High School Dxd: Word of Creation

Secret Church Facility, The Alps –

POV: Hiyama Oreki –

I watched as the massive boulder crashed down on Dulio, the sheer force of the impact creating a deafening explosion. Dust and debris erupted in every direction, blanketing the battlefield in chaos. I knew this wouldn't stop him, Dulio was ultimate class in canon when he became an angel. He probably was low-ultimate right now, but that is enough. At best this will knock him out for a minute.

As the dust settled, I wasted no time in etching the golden runes of a teleportation circle beneath my feet. The intricate sigils pulsed with energy, crackling with power as they began to activate. I needed to get to the Grigori facility to meet with the others and Asia too.

But before the circle could fully activate-

*Shatter*

The shimmering magic shattered beneath me, leaving me standing on fractured remnants of energy. My breath hitched as a shadow loomed overhead, an oppressive presence in the air around me.

"What the he-"

Darkness descended enveloping my vision. The last thing I saw was the faint flicker of the circle's dying glow and black feathers falling around me before unconsciousness claimed me.

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Hiyama's mansion, Kuoh town –

POV: Raynare –

Three hours.

It had been three agonizing hours since we had returned from the facility with Tosca, yet there was still no sign of Hiyama. My muscles twitched with nervousness, and my thoughts were a whirlwind of worry. He should have been here by now. He promised he'd follow right after us.

I had called on Azazel only fifteen minutes into our wait for Hiyama. Luckily, he took it seriously and surprisingly came to check himself

He had used his magic to search for any traces of Hiyama, yet he had found nothing—no signs, no traces. The exorcists at the facility had been eliminated, but Hiyama had vanished without a clue.

Now, back at the mansion, the tension in the air was suffocating. Asia clutched her hands together in silent prayer at the loss of her would be patron, and Mittelt fidgeted nervously in the corner with Kala. Kiba and Tosca had been sent by Azazel back to the Gremory girl, Tosca still suspended in animation.

Azazel promised the dejected Kiba that he would get Tosca out once he handled the initial fallout associated with master's disappearance. Having no other options, he was teleported away to Kuoh Academy by Azazel.

As Azazel's teleportation circle lit the room, Shiori appeared at the doorway, her face lighting up in joy at the sight of us.

"Hiyama!" Her voice broke through the silence, but her joy shattered instantly upon realizing her brother was not with us.

"Where is he?" Her voice trembled, her eyes darting to each of us.

Azazel stepped forward, his expression unusually soft. "Shiori…" He reached out a hand, his tone calm, almost fatherly.

"NO!" Shiori's shout cut through the room, her voice raw with panic. "Where is my brother?!?" She smacked Azazel's hand away, tears streaking her face. "Where is he?"

Azazel sighed heavily. "We don't know. He disappeared during their retreat."

"Bullshit!" Shiori's voice cracked with anguish, her hands clenching into fists. "You're one of the most powerful beings alive, and you don't know where he is? I don't believe you!" Her grief morphed into rage, and her voice dripped venom. "You demon!"

"Shiori, please," I began, stepping forward, only to be silenced as she turned her fury on me.

"And where were you?! You were supposed to protect him!" She grabbed my collar, her strength fueled by raw emotion. "I told you to protect him!"

"I-"

"Shut up!" She shoved me back before turning on Kalawarner, who tried to calm her.

When Kala reached for her, Shiori's response was instant-a savage kick to her stomach, sending her crashing into the wall. Half a heartbeat later, I joined her, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.

Shiori stood before us, her face a storm of anguish and rage. Her long brown hair had fallen loose, her black eyes wild and unrelenting. The holy sword Clarent shimmered in her grasp, its crimson aura flickering erratically.

"You bastards killed my brother!" she spat, her voice trembling with both rage and sorrow.

Azazel stepped forward, his aura shifting from sympathy to cold authority. "Shiori, enough."

But she wouldn't listen. With a scream, she lunged at him, Clarent igniting with a malevolent red light. A blinding light was sent out from Azazel as a teleportation circle appeared beneath all of us except him and Shiori.

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Kuoh town –

POV: Azazel –

Shiori's grief had consumed her. The crimson aura of Clarent crackled wildly, a clear sign that the blade's curse was taking hold. She struck with reckless abandon, her swings fueled by a mix of sorrow and fury. I had already teleported everyone else to my house in Kuoh where they would be safe.

I dodged her first strike, the blade carving through the air inches from my face. The raw force behind it was impressive, but it lacked control.

"Shiori, stop this!" I shouted, evading another swing. "I didn't kill your brother!"

"LIAR!" she screamed, her voice cracking. She threw the blade with all her might, the red energy surrounding it surging as it flew toward me.

*BOOM*

The impact shook the room, as I easily shifted a distance away. The blast left a crater where I had stood, the smoke swirling around her as she stalked forward.

"You're being consumed, Shiori!" I said firmly, my voice cutting through the sound of crackling energy. "Clarent feeds on vengeance! It's turning you into a puppet!"

Her response was another wild swing, her movements growing more erratic. Her attacks were powerful, but her technique was falling apart under the weight of the blade's influence.

I caught her wrist mid-swing, forcing Clarent out of her hand due to the force. "If you want to honor your brother, then stop letting this sword control you!"

"I won't let you lecture me!" she snapped, yanking her arm free and summoning Clarent back to her hand. "You don't care about him-you never did!"

Perhaps her words had some truth to them, perhaps more than some, but I refused to back down. "You think this is what he'd want? For you to throw yourself away? To end up hurting the people he did all this to protect."

For a moment, her grip faltered, her expression wavering. The sword's aura dimmed slightly, but its pull was still strong.

"Shiori," I softened my tone, stepping closer. "Your brother is out there somewhere. He's alive-I'm sure of it. But he needs you now. He needs you to be strong, to protect the very people he sacrificed himself for."

Tears welled in her eyes as she trembled, the blade shaking in her hand. "But… he's gone…"

"No, he's not," I said firmly. "But if you let this sword consume you, you'll be the one that's dead. Let go of the rage. Let me help you." I was rather invested in the Oreki siblings, I had learned many things from them through observation. I wouldn't let Shiori die and I certainly wasn't going to let Hiyama die.

Her shoulders slumped as the fight left her. The crimson light of Clarent flickered before fading entirely. The blade clattered to the ground, and Shiori collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

I knelt beside her, wrapping my arms around her in a fatherly manner. "We'll find him. I swear it."

As her sobs filled the quiet room, I glanced toward the shattered remains of the mansion's basement. I had my suspicions about what happened to Hiyama, but I couldn't tell Shiori she would just go and get killed.

I knew Hiyama doing this on his own was a terrible idea, but I didn't imagine there would be someone powerful enough that was nearby to take him out. Especially if Hiyama was forced into a balance breaker, but the traces of aura I sensed with my detection magic left little argument.

Hiyama had been ambushed by Kokabiel after defeating one of the church's strongest exorcists. I had considered the possibility of Kokabiel trying to get to Hiyama, that's why I had so much surveillance in Kuoh, but I didn't consider Kokabiel could find Hiyama outside of Kuoh.

Unless…

Kokabiel had some means to know that Hiyama was gonna be there. Which means he has intelligence in Kuoh, enough to know exactly where he was and at what time.

The motive isn't there for the Kuoh devils, and outside of them only Hiyama's own household would have access to that information.

Looking down into my arms to see Shiori still crying, I silently knocked her out and put her in bed upstairs. After that I summoned the others and told them to get Asia settled so I can think on how to handle this situation.

I quickly contacted Shemhazai to redouble our efforts to search that geographical region in the Alps. Furthermore, I contacted Vali to go search the area as well, I didn't want Kokabiel to even have a chance of escaping.

All I can do is wait for any reports from Vali, if he can't find him then I doubt I will be able to. Right now I need to stay in Kuoh to protect Shiori from a potential spy, and just in case Kokabiel shows up.

Besides, while I'm here I can mess with the Red Dragon Emperor…

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A/N: So what do you guys think? Any constructive criticism is welcome. Also, be sure to leave a review and power stones as that is my motivation.

I'm taking Hiyama out of play in Kuoh for a while so I can develop the other characters, specifically Shiori, cause I feel whenever he is around his personality would make him always intervene and become the center of attention. We'll be visiting him while he's with Kokabiel, but for the Riser arc that is beginning he won't be around.

I'll be primarily focusing on Shiori and Akeno POV, with some Hiyama sprinkled throughout, for the next few chapters.