NGJ Chapter 99: GAME OVER (Patreon)

[Here is a chapter with more than twice the length of an average chapter]

By the time it had become morning, I had fused all of my bodies back together, granting me access to my entire health and cursed energy output.

Waking up the exorcist duo were obviously a little embarrassed, well Irina mostly was, Xenovia took it in stride. As a way to appease her embarrassment and quell my own spiking anxiety, I cooked them both breakfast.

And breakfast of the kings it was, eggs, pancakes, crepes, sausages you name it I made it. It was so good that they both got 3 affection from just eating my breakfast.

They talked but it wasn't a conversation. I didn't hear what they said, instead the only thing I could think about was the crippling sense of anxiety.

Kokabiel must have noticed.

There is no way he wouldn't have.

That meant it was almost certain he would strike soon, since there was now an unknown factor mucking up his plans there was no need to plan any longer, he could just kill the devil heiress' and be done with it.

When would he strike?

What can I do?

As I am beating him is not possible, it is barely 5% if I manage to pull a miracle out of my ass. I am not good enough with Idle Transfiguration to change my race somehow, becoming a devil will be a death sentence against spears of light. Even if Alpha hits him with a point-blank curse burst with Morgan I doubt that Kokabiel will be severely hurt. Even if Alpha were to take Durandal from Xenovia's hands and use it it wouldn't help.

Putting my pride aside for the sake of survival, stalling until Vali showed up was not an option.

That is betting my life on the fact that the villain will go easy on me long enough for my knight in shining armour to save me.

What if I were to call for help?

No. Too unpredictable, Kokabiel could sense the strong opponent and decide no use using his time to torture weaklings and instead wipe out Kuoh off the map.

I texted Azazel but he is unavailable. Shitty fucking old man.

I made plenty of preparations, endurance potions, regeneration potions, magic power potions, you name it, it's applied to me right now. I don't know when he will strike so I have popped 8-hour lasting ones that are obscenely expensive and cost a solid fifth of my total resources.

I am about 84% more powerful at the moment. I am as prepared as one could be against a millennia-old war maniac.

God, I feel like a coughing baby against a hydrogen bomb.

"Akira-san, are you alright?" Irina gently nudged my side with a confused expression prompting me to look at her.

"What do you mean?" I hadn't let a single sign of emotional distress leak out I am sure of it.

"You haven't moved a single centimetre the past hour." Ah, now that she has mentioned it my eyes do feel quite dry.

"Yes, I am, I am just thinking. Speaking of which, I think it would be a good idea to introduce you guys to the other kings, I kind of forgot to mention your mission to them." Irina nodded and quickly excused herself, did I look THAT bad right now?

Whatever, personal relationships could managed later.

I opened my phone and quickly texted both Sona and Rias asking them to meet me after school as I had something important to discuss with them. Both that I would not have exorcist pets and about the existence of Kokabiel.

♢—•♦•—♢—•♦•—♢—•♦•—♢

I spent my time just trying to prepare more and more, creating more cursed spirits, setting every surveillance I could around Kuoh, but the more I couldn't find Kokabiel the more restless I became. And before too long it had become the time for the school to have finished, prompting me to unceremoniously teleport right in front of the gates.

"Hey, Akira welco-" Rias' words were cut off.

My sense of danger went off like a fire alarm. Making me freeze on the spot. No fucking way... already!?

Because at this moment, a giant barrier covered most of Kuoh. I cursed under my breath. Sona and Rias's peerage looked around warily while glancing at me as I tried to recompose myself. And at that moment a shadow had descended to the sky above us.

A tall, pale man with long black hair and narrow, blood-red eyes alongside tall pointy elf ears. He wore all-black clothing and a malevolent expression. But those weren't the most prominent features about him. No that was the 5 pairs of giant pitch-black crow wings on his back.

"It seems like everyone is gathered here, that's good. We have never met, have we? Heiress of the Gremory and Sitri, and the ever elusive Necromancer. I am Kokabiel." Both Rias and Sona instantly got into wary stances, moments after their peerages teleporting to their side, probably by telepathy.

I decided to take the first step.

"Well, great to meet you too Kokabiel, what brings you to this fine academy on this fine day in this fine town?" I said cooly, my anxiety and panic buried below several mental layers. Kokabiel's smile didn't change in the slightest just narrowing his eyes at me slightly before he looked over both the Heiresses, his smile turning even more malicious his eyes narrowing in irritation.

"As expected, you two both really look like your siblings, how revolting. Satan Blue and Red? Just the thought of them is enough to irritate me." Rias and Sona both sweated slightly, they were nervous but not fearful for their lives. Why should they be? They were the sisters of Satans and why would a fallen angel leader come all the way here to murder them?

"So? Why has a leader of the fallen angels come here in person? I doubt it's for a simple chat." Kokabiel laughed loudly in her face, making her wince.

"That's right, I have come here to have some "fun" around your academy and town. I thought if I reduced it to rubble either that whore of a satan Serafall or that crimson bastard Sirzechs would have to help, isn't that right?" Hearing his words everybody got on guard, Sona especially looked shocked.

"Fun!? Do you realize the implications of your actions? Aren't you aware this might lead to the reigniting of the great war!?"

"HAHAAHA! Aren't you a dull one? Am I aware of it? That's precisely my goal! That is also why I stole the Excalibur fragments, I was hoping that they would at least send a Seraph after it, or maybe even Vasco, that washed-up old bastard so that I could take revenge but what!? They some two-bit exorcists instead."

"B-but why!?"

"Why? Because I am bored obviously! It's been so long since the last war and neither Azazel nor Shemhazai want another war! So I thought, why not start one myself? After all this temporary truce is so fragile one push can send it over the edge." Kokabiel smiled viciously raising his hand up high, creating several spears of light.

"And what better way to tip over that balance than by killing those dear sisters those Satans value so much?" he released the underpowered spears raining down on the devils planning to play with his prey but before the spears could hit the shields Rias and Sona's peerages created there were instead blocked by a few dozen tower shield wielding knights.

"Frankly, I feel a bit insulted, all this talk about war and Kuoh and I am not mentioned even once." I said Drawing Kokabiel's attention to me.

"Oh, I didn't plan on killing you little necromancer, after all, you seem rather helpful to us fallen angels. As long as you don't intervene I won't do anything to you. But if you do..." He said conjuring a spear dozens of times larger than before, absolutely annihilating the gymnasium and the trees surrounding it with no effort.

...I could survive?...

A way out was given to me on a silver platter.

I just needed to do nothing, stand back and watch Kokabiel slaughter Rias and Sona. In the ensuing war, I would thrive, I could even absorb the corpses here to become stronger. Logically, it is the best option.

I would have accepted the deal.

If this was one or two months ago I would have accepted.

But right now.

For some reason.

The thought makes me sick.

Sweat ran down my brow. Making me chuckle nervously. Without even thinking about it the words escaped my mouth.

"Rias, Sona, run and call for your families." Kokabiel laughed loudly at my claims.

"I see, so you intend to guard those girls with your life? Fine then, let's see how long that 

resolve of yours lasts." Kokabiel raised his hand, conjuring hundreds of light arrows, in response I simply smiled nervously, and summoned hundreds of cursed soldiers from thin air, archers shooting down arrows knights blocking them, and magicians conjuring barriers and trying to curse Kokabiel.

But alongside that, I saw the infuriating sight of lightning, ice, and power of destruction being thrown around. Causing me to turn my head to them in disbelief.

"Why the hell are you still here!?" I was pissed off, couldnt they see the situation!? He was after them specifically, the best use they could be was running to their siblings!

"What are you talking about Akira? There is no way I could just leave you to fend for yourself alone! / What she said obviously, I am not just letting you face an insane Cadre without help." Rias and Sona said respectively, making Kokabiel smirk.

You fucking idiots...

"How touching, but how about you handle this first." Kokabiel smiled, shrugging off the volleys of arrows, spells and jumping soldiers, there was no Alpha or Wis out yet. Not the time. Instead, Kokabiel snapped his fingers, causing several summoning circles to pop out, shitting out not only Cerberus but hordes of monsters, causing me to divert my soldiers to deal with 

them and help the devils.

A shiver went down my spine as Kokabiel conjured yet another much much larger spear of light that went straight for me with a gleeful almost childlike smile on his face.

That... Was not something a simple forcefield could block.

Plan B.

I raised my hand causing several wraiths to suddenly leave my body and throw themselves against the spear before they exploded like ballistic missiles into green fireballs, countering the force of the spear.

This was my preparation, over a hundred cursed spirits with the ability corpse explosion. Each of them being able to create a pinnacle high-rank attack.

"Hoh? Seems like you were holding back on me. Now I just want to see how far you can go. Entertain me!" This bastard was enjoying this...

He created 5 more of the same spear and sent them down as I released more wraiths to stall the spears.

Clearly, a defensive position won't help me here, I will die long before I do anything meaningful to Kokabiel and help arrives. So it was time to unleash my strongest most secret Jujusu.

It was time to Jujump this motherfucker.

"Ddraig, Alpha, Wiz." At my call, all three arrived next to me, battle-ready. Alpha with Excalibur Morgan reared. Ddraig with Boosted gear shining. Wis with a mean look on her and large magic circles around her. Me with dozens of wraiths floating around me.

"Let's fly!" At the same moment, Alpha activated Curse Burst, creating purple lightning around Morgan, Ddraig activated Balance Breaker and Wis released a cursed ice prison while I sent a dozen wraiths and a burning sea toward Kokabiel who cackled manically.

"GOOD! GOOO! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!" Dozens of light spears the size of cars were released toward us, Alpha vanished and appeared beside him dodging the dozens of spears before he swung his blade, creating an arc of cursed energy that was simply stopped short by Kokabiel conjuring his own blade and meeting it. Taking advantage of the moment the fully boosted Ddraig tried to fly up and punch Kokabiel who caught her fist.

"The red dragon emperor!? Haha! This truly is fun!" Releasing his from the lock with Alpha by sending him back Kokabiel used his off hand to drive a punch into Ddraig's gut, sending her flying back but at the same, I teleported in front of his eyes with a punch reared back that he didn't even try to intercept.

Bad choice.

Hopefully.

"BLACK FLASH!" My fist hit that big ass schnose of his head on, creating a distortion in space as black lightning rolled off my fist. Making his head actually snap back, his nose bleeding before a shockwave sent me flying back.

"You..." Kokabiel stared at me for a moment suddenly flying at me at speeds I could barely comprehend and grabbing my face roughly, only to drive me headfirst into the ground at the speed of sounds, I felt my skull crack and my muscles tear as he put me six foot under. But before he did anything a wave of destruction was launched at him, but not by Rias.

"Akira! We saw what was happening and came to help!" Xenovia and Irina exclaimed while brandishing their Excalibur shards prompting Kiba to look over with a shocked and raged expression but he was drawn back to his own battle.

Thanks for the assist, but you do know you are basically committing suicide right now right? I know I may be a rat clawing at a bear right now but you are basically a flea when compared to even that.

"Hoh? So you are the pests the church sent to reclaim Excaliburs? What can you even hope to accomplish in the first place with your pathetic strength?" Xenovia smirked in response, handing her Excalibur shard over to Irina while raising her hand to the side.

"I can do this! Peta, Basillus, Dionysus, and Mary, the Holy Mother. Hear my voice, in the name of the saint which rests in this blade. I will unleash! The Holy Sword Durandal!" Saying that she pulled a sword bound by chains from a pocket dimension. A large uniquely shaped broadsword with a blue blade and a golden edge that gave off an overwhelming holy aura.

The sword on par with Excalibur, Durandal.

"Hoh? So you are the new wielder of the Durandal? Well then come at me!" Kokabiel opened his arms wide, creating a pair of light blades.

"Irina! Let's go!" "Right!" Xenovia with Durandal and Irina dual-wielding the Excalibur shards charged at Kokabiel. I did nothing to interrupt them, using the opportunity to focus on my negative emotions to recover my cursed energy instead.

As one would expect they weren't doing much, that applied to basically everyone actually. Kokabiel kept summoning minions to keep people occupied while toying with the exorcists himself before he finally decided to drop his truth bomb.

"I must say I am so surprised you are still fighting so vigorously after losing your master." This drew the attention of everyone present, and the implications made Xenovia turn to him.

"What do you mean by that Kokabiel?"

"HAHAHAHAAH! Of course! I almost forgot of course they didn't tell you all! God perished in the Great War!" This shocked everyone present stunned, making them stare at Kokabiel with eyes and open mouths. The sadistic bastard even made his summons stop attacking to savour the situation.

"H-how could that be!? Thats impossible! Our lord cannot be dead!" Irina shouted in disbelief as Kokabiel laughed in her face.

"Right! Of course, they would tell you that! They need to preserve the people's faith after all! But why would I lie? That bastard died along with the four satans. The only reason it doesn't appear to be so is because Micheal is so good at managing everything in his place. But of course, in his absence cracks appear don't they? How else would devils be able to take his creations for themselves?" This revelation shattered everyone's worldviews making both Irina and Xenovia slump down just muttering to themselves as Kokabiel cackled madly, ordering his summons to resume attacking.

But in this moment he was the most confident, the most cocky, the most off guard. I had stood back for long enough.

I felt the blood within me boil. Do or die.

"< < Everyone get back! > >" I felt my vocal cords shred from forcing so many people back at once but I didn't care, using RCT I healed my vocal cords. Forced to run away now the only people within 50 meters of me were Alpha and Ddraig alongside Kokabiel.

A giant pair of skeletal hands clapped behind me in a prayer position.

"Domain Expansion: Walpurgis Night!"

From beneath my feet expanded a barrier that enveloped the space around it before my inner was expanded inside it within less than a single second, creating a vast scorched battlefield filled with skeletons. Kokabiel looked around in amusement.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

Before he could even exclaim a single word however several dozen bone spears stabbed at him.

"This is quite annoying." Kokabiel flew up high sending spears of light raining from above annihilating the spears and shaking the domain itself, but right after he was punched down from the sky by a giant skeletal hand making him frown in annoyance as he waved his hand and destroyed it.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

Not letting him a second to breathe I teleported several wraiths to his location as well as a wave of skeletons to bury him, so quick even he couldn't react the wraiths exploded like missiles as he was bogged down by the horde but.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Waving his hand a giant explosion of light like a hundred crates of TNT ripped away all of the wave, even the wraiths I sent were turned to ash. But I see he wasn't unaffected by the corpse explosions the corner of his lip was bleeding.

All that for a drop of blood?

"Really? Are cheap tricks all you have!?" He said throwing a building-sized Spear at me, making me spend a large chunk of CE creating yet another flood of skeletons to drown out the spear before it reached me. All I got?

ALL I GOT?

I'LL SHOW YOU ALL I GOT!

I teleported every single wraith right up to Kokabiels ugly fucking mug and detonated them.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

The explosion shook the entire domain, almost like a small-yield nuclear weapon. But who emerged from the giant cloud other than Kokabiel. Looking worse for wear, the debuffs and curse I loaded into him made him bleed from the eyes, nose, ears and mouth making him look more like a demon. There were small burns across his entire body.

But that wasn't all, I created a skeleton in front of him and swapped places with with before turning my arm into a bladed whip that struck him across the chest surprising him momentarily. Then I suddenly ducked down.

Because behind him was Alpha who had switched places with a skeleton with a fully loaded Excaliblast that was boosted by Ddraig.

Alpha with the new weapon reached new heights that he was finally able to grasp. And he pushed his technique to the fullest.

{ Ultimate Technique: Excalibur Morgan }

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

A giant burst of red-purple laser struck Kokabiel head-on, an attack strong enough to straight through a mountain struck that stuck up cunt head-on, that was all of Alpha's cursed energy spent to plagiarize Salter.

*BAM!*

'No fucking way...'

What I saw when the giant fuckoff beam subsided was Kokabiel with a large burn across his back and burnt feathers. I could see veins bulging across his temple, neck and arms from the sheer anger as he summoned a sword of light and blitzed the weakened Alpha, his swing brutally bisecting Alpha, ripping the top half of his body while eradicating the lower half. His upped half did not last long before Kokbiel skewered his face with his blade.

[Alpha has perished.]

"I am tired of playing around!" Almost instinctually I squeezed my quickly running out pool of CE to try and skewer him again with more spikes but now they just broke on his skin with fragile little chopsticks. A second after I could barely see with thought acceleration Kokabiel dashing toward me with his sword.

But then.

"Akira! Run!" Ddraig's gauntlet-clad fist tried to punch Kokabiel who sidestepped the balance breaker simply sneering.

"What a weak red dragon emperor! Die!" Kokabiel, reinforcing his body with magical energy kicked Ddragi HARD, straight up shattering her armor, causing a small green orb to fall on the ground as well as the rest of the armour vanished into air. Kokabiel's sword was raised again, about to come down on Ddraig.

Run away!

YOU NEED TO STAY ALIVE

THEY DON'T MATTER

YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK

THEY ARE WEAK THEY AREN'T USEFUL TO YOU RIGHT NOW SO JUST LEAVE THEM BEHIND. 

YOU NEED TO SURVIVE.

YOU CANT DIE

Don't die.

In a single moment, thousands of conflicts ran through Akira's mind.

He told himself he could just run away, leave this battle that wasn't his. Build up his power and come back to kill Kokabiel.

Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Aika, Sona, Ddraig, everyone. Kokabiel would kill them. Probably Asia, Mittelt, and Shuri too.

But he would be alive.

That was all that mattered.

He would be alive.

He refused to back into the void ever again no matter what.

'but isn't that just cowardice?'

He never really cared about any of them in the first place.

'do you really?'

It was all about power. He used them for power and that was it.

'was it?'

He refused to care about others.

'but do you even have a choice?'

So.

He would run away.

'then why aren't you running away?'

*BAM!*

Without thinking, Akira's body moved. Surpassing speeds that he could normally access his body reinforced beyond the limit punched Kokabiel square in the face, diverting his swing from Ddraig as Akira forcibly unsummoned her.

He barely had any cursed energy left yet he scrounged up whatever was left in his dry well for one punch that did nothing but piss off Kokabiel more.

"I see you are very eager to die. THEN DIE!" A strong backhand from Kokabiel broke Akira's bones and sent him skidding across the ground.

"This little trick of yours is also very annoying." Saying that, as if it was barely an inconvenience Kokabiel summoned a light spear so large that it made the inside of the domain feel cramped.

*BOOOOOOM!!!* *Crack!* *Shatter!*

Like it was a vase made of glass the domain broke apart as the spear shattered it completely leaving a wheezing Akira on the ground suffering the drawbacks with a smirking Kokabiel looking over him.

"Akira!" Rias shouted but her attention was once again taken as yet another beast leapt out of the summoning circle and attacked her.

Akira coughed and tried to shakily get back to his feet like a newborn deer yet his feet did not help. Thankfully his old pal Kokabiel helped him by raising him up to his feet and above by grabbing his throat. Leaving him pathetically grasping his hand to release himself to no avail.

"You should count yourself lucky boy. You actually made me, Kokabiel, bleed. You may take that trophy to your grave." As Kokabiel was going to crush Akira's throat suddenly something.

Whether it be out of pure willpower or sheer will, whatever regenerated out of Akira's CE was forcefully consumed. And from Akira's shadow jumped out a figure, lacking an arm, a lower body and a shattered skull and wielding a red-black sword.

The figure of Alpha which shouldn't have been able to move in the first place swung its sword with all of its might, and when that swing reached Kokabiels wrist.

*CRASH!!!* "Grah!!!"

Red-black lightning rolled off of the swing, the blade itself severing Kokabiel's wrist before Alpha was whacked away by Kokabiel's wing. With rage in his eyes, Kokbiel grabbed his severed before putting it on the stump and connecting the two with magic.

The sheer amount of energy emanated from the angry Kokabiel froze everybody in place. At this point, Kokabiel glare daggers into Akira before simply raising his hand.

"Die."

Unable to support even his own weight, his technique burnt out, his cursed energy dry Akira looked on.

As several spears of light pierced his body.

""""""""AKIRA!!!"""""""

The shouts for him did not reach his. The only sound he heard was the sound of his health dropping to zero.

[ You Died ]

[ Game Over ]

Everything went black.

A/N: For the first time since he has come to this world "Akira Gojo" put his own life on the line to protect someone else's. With every opportunity to leave he chose to stay for reasons even he doesn't know.

Everyone was fighting to help him, Ddraig and Alpha dragging their half-dead selves just to save him to buy him mere seconds of time. Yet despite all of that Akira died, his technique burnt, CE dry, and on his knees unable to stand up.

But sometimes.

Death isn't always the end.