I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*

M for mature topics. No children allowed. *

The Broken Boosted Gear

By Try Another Time

Everyone from the youngest to the oldest member of those present was staring at her and the mysterious halo floating on top of her head. Amongst those present were Michael, Sekhmet, Asia, Rias, and many other members who had come together within the garden of the Tiamat's second home within Shangri La.

"How did you do this?" Xenovia asked as she touched the liquid that spun on top of Akeno's head. "Is warm. Is it really your blood?"

Akeno didn't look amused as her friends and elders looked at her with increasing curiosity. "Can all of you stop? It feels like I'm some kind of science project."

"Sorry." Everyone apologized as they turned their attention back to the discussion at hand.

Baraqiel interlocks his fingers as his face turns serious. "We came together to discuss the mission's affairs with a much more explicit discussion, which seeks to touch every point we didn't get to discuss in a much deeper sense. Although the reports are clear and the information is open to everyone, I imagine some personal commentary was taken out. The floor is open to anyone who seeks to begin."

Isaiah looks around before he raises his hand. "I feel that we can't ignore the secret agent that has been behind enemy lines for years without the knowledge of many of us. I think Le Fay deserves an answer like many of us."

Le Fay nods as she glares at the adults present. "Can someone explain that to me? Why is my brother doing this?"

Tiamat faces her before she starts talking. "Years ago, before the incident with Susanoo, dear meet Arthur alongside Elaine. He contacted us because he was being recruited by a group that contained people like Cao Cao, the host of the first Longinus. Not everyone was sure about letting such a young person go behind enemy lines, but Ddraig supported Arthur."

"Ddraig supported this?" Le Fay was shocked to hear this before she turned to Elaine, who apologized to her for hiding the truth.

"Arthur… wants something from the Alliance, specifically something from Gaia, and the only way to gain that was to take care of this mission. Arthur told me that he couldn't lose this chance. What he seeks can't be obtained without a price." Elaine admits.

"And what is my brother looking for? What is so important to put his life on the line?" Le Fay asks.

The small copy of Gaia, which was sitting on Tiamat's right shoulder, turns to her. "The right to take his own vengeance against those who hurt his family. He wants me to give him the chance to take the lives of everyone involved with a certain tragedy which involves your father, his first bride, and a child that never got the chance to live."

Silence took over as Gaia's words shook everyone present. Few knew the truth, and those who did chose not to speak about it.

"The ground that saw the birth of humanity never forgets, my child. I might have been asleep, but I know what happened in a coastal town. I know about the cruelty of the so-called English Royal family, and their sins run deep. Your family, the Pendragons, have been pawns in the royals' hands for many generations, and your father might have endured the worst of all. I'm not one to approve of violence, but I understand that everyone deserves to pay in one way or another for their sins, and that is why every royal who has tainted their hands with sins is currently imprisoned within my grasp. Yet I fear that such punishment won't be enough to appease your brother's anger. That boy carries the grudge of an unborn life on his back. I don't know who interfered, but someone sent that boy back from the afterlife." Gaia admits before her eyes turn to Ereshkigal.

"I had no involvement in such an act, but I think that Hades might have been involved. Out of all the gods that rule over death, Hades is the most sentimental, as he cherishes every young soul. To Hades, every soul deserves a chance at life, and those who died before birth or at an adequate age are usually reincarnated far quicker than others. I can't confirm it, but he might be behind Arthur's situation." Ereshkigal says.

"What do you mean with all this? That my brother-" Le Fay stops herself. She feared what she was going to say next.

"... That he is someone who died before. A child who got his second chance, likely the same child who died at the hands of the royals. I can't confirm if Hades was behind it, but to us who deal with souls, it is not hard to tell if someone has been reincarnated. Your brother might seek vengeance against those who took his life before birth. The question now is if Gaia-sama will allow him to pass judgment upon those who took his life." Bennia says as she turns to Gaia.

"... When the boy returns, we can discuss the situation. Until then, the priority should be securing his safety. The information he has delivered to us has been of much help." Gaia says before she points her finger at Azazel. "Did your team open the cube?"

Azazel nods. "Blueprints, audio files, photos, videos, data, Arthur did the job of a century as he stole everything he could get his hands on from the enemy. Le Fay, your brother, has done the impossible, which commends respect. None of us can overlook his achievements. His goal is far from pure, but his actions have aided all of us. We will do our best to bring him home; we can promise you that."

Le Fay remained silent as she reflected on the information she had received. She was distressed and felt a bit betrayed over the secrets that were kept from her, but she also saw why everything was kept so hidden from her and almost everyone else.

Tosca, who is sitting next to her mom, raises her hand. "Can we listen to some of his recordings? I want to hear what Arthur has witnessed with his eyes."

Everyone nods as they agree with Tosca.

Azazel looks into his pocket for a small magenta crystal. "I expected this was going to be necessary. There are at least 300 hours of recordings, and these were a few of them."

Azazel activates the crystal, and everyone can hear Arthur's voice in seconds.

"Agent Tristan here. It has been three months since I infiltrated Cao Cao's team. My expectations were far from the mark regarding the operations behind this group. Cao Cao's team, the so-called Hero Faction, is a mere group of humans and mix-blood humans who act as the black-op team for the Khaos Brigade. Cao Cao and his team obtain resources and weapons while the Khaos Brigade gets to a group of highly effective agents who can easily infiltrate most realms and carry on with various missions. Assassinations, intel gathering, stealing precious resources, and even some kidnappings are some of the missions that the Hero Faction has taken care of. The disgust I felt after some of the things I had to witness might sour my taste buds for years to come."

"Arthur…." Le Fay's expression is saddened after hearing the voice of her brother.

"Agent Tristan here. I finally saw some of the individuals behind the Khaos Brigade and the Hero's faction. Lord Indra seems to be the individual behind the creation of the Hero Faction. He has personally trained Cao Cao and several other humans to be proper agents for the faction. It seems to me that he's preparing them for something bigger. It might involve Lord Shiva, as he has discussed that Cao Cao is not ready to face Shiva. He seems to place his hopes in Cao Cao's Longinus to finish Lord Shiva."

Everyone's eyes turned to Shiva, who remains expressionless as he listens to the recording.

"Shiva, you said that Indra disliked you, but this is open animosity. He's preparing himself to slay you. The bastard doesn't have the guts to face you alone." Sekhmet says with a disgusted expression.

Shiva shakes his head. "The brat doesn't like the fact that I won't lower my head and follow his lead. I knew the moment was coming. He always saw me as an obstacle to his reign. Let's continue with the recordings."

"Amongst the representatives of the Khaos Brigade, I have seen Angra Mainyu, Chernobogg, Whiro, Kroni, and many other beings from legend, but the one that seemed to be at the lead is a devil who is called Rizevim Lucifer. The guy exudes malefic intentions, and how he watches Cao Cao makes him feel like he's waiting to steal Cao Cao's spear. He seeks power and might be hiding many things from everyone. I will try to discover his plans as much as possible."

Sirzechs and the other Satans look angry as they hear the name of their enemy.

"Bastard didn't have the guts to face us during the civil war, and yet he is leading this damn organization from the top. I should've put a blade on his head while I was still a teen." Serafall says.

Gabriel shakes her head. "Nothing can be done about the past. We must take care of the presence." Mysteriously, her halo now had a distinctive shade of green, which had replaced its golden color.

"Although he might seek that, I doubt he will get his way. That spear has a will of its own."

Tosca's ears peak as she listens to Arthur.

"I don't know how to describe it, but an entity dwells inside the spear. When Cao Cao is in danger, that entity takes over and finishes the job for him, although Cao Cao doesn't recall anything while that entity takes over. The other members of the team call it the Will of Judgement. They say it doesn't speak many words and just finishes the job when Cao Cao can't handle it. I… don't trust it. That entity doesn't inspire trust in me as it does for the others. Brother, I fear what might happen if you ever face that thing. Cao Cao might not be able to return if it continues to take over for him."

"It happened before? Wait, what is that thing to begin with?" Tosca turns to the angels, and fallen angels are present.

"... The first Longinus was created in the middle of the war. Father…. He was restless as he engaged every enemy that opposed Paraiso. I know that a fragment dwelled inside the spear, but I didn't expect that it would be a fragment so drenched in anger." Raphael explains.

"We might just call it the aspect of Father connected to his anger against his enemies—an aspect of Judgement which offers no mercy. That fragment is not the father we knew; it is something that shouldn't exist." Baraquiel adds.

Every angel and fallen angel nods. Nobody felt happy about the actions of Judgment.

"Can we even take care of it? If we faced it again, it might achieve its goal. It will take over your minds." Akeno says as she turns to her father and his siblings. "I… This halo and whatever is happening to me might have protected me, and Lucille might have Ddraig, but what about everyone else?"

"..." Gabriel touches the eye patch that covers her eye. "Ddraig aided me in fighting back against the influence of the fragment. It might be due to the eye, but our connection allowed me to break away from its influence."

"And now your halo has changed colors. I don't know what effects this might have on you in the future, sister, but at least you're safe from that… voice. I… never expected to hear such words from father—so much anger. It…. scares me. My memories…. He tried to take them away." Uriel seems the most affected as he recalls how the voice commanded his obedience like his father never did.

"Well, figure something out. That voice won't use me, and if I have to, I'm willing to sever my own halo to prevent his control." Michael says.

"Don't. Thou shouldn't do something so drastic. It is unknown to us if such actions will protect thee." Athena pleads with Michael.

"Athena is right. Breaking your halo might disrupt your connection to heaven but might not effectively sever the control. We know that its influence only affects those within the same realm. Anyone outside that range should be fine, so we have a way to fight it off. I want to explore how Ddraig was able to aid Gabriel and Lucille. If possible, we might be able to develop a temporal solution to the issue through him." Shemhazai says.

Raynare nods. "Lucille, you think Ddraig can help us?"

Lucille, who's sitting right next to her sister, remains silent for a bit. "My core is made from his very flesh. Flesh makes a strong connection. Gabriel's eye was originally his. Creating a strong connection through blood and flesh might be a solution. A medium in which Nii-sama can reach you might be a way to fight back, but it will also take a strong will that rejects the will of the fragment. It will call for us to obey, and we need to reject continuously its influence."

"All of you must remember that your father is no longer among us." A feminine voice says before its tone turns masculine alongside its body, which switches from a muscular green-haired, olive-skinned lady with snake eyes to a masculine buff man with similar aspects. "YHWH died after sealing Trihexa and finishing Lucifer. I might not have been present, but I know he resented the war and his actions. He was a peaceful god who sought to create life and not war, although he had his own imperfections. As his children, all of you must choose to be better and not fall back into the same cycle."

"We know, Lord Quetzalcoatl. We made a vow not to fall back into the same cycle that cost millions of lives." Gabriel says with a determined expression. Her eyes then turned to Tosca. "You said in the report that a white bird interfered as you were ready to deliver the final blow. Do you recall what the bird said?"

Tosca recalls the voice and its words. "I'm sorry, but you aren't meant to face each other in this place, Welsh Dragon. Those were its first words. Its voice was childlike. It was far too peaceful to be taken by an enemy. Its final words were: The time will come, I promise that, but until then, I will keep this fragment away. We will see each other when the time comes. I hope that we can talk once it comes. It almost seemed as if it knew my father."

Rossweisse, who had an arm covered in bandages, raised an eyebrow. "It knew Ddraig? Could it have been another fragment?"

Raphael and the other angels shake their heads. "We don't recall the existence of any more fragments of father, and we doubt the identity of such being. Unless…. Father hid something from us."

Raphael's words disrupt the flow of holy energy in the four seraphs, who start to look shaken. Secrets kept away from his children after all they had given to him was too much for them.

"... Fathers tend to hide things from their children. These secrets might be due to plans that children won't understand at the moment. If what young Tosca said is true." Quetzalcoatl switches to its female form. "The Welsh Dragon is bound to be the one to face the fragment within the spear and put an end to it. Until then, we should be careful about our steps. Young Tosca, are you ready to face the spear if it reappears while your father still sleeps?"

Tosca looks at the spear that rests around her arm. "As long as I have Ouros with my team and me, I can face any challenge. My team was tasked with eliminating Cao Cao, and regardless of the intervention of the entity that dwells inside the spear, we shall put him down."

All adults nod at Tosca's words.

"Your words show great determination. My eyes don't fail me as I see a bright future ahead of you, yet one can't be too cautious. I recommend combining three teams to ensure all its members' survival. Xenovia, you were targeted by the so-called Gilgamesh the Third." Shiva asks as he faces the young exorcist.

Xenovia touches the scar that now rests across her face. "Yes. We were able to force him to retreat, but that thing would show up again. Its intent is evident as it seeks to use me and come after Lady Ereshkigal."

As she recalls the report, Ereshkigal doesn't look happy at all, nor is she happy about Xenovia being so openly targeted by a so-called descendant of Gilgamesh.

Shiva nods as his eyes turn to Asia. "So-called members of the old church also targeted you."

Asia nodded as she recalled the dying words of her opponent. "He said that there were more of them. They have it out for me and anyone who chose the Alliance instead of the old church."

Shiva's eyes then turn to Rias and Akeno. "We know that the neo-demon pillars are a thing now. 72-strong devil general that could be mass-produced. Do you have the determination to face such devils?"

Rias and Akeno look determined as they face the god. "We will hunt them down until none remains."

Shiva smiles. "There you have the three teams. Your members are young, but each has been trained by the best of us. You have proven yourselves, and I know that none of you shall stop until your missions are achieved. Arthur has given us the path for our next steps. We know that our enemies will attack Shangri La and our other bases someday, but before then, we will hunt them down. A report based on Arthur's intel claims that enemy forces work secretly with dwarven forces. Dwarven technology can't be overlooked as they proved their might before. Asgard will likely deny such claims, but we will seek the truth. Sleep and get ready because all of you will travel with some of us to Nidavellir in two weeks. This will be the first of several missions. We're going on the offensive."

Shiva's words incite conversations amongst those present, yet Tosca has one last question.

"Lord Shiva… what about my father? When will I be able to unseal him?"

Her words attract the attention of everyone present. All eyes turn to Shiva, expecting an answer.

"The day of the attack on Shangri La," Shiva answers.

"What?" Ereshkigal questions his choice alongside everyone else.

Shiva looks calm as he looks around the room. "He will be ready by them not a day later or a day early. That day, we'll face an invasion like no other. A war on three fronts, just like the report says; my eyes already saw this future. We'll face the worst they have to offer, and we might have all odds against us, but in our direst time, he will wake up and lead the charge. The alliance won't fall."

His worst held back the entire picture of his vision, yet nobody could argue as he was ready to sacrifice his life to ensure the future he sought to achieve alongside everyone.

That very night.

Shiva sat before the sealed Welsh Dragon while taking in the sight before him.

"We have gotten closer to my visions. We're walking a path that seems much brighter with each day. We will face some serious challenges from now on… sadly, Hades will face a heavy blow alongside the entire land of the dead. The gates of hell will be unsealed, but we shall face the challenge….. Be ready, my friend; the first horseman has awakened. The first sign has appeared."

His ominous words mark the countdown of the unavoidable war for survival that was bound to give birth to a new age.