WebNovels

Chapter 55 - chapter:55 Rias countered

If you want to read ahead by 50 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}

https://patreon.com/Playerfanfic

-----------

"I suppose it's only natural for you to look so surprised." The Fallen mocked, "Still, even if you don't believe me, the fact remains that after the War, Pure Angels could no longer reproduce, and there are very few Pureblood Devils among the 72 Pillars. Things got so bad that all three factions have to rely on Humans just to survive, but since the incompetent sheep can't survive without their precious Shepherd, the Higher-Ups of all Three Factions did their best to keep this secret from pretty much everyone, quietly 'disposing' of anyone that learned the truth." He sneered at Valper's corpse "It got to the point it's almost reflexive to kill anyone who learns the truth…though in all honesty I couldn't care less."

"…You're lying…" Xenovia whispered, the exorcist dropping to her knees, Durandal falling to the ground beside her as all the strength in her body vanished, unable to do anything but shake her head in a feeble attempt to deny the Fallen's words "You're lying…it can't be…"

"What reason have I to lie?" Kokabiel countered with a sneer "I could care less if the sheep learn that their shepherd is dead, humans aren't worth my time anyway." He scowled, "No, what bothers me is that, after all we went through to corner both Heaven and Hell, that bastard Azazel had the gall to order us to retreat! To make matters worse, all three sides suddenly up and decided there was no meaning in continuing the war!"

"I can't bear it!" he snarled clenching a fist so tightly that it actually began to bleed "Can you imagine the humiliation we felt when that bastard ordered us, his own men! To lower our raised fists when we were in the perfect position to land the final blow to both our enemies? He even had the audacity to say there'd never be another war! Don't fuck with me! If that's the case, then what the hell were we fighting for in the first place?!"

And with that, Shirou understood. With that one enraged rant, filled with venom and bitterness, the Faker finally understood just what it was that was driving the Fallen Star of Heaven to such lengths.

Kokabiel was a warrior. Like Lancer, he lived for the fight and probably would have been just as happy to die in battle as to take his enemy's life. No doubt he had seen countless comrades meet their end on the Holy Spears of the Angels or consumed by the Devil's Hellfire, only to persevere, for what else was there to do in a war but kill your opponent?

Finally, despite being outnumbered on both sides, the Fallen Angels found themselves in a position to strike a mortal blow to the other two Biblical Factions, rendered leaderless by the Deaths of God and the Old Satans. A Blow that Kokabiel would've been all too eager to deliver if only his leader gave the word.

The word was given, but not to Attack. Instead, Kokabiel could only look on in disbelief as, despite their sacrifices to reach this point, their leader, Azazel, was the first to call for a retreat, and as if to drive the nail deeper, forbid any of them from restarting the war or revealing the truth of God's death to the world.

And so the warrior was forced to put away his fangs and pretend to shepherd the sheep left unattended in God's absence, now the only means by which his race could ever increase their numbers as a result of the creator's death while the favored son attempted to fill his shoes.

It was a laughable affair, so much so that, were the stakes not so high, Shirou might actually pity the Fallen. While his fate was nowhere near as tragic as EMIYA's, at least Kokabiel retained his free will, so it wasn't as if he could pass the blame for his actions till now entirely on Azazel's head.

"So what?" Shirou called out, cutting off Issei before the Pawn could begin his rant "You say God is dead? Tell me something I don't know, I haven't believed in God from the moment I was born, so I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Emiya-?" Rias exclaimed, the Gremory heiress looking at her fellow redhead in surprise as he slowly rose to his feet, her eyes widening in alarm as she spotted the blood trailing down his face "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing compared to losing an arm." Shirou assured her, smirking to himself as he gripped the burning left limb, struggling to bring it under control "It's nothing compared to being stabbed in the heart, hell, it doesn't even compare to walking through a fire, trying to ignore the screams of people around you."

"What are you talking about, heathen?" Kokabiel demanded, a scowl adorning his features "Are you honestly trying to tell me that if knowledge of God's death were made public, you humans would be unaffected?"

"Oh I'm sure there'll be some fallout." Shirou agreed, his expression wry as he channeled some of Archer's sarcastic wit "But the thing is, it's not humans that are dependent on Gods…its Gods that are dependent on us." He chuckled at the Fallen's expression "It's true, isn't it? Since ancient times, Gods have relied on the faith of mankind to maintain their powers…without it they simply disappear back into the ether, or at best, become mere nature spirits with limited ability to interact with the material world."

"Is he serious?" Issei demanded, sweat-dropping as he glanced between the Faker and Kokabiel, who was eyeing the redhead with interest, and Rias, who seemed to be just as stunned as he was "Buchou, is that really all faith boils down to?"

"There's probably more to it than that…" Rias countered, her expression torn as she kept her eyes on Kokabiel, watching for any signs of attack "But, as far as I can tell, what Emiya-kun is saying isn't entirely wrong."

-----------

If you want to read ahead by 50 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}

https://patreon.com/Playerfanfic

More Chapters