Hey, how are you doing~beautiful~
If you look back at the old chapter, you see I rewrote it. I started this story when I didn't know anything about writing a good story, that is why I think my Doctor Who fanfic is better. This is one that doesn't go all over the place with the mc
I have a lot of essays and papers to write for my college work, like I have an essay due tomorrow
So for the summertime, I'm going to post a rewrite for this, which I'm sure will be better than this one
2-day later—--So I got a really bad stomach ache, like it was really bad, i was nearly on my knees from the pain
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Crom Cruach sat in the shadows of the makeshift council chamber the Khaos Brigade called a "strategic forum," but realistically, it was a repurposed underground bunker lit with cheap LED strips and smelling faintly of ozone and gun oil. Not exactly the intimidating meeting hall of a world-threatening army.
But people came anyway.
People with grudges. People with ambition.
People who hated the Three Factions more than they feared each other.
Crom didn't slouch, dragons didn't slouch, but he definitely radiated the "don't talk to me" aura of someone who was tired, irritated, and desperately trying not to think about a divine boot that still haunted his soul.
He rolled one shoulder, ignoring the way the phantom ache rippled across scales that had long since regenerated.
Pathetic, he thought.
I should not still be thinking about this.
He wasn't even sure what she was. He hadn't given the others the truth. Would never. Instead, he'd told them the safe version: some new angel, strong enough to handle him but not enough to make him look like a full dumbass.
He'd keep the collar-threat story buried forever.
Across the bunker, voices rose in heated argument.
The Khaos Brigade was never united. It was a handful of factions duct-taped together by mutual superiority complexes. The Old Satan Faction. Rogue magicians. Stray gods. Displaced monsters. Mercenaries. Criminal scientists who should've been locked away. And in the corner, a cluster of devils in new-style armored coats, that has Azazel-looking tech fused with Ajuka-looking seals.
He never really cared where they got them from
Engineer devils, everyone called them.
Crom didn't like how they smelled, and their not even that strong, but they got the number, which can turn a war around
The first to slam a hand on the war table was Katerea Leviathan—Old Satan Faction royalty by blood, arrogance, and attitude.
"Are you all blind?" she snapped. "Something is happening in Heaven. We have reports of angels materializing in cities with completely unfamiliar energy signatures. Their wings shine differently. Their armor is… new."
The word new lingered in the air like a curse.
Crom kept his expression neutral.
He knew.
He had seen it up close.
But unlike Katerea, he didn't think this was Heaven merely upgrading its military.
This was something wayyy bigger.
Something that can start a new great war.
Beside her, Creuserey Asmodeus adjusted his gloves, his voice ice-cold and annoyingly calm. "Katerea, speculation doesn't help us. We need concrete intel. The Church is panicking, yes, but panic does not confirm that the God of the Bible has returned with his full power if not why hasn't he dealt with the fallen or devils yet."
Crom's jaw tightened.
Vali Lucifer leaned back in her chair, bored out of her mind. She wasn't officially part of the meeting, but Vali did whatever she wanted. Her team lingered near her, alert but relaxed.
"The angels were different," Vali said plainly. "Stronger. Smarter. Not as stiff," she shrugged. "Maybe Heaven's been cooking upgrades. Doesn't matter to me unless they get in my way."
Katerea's glare could've melted titanium.
"It matters," she hissed. "Because our opponents are changing. We mustn't be caught unprepared."
At the far end of the table, an elderly magician leaned forward. His face was lined, his beard half-scorched from some experiment gone wrong. He wore a lab coat stained with ink, soot, and regret.
"We intercepted a coded message from the Vatican," he said, sliding a file onto the table. "The new angels are purging churches. Silently. Efficiently. Not even the Grigori's spies could get full visuals before their hardware was—"
He hesitated.
"—dissolved."
Crom exhaled slowly.
Yep. That tracked.
Katerea snatched the file, flipping through pages. "Destroyed how?"
"Some new version of Holy interference," the magician replied. "But not standard purification. Something more… surgical. Like Heaven finally learned how to handle tech infiltration."
Crom clicked his tongue.
Of course they did.
He'd seen the glyphs she used.
They hadn't looked like anything modern.
More like… prototyped.
Ancient.
Refined through millennia.
Heaven didn't upgrade, he thought.
Heaven reverted. Returned to something primal.
Katerea slammed the file shut.
"And you still want to tell me the God of the Bible isn't back?"
Creuserey frowned. "He died. Everyone saw it. The factions felt the collapse of his authority. His system fragmented."
He stopped himself from grimacing.
Vali yawned. "If he's back, he's back. Doesn't change anything for me. If Heaven becomes harder to break into, so be it."
Katerea glared again. "Not all of us have the luxury of treating apocalypse as a hobby, Vali."
"That's a you problem," Vali said simply.
Crom didn't bother hiding the small huff of amusement that escaped him. Vali might be annoying, but she was honest.
The room shifted when Shalba Beelzebub finally spoke.
He stepped forward, adjusting his cloak, eyes sharp with cold intelligence.
"We must consider the implications logically," Shalba said. "Our spies have reported increased angelic patrols. Churches are being 'cleansed.' Certain black-site facilities being… emptied."
A magician rubbed his arms nervously. "They're killing people involved in some secret weapon projects."
Vali raised a brow. "What project?"
The magician swallowed. "A holy sword initiative. Illegal. Hidden from the Seraphs. Humans were experimenting with disallowed relics, Soulforging, even proto-sentient blades."
Shalba's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And the angels wiped them out?"
"Completely. They even destroyed coded backups. Left nothing. Like they want the Three Factions to know the message."
Crom leaned forward slightly.
"A warning," he said, his voice deep, measured. "Control yourselves. Or be controlled."
Several heads turned.
He said nothing more.
He wouldn't elaborate.
Katerea tapped the table. "Heaven asserting authority is one thing. Heaven using force against their own churches? That's different."
Shalba nodded. "Something is guiding them with a unified will. A stronger hand."
Crom did not react, but inside, a cold ripple ran through his chest.
A hand stronger than the Seraphs.
A presence the angels obeyed without hesitation.
One he'd felt up close.
Katerea took a sharp breath. "Whether God has returned or a new authority has replaced Him, the result is the same: Heaven is consolidating power. That means we need to accelerate our operations."
"That depends," Vali said lazily, "on whether you idiots want to die faster."
Katerea nearly hissed. "You have no sense of strategy."
"No," Vali corrected, "I have a sense of not being stupid."
Crom's lips twitched.
The tension shifted when a portal flickered open in the corner. A tall man stepped through wearing a black-coated uniform, one of the new engineer-born devils. His armor hummed softly with embedded seals. He bowed slightly. "Forgive the interruption. The Old Satan Faction requested my presence."
Katerea motioned him forward.
"We've reviewed your new units," she said. "You claim they can fight angels."
"Standard angels," the engineer corrected gently. "We designed them before this… update Heaven has apparently undergone."
"Meaning?" Shalba's tone sharpened.
The engineer devil exhaled. "Meaning if Heaven upgraded its forces, we may need revisions. Field testing is necessary."
Katerea smirked. "Perfect. That brings us to our next topic."
Crom didn't like that smirk.
Katerea spread a map across the table. Kyoto.
"This area has been under Heaven's surveillance ever since the… Celestial incidents from months ago. But now their presence has increased again, in subtle patterns. Perfect place to test our new troops."
Crom's stomach dropped.
Kyoto. Of all places…
He felt like ripping his hair out.
Shalba steepled his fingers. "Heaven won't intervene openly in a Youkai territory. They'll watch. Evaluate. That gives us a window."
The engineer devil nodded. "We can deploy a low-level strike to measure reaction times."
Crom closed his eyes briefly.
They were planning to poke the beast.
The wrong beast.
Katerea's grin widened. "Exactly. A joint strike with the Old Satan Faction. Devastation minimal. Mainly just… chaos."
Vali rolled her eyes. "You're all insane."
The engineer devil looked at Crom. "You fought one of the new angels recently, right?"
Crom opened his eyes slowly.
Every leader in the room stared at him now.
Katerea's voice was tight with suspicion. "Reports say you encountered one in Kyoto not long ago."
Crom folded his arms. "I did." He kept his tone flat.
"And?" Katerea pressed.
"A strong opponent," he said simply.
Creuserey frowned. "How strong?"
Crom shrugged, minimizing his humiliation. "Enough to make me take them seriously. Nothing more."
Katerea nodded slowly, analyzing him. "Did they display new abilities?"
"That's…I don't know," Crom said bluntly.
A few devils bristled.
Katerea did not.
She studied him like he was a puzzle she didn't understand.
"Fine," she said eventually. "But you'll join the operation."
Crom stiffened.
Here came the leash.
"I have no interest in attacking Youkai lands," he said.
Katerea smiled sweetly. A dangerous smile.
"You won't attack. You will observe. And report."
Shalba added, "We need eyes capable of identifying Heaven's new forces. Yours are… adequate."
Crom's claws dug into the armrest.
Adequate. Sure.
Fine.
Let them think that.
Vali snorted. "You really think poking Kyoto is wise? With how many monsters live there? The Shinto gods may ignore you… But they're not blind."
Katerea's voice dripped arrogance. "We are not attacking the gods."
"No," Vali said, "you're attacking their front yard."
Crom agreed internally.
But he said nothing.
He'd learned that silence had power—and after meeting her, he had learned something else.
He didn't want this war.
Not yet.
Not for this stupid reason.
Katerea turned to the engineer devil. "Prepare deployment teams. We move within 2 days."
"Yes, Lady Leviathan."
The engineer bowed and stepped back through the portal, leaving the room charged with anticipation and arrogance.
Shalba clasped his hands behind his back. "We will coordinate with the Old Satan Faction. Our goal is simple: test Heaven's response time and measure the strength of their new forces."
Vali muttered, "Or die trying."
"No one asked for your opinion," Katerea snapped.
"No," Vali said calmly, "but you definitely need it."
Crom almost laughed.
Almost.
But then Katerea turned to him again.
"And you, Crom Cruach… you will give us an unbiased evaluation."
He said nothing.
If they touched Kyoto…
If they stirred that presence…
They were doomed.
But he simply rose from his chair.
"I'll consider it."
Katerea scowled. "That's not an answer."
Crom began walking toward the exit.
"It's the only one you'll get."
He left the meeting, the tension following him like a hunting dog.
He didn't look back.
If they wanted to summon death, that was their choice.
He just planned to be far, far away when Heaven answered.
Crom wasn't even ten steps down the corridor before the voices behind him rose again, sharp and scheming. He kept walking, tail flicking once in irritation, but dragons had sharper ears than the idiots realized.
He didn't intend to eavesdrop.
They were just loud.
And stupid.
Katerea's voice cut through the bunker like a blade. "Now that he's gone, let's discuss the real project."
Crom paused at the corner and let out a snort, "dumbass."
Just listening.
Shalba's tone lowered. "You mean the—"
"Yes," Katerea said. "The device."
There was a shift in the room. Fear. Excitement. Something darker.
"This is reckless," Creuserey muttered. "Azazel's Sacred Gear research is already leagues ahead of us. And now Heaven is yanking any Gears that fall into devil hands, or weakening them so badly they're useless."
Katerea scoffed. "Exactly why we need our own."
"Our own devil-made Sacred Gear?" Creuserey asked. "We've tried. Every attempt failed. The moment a Gear is linked to devil essence, something interferes."
Shalba's voice sharpened. "Heaven interferes."
There was a murmur.
Crom's jaw tightened.
If she didn't want devils touching Sacred Gears, then the Gears wouldn't work.
Simple.
Katerea's heels clicked as she stalked around the table. "Heaven clearly adjusted the Sacred Gear system. Something is blocking our ability to replicate or override it."
A magician coughed nervously. "We tested fragments after the purge… and they were inert. Entirely dead."
"Like Heaven disconnected them," another whispered.
Katerea slammed her hand against the metal table. "Exactly. Azazel's backups failed, too. Heaven is cutting off devils from Sacred Gears permanently."
Vail raised her brow, "Must you abuse the table?"
Katerea glared at her, "Shut up! If you have nothing important to say."
"And you want to challenge that?" Creuserey asked, incredulous.
"I want to bypass it," Katerea corrected. "If we can't use the old system, then we make our own."
Shalba stepped forward. "And that is where the engineer devils come in."
Crom heard the shuffling of papers, metal scraping, and the whir of a machine being powered up.
Katerea's voice dropped. "Bring the prototype."
A few seconds later, a heavy object thudded onto the table.
A ripple of anxiety moved through the room.
Crom didn't move.
Prototype.
Shalba spoke with disturbing pride. "A fear-conversion engine. It takes raw terror from living beings and refines it into a soul-compatible energy matrix."
A magician added nervously: "It's… unstable. But theoretically, the refined energy can form an artificial Gear core."
Creuserey pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fear? You want to power a devil Sacred Gear with fear energy?"
"Devils thrive on demonic emotion," Shalba replied. "Fear is the purest version of that. High-density. Potent. It binds well with devil souls."
Katerea folded her arms. "And Heaven can't cancel something they didn't make."
A silence followed.
Crom wasn't surprised.
The Khaos Brigade loved three things: forbidden magic, badly thought-out plans, and suicidal levels of ambition.
But even he had to admit fear-powered Sacred Gears? That was new.
Crazy.
Dangerous.
But new.
Vali's voice broke the tension. "You're all idiots."
Crom smiled quietly.
Vali continued, sounding done with them. "If you make a Sacred Gear from fear, it's going to corrupt the user. And most likely kill them."
Shalba was unmoved. "We don't need stable hosts at first. We only need a working prototype."
Katerea added, "A soldier infused with enough fear energy can hold it for a short period. The point is power, not longevity."
A magician stepped forward timidly. "We've already chosen potential hosts. The engineer-made devils. They have improved vessels. Reinforced souls."
Katerea spoke with cold authority. "Our attack on Kyoto accomplishes three things. One: test Heaven's response time. Two: gather real-time scans of the new angles. Three…"
Her tone sharpened.
"…the engineer devils will gather fear."
Shalba nodded. "Kyoto is full of humans. Scared humans. We can harvest enough energy in minutes."
Vali leaned back, unimpressed. "Wow, that almost sounds like a somewhat good idea."
"Thank you," Katerea said without irony.
A few scientists chuckled like it was a compliment.
Katerea continued, "Once we have enough terror and emotional volatility, the machine can stabilize and create a devil-forged Gear core."
"And if it fails?" Creuserey asked.
Shalba answered simply: "Then the host dies and we start over."
Vali scoffed. "You'll be lucky if that's the worst thing that happens."
The magician holding the data tablet shifted uneasily. "There is a risk of… metaphysical contamination. If the fear energy is too high, it may attract… other entities."
Katerea waved him off. "Irrelevant."
"It could also explode," the scientist added quietly.
"Still irrelevant."
Crom rubbed his temples.
Dragons weren't meant to get headaches. Yet here he was.
Creuserey sighed. "And you truly think this will let us compete with Heaven's new forces?"
Katerea leaned in, whispering like a conspirator at a political summit.
"Compete? No. Overwhelm? Maybe."
Shalba spoke with chilling calm. "A Sacred Gear forged from demonic essence, fueled by primal fear? Heaven won't be able to weaken it. Or remove it."
Vali snorted. "Unless this new God-thing decides to sneeze in your direction and purify it."
Katerea's glare sharpened. "We still don't know if God has returned."
Shalba changed the subject. "The machine is ready. We just need a battlefield to generate fear quickly."
"And that," Katerea said, "is why Kyoto is perfect."
A murmur went around the room.
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WARRRRRR