The Seraphic System

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 62

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Dxd or any other universe used in this story. 

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)

(The Legendary Summon)

-{Uriel}-

Uriel smiled faintly, cleaning the forge his Father had entrusted to him.

His thoughts lingered on Kai or Kaiel, as Gabriel had renamed him.

His thoughts grew more complex as he recalled the strange occurrences surrounding Kai. Uriel wasn't blind, nor was Gabriel. They knew Kai was concealing something monumental.

Uriel, more than anyone, had seen how the Divine Anvil responded to him. He didn't know what this meant but he had a few ideas, some made sense while others didn't. 

One possibility stood above the rest, though he refused to entertain it.

For now, he had adopted a 'wait and see' approach.

The same approach Gabriel had taken as she didn't want to intrude on his secrets.

Uriel had witnessed how close they had gotten. 

He had always known that Gabriel had hidden her suffering while taking care of the many members of their large family. 

Michael had been oblivious as he dove into trying to be the best leader he could be. As had many of their Family, only he had been able to see her truly and as much as he tried to help it never seemed to work. 

The bond with Kai though he had witnessed, had been different. They had gotten closer than Gabriel usually allowed. It was no doubt Gabriel loved all her family deeply but she held everyone at a certain length. 

A length that had been closing with Kai. 

Whether that was due to their shared trauma or the sadness they both held he didn't know. All he knew was that they had created a deep bond. To the point that he could see Gabriel actively trying to create ways to spend time with him. 

This was why she hadn't pushed the situation as much as it evidently bothered her. Uriel had decided that Kai would tell them soon or whenever he was ready. 

His thoughts shifted from Kai to his elder brother.

Things had been stressful, as Michael being the ever-present golden child of their Father had taken it upon himself to work even harder and try to improve himself as the temporary ruler of Heaven. 

Michael had decided he was a failure due to how weak the Faction of Heaven had become. 

While Uriel hadn't agreed with his passive approach as the filthy Devils intruded and continued to provoke them in small ways or even sometimes downright violent ways that would have started a war at the peak of their Faction.

When their Father was around…

He, on the other hand, felt he had done the best with the situation he had been thrust into. Uriel didn't know if he would have done better when their brothers and sisters had taken to suicide. 

Uriel would always admire the person he had marched down into the underworld with when Lucifer had betrayed them. 

He briefly recalled Samael, the other lost Arch-Seraph, before shaking his head.

Many had been lost over the time.

He returned to cleaning the forge. Uriel had a session with Kaiel today that would be happening in just a few hours. 

Raphael walked past Uriel, her shoulders slumped and a tired glint in her eyes.

Uriel blinked. "Raphi?"

She blinked. "Oh, hey Uriel."

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice softer than normal.

Raphael smiled appreciatively.

"Nothing, I just can't seem to find Father." She replied.

Uriel scratched the back of his head.

"I don't think any of us can Raphi." He replied. 

She sighed. "Yeah, but even with all of the resources I have. All the experience I've gathered over thousands of years. I can't even make a Device to find him." 

Uriel sent her an understanding look, his normal fiery facade gone. 

"You shouldn't take it too hard, I'm pretty sure finding our Father of all people was always going to be hard. Especially since he seemingly doesn't want to be found." Uriel replied, a frown on his face as something came to mind. 

She smiled tiredly.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I'm going to go get some rest." She yawned.

Uriel nodded as she walked past her.

"I mean, if my devices are even confusing our newest sibling for our Father then I must be getting tired." She muttered.

Uriel paused. "What?"

She rubbed her eyes. "Oh? Did I say that aloud? Don't worry about it, my scanner malfunctioned earlier and said that our newest sibling Kaiel is apparently our father."

Raphael let out a hollow laugh, pain easy to see under her tiredness. 

Uriel couldn't focus on that. 

It clicked into place. 

Everything, the entire picture and memories flashed in his mind as a shocking realisation passed through him like a spike of ice. 

"Uriel?"

He flashed in a burst of speed that nearly ripped apart the hallway. The structurally enhanced walls built with metals would make some dedicated fortresses jealous. 

Kaiel's room was ripped open. 

His eyes flashed around the room. 

He wasn't there.

'No, no, no.' He thought.

He should be here. 

Had he known? 

Uriel proceeded to check everywhere.

Kaiel hadn't simply appeared, nor was he created by God.

He had found it odd that his Father would just leave an Angel in the middle of the underworld. No.

Kaiel was his Father, being reborn in the place he had least been alive.

The underworld. 

-{Kai}-

Light flared as soon as I activated my summon token, anticipation easily building within me while I stared into the growing light. 

The process took a little due to the sheer processing level my brain was running at.

A figure began to take shape within its centre.

The first thing that caught my eye was her hair, which was silky and golden. Her blonde locks cascaded over her shoulders, framing a visage that could only be described as angelic. 

Her eyes opened slowly, twin pools of ocean blue that glimmered with surprise. 

She stepped forward, her ornate armour catching the light with every step. 

The silver plate shone brilliantly against the golden light, the armour carried intricate engravings that marked her as a saintly warrior. A pristine white tabard draped over her armour bore the symbol of the cross. Her gloved hands rested at her sides. 

In her right hand, she held the iconic La Pucelle and in the other Luminosité Eternelle a staff-like banner unfurled behind her, its fabric impossibly pure and fluttering due to the harsh wind blowing out from her. 

A holy aura exploded out of her. 

I winced, I had forgotten about that. 

Her lips parted, her voice clear and melodious, tinged with an otherworldly echo.

"I have answered your call," she declared.

"I am Jeanne d'Arc, the Ruler class Servant-"

She blinked, looking at me. Her eyes slowly widened as she took in my angelic form. 

"B-by the will o-of H-heaven, I shall serve and guide you?" She stuttered cutely, a blush spreading on her face as reverence slowly took over her features. 

That sounded more like a question. 

"My L-lord?!"

She fell to her knees.

Wait a second, how did she know that?!

Tears were gathering in her eyes as she looked like I had just completed every dream she ever had. 

Did I summon fucking Jeanne d'Arc?

An explosion erupted in the distance and the Demon came into full view, a massive beam came towards us. 

Jeanne's kind eyes turned a tad colder as she turned. She wiped the tears from her face with an insanely fast movement and protectively hopped in front of me. 

Raising her flagstaff high, the golden banner unfurled, its brilliance dispelling the shadows creeping toward us. 

"By the grace of Heaven!" she called, her words imbued with holy power. 

Light erupted from her banner, forming an ethereal barrier that shimmered with holy energy. The beam collided with the shield, a deafening crack resounding as dark and light clashed in a violent explosion of power.

Jeanne's feet dug into the ground, her armour gleaming as she braced against the sheer force of the attack. 

Sparks of energy scattered around her, the barrier flickering momentarily before flaring brighter. She held her ground.

She sent a reverence-filled gaze back to me and her eyes sparkled.

When the beam finally dissipated, Jeanne lowered her banner, her chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. 

Her gaze lingered on the Demon.

"An unholy beast dares to attack the Lord himself? I shall not allow it." She declared, sending another shy glance back to me. 

Wait a second, was she putting up a show? 

"How strange." She said softly. "My Revelation skill isn't working."

Her voice rang out again "I will protect you, my Lord. No harm shall come to you while I still stand!"

I focused back on the situation.

"Jeanne. Keep the Demon occupied, I need to focus on unsealing an object." I ordered.

She beamed. "Yes, My Lord!"

I considered flying away to gain distance before deciding against it. 

She had some sort of protection skill so I would be better off closer to her. For some reason, I felt like I could trust her. From the way she acted, it was clear she was devoted to me, almost like it was her purpose.

With Jeanne protecting me, my chakra chains tore out of space around me. I brought out the second segment of what I now knew to be the flaming sword. 

I carefully started the process of unsealing the sealed ability. 

Ignoring the battle that started raging behind me. 

-{Jeanne D'Arc}-

Many thoughts went through the innocent somewhat naive brain of Jeanne as she kept stealing glances at her Lord. 

As a seasoned warrior fighting a Demon trying to hurt her Lord, she should be a lot more serious but she couldn't help show off for her Lord. The one she had dedicated her existence to. 

She had finally seen him. 

Though he wore a mask and was no doubt disguised as an Angel, she knew better.

She had only ever felt the gaze of her God during her time alive. But she could tell, something in her fundamentally just knew that this was her Lord in whatever form he was in.

When summoned, she had been told that she would be going to a new world and even had a chance to decline. Naturally, she had accepted but to think that there was even a chance she had declined.

The thought made her stomach churn and twist in horrible ways.

She sent another reverence-filled gaze towards her God.

Jeanne didn't care about what form or how strong he was in this world, all she knew was that she would serve him and him alone for the rest of eternity or until death. 

She focused back on the demon.

A small frown spread across her face. 

For some reason, her Revelation skill that gave her the best paths to choose wasn't working. Well, saying it was completely offline wasn't true. It was more than the skill had been downgraded. 

She had a sense of the best way to attack and defend but beyond fighting she noticed it wasn't working at all. 

Perhaps she didn't need it now that her God had graced her with his divine presence. 

The Demon finally came to stand in front of her.

Not just any demon. 

The kind of entity that she knew could wipe out entire armies without faltering. Its very presence exuded malevolence, a suffocating aura that twisted the air and dimmed the golden light surrounding Jeanne

"Oh? Now this is interesting. I thought the little Angel before was formidable and downright impressive. Now, another one has appeared. How exciting." The demon said boredly. 

Jeanne's grip tightened on Luminosité Eternelle. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a firm line. "Even a creature of such power will not break my faith. I will protect my Lord."

"Lord…?" It questioned.

The Demon lunged, its claws tearing through the air like jagged scythes. Shadows extended forward and sliced through reality towards her. 

Jeanne's banner flared to life, radiant light exploding outward as she swung the staff in a wide arc. A shockwave of holy energy erupted from the motion, forcing the shadows away.

It didn't hesitate, laughing cruelly as it brought its massive fist down like a falling meteor. A rift of darkness widened and thousands of tendrils pierced the air down towards her.

Its mouth opened and liquid shadow poured out.

A duo of attacks. 

Jeanne spun and struck with her banner. The flag's edge crackled with holy light power, carving a blazing line through the darkness. A wave of power sliced through the rift that made the dark tendrils shoot down and closed it, in turn dissipating all of the tendrils. 

"By the will of Heaven, I stand unshaken!" Jeanne shouted, her voice echoing like a war cry. 

She drove forward, slamming her banner into the ground. A pillar of light erupted, shielding her as the wave of dark energy that consumed everything in its path raged towards them. 

Jeanne knew she wasn't as strong as the Demon.

His attacking capabilities outmatched her.

That was evident.

What she did have was an absolute defence that wouldn't fail her, she wouldn't allow it. Not in front of those who needed her and certainly not in front of her Lord and master.

The impact sent tremors through the earth, but Jeanne held firm, her banner shining brighter than ever. Her eyes flicked to her Lord, who stood behind her, his focus entirely on the process of unsealing the piece of what seemed to be a segment of sword.

Her resolve deepened further, more than it ever had as her deep love for her only true master lit in her heart. 

She attempted to retaliate with a thrust of La Pucelle, the tip piercing and releasing a burst of holy flames. The holy flames only made it so far before they were snuffed out by darkness, large spears of solid shadow began rising to attack them. 

She channelled holy light into her banner and a barrier appeared, the attacks met the barrier and the Demon didn't seem to intend on letting up. 

Instead, dozens of these spikes began rising and smashing into the barrier. 

The Demon laughed maniacally. 

A wave of power smashed into the barrier and caused it to shatter. 

Her eyes widened as the wave of power was about to move towards her Lord.

She raised Luminosité Eternelle high, her resolve burning brighter than ever.

Her voice rang out.

"Oh Lord, bless my actions, and lend me the strength to defend those I love!

By the will of Heaven, manifest thy radiance!"

A golden aura enveloped Jeanne, her body glowing with holy power. 

Her banner ignited in holy fire, the once-faded flag now shimmering with the symbols of her faith. The air grew heavy with sacred pure dense holy energy as Jeanne's prayer reached its peak.

"Luminosité Eternelle!" she roared.

A massive dome of holy light burst forth, engulfing her and her Lord in an unassailable barrier of holy protection. 

The Demon's dark wave crashed against the shield with a deafening roar, but the holy light held firm. Darkness hissed and recoiled, unable to penetrate the dense dome of holy power. 

The Demon's eyes narrowed as its attack was nullified. "An impressive trick but how long can you sustain it?"

Jeanne's gaze remained silent. 

The Demon circled the dome like a predator, its claws scraping against the edge of the barrier, testing for weaknesses. Steam was sent into the air as the dome burnt its hand, not that it seemed to care.

Suddenly, he sent multiple strikes infused with darkness. Each strike sent ripples through the light, but Jeanne held strong.

Her magical energy was able to sustain it for now but that didn't mean she didn't have a limit. 

She couldn't bring herself to ask her Lord for any so she endured. 

Inside the barrier, her Lord continued his work, undistracted by the chaos around them. 

Jeanne glanced back briefly, her heart swelling with determination. 

This was her purpose. Despite the situation, her eyes shined with admiration. 

To protect him, no matter the cost.

The Demon gathered its power for another assault. 

"Your darkness will never prevail against the light."

With those words, the power output of her Noble Phantasm intensified, pushing back the encroaching shadows even further. The battlefield was bathed in holy light, forcing the Demon to retreat momentarily.

Sweat trickled down Jeanne's brow and she felt the strain on her mana reserves. 

The Demon, recovering from its retreat, grinned wickedly. 

"Who are you, Girl? I must admit, you are quite strong. I even thought you were an Archangel like the other one over there but no, you are some sort of human or spirit? Such a weird mix." Its voice was smooth yet unpleasant to the ears.

Jeanne didn't answer. 

"You two together are troublesome, I'll admit. But you aren't as strong as the other Angel over there. No, but your defence is impressive." He admitted. 

"Let's see how long it lasts when I crush it under my power!" It charged once more, unleashing a storm of shadow tendrils and dark energy, hammering against the barrier relentlessly.

Jeanne gritted her teeth as the storm of darkness crashed against her Noble Phantasm, the impact reverberating through her very soul. 

The dome of holy light started momentarily bending in some spots but held steady, for now. 

Every strike from the Demon sent ripples through the barrier, each one heavier and more aggressive than the last.

The Demon's laughter filled the air, a cruel melody that mocked her efforts. "Ah, the little girl is beginning to falter! Let me help you along!"

The Demon raised both clawed hands high, summoning a vortex of dark energy. 

The tendrils writhed, growing thicker and more numerous. Shadows coalesced into jagged, obsidian-like spikes that shot forward, slamming into the barrier in a synchronized assault.

The strain began to show.

Jeanne's breathing grew heavier as beads of sweat rolled down her face. 

Her glowing aura flickered for a moment before stabilizing under her sheer force of will. But the cracks had started to form.

Hairline fractures spread across the surface of the holy dome-like spiderwebs.

'N-no." Jeanne thought fiercely, tightening her grip on Luminosité Eternelle. 

Her muscles screamed in protest and her reserves were running dangerously low but she refused to let her Lord down.

The Demon that was watching her struggle, doubled its efforts. 

It unleashed a barrage of shadowy fists, pounding against the dome with relentless fury. 

Each strike sent shockwaves rippling outward, and the cracks widened, golden light spilling through the fractures like the last rays of a dying sun.

She held on, sending a look back to her Lord.

Jeanne knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. 

-{Kai}-

I felt myself cringe as I heard Jeanne's words.

I felt like Avael had a new competitor. 

Despite these thoughts, my focus was completely on the seal I was dealing with. The pressure of having a Demon attacking me and my interesting new summon was noticeable. 

It didn't help that I had five seconds left in my semi-divine form. 

As I continued unsealing the strong seal a memory overlapped with mine, making me blink. 

What?

Suddenly, my body moved from experience that wasn't mine and the unsealing process was sped up by a good amount. 

Instinctively I looked towards my shard's progress and my eyes widened. 

[Divine Shard] {Progress: 3.4%}

[The Shard of ?]

It had taken me a week of smithing to get it up by 0.1% and somehow in the past few hours, it has risen by three percent. What could have been thirty weeks of progress at that rate was done within hours.

I'm assuming this was why I was getting brief overlaps in memories, was this from him?

Was this going to become a recurring thing? I hadn't even hit five percent of the total shards completion. 

I continued unsealing the ability, at a noticeably faster rate.

I pushed my consciousness deeper into the segment. Inside its metaphysical construct, a vast mechanism awaited, built from interlocking glyphs and seals.

Just as I had left it. 

The skill I was looking for was hidden behind a multitude of fiery locks.

Over half of them had been broken. 

It was an annoying process, especially since I was anxious as to if Jeanne would be able to hold out.

Finally, after a few more seconds in real-time. The final lock broke, and the second segment of the sword flared to life. 

The flames shifted, no longer chaotic but ordered, forming a spiral of glowing runes that hovered above the pommel. 

The air crackled. 

Opening my eyes, I realised that I only had a few more moments left. 

Jeanne was barely standing against a massive assault and the barrier she was holding up took that moment to shatter. 

The demon didn't waste any time in sending multiple spears of darkness that blurred through the air towards Jeanne, who was standing on wobbly feet.

I vanished, holding her in my arms which elicited a sudden squeak of surprise and vanished back. 

I gathered a devastating amount of mana into one ball. It was the type of attack someone made when they were backed into a corner. I laid dozens of illusions onto it to make it as confusing as I could.

Of course, I didn't use all of my angelic mana up just in case but a massive amount of it. 

The Demon looks incredibly serious. 

I didn't give him time to move, as I used wind magic to part the way. 

The attack was launched and he was forced to bring up his defences.

I took that moment, a rift opening up and golden energy shining through. 

The demon's eyes widened and for a fraction of a second, I caught something that looked like genuine greed… it was more emotion than had been displayed in the entirety of the time I had been battling it was displayed in this very moment. 

He wanted me. 

Then, his expression twisted into seriousness, his teeth bared in a feral snarl as a black, corrosive aura erupted around him. 

The ground beneath his feet cracked and groaned under the sheer pressure of his power, the air itself felt like it was being sucked into a void.

I watched as the aura along with a massive surge of dark power collided with my attack, the massive ball of holy power starting to falter under the relentless force he was unleashing. 

His darkness clawed at the spell, tearing away its layers of illusions and raw energy, pushing it back inch by inch.

He was giving it everything he had.

I grimaced.

I quickly went to enter the rift, only for multiple attacks to force me away. 

The demon's sheer determination to survive was impressive, but it also made him vulnerable. He was pouring all his focus into repelling my attack, leaving himself exposed in other ways.

Annoying. It was a good thing I had saved this attack as a last resort, he might have been able to repel or ready himself for it had I performed it earlier. 

I raised my hand, fingers pointed toward him and called upon the power within me that I rarely used,

"Judgment."

The air grew heavier, thick with power as golden light gathered around me. 

The demon froze for a moment, his movements stuttering as if he instinctively understood what was coming. My voice was calm but the words echoed. 

His eyes went wide before completely turning black, his snarl morphing into something far more primal. It wasn't the look of normal terror or downright fear I had come to know when rarely using judgement but it was still something. 

The aura around him faltered for just a moment, but it was enough. The demon's body jerked violently, his mouth opening as he dropped to his knees. 

The dark energy he had been channelling flickered and thinned, and his concentration shattered. His entire form trembled as he was forced to relive every atrocity he had ever committed.

I was going to guess that was a lot considering he was a Demon. 

Whatever memories were resurfacing, they were enough to overwhelm even a being like him. His sins, centuries or perhaps millennia of destruction, cruelty, and betrayal were forced into his mind to relive.

His claws tore at the ground as though trying to escape his mind, but there was no escape. 

The dark aura had dissipated in just that moment and my attack reached him. 

With his focus broken and his defences weakened, the ball of mana smashed into him with devastating force. 

The illusions I had layered over it fractured, revealing the concentrated core of energy within.

The impact was blinding and I knew that I needed to leave now, twelve other powerful demonic auras flared from far away. I realised that attack had probably made my presence truly noticed within Hell. 

A truly massive explosion of light and heat tore through the air, engulfing the demon in its fury. The ground shook violently and a deafening roar of power drowned out everything else.

I shut the rift and was forced to take Jeanne far back as the explosion easily expanded to dozens of miles of demonic lands. 

Quickly, I re-opened the rift and jumped inside. 

A spike of power behind me let me know that the Demon had survived but couldn't do anything more as the rift was shut. 

I registered my surroundings, which made me pause as I looked at the very unfamiliar room. 

Jeanne was still in my arms, blushing uncontrollably and we were both in an unfamiliar room. 

This certainly wasn't the room I had left. 

We stood in a massive room with white floors and a large pearly throne in the middle of it. 

I gently released Jeanne and we both sat down on the ground. 

My Semi-divine form took that moment to sputter out of existence, causing me to nearly fall over as my body became powerless. 

I let out a slow breath, my body finally registering how tense I had been during the fight. My muscles ached and the faint aftertaste of burning lingered on my tongue. 

The air here was cool and soothing, a stark contrast to the raging chaos I had just escaped and the presence within the room was… comforting. 

My chakra eyes activated and I nodded.

The amount of holy power going through this place along with what I think was divine power was astounding. 

It was both comforting and worrying. I had no idea where I was. 

Jeanne sat beside me, her posture rigid yet elegant as she tucked her legs beneath her. 

Her presence also felt warm. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her stealing glances at me, her face flushed red.

It was almost amusing how quickly she'd snap her gaze away whenever I looked back. 

I pretended not to notice, keeping my focus on the throne before us, but her nervous energy was hard to ignore. 

Her hands gripped the fabric of her skirt tightly, her fingers fidgeting as though trying to find some outlet for the emotions she didn't want to voice.

That entire fight had been… intense. 

As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. Honestly, despite that I didn't regret saving those souls. I was pretty sure that had been what had made my shard progress so much. That gave me another clue as to how I could complete the shard.

Acts of heroism. 

Though, I didn't know if they had to be completely selfless or not. Which would cause a problem. In that moment the scene had made me feel something on a deeper level and I truly was pissed off.

Thus I saved them. Which made the Demon find me.

I had to wonder how many good people in the world had died doing such things while God had been dead. 

I stood up. 

Now wasn't the time to lie around. I had only taken that brief reprieve to regain my breath and adjust to the presence of the pain searing through my body. 

I was going to safely assume that I was back in Heaven. 

The presence of the sheer amount of holy power and light energy along with that weird soothing feeling felt like Heaven.

The real question was, where in Heaven was I? 

I found myself getting another vision while Jeanne got up with me, a blush on her face as the words she sputtered faded into the background. A weird focus leading me towards the throne. 

In the next moment, I found myself standing in front of it, my arms coming out to touch the seat that was now pulsing. 

I touched the cool metal and I could feel it warm up under my touch. 

Ownership Recognised. 

Throne Of Heaven wishes to connect.

Accept/Decline

I don't know why, but I didn't even think about it. 

What should have been something I normally would have given much more thought to was an easy decision. 

Throne Of Heaven has connected.

'Welcome Back, Lord Yahweh.' 

A voice rang in my head and I was snapped out of the weird state I had been in.

Before I could do anything, bells rang and a massive pillar of light shot up. 

My stomach lurched. This wasn't going unnoticed. 

Screens appeared of Angels rejoicing in the streets of the massive silver city. 

Literally, most of them were on their knees and crying as they stared at the massive beam in the sky. 

This wasn't how I had wanted to go about revealing this…

A door burst open. 

I turned to meet the gaze of Uriel with Raphael. 

Jeanne stood protectively in front of me. 

This was going to be awkward. 

-END-

if you wish to read up to sixteen chapters in advance among my stories and other things please visit pa/t reon * / Snipez818, I appreciate all the support!