Flesh is Weak

The blows returned and it takes one moment to destroy dreams.

When I returned home that night the moon was high in the sky peeking into the room. Everyone was snoring together in unison and as soon as I got to my position in the middle I was crowded by my five. My sweet and smart Rias, my wonderful Kuroka whose tails whack me in her sleep. My smart and kind Ravel who I regret fearing Murayama my knight of honor and duty. Shirone my wonderful cat princess. This happy feeling was dampened by the one who had seduced me in Raynare not being here. I miss my sneaky pawn and her blazing smile while saying her catchphrase. That temporary sadness is forgotten as I was pulled close by the others.

A dream of fire and change is what I see that night at first. A massive explosion rocked the world and that changed the dream. It became one where the planet is attacked by the Hrud. I watch in horror as my world ages so quickly that it turns to dust in minutes. Everyone in the queens go from youth to corpses quickly as the Hrud pass through our world. I age then return to my youth then age again until the Hrud leave completely to start the horror again somewhere else. The dream continues with Issari and I alone on a dead world surrounded by the rotting corpses of humanity. The two of us alone sharing regret. She and I looking at the sun rising together over this dead world is what sent me awake screaming.

That scream woke everyone up as I bolt upright. The queens try to calm me down from this panic. It only really stops when they all hugged me tightly. That finally stopped the screams but I continued to whisper pleas.

"Please don't let them be real. Please don't let them be real."

The plea continued while the queens continued to hug me. That finally made me stop pleading. I fell silent and Ravel softly asked me for the group.

"What be real Greg?"

She and the others waited for my answer. The look they sent me implores me to share. I was about to share the horrors of the Hrud when an extremely loud ping goes off from my cogitator. One I set for emergency things. Shirone saw my worry and she jumped off the bed to get the cogitator. She brought it back to me and I quickly unfolded it. The message was from Paula.

Wards had pinged at the motel. I gave everyone a pleading look and upon seeing the message Ravel nodded. They all moved up and out of bed allowing me to hurry off to battle.

I was finishing dressing in my armor and grabbed my plasma gun along with coolant and extra cells. A worried Kiya and Shirone were stuffing a box with battery packs for the las guns and would run them to the base before retreating back. Kuroka would have joined us but she was practically sleepwalking here and would be more of a danger than an asset. My peerage was scattered with Hetiva deep sleeping in the robot shop as was Azura in her bed, Thoron and Katase had a sleepover and Kiryuu was busy jogging this morning. That left two others to fight with me. Rias promised to join me along with Murayama with the two talking softly to each other near the teleportation pad. Ravel was in the command center trying to get the full picture and details from Paula's second who ran the new base over the Noosphere. The French man in charge said that the breakers were not very good and slow with the people in the building using that time to fortify the motel further as best they can.

When we arrived at the base via teleporter in a basement our group moved up the stairs and down a hallway towards the lobby where the skitarii were gathering. It was a decent-sized one that was currently filled with twenty Skitarii who were throwing up makeshift barricades trying to form a kill box near the front door. I sent off one of my servo skulls controlled by Tsuda up a chimney in the lobby and out towards the breakers.

Tsuda hovered above the woods in the early morning light moving towards the edge of the ward scheme in a forest that was across the road from the motel. I blanch seeing the strength of the force. It's sixty people equally split between fallen and humans. There were two humans in green mage robes trying to break one of Rias's wardstones. They were indeed bad at ward breaking because I saw them make several basic mistakes. Ravel informed me which magicians guild they were from.

"They are from Rosenkrutz. Their guild robe color is green. Probably renegades or dropouts by how bad they are."

The scan showed me more of our foes. Freed was here in his silver plate armor surrounded by exorcists who he was riling up with a few words. The fallen were led by an orange haired man who was wearing intricate chain mail armor with Kokabeil's symbol over his heart. What made me even more worried was his eight black wings and the fact the fallen were totally obedient to his orders. The rest of his fallen were a mix of four and six wings in various armors meaning they are professionals. All of the enemy forces were in a bloodthirsty state.

I turned to Murayama, Rias and the base commander named Renaud.

"We face sixty foes with the most dangerous two being an eight winged fallen and a holy sword user with Galatine."

Renaud grimaced.

"Monsieur my men are mostly new recruits that arrived yesterday."

That was not good and I glance at the skitarii. Most were nervously shaking and three looked ready to flee. Only four of the skitarii were veterans of battle. The Bavarian and his three fellow mechanists from the last mission were all trying to rally the fifteen recruits.

"Form squads under the four veterans and you. We will try to go after the the eight winged fallen and the holy sword user to divert them from the recruits. Rias how much longer will it take for them to break the wards?"

Rias frowning at the question concentrated on the wards. Renaud nodded and then began moving toward his men to organize them. Murayama takes my hand squeezing it seeing my worry.

"I'll fight the holy sword user."

My red eyes turned to her brown and I was worried for her. My worry must be showing because Murayama squeezed harder.

"I will not back down from them. I will show them the strength of the Red Knight of Mars."

My worry grows and I remember my dreams. I prepare to say to her to help the skitarii. Yet I can't make an excuse for her to do that and we need him focused on someone. I squeezed her back.

"Please be very careful Mura. He moves faster than a normal person. He is extremely good at sword play and is a power type fighter."

Murayama took my advice before she prepared herself for her fight. Rias finally answered my question with her green eyes on mine.

"They just broke the most important part of the stone. We have three minutes left."

I give her a nod in thanks. I have a plan for her to do here but I don't want her to think I'm coddling her by asking when she has been getting better at fighting. Rias saw my hesitation and pulled me closer.

"I love you, Greg. I know it's hard for you with both of us wanting to fight."

She grasped my hand before she offered me something.

"I'll close the hole so they can't escape. I'll also pick off runners with my gun if they retreat."

I gave a silent thank you to her before making her a camo cloak. Rias was prepared for her task at a side door while I stood with the skitarii. Kiya set the ammo box behind the lobby counter before running off with Shirone. Our forces were quickly forming vox chats for each squad, a command channel and a basic plan was laid out for everyone. The veterans were in charge of their squads of four with Renaud on the right and the Bavarian who I learned was named Albert on the left. The other three squads take the center. The four temp Alphas turned to their men and I didn't hear what they said to them over the vox. We were not as ready as we could have been when the ward stone failed as the hole was made. Then they flooded in.

Apheaelon pushed the humans quickly forward towards the motel entrance out of the woods. His fallen were behind the meat shields close enough to form a shield wall quickly. The fallen were on high alert for their foe was devious enough to use traps like that bomb they should be on guard fully for them. They didn't hit any traps as they moved forward and were halfway across the parking lot. Nothing had hit them making them more paranoid. Five exorcists who had been the most eager pushed up to the door to the motel with light swords out. That was when multiple snap hisses were heard. Five red lights flew from inside the building into the humans entering the building. The meat shields dropped to the floor with holes in their stomachs or screaming as they lost legs or arms. More red lights came from one of the now broken windows near the entrance. One slammed through another human knocking him to the ground sending asphalt into the air. The human man hit also choked and fell to the ground after trying to stand up. Freed and Apheaelon ordered their forces into action.

The mages in the group threw up multiple earth walls to prevent the flurry of shots that were spewing from our forces out into the parking lot. The enemy was using the walls to try and zig zag forward towards the motel entrance or throw counter fire. I saw another exorcist fall to the ground screaming as he lost a leg from another las shot that had been lucky. Our shots were breaking the walls quickly, but the magicians showed their real strength here. Constantly reinforcing the walls to prevent them from falling while adding more shrapnel that the enemy had to dodge. I saw an opening on a foe and made my newly modified plasma gun whine. Before sending out a white-hot ball flying that hits another exorcist. I don't have pity for the meat shields as the man became a ball of goo. The enemy was advancing towards us with feathers and light weapons flying overhead of the humans. Several of the exorcist had submachine guns and also added to the projectiles coming our way and increased the noise.

Skitarii were taking cover behind furniture or several mattresses that had been brought up quickly. They were shooting down range freely and the inexperienced skitarii were missing often. However they were developing shooting styles quickly because of the no recoil of the guns, and this battle may have become a blessing in disguise for the Legio. I quickly became disappointed when it became obvious we can't do the kill box effectively enough as the enemy had settled into a defensive line across the parking lot. The skull kept overwatch over the battlefield looking at the fallen shield wall holding steady. This battle doctrine from the Great War must be very strong for fallen because they don't break it easily when there are enough of them and they have the advantage. I vox orders to our sergeants after the enemy stopped their push and was increasing the amount of ordnance being thrown at us.

"Prepare a push. I know it's not ideal but we need to go on the offensive or we will attract attention."

Renaud was about to protest the order when the Bolivian woman from the last mission replied.

"We stand ready Alpha Prime. My men will be shooters."

The other three mechanist then quickly dived up the front or back roles. Renaud was silent before he replied.

"One Vision, One Purpose. We will go melee."

The shields near the entrance need to go. I mentally calculated the push before I extend one of my mechadendrites. Throwing a krack grenade out of the newly broken front window towards the nearest earth wall.

The grenade exploded and burst through the wall sending shrapnel into the enemy. Three foes went down screaming only to be silenced quickly by shots from the left. I stepped forward towards the window to draw fire in my direction.

Bullets started coming from the exorcists once they caught sight of me with said bullets pinged off my armor falling to the ground. I took a look at the parking lot and my presence did what I thought it would do. Freed who was at the back of the formation with the fallen commander pointed to me and said something. The fallen all zeroed in on me and three four winged fallen broke from the shield wall flying straight towards me in rage.

They were forming light weapons as they flew towards me. The head of the trio screamed out in an extremely pissed voice.

"I'll gut you pig!"

Her light weapon became a pole axe and she brought the weapon up to make a strike with the point at my heart. Only for her head to get blown off by a las shot. The headless body tumbled and I turned slightly to see the shooter. It was Albert and he moved forward with his three from their cover behind a sofa to help me. I shake my head before making lighting shoot up my axe and swiping fast. I bisected one of the two remaining fallen before a second swipe takes the other one's legs. He fell to the ground screaming before a bolt pistol shot popped him sending gore everywhere. The fallen grew even more angry and I make my challenge to them.

"Show me what passes for fury amongst your misbegotten kind fallen."

That challenge made the fallen shake and then launched a series of attacks. Feathers and light weapons being thrown my way in vast quantities. The eight winged man pointed at me and shouted out an order to his forces.

"Any human who kills him gets a week with a whore of their choice at Poklkava! Any fallen gets a promotion! Destroy him!"

That egged the exorcists on as several of the closest ones drew light swords. Fallen grew eager to kill me too. A cry goes up behind me as Albert shouts out.

"Iron within iron without!"

The four Skitarii in his squad drew their chainswords making them roar to life. I heard armored feet moving from behind me as Murayama and her storm shield cracked taking several rounds and light spears that had been coming towards me. Together Murayama and I moved towards the exorcists and fallen with weapons drawn. Behind us more chainswords roar to life or las fire picked up again aimed for the fallen. The battlefield became louder from the new noise.

My next kill was on a very fanatical exorcist who swung his sword towards my head in pure fury. He was sloppy and my axe takes his sword arm then his head in two swipes. Blood painted the ground from the new dead body. Murayama showed her growing sword knowledge by slipping into a Dark Angels stance before bisecting another exorcist that was charging towards us. I tease her over our vox channel.

"You cheated too Mura."

Another swipe from my axe took a leg from an exorcist that roared to gut me. Murayama finished him off with a slash followed by a crack. She returned the tease.

"Hardly I am just honoring the Lion son of the forest. His sword style will never be forgotten and I will dedicate my championship win to him!"

She had indeed been practicing the style as shown when several fallen slammed into us having broken ranks seeing me moving forward. They tried to box us in and the style went into effect by Murayama easily cutting the head off a fallen. Murayama took the feathers with her shield thrown by the dead fallen's friends. The loud thumps of feathers sticking into the shield echoed through the parking lot. I moved around said shield then swiped at the next fallen. The axe hit the fallen in the face making the bottom half of it fall off as I cut across the skull. The fallen groaned and fell to the asphalt. The last of the current fallen attackers was a woman who snarled like a cat and made several light stilettos throwing them straight for my heart. Only to lose the hand that was making more of the knives from a swipe from Murayama. The hand fell to the floor before the fallen was punted by the shield into another fallen. The two fell to the ground gasping for air. I moved to finish them only for a las shot to punch through the two fallen and then into the asphalt making a massive hole. The fallen groaning together before dying.

Murayama saw Freed who was moving forward towards us with Galatine drawn and gleaming. Multiple exorcists who had been at the back of the advance crowd around him with light swords drawn. My knight began to move towards him and his forces with a squad of Skitarii moving to support her.

They were Renaud's men because I saw he too had carved my phrase onto the side of his helm. I caught sight of the orange haired fallen at the back near the motel sign tower coordinating the attack. I slowly start making my way towards him extending my mechadendrite swords and activating them. Multiple fallen charge me ready for the kill. Several went down from las fire while I cut two to pieces with my swords. Their bodies flopped to the parking lot floor in bloody pieces.

The fallen who had not charged me and were waiting for orders from their leadero backed away from him slightly. The orange haired man however wasn't intimidated.

"You will die worthless human dog. You have made an eternal enemy in us."

He and I faced each other as the noise around us increased again as more chainswords roar to life. The twenty something fallen looked at the teeth on my axe. I taunt the fallen by making my axe shift to a chainsword then back. The fallen leader grew angrier. He was clearly a veteran of many battles because he didn't immediately move against me. Three fallen however roared rage.

"That's Mimic! Death to the thief! For the Angel of the Stars!"

The three men charged me with light spears and hoplon shields made. The other fallen prepared to join their comrades in the charge with more spears and shields when a cry and multiple swords roaring come from behind me.

"For the Legio of light! Death to his dark star!"

Skitarii charged past me while more las shots followed up towards the fallen from behind them. The three chargers get caught up in the sudden move by the Skitarii going down under swords and las shots. The majority of the fallen moved forward in rage beginning a melee with my men while I moved forward to face down the leader and one of the magicians. I have no idea where the second magician is. My men are fighting with a fury that was unexpected for mostly new recruits and I wonder what their Alphas had said to them in their vox chats to inspire this.

The fallen man made a wicked light mace and a hoplon shield. He prepared to fight me. The magician who was a woman in green robes began to form a fireball in her hands and was acting weird. Jerky and it seemed like she didn't want to do this. I told Tsuda to send scans of her to Ravel asking why that was while I take the fireball from the mage. The flames danced up my left arm and my armor cooled it to a warm embrace. I fired two bolt pistol shots at the mage making her back up while the fallen flew towards me and slammed his mace into my chest. The blow sent me back two steps and left a small dent in my armor before I counter with a swipe towards his head. Its there I get a reply from Ravel.

"The magician has what looks to be a crude shock collar on her arm."

The swipe failed to hit as the shield came up taking the axe. The humming of Mimic on the light shield was bad for the fallen as he flinched from the sound. Two more fire balls were thrown by the mage towards me over the shoulders of the fallen. One hit the ground behind me while the second ball hit my right leg. Again it looked like the woman had tried to stop herself from doing that. She twitched as I catch the mace that had been coming for my axe arm with my mechadendrite swords. I made another one with a saw blade move towards the fallen at the same time as I swung my axe from the left.

The saw hit the chain mail on the fallen's leg screeching as it made it partially through the armor. The fallen had to dodge away from the saw and into my axe. This time hitting his shield arm and I got meat from his forearm. The fallen groaned but fell back. The magician throws two fireballs and a green spell. The fire at me and the green to the fallen. The fire spells missed it the wound I dealt him healed up mostly as blood stopped flowing from his arm. The distraction lets the fallen make a move.

The mace comes towards my head which I dodged letting it hit the ground. Leaving an impact crater. I dodge three more fire balls then six swipes with the mace. The last one hit my chest sending me backwards two steps.

"Which arm?"

I'm told the left arm and that is when I move. I fired several bolt pistols at the ground near the fallen and the magician. The shrapnel makes both try to dodge it letting me close the distance to the magician. Before I sliced off her left forearm up to the elbow through the robes. The limb dropped to the ground with the magician screaming from the loss. I throw a stasis spell at her silencing the noise before I try to cleave this fallen's head off. He blocked the blow but stepped back towards the woods.

We glared at each other then a large feather was made from six of the eight wings. It was thrown and slammed into my left arm. It almost pierced completely as I felt the tip near my forearm. That pissed off the fallen who then sent more regular feathers towards me forcing me back as he advanced to swing that mace again.

I prepared to shoot my bolt pistols again to give me initiative. That stopped when an electric spell hit me in the mechadendrites from somewhere I can't see. It made me jerk from feeling that all at once through the MIU. The fallen took the opening and slammed his mace into my chest again. It hurt and got through as the tips left small holes in my chest. The fallen prepared another strike on me before a red las shot takes one of his wings. It disintegrated and I know who the shooter was.

The fallen didn't scream or whimper as he lost the wing. Instead, he looked behind me and he was not please by whatever he was seeing. He growled and then more threw feathers at me before taking off and flying towards where I last saw Freed. I fire shots towards him and turned to see what had prompted this.

The bodies of nearly all of the fallen and enemy exorcists lay strewn across the parking lot. Several of our people were wound as shown by limps or arms held weirdly. My uninjured Skitarii were trying to clean up the few remaining survivors. Some of them prepared to help Murayama and I. Renaud was fighting towards Murayama and I gasped in horror when I saw what happened. The fallen had slammed his mace into Murayama's left side sending her and the shield to the floor. Freed was taking that opening to prepare for a killing blow. I moved towards them as fast as I could. Galatine was about to hit Murayama directly in a dented part of the armor near a lung. The fallen was raising his mace to help when a regular las shot hit Freed in the chest sending him into the fallen for a second. Both stumbled and instead the blows to Murayama were not killing blows. The mace hit the ground to her left leaving a crater. The sword hit swipe landed and left a deep long white line from chest to down her arm. The blade ended its path by taking Murayama's left hand off. The opening from the las shots allowed Murayama to dodge backwards away from them leaving her armored hand and a blood trail. The fallen snarled before a voice goes up from the now revealed second magician near the woods.

"The hole is closing! They must have sent someone!"

The fallen looked at the magician in hate and gave the order.

"We run Freed."

Freed immediately followed the order by throwing his light balls that went off blinding people. The light bought time as the fallen and human commanders fled the field with Freed running fast while the fallen flew towards the woods with two fallen and one wounded exorcist following behind them. Rias clearly tried to get people because las shots were coming from the woods along with shots from the Skitarii. One shot hit the wounded exorcist and a regular fallen. Both go down and disintegrate from the power of destruction. I heard Rias cursing over the vox.

"The big ones escaped! Fuck!"

I was angered by that too, but I was running towards Murayama after taking off my helm to see if she was ok. My knight was clutching at where her hand had been with the other hand trying to stem the bleeding. She was also trying to not thrash from the holy energy of the sword entering her body. I wanted to scream for a medic and the fear built up again in me. Fate was on my side as coming from the motel entrance was Asia and a bald man with a small blonde goatee. They were at Murayama's side in an instant thanks to some thing I can't see as I was focusing on Murayama. Asia began to use her gear to stop the poison. That ceased the thrashing, and the man shocked me when I saw his two black wings getting ready to pick up Murayama to fly her into the motel.

I reached Murayama and she brought her right hand up to mine and squeezed it trying to calm me. I was joined at Murayama's side by Rias running from the woods breaking her camp cloak. She was unhelmed and just as scared as I was. Asia saw us and she reassured me.

"It's not as bad as it could have been. We need to move her to the ward Manakel. I'll deal with the other wounded."

The fallen man nodded his head and then took off with Murayama towards the motel. Asia moved towards magician.

"I tried to end him, Greg. I was going for a headshot on him when he hit Mura, I panicked."

I held Rias and I know she meant that. Rias was so down by Murayama being injured. She looked like she was back with Riser. I held my redhead as she wept on my shoulder. I caught sight of Renaud who was directing the skitarii to start cleaning up bodies. Asia called out to me from behind us.

"She will be fine signore Astaroth. The poison from the holy nature was stopped. I guarantee you she will be ok after a few hours of rest. Why did you take this one's arm?"

My snark comes out in full force.

"I was fighting a fallen captain and the magician made the fight worse. I so 'love' mages."

Asia tisked but didn't respond otherwise to the snark. She got the mage ready to move before going to help wounded skitarii. She passed by Murayama's gauntlet and I saw Murayama's hand. It had tumbled out of the armor with the hand's skin blackened and dead. The worry returned full force for Rias and me. We got up off the ground and started to help with bodies to try and distract ourselves.

The total number of dead for the enemy was fifty-five out of sixty. A pit had been dug behind the motel and I had thrown fire on the bodies with dead eyes. The crackling of the pyre wasn't heard thanks to a silence bubble and the smell was destroyed with another spell.

Our casualties were less that what I feared. Seven minor wounded Skitarii who were up and moving again with no problem after Asia was through with them. Asia heard her title said with amazement by the Skitarii and the mechanists were whispering together with several new recruits. Two of the wounded had asked Renaud if they could move to the rangers. The man looked to me to answer that. The worry was clear for the two recruits.

"You're both welcome to do that. As the marshal for the division is currently deployed in Europe with her other rangers you probably can't help them with their task. I have another task for you though."

That confirmation for transfer relived the two. We need to start looking for brigade bases here in Asia anyway. The Peruvian woman who seemed to be the spokesperson for the two asked me with genuine respect in her voice.

"What would you want us to do sir?"

My worry for Murayama was clear to them despite me using this to try and forget her injury for a tiny bit.

"You would eventually be looking for bases of another group like Kokabiel's here in Japan and eventually in Asia. This group is according to my queen called the Chaos Brigade. The Brigade are like Kokabiel in being the worst of the supernatural side of the world and are like their name implies. We however have next to no information on them and that's where you will come in after we deal with Kokabiel."

The two and Renaud looked worried learning that before the new ranger man got fire in his blue eyes and he spoke quickly in a Swedish accent.

"I will never let his, or any darkness hurt the innocent! Paula is right this place does care about us and the ones in ignorance! I stand with the Omnissiah who brings light!"

The man had clearly been a Protestant. Now he was an ultra-zealous mechanist. The Peruvian woman smiled and showed she was his partner by entwining her hand with his.

"I too want to bring light like you do. Not so sure about this idea that our sergeant spoke of before the battle unlike Olaf but I get bits of it now."

The two new rangers saluted and then moved toward the teleporter which was in an old laundry room in the basement. Renaud told me when the two were gone.

"I will train our forces old and new to the Tactica. I too will follow you monsieur. Paula said that the events and scenarios in the Tactica are from another reality. Is that true?"

Renaud had his brown eyes full of pure curiosity.

"It is from a reality that knew only war. We will not have it here. War will never leave us but we will take their lessons and use them against the forces of evil whomever they might be."

Renaud was silent before he too grew determined. His eyes were considering that revelation as he responded to me.

"I will urge my friends still in Grigori to come here as soon as possible. I followed Paula here because she and I trained together in the schools in Italy and she saved my life from a ghoul. An organization that actually goes after them who would hurt us rather than casually accepting them while truly protecting the world. A cause like this is one worth fighting for and perhaps dying for. This is indeed not like the churches or Grigori where they don't care about us either. We have proper gear here and are not being treated like we're disposable. The fallen even on Azazel's side often don't care about us humans and they make us feel that. Your half devil yet favor our half and I understand what Paula said fully now."

Renaud was an utter believer in the cause and the faith. The man had been heard by the recruits nearby who echoed that sentiment of getting others to us from Grigori. A woman who was from Austria said she would get her uncle who was in Grigori to come here. She was recently excommunicated from the church and had nowhere to go but Grigori with him. I take the support from them with a blank face. All the while worrying about Murayama. Rias had gone to strengthen the ward stones before she had run towards the teleporter to see her fellow queen. Duty is forever and I hurt not being there for her. It was another twenty minutes before I found the excuse to leave. Stopping in a room close to the teleporter to makes something quickly before rushing through to see her.

I found almost everyone in the queens save Kuroka here with Katase, Thoron, and Issari all crowded around a hospital bed that held Murayama's form. The fallen man was helping Murayama with taking a drink of water. My knight's face was covered in sweat and pain. I hurt so much from this and moved towards the group. Murayama saw me and the worry. Ravel and Rias let me pass by them and I take Murayama's remaining hand. I whisper out to my knight in pure shame.

"I am so sorry Mura. It's my fault. I should have..."

My beautiful chestnut squeezed my hand with hers.

"It's ok Greg. I knew it could happen. It happened because he was going for one of Renaud's people who was badly hurt and would have killed him if I didn't direct him towards me. I followed my brave king and future husband's example."

Her determination to be like me hurts and makes me feel pride. The queens slowly began to disperse other than Rias getting we need to be alone. Katase had tears in her eyes but Thoron took her hand and gently led her out. The fallen man moved to check on the magician before he too left. Issari was still here and she looked ready to punch me in the face. Only Murayama's eyes held her back. Issari dragon growled at me as her brown eyes narrowed at me. I felt a new thing as Issari growled louder and louder. Like I had woken a sleeping dragon's pure rage. I swear I saw a slightly open yellow dragon eye behind Issari when she snarled. That eye continues to open slowly as she barked out pissed.

"Send me a text next time asshole! I could have helped and killed him! Instead, Murayama-chan is hurt because of you! I should…."

Murayama turned her brown eyes on Issari and they weren't kind. That stopped the dragon and the eye behind the Red Dragon Empress closed again as Murayama spoke.

"You would have slept through the text noise Isa. You usually sleep in on Fridays. Don't get mad at him for this. I voluntarily fought the sword user even though Greg clearly wanted me to not to. He wanted to coddle me but didn't."

That shut up Issari and made her become completely ashamed. She is silent now but she was right. The injury is my fault.

"I will message you next time regardless."

My voice made Issari show a new dragon thing. She trilled in sadness hearing my broken voice. Murayama squeezed my hand as I said that.

"Greg please look at me."

My red met her brown. My eyes see the stump and they take on tears. Murayama squeezed harder than ever before.

"You did what you could Greg. I will never resent my future husband that tries to build me up even when he doesn't want me hurt. I will practice more than ever before to get better and abandon the weakness I felt today. I love you."

I let tears down my cheeks hearing that, and the squeezing came from Murayama and now Rias. Issari and Manakel were silent here. Before making his way to the door. Followed shortly after by a still sad Issari. When it was the three of us alone in the ward Rias blurted out with tears hitting my shirt from behind.

"I'm so sorry Mura I tried to help. I'm so weak that I couldn't…"

Murayama shook her head.

"You're not weak you saved my life Rias. That grudge we had is long gone. You are just as much mine as he is. I love you too. I have plans for the three of us in the future that involve what you want."

Rias blushed bright red seeing Murayama's face with her perverse smile. Rias began blustering as I slowly pulled out what I had made for my wonderful perverted knight. The two broke that look to see the item. It was a hand that I had made out of adamantine. Murayama softened her eyes at me, and I offered the metal hand to her.

"My brave wonderful future wife can have this for my failure. I'm so sorry Mura. Please forgive me."

Murayama took the hand and then looked at me with pure love.

"You didn't fail me Greg. I would love to be reborn by my future husband and my Omnissiah."

Murayama joined the faith in that moment squeezing my hand hard. I attached the hand to my beautiful knight with Rias helping me. Murayama didn't flinch as it connected to her stump nerves. I was getting ready to pull her to a flesh machine as soon as it was on. We three spent the next two hours together and the three of us fell asleep on the bed. My hand is on Murayama's new left hand.

What woke me from that nap was a beeping noise from my phone and thankfully it didn't wake a snoring Rias or Murayama up. I checked the phone and saw in the bright sunlight that it was a message from Conner saying that they had found something. I looked at the clock to see it was near twelve and I grumbled silently for this waking me from being with Murayama and Rias. Before heading out to see what the news was.

Conner greeted me at the teleporter pad as I walked towards it. He was in a good mood because the man greeted me with a small smile.

"You look like shit boss."

The snark was on full force today.

"You would too if what happened today happened to you."

Snickers went up despite Conner getting my irritation. He led me to the computer room past several of the newly minted veteran Skitarii who were walking past us towards the gym. Conner opened the door to the room and let me in before replying.

"Yeah but I'd think you'd want to see this. That data server has been an absolute goldmine of information and we found tons of stuff that could help us with him."

I raised an eyebrow at that looking around the room. Cogitators were everywhere and there was a fallen woman typing away on a keyboard with her two black wings outstretched listening to music while she worked. She had good taste in said music as Conner and I listened for a second before Conner led me to a computer screen that had several highlights on it. The first that caught my attention was numbers. Conner was about to begin explaining that when I asked.

"Where's Kalawarna?"

Conner stopped his thing before explaining.

"She's off getting a potential recruit. We were reached out to by them after the fight this morning."

Conner started this by clicking on one of the highlighted points on the cogitator bringing it up.

"Kokabiel has been lying to his people about the number of people in his cadre. They are told they have seven hundred people when in fact they have five hundred."

That's extremely good news and made some of my bad mood disappear. We have done great damage to his forces then if it was five instead of seven hundred. Conner moved to the next highlight.

"We found a code book deep inside the data banks and that has led us to a complete full view of his network. We can watch everything now including the top end stuff."

This was indeed worth getting me up for. Conner shows me the last of the three highlights.

"The political party Kokabiel has is actually very shaky internally. A good number of them are not as hard-core loyalist as we thought they were. Many are just there for the fact Azazel pushes reforms so aggressively. In truth, there are only three cadres that stand totally with him. The others will split off if we apply the right pressure on them."

That too is interesting and will definitely help us. I was considering that when the fallen woman yelped making us both turn that direction. The blonde gasped out.

"Sirs I found something big!"

Conner and I both moved quickly towards the woman and upon seeing the cogitator screen my heart beats wildly. Because there is a kill order for someone that just went into effect. I asked Shuri where she died and got an answer that made me curse. It explains why Akeno had been like that yesterday. I was going to be racing against the clock to get there.

"I will deal with this. Conner make copies of this order."

I quickly left to get ready for this fight.

At the armory I was putting on my armor and preparing to go to this place that Shuri had described to me. I looked at Excalibur Mimic on my right hip and a bolt pistol on the left. I gathered magic to make a portal to my destination as Shrui described it. I slap the helm face down on as it opens.

My portal hissed open on an old worn wooden dock that was at the base of a small island. On a hill near the center of it was an old farmhouse that was completely burned to the ground. Shuri urged me on in desperation to find her husband. I moved like never before up the hill and heard the barest hints of noise at the mid point. I made my way around the right side of the house towards the noise and heard a clanging of sizzling light blades.

There in-front of a grave were ten fallen and Bariqiel. Of these ten fallen two were eight wings, four six winged and the other four were two. Bariqiel was not in good shape. He was covered in wounds and two of his ten wings were broken and hanging useless. The other eight have multiple wounds and many missing feathers. Bariqiel was winded and he was defending the grave like it was Jerusalem. The assassins were in a gleeful mood, and they prepared to continue their attack. I hit my axe activation rune making the power axe hum to life and fired a bolt.

The sudden loud hum had stopped the attackers and then a two-winged fallen exploded. The gore showering the other assassins and making others look my way. I extended mechadendrites and more swords roar to life as I charge. The weaker fallen backed up while the six and eight winged reacted by throwing feathers or forming more light weapons to fight. I take the feathers and continue forward firing another bolt. Blowing off a wing on a foe. Bariqiel took the opening and jammed a light spear with lightning surrounding it into the guts of a six-winged fallen electrocuting the man to death. Light spears from the two winged fallen bounce off my armor or stick before disappearing. I cut off one of their heads before pushing the others and continued the fight onward. Taunting the fallen to try and help Bariqiel.

"I'm the Omnissiah and I have plans for you fallen. I can't wait to make more of them."

That pissed off the assassins royally with more spears and feathers coming my way as an eight-winged woman snarled at me.

"Your dead you sick fuck! You will die in horrible pain for them!"

I sliced of two wings from a four winged fallen then fired my bolt pistol into her head making it pop with brain matter hitting her comrades who retched slightly. I returned the taunt.

"Only true cowards go after a man in mourning especially ten to one. I am a sick fuck, but I'd never do that."

I take a light claymore to the head from the woman who seemed like the commander. Bariqiel was doing what he could but a fallen with more ingenuity than most made a light chainsword and then sliced as the roars made Bariqiel jump. The man lost a broken wing to that as it flopped to the ground. Bariqiel didn't scream but rather used that pain as a power up. Making a thunderbolt hit the fallen who did the injury and I saw the worst jiggle dance I have ever seen as the six winged man screamed loudly. I fired my bolt pistol twice and claim two more two winged fallen. Their stomachs exploded outwards as intestines fly.

One of the intestines hit the commander as she flew towards me blinding her and giving me an opening. A swipe with my axe takes an arm from the blind commander. She screamed and I then cut her head in half. The body dropped and the remaining fallen now try to kill Bariqiel at all costs. More light weapons and feathers fly. Bariqiel lost his second broken wing from an axe and this time he did scream. I sliced against the next fallen claiming another kill trying to get to him. It was down to four left, and I taunt the fallen again.

"You all will be my next victims. I'm going to enjoy when I saw yours off."

That drew them back on me as the eight winged man and two six winged women make a break at me swinging light weapons. The blows all land at the same time and place making me lose my left hand carrying the bolt pistol. It dropped to the ground and I don't scream. Instead swiping with Mimic and taking a head with my axe. The eight wing man snarled in white hot rage.

"I will kill you and Bariqiel! For the Angel of the Stars the new Governor-General!"

He threw a light javelin into my baby hand reforming making me jerk from losing the hand again as it flew backwards hitting a burnt wall. The fallen went full berserk on me joined by another fallen as the remaining two went after Bariqiel in the same rage. I slice and take a bite out of the six winged woman after me. That slice had been meat on her legs near the kneecaps and that crippled her. She slowed down and I make her head roll with a sword. Before facing the last attacker who threw so many feathers at me before following them up with more light weapons and punches. Two feathers hit my helmet eye sockets and they almost pierced it. The punches dented my helm further as the fallen tried to get the feathers through to my eyes in his rage.

He prepared again to try killing me. More feathers and several swings with a stiletto at my guts came before I headbutt the ass. The blow sends him reeling and I swiped telling Tsuda to make the axe as angry as possible. The hum was deafening and the swing bisects the man in half as the top half falls to the ground and the bottom half splashes blood onto the final two fallen. One woman went wide eyed in pure fear at the brutal display. Bariqiel takes the opening stabbing a light spear with lightning around it into the chest of the fallen woman. The woman gushed blood from her mouth before making a light dagger and stabbing straight into Bariqiel's chest. The man gasped and then toppled onto Shuri's grave. The remaining fallen moved to finally kill the downed man but got his guts cut open by my axe and they toppled to the ground along with the man ending this fight.

I moved towards Bariqiel and was beyond relived to see that the dagger had caught on something not him. It was a picture of Bariqiel, Shuri and a young Akeno. The man looked up into my red helmet eyes forming a light spear ready to fight me remembering my taunts. Bariqiel looked at my axe humming then to my slowly reforming hand in shock.

"Who and what the hell are you?"

I holster the axe and then removed my rebreather before saying in a drained voice.

"Someone from the past."

Bariquel has his eyes widen furthered as he whispered.

"Alex. Is that you?"

I summon fire getting ready to burn bodies. The trap was almost ready and I was ready to spring it.

Apheaelon looked at his wing stump in rage as he continued recounting the battle to Kokabeil at a base of theirs in China. Kokabeil was in a weird mood after hearing the report and Apheaelon left to get his wing stump looked at. This Omnissiah was not just a trickster he was also a battle-harden warrior. Kokabeil was now eager to fight this person. He could use Mimic and was now verified to move faster than Freed and most fallen angels. His weapons were brutal, and he was cunning along with being a decent strategist. Kokabiel was ready to fight this person as a warmup before he moved to kill the weak Gremory girl setting off the spark. He had moved the entire cadre to this base here in China in preparation for his long planned war.

The next vote for Governor-General would be held on Tuesday afternoon online and he was eager to start this. He was prepared to secure total control over Grigori by killing Azazel and his remaining daughter as soon as the vote was counted by assassins placed near Azazel from inside his own cadre. Then he would lead the opening strike while the new army would hit the DMZ. That fox youkai that had long helped him had left a lasting legacy. A wey portal from his main base here in China to Japan near Kuoh bypassing the Shinto worms and their lap dog patrols. It had long been abandoned by the Youkai and forgotten by nearly everyone save for Himura. She had named her price for showing Kokabeil this structure. Mountains of human corpses as the new war came into the light breaking the veil finally.

Kokabiel had liked her. She was the only youkai he would ever respect. He will carry out her request that she had given him. To make mountains of human bodies that stretched up into the sky. The thought put a wide dreamy smile on his face as he dreamed of that future with those mountains of corpses as the world was engulfed in endless war. At last it was all coming together.