The days had passed with a strange calm that Daniel Hernández had learned to distrust. Since the battle in the ruins of the church, where Kokabiel had been defeated but not eliminated, routine had settled into the Gremory residence like a silent fog. Mornings began with the warmth of his girlfriends, afternoons with training, and nights with the dream battles against Scathach, which had become increasingly brutal but also more instructive. Daniel could feel how his Haki was sharpening, how his reflexes were becoming keener, how his body was adapting to the draconian transformation that advanced slowly but inexorably.
But that night, the calm broke.
Daniel was in his room, reviewing some notes on the Rokushiki techniques he had secretly been practicing. Geppo allowed him to stay in the air for prolonged periods, an invaluable ability against flying enemies. Soru gave him bursts of speed that complemented his Observation Haki. And Rankyaku, with its ability to launch blades of compressed air, was a perfect substitute for someone who did not use weapons. He had tried to awaken Nen, that life energy from the Hunter x Hunter world, and after weeks of meditation and effort, he had finally succeeded. He could only maintain Ten, the basic layer of defensive aura, but it was a beginning. Combined with his Armament Haki, his defense had become almost impenetrable.
Rias slept beside him, her breathing soft and even. Asia had curled up against his side, and the Sekirei twins occupied their usual positions at the foot of the bed. Reynare, always alert, sat on the edge, her three pairs of black wings folded against her back. Sakura Matou slept deeply, her face relaxed for the first time in weeks. Tamamo, in her three-tailed fox form, purred on a pillow. Sona, methodical even in rest, occupied the opposite side of the bed. Lala, in her futon, floated slightly in the air, oblivious to gravity.
Now that he saw Lala, a strange reality settled in his mind, something that should have happened since the first day she had decisively decided to be his fiancée. "Gid is my father-in-law daddy," he thought, somewhere between amused and horrified. Suddenly something sounded, and they all got up to see what was happening.
The sound came without warning. A sharp knock against the main door, followed by a stifled cry.
Daniel's eyes flew open. His Observation Haki activated instinctively, and he sensed two familiar but weakened presences. One of them was on the verge of death.
—Daniel! —Xenovia's voice sounded hoarse, desperate—. Help!
Daniel got out of bed in a fluid motion, without waking the girls. He moved quickly, barefoot, through the halls of the residence until he reached the main door. He opened it and found Xenovia on her knees on the threshold, holding Irina's inert body. Both were covered in blood, their uniforms torn and burned. Xenovia had a deep wound in her side that was bleeding profusely, and her face was pale from blood loss. Irina, in her arms, was not moving.
—What happened? —Daniel asked, kneeling to help them.
—Kokabiel... —Xenovia gasped—. He ambushed us. We were following a lead on the holy swords when a bunch of mages, clerics, and renegade fallen angels ambushed us. There were too many... we couldn't win... they took... the swords...
—Don't talk. We're going to heal you.
Daniel carried Irina in his arms and helped Xenovia inside. He took them to the main hall, where Asia was already awake, alerted by the commotion. The healer paled when she saw the exorcists' condition, but she got to work immediately.
—Irina is very bad —Asia said, her voice trembling but firm—. She has lost a lot of blood and has internal wounds. I need time.
—Do what you can —Daniel replied—. I'll take care of Xenovia.
Rias, Sona, and the others were already awake, drawn by the noise. Rias approached Daniel, her face grim.
—What happened?
—Kokabiel ambushed them —Daniel replied, while helping Asia stabilize Irina—. They were investigating a lead on the holy swords and fell into a trap.
—And the swords? —Sona asked, her voice tense.
Xenovia, who was being treated by Reynare, looked up with difficulty.
—They stole them... Kokabiel's subordinates... they took the Excaliburs we were carrying... We couldn't stop them...
A sepulchral silence settled over the room. Daniel clenched his fists, feeling his Conqueror's Haki pulse inside him, demanding to be released. But he held back. It was not the time.
—Xenovia —he said, his voice calm but firm—. Tell me everything that happened. From the beginning.
Xenovia took a deep breath, and with a halting voice, recounted the ambush. Kokabiel had attacked them with a dozen fallen angels and several renegade exorcists. They had fought with everything they had, but there were too many. Irina had fallen first, protecting her from an attack aimed at her back. Xenovia had tried to take her to a safe place, but Kokabiel had caught up with them. The fallen angel could have killed them right there, but he had limited himself to watching them with disdain, trusting that they represented no threat. Then his subordinates had stolen the Excaliburs and left them bleeding out.
—He said something before leaving —Xenovia continued—. He said he would attack the academy soon... That no one could stop him... That tonight, Kuoh would disappear.
—Tonight? —Rias asked, alarmed.
—Yes. He said he would attack the Maou's sisters. You and Sona. He wants to restart the war between the factions.
Daniel stood up. His mind worked at full speed, evaluating options, plotting strategies. Kokabiel was powerful, but not invincible. He had survived the war between factions and the biblical god, but only because he had escaped at the last moment. His confidence was his greatest weakness.
—Sona, contact the Underworld —he ordered—. Inform your sister and Sirzechs of what is happening. Rias, prepare all the girls. This is going to be a large-scale battle.
—And you? —Rias asked.
—I will face Kokabiel.
—Daniel, it's too dangerous! —Asia protested, tears in her eyes—. He's a ten-winged fallen angel!
—I know. But I've been training for this. And I won't be alone.
At that moment, an oppressive presence filled the room. Everyone present felt a chill, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees. Daniel looked up at the ceiling, and his Observation Haki showed him what was coming.
—He's here —he said, his voice icy.
Kokabiel appeared floating over the Kuoh Academy campus, his ten black wings spread like a mantle of darkness. His laughter echoed throughout the city, a guttural sound that froze the blood of the mortals who heard it.
—Rias Gremory! Sona Sitri! —he called, his voice thunderous—. Come out, sisters of the Maou! Tonight, Kuoh will disappear, and with it, the peace that cost you so much to maintain!
Daniel left the residence, followed by his girlfriends and allies. Rias, Sona, Hikari, Hibiki, Reynare, Sakura, Tamamo, Asia, Lala, and Kiba were at his side. Xenovia, still weakened, stayed behind with Irina, but she clung to her sword Durandal with determination.
Daniel looked up at Kokabiel, and for an instant, the world stopped. The fallen angel looked at him with disdain, assessing him as if he were an insect.
—So you are the famous Daniel Hernández —Kokabiel said, with a mocking smile—. I've heard of you. The wielder of the Boosted Gear. The one who defeated Riser Phenex and 450 high-class demons. Impressive, for a human.
—Kokabiel —Daniel replied, his voice calm but charged with an authority that brooked no reply—. You made a mistake coming here.
—A mistake? —The fallen angel laughed—. I survived the war between factions. I survived the biblical god. And you? What are you? A simple human with a magical gauntlet.
Daniel took a step forward. His Conqueror's Haki emanated from him like a shockwave, making the air around him dense and oppressive. Kokabiel's subordinates, who had begun to descend from the sky, stopped dead, their faces contorted with fear.
—No, Kokabiel —Daniel said, with a voice that resonated in the soul of everyone present—. Tonight, you will fall in such a humiliating way that you will have wished you had died against the biblical god.
The silence that followed was absolute. Kokabiel looked at him in disbelief, and then his face contorted into a grimace of fury.
—Insolent! —he roared—. We'll see who falls tonight!
He disappeared from his position in the sky and reappeared on the academy campus, goading them to follow him. Daniel did not let himself be provoked. He looked back at his girlfriends and gave them a reassuring smile.
—Listen to me —he said, his voice firm—. Kokabiel didn't come alone. With my Observation Haki, I can sense an army of fallen angels and supernatural creatures hidden in the shadows. But they are nothing you can't handle.
—And you? —Rias asked, worried.
—I'll take care of Kokabiel. Kiba, the one responsible for the holy sword experiments, Valper Galilei, is here. He's yours.
Kiba nodded, his eyes shining with cold determination.
—Thank you, Daniel.
—Rias, you'll take the right flank with Hikari and Hibiki. Sona, the left with Reynare and Sakura. Tamamo, protect Asia and Xenovia. Lala, you... —Daniel paused, looking at the princess of Deviluke—. You stay close to Asia. If something goes wrong, your inventions could be our best asset.
Lala nodded enthusiastically.
—Understood!
—And me? —Reynare asked, her voice soft but firm.
—You are our artillery. Fly and cover the others from the air. With your three pairs of wings, you are more than enough for any lower-ranked fallen angel.
Reynare smiled, a ferocious smile that contrasted with her usual serenity.
—As you order.
Daniel turned toward the campus, where Kokabiel waited. He could sense the fallen angel's presence as a dark stain in his perception, a pit of evil that threatened to swallow them all.
—Let's go —he said, and advanced toward the battle.
The Kuoh Academy campus had transformed into a battlefield. The buildings were damaged, the trees uprooted, and the ground covered in craters. Kokabiel floated in the center, surrounded by his subordinates: a dozen fallen angels with two pairs of wings, several renegade exorcists armed with stolen holy swords, and grotesque creatures that looked like something out of a nightmare.
—I see you've brought your friends —Kokabiel said, with a mocking smile—. Do you think they can stop my army?
—I don't need them to stop your army —Daniel replied, advancing toward him—. I just need them to leave you to me.
Kokabiel laughed.
—You're arrogant, human. But arrogance without power is just an elegant form of suicide.
—Then I suppose we're both suicidal —Daniel replied, and activated his Boosted Gear.
The green gauntlet emitted a flash, and the dragon's power roared inside him.
—Boost!
His strength doubled. Kokabiel raised an eyebrow, surprised.
—Heh, interesting. But not enough.
The fallen angel launched himself into the attack. His speed was overwhelming, but Daniel was already prepared. His Observation Haki, honed by weeks of combat against Scathach, showed him the attack seven seconds before it happened. He dodged with a fluid movement, using Soru to disappear from the trajectory of the spear of light Kokabiel had conjured.
—What? —Kokabiel blinked, surprised.
Daniel didn't give him time to react. He used Geppo to jump into the air, and from there, launched a Rankyaku with his right leg. A blade of compressed air, sharp as a sword, cut through the air and headed straight for Kokabiel's face.
The fallen angel dodged it by a hair, but the surprise in his eyes was evident.
—What kind of techniques are those? —he growled—. They're not magical!
—No —Daniel replied, landing in front of him—. They're just training.
Kokabiel gritted his teeth and unleashed his power. An explosion of dark energy swept the area, forcing Daniel to retreat. His Armament Haki absorbed most of the impact, but he still felt the sting of the fallen angel's power.
—You're strong —Kokabiel admitted—. Stronger than I expected. But you're still no match for me.
—We'll see.
Daniel activated his Nen. Ten, the basic layer of aura, wrapped around his body like a second skin. Combined with his Armament Haki, his defense became almost impenetrable. Kokabiel noticed, and his expression became more serious.
—What is that energy? It's not magic... What are you?
—I'm someone who doesn't plan to die tonight.
Daniel launched himself into the attack. He used Soru to gain speed, Geppo to maneuver in the air, and Rankyaku to attack from a distance. Kokabiel responded with rays of dark light and thrusts of his spear, but Daniel dodged or blocked them with his Haki.
The combat dragged on for what seemed like hours. Daniel used each Boost carefully, saving his energy for the decisive moment. Kokabiel, for his part, was beginning to get frustrated. His attacks were increasingly erratic, more furious.
—It can't be! —he roared—. I am a ten-winged fallen angel! I survived the war! I survived the biblical god!
—And tonight, you will fall before a human —Daniel replied, his voice icy.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team fought their own battle. Rias and the Sekirei twins faced a group of fallen angels on the right flank. Rias had improved her control over the Power of Destruction, and now she could launch spheres of energy that disintegrated everything they touched. Hikari and Hibiki, for their part, coordinated their electric attacks with lethal precision, electrocuting enemies who tried to flank Rias.
—Rias! —Hikari shouted, while launching a lightning bolt that pierced two fallen angels—. On your left!
Rias turned and launched a sphere of destruction that erased from existence a renegade exorcist who tried to attack her from behind.
—Thanks! —she replied, and continued advancing.
On the left flank, Sona and Reynare led the attack. Sona had perfected her water magic, creating compressed water bullets that penetrated any shield. Reynare, with her three pairs of wings, flew over the battlefield, launching rays of dark light that pulverized the enemies.
—Sona! —Reynare called—. There's a group of exorcists hiding behind the trees!
—Take care of them! —Sona replied, while launching a wave of water that dragged three fallen angels away.
Reynare smiled and dove down, her black wings shining with a sinister light. The exorcists had no time to react. In seconds, they lay on the ground, defeated.
In the center of the battlefield, Kiba faced Valper Galilei, the man who had been the brain behind the holy sword experiments. The old man was protected by a magical shield, but Kiba pierced it with his demonic sword.
—For everyone who suffered because of you! —Kiba shouted, as his sword sank into Valper's chest—. For everyone who died in your experiments!
Valper fell to the ground, his blood soaking the earth. Kiba looked at him with contempt, and then turned to help his companions.
Meanwhile, Tamamo protected Asia and Xenovia. The three-tailed fox had created a barrier of kitsune fire that kept the enemies trying to approach at bay. Asia, kneeling beside Irina, continued working on her healing.
—How is she? —Xenovia asked, her voice trembling.
—Stable —Asia replied, with a tired smile—. But she needs to rest. She won't wake up until tomorrow.
—Thank you —Xenovia whispered, squeezing Irina's hand.
Lala, for her part, was in her element. She had deployed several of her inventions, and each of them was wreaking havoc among the enemy ranks. A device that looked like a simple vacuum cleaner absorbed the fallen angels and threw them into the air. Another, a kind of giant measuring tape, trapped the exorcists and hung them from the trees. And a third, a small sphere that emitted a blinding light, left the enemies staggering and confused.
—This is fun! —Lala exclaimed, while launching another invention that turned a fallen angel into a duck.
Daniel, meanwhile, continued facing Kokabiel. The fallen angel was furious, his attacks increasingly desperate. Daniel, for his part, was exhausted, but he knew he could not give up. He had to win.
—Enough! —Kokabiel roared—. I'm going to destroy you here and now!
The fallen angel raised his spear, and a sphere of dark light began to form at its tip. It was an attack of devastating power, capable of destroying an entire city.
Daniel took a deep breath. It was the moment.
—Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!
Four consecutive Boosts. His power multiplied by sixteen. His body, covered in Haki and Nen, shone with an intense light. His Boosted Gear emitted a roar, and Daniel felt the dragon's power flow through his veins.
—Balance Breaker!
His armor materialized, covering him from head to toe. The red armor of the Red Dragon Emperor of Supremacy shone in the night, and Daniel launched himself into the attack.
Kokabiel launched his sphere of light, but Daniel pierced it with a punch charged with Haki and Ryou. The sphere disintegrated, and Daniel continued his advance.
—This is for all the damage you've caused! —he shouted, and his fist impacted Kokabiel's chest.
The fallen angel was sent flying, passing through several buildings before crashing into the ground and leaving a crater with an explosion of dust. Daniel landed in front of him, his armor shining with an intense light.
Kokabiel, badly wounded but still conscious, looked up.
—How...? —he gasped—. How are you so strong?
—Because I have something you don't —Daniel replied—. People who matter to me.
He raised his fist one last time.
—Ryou!
The blow pierced Kokabiel's defense, striking him from the inside. The fallen angel screamed in pain, and then his body collapsed, and the force of the blow ended up sinking Kokabiel even deeper into the crater, causing it to widen even more and a shockwave of air to be released from the blow Daniel delivered to Kokabiel.
Daniel remained standing, breathing with difficulty. The battle was over.
Kokabiel's subordinates, seeing their leader defeated, fled in disarray. Rias, Sona, and the others pursued them, but it was not necessary. The victory was theirs.
Daniel deactivated his Balance Breaker and let himself fall to his knees. He was exhausted, but alive. And that was what mattered. Unlike the previous battles, he was now more accustomed to it and did not end up as worn out.
Rias ran toward him, followed by the others.
—Daniel! —she shouted, kneeling beside him—. Are you okay?
—I'm fine —he replied, with a tired smile—. I just need... to sleep.
Rias hugged him tightly, and the others joined in, forming a circle of warmth and affection around him.
—You did it —Asia whispered, tears in her eyes.
—We did it —Daniel corrected—. All together.
Meanwhile, on the planet Deviluke, far away, Gid Lucione Deviluke rose from his throne in the middle of a strategy meeting. His weakened form, that of a small child, trembled with indignation.
—I am not your father-in-law daddy yet! —he shouted at the sky, as if he could communicate with Daniel across the galaxy.
Those present at the meeting looked at him with confusion.
—Your Majesty? —one of his generals asked.
—Nothing —Gid replied, sitting back down—. Continue.
And the meeting continued, oblivious to the moment of tenderness that was being experienced on Earth.