🅝🅐🅡🅤🅣🅞🅛🅤🅒🅘🅕🅔🅡 - Ｔｈｅ Ｎｅｘｔ Ｌｕｃｉｆｅｒ

Chapter 30

Rias shielded her eyes as her queen and knight fell next to Xenovia. She was in disbelief. She had hoped that with Kiba's Balance Breaker and Xenovia's famed sword, they could defeat Kokabiel and protect the town. But she was mistaken, and she held herself responsible for this error.

Just a few hours earlier, she and Akeno had discussed the arrival of two nuns in town. Issei had informed her about Freed, who had visited their home and mentioned that his boss wanted to meet the local devils. Rias and Akeno quickly went to Issei's house with Koneko, anxious that Freed's 'boss' might be Kokabiel. Her suspicion was correct. Earlier that day, Koneko and Issei, with Saji's help, assisted Kiba and the two Holy Sword wielders in their quest to find and destroy the Excalibur fragment. The plan didn't go as expected, and Rias knew she would have to reprimand her adorable servants for their mistakes.

When she confronted Kokabiel, the first thing she was handed by one of the fallen angels was an unconscious Irina, covered in scratches and bruises. The belligerent, evil Fallen Angel intended to kill her immediately to instigate another grand war among the clans. However, he maintained his composure and initiated a full-scale battle, pitting himself against Rias' peerage for amusement.

Kuoh would be the battleground for the two factions. Rias had Sona and her classmates build a wall around the academy to prevent harm to regions outside the institution. Still, it would be ineffective since releasing Kokabiel's power would devastate the community. When Sona informed her about it, she wanted to use the bracelet to call Naruto, but she restrained herself. She didn't want to trouble him; she would tackle this situation alone. Even if she survived the battle, Naruto would most likely despise her for her foolishness in approaching Kokabiel with her peers alone.

However, this was a fantastic opportunity to show herself; she would keep it from passing her by. Plus, by the looks of it, Kokabiel didn't realize Naruto was one of the devils that lived in this region. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so arrogant.

The fight began, and initially, they were winning because of Issei's tremendous power. Kiba and Xenovia had come to assist them. Her knight had finally archived his sacred gear, the sword of Betrayer, a blade with both holy and demonic energy. Xenovia had drawn her accurate weapon, the legendary holy weapon that had chosen her as its welder, Durandal. Kiba and Xenovia ultimately shattered the fused Excalibur with the combination of two strong swords, reviving the group's dwindling hope. But things went south when Kokabiel ceased her destructive power, which Issei had amplified with his bare hands.

Then, shifting his attention back to them, Kokabiel killed Balba, revealing a shocking truth that left everyone stunned: God was no longer alive. This news was particularly overwhelming for Asia and Xenovia. Rias found it hard to comprehend a world without God, a concept foreign to her and her peers.

The formidable Fallen Angel methodically incapacitated each member of her peerage individually. He didn't kill any of them because he wanted Rias' peerage to witness his victory over her and the start of a new war. Kiba and Xenovia had tried to attack him, but their efforts were in vain. Even Akeno, with all her strength, couldn't inflict a scratch on him. Asia had tried her best to heal everyone, but the former nun had reached her limits.

After disposing of Issei, Kokabiel cautiously approached Rias. Issei had done everything to protect Asia from the Fallen Angel, even offering his left arm to the dragon within him to quickly achieve Balance Breaker, hoping his newfound power would defeat their adversary. However, all Issei managed to do was momentarily stun Kokabiel before collapsing to the ground, bleeding from his head.

Rias urgently blasted orb after orb of her destructive power at Kokabiel, dismissively grinning as he wiped all her assaults out of the path.

"Finally, the blood that would start the Great War!" Kokabiel roared in laughter and created a massive light spear; it was even more significant than the previous one and radiated so much light that her skin began to burn.

Rias fell to her knee, looking at the light spear Kokabiel had created above them.

Once again, the heiress of the Gremory Clan felt so weak, so useless.

Rias screamed out while releasing all her magical power into her bracelet. There was only one hope for her, her peerage, and everyone living in this town.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

"DIE RIAS GREMORY!"

Kokabiel brought the light spear down; Rias closed her eyes and held her head down using her hands, waiting for the light spear to impale her. But it never came...

"You...?" She heard Kokabiel mutter in shock, "What are you doing here?"

Rias's eyes snapped open, widening in surprise. Naruto stood before her, his sword catching the light. The sword was long and slender, gleaming with a golden hilt and a silver blade. The intricate grip boasted a lion's head on the pommel and a cross on the guard. This was Yamato, the famed sword of the Shinto Pantheon, ranked as the fourth most powerful in the DXD world. Naruto landed a punch on Kokabiel, sending him flying towards a building.

Seeing Naruto smile at her brought tears to Rias's eyes. He gently lowered himself to her level and tenderly wiped the tears from her beautiful face with a stroke of his hand.

"Next time something happens, call me, okay?" Naruto said gently, his eyes filled with warmth. "I know you want to prove yourself to me..." her eyes widened in surprise, "but sometimes, there are some things you can't handle alone, and I promised that I will always be there for you. Please don't be hesitant to rely on me. Next time, call me okay, Rias-chan."

"Naruto-kun...!" She cried out and hugged him tightly. She heard Naruto chuckle while patting her shoulder gently. Naruto brushed his hand through Rias's velvety, crimson tresses.

Despite everything, she had put herself and her peerage at risk due to her impulsive decision, and she knew her punishment would be harsh. In his mind, Naruto wore a wicked, maniacal grin as he contemplated how he could punish her.

"Don't ignore me!"

Kokabiel emerged from the building, launching an attack on Naruto.

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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Important Announcement

I have final exams, so I am taking a break for a month, and in between, I might start a new chapter.

Signing out peace,

Nouhith.