A/N: Music Sync - When playing music over a scene, the beginnings of certain paragraphs and various words are meant to line up with various lyrics during the song.
Beat Drop/Transition - When these are playing, do not read, simply skip to the following paragraph.
Paragraph - When reading, the first word of the paragraph should line up with the first word of the lyrics displayed above.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Flashback"
"Attack/Name"
"Narrator"
The carrier rumbled as artillery fire struck its shielding. Though the ship was more than capable of tanking such a hit, many of the electronic systems fizzled in and out of life.
Sekaino paid the quakes no mind as he marched toward the command bridge. Azazel was hauled over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, still unconscious after Mordred took Issei. The man's eyes narrowed as he thought about the Servant. Even if he chose to trust her, how could she guarantee Issei's safety? The woman was an enigma; why was she so adamant about him trusting her?
Regardless of the reason, her message left little to be desired. Six Servants and their Master lay between him and Issei, with four remaining anonymous. Whatever, he'd cross that bridge when he gets there.
"Sekaino, get to the bridge, we need you here." Pressing his two fingers to his ear, Sekaino answered the Satan, "Got it."
He'd almost forgotten about that, Sirzechs gave Issei a communicator so the boy could summon the Underworld's forces for whatever reason. Now, the same item rests over his ear, though he'd have to get rid of it before battle.
Picking up the pace, Sekaino meandered the alien vessel. Many Devils on board held their distance, either from fear, or spite; whatever the reason, it seemed they could sense his power. Before long, the familiar hiss of the command sector's bulkheads echoed through the hallway, allowing Sekaino to pass through.
Sirzechs stood at the center of the room, where a table now sat surrounded by the holograms of seven other figures. The redhead looked up, announcing, "Looks like the both of you are here, is it safe to assume that Azazel won't be joining us?"
"Since when was he an ally?" The projection of a scornful girl spoke, if Sekaino remembered correctly, she was one of Rias' friends back on Earth.
"Starting now." Dropping Azazel onto a bench, Sekaino parked himself on the opposite side of the table from Sirzechs.
"You look well, safe to assume Issei's not one for politics?" The sly voice of Akeno Himejime asked, catching Sekaino's attention.
"Neither am I, but I'm sure the boy would be dying to see the both of you if he were here." His words captured everyone's gaze. Rias was the first to ask what was on everyone's mind, "Where is he, Sekaino?"
Sirzechs looked down at the table, his eyes narrowing as he announced, "That is what we seek to answer."
"How did you lose him!?" The redheaded she-devil cried out, slamming her hands on the table before her. Sighing, the man answered, "We've had a long weekend, and I'd appreciate not getting antagonized."
"Then what happened?" Sirzechs asked. Nodding, Sekaino began, "He was kidnapped, by a Servant contracted under a White Dragon Emperor."
Those in the group paused, properly engrossed by the man's words. A man whom Sekaino hadn't met spoke up, one of the Satans if he had to guess, "You use the word 'a' when describing the White Dragon Emperor."
"Because I have reason to believe he's not of this world." A bald man, another Satan interrogated, "And how do you expect us to believe such lunacy? Another White Dragon Emperor?"
Sharpening his stare, Sekaino responded, "Little boy, there's a lot about this universe you have yet to comprehend."
The man leaned forward about to rebut, though before he could, Sekaino added, "Tell me, you have Magic, Devils, Angels, Dragons, and god knows what else all in one multiverse. Oh yeah, and not to mention, summoning heroes of myth from a place outside time, space, and dimension, but another White Dragon Emperor is too much!?"
Sirzechs chuckled softly, "Please ignore my friend, Asmodeus, he can often be a bit brash."
"I'll say, thought he was responding to one of my ideas." Sekaino smirked at the sound of the Fallen's voice, "About time, Azazel."
"Now that we're all here-,"
"Wait, we're just gonna let him into the meeting?" Rias interrupted, obviously skeptical about Azazel's appearance. Sirzechs sighed, answering, "Why wouldn't we? He's just as involved as Sekaino is, Issei's his compatriot as well."
Azazel shrugged, stating, "Couldn't have said it better myself."
"In any case-,"
"Sir, the enemy fleet is retreating!" Sirzechs jerked his head to look at the Devil, ordering, "Show me!"
In front of the group, a model of the fleet sparked to life. Many ships from both sides were destroyed and now plummeting toward the ground, however, the hologram displayed the opposing force leaving through several rifts in the sky, "Where are they going?"
"We don't know yet, but we can try-!"
"To Earth, their fleet is entering the airspace over Antarctica." The Satans gave Sekaino a curious look, though his words would be confirmed, "He's right, I can sense those hunks of metal arriving on this planet."
"Then why Antarctica of all places, seems like a pretty odd place to stage an invasion." Rias quizzed. The table had gone silent, each pondering their ideas, "Because they're not invading Earth, they're trying to find someone."
"Just what could they be looking for?" Azazel asked, Sekaino narrowed his eyes as he answered, "The very reason I met Issei, and the reason we're here in the Underworld. They're looking for a god."
"Then what should we do?" Sekaino stared at Sirzechs from across the table, answering, "Set course for Earth, we're following them through their portals."
Those around the table were surprised at Sekaino's declaration, especially those who knew him beforehand. A man who, for all intents and purposes, already despised the idea of a handful of Devils occupying a small town, was now at the forefront of an invasion force.
"Asmodeus, have the 7th Vanguard orbit over the Underworld. If their fleet comes back, I'd rather not have Lilith without any defense." The Satan in question nodded at Sirzech's orders, "Serafall, Ajuka, is it safe to say you'll be taking the 3rd and 5th?"
"Yes, though the 6th isn't in my possession currently, so we won't be receiving help from them." The Satan who Sekaino guessed to be Ajuka responded, "And you, Serafall?"
"I can take the 3rd and 4th, but I'm not letting-!"
"Yeah, yeah, I figured. You hardly let me command it anyways." Sisters from what Sekaino could gather, an overprotective elder and a frustrated younger.
"I take it you'd rather not have me command the 2nd?" Rias asked her older brother. The man pursed his lips, responding, "As capable as you are, we have no idea the outcome or the magnitude of this conflict, and I'd rather not put you and your Peerage in harm's way."
Rias nodded, "We'll stay on Earth and defend our stations should it come to that."
Sirzechs gave his own nod as his sister disappeared. Next to Serafall, Sona added, "I'll have to go as well to ready my own Peerage."
Silence washed over the group for a brief moment. Sighing, Sirzechs announced, "Ready your fleets for travel and rendezvous over Earth's south pole."
The remaining figures vanished as alarms began to ring out from across the ship, "All stations, ready your remaining armaments, we're heading to Earth."
Massive engines burned bright as the reactors within began churning. Various craft fluttered into the hangar bays as their motherships began moving. Looking at the model of the 1st and 2nd, Sekaino hummed seeing the remaining vessels push through the Underworld's sky. Portals tore open several hundred meters away from the fleet, swirling with blue light, "All ships are ready to make the jump, sir!"
"Then punch it!" The ship rumbled as its engines moved at their top speed. Several smaller craft disappeared into the portals, leaving their larger brethren behind in a flash of blue light.
Observing the monitors, Sekaino watched as the sister carrier plunged into the depths of the portal. Staring ahead, Sekaino smirked as his vision turned blue, 'We're coming for you, Issei.'
Elsewhere - Chaldea
Explosions littered the gray mountains. The atmosphere turned black from the smoke billowing into the clouds. Alarms blared across the facility as those inside scrambled to understand the conflict around them.
"Do we have any idea where they came from?" The Magus asked. The man's stern expression was nearly unheard of by his subordinates, though they understood the reason why, "No, they came out of nowhere!"
"Disengage shielding around all exterior artillery! We're trapped inside our shields with no means of defense but him, so let's give them everything we can." Marisbury scanned the monitors with trepidation. Chaldea's shields were holding up, though the same couldn't be said for the mountains surrounding the facility.
Turning to look at his Master, the Servant beside him asked, "I don't suppose I could help them?"
"Negative, Caster, 'Berserker' is leagues ahead of anything I've seen, and we're detecting multiple signatures either just below, or at his level." Solomon nodded in understanding. He hadn't interacted with the man his Master referred to for any significant margin of time, though his Master certainly held the man with reverence.
"Sir, three signatures have detached from the fleet and are heading straight for Chaldea!" The screens before Marisbury showed a diagram of the battle occurring above them. Three dots hurled past Chaldea's shields, each one with the signature of something immensely powerful within them.
Narrowing his eyes, the Magus commented, "I can't even begin to describe what those things are, but we need to have faith in 'Berserker'. If anything, he's our last line of defense."
The supposed Berserker stood strong on the facility's roof. His helmet mirrored the scenery with a cold indifference, obstructing the man's face from sight. Though unseen, his eyes tracked three distinct objects hurling toward Chaldea's roof. It would've been easy to dispatch them before they made landfall, however, even he couldn't help but admit his curiosity.
The objects, which the Slayer guessed to be drop pods slammed into the metal hull, exploding upon contact. The rugged facility, though scorched, hadn't been damaged by the hit. Perhaps the pods were missiles? However, with such meager effects, the plausibility of the devices being explosives grew smaller.
Suddenly, a gargantuan amount of both Heavenly and Hell Energy erupted from the fireball. The Slayer leaped back with his sword in hand as he studied the rising smoke. The amount of energy emanating from the cloud was enormous, enough to throw a lesser being into despair, though the Slayer was no lesser man.
"So! You're the Doom Slayer, huh?" An androgynous voice called out, confusing the Slayer. Remaining steadfast, he watched as a horned figure emerged from the cloud. Though initially resembling his corrupted allies, the knight was of a different origin. A Servant, one infinitely stronger than Solomon, but a Servant nonetheless.
Two more appeared on either side of the knight, a man of European origin and a woman of Japanese descent. The newcomers both had smiles on their faces. The man had an excited, almost child-like grin, while the woman held a polite smile on her features.
"Looks a hell of a lot more powerful than this Issei, that's for sure!" The man boasted, though no one gave a reaction.
The knight summoned a sword in their hands as they hunched over, seemingly ready to charge at the Slayer. However, rather than charging the Slayer, the knight lept towards spearman on their right. The man clearly wasn't prepared for the sudden attack, barely having enough time to place his lance between his neck and their sword. Sparks fluttered across the roof as the lancer jumped away from his former ally.
Suddenly a barrage of purple lights raced toward the knight. The Saber sprinted across the metal hull toward the Japanese woman, deflecting the beams as they approached.
Hopping into the air, the knight raised their sword over their head. The Japanese woman looked up in shock, levitating a mirror over herself to block the hit. The glass shattered as the knight's sword cleaved through it, though the construct did its job in defending its owner who had reeled herself back.
The knight observed their former allies before casting their gaze at the Slayer. The man stood tall, recognizing the warrior as an acquaintance, rather than an enemy. The Saber stabbed their sword into Chaldea's roof, planting their hands on its hilt as the demonic helmet began to fold away from their head. Underneath the mask was a girl, with wild blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and sharp blue-green eyes.
"We'll have to make this quick before they get back up, but I have a proposition for you Slayer." The man hardly moved, only shifting his helmet down to show her he was listening. The Servant grinned before stating, "Become my Master, so that I can kill these sons of bitches."
Tilting his head, he paused, evidently confused. Though her offer made sense on paper, he had no context.
Mordred narrowed her eyes, shifting gears as she swapped her approach, "You kill Demons right?"
That got his attention. The Slayer nodded quickly, much to Mordred's glee, "Let's just say I'm dealing with something you might be interested in."
He knew what she meant. If she spoke the truth, then there was no question of whether he should join her or not. Where there were Demons, there was the Slayer.
"So how about it?" Mordred asked, opening her stance as though inviting him to an event. The Slayer nodded, holding out his hand as the Argent Energy began to flow within. The Slayer burst into a green miasma, painting the environment with the same color. His energy extended outwards, clutching Mordred. So she already had a Master, though the bond proved to be an insignificant challenge to break.
Three pulses of energy rung out from Mordred, the bastard she called her Master was using the Command Seals to stop her. However, despite the witch Avenir fueling them, the Slayer was able to break the bond with little issue.
Mordred fell to her knees, her heavy armor slamming against the metal hull. Looking up at the Slayer, Mordred grinned, "It's or never."
Nodding, the Slayer extended his hand, letting his energy flow into her as Mordred's vision turned white.
Elsewhere
His ears rang as he stirred awake. His vision shook, proving to be equally stunted. Despite the pain in his neck, he scanned the area around him, only finding a dark room with the odd light flashing before him.
Issei squirmed, sobering as he felt the binds around his body. Tensing his muscles, he attempted to move once more, grunting as his efforts proved fruitless. Resting his head on whatever he was tied to, Issei breathed, waiting for his senses to return.
Play: Across the Spider-Verse (Start a Band) By Daniel Pemberton
Metal clanged together beyond his sight, the echo resounding in his ears. Issei jerked his head away from his entrapment and toward the noise. Sweat trickled down his body as his breath grew rampant.
Another boom helped Issei focus on the source. Hovering above him were two lights, the front of a helmet; his helmet. Though Issei's eyes were stationary, his mind raced faster than a bullet.
Without warning, the man dropped from his perch with a thud. Segments of his armor glowed a radiant pink, flashing like a predator's intimidation display.
Issei stared at the man, internally preparing in case he decided to attack. As he stepped toward the boy, the sound of his breath breached Issei's ears.
Issei shook as though he had been soaked in frigid water and left out to dry. His eyes, though locked onto the man before him, reeked of fear. The masked man grinned in satisfaction, despite the boy's fear, he still faced reality.
His helmet clicked as steam hissed from its vents. Issei's shaking stopped as bewilderment took over.
Panels began to fold over as his helmet unraveled itself. What Issei thought to be white hair revealed itself as brown before fading into the unnatural color. The mask was the last to drop, seemingly to build anticipation before it finally lowered.
Issei's eyes were torn open, his pupils dilated in utter awe as he laid eyes upon the man. Staring back at Issei, was the identity of his near-killer. The boy shook like a wet dog as he examined his own face.
Beat Drop/Transition
Everything about the man looked like Issei, save for his hair pulled into a high ponytail. He could hardly muster the words from his throat, though one question remained dormant in his mind, "Wh-who are you?"
His head was tilted down, though his sharp blue eyes were locked onto Issei's. "I'm Issei Hyoudou, though, you can just call me the White Dragon Emperor."
"H-how?" Issei, the White Dragon Emperor smiled as he glanced away from the boy. Returning his gaze, the man grimaced as he planted his gauntlet next to Issei's head, "I think you should be worried about how you're getting out of here."
"Why? Why, me?" Issei wrenched out. The White Dragon Emperor's stare was unwavering, and his threat was manifesting further.
Beat Drop/Transition
Blue lightning crackled from his white gauntlet as he leaned in, "There's so much you don't understand of this world, Issei. Though, you'll find out in time how large it truly is, just as I did."
Issei paused, confused at his doppelganger's cryptic message, however, before he could get an explanation, the man continued, "But first, let's see how rigid your conviction is."
The two locked eyes, Issei's fear turning into trepidation as they exchanged a silent battle. A soft smile formed on the man's expression, "It's time to find out, just who you really are, Issei."
Issei's head craned down, the boy's stare sharpening as he looked back. Though the fear remained, he knew he couldn't falter as he had before. Not during what could be the most pivotal moment of this conflict; or perhaps of his life.
Beat Drop/Transition
At the helm of the ship Issei was consumed by, Mordred watched as immense portals formed in front of her former Master's fleet. The Saber smirked as she glanced behind her.
Sekaino crossed his arms, a gruff look on his face as he nodded at the girl. Though he was skeptical of her plan, it seemed the Knight of Treachery wasn't as treacherous as he thought. Next to him was the man she was tied to, whose mask reflected the light show ahead of them.
The ship rumbled as its engines chugged within its hull. Many of the smaller frigates charged first, taking the lead for the larger cruisers. The Underworld's armada swiveled to face the rifts ahead of them, evidently opting to follow the newfound trio into whatever world they found themselves in.
Sekaino glared ahead of him, he didn't know where they going, though he knew he had to end this fight for the sake of his world, and for the sake of his friend. Looking at the Slayer, the very god he swore to kill, he knew his mission changed once their alliances were revealed. Regardless, the fight was far from over, though, in his line of work, it never was over.
Mordred smirked, as the ship they were perched on top of was dragged toward the abyss ahead. The smaller vessels escorting the fleeting zipped into the rift as blue streaks of light, the larger cruisers following suit. The craft beneath growled as it shook, seemingly revving up its engine for the journey ahead. Laughing silently, she readied herself for the impending battle as the light ahead of them grew larger. She knew this fight would be one to change both her fate, and the boy she found herself attached to, 'We're coming for you, Issei Hyoudou.'
A/N: And it's finished, part 2 that is, and Twin Points is finally above 100K words, probably the biggest milestone of a story's longevity! (At least on FanFiction.Net) Though if you could judge from the ending, this story arc is long from over. However, that'll have to wait for part 3, which I must discuss before you go.
To start, I want to apologize for how long part 2 took to get published, as I wanted to try uploading it all in one burst rather than on a chapter-by-chapter basis. This time around with part 3, I won't be uploading it once it's finished, but rather on an act basis. I will publish part 3 in three separate waves, act 1-act 3. This is so you guys can get a good amount of content with each separate upload, with the bonus of uploads happening more regularly.
Unfortunately, part 3 will take a fair amount of time until even act 1 is published. The reason for this is after publishing part 2 (November 28th, 2023), I will be shipping out to BMT for the next 7.5 weeks. So, I won't even be writing part 3 until mid-January, so at the very soonest, chapters will begin uploading sometime between then and mid-April. Luckily, I fully developed the plot, so no effort will be wasted writing that up.
As much of a bummer it is that part 3 will take so long to begin writing, I am glad there will be a micro-hiatus. Writing part 2 was tiresome to say the least, especially with the music syncs, it's one of the reasons it took so long to get this posted. I will note, that this may be due to never having stopped writing after I got part 1 published, so there wasn't much time reserved for a break. So while disappointing, it means that part 3 will be of much higher quality and potentially higher quantity with a much-needed break.
Lastly, to confirm your suspicions, yes, part 3 of volume 1 will have a part 1-part 2 dynamic with part 2 of volume 1 (think Across the Spider-Verse and Beyond the Spider-Verse) As for my plans, I won't delve into the plot, but it will be much more action-packed compared to part 2 (so expect more music syncs!)
In any case, this is goodbye to you guys for a little while, but I hope you can appreciate the entirety of part 2 and this message for the future as my Black Friday/Christmas gift. Set your calendars and make sure to check in on either Wattpad or FanFiction.Net, as I've been cooking part 3 for a while, and it (in my humble opinion) will be much better than its predecessors.
Side note, for those curious about what the Underworld's and Issei's (WDE) ships look like... For the Underworld, I imagined their military with Covenant technology from Halo. For instance, their navy would be composed of Covenant ships, with the Underworld's ship classifications matching the Covenant's. Their soldiers would be in similar armor to the Elites and their ground/air vehicles would be Covenant. For Issei's (WDE) I imagined his ships as UNSC from Halo, each ship class in his fleet matching those in the UNSC's.
– GZA, Out!
Art Page - @gzyzzartist
Word Count - 3,934