapter of DxDxD and the second part of this battle. I would like to apologize that I did not get this chapter out sooner but I was kind of on a post final mood and the Christmas season was draining. In good news I got Senran Kagura Burst Renewall so that's cool. I can probably make a Senran Kagura fic. But any way, many of you are probably wondering about how Zastin lost to Kokabiel seeing as the former is hailed in universe as the world's greatest swordsman? Well, first he now lives in a world with Vasco Strada so that's a problem. Second, Kokabiel is much older than him and has been in more fights. Sure the Great Galactic War may have been rather brutal but there is still so much hidden. Plus, here at least it was a loss by a cheap shot. But hey, Yami still got to shine in her fight with the others so I hope you all enjoyed that fight.

And now...reviews.

lightkirinhuruname: Here dear fellow, I hope you enjoy.

TigerWarrior1998: And this is only part 2 because part 3 will be even more intense.

Imperial-samaB: Thanks.

dad90: Well...two technically. But I believe the wait was worth it.

Raximus: You become desensitized when you work at the Grigori.

Evowizard25: Well, I did want them to be a part and show off their strengths as well. Yami especially is going to be interesting when Nemesis shows up.

TheB: Well yes but actually no.

MeteorElDrago: Well, I'll try to do a few more suitors during the next arc. But believe me, there is going to be a lot during that arc. Like, a lot.

zetsubougintama: Oh my...oh my. That is a lot of text and reading it just makes me smile and my heart skip a beat. This is one of the nicest things I've seen for this story and I feel so happy that you like it. I hope you continue to stick around and see where this goes as there will be interesting turns here and there.

Zoomerfish: They will, like Akeno will get some spotlight soon and hopefully I can do something with Koneko.

Well, that's about it really. Nothing to say but thank you all so much for reading. Please leave a comment and fave and follow if you want to see more and I will see you all in the next chapter. Stay loud, stay proud, stay toasty.